They are coming

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Do you think the characters in science fiction movies are all make believe?  Like cyborgs and robocops and transformers and megazilla?   Well think again.

 

Just this week a United Nations expert called for a global moratorium on the testing and production of armed robots that can select and kill targets without human command.  While no countries are using killing robots yet, the technology is here.  Some countries such as the US, Israel and Great Britain already use technologies seen as precursors to fully autonomous lethal robotics.  Little is know about what China and Russia have, and North Korea seems to have one as its supreme leader.  No real human could have a haircut like that.

 

Speaking of science fiction movies, there is that app that can tell you in seconds what song is playing on your radio just by holding you iPhone up to it.  Shazam. I have tried to trick it by playing songs from live concerts. It still gets it right and is kind of amazing.  This reminds me of the scanners in Star Trek.  Maybe not so make believe after all.

 

The future is here.   Terminator and Dr. McCoy are among us.

Comments

Submitted by Liz_Saldana on Sat, 06/01/2013 - 23:00

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Liz Saldana

While the prospect of killer robots is not appealing, the ability to transport between appointments would REALLY help me. Especially on days like today when my appointments range from Brooklyn to the UES.
Rona Gura

Don, the musice app you're talking about has been around for a few years. My kids have been using it for a while. There is a documentary wherein they compare all the current technology with the "fake" technology used in Star Trek. To quote Mr. Spock, "It's fascinating."

Submitted by Linda_Newman on Sun, 06/02/2013 - 02:18

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Linda Newman

It's pretty scary to me1
Corey Bearak

I've used Shazam sparingly and not in a longtime; such is the nature of the music channels I listen to (sparingly) these days. Last I've checked no robots designed and activates such devices.
David Abeshouse

Rumor has it that many of our brother and sister lawyers are robotic, and have been for decades. (No robots were harmed in the posting of this blog comment.)

Submitted by TheodoreLanzaro on Sun, 06/02/2013 - 05:34

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Theodore Lanzaro

Killer robots could be a good thing. We could use them to replace all the brave young soldiers we having fighting wars. I would imagine that robots don't get traumatic stress disorders and if they lose a body part, we can just fix them like any other machine. Imagine a world where our children would never again have to fight for our freedoms except maybe to control the robots from a remote location here in the U.S.

Plus, we can bring all those lost manufacturing jobs back to America, put our kids to work doing what they love (playing war-like video games), and solve the unemployment problem.

Sounds like a win-win solution for the U.S. I think we should tell the UN to go screw on this one.

Submitted by Janet_Adler on Sun, 06/02/2013 - 06:48

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Janet Adler

can I get one? Do they cook? putting one on my Xmas wish list. Have a load of stuff for it to do and a few people it can ...well you get the idea

Submitted by Erik_Scheibe on Mon, 06/03/2013 - 06:53

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Erik Scheibe

Speaking of Star Trek, there was a great Next Generation episode where Data (the robot that is built to be practically human) goes to court to fight for his right to self-determination based in part upon the extent of his self-awareness. Absolutely fascinating episode. Great blog! Perhaps inspiring mine this week (it's so far away, you never know).

Submitted by NULL (not verified) on Wed, 06/05/2013 - 01:31

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I want a "Rosie" like the Jetsons had-- complete with New Yawk accent.

Seriously, think about how the US has won all its wars through technology. Some will say that we "lost" Vietnam, but in the greater scheme of things, Vietnam was a battle in the Cold War, which we did win.

In the tank battle of North Africa in World War II, the M-4 tanks that were built in the Cadillac factory in Detroit were able to out maneuver the Panzer tanks that the Germans had because of a new "technology" pioneered by General Motors called Hydra-Matic Drive. Anyone know what that refers to? The Germans didn't have it, and it made all the difference in maneuverability of the tanks.

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