Would you believe it was 1863 when 27-year old novelist  Samuel Butler,  in an essay on Darwin Among the Machines, expressed serious concern that highly advanced machines might pose existential risks to humanity? The upshot is simply a question of time, but that the time will come when the machines will hold the real supremacy over the world and its inhabitants is what no person of a truly philosophic mind can for a moment question . In 1920, a play,  R.U.R . ( Rossum's Universal Robots ), by Czech author Karel Čapek, coined the term  robot .  They began to replace human workers, leading to a violent revolt against their  Homo sapien  masters.  Fritz Lang's 1927 film,  Metropolis , had humanoid robots fighting the capitalist oligarchy.  Click on that link to watch the entire 2 hour 29 minute production.  Fine quality, silent, of course, but with good audio sounds.  Portions of the original were lost, and only in 2008 found....

Have you noticed that films these days don't say  The End  at the the end?  This  turnover happened  in the 1970's.  Now, there is a rolling credit list for grips, gaffers, etc.  One annoyance I have, though, is that all those production companies want to feature themselves at the beginning, taking up so much time.  Also, have you noticed how many producers there are on each movie? Then there is the end to your life.  For many, this termination is just the beginning of a better existence in Heaven, or the equivalent.  And, boy, do Muslim male martyrs have a surprise coming:   not 72 virgins, but 72 sweet white raisins .  Not to say that other religions also will not be disappointed.  What you are promised has not actually been verified. For me, the end will be nothingness or total blackness or utter gloom.  Now and then I convince myself that it will be eternal peace.  The plus side going for people of faith...

First, from the  New York Times  this morning: President Biden will meet with King Charles III and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in London tomorrow. Major League Baseball’s Home Run Derby is also tomorrow, followed by the All-Star game on Tuesday. NATO leaders are scheduled to meet for a summit in Lithuania starting Tuesday. Friday is Bastille Day in France. The Wimbledon women’s singles final will be on Saturday, and the men’s final is on Sunday.  The surprise so far is 16-year old  Mirra Andreeva  of Russia, playing here for the first time, earning a spot in the fourth round. The conventional Christian view of evolution can be found in the  King James version of  The Bible , where  Genesis  says (y ou can refer to the first link to view missing elements ): [ 1 ] In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. [ 3 ] And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. [ 8 ] And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and ...