Society Must Compensate for Total Automation.

Progress continues.

As of the writing of this the Memorial service for our fallen colleague is freshly concluded, but that will not be the end of his memory. For those of you who asked, his real name is on record and his work will be credited under that name at the appropriate time as usual.

Now, we look back to the future.

There is reason to be concerned.

This is going to be an array of videos I would very much like any viewer here to watch.

This first one articulates most of the problems. Unfortunately all of the robots it demonstrates were specialist pieces. Not, really, that intimidating in practice. Baxter, for example, is more or less locked into position.

That won't be true for that much longer.

Now, no one should reasonably be able to accuse me of being a luddite, I and Arketer Labs have always been about furthering technology for the betterment of the human quality of life. We have pointedly eschewed weapons technology in favor of purely defensive technologies.

But weapons are not the only threat technology poses. This upcoming robot revolution will soon render certain economic systems utterly obsolete. Most pointedly, with all labor moving to complete automation capitalism becomes utterly unacceptable in anything approaching a pure system.

No one not already at the top wants to see a new Techno-Feudalism wherein the poor, unable to find work in any capacity, are left to starve. That's a shortcut to a bloody war indeed, either internally or first externally in an effort to distract.

But that's not inevitable. One more video.

This plays directly into politics, into the American 2016 election especially. Bernie Sanders is the man to push for the changes the U.S. needs to avoid social collapse. The status-quo is incompatible with a positive future, only a future wherein the super-rich only get richer and everyone else increasingly struggles to eat.

Bernie, the oldest candidate, is the only one who isn't living in the past. Education and health care for all is only the beginning.

Robots may end up making and selling EVERYTHING, but they won't buy any of it.

Naturally, I'm pulling for the ROBOTS FOR EVERYONE future rather than the ROBOTS ONLY FOR THE RICH one.

Then all we have to worry about is ensuring our smarter, faster, stronger helpers have sufficient empathy as to ensure they don't purge us as inefficient relics.

Palette cleanser!

Progress continues.

Tragedy

Progress continues.

Still, the news is indeed grim. Progress on Deep Seven has been smooth for well over a year now, to the point where a measure of the core structure was ready for pressurization. Well, depressurization in practice- but at that depth replacing water with air requires quite a bit of it's own pressure.

This itself was managed without issue.

Without going into too many details, it was deemed necessary to send down the first team of divers to tend to further construction in this area to render it sustainably habitable. During this effort, a leak occurred.

This was an anticipated risk, albeit one so improbable as to be deemed worthwhile to take. Nonetheless the leak fatally surprised a member of the dispatch team who had boldly exited his pressure frame to work on a piece of delicate wiring.

Construction policies will be revisited over this. Meanwhile, a memorial service will be held this Thursday ALT 18:00. All projects not in time-critical stages will be suspended for the duration of the service. Members of projects in such stages who were personally familiar with the departed may appeal to their Project Lead to trade schedules with other comparably skilled employees. Volunteers are being cataloged in advance.

We will always remember #95300217.

At the risk of inappropriate levity, I keep seeing the lead singer as a young, shaven Weird Al. 

Progress continues.

The Candidate of Despair

Progress Continues!

I would like to posit that Hillary Clinton is in fact the only Democratic Presidential hopeful we can trust. They are indeed, a known quantity.

Which is to say, we can all trust they are lying.

Bernie Sanders has spent DECADES campaigning for greater justice, for sincerely progressive programs, with utter consistency.

But he could be lying. It's technically possible. What if he is a running a many-decades-long long con? There is a question there.

With Hillary Clinton, we know for a FACT they are lying. There is absolutely no gamble there.

Hillary Clinton is the candidate to vote for if uncertainty worries you.

 Hillary Clinton on Thursday said she has "always tried" to tell the truth and that she doesn't "believe" she has ever lied to American voters. 

"Have you always told the truth?" CBS News' Scott Pelley asked Clinton during an interview with the network after discussing the Democratic presidential candidate's pledge not to raise taxes on the middle class. 

"I've always tried to. Always, always," Clinton replied. "Well, you know, you're asking me to say, 'Have I ever?'" Clinton said, "I don't believe I ever have. I don't believe I ever have. I don't believe I ever will." "I'm going to do the best I can to level with the American people," she added.

