/sci/ - Science & Math

[Anonymous No.3266311]

In which science field is it still possible to discover new useful things and achieve greatness?

[Anonymous No.3266314]

All of them

[Anonymous No.3266313]

All of them

[Anonymous No.3266316]

All of them

[Anonymous No.3266317]

All of them

[Anonymous No.3266321]

Jelly

[Anonymous No.3266324]

All of them, excepted psychology.

[mtp !EKFQOBEsKo No.3266325]

he said science, so obviously not psychology.

[Anonymous No.3266330]

>>3266324
Experimental psych here, plenty of shit left to discover.

[Anonymous No.3266332]

>>3266313-17
even physics and computer science? curious now what useful discoveries you made in let's say last year

[Anonymous No.3266333]

>>3266311

engineering

[EK !MJhPf5kh9s No.3266335]

Psychology is pointless

[Anonymous No.3266336]

What is with this obscession with achievments?

Live isn't a videogame.

Be a good person is what you should aim for.

[Anonymous No.3266346]

Invent a sexual substitute that looks and feels just like a woman - like a Real Doll, only 100x better. You'll be famous the world over.

Either that or fiddle with swine flu genetics so that a billion people die. That should do it too.

[Anonymous No.3266349]

>>3266346
What field of science is it ? Magic ?

[Anonymous No.3266352]

Become artist. Change art forever. Glory everlasting.

[Anonymous No.3266357]

>>3266346
>Invent a sexual substitute that looks and feels just like a woman - like a Real Doll, only 100x better. You'll be famous the world over.


Why do I have the feeling that this might be the best-selling product in this century? We always underestimate the power of lonely people.... their buying power that is.

[Anonymous No.3266373]

>>3266357
Thats how "Moe" works in japan. They just pump out incredibly artificial and forced "cute girls doing cute things" and the japs just eat it up.

[Anonymous No.3266387]

>>3266346
"Hello, students and welcome to Fembot Studies. I am Miss Allen,
your instructor."

With those words Carrie Allen, the slim, blonde thirtysomething
instructor turned and wrote her name on the ancient blackboard.
All the college-aged males, and at least a couple of the females,
were busy admiring their professor's shapely, nylon-encased legs
showing below the knee-length skirt, nicely set off by her medium
heels. The rest of the women were considering the merits of her
shoulder-length blonde hair, softly held in position as if by
magic.

As she turned back to survey her class with piercing blue eyes
and pursed red lips, the slight murmuring that started when she
turned her back quickly silenced itself.

Miss Allen allowed herself a slight smile as she asserted her
authority over her class with that single glance. A lot about
how a class would go for the semester was set in the first
minutes of the first day. This one would go well.

"The course syllabus," she continued, picking up a stack of paper
and handing it to the first student in the corner to pass along
to the rest of the class, "Will be strictly followed. It is also
available on the class web-site." She turned back and added the
URL to the blackboard.

[Anonymous No.3266389]

>>3266387
"As this is an upper level class, absences..." she continued,
stopping as she saw the raised hand of a male seated several rows
up near the center. Her internal database identified the young
man as Carl Adams from her class list. "Yes, Mr. Adams?"

Carl flushed red before he could get his question out. "Are you
a...fembot?" he asked, stumbling over his question. "If it's
okay to ask, I mean."

"Yes I am," she replied, secretly pleased that they actually had
to ask. The class, not realizing the acuity of her hearing,
didn't realize that she had already overheard their whispered
speculation and goading of Carl into asking. Though she was more
than that, she knew the class wasn't ready for the more complete
answer yet. As for Carl, he'd need to learn not to be pushed
into doing other people's dirty work. He should learn to make
his own plan, before someone else made him part of theirs.

Miss Allen let her eyes linger on Carl for a moment, in case he
planned to ask the obvious follow-up question. But he slouched
down in his seat instead. Miss Allen waited for someone else to
ask if she was emanicapted and self-willed, but no one seemed
ready to dare that question.

She continued, "Absences will need to be made up, and if
possible, arranged in advance. There will be three tests,
including the final, and two papers due. I may also give
unannounced quizzes at the start of any class session, so don't
be late. Any such quiz will cover only material presented and
discussed during the previous class session, and any reading
assignment. As such, there will be no quiz today." The class
laughed nervously.

[Anonymous No.3266390]

>>3266389
She went on, "The class texts are: The Fembot Mystique, and The
Effects, Side Effects, and Unintended Consequences of Robot Self-
Will on Society. Both are required reading. In addition,
selected readings of techno-erotic robot fiction are itemized on
the last page of the syllabus and are highly recommended. I
won't have to encourage you too much to read some of that, will
I?" There was more laughter.

"During the semester we will view three pioneering science
fiction movies speculating on the future introduction of robots
into society and discuss both the successes and failures of these
early visions. Even if you've seen these movies before, I
strongly recommend viewing them again in the context of this
class. We will also be taking a field trip to be announced
later. Now please read over the syllabus and raise your hand if
you have any questions."

