Optimus Prime? No - Optimus Gen 3 Humanoid

One more thing. By the time we have our next presidential election, you should be able to see humanoid robots all over the place. And no - they will not be allowed to vote. Why not? First, they are not citizens. Second, they are way too smart. They will always vote Republican! 

Elon Musk, the one of the smartest people on the planet, one of the richest, and one of the craftiest, is about to shock everyone all over again. As the clock ticks down to 2025, the long-awaited Optimus Gen 3 will be released. And if it is half as good as Elon has promised, it is going to be a whopper. Because Elon is Elon, while other humanoid robot manufacturers are trying like crazy to get the cost per unit under $80,000 (and worth every penny), Elon once again is thinking on a different dimension. He wants the cost per Optimus Gen 3 to be about $10,000 - maybe $20,000 for some deluxe features included. 

Whoa - hold on! Right now, many of the techno experts are thinking Optimus Gen 3 will be heads and shoulders over the rest of the pack. And now Elon thinks he can make these things for a fraction of what the other companies are going to sell humanoid robots for. How, how, how can he do that? Plus, Elon has recently said these things will be so smart, and able to do so much, you can ditch your cell phone. You won't need to anymore. 

BTW, the graphic I post on this article is from the movie I Robot. I decided not to post a graphic of Optimus Gen 3 until it is released. But Elon is hard over in making the release date of December 31st, 2024, at the latest. He wants 5,000 of these humanoids working at his Tesla plants in 2025. And then in 2026, he wants Optimus Gen 3 to be ready to go to market. And he expects the order will be coming in fast and furious. 

I might have mentioned this before. The human hand has 27 types of motion. Most basic robots have just a few of those, as they are so hard to replicate. Elon is saying that Optimus Gen 3 will have 22 types of motion. That is crazy good if it is true! Once again, while the rest of industry is playing checkers, Elon Musk is playing chess. Or maybe three-dimensional chess. 

One more thing. By the time we have our next presidential election, you should be able to see humanoid robots all over the place. And no - they will not be allowed to vote. Why not? First, they are not citizens. Second, they are way too smart. They will always vote Republican! 

"Lights out factories"

"Please do not take to the streets with pitchforks and torches. This era is here, and there is no going back. Get used to seeing 'lights out factories'. Soon they will have gone from a novelty to commonplace. And those who have no training for this brave new world? Good question. Time for our leadership to address this issue."      

Shh. Don't tell anybody who hates change, but some of our future is not in the future - it is here. I learned a new term (least wise, it was new to me). "Lights out factories". At first, someone might think that this is a factory who is out of business. Like, "would the last one to leave please turn out the lights". But it is not that way. A "lights out factory" is where a factory produces a quality product - using zero human beings.

Last night (after the football game), I watched a YouTube about a factory making MacBooks. It had recently been brought back from overseas, and now resides in Texas. It makes MacBooks - with the help of zero humans. The factory is 100% automated, and that way, using "clean room" manufacturing is a walk in the park. Why? Humans are dirty and can contaminate. In addition, the tolerances achieved by these AI robotics, can be as little as eight one thousandths of an inch. Okay - I am impressed!

This is using current robotics - not the humanoid robots which will be coming in 2025 and 2026. For making chips, cell phones or other sensitive electronics, which require clean room manufacturing, these human-less factories work very well, thank you. But wait - soon, other factories and warehouses (non-clean room) will jump on board. What does that mean? The age of the robot (loaded with AI) is no longer in the future. It is either right around the corner, or it is right here. 

What are the advantages of using a totally automated factory? No sick days. No vacations. No retirement. 24 x 7 workdays. Almost perfect product. What are the disadvantages? No work, and no pay for people. This is the "great turn" in our economy which has been predicted for years. What to do with people whose skill sets have been such to work in a factory type environment. Now what? Have we been educating and training these people for this coming change? Of course not.

