First Blog

Biggest Existential Threats . Every day our leaders warn us, scare us, and threaten us about existential threats. These hint at caution: “Do something now or we will cease to exist.”  What are they? For politicians: anything that will scare you into voting for them. For scientists: anything they believe may be risky. For religions: anything disabusing the scriptures. For the people: anything they believe to be dangerous in at the moment. There is much theory involved, projections into many decades ahead, life-style changes, political expediency, and more. Politicians love these things as they generate huge campaign war chests. Here’s the shortlist. Climate change – includes global warming, changing animal habitats, enlarged deserts, increased carbon dioxide, eventual degradation of livable area, an increase of disease, rising temperatures, arctic melting, etc. Recall, in the 70s, it was all about global cooling. Pandemics – usually highly contagious diseases spread by crowding and/or

Biggest Existential Threats .   Every day our leaders warn us, scare us, and threaten us about existential threats.   These hint at caution: “Do something now or we will cease to exist.”    What are they? For politicians: anything that will scare you into voting for them.   For scientists: anything they believe may be risky. For religions: anything disabusing the scriptures. For the people: anything they believe to be dangerous in at the moment.   There is much theory involved, projections into many decades ahead, life-style changes, political expediency, and more. Politicians love these things as they generate huge campaign war chests.   Here’s the shortlist: Climate change, Pandemics, Artificial Intelligence, Drones, War, and Black Swans. Climate change – includes global warming, changing animal habitats, enlarged deserts, increased carbon dioxide, eventual degradation of livable area, an increase of disease, rising temperatures, arctic melting, etc. Pandemics – usually hig

Drone surveillance.  It is only a matter of one year or two before drones are deployed as “eyes of the police” in troubled cities.  This may be a very good thing.   Drones will have a regular “beat,” just like foot police used to.  Each drone will patrol specific streets.  Once programmed they will need no pilot in control back at the station, just a monitor for activity. They will create video records, identify perpetrators, and probably indirectly reduce crime.     But these little city-size drones need power.   What we will see in the months ahead are drone-charging stations, located high above the city streets, on tops of buildings.  Drones will navigate to them automatically, charge up quickly, and be back on patrol.  Sort of like a coffee-donut break.  Remarkably, and this is only a guess, the charging stations will be called “nests.”  Cheap and tireless, these drone-cops will become a backup for beleaguered in situ officers. Watch carefully.  The possibilities are en

So many people are now registering drones and applying for drone pilot licenses, the FAA now estimates there will be more than 1.3 million licensed drone pilots by 2020*.   This is compounded by the number of actual drones that will be multiples more. So far, more than 5,000 have passed the licensing exam. With the potential of drone deliveries of pizza and Amazon products almost underway, the skies may soon be flooded with drones.   Already, the drone delivery of burritos is underway at Virginia Tech.   More than 550,000 drones have been registered, and that in just the last nine months since the law was passed.  Some of us do not wish to look up to see this fleet of giant flies buzzing about our neighborhoods, but only a century ago some did not wish to see those noisy automobiles buzzing along our roads.   We know progress happens; it is unstoppable.   So also, drones will happen. In a couple of years, I can have a pizza, new book, cuff-links, or perfume delivered to my doo

Note.   Just a few days ago... "A  pilot claims he saw an unmanned aircraft hovering dangerously close to a passenger jet above New York—prompting safety fears as well as an FBI investigation."  Though this may be nothing more than a toy in the air, it does signal a rather deep concern by Americans about drone intrusion in their lives.  Is airborne surveillance really here?    (See: http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2013/03/05/fbi_investigating_pilot_report_of_drone_sighting_by_jfk_airport.html) ____________________________________________________ Drones are a tool of the modern age.  They have benefits.  They have faults.  They have become the secret agents of the past whose role was to observe and thwart, as needed.  They are a modern technology with which no governmental leader has a real, life-long experience.  They are new.    Indeed, their scope of use is evolving as the minutes tick. Types.   Some drones are outfitted to only monitor the country-side and