Nostradamus, Robots, and 2022

Michel de Nostradame, AKA Nostradamus, published his Prophecies in 1555.  In them, he made this prediction for 2022:

“The Moon in the full of night over the high mountain,

The new sage with a lone brain sees it:

By his disciples invited to be immortal,

Eyes to the south.

Hands in bosoms, bodies in the fire.”

This is interpreted to mean, “The automated machines will replace the people in the work process, since they don’t demand higher salaries, and they don’t need breaks or other benefits.”

Nostradamus also offers this for 2022:

“Tears, cries, and laments, howls, terror,

Heart inhuman, cruel, black, and chilly,

Lake of Geneva the Isles, of Genoa the notables,

Blood to pour out, wheat famine to none mercy.”

This, we’re told, refers to the inhuman hearts of an army of killer robots.

Robots and AI

How are you at interpreting poetry? Online sources claim that these quatrains refer to artificial intelligence and armies of killer robots. We’re having trouble accepting that idea.

Robots don’t have hearts at all, let alone chilly black cruel hearts. Blood and famine also don’t concern robots. Are robots immortal? Maybe. But they don’t have eyes to the south, looking at the moon, with or without a lone brain.

In fact, none of the words in either of those quatrains make us think about robots or AI at all.

We need something more like this:

“Offering no-contact solutions to labor shortages,

The new sage partakes of machine learning.

Sensors bring inhuman understanding

To the Great Resignation.”

Indramat

We know that sometimes people who call us have opened an obscure cabinet and found a device labeled with the mystical word “Indramat.” They don’t recognize this word, since the component — while it is not as old as the prophecies of Nostradamus — was commissioned before they were old enough to work there. Possibly before they were born.

Indramat introduced revolutionary motion control technology in the mid 20th century. Rexroth acquired the company to add electric automation to its pneumatic offerings. Their Indradrive series honors the original Indramat name.

We’re Indramat specialists, and can facilitate factory repair or reman for you. We also have the nation’s largest selection of emergency replacement units. Call us for immediate assistance.