How do you spot a robot mimicking a human? How do you recognize and deactivate a rebel servant robot? How do you escape a murderous “smart” house or evade a swarm of marauding robotic flies? In this dryly hilarious survival guide, roboticist Daniel H. Wilson teaches worried humans the secrets to quashing a robot mutiny. From treating laser wounds to fooling face and speech recognition, outwitting robot logic to engaging in hand-to-pincer combat, How to Survive a Robot Uprising covers every possible doomsday scenario facing the newest endangered species: humans.
Based on extensive interviews with prominent scientists and including an overview of cutting-edge robot prototypes like humanoid walkers, insect, gecko, and snake robots, this one-of-a-kind book makes a witty yet legitimate introduction to contemporary robotics.
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"You're family will be thanking you tremendously for reading (skimming) this one when you pull some tricks from your sleeve and save them all from the blood-thirsty androids putting their hatchet-arms through your door. But don't expect any praise until then. It was fun!"
— Jesse (5 out of 5 stars)
“Humorous and informative…this nifty little guide to surviving the inevitable robot apocalypse may have you reconsidering purchasing that ‘smart’ (read: insidious) refrigerator.”
— Publishers Weekly“Narrator Rudnicki, a voice associated with the best of audio’s contemporary SF writers, gives an appropriately deadpan performance.”
— Kliatt“A fabulous, funny book that is both entertaining and informative…Stefan Rudnicki did an excellent job capturing the mock-seriousness of the subject matter…Rarely has science fact been mixed with science fiction to providing such an entertaining book.”
— SFFAudio.com“A ‘must’ for any interested in robotics, science fiction, or solid humor spiced with a bit of fact.”
— California Bookwatch" found it to be dry at best. i used it to fall asleep to for a week. "
— West, 2/14/2014" More informative than funny, if you care to learn about robotics, which I kind of didn't. "
— Kelli, 2/7/2014" Great for booktalks, and will likely come in handy. "
— Hayden, 1/27/2014" Plenty of quality dry humor amidst fascinating descriptions of developments in automation and AI. "
— Gabe, 1/27/2014" Didn't really learn anything but I enjoyed the approach to this material. I'll be curious to try one of the authors more recent fictional treatments of this material when I need a bit of light entertainment. "
— Dave, 1/24/2014" If you want to know what is going on in the world of robotics , this is a fun and informational source. "
— Lily, 1/10/2014" I needed some light reading after COLUMBINE and this definitely fit the bill. Like most of these types of books, it got old after a while, but all in all it was quite entertaining. It will make you think again before using your Roomba! "
— Cindy, 12/31/2013" Read for the title only. Corny but I liked the idea. "
— David, 12/28/2013" Could be an appropriate YA adult for those interested in robotics. Covers the technology with broad strokes, covering it as "self-defense against the robopocolypse (tm)". "
— William, 12/11/2013" Entertaining for a quick read or coffee table if robot uprisings are your thing. I ordered it with my Roomba in hopes of giving the packer at Amazon a laugh, but they shipped them separately. "
— Britt, 11/2/2013" I was expecting a lot more humour in this book but it was sadly lacking in that area except for the odd chuckle here and there. There was a lot of technical jargon in it and overall it wasn't particularly interesting. I only finished the book to claim points for a reading challenge. "
— chucklesthescot, 10/25/2013" so so funny. I could not stop laughing. "
— Kristina, 10/24/2013" will come in handy someday "
— Michelle, 10/11/2013" I think of the "humor" Wilson books, this is second to the "Jetpacks." "
— Matt, 10/7/2013" its a Good Book to read Just in case if Robots do take over!!!!!! "
— Proud2BePINOY, 9/25/2013" Fun entertaining book, no more no less... "
— Job, 9/5/2013" An absolute blast! Being a sarcastic person with a robotics background, I can proudly say that this book was written for geeks like me. "
— Demetrius, 4/19/2013" I heard this book on CD. Recommended for those who are interested in robot technology and dry humor. One of my favorite sections was what to do if you are suspicious of your smart house's intentions. "
— Shana, 3/15/2013" I learned from this book to cover myself with mud to become invisible to heat seeking droids like in predator. "
