Winchell Chung ⚛🚀6d ago

And so it begins...

https://www.businessinsider.com/robot-dogs-quadruped-data-center-security-boston-dynamics-ghost-robotics-2026-3

Robot dogs are protecting data centers. Operators are seeing payoffs.

Boston Dynamics and Ghost Robotics are selling robot dogs to data center operators, providing perimeter security and inspection capabilities.

Business Insider
Show threadswope6d ago
@nyrath
Was this a scene in Snow Crash?
Show threadFredKiesche 🇺🇦
@swope @nyrath http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/content.asp?Bnum=536
Slamhound by William Gibson from Count Zero

Slamhound by William Gibson: An automated assassination device with a keen sense of smell. (Text quote, book citation included.)

Mar 17 at 4:16amWeb
Show threadJoe Mansfield6d ago

@FredKiesche @swope @nyrath

In Snow Crash they were called Rat Things but I’ve always got them mixed up in my head with Gibson’s Slamhound reference.

Show threadFredKiesche 🇺🇦5d ago
@helvick @swope @nyrath I don’t remember that from Snowcrash, it’s been a while. The Slamhound is a much more memorable name.
Show threadFredKiesche 🇺🇦5d ago
@helvick @swope @nyrath https://villains.fandom.com/wiki/Rat_Things_(Snow_Crash)
Rat Things (Snow Crash)

The Rat Things (also spelled Rat-Things) are genetically-engineered dog-rat hybrid cybernetic organisms from the 1992 sci-fi novel Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. Rat Things, also known as semi-autonomous guard units, were built to be the guard force for the 'Mr. Lee's Greater Hong Kong' franchise of city-states. Rat Things were invented by Mr. Ng, the owner and administrator of Ng Security Industries, who was severely handicapped after a helicopter accident in Vietnam and voluntarily had...

Villains Wiki
Show threadJaime Robertson5d ago

@FredKiesche @swope @nyrath This was the first thing I thought of too. Just looked up the quote.

Though Bradbury beat Gibson and Stephenson to it by a few decades, with the Mechanical Hound in Fahrenheit 451.