• Re: "War Department declares Golden Shield missile defense system ready

    From Paul S Person@3:633/10 to All on Wed May 13 08:35:43 2026
    Subject: Re: "War Department declares Golden Shield missile defense system ready to be built: ?Shovel ready?"

    On Tue, 12 May 2026 21:21:29 -0500, Lynn McGuire
    <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:

    On 4/28/2026 3:52 PM, Lynn McGuire wrote:
    "War Department declares Golden Shield missile defense system ready to

    be built: ?Shovel ready?"

    https://justthenews.com/government/security/department-war-advancing-
    defensive-technologies-against-missiles-other-aerial

    "The department called it a "layered, integrated shield" that will
    defend the U.S. against ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles,
    advanced cruise missiles and next-generation aerial attacks."
    ?? https://x.com/DoWCTO

    Wait, we have gigawatt lasers ready to go now ?

    Hat tip to:
    ?? https://thelibertydaily.com/

    Lynn

    No lasers at this time other than communication lasers like Starlink
    uses.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Dome_(missile_defense_system)

    So, we need gigawatt sustained power lasers for both missile defense
    shield and fusion reactors. Looks like a good research project for MIT,

    Texas A&M, Stanford, and a few other excellent universities. I'll bet
    most of them already have laser research projects going.

    Looks like SpaceX will be launching many thousands of satellites in the
    next few years.

    Unless, of course, they were DOGE'd,
    --
    "Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
    Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
    Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Paul S Person@3:633/10 to All on Wed May 13 08:40:02 2026
    Subject: Re: "War Department declares Golden Shield missile defense system ready to be built: ?Shovel ready?"

    On Tue, 12 May 2026 13:22:54 -0400, Cryptoengineer
    <petertrei@gmail.com> wrote:

    On 5/12/2026 11:33 AM, Paul S Person wrote:

    <snippo: leadup to The Rise of the Machines>

    And you /really/ want to trust an ARMED SYSTEM to an AI? Have you
    never read any Science Fiction on this topic at all? This is a /very/
    bad idea.

    Like atomic reactors, space-based defense systems need to be managed
    /exclusively/ by human beings who actually know what they are doing.
    As opposed to, say, your standard MBA -- and a standard MBA would be a
    far better choice than an AI.

    And either they can build gigawatt lasers with a modest extension of
    existing technology - or they can manage with megawatt lasers
    somehow. I
    wouldn't know.

    As you yourself note below, even megawatt lasers are not available.


    We're moving in the direction of autonomous AI targetting rapidly.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/magazine/ukraine-ai-drones-war-russia
    .html

    Not fully autonomous, these will can be locked onto a moving
    target by a human operator from will beyond jamming range, and
    then swoop in for the kill by themselves.

    Better be a very strong lock, one with no key, or we'll eventually be
    reading about one attacking a civilian airliner. With lots of excuses.

    What was that version of Boyle's law -- oh, yes: "The greater the
    external pressure, the greater the volume of hot air." Flanders &
    Swann were talking about political scandals, but we have progressed
    (if that's the word) since then.
    --
    "Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
    Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
    Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Cryptoengineer@3:633/10 to All on Wed May 13 14:57:06 2026
    Subject: Re: "War Department declares Golden Shield missile defense system ready to be built: ?Shovel ready?"

    On 5/13/2026 11:40 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
    On Tue, 12 May 2026 13:22:54 -0400, Cryptoengineer
    <petertrei@gmail.com> wrote:

    On 5/12/2026 11:33 AM, Paul S Person wrote:

    <snippo: leadup to The Rise of the Machines>

    And you /really/ want to trust an ARMED SYSTEM to an AI? Have you
    never read any Science Fiction on this topic at all? This is a /very/
    bad idea.

    Like atomic reactors, space-based defense systems need to be managed
    /exclusively/ by human beings who actually know what they are doing.
    As opposed to, say, your standard MBA -- and a standard MBA would be a
    far better choice than an AI.

    And either they can build gigawatt lasers with a modest extension of
    existing technology - or they can manage with megawatt lasers somehow. I >>>> wouldn't know.

    As you yourself note below, even megawatt lasers are not available.


    We're moving in the direction of autonomous AI targetting rapidly.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/magazine/ukraine-ai-drones-war-russia.html

    Not fully autonomous, these will can be locked onto a moving
    target by a human operator from will beyond jamming range, and
    then swoop in for the kill by themselves.

