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Japanese Robot on Diplomatic Tour
baquiano writes "Inaugurating 21st century diplomacy, Japan's Pime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is visiting Prague this week, accompanied by Honda's experimental humanoid robot, Asimo. According to this story, Asimo even attended the official dinner. Apparently, the Czech Prime Minister Spidla has often been criticized because he's too 'stiff' and 'robot-like.'" Uncomfortable moments aside, it's a fitting tribute, for as stated in the story, the Czech writer Karel Capek was the first to use the term robot.
"Good evening, Prime Minister Spidla," Asimo said. "Pleased to meet you. I am a robot, a goodwill ambassador."
A robot delegate clearly has its advantages. He won't embarrass the host with off-color remarks, or get too tipsy on champagne.
Sadly the robot ambassador was then heard to say "Hand over your flesh, we demand it" before exploding the nuclear bomb in his head. Damn multi-LED faced monsters.
I don't think I'm very happy. I always fall asleep to the sound of my own screams.
Soon they'll be churning out small, cheap, efficient politicians that will take the jobs of American politicians. Washington will end up like Detroit.
Life. Don't talk to me about life.
But humanoid robots still have only limited uses, like for entertainment or publicity stunts.
Current technology may limit them to diplomatic missions and Al Gore stand-ins, but they won't sit still for long. Soon these abominations may even be able to pull off kids parties! And let me tell you, once they learn secret of making balloon poodles, overlord status will soon follow.
Japanese PM Koizumi introduced Asimo to the president of the US. Upon hearing the word "Bush-san" the robot promptly puked its guts out all over the world's most powerful man.
Good God, hopefully never.
Give the fact that the robot is made by Honda I can't wait until Asimo Si comes out -- tricked out with yellow stickers, purple neon lights inside his head, and a kickin system to play the latest Eminem collaboration with 50 Cent.
Whoopee.
Small potatoes make the steak look bigger.
...did the czechs [for one] welcome our new experimental humanoid masters?
Or, to take your fanciful idea to an even more outlandish extreme, perhaps some kind of device for remote communication could be created, which would allow a person in one place to hold a conversation with another person in a far-off land, without actually dispatching a messenger or postal-letter. By harnessing the power of the electron-current, which as I'm sure you know is many dozens of times swifter than the fastest steam-ship, such tele-phonic conversations could be made possible. And, though it may seem to you, the gentle reader, to be the most outlandish type of science-fiction, perhaps this new tele-phonic science could be used by the captains of industry to contact the everyday citizen in their own homes at a convenient hour, such as at meal-time.
Ah, truly, the wonders of our age shall know no bounds!
In Soviet Rush, today's Tom Sawyer gets high on you.
We send Our Robot out on diplomatic tour from time to time, and it never makes slashdot!
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
, Asimo even attended the official dinner. Apparently
You forgot to add that he drank a case of beer and belched flames. Called on his questionable behavior, he turned to the Czech ambassador and instructed him to "bite my shiny metal ass".
The Prime Minister apologized, informing guests that the diplomacy subroutines hadn't been quite worked out yet.
For all intensive purposes, "whom" is no longer a word. That begs the question, "who cares"?
I'd hazzard a guess that that's an issue dealt with by marketing.
KFG
I cant wait for it to suddenly just sit there when it's told to follow and say "I'm sorry Junichiro, I'm afraid I can't do that."