Check out this photograph of skyscrapers peeking through the clouds over Dubai. The city, located in the United Arab Emirates, has built more skyscrapers higher than 2/3 km, 1/3 km, or ¼ km than any other city on the planet. The Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building at 829.8 meters (2,722 feet), is visible at left in this shot.
“There is something at the bottom of every new human thought, every thought of genius, or even every earnest thought that springs up in any brain, which can never be communicated to others, even if one were to write volumes about it and were explaining one’s idea for thirty-five years; there’s something left which cannot be induced to emerge from your brain, and remains with you forever; and with it you will die, without communicating to anyone perhaps the most important of your ideas.”
Found something you all might like: Nicky Case’s “The Evolution of Trust” is a simulation of trust, and how certain factors affect it. There is a lot of game theory going on, and I do recommend that you check it out if that is your thing.
Generally quite cool if you are into computer science, maths, or even sociology.
On 10 January, a pedestrian in San Francisco’s Mission District ran across the street to confront a GM Cruise autonomous vehicle that was waiting for people to cross the road, according to an incident report filed by the car company. The pedestrian was “shouting”, the report states, and “struck the left side of the Cruise AV’s rear bumper and hatch with his entire body”.
No injuries occurred, but the car’s left tail light was damaged.
In a separate incident just a few blocks away on 28 January, a taxi driver in San Francisco got out of his car, approached a GM Cruise autonomous vehicle and “slapped the front passenger window, causing a scratch”.
The police were not called in either case.
The two human-on-robot assaults are not the first time San Franciscans have fought back – physically – against robots.
In December, the local SPCA animal shelter removed its 400lb Knightscope security robot from the streets around its building amid backlash from residents and the homeless population who complained the robot was harassing them. While most residents simply complained about the robot’s presence, one person reportedly “put a tarp over it, knocked it over and put barbecue sauce on all the sensors”.
And in April, a drunk man was arrested after he allegedly attacked and knocked over another Knightscope security robot in Mountain View, the Silicon Valley town that is home to Google.
tinfoilparachute 