Tag Archives: robot

Perhaps We Shouldn’t Teach Robots After All

We all know the story: humans create robots, robots overthrow humans. It’s a trope almost as old as science fiction itself, first appearing in Karel Capek’s 1920 play R.U.R. (the first work to use the word “robot”), and then in … Continue reading

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I, Snowbot

In science fiction, robots perform all kinds of tasks. Sometimes they dictate the fate of humanity, such as in Isaac Asimov’s “Reason,” in which Q-T, a robot with impressive and frustrating existential curiosity, keeps an energy beam steady during an … Continue reading

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More Than Meets the Eye

I’ll admit to one thing up front: I’ve seen all the Transformers movies. I still think the first one was the best one, but I’d watch five more, too, if they make them. Until recently, I thought of those movies … Continue reading

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Because Titanium Lacks Flexibility (and it’s so 2010)

The first time I ever watched Transformers, my first thought was that the Decepticons were far cooler than the Autobots and my second thought was how amazing it would be to be able to change shape. Since the days of … Continue reading

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An Apple a Day…Keeps Viruses Away?

What’s scarier than robot soldiers and stealth drones? The Borg Queen, grey goo, and spiders, for starters, but those are subjects for another time. I’m talking about viruses that can or will be able to infect militaristic AI. Sometimes, viruses … Continue reading

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Uncle Sam Wants…Who?

Imagine meeting the Terminator on the battlefield. You might try and run–that is, if it didn’t kill you while you were pissing yourself. What about an army of Terminators? A common image in science fiction: massive armies of identical robots … Continue reading

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Who Needs Fingers?

This blog’s for you. Welcoming couldthishappen.com’s first guest blogger, Spanky! You’re involved in a high-stakes poker game of epic proportions. Your entire life savings sits in front of you on the table (approximately $55). You’ve got what could be a … Continue reading

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Is That a Nightstick in Your Pocket or are You Just Happy to See Me?

So we’re not fighting a war against the cylons or any kind of AI just yet. Nor do we have armies of robots fighting for us, yet. But we’re getting there. South Korea has announced that it will begin using … Continue reading

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