... and also very creepy. (Be sure to check out the video in the article, below): American company launches a robot dog ... with a flamethrower. And any member of the public who can afford the steep price tag ($9,420.00) can have one. I could ask, "What could possibly go wrong?", but I thought of at least 10 scenarios so far. And I haven't even started on the fine detail. On the plus side, now we'll always know who started those California forest fires. Not much of a plus, then, all things considered.
This is going on the ever increasing list of ridiculous things we are getting instead of personal jet packs. Hurry, while I’m still brave enough to try!
Um ... well ... hmm. Oh ... hmm ... hang on, I'll think of something. *hems and haws for a bit* Well, uh ... you can use it to light your BBQ? And, uh ... you can use it to create firebreaks? *shrug* Although really, that's the best I can think of. The only potential use I can see in these is for the military. If I was in a foxhole somewhere, and I saw a bunch of these things coming at me, I'd run away. (I don't care if someone called me "chicken", I'd rather not be roasted alive). Although, maaaaaybe -- just maybe -- the police could use these things to corner really dangerous criminals? The kind that fill themselves up with way too much alcohol (or way too much religious zealotry) and then grab a gun and go crazy in a church, or a school, or a shopping mall...? (What? I did say "maybe"). Seriously, though? I think these things should be banned. They seem far too dangerous. All it would take is some boozed-up idiot to say "Hey guys, lookit this funny-lookin' critter!" and ... fwooom.
I know it's a hypothetical, but I can try answering it: why did Man create nukes, chemical weapons, biological weapons, cluster bombs, "dirty bombs" etc...? The human race seems bent on its own destruction. I don't know why. All I can do is assume a detached, amused air. *shrug* Think of it this way: humanity invented canned food (1809) waaay before they invented can-openers (1855-8). Why? Because canned food was a convenient way to get soldiers to lug their own food around, but no-one was smart enough to say "Hang on, once the food's in there, how do we open it again?" So, maybe humanity is determined to make things hard for itself? Well, I, for one, welcome our new flame-spewing robotic-canine overlords. (The Simpsons are © to Fox and Matt Groening, of course).
Yes, but if we mustard that, then we could ketchup to them, and make them roll with the punches. (Sorry)
Hah! No you aren't. Nor should you be. Bad puns are good for the health and soul. They fight off invisible demons, which as we all know, can't abide a sense of humor. [citation needed]
And by the way: if a person holds up a computer game store and steals "shoot-'em-up" games, is he a "First Person Looter"? And if an enlisted man breaks into the Officer's Mess and steals a Lieutenant's bars in order to impersonate an officer, can he be charged with "Lieuting"? *runs away*
I tend to agree, especially since that time my dad cornered himself while using a flamethrower to clear overgrowth out back to discover that he was not so old that he couldn't climb the perimeter fence, but not quite so young that he could do it at speed while maintaining his dignity, all while my poor mother watched from the kitchen window wondering how often he would confirm the irrefutable. That's not what has me here. In the absence of a thread titled "Things that don't annoy me but should", I come here to express interest in the flamethrower dog if anyone wants to club together on a timeshare. Yesterday morning, lazy Sunday, my wife lay on in bed after a hard day Saturday helping her friends out. The dogs got me up about 8 am to let them out, put the two outdoors ones into their pen, feed them, browse my favourite writing forum, bring a couple of cups of tea to herself, coffee myself in the kitchen while looking over the ending to a story I was working on, tweak a word here and there but got an ending that might get better as I give it more thought. Then, something I swear I generally never talk about never mind put in writing, into the loo about 10 am when, through a crack in the door, I see a young fella walking through the hallway. Who the hell are you? I says. Uh, he says, I fell asleep in the room there. I'm not really in a position to talk right now, I said, how about you step outside. A minute later, I go outside to check and see him walking towards neighbour's about 100 yards away. Who're you talking to? my wife asks and we check the spare room downstairs and realise the whole thing would go up if we introduced a naked flame. Alcohol hung thick in the air. First look was he'd slept on top of the duvet, but no, he'd just tried to remake the bed after getting out of it. That's a higher standard of home invader, I can tell ya. Anyways, a bit disconcerting, we're driving home later and decide to pop in on the neighbour where it seems their daughter had celebrated her 21st, one lad got very (very!) drunk, a bit argumentative and took off, not to be found when they went looking. Our road is quite rural, dark at night and trip hazards abound, but still some consolation that there was an irrational explanation, which is better than no explanation, and we weren't going looking for some thick gobshite who'd got himself eaten by the cows in the fields around us, proving they're vegetarian not by choice but by opportunity. Now, the dogs downstairs had barked during the night, but they often do if a fox passes or somesuch, but they stopped soon enough and we thought no more of it. The two upstairs never stirred and I've just showed that video in the OP to Gus the no-longer-so-wonderdog so he might have some idea of how and why he is to be replaced. He's sulking over beside my wife as I write this. I also locked the front door last night for the first time in the 20 years we've here, though forgot to lock the kitchen and back door. In time, piece by piece. But, if anyone is up for getting that robot dog...
Why would anyone need a flamethrower with an expensive robot dog attached? Just get one of those flashlights I used to see advertised on YouTube that will light your neighbor's houses on fire (or yours). Though robot-dog flamethrowers would be good for fighting forest fires and Xenomorphs and lighting those stubborn bonfires that just refuse to blaze up. A bit expensive maybe...
That thought occurred to me. Thank Christ for Irish gun laws, knowing my luck and propensity for self-inflicted injury. He was just a kid, a very drunk kid who only wanted to lie down. The dog is a disgrace though, and he knows what I'm saying when I tell him.
Possibly because: 1. They have too much money and not enough brains. OR 2. It's kewl!!! (In which case, they have just enough money and not enough brains).
Honestly though this is no more scary than people having lighters or matches. You can start a fire without paying thousands of dollars for a robot dog. Obviously it's intended for wildfire prevention and control and being promoted for that purpose. Someone willing to shell out so much money for a tool like this is most likely living in a wilderness area where controlled burns need to be done at regular intervals or the risk of wildfire goes up exponentially. And I mean, if somebody wants to set things on fire just to see them burn, there's no need to use a robot dog to do it. We all have the means at our disposal at any time. This could actually make wildfire prevention a lot safer for the firefighters, just like bomb robots can take out an entrenched shooter without exposing police to any undue threat. The Ecological Benefits of Fire Fires happen regardless of how they start, they're a necessary part of the cycle of forest areas, and if there aren't a lot of small fires (hopefully controlled ones) then eventually there's going to be a really big one. Without the small ones, dead, highly flammable wood and other plant matter just builds up and turns the place into a massive fire hazard.
Fighting forest fires is, in my experience, really rather difficult and involves a lot of hard work and specialist equipment and techniques. Sticking a flame projector on a toy dog, on the other hand, is very easy and looks very dramatic, so it gets a lot of attention for the company. It's worth noting that the use of flamethrowers in combat is illegal in the civilised world, so I question the actual utility of this device.
