Technology

Dasvedanya, Space Station

It’s nice to know we have something in common with the Russians. And what, you might ask, is that?

Well, I appreciate the question. What we have in common is technical people … geekskies. In both languages, their slogan is “If it ain’t broke, BREAK it.”

I speak, of course, of the Space Station, where things were going just fine until U.S. astronauts installed that solar panel “upgrade.” Then the Russian computers crashed. Of course they crashed.

Until they undid the damage — we THINK they did, anyway — officials were falling all over themsleves to deny the gazillion-dollar Space Station might have to be abandoned. Which meant, of course, they were drawing up plans to abandon the space station. 

OK. So it looks like they dodged the cyber-bullet this time. But this is just another reminder of how so many of our vital functions have been taken over by what amount to robots, which do or say nothing without specific instructions and only after processing huge amounts of data.

I mean, look at our politicians.