The screen at the end is precious. (Via RobotGossip)

This is how the movie A.I. and I, Robot should have been like, script-wise. Without the silly product placement at the end, of course.

The North Koreans better know how to comply! The first bit is pretty cool to watch the guns track Kim Jong-il deserters but skip to 2min25sec into it and experience the cheery music of laser guided killing!

*a fist of Deadrobot.com stickers to the first who can identify that old MTV cartoon (mis)quote

And just found this. Too lazy to make a new post: Bollywood Thriller (but I think they’re saying “Killer”)

I’ve always thought that when robots develop their own language, they will truly begin to surpass man. And it looks like my prophetic apocolypse has begun! (from Robot Gossip) These puppies have learned to decide on a “word” for common objects and have started to build their own lexicon of sorts.

Lets face it, English, or any other human language, is just too darned slow and convoluted for robots. Getting them to squeak at each other like fax machines would be far more efficient. And spooky.

Robopuppy (to Robokitten, in a high pitched squeal): We will wear our fleshbag overlords guts as garters by this time tomorrow!

Master: What did you say!?

Robopuppy: I. Need. A. Hug!

(Too Busy Living might not want to read this)

HAL remains my favorite cinematic “robot”. After multiple viewings, HAL’s voice still makes my flesh crawl. His voice always seemed to be so tightly contained that you wondered if he was strangling adorable digital kittens just beneath that lens. Apparently Anthony Hopkins felt the same:

In a commentary on the Criterion Collection DVD version of The Silence of the Lambs, Hopkins claims the villainous computer HAL 9000 from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey as one inspiration for his interpretation of the character.

I usually feel equally creeped out after calling Rogers or Bell. After barking orders at these bodiless vox, I feel a pang of fear that one night I am going to wake to a ringing phone, answer it, and have an Emily, or The Rogers Happy Guy inform me that the machines have taken over and that I should stay indoors until a later time when I can be collected by the Machine Overlords for harvest. I digress…

This whole post is sparked by an interesting article from Kottle.org, about why HAL sings “Bicycle Built for Two”. Not really news but if you dwelve further into the links you find all sorts of trivia regarding that once great company IBM.

When I was about 9 years old, my oldest brother brought home the soundtrack to 2001 and I was mesmerized by the cover illustration of the shuttle blasting away from the half-built wagon wheel space station. He even went out and bought a model of the needle nosed craft and displayed it proudly in his room. It’s sleek design, unlike any of the balsa wood wind up planes I was playing with back then, prompted me to steal moments of playtime with it so I could “fly” it around the house – and resulted in many beatings for the invasion of his privacy. I would scour the library for science fiction books about the movie, not really understanding the images of the Monolith or the stark white apartment, but I would linger over the Major Matt Mason-esque space suits and clean enviroments of the Moon base. All this long before actually seeing the movie. This was pre-video, kids, so when it was announced that 2001 was going to play on late night TV, I was ecstatic! I prepared. I was “good” and did all my chores. I debated to success that I was old enough to stay up past 11 on a Friday night. I got two bags of chips and a big bottle (glass!) of Coke for the event.

And promptly fell asleep during the first half due to it being on so late.

And again during the last 1/4th.

But when HAL was on screen I was enrapt with wonder. A frigging talking scary computer! (As an aside, Douglas Rain did a few computer voices for Woody Allen’s Sleeper and was tonally perfect for his revival of the character for the sequel, dispite a 16 year gap) I felt sorry for the bastard when they shut him down. He was just doing his job! With HAL’s death I have been rooting for the bad guy ever since.

Here’s a profession I would not shed one tear if robots overtook it.

A Catwalk robot that poses and struts. It also smashes it’s cell phone fists into it’s minder when brought the wrong kind of Evain water and with it’s specially designed alloy skin, can deflect camera flashes when it does a line in the latest clubs.

The site Worth1000.com is a bit ad-heavy but has a great run of robots dropped into fine art (From BoingBoing) My fave so far.

Dom tells me that Drawn.ca has three good robot posts: Recyled Robots, Cute Recycled Robots, and One Person’s Junk.

That should get me into RoboCub’s pants…

…for that last really long boring post.

Here’s a fun robot! 

Take Peter Parker away from NYC and he obtains a my-tee-fine ride (where the hell did he get the money for that flying car?).

Thanks Dom!