Have we learned nothing from the movies? Just as predicted in
I, Robot
and The Terminator, the human race is about to get its ass kicked by a bunch of robots. Case in point…Asimo, created by Honda Worldwide:
Looks kinda cute doesn’t it? 10 seconds after this picture was taken emergency crews were hosing that poor Asian girl’s guts off the walls and Asmio was miles away beating an idiot savant at chess while its built-in jet pack cooled down. Not really, but that is a scenario that is coming ever closer. Actually, I think 10 seconds after this photo was taken Asimo fell down, but this is an old photo. Asimo has had improvements since then.
Asimo was first developed back in 1986. At that point it was really nothing more than a toaster with two eyes drawn on it. Since then, Asimo has developed the ability to walk, run, talk, recognize faces and fall down less. And Asimo can now charge itself. When it “feels” like it is running low on human killing energy it can plug itself into a charger to refresh its batteries!
“The back is slightly modified so he can plug himself into a charger,” said William De Braekeleer of Honda Motor, Europe.
Brilliant design move Honda! Thank you for the unstoppable killing machine!
Honda Worldwide has actually built another Asimo and the two Asimos can work together as a team. The two Asimos put on an impressive demonstration a few days ago wherein they interacted with people by taking drink orders and then worked together to make the orders and deliver them back to their “customers.” This ability to interact will come in handy when they are replicating themselves for worldwide domination.
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My buddy Mike from DumbDistraction.com owns a lot of DVDs. By “a lot” I mean well over 700. Yes, over 700. He’s got several gigantic bookshelves packed with them. If one of these bookshelves were to fall over, the weight of falling DVDs could easily crush a small child into pulp. And, of course, they are all alphabetized and categorized in a computer database by genre. If you’re going to be insane enough to buy 700 DVDs you’d better be insane enough to maintain a strict inventory of your obsession, I always say. I’m the same with toenail clippings. I have several years worth all cataloged by length and date in my kitchen pantry. Haha! Just kidding! I keep them in the attic.
I don’t really know what Mike does with all of his DVDs. I assume he watches them when he gets them in, usually from DVD Empire, and then just crams them into one of the bookshelves. His is a fairly varied collection. He’s got a ton of great flicks in there, of course, but then if you look closely you’ll also find a bunch of weird stuff that was only in theaters for about a week sometime in the late 80’s. Stuff like Weekend at Bernies 12: Bernie’s Gettin’ Leathery and Gary Coleman’s Ninja Death Army.
Personally, I think Mike should rent his DVDs out to make a few extra bucks, but I know he would never do this. He’s a little protective of them. I was late getting a DVD back to him that I borrowed a few months ago and he put a lien on my house.
If you’re a movie nut with a huge collection of DVDs and you want to make a few extra bucks renting them out - or if you don’t own enough DVDs but are interested in the biz - here’s a few places that can help you out:
I Let You
Zone 3 Turnkey Rental Franchise
DVD Rental System
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If you don’t have one of these within a 10 mile radius of your house, then you need to move. These DVD rental kiosks are popping up all over the place and for good reason: they are the greatest invention ever! I remember the first time I heard about these things. A buddy mentioned renting a DVD from a vending machine for a buck. I almost didn’t catch what he had just said. He had said it so nonchalantly, as if this wasn’t the single most outstanding thing created by man since the cure for polio, that it took a second to register in my brain. “Wait, wait, wait! Are you telling me there is a machine that allows me to insert a credit card and rent a DVD?” I said. He said, “Yep.” And my head almost exploded.
One of the many wonderful things about these is that they can fit anywhere - restaurants, convenience stores, airports, restrooms, cemeteries - which means you can get your hands on a DVD virtually anywhere! Even though I also use an online service to rent DVDs, I use these kiosks on a regular basis. If a movie pops into my head while I’m in the Quick-E-Mart buying beer and gum, odds are I can get it right there from the DVD kiosk! Whereas, normally I would completely forget about it and never add it to my online rental cue…some of this blame on the beer.
Another thing I love about these things is that there is no human contact. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m no xenophobe or people hater, but if I can go an entire day without interacting with another human being that is a good day for me. Thanks to the DVD kiosk you no longer have to deal with some smart ass movie know-it-all behind a check out counter.
I’m seriously considering buying one of these on some sort of franchise deal…maybe 2 of them. I could put one in a convenience store and just set the other one up in my living room!
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