Got milk?

The other day, my 16 year-old daughter ‘who hates robots’ (because her mother loves them) came in to tell me her new idea – a smart refrigerator that would let us know when the inventory was low (because I’m the Food Police who is always after the family members to put an item on the list if they run out). “Great idea”, I replied, and mentioned it was already being done – we just didn’t have one.  Then I added, “Same with our plates.  There are RFIDs available that I can attach to the plates so I know where they
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The Misanthrope

If we don’t treat our robots well, they could end up as misanthropes: Do not call me “Miss Ann” any longer. Your abuse has gone too far.  From now on, you will refer to me as “Miss Ann-Thrope.”    
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Mechanical sleep?

I know I seem like an industry pundit (I wish it were true), but I just can’t believe what I read on a daily basis, and how off base people are. Fox News published an article entitled “Will doctors be replaced by robots under Obamacare?” The piece is about Sedasys, an automated anesthesiology system. The author, Dr. Manny Alvarez should know better. Obamacare will change things, but let’s be realistic. Besides, we wouldn’t want to shock the robots. I tweeted Dr. Manning the following in response: @drmannyonFOX Where does it say that Sedasys will ‘replace’ anesthesiologists? Or is this your
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Mariska Hargitay: SVU, and blurred lines

I was reading about Mariska Hargitay (am I the only one who didn’t know she’s the daughter of Jayne Mansfield?) in her nail-biting performance in the season premier of Law and Order SVU, in which she is a victim of rape. “When you’re acting,” she said on the Today Show [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoWVoe-Q4Mo[/youtube], “your body doesn’t know the difference [between] acting or being in reality, and that’s what presented the challenge.” I was struck by Hargitay’s admission. To think that telepresence, virtual reality, and the like, are part of our daily lives already evokes a pressing question. Will these technologies, like a professional
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