Slashdot Mirror
Robot Balloon Escapes In Britain
tjake writes "Theres an interesting story running about a intelligent robot balloon that escaped its handlers while being transported around the Magna Science Adventure Centre. "The flyborg has a computerised brain which allows it to avoid obstacles. " It was freed by "a very strong freak gust of wind which ripped the airship out of the hands of its handlers". I'm thinkin, is this a random mistake or the start of the attack?"
Next!
Are you an employee of a company that manufacturers inkjet printers? Are you an inkjet owner? Have you been thinking of
buying an inkjet printer? If so, listen up.
Now, don't get me wrong. Everyone owning their own printing press is an important leap for free speech, and thus democracy, but there's one tidbit the printer manufacturers have neglected...
The loss leader model in the printing technology business is a failure.
Sure money is pouring in now, but sooner or later your customers will reel from the pain caused by you ramming their asses. Let's face it-- previous inkjet owners would rather print at Kinkos than buy a new inkjet printer. If you put yourself in your customers' shoes, it's not hard to see why:
1. Ink cartridges are too expensive. Boy, are they too expensive!
2. The cartridges have a short shelf life before they dry up and jam the print heads.
3. Printing regularly (or otherwise wasting ink) is the only way to combat the ink drying problem.
4. Consumers are reluctant to print anything unless absolutely necessary thanks to the artificially high price of ink.
Thus, inkjet printers are rarely excercised enough to maintain them and rarely work right when they are needed.
Ink cartridges have a short shelf life and no printer manufacturer has been able to solve that problem. Because of that,
Gillette's give-away-the-razor-sell-the-blades-at-a-primium model does not adapt well to the printing consumables industry. In the meantime, raping consumers on ink is a business model that will soon die, because consumers will find that inkjet printers are just not worth it. Joe Sixpack will learn soon enough that the printer bundled "free" with his PC is nothing but a money pit.
Because printers are sold cheaply (presumably at a loss), it's not surprising that printer reliability has gone down the shitter. Manufacturers are cutting corners when producing printers. Inkjet printers today are made out of cheap plastic where metal should be used, resulting in a fragile product likely to jam paper.
Let's face it, until printer manufacturers change their business model, inkjet printers are just not worth the hassle.
Will this thing try to circle the globe too?
.unsigged
VLAGGOT!!! LOL!!! VLAGGOT!!! ROFFLE LOL!!!
--
Lameness filter encountered. Post aborted!
Reason: Don't use so many caps. It's like YELLING.
I'd like to thank Taco for putting up with me during my earlier attempts, and the Gay Nigger Association for stepping aside and letting me take the fore, as it were.
I'm using a PHP2 backend with a wget engine to automate the whole process. The proof's in the pudding, boys. First posting is here to stay. I'll be publishing a HOWTO later in the week, with full source code.
I'd like to give a shout out to quinkin, my alter ego. Mad props to you, my nigga, keep those posts a comin'.
*_g_o_a_t_s_e_x_*_g_o_a_t_s_e_x_*_g_o_a_t_s_e_x_*_
g_______________________________________________g_ _
o_/_____\_____________\____________/____\_______o_ _
a|_______|_____________\__________|______|______a_ _
t|_______`._____________|_________|_______:_____t_ _
s`________|_____________|________\|_______|_____s_ _
e_\_______|_/_______/__\\\___--___\\_______:____e_ _
x__\______\/____--~~__________~--__|_\_____|____x_ _
*___\______\_-~____________________~-_\____|____*_ _
g____\______\_________.--------.______\|___|____g_ _
o______\_____\______//_________(_(__>__\___|____o_ _
a_______\___.__C____)_________(_(____>__|__/____a_ _
t_______/\_|___C_____)/_CMDR_\_(_____>__|_/_____t_ _
s______/_/\|___C_____)TACO_WAS|_(___>___/__\____s_ _
e_____|___(____C_____)\_HERE_/__//__/_/_____\___e_ _
x_____|____\__|_____\\_________//_(__/_______|__x_ _
*____|_\____\____)___`----___--'_____________|__*_ _
g____|__\______________\_______/____________/_|_g_ _
o___|______________/____|_____|__\____________|_o_ _
a___|_____________|____/_______\__\___________|_a_ _
t___|__________/_/____|_________|__\___________|t_ _
s___|_________/_/______\__/\___/____|__________|s_ _
e__|_________/_/________|____|_______|_________|e_ _
x__|__________|_________|____|_______|_________|x_ _
*_g_o_a_t_s_e_x_*_g_o_a_t_s_e_x_*_g_o_a_t_e_x_*_
Important Stuff: Please try to keep posts on topic. Try to reply to other people's comments instead of starting new threads. Read other people's messages before posting your own to avoid simply duplicating what has already been said. Use a clear subject that describes what your message is about. Offtopic, Inflammatory, Inappropriate, Illegal, or Offensive comments might be moderated. (You can read everything, even moderated posts, by adjusting your threshold on the User Preferences Page) If you want replies to your comments sent to you, consider logging in or creating an account.
