{"id":312869,"date":"2026-02-09T12:00:48","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T12:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=312869"},"modified":"2026-02-04T06:25:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T06:25:09","slug":"meditations-on-a-delivery-robot-steering-to-avoid-a-homeless-man-on-the-sidewalk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2026\/02\/meditations-on-a-delivery-robot-steering-to-avoid-a-homeless-man-on-the-sidewalk\/","title":{"rendered":"Meditations on a Delivery Robot Steering to Avoid a Homeless Man on the Sidewalk"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/delivery-robot-homeless-man-sidewalk.png\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-312870\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/delivery-robot-homeless-man-sidewalk-1024x536.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"366\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/delivery-robot-homeless-man-sidewalk-1024x536.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/delivery-robot-homeless-man-sidewalk-300x157.png 300w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/delivery-robot-homeless-man-sidewalk-768x402.png 768w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/delivery-robot-homeless-man-sidewalk.png 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>3 Feb 2026\u00a0<\/em>&#8211;\u00a0I saw <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/Cyberpunk\/comments\/1qrif4t\/delivery_robot_named_akira_navigates_around\/\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a video<\/a> of a food delivery robot navigating around the body of a homeless person lying on the sidewalk, and I can\u2019t stop thinking about it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This video is as close to a self-portrait of western civilization as it gets. This is who we are. This is where we\u2019re at. Might as well have giant letters with a big red arrow saying \u201cYOU ARE HERE\u201d overtop it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It captures so perfectly the creepy dance between suffering, apathy, frivolity and corporate profiteering that makes our particular dystopia so distinctive, in just a few short seconds of footage. This is the dance that makes the empire go round.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/QuantumAlteredX\/status\/2017205234263638151\" >https:\/\/x.com\/QuantumAlteredX\/status\/2017205234263638151<\/a><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered\"><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" class=\"\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=caitoz&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=2017205234263638151&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fcaitlinjohnstone.com.au%2F2026%2F02%2F03%2Fmeditations-on-a-delivery-robot-steering-to-avoid-a-homeless-man-on-the-sidewalk%2F&amp;sessionId=0b25ef76cf2fce69ba3cf2230d9d654bd20a4887&amp;siteScreenName=caitoz&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=500px\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-tweet-id=\"2017205234263638151\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s got everything:<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2013 A man splayed out on the concrete because it hurts to be human in this global ghost town, and because he was unsuccessful at becoming a productive gear-turner in the capitalist machine, and because social safety nets have been stripped bare in order to help millionaires become billionaires.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2013 Automation being used to eliminate workers\u2019 wages for the maximization of corporate profits, when it could be getting used to bring about a permanent end to toil and poverty for the entire human species.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2013 Technological innovation stagnating at fast food delivery robots and predatory service apps instead of inventions which help save our biosphere, provide for the needful, heal the sick and improve our quality of life, because sending someone a Big Mac in a snackbot through an app will generate profits, while making the world a better place will not.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2013 The machine calmly navigating around the unfortunate soul on the pavement in the same way all the human pedestrians have been doing all day, because that\u2019s what we all learn to do in a society which casts those who can\u2019t keep up to the side of the road like so much refuse.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is where we are. This is what we have become.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That robot steering its way around that man on the sidewalk is revealing more truth about the kind of world we are living in than you will ever receive from the corporate news media.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That robot has the real story.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That robot is giving you the real on-the-ground scoop on what\u2019s really going on here.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That robot is a better reporter than Jake Tapper. It certainly has more journalistic integrity.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We\u2019re all following that robot off a cliff, into an abyss of madness and oblivion.<\/p>\n<p>________________________________<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/caitlin-johnstone-e1768202698940.jpeg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-310932\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/caitlin-johnstone-e1768202698940.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" \/><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Caitlin Johnstone is a rogue journalist, poet, and utopia prepper<\/em>. <em>Contact: <\/em><a href=\"..\/..\/..\/..\/TRANSCEND\/T%20M%20S\/TO%20POST\/A%20BYLINES\/admin@caitlinjohnstone.com\">admin@caitlinjohnstone.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/caitlinjohnstone.com.au\/2026\/02\/03\/meditations-on-a-delivery-robot-steering-to-avoid-a-homeless-man-on-the-sidewalk\/\" >Go to Original &#8211; caitlinjohnstone.com.au<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>3 Feb 2026 &#8211; This video is as close to a self-portrait of western civilization as it gets. This is who we are. This is where we\u2019re at. Might as well have giant letters with a big red arrow saying \u201cYOU ARE HERE\u201d overtop it. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":312870,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3078],"tags":[1733,3614,487,307,996,1108],"class_list":["post-312869","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artificial-intelligence-ai","tag-artificial-intelligence-ai","tag-disaster-capitalism","tag-human-rights","tag-humanity","tag-poverty","tag-robots"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/312869","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=312869"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/312869\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":312871,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/312869\/revisions\/312871"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/312870"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=312869"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=312869"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=312869"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}