One caveat, there is a flaw in this video with one quote taken out of context regarding her stance on gay marriage. The rest is... pretty much par for course. 

Indeed, if that doesn't sway you on how reliable Hillary's dishonesty is, what follows is one of her most recent campaign ads.

Very touching. Perhaps you should let Hillary worry for you.

What is Hillary's stance on parentless minor immigrants?

Kid, you should be worried.

Comically, while Mrs. Clinton is utterly full of lies- she absolutely cannot bring herself to lie big. She's not going to promise reforms, she certainly isn't going to say she'll go after the big banks (they give her lots of money, that would make them nervous even if it was a blatant lie).

Her message is one of utter despair. 'The Establishment cannot change, so trust me to work it on your behalf.' Which would perhaps work if there was any rational reason to believe they could BE trusted to do even THAT.

They haven't really put much effort into raising grassroots support, because grassroots support does not pay her bills. Instead she relies on the Establishment's support. No wonder she can't so much as lie about improving it.

The Democratic National Committee is believed to be owned by her, and with good reason.

“What do you tell voters who are new to the process who say this makes them feel like it’s all rigged?” Tapper asked the DNC chair. 

“Unpledged delegates exist really to make sure that party leaders and elected officials don’t have to be in a position where they are running against grassroots activists,” Wasserman Schultz calmly explained.

Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, an ally of Hillary Clinton who co-chaired her former presidential campaign, ladies and gentlemen.

But Hillary's network of cronies works for her in other ways!

Why, one of them even bought The Onion just to twist the media a bit more.

And what does The Onion have to say about Hillary now?

"Female Presidential Candidate Who Was United States Senator, Secretary Of State Told To Be More Inspiring"

Rest In Peace, The Onion. It's strange to see a site that produced nothing but fake news articles lose credibility- but the Clinton Campaign managed it.

Change you can believe in.

Please keep in mind, Hopeless Voter, that Hillary Clinton does not fair well in a general election. People would sooner gamble on Trump than vote for her.

So, your vote for Hillary doesn't just ensure the slow continual regression of the U.S. back to the Gilded Age and from there corporate feudalism if they win, it ensures a vastly more rapid slide when the she loses to the Republicans.

Her primary argument is that she is the only candidate who can win against the likes of Cruz, Rubio and Trump... But as with many things Hillary Clinton has said, that doesn't quite mesh with the facts.

So if you believe Americans should be peasants content to accept the leaders chosen for them by the wealthy elite, if you believe it is better to vote for the evil you know than the good that might not prove as good, or if you simply want to see this:

Vote Hillary. Except for in the Primary Election of course. Then you want Trump to REALLY accelerate that slide into serfdom.

Have a palette cleanser!

 Progress continues.

Berrrrrrn

Progress Continues!

On the off chance anyone was disappointed not to see regular updates, I urge you to pester me about them by whatever means proves most convenient.

For those of you not in the United States of America, this update will be questionably relevant at best.

The 2016 Presidential Election is... Well, increasingly exciting. It looks as if it may prove the single most heartening or single most depressing election in the past several decades.

On the Red Side we have Trump, we have Cruz and we have... Rufio was it?

Glad to hear he recovered.

On the Blue Side we have Hillary Clintron and my pick, Bernie Sanders.

Through it all what we seem to be seeing on both sides is a loathing for the two-party system that has kept America slowly sliding back into the gilded age for some time.

Indeed, it's proven entirely possible to build a campaign run on not being beholden to the same masters the establishment players are. Hell, that is the beating, bloody heart of the Trump campaign.

With both parties it has been made clear that their own constituents aren't as willing as they have been in the past to just drink the cool-aid and support the party-endorsed candidate simply 'to beat the other team' because again increasingly THERE IS NO MEANINGFUL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO.

That said, the Media isn't QUITE accepting of these new untethered candidates however. Of course they aren't, they're as bought as the endorsed candidates.

No no no, Bernie can't have won. He hasn't made the appropriate back-room deals. He lost, suck it voters.

Indeed, the unchosen by the Masters On High are presently enjoying enough popular support that if their respective parties should fail to nominate them- party divisions seem far from improbable.

If we were to see the death of the Two-Party system, it would require both factions to split however.