    Better be a very strong lock, one with no key, or we'll eventually be
    reading about one attacking a civilian airliner. With lots of excuses.

    You don't need an AI to do that.

    In 1983, the Soviets shot down Korean Air 007, 269 killed.
    in 1988 that US shot down a civilian Iranian airliner. 290 dead.
    In 2014, Russian troops show down a Malaysian airliner over Ukraine.
    298 killed.

    Humans make errors too. The question is: which is more reliable.

    I'm trying to figure out a way to let my wife know that I'd like
    her to use the Tesla automation nearly all the time: It drives
    better than she does. She is NOT accident prone, but the robot is
    much smoother.

    pt


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Paul S Person@3:633/10 to All on Thu May 14 08:43:51 2026
    Subject: Re: "War Department declares Golden Shield missile defense system ready to be built: ?Shovel ready?"

    On Wed, 13 May 2026 14:57:06 -0400, Cryptoengineer
    <petertrei@gmail.com> wrote:

    On 5/13/2026 11:40 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
    On Tue, 12 May 2026 13:22:54 -0400, Cryptoengineer
    <petertrei@gmail.com> wrote:

    On 5/12/2026 11:33 AM, Paul S Person wrote:

    <snippo: leadup to The Rise of the Machines>

    And you /really/ want to trust an ARMED SYSTEM to an AI? Have you
    never read any Science Fiction on this topic at all? This is a
    /very/
    bad idea.

    Like atomic reactors, space-based defense systems need to be managed
    /exclusively/ by human beings who actually know what they are doing.
    As opposed to, say, your standard MBA -- and a standard MBA would be
    a
    far better choice than an AI.

    And either they can build gigawatt lasers with a modest extension
    of
    existing technology - or they can manage with megawatt lasers
    somehow. I
    wouldn't know.

    As you yourself note below, even megawatt lasers are not available.


    We're moving in the direction of autonomous AI targetting rapidly.


    https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/magazine/ukraine-ai-drones-war-russia.
    html

    Not fully autonomous, these will can be locked onto a moving
    target by a human operator from will beyond jamming range, and
    then swoop in for the kill by themselves.

    Better be a very strong lock, one with no key, or we'll eventually be
    reading about one attacking a civilian airliner. With lots of excuses.

    You don't need an AI to do that.

    In 1983, the Soviets shot down Korean Air 007, 269 killed.
    in 1988 that US shot down a civilian Iranian airliner. 290 dead.
    In 2014, Russian troops show down a Malaysian airliner over Ukraine.
    298 killed.

    Humans make errors too. The question is: which is more reliable.

    But were they "locked on" a valid target?

    And the fact that people make mistakes does /not/ justify allowing AI
    to make them. To err is /human/ -- it cannot be allowed to AI.
    --
    "Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
    Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
    Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Cryptoengineer@3:633/10 to All on Thu May 14 15:08:51 2026
    Subject: Re: "War Department declares Golden Shield missile defense system ready to be built: ?Shovel ready?"

    On 5/14/2026 11:43 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
    On Wed, 13 May 2026 14:57:06 -0400, Cryptoengineer
    <petertrei@gmail.com> wrote:

    On 5/13/2026 11:40 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
    On Tue, 12 May 2026 13:22:54 -0400, Cryptoengineer
    <petertrei@gmail.com> wrote:

    On 5/12/2026 11:33 AM, Paul S Person wrote:

    <snippo: leadup to The Rise of the Machines>

    And you /really/ want to trust an ARMED SYSTEM to an AI? Have you
    never read any Science Fiction on this topic at all? This is a /very/ >>>>> bad idea.

    Like atomic reactors, space-based defense systems need to be managed >>>>> /exclusively/ by human beings who actually know what they are doing. >>>>> As opposed to, say, your standard MBA -- and a standard MBA would be a >>>>> far better choice than an AI.

    And either they can build gigawatt lasers with a modest extension of >>>>>> existing technology - or they can manage with megawatt lasers somehow. I >>>>>> wouldn't know.

    As you yourself note below, even megawatt lasers are not available.