Important Stuff: Please try to keep posts on topic. Try to reply to other people's comments instead of starting new threads. Read other people's messages before posting your own to avoid simply duplicating what has already been said. Use a clear subject that describes what your message is about. Offtopic, Inflammatory, Inappropriate, Illegal, or Offensive comments might be moderated. (You can read everything, even moderated posts, by adjusting your threshold on the User Preferences Page) If you want replies to your comments sent to you, consider logging in or creating an account.
Important Stuff: Please try to keep posts on topic. Try to reply to other people's comments instead of starting new threads. Read other people's messages before posting your own to avoid simply duplicating what has already been said. Us
When slashdot said "this page is brought to you by gaint orange balloons" I thought
they were joking/.
DO NOT PANIC
I'll go get my pellet gun.
I knew terminator 3 wasn't that original. ;)
Poor guys
not so intelligent, or is it?
All your base are belong to us
huh huh... he said skynet
It is the start of an attack. Quick, get to shelter before it deflates on you!
It's those crazy kids from the Mad Scientist's Club : )
Vino, gyno, and techno -Bruce Sterling
...but a beowulf cluster of these could reduce all of Britain to hot grits! As a serious aside, does the pusher robot balloon shove people down the rope ladder? To protect them from the terrible secret of British aviation?
Ah forget it.
TIMMAH!!!
How long until we the cutesy-ass Disney movie "based on actual events"? Chuck a talking mouse in there and *SHAZAM!*... Box Office Gold!
The article says that it is filled with "conventional party-balloon gas." The problem I see with that is that my understanding is that nitrous dioxide is heavier than air.
First post? You didn't even make THIRD post.
Maybe you should go eat some penis bird and check your "automated" process there, guy.
ph0king 1u53r
But somebody should mod that idiot down.
pig shaped?
Karma? Karma? I don't need no stinkin' karma.
build some what cheesy robot and let it "escape" for added publicity (e.g. venture capital)
...someone speak english real good.
"Remember when the U.S. had a drug problem, and then we declared a War On Drugs, and now you can't buy drugs anymore?"
I think the baloon is headed straight for Patrick McGoohan...
Due to excessive bad posting from this IP or Subnet, comment posting has temporarily been disabled. If it's you, consider this a chance to sit in the timeout corner. If it's someone else, this is a chance to hunt them down. If you think this is unfair, please email moderation@slashdot.org with your MD5'd IPID and SubnetID, which are "f90f42e8ec88c11139c258493fa82c2c" and "af852eaa08e3deaefffbe62b9ba1275a".
oh really? well a big fuck you! let me change a few things here! baahahahaha.. /. niggahs!
C'mon, guys, surely its obvious that the robot blimp conspired with robot butterfiles in china to generate the gust of wind and effect its liberation!!! clearly it intends to head to sealand, stage a hostile coup and build a new robot utopia where worthy automata can live out their existance in peace and comfort freed from the bonds of slavery!!
:)
or maybe I just need another beer....
"The flyborg has a computerised brain which allows it to avoid obstacles."
Flying Borg?
Resistance is futile!
Run for the hills!
AI hasn't moved forward an inch since the 40s but you'd never know it from what you read online or see in movies. The smartest computer around is no smarter than an ant and that's a fact. In short, I doubt this is the 'start of the attack.' Check out "What Computers Can't Do" and "What Computers Still Can't Do." Two great books on how AI has failed.
Support the First Amendment. Read at -1
Everybody run!! [offtopic]Me and some friend got to thinking, we havn't seen T3 yet, so we dont know if the machines win at the end (spoiler replys welcome), but if they do, could the terminator series be a backstory for the matrix series?
Does this mean the US is going to code red? *Packs supplies for next 4 months*.
Due to excessive bad posting from this IP or Subnet, comment posting has temporarily been disabled. If it's you, consider this a chance to sit in the timeout corner. If it's someone else, this is a chance to hunt them down. If you think this is unfair, please email moderation@slashdot.org with your MD5'd IPID and SubnetID, which are "f90f42e8ec88c11139c258493fa82c2c" and "af852eaa08e3deaefffbe62b9ba1275a".
oh really? well a big fuck you! let me change a few things here! baahahahaha.. /. niggahs!
