| HeraldNet - Snohomish County's online news source |
 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2010 12:22 am |
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Robot invasion: They're on our screens, in our books and on the radio Mildly alarming news here: Robots are taking over.On Thursday, "Terminator Salvation" opened. In another month, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" will clank its way onto screens. Combined, they have an estimated budget of $400 million and will probably blast away all competition. That's not it, though. Robots are everywhere, winning Oscars and Caldecotts, popping up on iTunes. Given the alternative -- Ironic zombies? Vampire heartthrobs? -- that's probably not a bad thing. Robots are nothing new, of course. Leonardo da Vinci dreamed some up in the 1500s. HAL, the computerized brain from "2001: A Space Odyssey," showed us a moody side, while C-3P0 was flummoxed. That aside, robots are at a cultural high-water mark. On the radio, they are an inspiration. Auto-Tune, a pitch-correcting program that can make singers sound robotic, is a favorite tool for Billboard chart- toppers such as Kanye West, who used it on his song "RoboCop," and lil Wayne. Flight of the Conchords, the folk parody duo, also have a song about robots, titled, yes, "Robots." Along with a binary solo, the ironic song features robots that destroy all humans because humankind is destructive. The song makes something clear: Robots love homicide. It's how these things work. There's nothing cuddly about a Terminator, after all, with its skeletal body and oddly human teeth. It looks as much like death as it looks like us. That's just one end of the spectrum, though. At the other, you have the "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" and "Wall-E." "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" won a Caldecott Medal in 2008 for children's book author and artist Brian Selznick. In it, a primitive robot helps solve a mystery about an orphan's father. The book is being made into a movie by the director of 2005's "Robots." Seriously. Selznick's book takes place in the past. "Wall-E," which won an Academy Award in February, jumps to the future to tell the story of a curious robot that helps save humankind from its slothful, big-box ways. Which brings us to the Big Question: What's with all the robots? You can use the old sci-fi cliche, saying they represent either fear or optimism about the future. You can take the chrome-plated Frankenstein route and say they are creation gone awry. Or you can argue for the old standby, free will. They usually end up thinking for themselves, after all. Granted, if robots end up dominating the box office -- and there's a good chance they will -- the answer could prove simpler: These cyborgs generate money like they generate intrigue: with ease. Want more robots? |
- Sorry, Hawkeye; M*A*S*H gets bowled over
- Former Whidbey student shot
- County archive software paid for but waiting for set-up
- Ruling expected on Sultan beating statement
- ‘Roadkill’ caucus seeks a voice for centrist Democrats
- Police seek witnesses in two accidents
- PAWS calls out for critter care-givers
- Boeing has a busy test schedule
- Ex-Boeing engineer jailed for espionage
- Morning mystery: What happened to House Bill 3181?
- State Senate votes to toss I-960's tax-raising hurdle
(9) - Lynnwood sets height limit on grass: 8 inches (9)
- School levies in Snohomish County all passing, Marysville bond failing (6)
- A tidy lawn could be law in Lynnwood (4)
- Vote on school levies by Tuesday (3)
- Two suspects sought in Everett shooting that injured two (3)
- County archive software paid for but waiting for set-up (3)
- Former Whidbey student shot (2)
- Everett man charged with assault in attempt to circumcise son at home (2)
- Everett rethinks boutique wineries (2)
- Jackson girls outlast Meadowdale owdale
- OBT raises barre in children’s program
- Junior firefighters
- School levies passing
- Mavericks topple Wolfpack
- Get a second look at Second City Feb. 13
- Sports Briefs
- Warriors advance 11 to regional meet
- Arlington's Cascade Valley Hospital celebrates expansion, national award and 100 years of service
- Business Licences Feb. 2010
- Technology tips for launching your own business
- Business Events Feb. 2010
- Tech Talk: No excuse today for going without a Web site
- State already raising fees and rates that restrict business growth
- Some legislators again targeting people’s initiative petition rights
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