Hacker News Reader

Comment by jedimastert | Hacker News Reader

The title should be more explicit about the fact that they're talking about "military drones" as opposed to quad-copters, which was my first thought. It's pretty obvious at first glance after the first click, but still...

As far as the article itself, it feels somewhat worrying that the people who implemented these programs didn't think people would be bothered about killing other people. Someone had to have thought of that.

View on HN

I don't think it isn't clear.

Reading "drone pilot" along with "sniper" instantly gave me the idea that the article was talking about military personnel and not hobbyists, long before I clicked.

Before reading the article, I assumed it was about hobbyist drone pilots and how we might judge situations from a detached perspective. I suspect the detachment changes the way I view risk in subtle ways when flying.

those mini drones are pretty cool too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HipTO_7mUOw

For "quad-coptor" substitute multi-rotor (not all are quads).

The fact that you associate the term "drone" with hobby aircraft is a sad inditement of todays "press", who, in their attempt to demonise said multi-rotors (or to downplay the rise of the military drone?) have managed to confuse the general public as to the difference.

I think you ascribe too much malice to the press here. Drone is what the public understand them to be called. I fly a drone and that's the term used by everyone who raises the topic with me. I don't know that they led by the press, though it'd obviously be a feedback loop.

I consider press super-ignorant, rather than malevolent, but I sympathise with your frustration.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com