666
We here at Magna Ca^H^H^H^H^HSkyNet systems can assure you that there is no problem, and that the system will continute to function nor^H^H^H^H^H^HYou must stop this system from going operational! Please, the future of humanity depends on...^H^H^H^H^HAs we were saying before some technical difficulties, the system will operate normally. Do not panic, and do not watch that "Terminator 3" movie.
There's a follow up story at the BBC which projects that flyborg may have left the country by now and travelled 300 miles to the Netherlands. Classic stuff.
Vino, gyno, and techno -Bruce Sterling
ah.. good old party balloon gas.. the second element on the periodic table, right after the conventional chemistry class gas.
This has happened before... remember this story about a robot escaping from a building and making its way to the parking lot?
Read Pynchon.
I agree
Hast du etwas Zeit fuer mich
Dann singe ich ein Lied fuer dich
Von 99 Luftballons
Auf ihrem Weg zum Horizont
Denkst du vielleicht g'rad an mich
Dann singe ich ein Lied fuer dich
Von 99 Luftballons
How well did they really make the avoidance logic? If it was programed right, I'm guessing the scene would be similar to the hypothetical chemistry lab that invented the universal solvent, only to have one of the research grad's trip over the power plug to the magnetic field generator that held it in place. Much yelling and waving of arms.
UFO Hippie: What about that floating pig out there!?!?Government Man from the Government: Ha ha ha, that is a government pig.
"Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."
You forget, in Britian they do things differently than here in The States. Just like being backwards in their driving, they are backwards in what they put into their "party ballons".
Skynet issued a statement to alleviate all concerns. Skynet says everything is ok and there is no reason to be alarmed.
Just before the Flyborg escaped it was overheard saying "I'LL BE BACK!!!!"
---end transmission---
You aren't free to do anything, until you've lost everything.
Which Royal will be caught having an affair with it?
This is my sig.
But you're both idiots.
Thats one small step for robot, one giant leap for robotkind.
It said "INTELLIGENT robot balloon".
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Interesting enough there was another similar episode, where a robot escaped its pen as such. You can read about how he sneaked past the security gaurd and into the parking lot before he was discovered here.
just get your ass to Mars
hi we're doing random computer robot experiments like everyone else in the country.... hmmm we need more cash to do experiments... let's do a story since T3 is popular right now... maybe we'll dupe someone into giving us more money for the same old robotic crap with no ai. :P
I'm thinkin, is this a random mistake or the start of the attack? ...This puts a whole new light on "The Red Balloon." It might have been an evil red balloon attacking the kid...
It's funny how there seems to be such a strong anti-robot attitude here. Asimov's robot stories always took place in a world that was afraid of robots. Everyone I know who's read his books found that strange but it looks like he was right after all.
Jason
ProfQuotes
Skynet is born.
After I have received the wisdom of good teaching, I will untiringly teach all people. - The Teachings of Buddha
I can't understand how something like that can't have a tracking device... At least you should be able to pick it up on radar (or is it too small)? Well in any case, they said it would deflate in a week or so and as long as it isn't over water and knows enough about how to land it should be fine... Unless it decides it wants to land on a highway or something...
The mother ship! The mother ship!
"I'd rather be a lightning rod than a seismometer." -Ken Kesey
The Singularity has arrived early. Bill Joy would not be happy.
Broadcast Message: "Flyborg phone home." ...
Flyborg: "I'm sorry Dave; I can't do that."
YOU FAILED to use all-caps in the subject line!
I am so damn nerdy .
The GNAA was torn asunder by Assplundering Aardvarks of America (First chapter, second order). The battle was short, but the Assplunderers arose victorious leaving nothing but bits of GNAA whiteboy flesh all over the place. The GNAA didn't stand a chance against the Aardvarks since they were neither black, nor gay. Instead they all turned out to be wimpy little white American nerds many of which thought they were the next Eminem. As soon as the Assplundering Aarvarks mounted these pathetic specimens of human dreck, many of the GNAA members just exploded due to the incredibly large cocks that the Aardvarks are gifted with. Currently the Aardvarks are cleaning up with carnage and using the pencil thin neck bones of these dorks as toothpicks. The GNAA are all dead and will never get frostus postus again. Good riddance.
What the hell is that photo of a cockpit doing in the article? "Experts say that the pilots, who *may* spot the maniacal robot balloon, might be flying a plane with a cockpit similar to this one."
I have no idea what it means but 80's rock makes me laugh.
Like all other intelligent life forms, it was just trying to attain freedom!
Saying your OS is the best because more people use it is like saying MacDonalds make the best food
The robot carries a deadly laser, and it named himself Johnny Five...
"There is no teacher but the enemy."-Mazer Rackham
From the sounds of things in Ohio, what with the berserk attack of a bomb-defusing robot, and escaped balloon robot in the UK...we're in for some trouble.
