To the Point
The World of Robots -- in Love and War
Robots are here to stay: in factories and homes — from real-world battlefields to popular culture. We talk about robotics and the increased interaction of robots with human beings.
By Warren Olney • • 52m ListenRobots are here to stay: in factories and homes — from real-world battlefields to popular culture. We talk about robotics and the increased interaction of robots with human beings. Also, hackers steal credit card info of 40 million Target customers, and a rare look at prison life for black Americans before emancipation.
Banner image: Baxter with (L) Rodney Brooks, founder of Rethink Robotics, and his partners, Andreas and Josh. Photo: Steve Jurvetson
In this episode
3 storiesHackers Steal Credit Card Info of 40 Million Target Customers
"Shop at Target, become a target." That's the response of just one out of 40 million holders of credit or debit cards whose data was stolen from America's third largest retailer. Investigators are impressed by the speed and sophistication of the crime. Target is worried about consumer confidence. Jim Finkle reports for Reuters in Boston.
Read the story8 minThe World of Robots -- in Love and War
The first conversation between a human being and a robot might well have happened in 1968, in Stanley Kubrick's iconic film 2001 : a Space Odyssey. Now, robots are a part of daily life, from factories to more and more homes. The new film Her depicts a romance with an operating system. But robotics often starts with the military.
Read the story34 minThe First Prison Memoir of Black Man Discovered
Historians believe they've authenticated the earliest recovered memoir written in prison by a black American. It dates to 1858 — before the Civil War and emancipation. The Life and Adventures of a Haunted Convict , or the Inmate of a Gloomy Prison, has been a mystery since it was discovered by a rare books dealer in upstate New York.
Read the story9 min
