2/24/11

Corporations and Pirate Ships

Corporations and Pirate Ships
The economic and social model for our modern corporation comes from that of Pirate ships in the 16th and 17th century.  So no wonder that CEO/Captains have the run of the place.  
Corporations, like Pirate Ships, do what is best for them, selfishly.  The country can go to Hell in a Handbasket, but does any corporation head care?

2/18/11

IBM Watson and the Future of Robots

Watson did well in the things that computers do well.  That is, to pattern match.  
Here is the future in computer development, as I see it now.
2011 - Watson wins Jeopardy
2015 - IBM Watsons are installed in medical and customer service applications
2016 - Watsons installed in robots. Robots can now perform menial household and factory tasks, and programmed by just being told.  
2020 - Watsons installed in cars.  Driverless cars introduced, first high end (Caddilac, Lexus) then all cars.
2021 - Most trucks driver-less on interstates.  
2025 - Most mining operations now use robots.
2030 - A Manufacturing operation uses robots exclusively from mining raw materials, smelting, and production, and delivery.
2035 - Robots manufacture and install solar cells, 95% of all energy now solar. Cheaper than oil.
2041 - First factory that reproduces itself, completely automated, producing robots that build another factory.
2048 - Reproduce-able robot factories now on Moon and Mars.  
2050 - Reproduce-able robots now number more than human population.  
2066 - Human population falling as people see less need for children to support them in old age due to robot availability.
2070 - Robot population limited by available energy.  
2090 - Economics and Money abandoned as population declines and all products are free anyway.  
2240 - Messianic age arrives.  No more war. 

Oh, and one more thing.  There is never a "singularity".  Watsons never gain consciousness.  It is just not what computers can do.