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To: Gottfried who wrote (11311)	3/16/2006 4:57:22 PM
From: Lizzie Tudor	Respond to of 19789

sheesh! Another Aibo owner, Joe Barnhart, a software engineer in Santa Clara, has six of the robotic dogs, in part because he travels a lot and can't take care of a ``biological'' pet.

To: Gottfried who wrote (11311)	3/16/2006 5:57:34 PM
From: Don Green	Respond to of 19789

Many owners of the robotic pooches expressed their grief and disappointment on Internet message boards for Aibo owners, such as www.aibo-life.org/ or www.aiboworld.tv, based in the United Kingdom. ``Oh no, I was afraid this day would come. Well, I will continue to enjoy the Aibos that are currently out, but no more looking forward to any more,'' posted Patrick, a 14-year-old who owns two Aibos, Oreo and Zinc, in Media, Pa. ``It really is sad,'' said David Calkins, a professor of robotics at San Francisco State University. Calkins uses several Aibos to teach students about robotics by playing robo-soccer. Many other universities with robotics programs also use AIBOs as a teaching tool. Calkins believes most people aren't aware of the Aibo's many features, such as how it can recognize its owner, let its owner keep an eye on the homefront with the camera in the robot's head, and many other tricks. ``I talk to people all the time and they say `who wants to spend $2,000 on a dumb little toy'...It didn't have to die. They just never really marketed it to bring their costs down,'' said Calkins. Another Aibo owner, Joe Barnhart, a software engineer in Santa Clara, has six of the robotic dogs, in part because he travels a lot and can't take care of a ``biological'' pet. ``Of course I'm disappointed in Sony's decision,'' Barnhart said. He speculated that the move to kill robotics development came from Stringer because he is not Japanese and doesn't understand the importance of robots in Japanese society. Another owner, Bruce Bender, owns 56 Aibos, which he believes is the world's largest private collection. Bender, who lives in Rancho Cordova, outside Sacramento, noted in a message board posting that although Aibo manufacturing has stopped, ``that doesn't mean Aibo is dead.'' Bender said in a phone interview that he still plans to host gatherings for the worldwide Aibo community, such as one he held in late September where 110 dogs danced together in unison. Bender believes Sony's moves wlil bring the Aibo community closer together -- at least in spirit. ``Aibo is a very small department and that is the kind of thing you cut out when you are streamlining,'' Bender said. ``It's a business decision and business decisions don't always make money. But the Aibo community will go on.'' Some owners voiced concerns about getting spare parts and batteries in the future. Sony said that it will continue selling all the Aibos it currently has until its inventory and the supply of distributors is depleted.