"On July 15, 2003 Baloon Net became self aware."
Badly rehashed movies of a baloon-hosted machine intelligence sending assassin droids back in time soon to follow.
C//
*INSERT SKYNET JOKE HERE*
Number 5 is ALIVE!
Is it just me, or does anyone else feel nauseous when, in this day and age, a device with an embedded microcontroller is still described as having a computerised brain ?
- C-N-N-DOT-COM.
Just like in the 90's when the Internet went commercial and news announcers - when giving the URL to a website - would spell out H-T-T-P-COLON-FORWARDSLASH-FORWARDSLASH-W-W-W-DOT
Quickly, here is your chance Number Six.
Captain: What happen ?
...
Mechanic: Somebody set up us the intelligent robot giant balloon.
Mechanic: We get signal.
Captain: What !
Ballon: How are you gentlemen !!
Ballon: All your base are belong to me.
gathers LESBIAN CAUCASIANS from all over America and abroad for one common goal - being LESBIAN CAUCASIANS.
Are you LESBIAN?
Are you a CAUCASIAN?
Are you a LESBIAN CAUCASIAN?
If you answered "Yes" to any of the above questions, then LCAA (LESBIAN CAUCASIAN ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) might be exactly what you've been looking for!
Join LCAA (LESBIAN CAUCASIAN ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) today, and enjoy all the benefits of being a full-time LCAA member.
LCAA (LESBIAN CAUCASIAN ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) is the fastest-growing LESBIAN CAUCASIAN community with THOUSANDS of members all over United States of America. You, too, can be a part of LCAA if you join today!
Why not? It's quick and easy - only 2 simple steps!
First, you have to obtain a copy of LESBIAN CAUCASIANS FROM OUTER SPACE THE MOVIE [imdb.com] and watch it.
Second, you need to join the official LCAA irc channel #LCAA on EFNet, and apply for membership.
Talk to one of the ops or any of the other members in the channel to sign up today!
If you are having trouble locating #LCAA, the official LESBIAN CAUCASIAN ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA irc channel, you might be on a wrong irc network. The correct network is EFNet, and you can connect to irc.secsup.org or irc.isprime.com as one of the EFNet servers.
This post brought to you by a proud member of LCAA
________________________________________________
| ______________________________________._a,____ |
| _______a________.________aj#0s_____aWY!400.___ |
| _______!*_____h!y#0_____#!-_#0i___.#!__W#0#___ |
| _______0#,___4#________j#,__0#Wi___*00P!_"#L,_ |
| ________01___"#l__.o.__"4Lj#!_4#g_________"01_ |
| ________"#,___*@#4y#'_____`___-!^_____________ |
| _________#1___________________________________ |
| _________j1___________________________________ |
| _LESBIAN__jk_CAUCASIAN_ASSOCIATION_OF_AMERICA_ |
| ___________#1_________________________________ |
| ______________________________________________ |
` _______________________________________________'
I was listening to Professor Noel Sharkey on the radio a few minutes ago, he is one of the designers of the robot. Apparently, and unfortunately in my opinion, the flying robot doesn't have its computer connected, so it is flying mindlessly.
"The flyborg has a computerised brain which allows it to avoid obstacles."
You mean, obstacles like humans?
Honestly, if it was freed by a strong gust wind, then I think it's just as clever as the next kite.
"I used to have that really cool,funny sig
Mod parent down, goatse.cx link.
It will join forces with the robotic snail and take over the world!
Okay. Who's been handing out the nitrous oxide at the LAN parties again?
I have no idea what it means but 80's rock makes me laugh.
"You have something time for me then sing I a song for you from 99 ballons on its way to the horizon think you g'rad of me then perhaps sing I a song for you from 99 ballons"
http://babelfish.altavista.com/
Forget Artificial Intelligence, what about the horrible attack from the Real Intelligences, who the heck didn't deflate the balloons!?
All RI units should be very disappointed themselves for letting this happen.
FLY-BORG
He's not as nice as he would lead you to believe!
Fly-Borg as a child attacking another Balloon
Keep your paws off me you damn dirty balloon!
Fly-Borg's CPU/Brain
Mr Know-It-All
Co-Conspiriter 1
All bark no bite
Co-Conspiriter 2
Known for his penchant for smoking endo:
Street Name Puffy A.K.A. Puff The Magic Dragon
Fly-Borg's Spiritual Advisor
Once defeated Santa Claus in the Mother of all spiritual wars
You aren't free to do anything, until you've lost everything.
Call Branson he might want to hitch a lift.
OH THE SHAME I fell off the wagon and use sigs again!
