The Core

Resistance is futile

Human Rights Watch: Ban ‘Killer Robots’ Before It’s Too Late
http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/11/19/ban-killer-robots-it-s-too-late

Fully autonomous weapons do not yet exist, and major powers, including the United States, have not made a decision to deploy them. But high-tech militaries are developing or have already deployed precursors that illustrate the push toward greater autonomy for machines on the battlefield. The United States is a leader in this technological development. Several other countries – including China, Germany, Israel, South Korea, Russia, and the United Kingdom – have also been involved. Many experts predict that full autonomy for weapons could be achieved in 20 to 30 years, and some think even sooner.

Yeah, I think you are right, 20 to 30 year seems way too far off.  I mean, Google is already having robots drive their cars down the streets here in California.

Cheers for that link. Glad to see a top university is looking into stuff like this. It annoys me that 99.9% of the population dismiss it all as sci-fi gobbledegook when in fact it's just short-sightedness on their behalf. I don't agree with Martin's Rees's prediction that we'll wipe ourselves out by 2100, but it has to be a live contender by 2200 when you think of the potential dangers of AI, grey goo (nanotech), super viruses, nuclear weaponry and so on will hold by then. At the moment all of our eggs are in one basket on Earth. Which is why I hope Elon Musk does get to Mars by 2020 

Wow, chops the veggies and everything. Good looking burger, too.

Pimple faced kids are going to be out of work.

Often I wonder what people are going to do for a living in the near future.  I think there is going to have to be some radical political/social rethinking as humans aren't needed to do basic tasks.

Pentagon: A Human Will Always Decide When a Robot Kills You
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/11/human-robot-kill

You know, I was thinking the other day that there were two long-running 'prediction' threads in the old core. One was the pre-bubble 'housing-prices-are-going-to-drop-25%' and the other was the 'Terminator Scenario.'  If the TS thread is as on-target as the bubble thread was, we're pretty much screwed.

>humans aren't needed

On many levels, the best solution -and biggest challenge- lies in population control.

<added>
>population control

Wait! Terminator Scenario. Problem solved!

As a long term people hater, I am not sure I am exactly opposed to it