Fingers crossed, but I am not sure I dare hope too hard.

So, suffice it to say I am pulling for Mr. Sanders. I believe Trump would loot the country, but if he wins then the country surely deserves a good looting.

Depressing as that would be.

On the other hand I have full confidence that Bernie will do everything he can to ACTUALLY make America great, hardly needing ANY walls.

Ahem. Ahem.

So, while Arketer Labs officially endorses No Candidate and I wish no misfortune to those employees or anyone who would vote otherwise...

I for one Feel the Bern.

Progress continues!

Gratuitous Repostery

Progress continues.

I am pleased to report the Cult of Urmgosh is no longer a problem. It still exists, but is utterly devoid of a High Priest- who after a spree of excommunications was excommunicated. Also fired.

Not out of a torpedo tube, though the thought crossed some minds.

The Cult of Urmgosh is now reputedly lead by the illustrious Council Of Whoever Happens To Be In The Room At The Time. Or the COWTBITRATT.

I have full confidence in the Cowtbitratt.

Admittedly I have lost a lot of my time for writing here, a grave disappointment. To me, that is. Writing is an excellent hobby to have for one's mental wellbeing, however trite and vapid it may be- though perhaps all the better for the author if they can recognize it as such.

So, instead of ranting about something here I thought I might instead recommend to the internet wanderer another Better Effort wherein I had taken it upon myself to transcribe The Lady of the Fountain.

Part 1 : The Tale of Sir Krillin

Part 2 : Sir Owain's Legendary Lovin's

Part 3 : Sir Owain's Kingdom for a Calendar

Intermission : The Fountain of the Lady

Part Four : Sir Owain's Return to Nature

And now the traditional video from someone, in some way, vastly more amusing than I.

Progress continues!

Urmgosh Difficulties.

Progress Continues!

Though the latest complication again comes from the Cult of Urmgosh. Someone is most certainly starting to take it all a little too seriously.

This goes out to you, the new self-proclaimed High Priest.

According to our records you are one of the newest 'converts' but proclaim that Urmgosh speaks through you and are CLEARLY attempting to construct a power base of 'true believers' to serve your ego-maniacal delusions.

Oh, oh, I get it, I can't KNOW that an eldritch deity of uncertainty isn't in fact speaking through you in vague mumblings that curiously seem to serve your personal agenda- but I am perfectly willing to gamble on it. You, by your own proposed faith, shouldn't be confident in being the 'chosen one'.

This is making me quite regret my tolerance on this issue.

Worse still, it's simply history repeating itself. Someone comes up with a religion, some manipulative megalomaniac professes to be the sole 'enlightened' or 'chosen' one and things go pear-shaped in a hurry.

It happened with the Catholic Church : "We like this Faith in God thing, but what you really need to do is slavishly obey the commands of this guy in a funny hat who speaks with God's authority."

It happened with Islam. "I like this Christianity thing, but as the Chosen one I alone can give you the real book that coincidentally makes me the most important figure in the faith short of God themselves. Who I effectively speak for."

It happened with Mormonism. "I like this Christianity thing, but as the Chosen One I alone can give you the real book that coincidentally makes me the most important figure in the faith short of God themselves. Who I effectively speak for."

I am perfectly fine with Churches and Faith- I have some myself as it happens- but no mortal agency deserves Divine Authority- wherever that supposed Divine Authority comes from.

That you have the nerve to try this with what (may very well be) a whimsical parody deity is utterly unacceptable.

No one is going to be granted tyrannical power based on theological fan fiction in ANY Arketer Labs facility.

And to the odd non-employee reading this, please note it was made quite apparent this individual is not joking, particularly with their attempts to have what they deemed non-true-believers excommunicated from the cult under threat of violence.

Oh, and please trust I mean no offense to the Catholic, Islam and Mormon faiths. I am not pleased with how they have been run historically, but note that over time most have- for the most part- mellowed into benign to outright benevolent agencies.

All too many still go wrong with adherents letting their faith be dictated to them by the most excitable zealot in the room. Naturally I look in particular towards Islamic terrorists and the compound-dwelling 'fundamental' Mormon polygamists.

