Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Bakfiet Cargobike

Long list of articles and videos: http://bakfietscargo.blogspot.com/

Really long review by owner after 1 year of use

"The spokes and fenders are stainless steel. That coupled with the anti-rust primer under the paint makes this thing completely weather proof. Got mud on it? No problem – spray the thing down. Left it outside during a downpour? No worries, it’s weather proof. And the internal Shimano 8-speed hub along with drum brakes and a fully encased chain means no mucky transmission. No maintenance whatsoever really."

Dutch Bikes: Seattle

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Good adaptations: Americans moving to China

I anticipate Americans who do well versus those that sink to poverty, misery or powerlessness will fall into those two groups by one criteria: those who migrate and adapt and those who stay where they are. Those who stay in their hometown or home region thinking its just about minor change such as training for a new career are possibly missing the point: the place around them is going down the tubes. Those that succeed will be those who changed on ALL levels -career, location, culture.

"Mr. Perkowski, who spent almost 20 years on Wall Street before heading to China, says many Chinese companies are looking to hire native English speakers to help them navigate the American market."
-American Graduates Finding Jobs in China

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Kant's Robotic Army

"I think there are varying degrees of moral agency, ranging from amoral agents to fully autonomous moral agents. Our current robots are between these extremes, though they definitely have the potential to improve.

I think we are now starting to see robots that are capable of taking morally significant actions, and we're beginning to see the design of systems that choose these actions based on moral reasoning. In this sense, they are moral, but not really autonomous because they are not coming up with the morality themselves... or for themselves.

They are a long way from being Kantian moral agents –- like some humans –- who are asserting and engaging their moral autonomy through their moral deliberations and choices. [Philosopher Immanuel Kant's "categorical imperative" is the standard of rationality from which moral requirements are derived.]

We might be able to design robotic soldiers that could be more ethical than human soldiers. "

- Can "Terminators" Actually be our Salvation?
A Conversation with Peter Asaro.




Categorical Imperative(s) @ Wikipedia:

  1. "Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law."

  2. "Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, always at the same time as an end and never merely as a means to an end."

  3. "Therefore, every rational being must so act as if he were through his maxim always a legislating member in the universal kingdom of ends."