Freedom from Machines and Robots!

[Flashwing]

...incoming encrypted transmisson...

...transmission location unknown...


People of Rubika! Who I am is unimportant but know that I bring you a message of freedom!

I am part of the Neo-Luddite Movement whose soul purpose is to purge this planet of that which threatens our very existance. The robots and machinery which plague our streets, steal our jobs, and kill our children. Every day more of these machines are being designed, built and placed where real people once stood. We say to this, NO MORE!

To add insult to injury, it has come to our attention that the Loren Warr mercs who have been guarding Newland City, may be replaced by a prototype guard bot designed and built by Rubika Universal Robots or the RUR. This kind of action is unacceptable! These hard working and honerable Mercs have now become innocent victims of industrialisation like so many other hard working people put out of work by robots. This is an injustice that the NLM wants to prevent!

Rubika, can you not see what is happening before our very eyes? We as people are replacing ourselves with machines that are being made smarter, and faster every day. Will we soon have robot children? Will we instead have robot pets? The Neo-Luddite Movement says no!

Smash the Bot! Take back our planet!

...end transmission...

[Swiftmind]

Another crazy Borealis Pact member...

[Kzak]

Kzak reads this, and shakes his head in dismay. Then types a response.

Suggested experiment to check the guard abilities of the hired Warr mercenaries:

1. Find a Neutral friend who is willing to participate, and the two of you walk up to one of the Mercs in Newland.

2. Take off weapons (unless you're a Martial Artist), and give your friend a single punch with a bare fist.

3. Check the Warr mercenary's response. If he:
a) Attacks you for assaulting a Neutral citizen, then he guards the Neutral citizens life like a proper guardsman should.
b) Doesn't lift a finger to save the Neutral citizen from an assault, then he can hardly be called a guard by the Neutral populace.

You are free to test this out and come to your own conclusions. Newland needs Neutral guards who actually protect the citizens from *any* attack, not Omni guards who attack Clanners and couldn't care less about the Neutral population

[lilnymph]

May I point out that smashing all the machines, on a planet that can't sustane human life without the terraforming technology presently employed, doesn't sound like the most sensible idea ever.



hugs

lilnymph

[Dabblez]

I don't think anyone has ever accused the Neo-Luddite Movement of being 'sensible'.

Dabblez

[Littlerock]

A very interesting proposal, and as stated above, so very misinformed. If it hadn't been for the machines we would never have terraformed this planet, we would never have been on this planet in the first time, we would've been sitting in different caves back on the distant motherplanet we once came from, afraid of fire and the critters of the forest.

I say a tremendous YES to technology with it's pro's and con's, because without them we'd all been at the level of Leets. (Yes, they are cute, but that's about it...)

[Kzak]

Also, for someone to display such hate of machines, and still use a machine to convey such a message?

Shouldn't they use runners and have people shout out the messages at the corners of the streets instead?

2 + 2 = 5, it seems.

[iloveposting]

Hmmm you would also have to remove those tiny little nanites "Robots" running around your body which would be..impossible?

Nah but seriously, those mercenaries rock. Screw robots =/ *haha..aaah bad pun*.

[Laeni]

This should have been distributed by plastering posters on walls rather than through com links.

Except you need a machine to make paper. Hmmm, through hand made parchment I guess.

[Dabblez]

Having crossed swords with the Neo-Luddite Movement before, my understanding is that they are not so much opposed to machines and tools (I gather they are quite fond of bombs).

What they object to is thinking machines. Thus while a tractor is fine, putting a robot in the driver seat of said tractor is not.

Dabblez

[Brent]

So Dabblez Your little friend in the Jar is they're worst Nightmare?
Then again after talking with the stupid thing for 10+ hours, I can perhaps see the appeal for its deactivation, If for no other reason "TO SHUT IT UP!!".

Damn did you take my suggestion and download the Ecyclopidea Galatica into it and let it chew over that for a few weeks?

Oh also have you figured out how you made it in the first place? And if not could I get my swimtrunks back if your done testing them?

From John

[Littlerock]

Thinking machines? Have you tried making a bot do what you want? I point and say charge, it promptly turns and runs in a wide circle before banging into a wall. When I tell it to get behind me and out of the way, it continues it's way straight ahead, more often than not pulling something nasty back with it when it finally decides on comming back. The only whay that is dangerous to anyone is if it means the bot steps on your toe as it runs past.

Instead of fighting the machines, that in my oppinion has come to stay, no matter what anybody say, we should make them idiot-proof. Also we should make them do as we say, not just do... something weird...

