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Robot Suicide Ad Changed By GM
The robot suicide ad aired by General Motors during the Super Bowl last week was criticized by many for sending "dangerous and insensitive messages," even though the depiction in the movie only turned out to be a robot fantasy.
(General motors robot leaps from bridge)
Personally, I thought it was much more insensitive to the many GM workers (including more than 100,000 in Flint, Michigan) who have been laid off in the last decade, many of them replaced by robots here and abroad.
If you want to have funny, depressed robots, look no further than Marvin the robot from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
(Marvin the Robot from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)
Although the movie version of Marvin was played to the hilt by a great acting combo (Warwick Davis w/Alan Rickman providing the voice), I still like the book version.
In the corner, the robot's head swung up sharply, but then wobbled about imperceptibly. It pulled itself up to its feet as if it was about five pounds heavier that it actually was, and made what an outside observer would have thought was a heroic effort to cross the room. It stopped in front of Trillian and seemed to stare through her left shoulder.“I think you ought to know I'm feeling very depressed,” it said. Its voice was low and hopeless.
(Read more about Marvin the Robot)
Read the depressing details at GM changing robot ad.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 2/11/2007)
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Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
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