North Korea
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US to block sale of major electronics to Kim Jong Il
We're not sure which is funnier, that Kim Jong Il is a fan of "luxury items" ranging from cognac to "iPods, plasma televisions and Segway electric scooters" (Yo, Mr. Kim, let's talk shop sometime, ok?) or the fact that the US really thinks its measures, which will likely be ineffective, can stop the Dear Leader's ability to buy these items. In an Associated Press article, William Reinsch, a former senior Commerce Department official, said that iPods and laptops (we're assuming he means in North Korea) are "untraceable and available all over the place." If that's true, then the government's plan is definitely screwed, and perhaps Secretary Rice should give us a call instead. Here's why: if in 2000, then-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright can present Mr. Kim with a signed basketball by Michael Jordan, and then get a state dinner in Pyongyang as a thank you, imagine what a Steve Jobs-signed iPod delivered by the editors of Engadget would do for foreign relations. Seriously, Secretary Rice and President Bush, we await your call.[Thanks, Mack S.]
South Korean "gun-toting sentries" to protect, serve
South Korea has unveiled the latest piece of evidence that the future is finally upon us: it's supplementing its soldiers manning the border with North Korea with "gun-toting sentries" that can detect baddies and kill them. Or as Lee Jae-Hoon, deputy minister of commerce, industry and energy told the Agence France Press: "The Intelligent Surveillance and Guard Robot has surveillance, tracking, firing, and voice recognition systems built into a single unit." The South Korean government is expected to buy 1,000 of these robots at the cost of $200,000 apiece and will deploy them along its northern border, coastal regions and military airfileds. However, it's unclear what would happen if Kim Jong Il were to send in a legion of pilfered remote-controlled domestic robots as a countermeasure -- that is, if these robotic sentries would be willing to fire on their own kind.Update: Eagle-eyed reader (and likely Korean speaker) Jihan J. happened upon a Korean site with pics and an actual video of this bot in action. Go on and check it out -- that is, if you like watching robots shoot automatic weapons wildly in every direction.
