There was a chapter in our history class when I was a kid dedicated to the late Queen Mother 慈禧 of the late Qing on how anti-machine she was and how her anti-industrialism cost a nation. Once given an early Duryea as a gift, she was offended: sitting in the driver's seat seemed a slave's place, as she had always ridden in a palanquin. Her disdain for machines led her to reallocate the shipyard budget to her private royal garden. Many of her supporters, also anti-machinists, sought to destroy any traces of machines. Thus, while the Western world accelerated during the Industrial Revolution, the late Qing enforced stricter deceleration and forced industrialists into exile. The class's closing remark was that we had much catching up to do and must work hard. Western history books omit what happens when you fall behind. Your destiny is not yours until you can build. The West has benefited from rare bright builders who advance civilization, yet like consciousness they can be blown out like a candle. When I saw the robotic competition, that was the first thing that came to mind. Don’t be 慈禧.