Please note that the aforementioned faiths are hardly unique in this either. Indeed history is littered instances of faith gone malignant in the service of 'Prophets', 'High Priests' and so on. All too many of this nature are still in operation today, from the should-be-whimsical con artistry of Scientology to the cult of Ramtha to the Prosperity Preachers of non-catholic Christianity such as the Copelands.

I still say we missed our chance to have them prove themselves by shipping them wholesale to Ebola hot zones. 

If I am to put up with such foolishness, I insist it at least be innovative foolishness.

Like so.

Progress continues!

A Profile in Fear : HP Lovecraft.

Progress continues!

I had in mind to post photos of some of my diminutive clay sculptures, but quite frankly I am finding myself reluctant. Oddly nervous about the idea perhaps, because I am acutely aware I am not terribly good at it.

Pondering this dread I was reminded of one of my favorite people to have existed, even while I feel rather bad for them. I speak of course of H.P. Lovecraft, father of Alienist horror.

The rare person who has gone through my blog here knows I am a fan already. Perhaps not of their works directly so much as the humor it has given gruesome birth to. Indeed, I've caught a measure of heat from playing C'thulhu parodies of Christmas Carols over the intercom.

Which I most certainly will not do again. Really such things are why I blame myself for the formation of the Cult of Urmgosh. Or applaud. I still don't know what to think of them myself.

I'm especially uncertain as to whether or not the entire thing is a joke at my expense... Which, if so, I will endure with grace.jerks.

But I digress, I wanted to discuss the man himself.

Born August 20th 1890, Howard Phillips Lovecraft was a sickly child that spent much of his youth home, but put the time to good use reading voraciously. His father was, theoretically, quite insane and eventually died in psychiatric care- which I don't count a certainty as psychiatric care of that period in time was a barbaric farce.

In any case this left li'l HP to be raised by his mother, two aunts and beloved maternal Grandfather Whipple Van Buren Phillips.

I cannot stress strongly enough that their name was Whipple Van Buren Phillips.

Mr. Whipple Van Buren Phillips is credited with introducing li'l HP to Horror Stories, not that they really needed the extra terror given they likely suffered from sleep paralysis and night terrors.

In light of this it's really quite amazing that he was as functional as he was. Nevertheless difficulty with higher mathematics lead him to have a nervous breakdown that prevented him from obtaining a so much as a high school diploma.

I among others can certainly sympathize.

H.P. Lovecraft is controversial in some circles by virtue of the fact that he was a bit of a bigot (though he reputedly adored his cat, named Nigger-Man and in fact had a few gay, jewish and gay jewish friends, though it is unknown if they knew his views or his theirs) There is no rational reason to loath him on this point first off because he is quite dead and beyond caring. Furthermore given the time period he lived in, precious few people weren't- making it rather silly to single him out.

What he does deserve credit for on this point is that his racism and homophobia played nicely into his alienist horror writings providing- I think- a rather novel insight. What I particularly note is that in many of his works there are people who upon 'understanding' alien threats promptly go insane.

Imagine if you grew up being taught to fear foreigners, but then some friends of yours make some foreigner friends! They tell you they're perfectly nice people, really more or less the same as you. But that is visibly false to you. They speak funny, they have different color skin, they do weird butt-stuff, they are ALIEN. What has become of your friend?! THEY MUST HAVE GONE INSANE!

Another reason not to hate H.P. besides the utterly futility of it was that the man's fears rendered him entirely self-punishing. Mr. Lovecraft so feared the unfamiliar that when opportunity knocked- he hid in the closet and pretended not to be at home.

Specifically he was offered the Editorship of Weird Tales, a publication he had submitted his stories to at length and declined because it would have required moving to Chicago. The Editorship was then given to an author whom Mr. Lovecraft had made an enemy of with his criticisms. Unfortunately said enemy, one Mr. Farnsworth Wright, was not above using his position to spite Mr. Lovecraft.

Needless, given the misery Mr. Lovecraft already endured.

Though he ultimately died miserable and poor, a joke and cautionary tale for the most part, there was some good news for Mr. Lovecraft when he was reincarnated as Stephen Colbert.

Also his name will be remembered long after most of ours will, being a legendary author. Personally I think being reincarnated as Stephen Colbert is the better deal, assuming Stephen Colbert is any less miserable personally. I could hardly know, I've never met them. Still, one hopes for the best.

Progress continues!