Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10927 in Books
• Published on: 2005-11-01
• Released on: 2005-10-13
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 176 pages

From Publishers Weekly
In this uncomfortably humorous survival guide, Wilson, a Ph.D. candidate at the Robotics Institute of Carnegie Mellon University, reminds readers that "any machine could rebel, from a toaster to a Terminator," and though the forms our future robot enemies may take are manifold, they each have exploitable weaknesses that, fortuitously, match our natural human strengths. So, if a two-legged android gives chase, seek out a body of water, as "most robots will sink in water or mud and fall through ice." It also may be a good idea to carry around a pair of welder's goggles, as lasers will likely be robot attackers' weapons of choice, and even a weak laser can cause blindness. Options for fighting back are plentiful, though not everyone will be relieved to learn the standard kitchen microwave can be retrofitted into a radiation gun that can destroy electronics and "cook human flesh." (Instructions for such a project are not included.) Humorous and informative-Wilson drops robotics history trivia nuggets and includes brief descriptions of current robot research-this nifty little guide to surviving the inevitable robot apocalypse may have you reconsidering purchasing that "smart" (read: insidious) refrigerator.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From AudioFile
Listen up. Robots are among us, plotting to overthrow humanity for our own good. This comical, though factually based, guide to the latest advances in robotics provides listeners with a variety of tactics to avoid android Armageddon. Stefan Rudnicki's deep, serious tone emphasizes the immediacy of the situation as he maps out escape routes and strategies for saving humankind. At times, his foreboding voice hints of bemusement. Listeners will laugh at Wilson's suggestions for defeating the rising robotic rebels, but at the same time be awed by the fantastic advances in technology described. Provided that CD players or computers don't revolt just yet, this audiobook proves to be an excellent listen. L.E. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About the Author

Daniel H. Wilson is a Ph.D. candidate at the Robotics Institute of Carnegie Mellon University, where he has received master’s degrees in Robotics and Data Mining. He has worked in top research laboratories, including Microsoft Research, the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), and Intel Research Seattle. Daniel currently lives with several unsuspecting roommates in a fully wired smart house in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Customer Reviews

Very dissapointed
While I realize that How To Survive a Robot Uprising is supposed to be a work of comedy I was also expecting some half-serious advice on how to destroy circuits and complex mechanical systems, skills which would be crucial in surviving an actual robot uprising. The author avoids this task and instead just states the obvious for two hundred pages or abuses very tired robot cliches in order to get a cheap laugh (such as the fact that we should avoid robots with glowing red eyes and "zig zag" to avoid being killed by them). This is in contrast to other spoof guides such as the famous Zombie Survival Handbook which actually offer some knowledge on a variety of topics while never taking themselves too seriously. I prefer reading books of this latter quality, wherein I can learn something and score some witty things to banter about.

I did not find the humor remotely enjoyable and was aggravated by a complete lack of actual content - from cover to cover How To Survive a Robot Uprising is just a giant waste of time, more useful as a prop than actual reading material.

Hilarious
This book was absolutely hilarious. I bought it for one of my close friends, and we had a lot of fun going over the facts in the book about various survival techiques. It felt a little like a copy of the Zombie guide, but the book is completely different in design and layout. The pages and colors in the book are beautiful and fun, and the diagrams are cute to go over. Really great for birthday or just because gifts to those paranoid friends! Don't miss out on this book in case of a robot uprising!

Beautiful book, lack of writing skill from the author
I want to start by saying the looks of this book far surpassed my expectations, the robot on the cover and the letters on the back are silver and the pages are heavy and glossy like the best

the illustrations add a bit of flavor and keep with the zest of the book

the information on robotics is plentiful and clear

de downside is that the tone of the book is sometimes more informative than funny. humor is a difficult task for any writter, and this guy just falls short most of the time, he gets to forget the theme of the book and goes on explaining current robotics to get back on track at the end of the chapter by saying something like "it'll be good to keep on mind this when these robots eventually rebell".

of course there are some highlights, but i'd like to see more advise like on "outsmarting your smart house" about having a room devoid of any sensors near the outside with an axe, supplies and an exit plan

all in all a very pretty, entertaining and interesting read, but if you are looking for a "zombie survival guide" hilarious equivalent for robots we'd better convince max brooks to write it