What could go wrong?
Commercial laser weeders are being used in agriculture on the West Coast
of the United States. These are large machines that pass over crops,
take photos, identify weeds with onboard computers and then kill them
with a laser. …
"Shooting lasers at foes is the stuff of science fiction, but now, a few >farmers are fighting one of their greatest nemeses with a new >technology—laser weeders. ... "
https://phys.org/news/2025-06-lasers-common-herbicides-zapping-east.html
What could go wrong?
[snip] identify weeds with onboard computers and then kill them
with a laser. …
In article <103jg2q$3edjs$1@dont-email.me>,
Tony Nance <tnusenet17@gmail.com> wrote:
What could go wrong?
Commercial laser weeders are being used in agriculture on the West Coast
of the United States. These are large machines that pass over crops,
take photos, identify weeds with onboard computers and then kill them
with a laser. …
"Shooting lasers at foes is the stuff of science fiction, but now, a few
farmers are fighting one of their greatest nemeses with a new
technology—laser weeders. ... "
https://phys.org/news/2025-06-lasers-common-herbicides-zapping-east.html
As long as they're not frickin' laser beams we are probably OK.
On 6/26/2025 8:56 AM, Tony Nance wrote:They wear red ball caps
What could go wrong?
[snip] identify weeds with onboard computers and then kill them
with a laser. …
As Robert Sheckley's "Watchbird" (1953, https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?46236) suggested, the
interesting question will be "How do you define 'weeds’?”
On 6/26/2025 8:56 AM, Tony Nance wrote:
What could go wrong?
[snip] identify weeds with onboard computers and then kill them
with a laser.
As Robert Sheckley's "Watchbird" (1953, https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?46236) suggested, the
interesting question will be "How do you define 'weeds'?"
On Thu, 26 Jun 2025 17:31:21 -0400, Ahasuerus
<ahasuerus@email.com> wrote:
On 6/26/2025 8:56 AM, Tony Nance wrote:
What could go wrong?
[snip] identify weeds with onboard computers and then kill them
with a laser. …
As Robert Sheckley's "Watchbird" (1953,
https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?46236) suggested, the
interesting question will be "How do you define 'weeds'?"
Any plant that isn't a soybean -- or whatever else you are
monoculturing.
On Thu, 26 Jun 2025 17:31:21 -0400, Ahasuerus
<ahasuerus@email.com> wrote:
On 6/26/2025 8:56 AM, Tony Nance wrote:
What could go wrong?
[snip] identify weeds with onboard computers and then kill them
with a laser.
As Robert Sheckley's "Watchbird" (1953,
https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?46236) suggested, the
interesting question will be "How do you define 'weeds'?"
Any plant that isn't a soybean -- or whatever else you are
monoculturing.
Joy Beeson <jbeeson@invalid.net.invalid> wrote:
On Thu, 26 Jun 2025 17:31:21 -0400, Ahasuerus
<ahasuerus@email.com> wrote:
On 6/26/2025 8:56 AM, Tony Nance wrote:
What could go wrong?
[snip] identify weeds with onboard computers and then kill them
with a laser.
As Robert Sheckley's "Watchbird" (1953,
https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?46236) suggested, the
interesting question will be "How do you define 'weeds'?"
Any plant that isn't a soybean -- or whatever else you are
monoculturing.
What we need is some way to teach goats not to eat soybeans. Then we
might have something.
--scott
Joy Beeson <jbeeson@invalid.net.invalid> wrote:
On Thu, 26 Jun 2025 17:31:21 -0400, Ahasuerus
<ahasuerus@email.com> wrote:
On 6/26/2025 8:56 AM, Tony Nance wrote:
What could go wrong?
[snip] identify weeds with onboard computers and then kill them
with a laser. …
As Robert Sheckley's "Watchbird" (1953,
https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?46236) suggested, the
interesting question will be "How do you define 'weeds'?"
