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In Japan, Old People Talk to Robots
stupidfoo writes "AFP is reporting that, starting today, "Japan's growing elderly population will be able to buy companionship in the form of a 45-centimeter (18-inch) robot" designed to help them avoid senility. The robot, named Snuggling Ifbot and developed by Dream Supply, will be able to respond to verbal commands. "If a person tells Snuggling Ifbot, "I'm bored today," the robot might respond, "Are you bored? What do you want to do?"". It retails for 576,000 yen (5,600 dollars) and there is no English version currently available but "its makers plan to program the robot in English -- not for export, but to teach the language to Japanese children.""
...old people use e-mail!! (and are haxors)
Should I:
a) Weep for the millions of human tragedies that must have taken place to lead so many to this extreme of loneliness and general patheticness, or...
b) Laugh because it's called 'Snuggling Ifbot'?
Eh, I'll go for b). Hee hee hee... 'snuggling ifbot'... hee hee hee...
Whence? Hence. Whither? Thither.
How will it push anyone down the stairs?
Sounds like a 5600$ version of Eliza.
I don't need a signature.
Great name to go senile with. That's the kind of name I want around when I'm 85 and dribbling, "you seen the snuggling ifbot today son?"
In Japan, sanity is talking to a robot called Snuggly Ifbot :-/
sig under construction...
Why am I alone?
Why do you think you are alone?
Yes, but you are not alive though are you?
What makes you think that?
You are alive? OMG, what did they do to you?
Tell me more about why you think you are alone.
But you just said you are alive.
What makes you think I just said I was alive?
AAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh.
Lets watch tv and have some fun!
#hostfile 0.0.0.0 primidi.com 0.0.0.0 www.primidi.com 0.0.0.0 radio.weblogs.com
You guys wrote:
In Japan, Old People Talk to Robots
No it's supposed to be:
In Japan ONLY Old People Talk to Robots
Kids these days can't even get the joke right!
Have you metaroderated recently?
I am no doctor ether, but I'm aware of the general asumption, with medical proof wich I am not femilliar with, that you can train the brain and that keeping it busy will help not getting senile
in which case I really need to move out of my nice quiet server room and interact with the rest of my office - before one day ............
where am I... why have I got no pants on...
In Soviet Russia, robots talk to old people
In Japan, old people talk to robots
In Korea, only the old people talk to robots.
I guess that means the English childrens version won't do so well in Korea...
-- Is "Sig" copyrighted by www.sig.com?
"its makers plan to program the robot in English -- not for export, but to teach the language to Japanese children."
We gaijin engrish teachers are doomed NOW!
I for one welcome our new english teaching overloards at NOVA HQ!
In America, Old people get shot by shotgun toting robots.
Customer: I can't log into my database instance
Support: You can't log into your database instance?
Et cetera...
8 of 13 people found this answer helpful. Did you?
Old Lady #1: When my ex-husband passed away, the insurance company said his policy didn't cover him.
Old Lady #2: They didn't have enough money for the funeral.
Old Lady #3: It's so hard nowadays, with all the gangs and rap music..
Old Lady #1: What about the robots?
Old Lady #4: Oh, they're everywhere!
Old Lady #1: I don't even know why the scientists make them.
Old Lady #2: Darren and I have a policy with Old Glory Insurance, in case we're attacked by robots.
Old Lady #1: An insurance policy with a robot plan? Certainly, I'm too old.
Old Lady #2: Old Glory covers anyone over the age of 50 against robot attack, regardless of current health.
[ cut to Sam Waterston, Compensated Endorser ]
Sam Waterson: I'm Sam Waterston, of the popular TV series "Law & Order". As a senior citizen, you're probably aware of the threat robots pose. Robots are everywhere, and they eat old people's medicine for fuel. Well, now there's a company that offers coverage against the unfortunate event of robot attack, with Old Glory Insurance. Old Glory will cover you with no health check-up or age consideration. [ SUPER: Limitied Benefits First Two Years ] You need to feel safe. And that's harder and harder to do nowadays, because robots may strike at any time.
[ show pie chart reading "Cause of Death in Persons Over 50 Years of Age": Heart Disease, 42% - Robots, 58% ]
And when they grab you with those metal claws, you can't break free.. because they're made of metal, and robots are strong. Now, for only $4 a month, you can achieve peace of mind in a world full of grime and robots, with Old Glory Insurance. So, don't cower under your afghan any longer. Make a choice. [ SUPER: "WARNING: Persons denying the existence of Robots may be Robots themselves. ] Old Glory Insurance. For when the metal ones decide to come for you - and they will.
If you want something to keep you fit, healthy, happy and not lonely in your old age, why the freakin' hell not just get a freakin' dog already? Granted, the basic out-of-the-box model needs some hardware mods to avoid spawning too many child processes, and you have to update its virus and worm protection every few months. But you should get at least 6 years uptime -- and probably even more from one using generic, commodity parts from a mixture of suppliers.
Je fume. Tu fumes. Nous fûmes!
Old robots talk to you!!!
"its makers plan to program the robot in English -- not for export, but to teach the language to Japanese children."
Child: Teach me English.
Robot: All your base are belong to us.
Ignorance is curable, stupid is forever.
"You are standing in an open field west of a white house, with a boarded front door.
There is a small mailbox here."
What? You mean the "If" in Ifbot doesn't stand for Interactive Fiction?
My wife had something similar. She did talk to it, but the vocabulary was pretty limited - "Oh! Yes! Baaaaby!"
Snuggling Ifbot: Hi!
Old Japanese Fella: Haro Rittle One, who ara you?
Snuggling Ifbot: You're not insane!
Old Japanese Fella: Sank you
Old Japanese Fella: Haro Rittle One, who ara you?
Snuggling Ifbot: You're not insane!
Old Japanese Fella: Sank you
Old Japanese Fella: Haro Rittle One, who ara you?
Snuggling Ifbot: You're not insane!
Old Japanese Fella: Sank you
******************
you get the idea...
"Capital punishment makes the state into a murderer. Imprisonment makes the state into a gay dungeon-master"
"I'm bored today."
[KLA-CHAK!] "Activating weapons systems! Target located! Preparing to terminate!"
"I'mnotboredanymore! AAAAIIEEE!"
You must think in Russian.
They could call him Clippy, and when children say stuff like, "I want to go play!" the robot would reply, "You want an apple? Get it yourself."
Really, I'm terrified of the language that these children will be learning. First off, I don't trust programmers with the English language when it IS their first language. Second, robots are stupid. And have a database of canned responses. And will misinterpret the children.
There will be an army of asian children who speak excellent english, but don't know what the fuck they're talking about.
Please stop stalking me, bro.