Finally eliminating the need for cumbersome waiters, British restaurant chain Yo! Sushi is testing out a drone to deliver its sodium-soaked food to patrons. Creatively dubbed the iTray, the “flying waiter” zips around the restaurant at speeds of up to 25 miles per hour to ensure an unsafe and nerve-wrecking dining experience. Read More
Watch Saturday Night Live skewer Google Glass-obsessed tech reporters. [The Verge]
A drone got stuck on a statue on top of a courthouse in Ohio. Welcome to the future! [AP]
“When some future Mars colonist is able to open his browser and watch a cat in a shark suit chasing a duck while riding a roomba, they will have Vint Cerf to thank.” Mmmkay. [Wired]
Betabeat feels obliged to point out that the world’s first 3D-printed gun, the “Liberator,” has the same name as a sex pillow. [Forbes]
The sci fi folk at Tor Books say removing DRM hasn’t put a dent in its ebook sales. [Ars Technica]
Hey, you! You who hates everything. I’m diggin’ your smirk. Boy, have we got something to show you. If you thought flashmob wedding proposals were bad, get a load of this: some guy actually used an aerial drone to propose to his girlfriend. Because nothing says romance like “unmanned aerial craft that’s typically used to kill people.” Read More
Does the prospect of Skynet keep you awake at night? Well, now there’s something you can do to fight your fears, besides chucking your Sarah Connor Chronicles DVDs. The BBC reports that yesterday, the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots officially launched in London.
The group is exactly what it sounds like. Founded by reps from nine different NGOs, including the Human Rights Watch, International Committee for Robot Arms Control and Nobel Women’s Initiative, the campaign wants a “pre-emptive and comprehensive ban” on fully autonomous weapons. Read More
Yesterday the Senate held a hearing on drones, to discuss whether privacy laws can handle a sudden proliferation of cheap, lightweight aircraft perfectly designed for unlawful surveillance. Can the cops now hover over your carefully hidden pot crop? Can the sex offender down the street now peek into your second-story window? How are corporations Read More
Well look who’s scroogling screwing people now. The European Union has fined Microsoft $731 million for violating its promise to offer consumers a choice of web browser. Probably because when given a choice, no one will pick Internet Explorer. [Reuters]
Facebook plans to announce better ways to filter News Feed content at tomorrow’s big press event, including being able to view just Instagram photos. Photos will also appear larger for posts and, of course, ads. [TechCrunch]
What happens when you share Beyonce files on BitTorrent? Sony smacks you with a $233,000 damages lawsuit. That’s what you get for stealing from Queen Bey, we suppose. [TorrentFreak]
The FBI is secretly spying on some Google users, though because of national security, Google can only give an estimate of how many accounts have been tapped. [Wired]
JFK employees reportedly saw a drone aircraft flying around yesterday, and now the FBI wants your help tracking it. [Motherboard]
The drone invasion is practically upon us: The FAA is authorizing various police departments to fly unmanned aerial vehicles; Chris Anderson left Wired to focus on his drone hobbyist startup. But it seems some folks are none too keen on the idea of eyes in the sky surveying their yards, and you will probably not be too surprised to learn some of those opponents live in Texas.
Mamas, don’t let your babies grow up to be drone-operating snoops. Read More
If we’ve learned anything from a hundred years of science fiction, it’s that handing over a) guns and b) any serious amount of authority to robots is not going to end well. However, the Pentagon doesn’t make R&D decisions based on Battlestar Galactica. Military drones are still controlled by humans, but for how long? Lest Read More
