http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/26/mit-profs-create-autonomous-uavs/ Engadget Comments for MIT profs create autonomous UAVs http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/26/mit-profs-create-autonomous-uavs/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/26/mit-profs-create-autonomous-uavs/Nov 26th 2006 7:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/26/mit-profs-create-autonomous-uavs/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/26/mit-profs-create-autonomous-uavs/or maybe its a radio antenna

i definitely read the title as "MIT profs create autonomous UFOs" when i clicked]]>Nov 26th 2006 7:50PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/26/mit-profs-create-autonomous-uavs/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/26/mit-profs-create-autonomous-uavs/http://www.karlblog.com/]]>Nov 26th 2006 8:00PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/26/mit-profs-create-autonomous-uavs/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/26/mit-profs-create-autonomous-uavs/http://www.chibi-robo.com/]]>Nov 26th 2006 9:11PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/26/mit-profs-create-autonomous-uavs/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/26/mit-profs-create-autonomous-uavs/Nov 27th 2006 7:07AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/26/mit-profs-create-autonomous-uavs/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/26/mit-profs-create-autonomous-uavs/Nov 26th 2006 8:33PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/26/mit-profs-create-autonomous-uavs/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/26/mit-profs-create-autonomous-uavs/
News at 10]]>Nov 26th 2006 8:58PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/26/mit-profs-create-autonomous-uavs/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/26/mit-profs-create-autonomous-uavs/Nov 26th 2006 9:31PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/26/mit-profs-create-autonomous-uavs/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/26/mit-profs-create-autonomous-uavs/Nov 26th 2006 9:04PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/26/mit-profs-create-autonomous-uavs/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/26/mit-profs-create-autonomous-uavs/http://www.rctoys.com/index.html
]]>Nov 26th 2006 9:43PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/26/mit-profs-create-autonomous-uavs/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/26/mit-profs-create-autonomous-uavs/
http://www.rctoys.com/rc-toys-and-parts/DF-VTI/RC-HELICOPTERS-DRAGANFLYER-VTI.html

They are just copying something that has been invented already.

I knew i seen this somewhere, its called the Dragonflyer.]]>Nov 26th 2006 9:48PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/26/mit-profs-create-autonomous-uavs/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/26/mit-profs-create-autonomous-uavs/http://tinyurl.com/y8ym8x]]>Nov 26th 2006 9:51PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/26/mit-profs-create-autonomous-uavs/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/26/mit-profs-create-autonomous-uavs/Nov 26th 2006 9:52PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/26/mit-profs-create-autonomous-uavs/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/26/mit-profs-create-autonomous-uavs/
You might as well call a self-driving car simply a re-hash of the Ford Model-T.]]>Nov 26th 2006 11:43PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/26/mit-profs-create-autonomous-uavs/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/26/mit-profs-create-autonomous-uavs/Nov 27th 2006 12:43AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/26/mit-profs-create-autonomous-uavs/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/26/mit-profs-create-autonomous-uavs/
BTW - It's not a string, it's an antenna.]]>Nov 27th 2006 1:03AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/11/26/mit-profs-create-autonomous-uavs/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/26/mit-profs-create-autonomous-uavs/
Is it bad that I'm more interested in the usage of the word "mean" by Conrad than I am in the story itself (only partly true, I'm a fan of UAVs)?

Conrad says "a mean feat", which initially made me think he was misusing the common phrase "no mean feat" in which the word "mean" is used in the old fashioned sense of "base" or "low" or, in this context, "simple" or "inferior". Thus, if something is "no mean feat," then to acomplish it is difficult.

But then, "mean" can sometimes be used to refer to excellence. Dictionary.com (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mean definition 2, sense 11) uses the example "He blows a mean trumpet," which seems as good a choice as any.

So, was Conrad thinking of the latter, or am I right in thinking he made an error attempting the more common usage?

I know, more likely than not, no one cares about the ramblings of a pedant, but at least I've amused myself.]]>Nov 28th 2006 2:43PM