Please do not take to the streets with pitchforks and torches. This era is here, and there is no going back. Get used to seeing "lights out factories". Soon they will have gone from a novelty to commonplace. And those who have no training for this brave new world? Good question. Time for our leadership to address this issue.      

Realizing unrealized investment gains

"I do grieve for our country, that there are enough sheeple to actually put this woman in office. The metrics are crystal clear which compares the four years of Trump to the four years of Biden. And remember - the first four years of Harris will be worse than the four years of Biden." 

Confused a bit? Title of this article a bit "off-putting"? I should be. This morning on the news, Kamala's tax plan was explained. Well, they tried to explain it. It is kind of a mishmash of tax increases as well as an out and out confiscation of wealth. Yes, even down to sunsetting the Trump tax cuts promulgated during the Trump administration. That sunsetting tax increase will raise taxes on just about everyone (don't believe for a minute this would only affect those making over $400k/year).

But here is the one which is a doozy, should a Democrat Congress put it in a bill for a President Harris to sign. Unrealized investment gains. Better known as a wealth tax. Why is this important? It signifies a huge U-turn in the way we tax. Like, income tax is no longer dependent just on income. Republicans hate it and the Marxists love it. It is only the first step in having the government come in and tell people they are making too much or they are worth too much. Confiscatory taxes could be right around the corner. 

I have said this before, but it bears repeating. I am flummoxed, confused, bewildered, or you name the term - on the way and how ANYONE with an ounce of common sense could vote for this phony. Under President Harris, our borders would remain open. Illegals, gangs, trafficking, and fentanyl would continue to flow into our country. Inflation and interest rates would remain high. Food prices would remain high. Our proxy wars would continue. In short, everything bad which happened under Biden, would only get worse under Harris. Her response to our misery? Giggle and kackle some more.

I do grieve for our country, that there are enough sheeple to actually put this woman in office. The metrics are crystal clear which compares the four years of Trump to the four years of Biden. And remember - the first four years of Harris will be worse than the four years of Biden. Then how in the world could anyone vote for Harris? If people were paying attention, Trump should be leading by 30 points. Instead, the race is razor thin. SHM...

If Harris is looking for a tagline for her economic program other than "Biden-omics", she might try "highway to Venezuela" instead. Why? That is exactly where her financial programs would take us. By the way - it was recently disclosed that the average time in business Harris' economic advisors has is 2.5 years. Really? 2.5 years? That explains quite a bit. 

  

Our half and half issue

"Our country is no longer light gray and dark gray. Different shades, but still the same color. Our country has devolved into half oil and half water. We don't mix well." 

I heard it again yesterday. By another pundit I rarely listen to. "This election is going to be razor thin. It is going to come down to the margins." Translation - this will be like the 2000 election or the 2016 election. But there will be a big difference with this very close election which is only two months away. Our country is no longer light gray and dark gray. Different shades, but still the same color. Our country has devolved into half oil and half water. We don't mix well. 

We are like half and half creamer. Or a 50-50 bar. What we are seeing right now at Columbia University (as well as others), is a growing part of the electorate who will "take it to the streets." Should Donald Trump win, I fully expect to see this same group of mutts "taking it to the streets" about the injustice of having the Orange Man winning. On the other hand, should Harris win, I can see the other half of the country simply sitting on their hands. Deciding not to contribute to socialism. 

What we saw in the one and only debate so far between Trump and Biden was a social mess. First off, neither wanted to shake hands with the other. That has always been a custom between the two parties. Next, during the debate the old lie was brought up again. "You called our soldiers losers and suckers. You are the loser and sucker." Wow, President Biden, that was not very nice. How are comments like that going to bring us together? Short answer - they won't.

During some particularly stressful and racial times in the past, Rodney King asked the famous question, "Can't we just get along?" That resonated with many folks back then. Today however, that same question would be met with a resounding - NO! There is no more "a rising tide lifts all ships" (even though it does). Now it is zero sum. You gaining one means I am losing one. Gone are the days of both of us gaining one. No, today it is someone wins and the other loses. It is a good prescription for socialism or communism, but lousy for capitalism.

