I does seem to me that after having watched the Terminator film a great number of researchers seemed to go "gee, I wonder how we can make one.."
Seems like every time I flick through the New Scientist someone's working on stronger robot muscles, or quantum computing. Could we, as humans, just for once in our history, actually try and avoid a hazard...
My suggestion is a shadowy cartel run from some cave in the Himalayas, when they find someone doing something that seems to be research destined to end up walking around firing a mini-gun at the remaining human population could they just not turn up at their home at 4AM, and go "gee, seems like kind of poor line of research, how 'bout doing this research contract on pretty, fluffy animals, or you might end up doing some research into the afterlife, catch my drift..."-- random_patenter_syndrome_victim, Dec 16 2009 Skynet 5 Satellite Communications http://www.army.mod...unication/1528.aspxBe very afraid ... [Aristotle, Dec 16 2009] So long as it can't do stairs... http://www.youtube....watch?v=ASoCJTYgYB0...it should be fine. [2 fries shy of a happy meal, Dec 18 2009] Wouldn't it just be easier to look up Cyberdyne in the phonebook and ask them to please refrain from contribute to our cyborg induced demise?-- Jinbish, Dec 16 2009 Hasn't the British Armed Forces already launched SkyNet?-- Aristotle, Dec 16 2009 I believe this has been baked by carbon caps. The robots will have to sleep at night, at which point you can use the off switch.-- theircompetitor, Dec 16 2009 [Aristotle], shut up if you know what's good for you.
Big stinky fishbone - we are planning to clean up by licensing our technology to certain dubious shadowy military-industrial organizations ....-- 8th of 7, Dec 16 2009 "The robots will have to sleep at night, at which point you can use the off switch."
Ermm, I think the problem is the people sleep at night and the robots find ways to turn them off.
I always thought that SkyNet sounded too much like a satellite TV package, sports, comedy, news, weather, destruction of the human race, that kind of thing.
"Hasn't the British Armed Forces already launched SkyNet" Aha, so you're suggesting that the best way to ward off a Cyberdine threat is to let the British MOD do it, then it'll be ten years behind schedule, over budget and never actually work anyway?-- random_patenter_syndrome_victim, Dec 16 2009 And YOU can shut up as well, {R_P_S_V] ...-- 8th of 7, Dec 16 2009 Like the LHC ? Or the Swink-Edelblum graviton polarity generator ?-- 8th of 7, Dec 16 2009 //My suggestion is a shadowy cartel run from some cave in the Himalayas// Erm, taking a quick peek at the map, the Himalayas do seem not that close to Pakistan/Afghanistan... I'm guessing that the Illuminati are the ones behind the incandescent bulbs and it's Opeus Dei behind these energy saving bulbs, cos they certainly don't illuminate anything very much. But, I digress.
"And YOU can shut up as well, {R_P_S_V] " I'm British, and we have an MOD research base near my family home, so I've heard all the stories like the secure data-cabling that ran between the APC's that came in through the door, which is great until you get shot at and and someone slams the door..
I'm still trying to work out how many people commenting on this page have been sent back by Skynet...-- random_patenter_syndrome_victim, Dec 16 2009 I think the original Ned Ludd beat you to this line of thinking.-- bungston, Dec 16 2009 //Doh! that's the last time I post an anno comparing unaccountable violent organisations purportedly living in caves... Fundamentalist Schoolboy Error, Mate!-- gnomethang, Dec 16 2009 "Doh! that's the last time I post an anno comparing unaccountable violent organisations purportedly living in caves."
Don't worry about, I went to South Korea taking load of cold-weather gear, and it was bloody hot in the summer because it's on the same line of latitude as Greece and Turkey...doh!-- random_patenter_syndrome_victim, Dec 16 2009 [-] slippery slope to Luddite-ism. Yes, knowledge is dangerous, but the same tech that could make a Terminator could also make robo-Jeeves butlers for everyone.-- sninctown, Dec 17 2009 //build robo-Jeeves butlers for everyone//"I say, Jeeves old chap, run over to the next county and steal some food for me."-- FlyingToaster, Dec 17 2009 "I went to Asda, taking back a pair of Sony headphones that only lasted a few days before the left earpiece died, and they were closed!"
I was on the plane from Japan to Thailand and it was only then did I realise I hadn't checked if I needed to get a visa first..
"I say, Jeeves old chap, can you wipe that plate" Jeeves, due to a glitch in the voice recognition system, mishears as "wipe out the human race" "Yes, master" it replies with red glow in its eyes and trundles off..-- random_patenter_syndrome_victim, Dec 17 2009 ok, to assuage the Luddite accusations..how about "you can research any killer robot technology you like, so long as it can't do stairs" as in the manner of Daleks of old, so at least we could all stand at the top of the stairs and go "nyah, nyah, nyah" at them.
Or put in a backdoor to their operating system, or easier still, get a certain well-know maker of software to do the operating system..-- random_patenter_syndrome_victim, Dec 18 2009 "some kind of easy generalisation" In all honesty, probably not.
The Dalek bit was from Dr Who, where they have these scary aliens, who only have wheels (or something) so the popular question is, how do they get up stairs? Not much point being the masters of the universe if you can't get up stairs. It would have to be an inter-stellar empire, but only on the street level. I suppose that would leave the other floors open for a parallel inter-stellar empires..maybe that's a good solution for avoiding conflict?
Perhaps we could do the same and have national sovereignty, but only on one floor of each building?
I guess that probably might not clear up matters..
"detects red eyes" tough on conjunctivitis sufferers, but it's a price worth paying..-- random_patenter_syndrome_victim, Dec 19 2009 I wonder if there is an alien race thinking 'Those humans will never make it in the universe, they can't even walk up the vertical walls they have built'.-- wjt, Dec 19 2009 Yes, well, since you mentioned it.... but we was brung up nice, not to mock the afflicted ......-- 8th of 7, Dec 19 2009 "but we was brung up nice, not to mock the afflicted ."
Yeah, must be hell to be a conjunctivitis sufferer. I take back what I said.-- random_patenter_syndrome_victim, Dec 19 2009 [random_patenter] Ah, you obviously haven't heard about the new series of Doctor Who where the Darleks not only independently swivel their head and "turret" sections but they also fly ...
However they are still prone to hissy fits, fortunately, when things are not going to plan ...-- Aristotle, Dec 20 2009 "Ah, you obviously haven't heard about the new series of Doctor Who where the Darleks not only independently swivel their head and "turret" sections but they also fly ..."
Damn! And I've been carrying a set of stepladders all this time, just in case..-- random_patenter_syndrome_victim, Dec 20 2009 revisionism sucks. this is one of those classic "if you can find it it's already too late so why even look" type of questions.-- WcW, Dec 20 2009 random, halfbakery