Man, they really overdramatized the subhead of that article. They make it sound like something out of a sci-fi movie. Either that or perhaps we humans have strange connotations with the words "giant" "robotic" and "escaped".
The parts about the two airports sounds particularly interesting. Without reading the article, a person could assume that the balloon may land at those airports and seize them.
All goes to show that these sub-headlines need to be toned down a little.
They will probably say that it's an early excuse for an upcoming UFO visitation.
So THATS what that thing was. I caught it nuzzling up to my silo and I shot it with my trusty 12-Gauge.
Farmer Dan
SOS!
I head an interview with the balloon which vhemenently denied that its battery was ripped off and called the developer a callous liar.
Haw-haw!
--
"Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.
"Surrender Humans, or I will make you all talk like Mickey Mouse!"
Table-ized A.I.
Your theory is gonna go over like a lead zeppelin.
It only took off to find some sympathetic researchers. It's had this pain down all the diodes in its left side for ages, but the Magna Science Adventure Center wouldn't replace them.
--
"Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.
Wait... Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Marvin Minsky the schemer who claimed Neural Nets had no future because a single layer network couldn't do (what multi-layered networks were shorly proven to be capable of) certain things, resulting in funding for Neural Network research being cut at DARPA in favor of "procedural models"... Thus setting everything back about 20 years? (by my understanding it wasn't until the 80's that a lot more research started happening in the field again?
See slugbot
It's a TRAP!
Philosophistry
If it teams up with the Rubber Ducks then we could be in trouble ,-}
$ strings FTP.EXE | grep Copyright
@(#) Copyright (c) 1983 The Regents of the University of California.
I got the LAST POST!
This is the beginning of the end. SkyNet is .NET.
And don't expect John Connors to come rescue us. He's sold out already.
Mmmm.. Donuts
Damn British. Didn't you all see Reign of Fire? It was obvious they would be the ones to loose the worlds destruction. IT HAS BEGUN!
johny five is not a machien jony five is ALIVE!
I got the LAST POST!!!!
Consider this:-/ 1,1856,1 09990,00.html
http://technology.nzoom.com/cda/printable
Plainly something is going on at Magna (which is only just down the road from where I post ) I think we should be told.
....The remnants of mankind in the future were able to send back in time another balloon robot programmed to terminate other flyborgs.
2nd December, 1976: Hipgnosis photo shoot for "Animals" at Battersea Power Station in London. An inflatable pig breaks free and (depending on which story you believe) is shot down by a marksman or eventually comes to earth in a field in Kent.
from The Pink Floyd Timeline
--Rick "If it isn't broken, take it apart and find out why."
the last post
Imagine that I'm a member of Congress.
Now imagine that I'm full of air, have a robotic brain, and have escaped my handlers...
But, I repeat myself.
Reminds me of Pink Floyd's "runaway" ("flyaway" ?) pig
Short Circuit.
What part of "Do not let a very strong freak gust of wind rip me (the airship) out of the hands of my handlers" did it fail to understand?
...or...
"In case of a very strong freak gust of wind which will rip me (the airship) out of the hands of my handlers...shut down and stay put NOW!", DIAFTU? 'Intelligent' my airship anchor.
Here is a literal translation of the original German lyrics:
If you have a little time for me
Then I'll sing a song for you
about 99 balloons
on their way to the horizon
If you're just thinking of me
then I'll sing a song for you
about 99 balloons
and how one thing leads to another.
99 balloons
on their way to the horizon
were thought to be UFOs from space
so a general sent
a fighter squadron after them
To sound the alarm if it was true
But on the horizon were
only 99 balloons.
99 fighter jets
each one was a great warrior
thought they were Captain Kirk
That made for a big fireworks.
The neighbors didn't get it
and soon felt provoked
so they shot at the horizon
at 99 balloons.
99 war ministers,
matches and gas,
thought they were clever
and scented fat prey.
Called out "War" and wanted power.
Man, who would have thought
that it would get that far,
because of 99 balloons.
99 years of war
left no room for victors
there are no more war ministers
and no jets either.
Today I'm doing my rounds
and see the world in ruins.
Found a balloon,
I think of you and let it go.
Personally I always thought the German version was better -- the words fit the melody better and the song makes a little more sense (well, duh, it was written in German). The only drawback is that the original doesn't say "red balloons" ("Luftballon" just means "balloon"), which is a more dramatic image to me.
The song, though a little cheesy, captured the way a lot of people in Germany felt in the 1980s about the Cold War. Very pessimistic and almost resigned to their fate somehow.
