Current or modern politics in the United States

[deepsepia]

Originally Posted by bowlinggreen

Paper pushing jobs will be among the first to be eliminated by advanced AI systems. The humans remaining in that sector will be the ones looking out for fraud, i.e. other humans trying to game the AI.

Not clear what the effect on jobs will be.

"Paper pushing" needs a human-- its about "someone signing for it", and absent some reforms in how we go about paying for healthcare, I don't see any likely decline in administrative employment.

Which jobs are most vulnerable to automation? You see estimates, but that's guesswork.

You could get rid of airline pilots today-- computers fly planes just fine, and we've got ever growing experience with remote piloting, but it'll be a while before passengers would accept that.

[Devius]

The US is rushing to transfer sensitive nuclear power technology to Saudi Arabia, according to a new congressional report.

A Democrat-led House panel has launched an inquiry over concerns about the White House plan to build nuclear reactors across the kingdom.

Whistleblowers told the panel it could destabilise the Middle East by boosting nuclear weapon proliferation.

Firms linked to the president have reportedly pushed for these transfers.

The House of Representatives' Oversight Committee report notes that an inquiry into the matter is "particularly critical because the Administration's efforts to transfer sensitive US nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia appear to be ongoing".

President Donald Trump met nuclear power developers at the White House on 12 February to discuss building plants in Middle Eastern nations, including Saudi Arabia.

And Mr Trump's son-in-law, White House adviser Jared Kushner, will be touring the Middle East this month to discuss the economics of the Trump administration's peace plan.

Saudi Arabia has said it wants nuclear power in order to diversify its energy sources and help address growing energy needs.

But concerns around rival Iran developing nuclear technology are also at play, according to US media

Details:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-47296641

[TheBare]

Originally Posted by deepsepia

[snip]
You could get rid of airline pilots today-- computers fly planes just fine, and we've got ever growing experience with remote piloting, but it'll be a while before passengers would accept that.

There are still a lot of questions about exactly what happened to the Germanwings jetliner that crashed Tuesday. The announcement Thursday by a French prosecutor that the co-pilot appears to have acted deliberately while the pilot was locked out of the cabin, has raised questions about a key aviation feature: the autopilot.

CNBC spoke to industry experts to better understand these computer systems that have become a part of how we fly today.

So what exactly is the autopilot?

It is what the name suggests—the autopilot flies the airplane without the human pilots controlling "hands on."

"Basically it is a computer that is running very, very fast," said Paul Robinson, president and CEO of AeroTech Research. "It can almost fly the plane completely between takeoff and landing."

The autopilot system relies on a series of sensors around the aircraft that pick up information like speed, altitude and turbulence. That data are ingested into the computer, which then makes the necessary changes. Basically, it can do almost everything a pilot can do. Key phrase: almost everything.

Before takeoff, the pilot will enter the route into the computer, giving it a start and end position and exactly how to get there. Throughout that route there are a series of points that the computer will note, each having its own speed and altitude.

The autopilot does not steer the airplane on the ground or taxi the plane at the gate. Generally, the pilot will handle takeoff and then initiate the autopilot to take over for most of the flight. In some newer aircraft models, autopilot systems will even land the plane.

Aviation regulations vary between countries, but in the U.S., at least two crew members must remain in the cockpit at all times. From a flying perspective, the pilot or the co-pilot must remain at the controls to keep an eye on the computer to make sure everything is running smoothly.

Occasionally, Robinson said, the autopilot will disengage itself in the event of extreme turbulence, for example, at which the pilot will be alerted to take over control of the plane. But standard procedure for most airlines is the use of automation for much of the flight.

Robinson said the general guidance given to pilots is, "Let the computer do it because it can do a better job than a person." Just think about how hard it would be for a person to concentrate for long stretches of time while flying hands-on, he explained.

