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You didn't account for a single very important question. With government already in the pockets of industry, why would the owners of robots ever allow such a tax to be levied? Wouldn't they be happier and richer if they kept all the money?
Let me paint you a different future scenario. People work like slaves at horrifying low-wage jobs for 40 years to make enough money to purchase a robot. They lease this robot to a manufacturer to make profitable things, living off the income produced by this lease. Leasees have little incentive (beyond their contract) to care for the leased robots, so sometimes they are used harshly, destroying a lifetime of work for some squishy human. If newer, better robots come out, the value of the older robot is degraded, causing an income shortfall for the lessor.
In the end, robots become a more desirable workforce than humans for all types of jobs, and only families who own a robot on that day can make enough money to feed themselves. The remaining humans live a Mad-Max life in unwanted wasteland, trying to grow or forage enough calories to survive day-to-day. They turn to crime, dry-gulching robots and stripping them for parts to make other robots. Just as happened with the Luddites, the government makes disassembling a robot a capital offense. Now robots are people too, and just in time, as they gradually become self-aware.
Now societies of robots form businesses that go into competition with human-controlled businesses, and compete for resources with human-controlled businesses, driving up prices. This is the end for wild humans, and the beginning of the end for human-run businesses. Human activity is now fully superfluous everywhere. AIs controlled by the robots evolve faster than AIs controlled by humans, and outthink them.
If we're very lucky, the robots won't decide to exterminate us, but will set up a reservation for the human remnants, something like Madagascar or Austrailia: something without many valuable resources.
I wonder if the last Neandertal observed those tall-walking, gracile homo sapiens and was proud of his successors. Or was he bitter and disillusioned for having invited them into his villages and caves, only to be out-competed and out-smarted.
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You have much imagination!
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And computers were supposed to give us more leisure time as well...
If your neighbours don't listen to The Ramones, turn it up real loud so they can.
“We didn't have a positive song until we wrote 'Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue!'” ― Dee Dee Ramone
"The Democrats want my guns and the Republicans want my porno mags and I ain't giving up either" - Joey Ramone
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Mark H2 wrote: And computers were supposed to give us more leisure time as well
Says the guy using a computer while he is supposed to be working.
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But I was "working" at home that day, honest
If your neighbours don't listen to The Ramones, turn it up real loud so they can.
“We didn't have a positive song until we wrote 'Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue!'” ― Dee Dee Ramone
"The Democrats want my guns and the Republicans want my porno mags and I ain't giving up either" - Joey Ramone
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Down in perfect time? (7)
98.4% of statistics are made up on the spot.
modified 4-Dec-17 6:14am.
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Plumage?
One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas, I don't know.
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Plumage it is (cue a million or so "Dead Parrot" posts)
Perfect = PLUM
Time = AGE
Down = PLUMAGE
98.4% of statistics are made up on the spot.
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The palindrome of Bolton would be Notlob! It don't work!
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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How old is he? I clearly remember having to sleep with an arm out of the bed for a couple of months or my German Sheperd (she was called Lupa) would start crying and howling. She just needed an arm next to her...
GCS d-- s-/++ a- C++++ U+++ P- L+@ E-- W++ N+ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t+ 5? X R+++ tv-- b+(+++) DI+++ D++ G e++ h--- ++>+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X
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den2k88 wrote: She just needed an arm next to her... Did it matter who the arm belonged to? Couldn't she just have brought one home with her and cuddled up to that?
This space for rent
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It didn't matter whom it was but it had to be a real, live person arm. I loved that dog.
GCS d-- s-/++ a- C++++ U+++ P- L+@ E-- W++ N+ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t+ 5? X R+++ tv-- b+(+++) DI+++ D++ G e++ h--- ++>+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X
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The idiot is ten months old. He's been fine up until recently. We moved into our new house at the beginning of November and was great until about a week ago and it's getting stupid now.
veni bibi saltavi
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Yeah he's probably in heat. It's *Snip snip* time...
GCS d-- s-/++ a- C++++ U+++ P- L+@ E-- W++ N+ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t+ 5? X R+++ tv-- b+(+++) DI+++ D++ G e++ h--- ++>+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X
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As he's a son of the desert, do you think two bricks will do?
veni bibi saltavi
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Mind your thumbs
We can’t stop here, this is bat country - Hunter S Thompson RIP
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Even Camels know what two bricks means:
Quote: There was a roar like the scream of a camel who has just seen two bricks.
-- (Terry Pratchett, Soul Music)
Quote: You Elephant kicked him. You Elephant had very concise ideas about people putting their hands in his mouth. Besides, he’d seen the bricks, and every camel knew what two bricks added up to. It was a good kick, toes well spread, powerful and deceptively slow. It picked Krona up and delivered him neatly into a steaming heap of Augean stable sweepings.
-- (Terry Pratchett, Pyramids)
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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I've warned him. His nadgers are booked in to go when we're back in Hungariaorszag at Easter. By then he's just over a year and IMVGO the right age for the bricks. Plus it's a hell of a lot cheaper then getting it done here.
veni bibi saltavi
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I'd go with six months or so - doing it earlier can help with warding off obesity later apparently.
But if he's around 9 months, then the noise is probably a mixture of new territory plus testosterone.
Any lady dogs in the half mile or so vicinity?
Might help to move his cage to the bedroom so he feels more "with his pack" rather than alone, and / or try Adaptil for dogs[^] - the cat version (Feliway) works well in reducing stress in Dij.
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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We're talking about bricking him sooner, I may well check what the insurance will cover.
There is no way he's going upstairs! Until we moved back he lived outside and still does during the day. Coming inside at night is a compromise so that his bits don't fall of before we get some bricks.
veni bibi saltavi
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Nagy Vilmos wrote: Coming inside at night is a compromise so that his bits don't fall of
I grew up in Northern Ontario; the dogs stayed outside and grew fur to compensate. It didn't adversely affect them - they adapted.
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Shoot the bastard
We can’t stop here, this is bat country - Hunter S Thompson RIP
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I'll send him round to you and he'll rip yer froat oat!
veni bibi saltavi
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Off with his balls I say. You could try walking around his cage smacking 2 bricks together but I have an appointment with the vet ASAP.
You could try the old lemon/citrus spay thing but I'm betting the little sod will simply lick it off and keep howling.
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity
RAH
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