A Moment in History

Kevin Warwick, head of cybernetics at England’s Reading University, was on his way to exhibit British technology to Russian scientists. But British Airways refused to let him board his flight because animals are not allowed in the cabin. Warwick explained that his 10,000-pound (US$16,000) cat was a robot — the technology he was going to demonstrate in Russia — “but they were adamant that the robot would have to go in the hold because of their rules about animals,” he said. He flew out on another airline rather than risk his robot in the cargo hold. (London Evening Standard) ...Making 1999 the year that bigotry and discrimination against cyborgs first reared its ugly head.