In theory, smart guns sound like a great idea. If you could place a tiny computer inside a gun—James Bond style—that ensured only an authorized user could fire it, wouldn’t that make guns safer for everybody?

The benefits seem obvious: If a violent criminal steals a police officer’s gun, it immediately becomes useless. If a child finds a gun hidden in a cupboard, there’s no way they can hurt themselves, or anyone else. If a gun is stolen from your home, it’s harder for the thieves to use it illegally.

You’ve read the hype. But are smart guns really a good way to decrease gun violence?

Millions of dollars have been spent developing smart gun technology. And yet, we’re still a long way off seeing smart guns becoming mainstream. Why?

The main issue is that many gun owners (along with police departments and the military) still see many problems with the technology. Meanwhile, others fear that this technology may give the government more power to interfere with gun ownership.

Here are seven reasons why smart guns will never be an option for many gun owners.

1. Smart Guns May Not Significantly Reduce Gun Violence

The main goal of smart gun technology is to make guns safer. It may come as a surprise, then, that some gun control advocates also oppose the technology. The Violence Policy Center, a gun control advocacy group, has developed a long list of objections to the technology. First and foremost it cites the fact that people tend to use their own guns in homicides and suicides. The group argues that while smart guns may curb violence somewhat, they would likely have a very small impact overall.

2. Keeping the Government Out of Guns

One of the biggest revelations of the past few years is that our smart devices are tracking our movements and listening to our conversations. Given this is the case, some people argue, what is there to stop companies secretly inserting tracking technology inside a smart gun? It could allow the location of weapons to be tracked, notifications sent when they are fired, or even a government “back door” that allows law enforcement or other agencies to disable them at will.

3. Gun Hacking

Unfortunately, it’s not just the government who may want access to your guns. Once smart gun technology becomes widespread, hacking guns is certainly going to be of interest to other groups with nefarious purposes. Hacked weapons could be a problem for individuals, but they could be disastrous for institutions like the police or the military. RFID systems used in some smart guns could potentially make them susceptible to electromagnetic pulse weapons, which could have dire consequences in a live combat scenario or during a terrorist attack.

4. Authentication is Still Clunky

Currently, the most common smart gun systems use fingerprint technology or a special companion devices like watches or rings that unlock the gun when it is in close proximity. While these systems are effective, they do have certain drawbacks. Fingerprint locks, as anyone with a smartphone knows, don’t always work the first time. In a life or death situation, that could be catastrophic. With companion devices, it’s true that the gun becomes useless if an opponent grabs it. But what’s to stop them from taking the watch as well, or even using your own gun on you at point blank range?

5. Risk of Malfunction

Regular guns are susceptible to jamming and other issues. But what happens when you add technology into the mix? We’ve all had a computer crash on us in the middle of an important project—but it’s not usually a life or death situation. The other issue with smart guns is that they need batteries. It’s annoying when your phone dies in the middle of an important call, but what if your gun died in the middle of an important shot?

6. Sometimes Guns Need to be Used by More than One Person

What if a police officer needs to use their partner’s weapon urgently? It sounds like a simple problem, but with smart guns, it becomes a complex issue. The project of developing and successfully configuring smart guns at the enterprise level for police departments or the military entails many difficulties. Creating a robust IT infrastructure that can manage complicated layers of weapon permissions, regular software updates, and battery charging regimes is not only expensive but also opens up another level of risk that is non-existent with analog weapons.

7. Smart Guns May Lead to the Outlawing of Regular Guns

In 2002, the state of New Jersey implemented the Childproof Handgun Law, which states that all guns sold within the state must be state-approved smart guns within three years of a smart gun being sold anywhere in the country. The law has not been triggered yet, but when it is, it will effectively outlaw non-smart guns in the state of New Jersey. Many gun owners and advocates fear the introduction of similar laws around the country.

Whether you are pro-gun or pro-gun control, many of these arguments make sense. However, for the most part, they address technical issues. Even if those issues are resolved, many gun owners will never come around to the idea of smart guns.

Unfortunately for them, the introduction of the technology may be inevitable.

Once smart guns are adopted by police forces and militaries outside the US, the technology will develop quickly, and many of the technical problems will be resolved. In the meantime, the onus is on smart gun manufacturers to produce products that win over gun users, and allay their fears.

The word “drone” elicits many responses – excitement, curiosity, and even confusion. Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), are still a mystery. It may seem like they’ve burst onto the business and consumer scene, but drone’s potential has yet to be fully realized. Research firm Garner predicts the global market revenue for drones to top $11 billion by 2020. The removal of barriers and increased commercialization are helping drones have a large impact on modern business. Here are a few ways drones will transform the face of business in years to come.

1. Automation

Technology has had a huge influence on workplace productivity. Drones are no exception. Drones provide aerial data that can help automate many tedious tasks. They provide a perspective unavailable from the ground or from airplanes and satellites. This unique perspective can streamline work that requires mapping or recording of surfaces. Take farmers for example. Drones can provide farmers with an easy scan of their crop inventory and irrigation systems. They can even automate a drone to spray pesticides and fertilizer in minutes. Aerial mapping and scanning can automate processes that would otherwise require time and resources.