— Carolina, 3/15/2013" I learned that a robot uprising is inevitable, and that when my toaster chooses to burn my toast it should be taken as a warning ;) Funny mix of real robotics advancements with hilarious futuristic paranoia. "
— Shannon, 2/19/2013" Informative, humorous and somewhat frightening survival guide. The author provides multiple, well-researched scenarios that keep the reader fascinated from beginning to end. "
— Morgan, 2/10/2013" As much as the author's (intentionally) alarmist tone got a little repetitive, I still appreciated the book's ability to inspire me to think creatively about apocalyptic scenarios. "
— Chris, 11/4/2012" This was the book version of a Christopher Guest mockumentary. Subtle but razor-sharp humor. "
— Adam, 6/16/2012" A must have survival manual! "
— Sean, 5/22/2012" funny, at least for people who understand some robotics and artificial intelligence "
— Peter, 1/7/2012" I gave this book 1 star for the design alone. 2 stars for the content. "
— Raymond, 11/26/2011" Amusing, but somehow not as funny as I'd expected it to be. Not in the class of World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, but entertaining nonetheless. "
— Greg, 10/21/2011" It is not obvious, but the rebellion has already begun. I am ready for it now. None of my GR friends have read this, and I fear for them. While everyone seems ready for the zombies, they are ignoring the real threat. It is likely already too late. "
— Ben, 10/10/2011" Cute. This took about an hour to read, and while there were a few good jokes, I am sure there must be better robot uprising survival guides. "
— Cameron, 6/23/2011" This book covers robotics and the fiction dealing with the inevitable robot apocalypse. It's hilarious and insightful; a must-read for writers and readers of science-fiction. "
— Vincent, 6/13/2011" its a Good Book to read Just in case if Robots do take over!!!!!! "
— Proud2BePINOY, 5/24/2011" Funny! It is always good to be prepared, cause you never know... "
— Cbringhurst, 5/8/2011" read this guide first before you read the novel Robopocalypse, i strongly recommend you! this guide can make the difference between life and death for the up-coming robopocalypse!<br/>good luck humanity!!!! "
— Rodrigo, 3/17/2011" Solid starter's guide to the inevitable machine rebellion. "
— Justin, 3/13/2011" More informative than funny, if you care to learn about robotics, which I kind of didn't. "
— Kelli, 2/1/2011" I was expecting a lot more humour in this book but it was sadly lacking in that area except for the odd chuckle here and there. There was a lot of technical jargon in it and overall it wasn't particularly interesting. I only finished the book to claim points for a reading challenge. "
— chucklesthescot, 12/31/2010" This serious look at a possible robot uprising gives helpful tips in case of having to defend yourself against robots. It was very amusing. "
— Jessica, 9/8/2010" blatant rip off of max brooks' zombie survival guide. except he plays toward humor rather than realism "
— David, 9/7/2010" This is another great book for teaching How-To. It works for How-to with all different types of organizational patterns. But note there is some strong language interspersed throughout the book. <br/> <br/> "
— Liz, 8/31/2010" I needed some light reading after COLUMBINE and this definitely fit the bill. Like most of these types of books, it got old after a while, but all in all it was quite entertaining. It will make you think again before using your Roomba! "
— Cindy, 3/26/2010" It wasn't quite what I was expecting. I did learn a lot about the different types of robot technology already being used. "
— Lisa, 2/25/2010Daniel H. Wilson is a Cherokee citizen and author of the New York Times bestselling Robopocalypse , as well as many other books. He has also written the Earth 2: Society comic book series for DC Comics. In 2008, he hosted The Works, a television series airing on the History Channel that uncovered the science behind everyday stuff. He earned a PhD in robotics from Carnegie Mellon University and masters degrees in artificial intelligence and robotics. He has published over a dozen scientific papers and holds four patents.
Stefan Rudnicki first became involved with audiobooks in 1994. Now a Grammy-winning audiobook producer, he has worked on more than five thousand audiobooks as a narrator, writer, producer, or director. He has narrated more than nine hundred audiobooks. A recipient of multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards, he was presented the coveted Audie Award for solo narration in 2005, 2007, and 2014, and was named one of AudioFile’s Golden Voices in 2012.