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[Loud Whispers]

What is a public person and why are they allowed killer robots?

[Akura]

I would assume a public person is one that is generally known and recognized by the general public, i.e. a celebrity or elected official. These people tend to have (sometimes armed) security details already.

[Sergarr]

Hory shet.
That makes me wonder, though... Can a private person buy a killer robot? What sort of license would one need to own and operate one? Do a lot of companies sell them?

In order:
1) No.
2) A licence from the Ministry of Defence of your own country, verified and sent to ROSOBORONEXPORT company for confirmation.
3) Probably not.

Can you throw me a link? I'm not quite sure that combat systems without a man in the loop are actually legal according to the Geneva Conventions, so it probably has at least an observer who is supposed to authorize weapons release? I mean, otherwise it would be just plain unsafe unless you were sure everybody in the radius of 8 km is an enemy combatant.

Well, er, no, I don't have a link. It's, uh, a file I've got. From a source.

Also, I think they probably already shit all over the Geneva conventions and don't quite care, given, you know, the microwaving of people. There's also some interesting things like mines who are apparently able to "distinguish between civilians and soldiers" in an experimental mode and only trigger on soldiers, which is quite interesting, because 1) I'm not sure how it is possible to do that, and 2) I'm not sure if it's legal to claim such capabilities on your autonomous weapons.

Not that anyone in the Middle East is going to care much about such technicality as a "legally forbidden weapon", amirite?

[Avis-Mergulus]

The microwaving people thing has precedent in the form of this - apparently it's legal to, you know, microwave civilians a little to keep them from getting too uppity about it.

As such, there are already similar systems being used in the Middle East *sideways glance*, and apparently that's also alright. So, um.

[Orange Wizard]

Ew

[TheBiggerFish]

@Sergarr:Proportion of metal to weight?

Also @Sergarr:Shush...

[Shadowlord]

Well, er, no, I don't have a link. It's, uh, a file I've got. From a source.

So what you're saying is that you can't prove that you aren't making it up?

[Spehss _]

Meanwhile lots of people seem to prefer robots being entirely manual.  Just in case Skynet breaks out, or whatever.
A self-driving car hitting someone is 1000x worse than a human doing so, for... reasons?

Probably because people in general have come to expect computers and computing-based technology to be reliable. When it's not reliable it stands out. Especially when "not reliable" translates to "a large mass of metal crashed into something it wasn't supposed to crash into".

Doesn't help that people like Elon Musk are going around advertising about how much "safer" self-driving cars will be compared to humans and how superior self-driving technology will surely replace human driving in the future.

[Sergarr]

Well, er, no, I don't have a link. It's, uh, a file I've got. From a source.

So what you're saying is that you can't prove that you aren't making it up?

Why yes. In fact, it would be better off if you forgot that I've even said anything on this matter.

[Avis-Mergulus]

Well, er, no, I don't have a link. It's, uh, a file I've got. From a source.

So what you're saying is that you can't prove that you aren't making it up?

Why yes. In fact, it would be better off if you forgot that I've even said anything on this matter.

Tsk, tsk, Citizen Sergarr. Do you sиnk Comrade Colonel vould noт hиar эbout ёur, shэll we say... indiscretion, yes? You wёre warneд - we have иars everywhere.

Reporт to ёur superviзor tomorrow morninг. Do not try to run. Wи know where ёur familи lives.

[Rolan7]

Cyrillic letters, particularly when they look like English ones but act completely different.

[Orange Wizard]

Fucking Russians

[Amperzand]

Spoiler: DA COMRADE (click to show/hide)

Союз нерушимый республик свободных
Сплотила навеки Великая Русь.
Да здравствует созданный волей народов
Единый, могучий Советский Союз!

ПРИПЕВ:
Славься, Отечество наше свободное,
Дружбы народов надёжный оплот!
Знамя Советское, знамя народное
Пусть от победы к победе ведёт!
Сквозь грозы сияло нам солнце свободы,
И Ленин великий нам путь озарил:
Нас вырастил Сталин — на верность народу,
На труд и на подвиги нас вдохновил!

ПРИПЕВ:
Славься, Отечество наше свободное,
Счастья народов надёжный оплот!
Знамя Советское, знамя народное
Пусть от победы к победе ведёт!
Мы армию нашу растили в сраженьях.
Захватчиков подлых с дороги сметём!
Мы в битвах решаем судьбу поколений,
Мы к славе Отчизну свою поведём!

ПРИПЕВ:
Славься, Отечество наше свободное,
Славы народов надёжный оплот!
Знамя Советское, знамя народное
Пусть от победы к победе ведёт!

[Avis-Mergulus]

Fucking Russians

Been there, done that, would recommend.

[Frumple]

... I know they're getting even older, but. How. Do you manage to half-break a washing machine you've been using for years, entirely through user error, and screw over a clean load of clothes in the process? Thing was fine when I put my load in. It just about finishes, and I go to check it to find out the door handle is now half broke, they had somehow managed to lock the controls (there's, like. No way to do that unintentionally. You have to hold down a freaking button for three seconds, and all that button does is control how loud the done noise is -- it has absolutely nothing to do with starting the machine or anything to do with changing the wash settings.), and there was apparently a pissed in pair of pants put in with the literally <5 minutes from being done clothes.

I mean, I get it's senility, and probably the effects of previous strokes the stubborn ass refused to see a doctor about or even acknowledge happened, but, just. This was a machine they'd been using for literally years, regularly, without a problem. Today it got kinda' fucked up. Leaves me part pissed off, because probably >half the clothes I own just got functionally pissed on, part incredulous, because how, and part goddamn depressed because th'person that did it is visibly and very noticeably losing their goddamn mind and refusing just about any and all attempts to bloody help, or even find out exactly what's going wrong.

Sucks. Just... sucks.