In December of 2006, two coinciding events occurred.  Saddam Hussein's death was youtubed and Bill Gates published an article in Scientific American called "A Robot in Every Home".  It was a telling time in that two public 'medias' unexpectedly created a new perspective on technology and war: Robots would eventually live alongside humans, and humans, if not physically, would live technologically closer to war.

   In one instance, a cellphone captured Hussein's hanging.  This exemplified a new role of technology in the public view of wartime.  The public finally had access to faster information in the theater of war.  On the other hand, Gates wrote a magazine article explaining his prediction: in 2025, robots performing specific household functions like laundry, surveillance and mowing the grass will be in every home.  In other words, in roughly two decades time humanity will be granted permission to enter the most advanced technological market this world has ever seen.

    When thinking of these two unrelated incidents there is a struggle in defining what they mean in terms of the future.  A day after the 30 December 2006 hanging of Hussein, BBC released the transcript of the execution:

[Saddam] Oh God.

[Voices] May God's blessings be upon Muhammad and his household.

[Voices] And may God hasten their appearance and curse their enemies.

[Voices] Moqtada [Al-Sadr]...Moqtada...Moqtada.

[Saddam] Do you consider this bravery?

[Voice] Long live Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr.

[Voice] To hell.

[Voice] Please do not. The man is being executed. Please no, I beg you to stop.

[Saddam] There is no God but Allah and I testify that
Muhammad is the messenger of God. There is no God but Allah and I
testify that Muhammad...

At this point the video stops and the sound of the trapdoors opening is heard in the background.

    Personally, the new year of 2007 was odd, the year 2008 was a riddled election year, and now 2009 sees heightened publications on robotics in the military.  It is premature to make any assumptions, or to fill in the gap between Iraq War 2, Saddam Hussein and the robotics revolution without concrete research; however surely some invisible, unknown truth will slowly indicate itself over the years.  Time will tell.

Maktub