Pseudorandom Thoughts

the darpa autonomous vehicle race will take place this saturday. no, i won't be going to vegas to absorb the heat of the desert sun and to revel in the excitement of the race. i'd felt the thrill -- by osmosis, or maybe it was by induction -- enough times watching chip test or deep thought battling against grand masters that cheering the red team on will not seem so different, despite the contrast of las vegas and wean hall. metaphorical warfare, and a contest using and testing new technologies that will surely come in handy for future, not-so-metaphorical wars.

too bad duelling autonomous tractors in a contest to grow the most food using the least fuel/fertilizer/insecticide wouldn't be a fun contest to watch....

of course technology is a two sided sword, etc. i'm sure that there are autonomous vehnicle technology applications for civilian uses too. surely self-drive cars on the highways have a few truckloads of liability issues than cross country fast attack vehicles might have for military applications, just as UAVs might be difficult to commingle with normal air traffic. how long before fedex can fly packages using UAVs, so that chuck noland can stay home out of harm's way? well, chuck might be out of a job.... i ramble.

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