Interesting item in the Guardian today: Robots Without a Cause. It looks at rather an astonishing number of useless inventions and innovations that've come out in recent months. The really sad part is about half way through, where some delusionary wanker with more money than sense insists that he needs a 3G (video) phone. One can only assume, after reading the reasons he gives, that he has never, from cradle to now (presuming he has in fact exited his cradle instead of directing his many servants to enlarge it as he grew), encountered "need".
At the end of the article is a listing of some of the more outrageous gadgets, among them a robot doggy. Its makers (Sony) insist that it experiences real emotions: "happiness, dislike, anger, love, sadness, and surprise." I can't decide which theory is worse: that they may truly believe this or that they may be right.
(Earlier this month, at the local gym, I saw an example of one of these Aibos in action. I blogged about it on Plundered Democracy, entry titled Golem Kitty. This is not, mind you, merely a shameless self-promo moment, but a chance for me to try trackbacking on people who I know will not savage me online for screwing up.)
If Sony ever builds a robot that experiences volition, I can only hope that I've already sold or given away all this crap that I don't need, thankyouverymuch, and moved into my dream wilderness cabin. Approaching robots will be shot on sight.
