Slog - Comments on Don't Expect Any Mercy During the Great Robot Wars http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r An elderly man has killed himself by programming a robot to shoot him in the head after building the machine from plans downloaded from the internet. Francis Tovey, 81, who lived alone in Burleigh Heads on the Australian Gold Coast, was found dead in his driveway. Notes left by Mr Tovey — who was born in England — revealed that he had scoured the internet for plans before constructing his complex machine, which involved a jigsaw power tool and was connected to a .22 semi-automatic pistol loaded with four bullets. It could fire multiple shots once triggered remotely. At... Copyright 2008 Thu, 20 Mar 2008 15:46:49 -0800 Sun, 23 Mar 2008 00:08:37 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by Fifty-Two-Eighty Hey. it got the job done, didn't it?

]]> Fifty-Two-Eighty http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975436 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975436 News Thu, 20 Mar 2008 15:50:36 -0800 Comment by catnextdoor huevos= do it yourself.

and no, its not a robot in the traditional sense, by any means.

]]> catnextdoor http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975438 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975438 News Thu, 20 Mar 2008 15:51:18 -0800 Comment by elenchos I thought killing its creator is what makes it a robot. Isn't that what a robot is or am I thinking of an android?

]]> elenchos http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975458 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975458 News Thu, 20 Mar 2008 15:59:31 -0800 Comment by Jay Rise of the suicide machines.

]]> Jay http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975459 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975459 News Thu, 20 Mar 2008 15:59:42 -0800 Comment by vooodooo84 That violates the first of the Three laws of robotics

]]> vooodooo84 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975461 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975461 News Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:00:45 -0800 Comment by monkey I was expecting this to be another Big Dog story.

]]> monkey http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975463 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975463 News Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:01:09 -0800 Comment by Fifty-Two-Eighty I've been hoping all day that someone would post the story about the handyman (from Arkansas?) who had "GIT R DONE" tattooed on his forehead. His wife thinks he's crazy - go figure. (And no, I don't have a link for you; sorry.)

]]> Fifty-Two-Eighty http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975469 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975469 News Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:06:15 -0800 Comment by mintygreen no, but KILLER ROBOTS makes better headlines than : Suicidal Man duct-tapes a gun to a bunch of other metal shit

]]> mintygreen http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975471 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975471 News Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:07:37 -0800 Comment by vooodooo84 @7 um they fucking posted that yesterday. http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/remember_this_guy

]]> vooodooo84 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975482 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975482 News Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:14:24 -0800 Comment by nbc If he'd "scoured the internet" a little harder, he would have had the balls to go with the Cadbury Surprise:

http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=manly_suicide

]]> nbc http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975484 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975484 News Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:14:48 -0800 Comment by Bont How on earth does an 81 year old man know how to use the internet?

]]> Bont http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975486 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975486 News Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:15:21 -0800 Comment by Queen Vidor You gotta admit, the dude had style.

]]> Queen Vidor http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975504 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975504 News Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:23:55 -0800 Comment by Fifty-Two-Eighty Sorry, @9, even I don't read EVERYTHING here.

]]> Fifty-Two-Eighty http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975509 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975509 News Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:26:35 -0800 Comment by infrequent @3, it's android that you're thinking of.

]]> infrequent http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975521 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975521 News Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:38:36 -0800 Comment by gfish I'm totally offended that people would call that a robot. It belittles my entire, still-almost-completely-useless field of study!

]]> gfish http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975524 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975524 News Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:39:49 -0800 Comment by Big Sven @10: I felt like the author started off strong, but then couldn't maintain the zany energy. Though the Cadbury Surprise was good.

]]> Big Sven http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975543 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975543 News Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:50:01 -0800 Comment by Charity Rube Goldberg would be proud.

]]> Charity http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975551 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975551 News Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:58:08 -0800 Comment by COMTE Oh great, now that they've got a taste for blood, we might as well just hand things over to them as of today.

Come to think of it, they probably couldn't do a WORSE job of mucking things up than some of the humans currently in charge.

]]> COMTE http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975567 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975567 News Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:04:54 -0800 Comment by Will in Seattle @5 - yeah, but since Arthur C. Clarke died, the robot decided what the heck ...

]]> Will in Seattle http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975581 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975581 News Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:11:09 -0800 Comment by yucca flower Hal?

]]> yucca flower http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975582 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975582 News Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:11:46 -0800 Comment by gary7 Shout out to Sealab 2021 from the headline!

My favorite episode, too!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sealab_2021

]]> gary7 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975590 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975590 News Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:14:08 -0800 Comment by w7ngman "Is duct-taping a bunch of shit together really the same as building a robot?"

No.

This has been another edition of simple answers to simple questions.


(Even funnier though, they said he programmed it).

]]> w7ngman http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975606 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975606 News Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:27:36 -0800 Comment by some dude .

bring on the robot hoard.

]]> some dude http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975626 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975626 News Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:49:51 -0800 Comment by some dude fucking html if you didn't pay my bills i would hate you.

i'm prepared.

]]> some dude http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975630 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975630 News Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:52:30 -0800 Comment by Bob Not as funny as the 14 year old boy who built a blowjob robot out of a circular saw and a bench grinder.

]]> Bob http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975638 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975638 News Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:58:44 -0800 Comment by sleestak @21 - I'm right there with you. Best episode by far (although I do like the one with Bucket Head Wendy).

I have the strength of a bear that has the strength of two bears.

]]> sleestak http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975753 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975753 News Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:08:31 -0800 Comment by NapoleonXIV It's not a killer robot if it can't hunt you down....

]]> NapoleonXIV http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975756 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c975756 News Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:20:29 -0800 Comment by tensor Whomever predicted the robots would enslave us all was clearly being far too optimistic.

]]> tensor http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c976992 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c976992 News Sun, 23 Mar 2008 00:07:19 -0800 Comment by tensor Also, I for one welcome our killer robot overlords. Or else.

]]> tensor http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c976993 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/dont_expect_any_mercy_during_the_great_r#c976993 News Sun, 23 Mar 2008 00:08:37 -0800