Image Cache: GlaDOS and HAL9000 Are Separated At Birth, Or Lovers?

Both machines are killers, but which one is less evil? Which one would kill you more humanely? [Pickaklas]

HAL 9000 Papercraft Will, At Some Point, Cut You

We know. He certainly looks cute and harmless. But sooner or later, the HAL 9000 (freely printable papercraft version) could get a small, unintentional dent in the side. "I'll just toss him in the shredder for another," you say out of earshot from the harmless little paper computer. Or so you thought... [Mr. Hal 9000 via Botropolis]

The Amazing Changing Faces of HAL 9000

The people at the Fark forums have run a Photoshop contest on HAL 9000, twisting the ominous red eye of the psychopath mainframe into all sorts of funny variations. From HAL 9000 to PAL 9000 to HEIL 9000 to the obligatory GLORY HAL, the resulting gallery is hilarious. More »

New Yorker: Why We Won't Have Fully Conversational Robots

John Seabrook wrote a recent feature in The New Yorker about interactive-voice-response systems (I.V.R.) commonly used with customer service and tech support telephone hotlines. Seabrook spent time at B.B.N. Technologies watching these systems transcribe callers' words and analyzing the tone of voice for emotions present. While breaking down the history of automated telephone services and voice recognition innovations, he attempts to tackle the larger question of whether or not we can create a fully conversational, quasi-conscious robot, akin to 2001: A Space Odyssey's Hal 9000. Judging from the number of experts interviewed for the piece, the answer is a resounding no. More »