Monthly Archives: July 2016

A step toward Armadillo

Flight-sim AI beating good AF pilots. One step (not sure if it’s big or small) with interesting possibilities. A human “captain” in a fighter, with a “personal squadron” of AI fighters flying as his wingmen could be a game-changer. Or at the very least, very difficult to beat. Human for the operational/strategic decisions on the spot, and two or three (or a half-dozen?) unmanned AI “drones” with guns, lasers, missiles, and bombs, to carry out the details and defense.

Skynet, anyone?

H/T to Kirk

Monkish questions

I’m up to about 90K words on the founding of the monks of St. Possenti.  I think I’ve covered most of the bases as far as how they came into existence and how they developed some of their idiosyncratic methods and traditions. Are there any that bugged you when you were reading, and made you wonder where/when/how they came into being? If so, now’s your chance to ask, so I can make sure I’ve got a fairly complete back story. I’ve still got a few minor gaps to cover, I know, but its mostly there.

So: anything you wanted to know about them?

Happy 4th

Happy 4th, he said ironically.

America’s birthday. But the corpse of the freedom she represented has been dead a long time, and I don’t see any resurrection miracles on the immediate horizon.

I still love this nation, and think it’s the best one on the planet. But far too many of her citizens no longer desire freedom, they demand freebies. Too many don’t want opportunity, they want guarantees. The masses don’t want free speech, they want freedom from offense, and demand to shut down the speech of those they disagree with. They demand their opponents be wrapped and tied down like Harrison Bergeron. Too many of those in charge at all levels don’t desire challenge, they want sure things: they are risk averse, bureaucratic, and mindless rule-followers, and if judgment is demanded they want another rule passed by committee in which to wrap themselves for defense. Continue reading Happy 4th