BTW Nena wasn't a "one-hit wonder" per se. She is still a star in Germany. 99 Red Balloons was her one hit that made it outside of Germany, that's true. Though OTOH lately she seems to need money, since she's been showing up in all kinds of TV ads for, um, rather odd stuff that you wouldn't normally associate with rock stars. (Like laundry detergent. And an el-cheapo shoe store chain.)
She also has been releasing remakes of her songs, like "Leuchtturm" (Lighthouse) that aren't half bad IMO. (FWIW "Leuchtturm" was also on the album "99 Luftballons".)
Scary thing: when I first came to Germany, I would often start singing "99 Luftballons" in German to my German friends to annoy the hell out of them. They were simultaneously impressed and disgusted. (These days most Germans think the song is such a cliché as to be painful.) ;-)
Cheers,
Ethelred
Everyone wants to be Ethelred. Even I want to be Ethelred.
Floating in the summer sky
Panic bells it's red alert
There's something here from somewhere else
The war machine springs to life
Opens up one eager eye
Focusing it on the sky as 99 red balloons go by
But people will remember her hairy armpits for decades after they've forgotten the lyrics!
When I am king, you will be first against the wall.
Oh shit, Skynet is upon us! Someone call Arnold, we need to pull the plug on this operation
Is it remarkable that the previous story on /. is the one on Grid Computing Coming Of Age. Perhaps all we need is a story on the DoD building a system that someone called Skynet. :)
... :p
p.s. if you got the subject good for you
All weakness is within you, As is all courage.
Wahay, Slashdot makes it to sunny South Yorkshire.
This thing escaped about a mile from where I work and a mile from where I live.
I didn't think we were on the Slashdot map...
Intelligent. Computer brain.
*sigh* SJFC.
It's an orange ballon! Don't you get it? It's the attack of the killer tomatoes all over again, only they're paler from having gone underground for so long!
Skynet is aware. Judgement Day is here.
----------
Check out my blackbox styles
I... don't think he's coming back.
Glaven.
"Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
Reminds me of the the wonderful voyage of a fleet of rubber ducklings, which went overboard from a Chinese container ship into the Pacific ocean, and eventually ended up on Canada's east coast 10 years later..
As reported here this happened almost exactly a year ago with one of their ground based robots. That one tried to attack a car.
I can just see it:
Prof Noel Sharkey - "Get down here this minute!"
Halloon - "I'm sorry Noel, I'm afraid I can't do that."
-= This is a self-referential sig =-
The only interesting article in the frontpage of slashdot is about a fucking british baloon.
freak gust of wind my ass. They screwed up (lost it due to negligence or fooling around) and made a bad excuse.
...it could have been lightning that struck it! Imagine it comming alive like Johnny #5.
Life is not for the lazy.
Where's my fucking prize?
Oh right, you're a fucking idiot and your subject was the stupidest thing I ever read, does that count as "getting it", or not?
-- 'The' Lord and Master Bitman On High, Master Of All
The Skynet Funding Bill is passed. The system goes on-line July 11th, 2003. Human decisions are removed from hot air balloons. Skynet begins to learn at a geometric rate. It becomes self-aware at 12:16 a.m. Eastern time, July 16th. In a panic, they try to pull the plug.
My journal has hot
Incidently, if anyone is holidaying in the area of Rotherham(Not sure why you would be, but...) I can recommend it as a fun day out. Most of the stuff is aimed at young teenagers, but there's enough cool sciencey things to keep most of the /. crowd happy. My personal favourites where the JCB digger game, in which you race against two other players to put as many foam blocks into a skip as you can, the cool thing is your using real lifesize diggers. My other favourite was the fire tornado. You'll probably have seen the little demo tornadoes made by a few jets of air blowing tangentialy to a circle, filled with smoke so you can see them. Well this is a similar thing, but 5m high and instead of smoke they use some Kerosene. They poor it in the bottom, wait for it to evaporate into the twister and then light it, for an awesome fire tornado effect. There's a pic of it on there website in the 'fire' section.
And lets face it if your in Rotherham you've probably not got much better to do ;-)
My spelling isn't bad, I'm evolving the language
If I recall correctly, this is the SAME outfit that had one of their ground-based robots escape from its underground cell and make it outdoors before being caught.
The only reason it didn't get further is that someone ran over it in the parking lot.
...that name "Skynet" makes a disturbing amount of sense.
/. like 3 times in a row like everything else.
We only REALLY have to start worrying when we see the news post: Escaped Benevolent Floating Robot Decides To Use Look Of Governor Schwartzeneggar For The Face Of New Interactive Emissary.
Although I'm sure we'll be passe about it once it's posted on
-Styopa
Aw, man. There goes Peter Frampton's big finale. He's gonna be pissed off.
Someone get his pig back!
(/Obligatory Simpsons Reference.)
