Space Rendezvous.

 One of the most technically difficult and impressive acts humanity has ever achieved is the rendezvous of spacecraft in orbit. Interestingly, the American and Soviet approaches to the problem were different; while astronauts until quite recently controlled the process manually (Buzz Aldrin's Ph.D thesis concerned how to do so), since 1967 the Soyuz spacecraft have been able to do so autonomously. The Igla system, followed by Kurs, paved the way for autonomous resupply of Mir space stations at a fraction of the cost of manned spaceflight, a feat only matched by the Dragon capsules of SpaceX as recently as 2012. 

From the Economist.

This American tendency to rely upon a skilled human operator also found its way into the distinction between earlier Airbus and Boeing aircraft, with the European consortium leaning towards fly-by-wire, systems with the then-Seattle based manufacturer only following later. 

I mention this point today in light of the rapid perceived advances in AI (artificial intelligence) and ML (machine learning). Much ink has been spilled regarding recent advances in language processing and image creation (this article is a nice example from the Economist). 

But such technologies have long existed in some of the most challenging engineering spaces faced by humankind. Is the current surprise regarding AI/ML more due to the fact that it is now able to address the routine activities formerly used to sideline (if not belittle) the technology, when the practical application of the same has long since progressed past triviality to indispensability? 

Previous posts on Economist issues:

1. Nordic Success.
2.  @TheEconomist (Ann Wroe?) on Dr. Robert McClelland and #JFK.
3. Further Reading.
4. Where Newspapers Are Headed ...
5. @TheEconomist on a hybrid #VirtualParliament.
6. @TheEconomist on #Homelessness in @SFGov.
7. The Life Pressed Out.
8. Why Travel Matters.
9. @econbartleby and @billswindell at @TheEconomist and @NorthBayNews, respectively.
10. @AmExperiencePBS @RobertKenner-- the 1918 Pandemic.
11. The Return of #Cash.
12. California, where Malala Yousafzai becomes Janet Yellen.
13. The Plutonium Standard.
14. Beikoku and Eikoku.
15. Secession is a bad idea, full stop.
16. QE4.
17. Brown, Budgets, Prisons, and Contempt.
18. Executive Orders.
19. #rebeccapurple.
20. The Streets Should Fit the Trees.
21. @TheEconomist on Alcohol and Health.
22. What Do Bubbles Look Like, Pt. 2.
23. "Bringing Up Baby Bilingual"
24. Freshman Teams, Student Performance, and the Case For SVUSD's Master Plan.
25. Dual Immersion Enhances Attention.
26. Trust Levels of News Sources.
27. Slouching Towards Utopia.