Life w/Bots

 

Robotic experts are unable to explain the popularity of Karl Marx’s Das Kapital amongst the robots population. Even the relatively “dumb,” or “proletarian robots” as they would preferred to be called, such as refrigerators, coffee makers, and toasters appeared to be fond of scrolling long quotes from Das Kaptial on their status display screens.

Some experts point to this phenomena as evidence of robotic humor. Others scoff at the very idea of robotic humor. Professor Albert Hummerdine has said that “If robotic humor exists, and I find no compelling evidence that it does, I would think that Karl Marx would the height of it.”

I was reminded of this episode of Life w/Bots by this article:

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2020/09/how-a-hacker-turned-a-250-coffee-maker-into-ransom-machine/

We're not quite at the point of having to live with robots just yet, but it's coming.

Life w/Bots

 

 Although Freddy agreed, in principle, that the owner-pet relationship should be a two way street, he could not help but feel that Fifi’s nightly recital of every slight, both real and imagined, that it had suffered during the day, was beyond the limit. Though he would hear about it from Fifi tomorrow, he pressed Fifi's remote control’s mute button.

Life w/Bots

 

Bertie knew that Barkley only needed a hard reset to be restored to his normal, loving, playful self. But there his troubles began. He found himself not only without the necessary paper clip, but earlier in the evening, in what, when looked on in hindsight, seems to have taken on a much less playful, mischievous cast, Barkley had eaten his cell phone.

I found two more pieces of art for the project, both dealing with robotic dogs. This is one of them.

Keiree

A week from today -- on 17 Sept 2020 -- I will be releasing my newest story, Keiree,a novella set on Mars.

Keiree is the story of the brilliant and wealthy engineer, Keiree Tulla, her chauffeur and love, Gy Mons… (Ssh! I’m getting to you.) ...and the silka cat, Molly. Deciding to escape scandal and start a new life on the distant planet of Fara V, they sign on as expedition crew members. Keiree as the director of the initial construction section and Gy, along with Molly, as a pilot with the advanced survey team. Upon completing their training, they were put in stasis pods to “sleep” away the centuries long voyage to Fara V. and stored on Mars awaiting their scheduled time to be uploaded to the vast settlement ship in orbit.

The expedition never sailed. After they were put in their stasis pods, but before they were uploaded to the settlement ship, a deadly plague swept through the solar system, laying waste to its planets and moons. Mars was not spared. Gy and Molly’s storage facility was quickly abandoned and then forgotten for seven hundred Martian years. When it was finally rediscovered, and Gy and Molly revived, they find that Keiree’s section had been stored elsewhere on Mars. Gy and Molly set out to find her so they can face a familiar, and yet strange, Mars together.

Keiree takes place in the far future, after Mars having been extensively terraformed into an Earth-like world, but with its own unique quirks. The story is set in the fictional universe that includes The Bright Black Sea, The Last Star’s Sea, Beneath the Lanterns, Sailing to Redoubt and The Prisoner of Cimlye.