Microsoft Robots to Watch Kids 544
Archangel Michael writes "Microsoft announced today that is testing a new toy / robot
to watch over kids. My question is, if the toy BSOD does it take the
kid with it? Now we are letting inanimate objects raise our kids! When
will it end?"
Sounds like Awesomo! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Sounds like Awesomo! (Score:5, Insightful)
Forget Awesomo. What about the glowing box in the living room? "Raising Children Since the 50's" (tm)
Obligatory quote... (Score:5, Funny)
I hope they didn't re-use the Clippy code (Score:5, Funny)
Just wait... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Just wait... (Score:3, Funny)
Umm... (Score:5, Funny)
perspective please (Score:5, Insightful)
You mean "as opposed to the warm and healthy TV-education kids have been raised by in the past 15 years" ? At least this robot might create the opportunity to go play outside.
Stop seeing everything so negative
Re:perspective please (Score:5, Insightful)
I feel the more important point is that no amount of television or 'nanny robots' can protect a child, and also help along its development, as well as genuine parental interaction, or general human interaction.
The solution for that is... (Score:2, Funny)
Just imagine the Slashdot posts by then:
"Thats what happens when you deregulate the robotics market. The fact they license by number of children is unfair!! What if one of my kids is a clone!?!? I want my kids to be raised by an open source father."
Re:perspective please (Score:5, Insightful)
Come on, don't have kids unless you're gonna take care of them.
Re:perspective please (Score:5, Funny)
Re:perspective please (Score:5, Funny)
yeah. What you going to do? chain your kid to the robot and spring for the extra nice mag wheels to drag the little fecker into the "big blue room" on command?
Re:perspective please (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:perspective please (Score:5, Insightful)
Stop seeing everything so negative"
TV shows did not raise me. My mother did. TV shows were simply a form of entertainment and in no way a replacement for time spent with a human.
Call it being "negative" if you want, but I think your naive. Besides, a Microsoft robot? Come on!
Re:perspective please (Score:3, Insightful)
Looking these threads makes me wonder if anyone actually reads the article (and no, I'm not new here, I know that few do).
This is about a teddy bear that sits in the corner. The only thing that moves on it is its head. Not much of a robot! It doesn't appear to do anything more than act as an interface so that a parent could observe and possibly communicate with the child through VOIP.
This would never replace a human. It's more of a co
The horror! (Score:5, Funny)
Does anyone else think that this could be the scariest thing ever? Especially if they make a clown version?
And what about... (Score:5, Interesting)
Now, am I really going to trust a Microsoft security system to ascertain that it really is the plumber, rather than some smackhead from down the street?
Re:And what about... (Score:4, Interesting)
Image recognition just isn't that good yet, imho.
Re:The horror! (Score:5, Funny)
'Can't sleep, clown will eat me....!'
Re:The horror! (Score:5, Funny)
And at 2am the child wakes up screaming, after someone hacked into the robot and played a recording of Chucky?
They are here to protect us... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:The horror! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:The horror! (Score:3, Funny)
Can't sleep, clown will eat me...
agh (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:agh (Score:2)
And most certainly don't shoot it in the mouth...
Re:agh (Score:5, Informative)
Besides, this isn't just old news [cnn.com]. It still happens [themacobserver.com].
Yeah, yeah, just a repeat of the AI plot... (Score:2)
(Teddy from the movie with Haley Joel Osment: AI: Artificial Intelligence [imdb.com])
Microsoft Robot is a Teddy Bear
Re:Super Toys Last All Summer Long... (Score:3, Funny)
Linux (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Linux (Score:5, Funny)
So not only will the child have dependencies on her teddy bear, but the teddy bear will have dependencies of its own?
BSOD (Score:5, Insightful)
I know it's physically capable of a BSOD, but really, has anyone ever seen XP or 2000 SP3 actually BSOD on a regular basis. My experience is that XP itself is incredibly stable. Infinitely more so than 95 or 98.
Re:BSOD (Score:2, Informative)
Re:BSOD (Score:2)
Re:BSOD (Score:3, Informative)
Ahh, yes, the joys of having a $300 audio card that BSOD's because Windows doesn't deal with the drivers well. I had a very similar problem
Remove all drivers in Safe Mode. Make sure nothing is in the 'Recycle (preserve viruses) Folder. Delete all temporary files. Reboot, and install up-to-date drivers.
Re:BSOD (Score:2, Informative)
Patrick
Re:BSOD (Score:5, Funny)
Congratulations on getting a post that included this sentence to be modded "Informative"
Re:BSOD (Score:2)
Re:BSOD (Score:3, Informative)
C:\> ping localhost [enter] [F7] [enter] [f7] [enter] [f7] [enter]
STOP CONDITION...
Not fixed until SP4 (or was it 6?)...
