Progress Continues - today news agencies all over the planet carried details about a new robotic girl that is probably the most lifelike ambulatory robot yet.

It's getting pretty scary, but there's still a long way to go. This one isn't armed at least.

Checked again - no robots on my lawn.

But I've seen some fun and somehow scary stuff lately.

Saw some stuff recently of Asimo jogging around a gymnasium. That's looking pretty spooky. I couldn't help but imagine 'him' carrying an AK47 and it gave me some shivers for a minute. But that's silly. Everyone knows the automatic weapon would be built in and he wouldn't have to carry it!

Also, youtube has some interesting video of more natural gait on a pair of robot legs from the University of Delft

But most amazing is this stuff (with Darpa funding I might add) In Boston the Big Dog

A couple of interesting things here. First, when it has trouble on the ice, one can't help but feel human pity and want-to-help emotions. It's hard to imagine that it is an unsentient machine.

What laws do we have to protect us when it's a humanoid looking robot that is being beaten and dismembered for some person's twisted enjoyment? We'll need something there - you know it will happen.

There are some disturbing things to come in our lifetimes.

I thought about the BigDog going over rubble to find and help survivors in an earthquake zone. I just hoped we wouldn't see them hunting down survivors for other treatment.

Just looking out the window, and everything looks normal.

I see Intel has announced some 45nm devices, so things are getting smaller and lower power, that's an increment.

I see a lot of chatter suddenly about distributed sensor systems and associated management of them, including vital signs monitoring. Of course this is 5 years after my start-up attempt in that space.

More increments towards the singularity!

Hmmm, maybe it's happened and we're all in a simulacrum of the real world.

Holy crap! My house is overrun with robots! Somebody call the... Oh wait, that was just my wife coming home.

Scratch that. Still nothing.

Still waiting.

Still nothing. Go back about your business. I'll let you know if anything happens.

Well 2005 is over and still no singularity.

Wait... what was that. Oh, hang on, it was just our cat. Never mind.

Nothing happened. We're all still human and there's no titanium clad overlords in my neighbourhood anyway. Although that iPod is looking rather smug.