scientia est potentia

In this photo released by Japanese robot maker Vstone Co., robots wait for the start to demonstration a race during a press conference Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2011. (AP Photo/Vstone Co.) TOKYO (AP) – A technology company is organizing the world's first marathon for robots in Japan, a country known for its love of gizmos. So far, five robots have entered the event, expected to last four days next week. Organizer Vstone Co. said Wednesday that five it will demonstrate the machines' durability and maneuverability. The "Robo Mara Full" race kicks off Feb. 24 and is open only to androids with two legs. The robots must complete 422 laps around a 110-yard (100-meter) indoor racetrack to cover 26 miles (42 kilometers). Survivors of the nonstop race -- except for battery changes and repairs -- are expected to hit the finish line on Feb. 27, when their human counterparts run in the popular Tokyo marathon.

There’s so much talk about how the iPhone has lost much traction to Google’s free mobile operating system, Android . But when one takes a look at where the momentum is really occurring — with Verizon — then it doesn’t appear to be all that impressive. Remember: Big Red used to be the most boring home for smartphones — actually any phone — on the cellular landscape here in the States . In comes Motorola with a badly needed hit after many duds post-RAZR and Google with Android . Verizon saw an opportunity to blitz a coast-to-coast campaign with Droid advertisement to make even grandma know what the heck a Droid was. This wasn’t your father’s BlackBerry — this was way cooler phone, boi! Cool was what Verizon needed as bad as Moto needed a rebirth. Both companies got their wish. When you throw a lot of money at something, you can sell an Eskimo a freezer. Much like Microsoft planted Windows on 90 plus percent of the world’s computers, Verizon got Android everywhere. It wasn’t that