Tuesday, February 14, 2006

When Robots Go Bad

An amusing piece in the NYT science section on a new tongue-in-cheek book called How To Survive A Robot Uprising. The cutely nerdy author Daniel Wilson actually combines the latest scientific info from researchers to pinpoint vulnerabilities in robots so you get a primer on robot technology along with handy suggestions on what to do if you're attacked by a swarm of robot insects or Robbie The Robot gets all medieval on you. (Hint: go for the "eyes" -- the sensors.)

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

What do you do if HAL won't open the hatch door?

Anonymous said...

If you've got three people in your hideout and you think one of them is a replicant -- just ask them who won the Best Picture Oscar last year. Whoever gets it right is clearly a replicant.

Anonymous said...

If you suddenly face a person who looks identical to yourself, thrown yourself off the nearest skyscraper -- clearly you're a clone with implanted false memories.

Michael in New York said...

If a robot says he's come to serve you, immediately rent a DVD set of old Twilight Zone episodes.

Anonymous said...

If a smart robot attacks you, ridicule it by referring to it as a "Microsoftie." Drives 'em nuts.

Michael in New York said...

Robots come in peace. I love robots. My remote control has a place of honor in my living room and I do its bidding.