Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

The Top 5 Technology Panics of 2009

Posted by timothy on from the top-five-beats-top-10-hands-down dept.

destinyland writes "An A.I. researcher lists the Top 5 Technology Panics of 2009 — along with the corresponding reality. There's exploding iPods, the uproar over 'bombing' the moon, and even a flesh-eating robot. But in each case, he supplies some much-needed perspective. 'These incidents are incredibly rare ... the rocket stage weighs around two tons, while the Moon weighs in at a 73,477,000,000,000,000,000 tons... and desecration of the dead is against the laws of war — and plant matter is a much better fuel source anyway.'"

8 of 146 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Large Haldron Collider by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    There's an RSS feed use can use to keep tabs on wether or not the LHC has destroyed the earth. Very useful site.

  2. I wish that robot WAS flesh-eating. by Akira+Kogami · · Score: 3, Funny

    Seriously, giant robots devouring the mangled corpses of our enemies? Yes, please!

  3. Re:The entire Internet is a panic then? by martin-boundary · · Score: 2, Funny

    So the entire Internet is a panic then?

    Pfft. Old news. That's why *I* only buy cell phones with the words DON'T PANIC written in large friendly letters on their covers.

  4. Re:Flesh-eating Robots Will Devour Us All by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    OTOH, each eaten human can potentially decrase the usage of IPv4

    capcha: brutally

  5. Re:Flesh-eating Robots Will Devour Us All by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 2, Funny

    Let me get this straight - you are actually arguing for the propositions in the linked article? You're saying we're not sufficiently terrified of killer cannibal robots, and we need to link this with terrorists somehow? BAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Seriously, I'm laughing so hard right now. Everybody panic!

    --
    Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
  6. Why Not LHC? by DynaSoar · · Score: 4, Funny

    LHC isn't on the list for the simple reason that there was nothing to panic about.

    In 2009.

    --
    "I may be synthetic, but I'm not stupid." -- Bishop 341-B
  7. Re:Large Haldron Collider by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Watch the live webcam.

  8. Re:How is the LHC not on here? by L4t3r4lu5 · · Score: 4, Funny

    "The world could have ended" would be a rubbish excuse in a physics lesson.

    "My homework is in my bag, but the act of observing it may destroy it" would be much more worthy of being let off.

    --
    Finally had enough. Come see us over at https://soylentnews.org/