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PUBLISHER'S CORNER
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A Robotor "robot sculptor" creating a marble statue.
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Had a random thought while watching football on Sunday: What if robots replaced football players - would fans still get into it? Would teams still bother to play week after week? Would it disrupt the sports betting world?
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And I guess the reason it crossed my mind is that there may still be room in the world for people, even as the robots begin to take over everything.
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And that's why this 60 Minutes segment caught my attention. Robotor is a robot company that makes art - during the news segment we traveled to Italy to consider how robots are doing what Michelangelo spent his life toiling over: creating priceless images from marble. The company co-founder said right now robots are doing about 99% of the work on sculptures being commissioned by famous artists and collectors alike. The argument is that it's not "cheating;" rather it's finding artistry in how you program a machine to create the art.
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"If an idea is bad, the outcome is still bad," said Giacomo Massari.
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It's a lot to unpack. The segment is only 13 minutes long but it covers a lot of ground - enough to make you scratch your head a bit more about whether to embrace or reject robo-art. Richard Erdman, a Vermont-based artist, says he's on board. He employs six people per robot he now uses on his projects on which the finishing touches are still done by hand. Many of his pieces are selling at auction for a pretty penny. I didn't see any disclaimer, that some of these sculptures "were made by a robot programmed to turn out perfect work to the artists specifications."
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I guess if you love the look of the finished product and don't care whether you're paying for a human concept wrought by a machine, or a machined creation conceptualized by a human, then we've arrived at the next level in this game called life.
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Back to football. Would Patriots fans prefer a team of manly-looking robots executing a perfect game every time versus a manly-looking team of men with a 3-7 season record? I'm not sure about that, but I think it's the hopeful feeling at the top of the game, the unexpected spills and thrills, and the ultimate ride, win or lose, that keeps fans coming back for more.
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And in that way, humanity is still winning.
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City and state government officials and veterans took turns giving speeches honoring veterans—their words at times lost to the meek microphone battling valiantly with the wind and construction— to a modestly sizable crowd. Manchester’s West High School band played the Star-Spangled Banner at the beginning of the ceremony and Taps at the end. A Girl Scout troop led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance. A local priest offered a prayer to open the ceremony and a benediction to close.
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The forecast is mostly sunny with windy and cooler conditions. The presence of gusty winds, low humidity, and dry vegetation significantly increases the risk of brush fires. The high will be 49 degrees, feeling more like 39, with northwest winds at 20-30+ mph.
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Elm Street was lined with people of all ages who came out to honor the Veterans who have served their country.
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When I think of The Ed Sullivan Show (1948 - 1971), in addition to the February 9, 1964, Beatles appearance that saw 73 million viewers glued to their television sets, I recall with awe plate spinner Erich Brenn.Â
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The Zoning Board will meet on Thursday, November 14 at 6 p.m.
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