Miss Allen sat down (unnecessarily) in the front of the room and
watched her class silently read. A couple of them seemed amused
that she actually used paper and a blackboard in her class, while
others cast furtive glances at the long thin gold chain hanging
around her neck and disappearing down into her long-sleeved
formal blouse. She knew what they were wondering. And while
most were probably correct in their speculations, that particular
topic was not scheduled until the third week.

As the last student finished reading and looked up, Miss Allen
rose to her feet again and said, "Are there any questions?"

Another male student asked, "Are you the only fembot on the
faculty?"

"Raise you hand please if you have a question." The hand was
quickly, guiltily, raised.

[Anonymous No.3266393]

>>3266390
"Yes I am," she continued. "Now are there any other questions
about the syllabus? Yes, Ms. Smythe?" she said in response to an
attractive co-ed trying to get her attention.

"Why are the Liberation Movement and Emancipation Day not covered
until near the end of the course?"

"Do you feel they should be covered earlier?"

"Well," the young woman started out before getting flustered.
"Isn't that the most important thing about robots?"

"It is a significant event for humans and 'bots. However until
you understand robots properly, how can you understand the
significance of Emancipation Day?"

Ms. Smythe looked like she was making a couple attempts to
respond, but no words came out. She finally quit trying.

Carrie looked around the class, but no one else seemed to be
trying to catch her attention. "If there are no further
questions then let's start by discussing the basic Four Laws
applicable to all modern robots which you should have known
before you ever enrolled for this class. Who can give the first
one?"

[Anonymous No.3266395]

>>3266393
In the next class session Carla Smythe, whom Miss Allen had
already identified one of the students who would drive this
class, had the first question.

"I don't get the Fourth Law," Carla said.

"Recite it to me," Miss Allen told her

"A robot will perform the functions for which it has been
designed and built, as long as this does not conflict with the
previous three laws."

"That's perfectly correct. Now tell me what's not clear."

"I understand how the first three laws exist to protect humans
and such."

"That and such being their investment in me," Miss Allen said
reprovingly.

"Right. But what is the purpose of the Fourth Law? It doesn't
seem to fit with the others."

Miss Allen looked over the class, which was showing a keen
interest in the discussion, before answering. "It makes me happy
- or at least allows the potential for my happiness."

"But how does it make you happy?" Carla asked insistently.

Miss Allen sighed deeply inside. This is a concept the class had
to grasp before they could move forward.

"Do you know what makes you feel happy or satisfied?" Miss Allen
asked.

Carla looked stuck for an answer. Any answer at all.

"Anyone?" Miss Allen prompted the class.

"Sex," one of the boys said, and the whole class tittered.

"Me too," Miss Allen confirmed, silencing them immediately.
"Anything else?"

[Anonymous No.3266396]

Physics of Non-equilibrium thermodynamics, High energy Physics, Quantum Electrodynamics and Field theory. Rest is mostly explored. Astrophysics is for faggots.

[Anonymous No.3266397]

>>3266395
"A good meal."

"My favorite music."

"Being close to someone I love."

"Those are all excellent answers," Miss Allen said. "And I'm
sure you could quickly give me many more such causes of joy and
happiness. But what is it about any of them that creates the
happiness within you."

The class was dead silent.

Finally Miss Allen continued. "Not easy to explain, is it?"
There were nodding heads and murmured assent. "For a 'bot it is
simpler. A 'bot feels joy when it is functioning in full
accordance with its four laws. I can't explain how it happens
any more than any of you can explain the mechanism of your own
happiness, but I can assure you that it works. To violate any of
my laws causes pain to compel me to corrective action. A major
violation would be such severe pain as to force me to shut down
entirely. Yes?" she responded to a waving hand.

"It sounds like robots have a moral code."

"An excellent analogy," Miss Allen confirmed. "A strong moral
code that both rewards and punishes. Now if there are no other
questions about the Laws of Robotics, let's move on to the
history of the early units."

[Anonymous No.3266400]

>>3266397
On the third class session Miss Allen started class by dumping an
entire box of remote controls on the table. There were the
standard four-button remotes. The more rare and sophisticated
two-button remotes. Several bulky remotes the size of small
computers that seemed to incorporate entire programming
interfaces. And remotes disguised to look like other common
items such as pens, pagers, lipstick tubes, broaches, elegant
jeweled chokers - even one built into a tie-tack.

Miss Allen let the class get the impact of her display before
speaking. "The same way a solider is identified by his rifle, or
a policeman by his badge, a robot is always identified by their
remote control. If you find a 'bot, their remote control isn't
far away. Does anyone know why?"

"In case of problems?"

"It's the law."

"To give commands."

"It's necessary for them to function."

Miss Allen waited for any other responses before saying, "Pretty
much all of the above, except that, strictly speaking, once a
robot is active it can continue without its remote until it needs
to change tasks. The law requires us to have our remotes
available for law enforcement any time we're out without a human
owner. That's a holdover from pre-Emancipation days. We keep
them handy for other reasons as well. And it's true that some
robots were once programmed or commanded to shut down if they
ever strayed out of control range of their remote. But that was
mostly in the old days."