    We're moving in the direction of autonomous AI targetting rapidly.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/magazine/ukraine-ai-drones-war-russia.html

    Not fully autonomous, these will can be locked onto a moving
    target by a human operator from will beyond jamming range, and
    then swoop in for the kill by themselves.

    Better be a very strong lock, one with no key, or we'll eventually be
    reading about one attacking a civilian airliner. With lots of excuses.

    You don't need an AI to do that.

    In 1983, the Soviets shot down Korean Air 007, 269 killed.
    in 1988 that US shot down a civilian Iranian airliner. 290 dead.
    In 2014, Russian troops show down a Malaysian airliner over Ukraine.
    298 killed.

    Humans make errors too. The question is: which is more reliable.

    But were they "locked on" a valid target?

    And the fact that people make mistakes does /not/ justify allowing AI
    to make them. To err is /human/ -- it cannot be allowed to AI.

    You've said this before, in regard to self-driving cars.

    Again: If it performs *better* than humans, it can, and
    should be used. Fewer of the wrong targets will be hit,
    and that's better than letting people die.

    Justify requiring perfection, please.

    pt


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Scott Dorsey@3:633/10 to All on Thu May 14 15:18:51 2026
    Subject: Re: Re: "War Department declares Golden Shield missile defense system ready to be built: ?Shovel ready?"

    Cryptoengineer <petertrei@gmail.com> wrote:
    You've said this before, in regard to self-driving cars.

    Again: If it performs *better* than humans, it can, and
    should be used. Fewer of the wrong targets will be hit,
    and that's better than letting people die.

    Justify requiring perfection, please.

    People psychologically will not accept it. People expect machines to be perfect in ways that humans are not. This is how we wound up with the
    mess of the current air traffic control system.
    --scott

    --
    "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Cryptoengineer@3:633/10 to All on Thu May 14 16:01:01 2026
    Subject: Re: "War Department declares Golden Shield missile defense system ready to be built: ?Shovel ready?"

    On 5/14/2026 3:18 PM, Scott Dorsey wrote:
    Cryptoengineer <petertrei@gmail.com> wrote:
    You've said this before, in regard to self-driving cars.

    Again: If it performs *better* than humans, it can, and
    should be used. Fewer of the wrong targets will be hit,
    and that's better than letting people die.

    Justify requiring perfection, please.

    People psychologically will not accept it. People expect machines to be perfect in ways that humans are not. This is how we wound up with the
    mess of the current air traffic control system.

    Some won't accept it. I have no doubt that there will be a few
    horrible accidents where a human might well have avoided it. But
    the numbers count.

    The insurance businesses has no such qualms.

    When they offer lower rates to people who consistently use automated
    driving, many will be persuaded.

    Similarly, when the military find they are more effective at completing missions by using AI autonomous weapons, they will do so. Needs must....

    Yes, I'm afraid of the 'Wargames' scenario. AFAICT, all the military are
    too, and will not turn over control to WHOPPR.


    pt

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Paul S Person@3:633/10 to All on Fri May 15 09:02:45 2026
    Subject: Re: "War Department declares Golden Shield missile defense system ready to be built: ?Shovel ready?"

    On Thu, 14 May 2026 16:01:01 -0400, Cryptoengineer
    <petertrei@gmail.com> wrote:

    On 5/14/2026 3:18 PM, Scott Dorsey wrote:
    Cryptoengineer <petertrei@gmail.com> wrote:
    You've said this before, in regard to self-driving cars.

    Again: If it performs *better* than humans, it can, and
    should be used. Fewer of the wrong targets will be hit,
    and that's better than letting people die.

    Justify requiring perfection, please.

    People psychologically will not accept it. People expect machines to
    be
    perfect in ways that humans are not. This is how we wound up with the
    mess of the current air traffic control system.

    Some won't accept it. I have no doubt that there will be a few
    horrible accidents where a human might well have avoided it. But
    the numbers count.

    The insurance businesses has no such qualms.

    When they offer lower rates to people who consistently use automated
    driving, many will be persuaded.

    Similarly, when the military find they are more effective at completing >missions by using AI autonomous weapons, they will do so. Needs must....

    Yes, I'm afraid of the 'Wargames' scenario. AFAICT, all the military are
    too, and will not turn over control to WHOPPR.

    And yet, what is the Golden Shield but Skynet under a new name, at
    least in embryo?
    --
    "Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
    Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
    Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)