ZOMG, drones are the coolest, amirite?

In case you can't read the deck to the cover article above, it says: "Small, cheap, flying robots that do your bidding. Why should the military have all the cool stuff?"

When I got my July issue of Wired in the mail yesterday, my first thought was, "Yes! ZOMG! [1] Drones! They are the coolest!" No, that's not true. My first though was actually, "Gross." I don't consider weaponized assassination machines--the ones that the military has--that murder innocent people (and yes, a few terrorists) "cool."

Sure, the article advertised on the cover [2] isn't actually all about those kinds of drones, but about the ones becoming increasingly popular with geek hobbyists. It even notes, "Drones in pop culture have gotten something of a bad reputation.” Maybe that's because of how the military uses them. To spy on, and then kill people. Though not with the best track record of accuracy. [3]

I get that Wired is sold on the newstand, and therefore the covers really have to catch your interest. Usually I'm more likely to get offended by the presence of a sexualized woman or cleavage on the cover [4] (normally, the only way for a woman to get on the cover of the tech magazine; a disservice to their "lady readers.").

But subject matter aside, the cover is actually really ugly and looks like something a first-year design student did.