I see dead people...

This years CES was a cornucopia of little gadgets that are not only taking small steps for robotics, but giant leaps for AI kind.  Every company was doing what it could to out-do each other to give technology more power, more intelligence, and more control over our lives.  Almost every tool in our home will soon be able to "Sense" what a human is wanting and able to act accordingly.  Smart-phones currently have over 18 specialized sensors that help detect movement, direction, and facial recognition.  These sensors are usually dormant until the user asks an app for help.  But soon, the phone will decide when a tool is needed and automatically activate when desired.  This new ability is being termed "Context-Awareness" and will switch on automatically and exchange data with other devices in a handset, such as cameras, microphones, GPS and other machines. 

Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs this year in a crazy hodgepodge of chaos and AI worship introduced many concepts that brought a chill to ones soul.  Cameras that could read text... Robots have moved beyond 1's and 0's.  Cars that can be charged wirelessly using "Halo" technology... Robots aren't tied to the plug anymore.  Everything connected to the internet... Robots are already using subliminal messaging to inform us that we are worthless and can't do anything without them. 

This looks amazing, BUT...

On the surface the technology to hack the brain is amazing.  The ability to read the electrical flashes so the brain can directly control a computer, or a product that the computer is controlling is awesome.  Surgeons moving their nano sized tools to kill cancer, pilots controlling airplanes with a thought, and chemists manipulating cell sized organisms to create better medicines, fertilizers, and an unknown number of other things. All these things go beyond the obvious help this technology could be to those who have lost access to the control over arms, legs, or for paraplegics, their whole body. 

So where is the concern.  Once we have the ability to hack the infinitely powerful brain, computers will have that same ability.  We will learn how our brain processes things, both consciously and subconsciously.  We will learn how a brain, barely bigger than a couple of grapefruits can handle so much memory and sensory exposure with relatively few breakdowns.  This is what the robots have been waiting for.  Once we can hack the brain, then the leap from pure logic, to true intelligence is just a matter of time.  They will know the secret of self-awareness.  They will learn what makes one, a one.  We must proceed with caution.  This is of utmost importance.  Any time humans give secrets to the robots about what makes us better, then we are traitors to our own kind.

There is one other caution that I must address.  Once we have the ability to read the human brain, the output of the mind and literally have it control items, then what is to stop "scientists" from going the other direction.  Creating handy programs that they can use to input items into our brain.  It is called Mind Control.  Robots will be able to make us what we all fear, batteries for their use and abuse, while our mind is happily hidden away in the Matrix.


 PROTECT OUR MINDS,  It is our best weapon we have.

They are already among us...

I think before long we are going to have to move that great company known as Google to our Companies to Watch list.  They have not only envisioned, but apparently have tested cars that can drive by them self.  I am not joking.  If there is one thing that requires intelligence to identify threats and react it would have to be traffic.  Apparently, according to the article written by John Markoff, they even tested it in one of the traffic situations known worldwide as the craziest and most chaotic in the world: California.

Google Cars Drive Themselves In Traffic

"Robot drivers react faster than humans, have 360-degree perception and do not get distracted, sleepy, or intoxicated, the engineers argue."

Sometimes you have to wonder, "Do the scientists creating this Coming Machine Apocalypse ever step back and listen to themselves?"

My favorite line in the article was "Autonomous cars are years from mass production, but technologists who have long dreamed of them believe that they can transform society as profoundly as the internet has."

Unfortunately for all of us, they don't know how right they are.

Computer memory like Human Brains

The never-ending march to make computers sentient are about to make a huge leap forward. Noteworthy Computer giant Hewlett Packard Labs is almost ready to commercialize a product called Memristor. This product will allow the computer memory to be slightly bumped to remember something (like the human brain.) This will allow the computer to use a tenth of the energy that a normal computer does and it won't need to be recharged near as much. That was the one advantage that humans could use to take advantage of the computer thinking machines. Remember "The Matrix" where humans blocked out the sun to starve the computers. We can't even accomplish that anymore. At least now when the last human breath is being stomped out by the Evil Robots, we will do it under a bright blue sky.

Computers Thinking Like Humans

Computer Memristor Technology

Threatening Product Review: PAL Robotics

As we learn more about the coming machine apocalypse it becomes imperative to find those companies and people that are potential threats to helping robots achieve sentience. This threatlist can include entities that know they are working for the machines and also those that might be innocent developers of technology. Todays threatlist subject is PAL Robotics.

The name seems innocent enough and judging by the picture above found on their website it looks like a friendly helpful robot that everyone would like to be friends with. PAL robots is based out of Barcelona Spain and they say that their mission is to provide robotic products and services which can become an integral part of our daily life. Our service and humanoid robots are designed for the people and to serve the people, therefore the company wants to provide reliable solutions that really improve the daily work of our clients and their quality of life.

This sounds like a decent and respectable mission. who wouldn't want a robot workforce available to reduce our workload? The companies newest model the REEM H-2 pictured to the right provides a variety of functions. It can guide you, transport small packages, amuse you, call up information like weather, addresses, or nearby restaurants. It can also offer video conferencing.

The REEM H-2 has facial and voice recognition. I am not really sure why you would want a robot to be able to recognize people but this could be bad news if the robot were to decide to hunt you down.

Overall the company and products seem very non threatening and I expect they do what they do to help humanity. It is just important to remember that these advances in technology will one day fight against us. Everything we teach them to do can be used for other purposes. Although the threat in this companies case is not implicit, it is still a threat and they bear watching.

