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Why the US Government Is Terrified of Hobbyist Drones
- Zigurd 12y agoHere is a prediction: A Pakistani student whose uncle got blown up by a drone will build a drone that flies a few hundred miles, nap of the earth, nobody knows where from, and blows up a few people on a US military base. He will build it using his university's 3D printer, hobbyist materials obtained mail order, and plans (except for the exploding parts) from Make Magazine. All of a sudden, drones and other autonomous and remote killing machines will be seen as if they are land mines, and will be beyond the pale for any civilized nation. After all, a land mine is just a drone that waits for you. The US will have to be dragged to this position by international pressure. The FBI will track down all purchases of drones (welcome to some list, somewhere). And talking heads on the news will tut-tut drone hobbyists as terrorist enablers.
- CamperBob2 12y agoAlso, everything Jeff Bezos half-jokingly predicted about drone delivery services will come to pass... through the efforts of drug dealers-turned-venture capitalists.