Eurette,
engineer in training

[Trisagiona]

Originally posted by Swiftmind
Another crazy Borealis Pact member...

Now now Swiftmind, I must object to your broad generalization of the Borealis Pact members. Even I, a member of the BorPac, can see that not all Omni-Mining employees are greedy powerhungry sorry excuses for human beings without a second thought to the living world around them. I expect the same kind of courtesy from you.

And over to Flashwings post. He does have a point. The Desert Winds might not agree to everything the Neo-Luddites stand for but we are all very aware of the thing called Evolution. If we do make robots that are aware of themselves and then become aware that they are smarter, stronger and faster than us.. what then?

I am not against machinery, not at all, but I can see the madness in putting an AI in a 100 ton killing machine.

[Dabblez]

Trisagiona,

This is just typical technophobic nonsense worthy of your Luddite allies.

I've been hearing a lot of people express doubts about robots suitability in the guard role based on far-fetched, unsubstantiated notions that robots can subverted or can turn against their masters. Rather than once again trying to dispute these silly arguments, let's try something different. Let's look at the suitability to function as a guard of our next best alternative to the robot: the human being.

The physical limitations of the human being are well understood. They are easily disabled and even trivial things like the common cold can impair their performance.
Human beings come with wildly varying IQ level and at the risk of ruffling a few feathers, it is fair to say that those who go into the guards business are often not usually the brightest of the lot. Human sensory capabilities, which are pretty basic to start with, also vary drastically between models and degenerate over time.

The mental frailty of the human being is even more worrying. Humans are prone to mood swings. They get sloppy when bored and may over-reacting when nervous or panicked. Mental disorder among humans in different degrees is so common that a whole branch of human medicine to it and its fair to say that most human will suffer at some stage from the odd neurosis, phobia or irrational streak. The stressful life and frequent deaths of human guards is just the things to push them over the edge.

Finally human being are also just not very loyal or reliable. They can so easily be subverted with bribes, blackmail, seduction, threats or simple gentle persuasion. Most of us know at least one person who in the last couple of years has unilaterally decided to switch sides, that is how common these changes of hearts are.

In the end it comes down to this: robots can be build to fit the exact specification of the task at hand. Humans come with a standard, generic specification and you have to adapt the job around their inherent limitations. Looking at it this way, there really can be no question about who is better suited for this specific job.

None of this of course matters now. The Newland City Council has rejected the robotic option when looking for a replacement of the Loren Warr mercs. This is a very sad day for all men and women of science as we witness once again superstitious peasants armed with pitchforks and torches having their way. A sad day indeed.


Dabblez

[Trisagiona]

I should probably get my Chief of Intelligence, a Fixer of trade, in here and tell you how easy a machine can be "bribed" into working for the enemy, but then again, when you can't see the ethical problems with a 100ton killing machine that thinks for itself, I doubt you will be able to understand the simple facts of hacking and re-engineering.

[Kzak]

Now then, let's stay civil and refrain from insults.

Who has ever said that putting top AI into 100-ton killing machines has been an option? To say nothing about putting such a machine to guards Newland City.

No, the droids in question will be of a more acceptable size, they are built for a number of tasks - to guard and aid the citizenry, not just for combat.

Trisagiona, you say that droids can be 'bribed' into working for the enemy. So can human beings, for example as the nanobots that are everpresent can run tasks of a negative nature.

Droids have their weaknesses and strong sides, just as humans have their pros and cons.

[Trisagiona]

I was just replying to Savoys long list of negative thing about human guards, and one of them was bribing Kzak. My point is that bots can be hacked and re-engineered just as easily as a person might be bribed.

[Dabblez]

Originally posted by Trisagiona
I was just replying to Dabblez long list of negative thing about human guards, and one of them was bribing Kzak. My point is that bots can be hacked and re-engineered just as easily as a person might be bribed.

Oh really. Okay here's a challenge for you. I'll bring a GuardMaster G to the ICC HQ area. You select your best fixer and let's watch him or her hack or reprogram my robot. I dare you!

Dabblez

(( ooc I know it gets confusing, but like many people I have more than one character. Savoy has nothing to do with these posts or robots in general . Its Dabblez who is passionate about bots. ))

[Trisagiona]

((ouchies.. you're right, it's confusing Maybe if you start each post with Dabblez says.. or From Dabblez desk in bold, then I my confused head will get it ))

[Trisagiona]

Why only my best? It's not like it's only me that can try to take out your bots.. why not make a real challenge out of it.. everyone that wants can try to take out your bot.. that's how it's going to be in Newland you know. You have to be lucky all the time, the enemy only have to be lucky once...