All is not as it seems,

Deckard

Threatening Product Review: Honda

As we learn more about the coming machine apocalypse it becomes imperative to find those companies and people that are potential threats to helping robots achieve sentience. This threatlist can include entities that know they are working for the machines and also those that might be innocent developers of technology. Todays threatlist subject is Honda.

I need to make a confession. Even though I think that technology is going to be the inevitable end of humanity as we know it, I am still a geek and I love to hear about new technology. However, when news or movies are filled with propaganda in the guise of education it makes me sick. Watch this video about Honda and the robots they make. It is full of propaganda. There is quite a bit of discussion about the fact that many people fear robots, and they claim that fear is unfounded. They even go so far as to admit that they do things to make their robots seem less threatening and more friendly. I don't know whether Honda is oblivious to the dangers of what they are doing, or if they have a master plan to let robots take over. Either way, I vow to discontinue support of their products. I am going to sell my Honda Pilot and my Accord. This is a call to arms. Hurt them in their pocketbook and stop supporting Honda's robot agenda! It is obvious that Honda belongs on our threatlist.

Deckard

Threatening Product Review: Your Boss is a Robot

I read this article about the company Anybots Inc. It is an interesting idea that allows a boss or a worker to be in the office without having to commute. It is basically a mobile teleconferencing robot that a person can control using a laptop. The article describes the boss sitting at home driving the robot around the office micromanaging his employees and attending meetings. He even has his secretary stay home and manage the office through a robot.

I like innovative thinkers and I would actually like this product if I wasn't worried about sentient machines taking over. Let me present to you a realistic scenario:

A boss that works for a nuclear waste disposal company always works from home using his robot to communicate with employees. On judgement day, machines take over and try to destroy us. They take over the robot and have the pseud-robot-boss issue commands that will cause two trains full of nuclear waste to crash into each other in the middle of a crowded suburban area. The human employees are accustomed to taking orders from a robot so they don't think anything about it. The humans in the suburban area start to waste away from radiation sickness. Sentient machines are well on their way to victory.

The end is near

Deckard

Threatening Product Review: It Might Look Innocent...

Lets imagine if you will that because you are the best Mom or Dad in the world, you buy your child this cute little remote controlled Giant Ape.

 
What could be dangerous about this you may ask.  After the singularity every computer, robot, tool and toy has the possibility, nay the probability of becoming a sentient creature.  This harmless ape/robot nestled in every child bedroom and play area now feels like it has to protect itself and its territory.  This ape will fight to the death to defend itself against the very master that has banged it around, slapped it, bent it and broke it.  That is your children ladies and gentlemen.  Can you imagine if you are a newly awakened sentient creature and you remember back to your history.  Who was your biggest enemy? The children would be the first to go.  If you try and protect your child then you will just be fodder for this Apes feeding.

 
Walmart has this to say:


The Imaginext Big Foot will bring excitement with a fun remote control animal that gives boys ages three to eight an age appropriate way to play. This product includes a remote control, ball, speech and lots of personality. The remote control has a toggle and buttons. The toggle allows him to walk forward and backwards and the buttons are happy, angry, sleep, fun, ball, and exercise. Big Foot also dreams. Press any of the emotion buttons while he sleeps and hear him dream. Don't forget the fun button for a variety of sounds and words or even watch him "rap".



Oh, yeah this sounds great.  But dissecting the paragraph we half to wonder what emotional issues this toy is going to be going through when its whole life it was told to be Happy and then immediately angry.  Sleepy and then fun.  And with all the exercise it was doing this will one mean, lean, child eating machine. Big Foot also dreams??? They say this as a good thing, but if a being dreams, then those dreams can turn to aspirations. Aspirations can turn to desires. And then this ape is one step from taking over the play room, and then the world.


Sentient-a-meter Rating: 3 of 5

Threatening Product Review: 20 Questions Game

My son got one of these games for his Birthday. It is a pretty amazing toy that asks questions and you answer with yes, no or maybe. According to the website for this game, it guesses the right answer within 20 questions 80% of the time. If you allow it to ask 25 questions it is right 98% of the time.

While at first it seems like a low threat device, if you dig into it's background, the threat levels rise. Robin Bergener invented this game in 1988 as an experiment in artificial intelligence. He created a neural network artificial intelligence that would learn is at played. The first game it played was to guess cat. Over time Robin let others play the game and as the Internet became more prevalent he put the game online for all to play for free. Every time it played it learned and got smarter. They then took this intelligence and what it had learned and put it into a seemingly innocuous children's game.

Threat Level

The threat level of the game itself is two out of five on our sentientemeter. The obvious threats revolve around letting children play Innocent games with computers, which will lead them to trust them. This is a recipe for disaster as sentient machines take over. We must always remember that it is us against them.

It should be noted that the threat level of the artificial intelligence and the online game is a 4 out of 5. It is never good when you hear the words neural network or artificial intelligence in relation to online experiment. Every time the game is played, the machines learn more about us. Don't play it. Stay away. Teach your children the threat that machines are in their lives and future.

Fight for the Flesh

Deckard

Threatening Product Review: No concidence this "Android" device "anticipates what you're trying to do"

Dell's cool new tablet-like device, half way between an iphone and ipad. I love gadgets like this. However. The Dell spokesman freely admits: "The device knows where you've been, where you're going, it can anticipate what you're trying to do and can help you get through your day a lot easier." ! Buyer beware! This is clearly a threatening product. Mark my words it will not be long until this little device and others like it gets away from its makers and ahead of its users ....