I was raised with computers in the house, teaching myself Chess on one as young as three. In late 2017, I was inspired to look into social robotics by a team out of Russia looking to make a real-world version of Sweetie Bot, a fan re-interpretation of a character from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. While I still have making a pony robot as my long-term goal, I’m now aiming to design my own.
While doing preliminary research, I quickly learned that most of the tools I needed either only work in Linux or are essentially hacked together to operate in Windows. I’ve since switched operating systems.
One of the driving factors behind my obsession with Linux is the study of Biblical end-time prophecies. We are told to keep watch and be ready as the time approaches, and I can see the signs of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ’s soon return plastered across the news. To me, being ready means being mindful of computing habits.
A lot of cool stuff is happening in the field of technology. A typical day for most people in the West involves carrying around a pocket-sized computer they use to sift through the collective knowledge of Mankind to satisfy a fleeting curiosity, contacting people across the continent or around the world, and immersing themselves in illusionary worlds after school or work for entertainment. Taking part in any one of these technological miracles often means unwittingly consenting to the likes of Google, Microsoft, and Facebook harvesting our data and parting us out for profit as they chip away at our privacy farther.
We shouldn’t have to stand for this, nor should we have to give it all up to live off grid somewhere. That is why I’m making it my dream to build an affordable, privacy-respecting social robot platform anyone with enough determination can build.
Shadow_8472