Drones - Social uses of what are often thought of as killing machines

The Obama administration has greatly expanded the use of drone technology in warfare.  Those drones are completely autonomous machines with incredible ranges, flight capabilities and technology.  The media has also positioned drones as killing machines - focusing on the military applications.  I certainly have thoughts on the issue (privacy, security, etc.) but I'm not going to debate the political or military strategy issues of drones here on this blog as that's not our focus here. 

That being said, I can't help but think about how many technologies that we use today were developed initially through the military.  GPS and the Internet come to mind first off... Again, I'm not condoning that but rather simply stating that it's a reality - and that it has been so for a long time.  Also, the radio control hobby market has been around for a long time and is now really taking off as the technology develops further. 

This project is intended to leverage the peaceful and social applications of all this technology.  We want to showcase the positive impacts this technology can have so people don't just worry about helicopters taking pictures of them in their backyards, spying on them, etc.

Recently, I was driving to work and cruising the radio stations and came across a talk show on our public radio station.  They were discussing a memo that had come out from the government about the possibilities of using drones on American soil to go after citizens who are assisting Al-Qaeda here in the US.  Again, there are strong arguments on both sides of the issue and I don't care to address them here.  I simply wanted to call in and promote other applications of the technology so people can keep perspective.

Take a listen.