I have to say, when I read this article I was pretty creeped out by it. Hugs definitely fall under the category of "things I want people to do, not machines".
I admit, I'd find it more creepy if it were a robot programmed to hug on command, rather than a device to relay instructions from a person.
I guess it still is sort of creepy. Sort of like trying to make the physical presence of humans obsolete, the way the characters from Solaris in The Naked Sun did. But it also seems kind of endearing: like the way a phone call can be better than a letter. If I had a choice between being able to see my long-distance friends when I called them, and being able to feel them, I'd take the latter. This isn't the touch equivalent of a videophone ... but there's still something kinda neat about it.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2004-11-17 06:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-11-17 06:51 pm (UTC)I guess it still is sort of creepy. Sort of like trying to make the physical presence of humans obsolete, the way the characters from Solaris in The Naked Sun did. But it also seems kind of endearing: like the way a phone call can be better than a letter. If I had a choice between being able to see my long-distance friends when I called them, and being able to feel them, I'd take the latter. This isn't the touch equivalent of a videophone ... but there's still something kinda neat about it.