Meet George Jetson, his boy Elroy …

We’re not living the Jetsons life yet, but every day society moves closer to that futuristic ideal of machines taking care of most of our daily needs — as confirmed most recently by the news that two Oahu hospitals have acquired "surgical robots."

Hawaii Pacific Health paid $4.5 million this month to place the machines in its Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children and its Pali Momi Medical Center.

Also used in recent years at Tripler Army Medical Center and The Queen’s Medical Center, the surgical robots don’t operate on their own; their tiny instruments are maneuvered through the bodies of patients by physicians looking through a console. But they do represent a significant medical advance, and their addition is another sign of how automation is becoming more and more a part of our lives.

The trick is to prevent the desired "Jetsons" future from turning into the dreaded "Terminator" future.

Where’s Jack Lord when you need him?

For those who want the "Hawaii Five-0" franchise to keep on putting this state in the spotlight, it’s a little worrisome to see the show nestled in Nielsen ratings’ second place.

ABC’s "Castle" was well ahead on Monday with 10.61 million, while McGarrett & Co. held only a narrow edge over third-place "Revolution" on NBC; the score there was 8.39 million to 8 million on the nose.

What was that old rental-car slogan about No. 2 trying harder? We hope that applies to TV production companies, too.