27 degrees this morning, walk 35:07 minutes
A little off my “record” pace this morning, but still much better than my average. Hopefully this will become my new average. It is nice to be able to keep track of my pulse also (high, average etc.) even though it is well below any problem point.
Last work day of 2016. The year has gone fast.
Odd to think it has been 2 1/2 years since we moved. In a sense, it seems like a lot longer than that and the past seems somewhat like a dream.
Of course, I can remember when I first moved to Tennessee and occasionally it seemed like a dream until it became our reality.
Listening some more on the Science Fiction literature, I learned that in the development of robots, some science fiction had three rules for robots:
-A robot would never harm a human being or allow a human being to be harmed through either action or inaction
-A robot must obey the orders given to it by a human being EXCEPT if it conflicts with rule # 1
-A robot must protect it’s own existence EXCEPT as it conflicts with rule # 1 and 2
These rules appear to be such common knowledge I am sure I have been aware of them. However,…
This allows some interesting story lines, for example a person running for office is accused of being a robot (I assume a robot couldn’t run for office). Finally, at a political gathering, it is attacked and the person running for office hits the person, thus proving he isn’t a robot (since a robot can’t harm a human being). However, later, someone points out if the attacker is a robot, a robot would then obey the third law, to protect itself!
Another, more interesting story line, is when robots obey rule # 1 by taking away all tobacco, candy, guns etc. since they are required to “protect human beings from any harm by inaction”. Interesting! A robot is obligated to not give in to instructions by humans to be allowed such items by rule #2!
I guess in a way you could say that government could be in that role, although hopefully government is a consensus of the people as to what role should be played in “protecting” human beings.
Some of the early Science Fiction also foresaw some political future, for example, “the Senator from Du Post” (or in our times, the “Senator from Koch Industries or Exxon etc.), or “the President from Trump Industries” even.
They also may have foreseen the dangers of fracking and many of the drugs available today, as well as live tv, GPS etc.
I think to know the future, is to enable you to protect yourself from it, so science fiction has actually made some major contributions.
I didn’t think I had read much science fiction until he started mentioning some of the author is and some of the magazines (Amazing Stories etc.) and I realized I actually had read a lot of science fiction, especially when I was a teenager.
That’s it for now, Friday, December 30, 2016.
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