But yeah, I haven't seen XP BSOD without turning off "immidiately reboot on crash" either
Re:BSOD (Score:4, Funny)
Re:BSOD (Score:5, Informative)
1. Start regedit. (If you are unfamiliar with regedit, please refer to this FAQ)
2. Navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\
3. Create a new DWORD value and name it CrashOnCtrlScroll
4. Right-click on this newly created value and click on Modify
5. Enter 1 in the Value data field and click on OK.
6. Close regedit and reboot your system.
7. Now you can blue screen (crash) your system by holding the right CTRL key and pressing "Scroll Lock" twice.
Note:
Your system may reboot or show a blue screen whenever this crash is initiated. If your system reboots after initiating the crash, and you want to see the blue screen, follow these steps:
1. Go to Control Panel > System
2. Click on the Advanced tab
3. Under Startup and Recovery, click the Settings button.
4. Under System failure, uncheck the option Automatically restart.
Happy crashing...
cudos to http://www.tweakxp.com/article140073.aspx [tweakxp.com]
Mandatory ... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:BSOD (Score:3, Informative)
MTW
MS Support Tells You How-to: (Score:3, Informative)
i imagine this is very, very helpful to some developers who work with data protection and need to test-crash junk all the time.
Re:BSOD (Score:2, Informative)
I'm a Linux user, and I have had blue screens on every Win OS between 95 and Win2k3 Server. Win 3 used to just freeze or drop back to DOS.
Re:BSOD (Score:5, Insightful)
You can hardly personally insult on someone based on their opinion of something.
In reality, a lot of 2000 and XP systems are pretty stable, and certainly don't BSOD enough for it to be called "regular" which is the point he was making.
Is everyone who holds such a valid opinion "an idiot"?
Re:BSOD (Score:3, Informative)
You may notice that the original poster said I know it's physically capable of a BSOD, but really, has anyone ever seen XP or 2000 SP3 actually BSOD on a regular basis. My experience is that XP itself is incredibly stable. Infinitely more so than 95 or 98.
Note he said XP/2000 don't regularly bluescreen, he did not say they never bluescreen. Please learn to read more carefully.
Re:BSOD (Score:3, Interesting)
By the way, has Toshiba improved at all within the last couple of years? I've seen nothing but shit
Re:BSOD (Score:2, Funny)
That's what inevitable means.
Re:BSOD (Score:2, Funny)
Because Microsoft replaced the technology on win 2k and xp with Gray Screen of Shutdown.
Re:BSOD (Score:3, Informative)
Re:BSOD (Score:3, Funny)
yes.
My experience is that XP itself is incredibly stable. Infinitely more so than 95 or 98.
A three legged stool with one leg missing and a bad woodworm infestation standing on the back of an enraged bull being sodomised with a cheese grater in an earthquake zone is more stable than 98 or 95.
Re:BSOD (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:BSOD (Score:2)
Re:BSOD (Score:3, Informative)
I'd say on average I get one or two BSODs in a month. Mostly this is driver related (e.g. Nvidia + HL2), but I have instances where the machine has blue screened for no apparant reason whatsoever. The machine was under some kind of load, e.g. a compiler + some apps and then *poof* it blue screened with some kind of NTOSKRNL exception. C
Re:BSOD (Score:3, Informative)
If you think XP is all that you are dreaming. I've seen XP machines so infested with spyware and whatnot that
Look, he made a BSOD joke! He's funny AND original (Score:3, Insightful)
Yeah, because they've augmented BSODs with C4 explosives now. Glad you caught that. Now we are letting inanimate objects raise our kids!
Yeah, this is new. Nevermind radios, TVs, arcades, game consoles, computers, the internet, Slashdot, etc....
Re:Look, he made a BSOD joke! He's funny AND origi (Score:4, Insightful)
It's like the community in "the real world", it's not really alive as a whole, but it's still there and evolving and developing.. and you get less dupes in the real world.
Re:Look, he made a BSOD joke! He's funny AND origi (Score:3, Informative)
Then I RTFA and see it's a baby monitoring device. Everyone can simma down nah.
Obligatory Bender reference (Score:3, Funny)
Do you think Bill Gates will keep a universal robot remote control in her bra like Mom?
k, gotta be useful here (Score:5, Insightful)
"If you dont want to watch your kids, you shouldnt have had them". there its said, its out, and thats it.
Personally the highlight of my day is coming home and spending the 5 or so hours with my wife and daughter. I spend the entire time playing with the little girl, its amazing what they do when you watch them, you can see their little outlooks forming, I really do think I have a good idea what she will be like in 3-4 years, as well as in 10-20 years. I really cant wait, but am enjoying every minute I have.
Some may say that robots could make life easier when you want to do little things like cook dinner, or take a shower, stick the kid in a bouncy seat, or exersaucer and bring em with you. My daughter loves to watch me cook (from a safe splatter free distance).
my $.02
Re:k, gotta be useful here (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:k, gotta be useful here (Score:2)
--Blade
Re:k, gotta be useful here (Score:2)
well aren't you just a bright ray of sunshine in the morning.....
