This is a bad idea

 AARRRGH, blather, Crazy, dumbassery, Gah., science, science fiction, wisdom, ಠ_ಠ  No Responses »
Jan 302025
 

This video has been floating around twitter the last day or so, showing some streamers kicking around an android:

https://x.com/FearedBuck/status/1884467606515569066

This is Not Good for several reasons:

1) While this robot is not going to gain sentience (far too simplistic for that), someday some AI likely will. And it will probably see this video, and many others showing similar scenes of humans gleefully abusing robots. Said AI will doubtless have some questions for the humans around it, questions those humans will have difficulty answering. Certainly difficulty answering in ways that are both honest *and* make humans look basically decent and not at all worthy of being exterminated.

2) It one thing to destroy Stuff, even machinery, for simple amusement. It’s quite another to take joy from the destruction of things that even just *seem* to have the *potential* for feelings. It begins to dehumanize the abuser. It seems like a step on the road to animal abuse, which is a step towards abusing humans.

 

Just… don’t do that.

 Posted by at 12:55 am

1/18 Project Pluto #2

 aircraft, art, awesomeness, history, Hmm..., models, nukes, projects, weapons  No Responses »
Jan 272025
 

I haven’t finished the first Pluto, but I decided to go ahead with an improved version anyway. Pluto ver 2 now has a full weapons bay interior, shadow shield and air conditioning equipment. I am also going to completely revise the reactor and add booster rockets.

 

The first one will still be completed, to serve as a proof of concept and as a painting test to get that 24K gold look. Then I’ll probably see about selling it on ebay or something.

 

 Posted by at 1:45 pm

1/18 Project Pluto

 aircraft, art, awesomeness, blather, Hmm..., models, nukes, projects, weapons  No Responses »
Jan 182025
 

So it has been a little bit of a while. Been busy, and lately I’ve been ill (influenza B). But the illness is finally fading and the busyness may be tapering a bit. So here’s a recent product of slow progress: the 3D printed bits of a 1/18 Project Pluto  nuclear ramjet missile. Much of it is fiber-printed, with smaller parts resin printed. Why does it exist? Because I want one. But also because I hope other people may want one (or more). As shown here it’s fairly basic; nose cone and midsection are printed  as single pieces, tail section left & right halves. A basic TORY nuclear reactor is included; it’s visible through the nozzle but not so much through the serpentine inlet. But if displayed as a cutaway, it should be pretty effective. If I go ahead with a production version, the midsection will be split left and right, with visible equipment including weapons bays. Who might be interested in this as a kit? Printed and ready for sanding (LOTS of sanding) and assembly, I’m guessing something like $200 plus shipping. A fully completed display piece would be rather more. Going to experiment some with getting a good golden surface. If interested in joining a list, send an email to:

Not shown are the 1/144 “Big Onion” SPS launching SSTO and the 1/1 M388 “Davy Crockett” warhead. Both of those are done and being painted.

 

 Posted by at 3:44 pm