First Big Dog, now Petman robots. DoD spending in the area of robotics is making this a brave new world.

http://boingboing.net/2013/04/05/boston-dynamics-humanoid-rob.html

I wouldn't go so far as to predict a Terminator style "sky net" that wipes out the human race. I would predict something much scarier and on a smaller scale: robotic minions in the hands of free moral agents (human beings) but lacking a moral center. Ultimately robotic minions will not question the morality of their actions and they will just perform them. What is truly scary is the capacity of man's inhumanity to man and having minions do you bidding and you do not even have to be present and witness the carnage will make it easier for these tools to be abused and for humanity to abuse itself. We might end up with a military built on robotic servants (no casualties in war) and that the establishment will be under the thumb of a human. To me that is the truly scariest possibility.

Still PETMAN is a fascinating step forward for robotics and the future is clearly knocking on our door. The question is, "Will the human race exercise good moral decision making with the power it is developing or not?" History would inform us on this question but then my local public schools dont teach it anymore focusing rather on teaching for the test that students must pass to graduate. Thus irrelevent things like History and Geography are shunted aside. We are truly entering a brave new world and is scares me.

Issue 4 is nearing completion and we've revisited the Saurians from Dragon Magazine 103 (the date it was published escapes me at this minute but it was the Fall of '85 or '86). We've laid some ground work for referees looking to do a first contact scenario based on the suggestions in the Subspace Radio article and developed a sector and planetary brief to give the saurians a concrete place to be from instead of being refugees left in limbo on ark ships orbiting Theseus.

One might naturally think some fresh artwork of the suarians would be a nice addition to this theme but truth be told we needed to use up some space in layout. None the less I'm sure a fresh illustration of the saurians will be welcomed.

Enjoy.

Just sold one piece and have another on reserve.

Recently joined a PBP run through of the classic Volturnus Campaign. Thinking about the campaign while doing my daily drawing assignment lead to the following- a group picture of the sapient species of Volturnus.

Done in charcoal.