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By MITCH TRAPHAGEN
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 When something goes viral on the web, that means it has rapidly attracted the attention of millions of people. That “something” is often a video, but it could also be a document or a photograph. While the source is often ignored, the imagery becomes ubiquitious.
One such photograph is of a cat wearing a tinfoil hat. On millions of message boards across the web, when someone sounds a little too conspiratorial, someone else will invariably post the photo of the cat in the tinfoil hat in response. For those not in the know, the tinfoil hat is intended to ward off the evil mind rays — whether from aliens or from our very own government.
In my fairly brief and limited role as a U.S. Government employee, I can say with a reasonable amount of confidence that unless you are out buying rocket-propelled grenade launchers, or the components of a nuclear bomb, or are actively discussing assassinating someone; the government, and all of the secret organizations within, doesn’t much care what you say or do. Sorry to break that to you. They really don’t care what you talk to your wife and friends about. They don’t care if you complain about taxes or politicians. There are no mind
The most famous of the tinfoil hat photos is from a man named Wally Glenn, who shot this photo to be humorous. He succeeded, although is rarely credited for his creativity and contribution.
That, of course, doesn’t stop the conspiracy theories from forming and growing. The web is a conspiracy theorist’s dream come true. If you put it in print, it has to be true, right? My neighbor had a friend whose cousin’s sister’s brother-in-law saw death camps being built in rural Georgia. And that sentence of fourth or fifteenth-hand reports is not much of an exaggeration — a photo a few years ago of a bunch of stacked plastic boxes near some railroad tracks somehow became a photo of coffins for death camps being built by President Bush (and today are being called death camps built by President Obama). C’mon, seriously? Death camps? Why would the government want them? To maintain power? I have a feeling that after eight years in the White House, George W. Bush (and every other president) couldn’t wait to get the heck out.
Conspiracies are a big part of the web. As such, today we will recognize them and and even advance them by showcasing some really cool technology that on the surface appears to be innocent; but when given some (twisted) thought, could be used for nefarious, evil purposes. Break out the tinfoil and let’s uncover some truth.
A research lab from the University of Pennsylvania has several videos of really cool things people are calling quadrocopters. They are basically small, radio-controlled helicopters with a twist — they have four rotors. The research lab calls them quadrotor robots and the video shows them picking up 2x4 boards. Several of them even work together to pick up bigger boards.
The optimists among us might think, “Cool! Those things could be used to deliver pizza!” But the conspiratorial among us will see a darker purpose: These things could be used by “them” (whoever “them” is) to silently fly through our open bedroom windows at night to kill us in our sleep. And yes, there are blog posts about this.
 A second research lab video only adds weight to the conspiracy by using the title, “Aggressive Maneuvers for Autonomous Quadrotor Flight”. In fact, the video even shows one with terrifying purpose and precision flying through an open window, as if practicing for your very own window.
Check it out for yourself at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBsJwapanWI. The aggressive maneuvers video is at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvRTALJp8DM.
Next we have a really cute little robot from Japan designed to act like a human baby. It rolls around just like a baby, it will turn its head to look at you, and it will even blink its (rather large) eyes. The video is in Japanese, but according to the person who uploaded it to YouTube, the robot has the intelligence of a one- or two-year-old baby and has the senses of sight, hearing and touch. The thing is awfully cute and seeing it on its back and kicking its little robot feet, is pretty impressive from a technology standpoint. Maybe, just maybe, the promise offered to the Baby Boom Generation by watching The Jetsons may come true in our lifetime after all. The whole Jetson family and millions of young Boomers loved Rosie the Robot (although I did think she was kind of snotty sometimes — but in a good way).
Ah, but of course there is a darker side to this cool technology. How do we know that robot won’t eventually decide we aren’t smart enough, or good enough, to live? How do we know that armies of little baby robots won’t form to kill us all? Yeah, it’s all fun and games seeing the cute little things blink their eyes, but just imagine waking out of a deep sleep to one staring at you from your bedside. A cute little baby robot designed to kill carried into your bedroom through an open window by a silent, aggressive Autonomous Quadrocopter.
Take a look for yourself in this video from a Japanese television news report: www.youtube.com/watch?v=SE2VCwYDjx0.
After seeing all of this, you may well decide, as I have, that it might be best to take our chances. I would love to have an autonomous quadrocopter around the house. Heck, I might even let the baby robot play with it.
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