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The Stratosphere Lounge

The Stratosphere Lounge Episode 281

The man and machine edition!

The Stratosphere Lounge Episode 281

The man and machine edition! Recorded live before a global audience by Bill Whittle on April 1, 2021.

https://youtu.be/pEDIfBdzICk

12 replies on “The Stratosphere Lounge Episode 281”

I know the A.I. enthusiasts think they’re building the last machine we ever build, but it’s just not so – they have an impossible dream. They can certainly get to a very high-level machine driven design, but there will always be a need for someone to define what the parameters are, and this situation doesn’t scare me at all. I’m a Software engineer, and the entire history of software engineering – and I would argue of engineering in general – is of building better tools so that we’re engineering in a higher, more abstracted layer. No one codes in assembly anymore – we program in higher level languages that will get broken down into lower level languages that will get broken down into assembly. In a similar fashion, when someone builds, say, a house, they don’t worry about building the nails or screws, or nowadays often even the walls – they come as prefabricated SIPs. Machine-driven design will just become another component in the toolbox.

The driving force of humanity is the satisfaction of doing something yourself that through your own actions improves your life. If you’ve done it yourself, you feel that all the work was worth doing. If you fail, you will try it again with a better understanding of what works and what doesn’t, which changes your life from that point forward.

so funny that you mentioned humanizing mechanicals… as I had that conversation this morning… and mentioned that at the Findhorn foundation everything is named… the buses, the washing machines and dryers, the vacuum cleaner…
While I have never named my cars over the years… I have definitely had conversations… and occasional rants… and have a hard time exchanging them…
but I talk to everything… the dog and a cat that likes my garden, the crows and other birds that come to my yard… and I have a deal with the cockroaches… which seems to be holding…

And here’s a quote I picked up from somewhere…

Humans quickly get a reputation among the interplanetary alliance and the reputation is this: when going somewhere dangerous, take a human.

Humans are tough. Humans can last days without food. Humans heal so fast they pierce holes in themselves or inject ink for fun. Humans will walk for days on broken bones in order to make it to safety. Humans will literally cut off bits of themselves if trapped by a disaster.

You would be amazed what humans will do to survive. Or to ensure the survival of others they feel responsible for.

That’s the other thing. Humans pack-bond, and they spill their pack-bonding instincts everywhere. Sure it’s weird when they talk sympathetically to broken spaceships or try to pet every lifeform that scans as non-toxic. It’s even a little weird that just existing in the same place as them for long enough seems to make them care about you. But if you’re hurt, if you’re trapped, if you need someone to fetch help?

You really want a human.

That was awesome, I am totally stealing that to use in my everyday life.

Bill you need to take a break from at least the form of what you are doing. If you feel that you HAVE to put out a MBTA then do some live blog style ones while you visit a state that is still America.
(Edited) The more I think about this the more I think its actually a good idea. Lots of people know what the idea of America is but it might be nice to actually see a reminder now and again.

Bill, there’s got to be someone else who can help. I know Steve’s busy, but could you spread the extra work across the three of them? Or have you kept in touch with some of your other partners in crime frome the old network, like Kruiser, Klavan, etc? I think that whatever route you take, even the biggest complainers (like me) would be thrilled if you took some time to recharge as long as you gave us a heads up so we wouldn’t worry about what happened to you

So bummed that I missed last nights’ Stratosphere Lounge, but my oldest daughter arrived back from college late night and we took her out for a late dinner. 🙂

i just don’t believe that those now running dc would allow a state, any state, to walk away. the absolute power, authority and tyranny now emanating out of our federal overlords is too frightening for most to even comprehend, let alone rebel against. equal outcome has abrogated equal opportunity.
war and revolutione’ is a young mans game. alas, americas’ young men are, on aggregate, useless eunuchs, not motivated to an extreme. on the other hand, americas’ young women are motivated but in the opposite direction as they actually, again on aggregate, SUPPORT this tyranny of destroying liberty.

our once great shining city on a hill is becoming a wasteland.

in his book AIRBORNE, WM F. Buckley gently chides his wife for believing that motors need “to rest”. I apologize to my car if I abuse it in any way. Does this count as humanizing?

Many times in the coldest days of winter, I’ve plopped down in the driver’s seat of my car and said “Okay sweetheart, it’s time to wake up…please!”

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