Gizmodo: sword

BBQ Sword Makes You the Swashbuckler of Sausages

Sean Fallon — Thu, 08 May 2008 20:30:00 EDT

En Garde meat products! Armed with your BBQ sword you can finally take your rightful place at the grill as the Musketeer of meats. Plus, with the handy eye mask that is included, you can maintain your secret identity. Just remember, theatrics are the name of the game for any superhero—so make sure to "sign" your KC masterpieces with a Zorro-esque slash of your sword. Available soon for around $29. [Firebox via NOTCOT]

Combat Robots Not Being Withdrawn From Iraq Says Company, Human Masters Safe

Kit Eaton — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:49:23 EDT

Remember those gun-toting robots that were being pulled out of Iraq because they were moving when they weren't commanded? Well, according to their manufacturer it's all "an urban legend" — the SWORD robot is not going to spin around and point its gun at friendlies... it's fine'n'dandy and still deployed in the field. Phew. Looks like our soldiers are safe from a robot uprising for now. But where did the original story come from? UPDATED

Popular Mechanics originally reported that "SWORDS was yanked because it made people nervous" based partly on a conversation with Army spokesman Kevin Fahey. He was talking about instances where SWORDS robots had swung around without being commanded to do so: "the gun started moving when it was not intended to move," and that's potentially dangerous when it's operating and friendly soldiers are nearby.

But Cynthia Black, a spokesperson for the robot-makers Foster Miller, points out that there have only actually been three "uncommanded movement" incidents. One involving a loose wire, one a broken solder joint and one where a burnt-out motor caused a robot to slide backwards down a hill. Both the wiring fault and soldering error have been fixed, by double-soldering and redundant circuits, and there's nothing much anyone could do about the third problem. All three events were prior to its safety certification.

Sound a bit dubious, since it's their robot they're trying to defend? Well, even Kevin Fahey himself, in a email to Danger Room now says "SWORD is still deployed" and that the Army is going to expand the use of robots like it.

There's one more fact that squashes the "Terminator" label the robots have been given: they can't fire their weapon without direct orders. And it would take a heck of a sequence of malfunctions for it to point the wrong way and fire at our own guys all by itself. Thank goodness they didn't build AI into them, hey? [Danger Room]

Update: Popular Mechanics has a new article online that sets the record straight. Basically, as we report here, the robots are working well, are still deployed in Iraq, and pose no safety threat to their operators. And there are only three deployed in any case. Read it here.

Best. Stylus. Ever. (a.k.a. Ninjas > Pirates)

Jason Chen — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 16:20:13 EDT

The pirate over at Kotaku has just discovered what he's calling the "Best Damn Swag on the Planet," and we're calling "the best stylus ever." It's a stylus for Ninja Gaiden DS, but it's not just any stylus, it's a friggin sword. It even has a little sheath to stick it into! Can you imagine playing Pokemon with that thing? Or whipping it and using it as a stylus in your Windows Mobile phone? "Hey John, give me a sec to check my calendar with my fucking NINJA KATANA." And then you throw the stylus into his eye, officially ending your lunch meeting. [Kotaku]

Wii Zelda Shield and Sword Accessory

Jason Chen — Fri, 04 May 2007 20:00:46 EDT

Although we finished the Zelda Twilight Princess game for the Wii back in November, we're kind of regretting the fact that we didn't wait until this Zelda Sword & Shield accessory was out before playing.

By slipping the Wiimote into the sword and Nunchuck into the shield, the realism level would have been so high it would be like we were actually plugged into the Matrix. Except instead of dressing up in all black, we'd be wearing our girlfriend's green dress so we can look like Link. Finally, an excuse! – Jason Chen

Product Page [Outpost]