Someone else asked two questions not too long ago which gave me pause to think. Question one - once this election is over, and if it is as razor thin as expected, will both sides respect it as legitimate. In other words, will the election be 100% clean? Question two - regardless of who wins, will this country be governable? Right now, we are on the verge of being ungovernable. Will the 2024 election push us over the edge?

Points to ponder. Can our great country withstand more turmoil? Or will the ancient words ring true - "we have a republic - if we can keep it."

 

"We are not going back!"

"Labor Day is over. The political season is now in full swing. Pay attention, as your BS filter could fill up real fast. Lies, dam lies and statistics will be in the air. And the gaslighting - oh my goodness, the gaslighting. And all this while, I thought the concept of Groupthink was fictional. A concept from a George Orwell novel."  

There is an old saying, that in an election year, things don't get real until Labor Day is over with. Well, yesterday was Labor Day, and now it will be politics 24 x 7 until November 5th. I have an angle on this year's race, and if I don't get censored by the FB THOUGHT POLICE again, I will share it with you.

On the news yesterday, I saw Kamala Harris revving up some union crowd on Labor Day. All of a sudden, her diction changed. Just like Barack Obama, she instantly developed a southern drawl with southern diction. Weird. Anyhow, she started to rail how bad things were during the four years Donald Trump was in office. In her new southern accent, she said, "We are not going back there!" Really? And why is that?

Is it because food was more affordable? Is it because young people could qualify for housing if they wanted to take out a mortgage? Is it because the price of energy was lower, so it was more affordable to drive a car? Is it because the crime statistics in most cities were lower? Is it because our borders were more secure? Is it because Jewish students could go to class in large universities without being harassed and spit upon? I mean, I could go on and on and on. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris created this mess, and now she is blaming it on Donald Trump. And, she has vowed to fix it, by using the same metrics which got us here in the first place.

I will say this about the Democrats - they have taken gaslighting to a new type of art form. Yes, they are VERY good at it. How much so? If normal people compared just about any statistic from the Trump years to the Biden years, the Trump years would win hands down. But the sheeple out there, who still believe the Moon is made out of green cheese, now believe the following - Orange Man bad and Kamala good.

Somebody challenged me the other day. "You can't tell me Bird, that this country has enough gullible people to be fooled by this charade." Sadly, I responded - we do. But how can that be? The facts are evidentiary. That is a cold hard fact. What is possible, is this country could actually vote for the person who broke the back of our economy. Instead of a "fix" like Donald Trump would give, they would vote for more of the same. 

Labor Day is over. The political season is now in full swing. Pay attention, as your BS filter could fill up real fast. Lies, dam lies and statistics will be in the air. And the gaslighting - oh my goodness, the gaslighting. And all this while, I thought the concept of Groupthink was fictional. A concept from a George Orwell novel.  

A holiday like no other (thankfully)

"Wait - Bird! We can't get rid of the last holiday of the summer! Are you fallen off your branch? No, we can keep this holiday. But we really should name it something else. Like, 'end of summer' day. That would have more meaning than labor."

Today is Labor Day. It is now and always has been for me - a strange holiday. Why? What are we celebrating? All labor, or just organized labor. What about the work which was performed by people who were not in a union. Does that count? It is bazaar. I understand the why and how we needed labor unions at one time in our country. But those days are past. Now most unions are municipal workers (government types) and of course, the dreaded teacher unions.

Speaking of teacher unions, I would be remiss if I did not say a word or two about this crowd. Teachers, who at one time were a valued and respected profession, have allowed themselves to be co-opted by the likes of Randi Weingarten and the American Federation of Teachers. Dare I say this? This teacher association, who are self-serving to say the least, have allowed the United States to sink deeply in the very important test scores of students. How much so? It was all over the papers last week. Half of our kids can no longer read, write, or think at the level they are supposed to be at. 

