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If the story of Hercules was set in modern times, what would be a superhuman labor he might be asked to perform?

User Gvidas
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I found this..

In place of defeating the Nemean Lion, our hero develops a room temperature superconductor. Just as with the impenetrable Nemean Lion’s skin, which Herakles went on to wear in his subsequent adventures, this provides an indispensable resource that fuels success in the rest of the labors: money.

Instead of slaying the Lernaean Hydra, our hero develops an experimental prototype microprocessor based on the aforementioned room temperature superconductor to make quantum computing a reality. In legend, Herakles used the hydra’s poison on arrows to produce a tool that facilitated many of his future labors. That’s what our hero’s quantum computing device does. In fact, let’s call it Lernaea.

Rather than capturing the Cerneian hind, our hero uses Lernaea to develop a different crytographic scheme that isn’t based upon large prime numbers—which is what modern cryptography has revolved around for several decades. Boom.

No Erymanthian boar here: but let’s remember our hero is an inventor with truly genius materials science and electrical engineering skills—who else works in superconductors?—and now creates a new heat-resistant material to replace the compound used in the old US Space Shuttle program. Sure, the program’s over, but the US will once again reach for the stars in reusable vessels, and that’s where our hero’s substance will be invaluable.

So instead of cleaning the Augean stables, he proceeds to use Lernaea to become the first-ever gold winner of the Loebner Prize (Turing Test prize). This prize, awarded to a team capable of passing the Turing Test, has only ever been awarded at the bronze level since its inception. That’s 2+ decades without a silver winner, never mind a gold.

Those Stymphalian birds aren’t relevant in 2019: now it’s all about cybersecurity. Lernaea’s superior computing power easily puts an end to cyberhostage demands by the dozens.

I’m not sure anyone cares about the Cretan bull these days, how about superior materials science leading to a better autonomous bipedal walking robot? Cuz that’s what our hero does.

The mares of Diomedes isn’t a “now” thing but I’ll tell you what is: unsolved problems in computer science and Lernaea might solve several.

In 2019 the belt of Hippolyta doesn’t make a lot of sense as a labor. What does: persuading influencers to take on a new version of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.

Cattle rustling from Geryon? What is this, the Greek Wild West? No. So let’s go with harnessing the power of Lernaea to devise truly secure evoting devices.

Foodie or no, the apples of the Hesperides aren’t that exciting, here’s a miracleberry. No, in 2019 it’s gotta be using Lernaea to devise algorithms that readily distinguish between bots and propaganda farms vs actual news.

Cerberus? This isn’t a network security thing. I’ll give you a network security thing: Talos, the first science fiction-style fully autonomous, bipedal robot with true artificial intelligence, drawing upon several prior labors including Lernaea and the solution to the bipedal walking robot.

I havent been learning about hercules but this seems legit :)

User Steffen Roller
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Answer:

Step-by-step explanation:

Well I don't know what others would give him to do, but I would give him the job of cleaning up one of the ocean floor.

People have been dumping plastic bottles into the ocean for many years. I am gold there is a place in the Pacific that is the size of Texas that has nothing but plastic bottles in its perimeter. I have no idea how thick it is, but it is a job worth taking on (to clean up this mess). Then if I were he, I would tell people that if they don't clean up the mess, he will dump all the plastic on the actual state of Texas.

User Kapernski
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