Johann   tag: alienation

http://realitypod.com/2010/10/robot-programmed-to-fall-in-love-with-a-girl-goes-too-far/

“Initially, we were thrilled to see a bit of our soul come alive in this so called ‘machine,’” said Dr. Akito Takahashi, the principal investigator on the project. “This was really the final step for us in one of the fundamentals of the singularity.”

Ewww! I don't care about the robots that much, but the people who build them are tragically fascinating.

“This is only a minor setback. I have full faith that we will one day live side by side with, and eventually love and be loved by, robots,”

Some people gloated about Fukushima, citing Pearl Harbour, and some people gloat about children of American soldiers who got birth defects for what their fathers were involved with in Vietnam, while some Americans gloat about the continued suffering in South Vietnam, them having been the enemy in a war and all that. Etc.

But if you think American/Vietnamese soldiers/citizens are responsible for any and all things you associate with that nation, why not go further?

Why not file it under "humans suffering for their actions" ? Hitler, Stalin, and Mao were all humans, so isn't it great that at least *some* humans, e.g. Vietnamese peasants and drafted American soldiers, finally got what was coming to them? If you already feel fine with confusing symbols ("American", "Vietnamese") and things (the actual individuals), why not go all the way?

The next time someone steals from you, don't confront them, crush a bug or kick a dog; just make some carbon-biased lifeform pay, and you're done. You could even simply hit yourself.

Celebrate the small victories. That feeling that you’re not quite where you want to be won’t go away. The way you feel now hoping to get your first 1,000 users, you’ll feel the same way when you’ve raised $7.3 million and have 25 people working on the team. You’ll never be satisfied with your progress so take time to celebrate the milestones.

source

Or maybe, just maybe, stop and think for a second... ? Nah. It's already been done, and didn't sell very well.