With pathetic results such as these, is this the labor we are to celebrate on Labor Day? Or is it the lawmakers who have juiced up the minimum wage for unskilled workers to much as of late, "fast" food is no longer fast - nor affordable. And what is coming just over the horizon will really be a punch in the gut for unskilled workers. Unemployment. Why? Automation due to AI and humanoid robots. Trust me - this is not pie in the sky thinking. It is just about here. By the end of the decade, "labor" who have yesterday's skills or no skills at all - will be riding the bench. 

I know, I know. The "scrapper from Scranton" will be out giving a stump speech to some union folks today. He will rail against the "man" and talk about how (in the words of Samual Gompers), union workers need "more, more and more". Meanwhile, inflation continues to go through the roof. Part of the reason is inflated pay scales for jobs which are paid way too much for the skill level. But who cares? It is Labor Day baby! So, let's celebrate!

Wait - Bird! We can't get rid of the last holiday of the summer! Are you fallen off your branch? No, we can keep this holiday. But we really should name it something else. Like, "end of summer" day. That would have more meaning than labor. Or celebrate labor for what it once was in our country. True labor unions, and not political organizations. Just a thought. And by the way - tell the kids not to forget that school starts tomorrow. Now there is a bit of reality for you. 

  

And at the end of the day...

"The impression, which is given, is Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and millions of Democrats could give a crap about the 31 dead Americans in Israel and the 13 dead service men and women who died at Abby Gate. No outrage. No mention of the names."

Held hostage for over 300 days. Illegally taken from their own land and hidden with a den of thieves and murderers. Then when the IDF was getting close to maybe freeing them from this Hamas hell, the butchers of Hamas brutally killed five Jews and one American. And who do the Democrats who are protesting in America blame? Israel. Who do many of the Israelis on the left blame? Bebe Netanyahu. But really, who is to blame? If we were truthful and not political, it would be the ones who kidnapped these people out of Israel. The ones who illegally held them captive for almost a year. And finally, the ones who brutally killed each of those six young people.

When I saw this on the news this morning, my blood ran cold. The old war hawk in me came out and wanted more than revenge - I wanted Israel to send in some F-35I jets and bomb what is left in Gaza. Bomb it to smithereens. But that of course, is not the right thing to do. More innocents would die. The irony of Hamas (as reported on the news), is one of the shot callers in Hamas is someone who was released by Israel in a previous hostage trade. That trade was 1,000 Palestinians for one Israeli. Why so lopsided? The Palestinians don't give a rip about human life, whereas the Jewish people do.

Speaking of how much human life is valued, has anyone else noticed that right after the October 7th slaughter, 31 Americans were also killed? And 10 were taken hostage. Has anyone heard one peep coming out of our government? We should be spitting tacks mad - but we are not. Oh well. Now one of the six which were recently killed by Hamas is an American. Where is the outrage at the killers? The stupid mutts who are protesting at the University of Michigan are blaming Israel for everything - including getting themselves slaughtered on October 7th. 

The impression, which is given, is Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and millions of Democrats could give a crap about the 31 dead Americans in Israel and the 13 dead service men and women who died at Abby Gate. No outrage. No mention of the names. Heck, Biden and Harris could even find it within themselves to mention the names of the dead Americans at Abby Gate on the third anniversary of their deaths. I am sorry this had to turn political, but at the end of the day, there is nothing but silence from our government.

It is a sad day when we have to commit to killing people who are so vile and evil. But there is no reforming people who have this lust for death in their DNA. Bebe Netanyahu had it right from the jump. Go into Gaza and kill (or capture) each and every one of these butchers who are soldiers for Hamas. The ones who are captured will never see the light of day again. And the ones who are killed, have purchased their fate by the coldness and blackness of their own hearts.