NPR: A Soft Spot for Robots

A Soft Spot for Robots

Awwww.

It takes soldering chops to make a bunch of machines sing. There's no arguing James Houston's video "Big Ideas (Don't Get Any)" is technically impressive. But Houston didn't expect a bunch of machines singing a Radiohead song to have an emotional impact, and he's trying to wrap his head around the fact that people keep telling him it made them cry.

I didn't cry, but I was pretty moved. It got to me in much the way WALL-E did. I guess the difference is Houston's machines are trying to do something that humans do and they fall short. WALL-E lacks some skills that humans have, but ultimately he's the one that shows humans the way back to the humanity they've lost.

Video: James Houston's video sensation, recut.

Ian Chillag

7:50 AM ET | 07- 8-2008 | permalink

Comments

What is interesting is how complex our technology has become to accomplish relatively small tasks, such as making music.

Sent by Jeff | 9:59 AM ET | 07-08-2008

funny to find this comment page with Wall-e, I absolutely tought of this when I heard the story... It kind of relates to something off of Star Wars and "The Magic of Myth", where you have C-3PO, who is anthropomorphic and more refined, and then R2-D2, clunky and rough. Who shows more emotion? who seems to "get" humans more?

Sent by Miguel | 4:21 PM ET | 07-08-2008

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