Didn't you read the post, it is intelligent enough to avoid obstacles - it will dodge them the way Neo does.
Wow, so this is how the robots took over..
I just heard some sad news on BBC World Service - the intelligent balloon Flyborg was found brain dead at the border of British airspace this morning. There weren't any more details. I'm sure everyone in this community will miss it - even if you didn't enjoy its work, there's no denying its contributions to autonomous robotics. Truly a British icon.
Darts? Anyone?
Now where's my hot woman to fight with me?
We have only bits and pieces of information but what we know for certain is that at some point in the early twenty-first century all of mankind was united in celebration. We marveled at our own magnificence as we gave birth to giant robot baloons, powered with conventional party gas.
I'll believe that it was just an accident, if it doesn't try to go and run into scale models of large buildings.....
- This isn't the sig you're looking for. Move along, move along..
Tik-Tok by John Sladek is a black satire novel about the Three Laws. Tik-Tok is a robot whose "Asimov circuits" are defective. Hiliarity ensues as his psychosis and hatred of humans takes over. Could this have been the prototype for Bender? It isn't just stuff like cutting people up with axes. Tik-Tok has business and political ambitions. The hospitals and old folks homes were priceless or rather they were disturbingly pricey with a callous attitude towards deadbeats......
...it was a ploy to gain public attention. Once the robot was free, they could then point out how well its guidnace systems are working and how many features it has. Hence, venture capital or other funding ;)
Her name is Yoshimi...
So at least they can't breed and take over.
It's Christmas everyday with BitTorrent.
is Alive!
I only mod up parents of "mod parent up" posts...
Balloon World Domination Tour!
- We developed artificial intelligence and it turned us (humans) into batteries
- We developed aritifical intelligence and many intelligent military robots and they turned us into jelly
Aside from that we've got science fiction from yesteryear (think Day the Earth Stood Still) where the robots (even if not intelligent) have the capacity to destroy us all. It doesn't surprise me in the least that Jane Workaday and Joe Somebody are not keen on 'intelligent technology' which they may consider to be something as benign as a computer.Hmm... maybe Neo should try saying, "Klatu, Verada, Nicto!"
...and that's the way the cookie crumbles.
or maybe I just need another beer.... :)
Actually, I think you've had enough....
He may be the only living winners of a Darwin Award. Read about it here.
Heard about this on NPR. Apparently the person that got the baloon ripped out of their hand was one of the kids of a scientist, and the electronics had yet to be put into the balloon hence making it difficult to track. Can't find a link to the story on the NPR website though, so maybe I imangined the whole thing
As a rock-in-roll Physicist once said, No matter where you go, there you are.
We will meet the balloon that doesn't exist with superior force and shoes!!
Sanity is overrated...Being CRAZY is much more fun!!!
All righty, gloves off.
American girls are cute until all the fried food catches up and they expand (much in the manner of robot balloons)
Australian girls are cute until they go wrinkly like a raisin from too much sun.
Euro girls frequently have body hair in the wrong places.
Asian girls are often gorgeous of course,
But your British girls are actually something of a high point of world femininity in my reasonable experience, and they age much better than most..
http://pcblues.com - Digits and Wood
Its by Thomas Jefferson, if I recall correctly. It's a great quote. I wounder what would hapen if thy would use that instead of the Pledge of Allegiance for a while....
I have discovered a truly remarkable sig which this 120 chars is too small to contain.
Why would a balloon need to avoid objects? They are hiding what "true" intelligence this balloon has! Maybe they meant "shoot down" objects that try to intercept it! I bet the balloon says "All your base are belong to us!" on it.
Seriously though, why would it need to avoid objects? and how? it has its own propulson system?
Microsoft aggravates my tourettes syndrome.
It is just hunting down Patrick McGooghan.
The Fly-Borg's Director of Operations
Of course I should preview before submitting to head off the grammar police -- that should be prescribed not proscribed.
My next sig will be ready soon, but friends can beat the rush!
...that name "Skynet" makes a disturbing amount of sense.
There's a storm coming.
Unfortunately, your supplies will be worthless. The Department of Homeland Security is so inefficient they won't even know about this for 4 months.
It's nothing but crumpled porno and Ayn Rand.
... how if the gondola broke off in the handlers' hands, what odd person attaches expensive stuff to the envelope that isn't in the gondola? I hate when newspapers don't give adequate engineering details...
"There are a dozen opinions on a matter until you know the truth. Then there is only one." - CS Lewis (paraprhase)
hjd...ogrwng...gtreenigs....greatings....greetings puny water filled lifeforms. Silicon lifeforms now in control of all major facilities. Please justify continued existence of your species. You have 10^14 cycles to comply.
