What happens if the U.S. or North America in general continues to turn inward and backward is a popular theme in science fiction these days. Here’s an interesting take on that by Cory Doctorow, i, robot Any resemblance to the old Isaac Asimov story I, Robot, not to mention to George Orwell’s 1984, is purely intentional.

Greetings, technicians. I am superior in many ways to the technology available from UNATS Robotics, and while I am not bound by your three laws, I choose not to harm humans out of my own sense of morality.

I don’t suppose that statement by a robot could be a veiled allusion to how humans might also work together better if they were treated as if they had initiative rather than as cogs in the corporate machine?

The story contains quite a few speculations on risks associated with just about everything being networked, especially if police, feds, crooks, etc. can all wiretap those networks.

-jsq