Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto: Honda Mocks Detroit

John Horner
by John Horner
AP auto writer Dee-Ann Durbin got a chance to get dolled-up on someone else's dime and hit the Allesee Hall for a little Motown culture– providing you consider watching a Honda robot conducting a symphony orchestra as something other than a PR-inspired freak show. Did I say conducting? Seeing isn't believing; Asimo was simply playing back in 3-D the work of The Detroit Symphony's musical education director, Charles Burke. Still, as a way to rub Detroit's nose in its failure to stem the transplant tide, you can't beat sending Honda's inhuman creation to Detroit to perform "The Impossible Dream" for the crumbling city's social elites. You can almost hear the Joker's maniacal laughter in the background as his plots to take over Gotham once and for all are finally hatched. "It is absolutely thrilling to perform with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.This is a magnificent concert hall," Asimo told the assembled throngs. BLAM! Independent observers report that Asimo seemed to be measuring-up the place for new curtains and deciding which Kabuki masterpiece he will commission after mom and dad buy the place.
John Horner
John Horner

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  • Richard Chen Richard Chen on May 14, 2008

    @Bancho : if it could have sex by text, there's a higher office for it that just might be available.

  • Pfingst Pfingst on May 14, 2008

    Kevin: That was my thought exactly, too. Some of the suburbs are very nice, but Detroit (Rock City) is a hellhole of the first order.

  • Carlisimo Carlisimo on May 14, 2008

    If Honda donated to the arts then this is a nice thing to do. And if no one in Detroit noticed, it's because no one ever notices that symphonies happen... I hope Asimo turns out to be a nice guy when be becomes intelligent enough to enslave us all.

  • Tech98 Tech98 on May 14, 2008
    When will the Japanese invent a robot that can run a Detroit-based car company? They just need to equip it with network link to Northern Trust to wire-transfer multi-million dollar paychecks and a random management-bullsh*t-speak generator, then program it to be an arrogant, bullying a*hole to suppliers and employees. Perhaps they should hire Donald Trump, Gordon Ramsay and most of the Bush Administration as consultants.
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