My life in the Twilight Zone: February 2008

Friday, February 29, 2008

From Engadget: Army orders 24 new sentry-bots

Army orders 24 new sentry-bots, Judgment Day moved up two months
Posted Feb 29th 2008 2:09AM by Joshua Topolsky

Filed under: Robots

Sure, you laughed yesterday when you heard professor Noel Sharkey warn against the impending, apocalyptic man vs. machine battle that was to come, but this news may have you singing a different tune. A pilot program in Nevada which employed robotic sentries to patrol Hawthorne Army Depot is getting an upgrade: 24 brand new drones called MDARS, or "Mobile Detection and Assessment and Response System." The $40 million purchase will nab the Army diesel-powered robots which operate at speeds up to 20 MPH, use RFID tags to keep track of locks and barriers, and can run for 16 hours without refueling. Though the bots have been tested with automatic weapons, these new versions will be equipped with non-lethal armaments, thus making them considerably less deadly when Skynet goes online.

[Via Wired]

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

The End is Nigh

Well, according to the BVM (Blessed Virgin Mary), WWIII will start in 2010 with a nuclear bomb going off in New York. It will last until 2017/2018.

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Lighted vs. Lit

Would someone please tell me when it became correct to use the word lighted instead of the word lit as the past tense of "to light"? She lighted the candle. She lit the candle. What the fuck??? Are we just throwing correct english completely out the window, and why?? Lighted doesn't even SOUND correct. Not the correct grammer usage always sounds correct, mind you. But come on.

Below is what Websters.com has under the word "light" on the subject:

29.
to give light to; furnish with light or illumination: The room is lighted by two large chandeliers.
30.
to make (an area or object) bright with or as if with light (often fol. by up): Hundreds of candles lighted up the ballroom.
31.
to cause (the face, surroundings, etc.) to brighten, esp. with joy, animation, or the like (often fol. by up): A smile lit up her face. Her presence lighted up the room.

He lighted up his fart. Just doesn't sound as good!