But that guidance should not be taken lightly. A pilot must still be completely aware of exactly what it is the autopilot system is or isn't doing. Case in point: in 2013 Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crashed while landing at San Francisco International Airport in what was cited as an autopilot issue. The pilots assumed the autopilot was doing something it actually wasn't doing, on the safe but highly automated Boeing 777, Robinson said.

"Automation is great but if there is a misunderstanding between the crew and the automation system, it can be dangerous," Robinson said.

In that way, autopilot is similar to a car's cruise control. It can take over when you need it to, but you still have to be aware of what the car is doing and where it is going.
A pilot’s perspective
Patrick Smith is an active airline pilot who has been flying commercially since 1990. He told CNBC that the traveling public tends to imagine a pilot reclining back, reading a newspaper, while the autopilot does all the work. The reality is actually quite different, he said.

"The auto flying system does not fly the airplane," he said. "The pilots fly the plane through the automation."

The cockpit can still be a very busy place he said. Pilots are consistently having to command, manipulate and manage various parts of the computer system which requires their full attention. In addition about 99 percent of landings are manual and 100 percent of all takeoffs must be done manually by the pilot. There is not yet such a thing as an automated takeoff.

All of that technology-interfacing still makes for a challenging profession, said Smith.

"Pilots have come to rely on a somewhat different skill set over the past 40 years or so," he said. "But that's not to say that hands-on skills have become any less important."

[Arturo2nd]

Is it still illegal to claim sea levels are rising in North Carolina or claim that the global climate is warming and changing in Florida? Have the bans on presenting the consensus of discoveries changed the outlook on the fate of coastal communities in those states? Does the selection of William Happer, a 79 year old physicist known for his work in atomic physics and optics inspire confidence in the Trump administration's approach? It should be noted that Dr. Happer's complete lack of expertise in climate science has not prevented him criticizing the work of scientists who specialize in the field.

[LadyLuck]

Liberals... the ones who are all about the first amendment and free speech as long as they approve of the speech... throwing sucker punches.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg1rZJwPRPs

[Arturo2nd]

Originally Posted by LadyLuck

Liberals... the ones who are all about the first amendment and free speech as long as they approve of the speech... throwing sucker punches.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg1rZJwPRPs

Who knows? It really appears that Fox News may have set up a "false flag" incident. Can we really be sure that the puncher wasn't hired by Fox or the right wing group? After all, it appears that some guy named Smollett set up a misguided publicity stunt in Chicago. Trump has been generating a lot of unfavorable news and Fox may be trying to change the narrative.

Please note that over 60% of UC students are Asian, less than 30% are white. And of those white students, over half are female.

[dill99]

Originally Posted by LadyLuck

Liberals... the ones who are all about the first amendment and free speech as long as they approve of the speech... throwing sucker punches.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg1rZJwPRPs

I'm a dedicated True Blue Stater Liberal and have been for forty years and y'know what I'm absolutely sure of? I know for a fact that as long as Liberal Dems, Trump Conservatives, Republicans, and Progressives continue to look for ways every day to remain so incredibly bitterly divided the only individual who ends up winning in the endgame is Putin. #Unify #FromManyOne #PreserveThisUnionOfStates

[LadyLuck]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gnz-gr9Ofw

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., recently moved into a luxury apartment complex in Washington, D.C. that does not offer the affordable housing units that were a key plank in the New York congresswoman’s campaign platform.

[diamelsx]

Originally Posted by LadyLuck

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gnz-gr9Ofw

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., recently moved into a luxury apartment complex in Washington, D.C. that does not offer the affordable housing units that were a key plank in the New York congresswoman’s campaign platform.

Hey Roseanne tell us how you really feel.

[Rogerbh]

There have been a lot of complaints about the various governmental law enforcement agencies abusing civil forfeiture laws. A united Supreme Court came down 9-0 against the State of Indiana on such a case. https://slate.com/news-and-politics/...rbg-timbs.html

I hope to see more such unanimous decisions.