http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theremin

This isn't exactly a new concept, just used in a new way.

Wow...so you die without a job?

If you have no sig other to help you through the tough times, no family to depend on, and no friends to turn to...there is still that horrible horrible government thing. You will not die without a job, but you certainly need to be confident enough in who you are to not blow your own brains out for fear of the "no job and die" beliefs.

The only way this would ever be even remotely secure is if users of the system had to get a unique key in person or have a key mailed to them that can only be used once. Even then, it obviously could be guessed what the key is or snail mail could be intercepted. Then you'd have the issue of people claiming someone stole their vote when their party member didn't win. Why are we taking this seriously? Because someone in a University is doing it instead of a for profit company?

Don't black holes in our Univers continue to expand? The mass these things chomp up isn't all emmited by gamma rays right? Isn't that mass contributed to the 2d space on the event horrizen eventually or does it never technically get there? I guess my question is, if this guy is correct...where is all that additional mass? If we're surrounding a 4d black hole on the event horrizon why aren't we happily getting more and more mass as it chomps away?

Rape is far more personal and if someone is going to torture someone else chances are the vicitm isn't around to talk about it. Imagine associating that same feeling you get after you have great sex with someone to hate, mistrust, confusion, and general anxiety. I've dated several women that were raped in their past...it takes one of the few things in life that are supposed to be the best and destroys it. It's like someone reaches into your life and steals away every happy moment you might have with someone. Everyone seems to get a little bit fucked up differently from it...but don't underestimate someone having the power to mess with the chemicals in your brain for the rest of your life all through one act of violence.

But the fact that it does work better means we're either missing a part of the picture that is obviously important or the AI version is leveraging quirks with the system that no current model we have represents. I'm shocked to read that anyone would be comfortable just ignoring the why of something just so we can progress beyond our understanding. If we don't understand the why then we're missing something very important that could lead to breakthroughs in many other areas. Do not let go of the curiosity that got us here to begin with.

I agree with everything you just said. The point I was trying to make though is that all these new start-ups that are looking for just the young blood don't see it that way. These new start-ups already decided on their hot new buzzword compliant tech that's going to help them get that VC money. So regardless of what is a more realistic approach to a problem...things are the way they are for a reason. But I can see a lot of people are really upset about that.

Repeating something over and over again doesn't make it true either. You said a study showed workers with more experience are more productive. Being productive has nothing to do with being creative. I completely agree with you that someone that knows a problem area best are the most likely to solve a problem...this doesn't mean the person has to live with the problem for 40 years before they decide to fix it though. However someone that is just being introduced to a new area are also more likely to identify the problems better because all the old folks have learned to just live with the same problems. Again, being productive has nothing to do with being creative.

My assumption that you quoted was "When you consider that the hot new thing all the startups want to write in changes every 5-6 years it's no surprise that older workers don't hold as much value. " This is not an assumption. It's basically a stated fact. Older workers do not hold as much value and when you're comparing resumes between older workers and new workers with newer technology the newer workers are actually more likely to have the correct skillset. To someone in HR they are not going to see a guy with a decade plus of experience in J2EE as something better than a guy with 2 years experience in the language the job is actually for..when you're looking for coding grunts or a group of guys that might spit out a few good ideas once or twice in their career. I don't see why you're failing to connect those same dots. You basically seem to hold no value to a younger developer. Kids in grade school can code...kids in high school can come up with better ideas than some of us will in our entire careers. The truth is someone that has been doing the same thing for 40 years honest truly probably...isn't going to be the next best thing since sliced bread. Their ideas are spent, they've had a thousand chances to shine through the ranks. Their value to most in HR is in stability, training, and high level system design. Not in coming up with the next best thing since sliced bread. To be honest if they had such a great idea they're probably making enough money and have enough experience under their belt to market and sell it themselves instead of working for another asshat boss.

So please explain to me again why older workers are just perfect and exactly what every company should be hiring instead of a young whipper snapper? They aren't going to work late nights, they aren't going to try and impress the boss, and they are more likely to want to stick with what they know works than to try new things. Show me anyone over 35 that works 12 hour days coding non stop and I'll probably shoot the guy myself for not having an self respect by that age.

Productive != creative.

At least the places I've worked older workers are more interested in keeping the status quo. When you consider that the hot new thing all the startups want to write in changes every 5-6 years it's no surprise that older workers don't hold as much value. They certainly have value in system design and higher level work. Throwing them at coding in a language that has only been around for a few years doesn't make lot of sense. Certainly language of choice is the only reason for the age difference. Those with a family and mortgage simply by definintion are less likely to take risks or are even at an income level where they are pushed to impress the boss / start their own company. Their motivation went out the door a while ago. Studies have been done on this (citation needed). So I fail to see why it's a surprise that startups focus on cheaper labor (younger) that are more likely to be motivated in ways someone with a family and mortgage simply are not. Ask a man with 3 kids, a demanding wife, and a mortgage to stay working a 14 hour shift to meet that next agile milestone...see how long he sticks around before changing jobs.

And I spelled "dumbest" wrong...damn you internet for submitting my opinion about his opinion so fast that I didn't bother to proof read it first....I'm never using this damn thing again.

Without the Internet the majority of the people that read his opinion wouldn't have. This is one of the dubest opinions I've seen in a while. Nothing is perfect. Not a new baby, not a new child, not a new marriage, and certainly not the god damn Internet. You don't burn down your house, kill your child, murder your wife just because of a few flaws do you? Well ok some people do.

I think you're confusing a personal moral you have with the obligation a country has to defend itself.

We have laws for a reason. How many industries are built from laws being on the books? How many industries are protected by laws? My point is when society is faced with the decision between unemployment rates over 20% vs enacting a law preventing companies from using said magical robots...what do you think will happen? Sure some will move to shit hole countries, but most will remain right where they are. This is no different than H1B, outsourcing, immigration. Perhaps the law will state no company may own a class X AI to replace any human capable of doing said work. However the loophole being any human can own a class X AI and employ it anywhere but they are limited to just 1. Everyone benefits, human skills transfer to robot skills and we are left with several generations incapable of doing anything other than playing VR games.

I hate it when I hear about how horrible the world will be when tech xyz comes along. We've been around for some 65 years capable of completely destroying the human race at the push of a button. The risks will be contained just like with everything else. But I guess if we're not worried about it, it just might happen.

Or perhaps 20 year olds that want to hang out with a 40 year old ex physics major are on average more intelligent than the average 20 year old. I for one have met plenty of really stupid 20 year olds.

They've done studies on this. It has nothing to do with cognitive decline. It has to do with the average age someone starts a family and begins to raise kids of their own. They are less likely to be willing to spend hours of their "free time" working on a solution because there are far more important things they could be doing. Once you're married and "settled down" it starts to take a toll on how much you work on actual work. I wish I could cite something but I don't exactly have the time to...