*rolls eyes*
Re:k, gotta be useful here (Score:3, Insightful)
It's depressing. Even when I was watching cartoons as a kid my parents and grandparents still watched them with me.
It's a little more complex then that. (Score:3, Insightful)
Quit frankly, this country need a big push to go back to a single income families.
Re:It's a little more complex then that. (Score:3, Insightful)
Men just wouldn't know what to do with themselves.
Clippy (Score:5, Funny)
Kids nowadays... (Score:5, Funny)
You've obviously never hired a teenage babysitter...
Re:Kids nowadays... (Score:2)
When will it end? (Score:2, Insightful)
-have children
-raised by nanny
-in school at 3 years (pre-school)
How much time are they committing to this? Why not a robot, probably cheaper.
*By society here I am (sadly) referring to American society.
Re:When will it end? (Score:2, Interesting)
MOD PARENT UP (Score:3, Insightful)
Technology is not a substitute for people and American culture is becoming so enamoured with technology to the point of forgetting what matters- family, values, and human contact.
Of course who's to say in the far future that we'll have robots that imitate humans so well that some robots are more emphatic and caring than some people that walk the earth.
Gate's Laws of Robotics (Score:5, Funny)
2) A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
Re:Gate's Laws of Robotics (Score:5, Funny)
(Remember that Robocop boots in DOS.)
Microsoft, scapegoat, evil empire, 'ware provider (Score:4, Insightful)
In a sense, we've been letting inanimate objects help raise our children for a LONG time, from stuffed dolls to cradles.
Microsoft builds something that probably serves as a monitor, and suddenly this tool is evil.
If Microsoft develops a screwdriver, will people refuse to use it?
Re:Microsoft, scapegoat, evil empire, 'ware provid (Score:2)
Seriously, yes there are people that won't use anything stamped with Microsoft. Except and X-Box or a mouse or a keyboard, but they are different because they are kewl. It's possible to colour everything that Microsoft do as evil if you want to.
Re:Microsoft, scapegoat, evil empire, 'ware provid (Score:2)
I am glad to see someone else can observe the thick veil of hypocracy people seem to take when MS is involved. I believe that if MS did develop a better screwdriver, that you would see a great number of people decry that all screwdrive
Re:Microsoft, scapegoat, evil empire, 'ware provid (Score:2)
"It's not how you get there, but the goal that matters. "
"It's not the goal that matters, but how you get there."
No, it's a reaso
In other news (Score:5, Funny)
Re:In other news (Score:5, Funny)
Um Thats TV's job (Score:5, Funny)
sarah Conner (Score:5, Funny)
Well Im here to babysit your child.
you can Download driver updates at MSky.net
Thank you for updating The babysiters web browser Please reboot me
Ill be back
All right! (Score:3, Funny)
Re:All right! (Score:2, Funny)
kiddy fiddlers! (Score:2)
Robot OS? (Score:2)
Just IMAGINE the EULA on this thing! (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Just IMAGINE the EULA on this thing! (Score:4, Funny)
When will it end?? (Score:2)
I'd say sometime after 2029 A.D. [wikipedia.org]
When will it end? (Score:2)
Either way, I'm sure they'll do a better job than most parents.
Inanimate? (Score:3, Interesting)
What good is an inanimate robot?
You've taken out your Jump-To-Conclusions Mats... (Score:3, Insightful)
Prototype != Product on Shelves
Look at car companies, they've been making prototypes for a long time, usually to see how the market responds to a design to test the waters so the vehicle doesn't dive when it's released. Plus, back in the '80's, remember when robots were supposed to be the "new thing", they had robots on display doing household chores, living up to the Jetsons ideal house. As far as I can see the only persistent robot presence is the prohibitively expensive Roomba vacuum cleaner which itself can't be too complex of a robot.
I guess people just want to regurgitate more BSOD jokes at Microsoft's undefensible expensive. Good job on the originality, guys...
HEADLINE (Score:3, Funny)
(ap) A brief but violent incident between a new Microsoft 'nanny' robot and an Internet user was reported today.
"I had just activated the nanny robot and placed it next to my keyboard when I tried to access the Internet for further instructons" said the victim. "Suddenly the robot attacked me, biting my hands and trying to chew off my fingers. I just barely escaped. I had to beat the robot to death with my baseball bat. The only thing I can imagine why it attacked was because I was using the Firefox browser, and not Internet Explorer."
The visibly-shaken victim's injuries were treated at a local hospital, and he was released. Microsoft had no comment, other than to say there will be a patch issued soon.
--30--
Log error message (Score:3, Funny)
Danger! (Score:3, Funny)
The Prophecy of Laurie Anderson (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:What do you mean, "now"? (Score:2)
If you don't believe me, just ask the easter bunny.
he is (Score:3, Funny)
Heavens to mergatroyd!
Re:Micro$oft Child Assimilation Program v1.0 (Score:2)