Any plant that isn't a soybean -- or whatever else you are
monoculturing.
What we need is some way to teach goats not to eat soybeans. Then we
might have something.
--scott
kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) writes:
Joy Beeson <jbeeson@invalid.net.invalid> wrote:
On Thu, 26 Jun 2025 17:31:21 -0400, Ahasuerus
<ahasuerus@email.com> wrote:
On 6/26/2025 8:56 AM, Tony Nance wrote:
What could go wrong?
[snip] identify weeds with onboard computers and then kill them
with a laser. …
As Robert Sheckley's "Watchbird" (1953,
https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?46236) suggested, the
interesting question will be "How do you define 'weeds'?"
Any plant that isn't a soybean -- or whatever else you are
monoculturing.
What we need is some way to teach goats not to eat soybeans. Then we
might have something.
--scott
My grandfather (b. 1903) grew soybeans. He was what today would be called
an organic farmer - he didn't use herbicides (or fertilizers - he preferred crop rotation using alfalfa to replenish N2 in the soil).
That meant us kids spent summers walking the beanfields with a curved corn knife, whacking ragweed, lambs quarters and other undesirable growths.
Can't say it was fun. Trained goats would be preferred - although today, robotics
would likely be a more productive path to take.
https://farm.bot/
On 6/30/25 9:02 PM, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
On 6/30/2025 8:50 AM, Scott Dorsey wrote:
Joy Beeson <jbeeson@invalid.net.invalid> wrote:Smarter goats. What could go wrong?
On Thu, 26 Jun 2025 17:31:21 -0400, Ahasuerus
<ahasuerus@email.com> wrote:
On 6/26/2025 8:56 AM, Tony Nance wrote:
What could go wrong?
[snip] identify weeds with onboard computers and then kill them
with a laser. …
As Robert Sheckley's "Watchbird" (1953,
https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?46236) suggested, the
interesting question will be "How do you define 'weeds'?"
Any plant that isn't a soybean -- or whatever else you are
monoculturing.
What we need is some way to teach goats not to eat soybeans. Then we
might have something.
--scott
Maybe we could mount the lasers on the smarter goats.
On 7/1/25 10:18 AM, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
On 7/1/2025 4:24 AM, Tony Nance wrote:
On 6/30/25 9:02 PM, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
On 6/30/2025 8:50 AM, Scott Dorsey wrote:
Joy Beeson <jbeeson@invalid.net.invalid> wrote:Smarter goats. What could go wrong?
On Thu, 26 Jun 2025 17:31:21 -0400, Ahasuerus
<ahasuerus@email.com> wrote:
On 6/26/2025 8:56 AM, Tony Nance wrote:
What could go wrong?
[snip] identify weeds with onboard computers and then kill them >>>>>>>> with a laser. …
As Robert Sheckley's "Watchbird" (1953,
https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?46236) suggested, the
interesting question will be "How do you define 'weeds'?"
Any plant that isn't a soybean -- or whatever else you are
monoculturing.
What we need is some way to teach goats not to eat soybeans. Then we >>>>> might have something.
--scott
Maybe we could mount the lasers on the smarter goats.
You just answered my question, Dr. Evil. :)
YESSSSSSS!![1]
- Tony
[1] I think.
Joy Beeson<jbeeson@invalid.net.invalid> wrote:
On Thu, 26 Jun 2025 17:31:21 -0400, Ahasuerus
<ahasuerus@email.com> wrote:
On 6/26/2025 8:56 AM, Tony Nance wrote:
What could go wrong?
[snip] identify weeds with onboard computers and then kill them
with a laser. …
As Robert Sheckley's "Watchbird" (1953, https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?46236) suggested, the
interesting question will be "How do you define 'weeds'?"
Any plant that isn't a soybean -- or whatever else you are
monoculturing.
What we need is some way to teach goats not to eat soybeans. Then we
might have something.
--scott
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