At this point, you sort of expect Donald Trump's big-picture assaults on free speech, foreigners, and the rule of law. (Sometimes, as in the case of the new outright assault on US higher ed , all three are packaged in one convenient wrapper.) Although troubling and dangerous, these kinds of attacks are all at least predictably unhinged; most are drawn from the standard authoritarian playbook or its more recent " illiberal democracies " update.

It's when you look into the details, though, that one is constantly reminded: Nothing is too petty to be corrupted in Trumpworld.

Not even "out of office" auto-replies.

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At this point, you sort of expect Donald Trump's big-picture assaults on free speech, foreigners, and the rule of law. (Sometimes, as in the case of the new outright assault on US higher ed , all three are packaged in one convenient wrapper.) Although troubling and dangerous, these kinds of attacks are all at least predictably unhinged; most are drawn from the standard authoritarian playbook or its more recent " illiberal democracies " update.

It's when you look into the details, though, that one is constantly reminded: Nothing is too petty to be corrupted in Trumpworld.

Not even "out of office" auto-replies.

Read full article

Comments

At this point, you sort of expect Donald Trump's big-picture assaults on free speech, foreigners, and the rule of law. (Sometimes, as in the case of the new outright assault on US higher ed , all three are packaged in one convenient wrapper.) Although troubling and dangerous, these kinds of attacks are all at least predictably unhinged; most are drawn from the standard authoritarian playbook or its more recent " illiberal democracies " update.

It's when you look into the details, though, that one is constantly reminded: Nothing is too petty to be corrupted in Trumpworld.

Not even "out of office" auto-replies.

Read full article

Comments

There's a good bit riding on the second launch of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket.

Most directly, the fate of a NASA science mission to study Mars's upper atmosphere hinges on a successful launch. The second flight of Blue Origin's heavy-lifter will send two NASA-funded satellites toward the red planet to study the processes that drove Mars's evolution from a warmer, wetter world to the cold, dry planet of today.

A successful launch would also nudge Blue Origin closer to winning certification from the Space Force to begin launching national security satellites.

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There's a good bit riding on the second launch of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket.

Most directly, the fate of a NASA science mission to study Mars's upper atmosphere hinges on a successful launch. The second flight of Blue Origin's heavy-lifter will send two NASA-funded satellites toward the red planet to study the processes that drove Mars's evolution from a warmer, wetter world to the cold, dry planet of today.

A successful launch would also nudge Blue Origin closer to winning certification from the Space Force to begin launching national security satellites.

Read full article

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There's a good bit riding on the second launch of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket.

Most directly, the fate of a NASA science mission to study Mars's upper atmosphere hinges on a successful launch. The second flight of Blue Origin's heavy-lifter will send two NASA-funded satellites toward the red planet to study the processes that drove Mars's evolution from a warmer, wetter world to the cold, dry planet of today.

A successful launch would also nudge Blue Origin closer to winning certification from the Space Force to begin launching national security satellites.

Read full article

Comments

When a robotics pioneer who has spent decades building humanoid machines recommends that you stand at least nine feet away from any full-sized walking robot, you should probably listen.

"My advice to people is to not come closer than 3 meters to a full-size walking robot," Rodney Brooks writes in a technical essay titled "Why Today’s Humanoids Won’t Learn Dexterity" published on his blog last week. "Until someone comes up with a better version of a two-legged walking robot that is much safer to be near, and even in contact with, we will not see humanoid robots get certified to be deployed in zones that also have people in them."

Brooks, the MIT professor emeritus who co-founded iRobot (of Roomba fame) and Rethink Robotics, believes companies pouring billions into humanoid development are chasing an expensive fantasy. Among other problems yet to be addressed, he warns that today's bipedal humanoids are fundamentally unsafe for humans to be near when they walk due to the massive kinetic energy they generate while maintaining balance. That stored-up energy can cause severe injury if the robot falls or its limbs strike someone.

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When a robotics pioneer who has spent decades building humanoid machines recommends that you stand at least nine feet away from any full-sized walking robot, you should probably listen.

"My advice to people is to not come closer than 3 meters to a full-size walking robot," Rodney Brooks writes in a technical essay titled "Why Today’s Humanoids Won’t Learn Dexterity" published on his blog last week. "Until someone comes up with a better version of a two-legged walking robot that is much safer to be near, and even in contact with, we will not see humanoid robots get certified to be deployed in zones that also have people in them."

Brooks, the MIT professor emeritus who co-founded iRobot (of Roomba fame) and Rethink Robotics, believes companies pouring billions into humanoid development are chasing an expensive fantasy. Among other problems yet to be addressed, he warns that today's bipedal humanoids are fundamentally unsafe for humans to be near when they walk due to the massive kinetic energy they generate while maintaining balance. That stored-up energy can cause severe injury if the robot falls or its limbs strike someone.

Read full article

Comments

When a robotics pioneer who has spent decades building humanoid machines recommends that you stand at least nine feet away from any full-sized walking robot, you should probably listen.

"My advice to people is to not come closer than 3 meters to a full-size walking robot," Rodney Brooks writes in a technical essay titled "Why Today’s Humanoids Won’t Learn Dexterity" published on his blog last week. "Until someone comes up with a better version of a two-legged walking robot that is much safer to be near, and even in contact with, we will not see humanoid robots get certified to be deployed in zones that also have people in them."

Brooks, the MIT professor emeritus who co-founded iRobot (of Roomba fame) and Rethink Robotics, believes companies pouring billions into humanoid development are chasing an expensive fantasy. Among other problems yet to be addressed, he warns that today's bipedal humanoids are fundamentally unsafe for humans to be near when they walk due to the massive kinetic energy they generate while maintaining balance. That stored-up energy can cause severe injury if the robot falls or its limbs strike someone.

Read full article

Comments