2. Delivery

Convenience is king in a world filled with UberEATS and Amazon Prime. But that’s only the beginning. Drone-based delivery services could change the way consumers shop forever. Imagine a world where your next retail item is delivered via drone airdrop. That world might come sooner rather than later. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos recently announced plans for Amazon Prime Air. The new delivery system will safely transport Amazon items under 55 pounds to consumers by drone in under 30 minutes. This delivery system is still in its beginning phases. But, if successful, drone-based delivery could turn the pizza boy into a thing of the past.

3. Wi-Fi

Over half of the world’s population still doesn’t have access to internet. That number might soon change thanks to drone technology. Drones could potentially bring internet usage to billions of users in the near future. This could further globalize the world and lower barriers to doing business with less developed areas of the world. Google has already announced a plan to increase internet signals via balloons and are also considering drones as a source. Other tech companies are expected to follow suit. Titan Aerospace, owned by Facebook, has already completed a test flight on an Internet drone in an effort to bring internet to the developing world.

4. Building Projects

The world of construction might look quite different thanks to drone technology. Construction teams and architecture firms rely heavily on images in project preparation. Aerial footage can streamline building projects during the initial concept phase. Drones can help automate this process. Building teams can take drone footage into their 3D renderings, topographical maps, and measurements. This can expedite project duration, lower costs, and even help make buildings safer. Companies such as DroneDeploy have already begun to develop software catered to this market.

5. Media

Drones are changing the way we capture and imagine parts of the world. So it makes sense that drone technology is having an impact on how we digest these images. For example, some news teams use drone footage as a cheaper alternative to helicopter footage. Drones are not only helping save money on media coverage, but they’re also helping to create better media. Drones are sleek and easy to maneuver. They can capture images that are more dynamic than those captured by a large aircraft. Drones are also changing the way photographers and filmmakers capture content. Everyone from Hollywood directors to large-scale media operations is embracing the medium.

The world has yet to see just how much of an influence drones will have in business. Drone technology is still in its infancy, but their impact is becoming clearer. Drones are already transforming a variety of industries, and if experts are to be believed, they will be dominating the business world for decades to come.

5 Times Smart Home Devices Were Insanely Stupid

We’ve all heard the hype about smart homes being the next big thing, Maybe you’ve even invested in a smart thermostat or security camera. That’s fine.

But before you go crazy and turn your home into something out of The Jetsons, make sure you do your research. It turns out that sometimes, smart homes can actually be incredibly stupid.

Just watch these videos and remember, when your smart home goes crazy or gets hacked, you’re the one who’s going to be footing the cleanup bill.

Here are five times smart home devices were incredibly stupid.

1. Roomba Spreads Dog Poop

Michael Baturin went to work and left his Roomba on the “Dirt Detect” setting—and then something happened that he never could have predicted.

When his dog pooped in the hallway, the Roomba detected it and immediately went in to save the day.

Unfortunately, the robot wasn’t smart enough to realize that vacuuming up fresh dog poop isn’t such a great idea. If you’re a clean freak, please don’t watch the video, as you may be traumatized by what happened next.

2. Amazon Alexa Goes Wild

When these young parents purchased Amazon Echo, they thought it would be a good idea to film their young child requesting his favorite song from Alexa. What could possibly go wrong?

Surely this was their ticket to viral cuteness.

Turns out they did go viral, but not for the reason they expected. When Alexa had trouble understanding the young boy’s request, she thought he might be interested in porn instead, and suddenly let out a stream of x-rated channel descriptions.

The parents were understandably horrified, but the listen for the dad’s nervous laughter at the end of the video for a clue as to who might be the real culprit here.

3. Creepy Voice Heard Over Baby Monitor

Occasionally, we’re woken by spooky voices and things that go “bump” in the night. But when these parents heard a man’s voice coming from their baby’s bedroom, they were understandably horrified and went to investigate.

Upon entering their baby’s room, they heard a voice saying disturbing things to their child through the baby monitor. They immediately unplugged the device, and now think that it was hacked.

Unfortunately, it seems to be a trend, with many other families reporting that their baby monitors were also hacked.

4. Smart Bulbs Hacked by Fly-By Drone Attack

Smart bulbs are probably the most harmless smart devices you could invest in, right? Wrong.

Researchers at Weizmann Institute of Science were able to use a drone to hack into Philips Hue smart bulbs via a weakness in the wireless security protocol.

This doesn’t sound that bad in itself, but the researchers used the weakness to deliver a virus that quickly spread to other devices. In theory, attacks like these could potentially set off a chain reaction that cripples whole cities. Scary stuff.

5. Nest Thermostat Leaves Users Out in the Cold

When Nest ran a routine software update on their thermostats, they never expected it to become a PR disaster. It turns out that a glitch in the update caused the battery to die, switching the thermostat off—in the middle of Winter!

Unfortunately for Nest, one of the people affected just happened to be a technology writer at the New York Times who was woken in the middle of the night when his baby started crying due to the freezing temperatures.

While a temperature drop in your home is bad, at least it’s not dangerous like a smoke detector malfunctioning, you might say. Well, you should read this.