The Internet of Things promises to make life easier in countless ways. But don’t make it angry. You won’t like it when it’s angry.
Rise Of The Machines
Scene: New York City in mid-July, not too many years from now—the first day of a new war.
The Holland Tunnel connecting New Jersey with lower Manhattan is just over a mile and a half long. One of six thoroughfares managed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, it features 84 massive fans that can change out air throughout the tunnel every 90 seconds.
One Monday morning in the middle of rush hour, those fans suddenly stop. So do the ventilation systems of every other tunnel leading into Manhattan. Within minutes, air quality nose-dives—though, oddly, automatic alarms fail to sound. Drivers woozy from carbon monoxide plow into guardrails, walls, and each other. The carnage is terrible; multiple huge pileups block exits in all directions, trapping thousands of people amid toxic fumes and inevitable conflagrations as spilled gasoline ignites.
0 Responses
Stay in touch with the conversation, subscribe to the RSS feed for comments on this post.