Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!dg-rtp!dgcad!aeras!sun!newstop!texsun!texbell!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!emory!hubcap!ncrcae!ncr-sd!sagpd1!monty
From: monty@sagpd1.UUCP (Monty Saine)
Newsgroups: comp.robotics
Subject: Re: Divert NASA budget to robotics
Message-ID: <854@sagpd1.UUCP>
Date: 13 Jul 90 16:02:08 GMT
References: <10518@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu> <#*S$G+&@ads.com> <848@sagpd1.UUCP> <A:L44S1@xds8.ferranti.com>
Reply-To: monty@sagpd1.UUCP (Monty Saine)
Distribution: comp
Organization: Scientific Atlanta, Government Products Div, San Diego, CA
Lines: 26

In article <A:L44S1@xds8.ferranti.com> jeffd@ficc.ferranti.com (Jeff Daiell) writes:
> --I believe we will get there much faster if we let the robots do all our
> --dirty work.

>Actually, the posting did *not* say "let someone else do the dirty
>work" -- it said "let machines do the dirty work".  This attitude
                      ^^^^^^^^^^
>is why we have technology in the first place ... or would you want
>your colonists to *walk* to other worlds?  It's a tad odd to knock
>someone for wanting to use machines if your own plan is 100% 
>dependent on them.

    My point was to NOT to be 100% dependent on machines. I was and still
    am upset about the "couch potato" mentality that feels we can sit back
    and not take risks and still progress. Every achivement in our society
    has been gained by not being afraid to take that extra step. I said use 
    the robots as tools but do not depend on them to do it all for you.

    Not using machines would have left Colombus swimming off the coast of 
    Europe, but also, he did not wait for the Queen Mary to be built before
    he ventured out. I would very much indeed want our colonists to WALK
    on other worlds, barefoot if possible (since that is what you seem to
    be implying). Better to lose a foot then lose your drive and ambition!



	 Monty Saine