Sex with a robot?

Some rain has fallen, cooling our spirits and bodies somewhat. But not enough of it has poured, when what we need is raining cats and dogs. Which means our supply of water from Angat Dam, is still in great peril. The dam, located in Norzagaray, Bulacan, provides the water needs of Metro Manila, and the rice fields and vegetable farms at its feet. So what is being done by the government — national and local — and the  private sector  to ensure water keeps flowing from  our faucets, and keeping the Angat  infrastructure safe and sound?

Two resource persons will answer questions pertaining to Angat Dam and the reasons for its near drying up at the Bulong Pulungan media forum on Tuesday, August 3. They are Atty. Jess Santos, whose long-time advocacy is  the preservation of the dam and urging the national and local agencies in charge of the environment to stop illegal logging, and Rep. Linabelle Villarica (4th District, Bulacan), who chairs the committee investigating the condition of the watershed. Villarica is also chair of the committee on  women in Congress.

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Let the Rotarians mull this over. My column last Tuesday was about a speech of Saeed A. Daof about the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro upon invitation of the Rotary Club University District, which described itself as “the second oldest Rotary Club in the Philippines.” Now comes Manny Faelnar, incoming assistant district governor of Rotary Club of Paranaque, who writes that  the  second oldest Rotary club is the Rotary Club of Cebu which was founded before World War II. The Rotary Club University District Manila is a post-war club. It is even younger  than the Rotary Club of Puerto Princesa which was also founded prior to WWII. This can be verified through Google search. “Ever since the Philippines was split into nine autonomous Rotary districts, there is so much ignorance about the history of Rotary in the country,” writes Manny.  Touche.

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The buffet-style restaurant to bring your friends and relations to is The Food Club at Metro Park, Blue Bay Walk, Macapagal Avenue, Pasay City. Following the present lifestyle  trend, The Food Club offers sumptuous lunch and dinner buffets. It  guarantees fresh meats and ingredients. Its dishes are Chinese, Japanese, continental and Filipino. Oysters, prawns, crabs are aplenty. Steaks are tender, salads delicious. You wouldn’t know which of the many desserts to cap your dining experience with. Ces Ramirez, managing partner, knew that because of the quality and reasonably-priced food, The Food Club would be a hit.

The restaurant was formally opened by Pasay City Mayor Antonino G. Calixto. Among the guests at opening week were Cory Quirino of Miss World Philippines, Becky Garcia, president of Dancesport Philippines, and business, government, media, diplomatic and entertainment representatives.

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I’ve been getting tips on how to make  millions from Energy & Capital, Practical Investment Analysis in the New Energy Economy, but never got around to applying them.  An intriguing  article it put out in the May 19, 2014  series, written by Jason Stutman, is about sex with a robot.

According to Stutman, the question, “Would you have sex with a robot?”  was posed to 2,000 members of the British public in a study being performed by researchers at the University of Middlesex (I guess no pun is intended here). The aim of the study was to gain insight into the common attitudes of humans towards technology.

Extraordinarily, said Stutman,  one in every six respondents admitted they would choose to   â€œhave sex  with an android “  if given the opportunity. “For a comparable reference, that’s more than double the prevalence of homosexuality in today’s society.”

Wrote Stutman: “If that weirds you out a bit, you’re not alone. Nearly 41 per cent of respondents felt that the concept of having sex with a robot is ‘creep,’ and 14 per cent felt it wasn’t appropriate to make robots for this purpose at all.”

“Naturally, this raised questions about  whether or not it’s even possible for robotics to fill such a role. Sexual intercourse  is one of the most (if not the single most) intimate experiences humans can have. Could technology really have that  much influence over our lives?”

And if so, what does this say about the role of robotics in future society?  Writes Stutman:

“In some sense, we’ve already reached this point of integration. Last year, telecommunications experts found that 15 per cent of adults were having less sex as a result of extended Internet use.

“Like it or not, we’re developing a love affair with technology, and it’s proving enough to subdue even the most powerful of human instincts.

“This love affair extends well beyond our sexual desires, though – it’s become part of our everyday lives. Robotics are especially being integrated into the grocery store, the workplace, and even our homes.

“And the more we make use of these technologies, the more reliant on them we will become.”

Stutman said just the other week he was enjoying the company of friends at a barbecue when a small green robotic lawn mower glided right past his feet. His host bragged that it was the “Rolls-Royce of robot lawn movers.”   

The  “robomow”  cost around $2,000, but it’s well worth the investment, his friend said, as he will never have to mow his lawn again, nor will have to pay someone to do it for him.

“The breadth of robotic capability today is far greater than many people know,” wrote Stutman. Some  machines are  capable of playing table tennis, solving Rubik’s cubes, washing  floors, serving food, and even performing emergency rescue.  In the not-too-distant future, automated software and robotics will be used to accomplish nearly any task one can think of – household chores, driving, and yes, said Stutman, “even sex will be performed by machines.”

Our reliance on automation has become nearly irreversible. Research coming from Oxford predicts that as much as 45 per cent of American jobs will be automated within the next 20 years. The result: unemployment will rise, and the economy will suffer.

The most legitimate concern surrounding increased automation is that wealth will become even more concentrated in the hands of a select group of individuals — especially those who control the machines, said Stutman.

The economist quoted another economist, Noah Smith who wrote a compelling piece for Quartz magazine, arguing that robots will soon bring about “social upheaval on a scale  not seen since the invention of the musket.”

Smith’s “dystopian vision” predicts that as robots become more and more sophisticated, the average person will begin to fade into insignificance, and  eventually, one sees the financial elite using automated drones to exercise control over the masses.

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 My email:dominitorrevillas@gmail