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US War Robots Recalled from Iraq
jhocking:
My first instinct is to throw up my Carnegie Mellon gang sign. Nevertheless, that is seriously cool.
schimmy:
--- Quote from: jhocking on 25 Apr 2008, 05:43 ---
--- Quote from: Nodaisho on 24 Apr 2008, 23:20 ---jhocking, robot sentries would not be as much of a problem as mines, unless they had really good batteries. Batteries run down faster than mines cease to work.
--- End quote ---
That is a good point. So I guess robot sentries aren't completely insane until someone gets the idea of outfitting them with nuclear power.
--- End quote ---
Would there not still be in issue with the fact that the robots are presumably carrying permanently armed guns? Even if the actual robot can't move or function anymore, it still has the gun connected to it, which will presumably be able to go off.
The point is probably moot, though, since these robots are presumably very expensive, they aren't just going to be left behind when the fighting is over, the army will take them and use them elsewhere.
a pack of wolves:
--- Quote from: Nodaisho on 24 Apr 2008, 23:20 ---And aPoW, Terry Pratchett writes books that are fantasy, he doesn't try to be realistic.
jhocking, robot sentries would not be as much of a problem as mines, unless they had really good batteries. Batteries run down faster than mines cease to work.
--- End quote ---
What I was saying was that not even the author you took the quote from which you say sums up your feelings agrees with the standpoint you've taken. In fact, they reject it completely. It's also not a view which is holds up very well in regards to the subject being discussed, since only 39 states haven't signed the treaty banning anti-personnel land mines, and this has come about due to public pressure on those states and has reduced deaths caused by land mines. The reason not all states have banned them is because we, as individuals, haven't acted collectively in order to stop them. Large scale action may be required to do anything but it always begins at the individual level. You have more power than you have been led to think.
The problem with these robot guns is the same as with land mines in some ways, since they make killing remote and therefore easier and less problematic for those doing it. I imagine it would be fairly easy to have a situation where they were situated around an area, hooked up to a large central power source and then left when the forces that placed them there go. It's surprising the amount of stuff militaries are prepared to waste. It'll be a while before they become as dangerous to civilians as something like cluster bombs, but it could well happen.
Slick:
--- Quote from: jhocking on 25 Apr 2008, 05:43 ---Fine, you're not a nihilist, you're defeatist.
--- End quote ---
My initial use of the the word 'nihilism' was hyperbole. Apologizes for the undue stress to all parties involved.
I guess we have been over this, but the point is, the government is there for you. If you and all your friends get together and say 'no more mines, motherfuckers', something may change. But if everyone's a defeatist, nothing changes.
Thaes:
I might as well throw my two cents into this and say that I agree. Although individuals can hardly ever affect the world around them in any meaningful way, groups of determined individuals can make a difference. All they need is a little effort.
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