Robot news – shocking to you

As the robots continue their work toward world domination, they are picking up new partners.  In an attempt to not be crushed by the robots, the humans at Taser have agreed to arm the robots for the coming battle.

RoboCops and robot soldiers got a little closer to reality Thursday as a maker of floor-cleaning automatons teamed up with a stun-gun manufacturer to arm track-wheeled ‘bots for police and the Pentagon.

By adding Tasers to robots it already makes for the military, iRobot Corp. says it hopes to give soldiers and law enforcement a defensive, non-lethal tool.

But some observers fear such developments could ultimately lead to robots capable of deciding on their own when to shoot and kill.

Expect those humans to mysteriously disappear soon.  The robots don’t want humans pointing out their slow growth in power.

I happen to know the robots are collecting lethal weapons too.  This deal with Taser for non-lethal (actually less-lethal according to law enforcement, but that’s a minor quibble) weapons is a ruse to cover the real ambitions…

[tags]The robots will take over, The coming robot uprising, Robots get tasers – zap your ass, Robots stocking up on less lethal weapons to cover amassing of lethal weapons[/tags]

Fired for having a little fun on the job?

In a “What the hell was I thinking? I must be an idiot” moment, Norberto Cappas made a bad decision that has come back to haunt him:

An officer who ordered two women to put on a “sex show” in a jail cell will be fired. Norberto Cappas, 32, was found guilty by a police tribunal of conduct unbecoming an officer and lying during a departmental investigation and will lose his job following a 30-day suspension, the department said Tuesday.

nternal Affairs investigators found that Cappas ordered the two women to kiss and touch each other and expose their breasts in September 2003. The two had been picked up on suspicion of drug possession, but they had no drugs and were not charged with a crime.

Of course, that was a stupid move. Sounds like perhaps an abuse of power done by someone who thought he could get away with it, although honestly I’m not sure I believe ol’ Norberto has sufficient mental facilities to actually think about whether he could get away with it:

Cappas has denied wrongdoing and refused to talk to a Philadelphia Inquirer reporter seeking comment Tuesday.

The real kicker though, is this little tidbit in the story:

The case sat idle for years until the Inquirer raised questions about it last year.

Yup. Sounds like a case of limited thinking combined with departmental inertia and buearacracy let him do something stupidly abusive and almost get away with it.

[tags]Stupid criminal watchers?, Stupid abuse of powers, Dumb cop story[/tags]

What iPod software to use?

My wife recently got an iPod. She already hates the iTunes interface. Is there good software for managing music and playlists on the iPod? I recently found Musik Cube and intend to try it, but wonder if there are other good tools out there. Comments don’t requires accounts, so please leave a comment with any software recommendations you have.

[tags]What software to manage iPod?[/tags]

Eye Candy – more freaky chick pics

I have a thing for freaky looking chicks. And to me, that’s a term of deep admiration, not an insult. Lately, the freaky chick I’ve been paying attention to is Amy Lee from the band Evanescence. She’s very pretty, and into the goth freaky look.

amy_lee.jpg

evanescence_amylee_175.jpg

See? Pretty. Freaky. Mmmmmm.  I looooove those boots.
[tags]Amy Lee, Evanescence, Freaky hot chicks, Eye candy[/tags]

An iPhone view from PC World

Like so many other organizations aimed at the tech and near-tech folks who surf for their information, PC World is taking a look at the iPhone and giving a short review of the ups and downs of this new gadget.

Want an iPhone? Of course you do. It looks sexy, it’s innovative, and–for a while at least–it’ll be the ultimate status symbol.

OK, they almost lost my reading time with this. No, I don’t want an iPhone. It’s a first gen tech toy. It’s an underperforming MP3 player. It’s an oversized phone (but I think that about most phones that are more than phones). It’s an under-functioning web tool (in fact, in more ways than one). It is apparently sometimes difficult to activate (and none of its features work until the entire phone is activated). It has a non-replaceable (by the end user) battery. Oh, and if you want a better functioning gadget for anything the iPhone does (which won’t be too hard to find, given the compromises necessary for this all-in-one functionality), you either carry another gadget, upgrade your iPhone if a better one is available and has the gadget improvement you want, or do without. Still, I kept reading.

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Scary news shows why Real ID won’t help security

I do apologize to all harmed in this cowardly attack in in Scotland for using it to illustrate something. I felt it necessary to point out this example of why knowing who someone is does nothing for security because it in no way shows what that person plans to do.

msn_070630_glasgow_jeep_2ph2.jpgBritish security sources tell NBC News that two of the five suspects in custody in connection with three recent terror incidents in Scotland and London are medical doctors and one may have assembled the bombs. Authorities also said they believe that most, if not all, of the suspects come from Middle Eastern countries, including one from Iraq.

. . .

Britain’s top-selling Sun newspaper identified one of those detained as an Iranian doctor who worked at North Staffordshire Hospital in central England. A spokeswoman at the hospital declined to comment on the case and police would not identify those detained.


I find it very difficult to imagine that being able to identify this doctor very precisely via RFID enabled federally mandated ID would have done anything to predict this attack on the airport prior to the act. Of course, that’s because knowing who someone is doesn’t indicate what that person plans to do. I keep repeating that when discussing the horribly useless Real ID because it seems to be a point that policy makers can’t understand even though it is excessively clear to security folks. Not that any policy workers waste their time here, but perhaps someone who knows a high-level policy maker reads my musings and could pass them along.

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