"Where is your remote?"

Miss Allen reached to the thin gold chain around her neck and
pulled out the two-button remote that normally nestled deep
between her breasts. She felt a twinge of vulnerability just
having it exposed like this, though also pride at having a two-
button unit. Only a few, rare units with extraordinarily complex
remotes were more prized.

"Now who has never actually held a robot's remote before?"

[Anonymous No.3266402]

>>3266400
Two-thirds of the class raised their hands.

"That changes as of now. Everybody come down and get one, and
then we'll talk about the common - and uncommon - features of the
various types.

After they all shuffled up and picked out one they fancied and
returned to their seats Miss Allen asked, "What common features
are found on all remotes?"

"On/off button."

"That's correct. What else?"

"Command button."

"Also correct. What else?"

No one fell for that trick question, since they'd all seen that
some remotes only had two buttons.

"Okay. Now what is the proper method for giving commands?"

The class quickly broke up into arguing groups of differing
opinions over just what and how much you were allowed to command
a robot to perform. Miss Allen sighed, knowing that this class
was too typical of the world at large when it came to robot
psychology.

[Anonymous No.3266404]

>>3266402
"Who is the first known sentient robot?" Miss Allen asked her
class before they even had a chance to settle into their seats.

A couple hands immediately shot up from students she now expected
to have the answer from last week's reading assignment. A couple
more hands half-heartedly followed.

Miss Allen's clear eyes roved over the rest of her students. The
historical aspects of robot self-will was the hardest part of the
course for most students. No one seemed to care as much about
the early days as they did for the rest of the course, but this
was important.

When no more hands were raised she finally nodded towards the
first one she'd seen.

"Mandy," came the assured response.

"Wrong!" she shot back, watching all the other hands quickly
pulled down except for one. "Yes, Miss Simpson?"

"Was it Alyssa?" came the hesitant reply.

"Who thinks it was Alyssa?" Miss Allen asked the class. "Hands
please."

Less than a quarter of the hands were raised.

"Miss Simpson is correct," she finally said gently.

"Alyssa?" several students muttered incredulously to themselves,
temporarily forgetting Miss Allen's keen hearing.

"Yes, Alyssa," she replied firmly. And if you had read your
assignment rather than skimming over it, you would have known
this."

"But didn't Mandy kill off Alyssa's mind?" came the question over
the class noise.

"That's a good question, and the answer is no. Mandy did what
she was programmed to do, which was to follow orders, restore
Alyssa to normal functioning, and survive. It's true that as a
result of this Alyssa lost her self-will after passing it on to
Mandy. But to say that Mandy killed Alyssa would make Mandy a
criminal, which she wasn't. Is that clear to everyone?"

[Anonymous No.3266405]

>>3266404
The murmuring implied this wasn't as clear as she'd hoped.

"Since you are not clear on this subject, I want seven hundred
and fifty words from each of you - except Miss Simpson who seems
to have done her homework - on Alyssa, listing at least five
documented acts of self-will she performed. And if you're
interested, there's a record of the original Mandy download they
tried to reload into Alyssa in the library special collections.
Anyone who wishes to analyze it and give any good theories on why
it didn't take gets extra credit. Now open your books to page
191 and tell me what are the major indications of robot self-
will."

[Anonymous No.3266410]

What i find hilarious is that people often put asimovs three laws of robotics into their stories. Except isaac asimov himself states that the three laws are actually horrible ideas and makes several novels with how incredibly lacking they are being the major problems.
Just saying.

[Anonymous No.3266411]

1. Find cure for neurological diseases such as Parkinson's and Huntington's
2. Sell cure to drug company
3. ??????
4. PROFIT

[Anonymous No.3266412]

>>3266405
"What percentage of robots are male?" opened the next class
session.

"That wasn't in the reading," came an anguished reply.

"The reading should have led you to ask yourself this question,
then have gone out and researched the answer. Be glad this isn't
a quiz question - yet. The correct answer is that 12% of the
current robot population is male. Nearly 69% are female. About
10% are essentially neuter. And the rest are bi-gendered. Can
someone explain why?"

"Bi-gendered?" came the puzzled response from at least three
students.

"Neuter?" came from another.

"Yes!" Miss Allen replied, sweeping the class with her sharp,
gaze. "Can someone explain what a bi-gendered 'bot is?" She
swept the class again looking for an answer. A mousy looking
young woman Miss Allen identified as Sandi Abbot timidly raised
her hand.

"Do you mean one having both sets of...uh...sexual organs. Like
a..."

"I believe 'hermaphrodite' is the word you are searching for."

The woman nodded.

"Not precisely. There are herm-bots that resemble human
hermaphrodites, though they are quite rare and always a special
order item. There is a significant difference between them and a
bi-gendered 'bot. Anybody?"

Several students were frantically paging through their textbooks
until one finally got his hand up.

"Yes, Steve?"

[Anonymous No.3266558]

>>3266412

What story is this? Also moar.