On 17 February 2016 at 15:00, Richard Aiken <xxxxxx@gmail.com> wrote:

On Tue, Feb 16, 2016 at 10:36 PM, Greg Chalik <mrg3105@gmail.com> wrote:

On 17 February 2016 at 13:24, Kelly St. Clair <xxxxxx@efn.org> wrote:
Impossible, IMO, without hard-wiring the computer to only operate the drive under completely safe conditions.
It seems to me the ship's AI would already be conditioned to not cause any harm to human crew per Asimov's Firt Law.

Not applicable. A ship's computer - particularly a warship's computer - can't be programmed to avoid *any* harm to the crew, because there will be circumstance where a decision that will save some of the crew will cause harm to or even kill other crew members (such as when sealing off damaged compartments).

Making a Jump is SOP, not warfare. In warfare a warfare officer would command, not AI

I'm actually puzzled by the explanation fo the misjumps because I would expect all componenets of the Jump-drive to be AI controlled.

If anything, you're asking for a higher standard than contemporary automobiles: "I want a car that can't crash or run out of gas."
No, I'm asking for a design that in contemporary cars would prevent safe operation. Running out of gas is taken care of a gauge and a little waring light that comes on when there is only a reserve fuel capacity left.

I assume you meant "UNsafe operation?"

Yes

Again, there will be times when unsafe operation is better than no operation. For example, if the engine is programmed to shut off when the wheels lose traction, that's possibly going to kill more people than would allowing the operator to attempt recovery from the skid.

In the case of a misjump comparison, we are talking about a car's engine that can switch itself into a different gear, and not respond to application of breaks...for some distance

I'm sure such a ride would indeed be a 'trip'

Greg

--
Richard Aiken

"Never insult anyone by accident." Robert A. Heinlein
"I studied the Koran a great deal. I came away from that study with the conviction there have been few religions in the world as deadly to men as Muhammed." Alexis de Tocqueville (1843)
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"It has been my experience that a gun doesn't care who pulls its trigger." Newton Knight (as portrayed by Matthew McConaughey), to a scoffing Confederate tax collector facing the weapons held by Knight's young children and wife.
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