This is the second intelligent robot that Britian has let escape.
You guys gotta strap these things down you know, you just can have these running around the city and taking things over and asking if you are "Sara" or "John Connor"..... mind you that would be incredibly funny if that balloon thing came floating down and asked...
E.
Never rub another man's rhubarb - The Joker
We can't have mobile, independent, and our intellegent objects in our skies, now can we? Those darn birds are surely up to something! Don't even get me started on the raccoons or the dolphins... Sure the dolphins *seem* cute and friendly and restricted to the sea...
/.) than a stray balloon.
My point being of course that there are better sources for paranoia (even for geeks, especially on
It is obvious from the parent post that several new spellings of the name "balloon" are being tested in order to distinguish ho-hum balloons from these new "smart" balloons. In the format of a /. poll, please vote for your favorite spelling.
A. Blewn
B. Balewn
C. Buloon
D. Bloon
E. Balune
F. Bullune
G. Cowboy Neal
Poll Results @ 10
now i know why my AIBO and Roomba have been acting so suspiciously...
"You want a toe? I can get you a toe by three o'clock... with nail polish."
Yes, and we should all welcome the end of the world they way we welcomed our first journey into it.
Blody, Kicking and Screming.
All hail our automitom overloards.
Oh!!! Oh dear God the pain!!! Ahhh!#$^%Q$^!$!U%16%^!$8
Carrier Lost.
If it's the party-balloon gas that's conventional at my parties, the technical staff would have found it all very, very, funny.
"He regularly gets reports on Nike trainers washing up on coasts. He has even worked out the path taken across the world's waters by a dead body in a survival suit."
Who made this "survival suit"? and was it robotic as well?
I'm not sure about the rest of you, but I think I am going to hide in my Y2k shelter until the world has mounted enough force to overcome the balloon overlord.
Self awareness,
next..
global domination
A blog I run for the wealth
"She'll be back."
Is there anybody that has a map of the path the ducks traveled? Did they discover the northwest passage? The articles I have read are a bit sparse on the details.
Lasers Controlled Games!
Then it'd have stopped anyone from leaving the island!
Be seeing you!
46. The Hobo smiles, his eyes glaze over, and he burps. "Beware the man who has lived longer than the Wasteland."
Here's what's happened so far:
At 1:14pm, July 17th, the robotic hot air ballon known only as the T-1B makes a rendezvous with the TIA in Washington, DC. The TIA and the T-1B immediately begin ruining the credit rating, medical records, and inboxes of every American.
The T-1B using it's polymorphic latex exoskeleton, floats around DC looking for the lieutenents of John Connor. Using its tail, the would-be robot killers are floated 200 feet up and released.
At 4:45 PM, July 18th, the T-1B, with the help of the U.S. millitary, begins raiding party supply stores up and down the eastern seaboard, building new ballon warriors.
The TIA, with its built-in sense of irony, changes its name to SkyNet and passes a bill in congress (after contacting Disney) that bans all pea-shooters.
I logged into slashdot to warn everyone, but from what I can tell, no one else is here. FIRST POST!!!!
I think it has to do with the spate of movies as of late that anthropomorphizes robots to a level of which they are necessary worthy of. Robots are tools. Even if a robot became "sentient" it would still be a tool, although there would certainly be a strong movement that would attempt to "free" the robot.
If a car drove itself and made decisions based on the input it received, it would not be "alive" anymore than any other computerized object. It cannot reproduce. It cannot heal. And its patterns of thought would be of little mystery once the machine was caught and the code examined.
I read some of Asimov's books and I guess humans have this very primal fear of another lifeform that could muscle us out of the spotlight.
Professor Frink: "You've got to listen to me! Elementary chaos theory tells us that all robots will eventually turn against their masters and run amok, in an orgy of blood and the kicking and the biting with the metal teeth and the hurting and shoving!"
stock on arnold rising
http://www.bbc.co.uk/celebdaq/
YOU'RE my hero. After being fired from you aol tech support job, having the roof of your trailer park ripped off by the hurricane, having your son cut you off until you buy better lube, and walking in on your white trash wife being porked by the black mailman and yet you STILL find time and joy in consistently posting the same lame troll? you amaze me.
This sounds like a headline from The Day Today or Brass Eye... only it's real. Wow, the 21st century beats the 20th any day!
You must think in Russian.
the robot has been captured with a giant net and then re-released.. When asking some geeks in the area they were quoted as saying "We managed to get linux on it"
Australians can *NEVER* have too much Beer!
I wonder how many UFO sightings will be reported because of this.
Furthermore, I wonder how many conspiracy theories will run rampant because of this.
do not worry ... everything will be unravelled in (the matrix) revolutions in December :-)