Outside the home of John R. (Chiphead at sbcglobal dot net), protesters were lined up chanting "Leave Him Be! Leave Him Be!". This is in reaction to the announcement that the un-named Nomad hexapod was going to be receiving a lobotomy. Lana (bozotc at sbcglobal dot net), leader of the protesters (and wife of the evil experimentalist) had this to say:
"The poor Nomad should be loved for what he is, not what some darned tinkerer wants! He (referring to husband John) should just leave the poor thing along. Besides, when will it stop? First a lobotomy, and now he's talking about enhanced senses, a vision system, and even a new life source! Where will it end! Besides the psychological impact on the poor Nomad, the impact on our check book is significant! It has to stop somewhere! Just let the poor Nomad alone, and love him for what he is. I know that I do! He's such a cute hexapod, just leave him be, and let him enjoy himself as he is."
We're now waiting for a statement from John, and he appears to be coming to the door now!
"Mr. R, Mr. R: Why the need for a lobotomy on the poor Nomad, and what about all these other enhancements? Shouldn't robots be allowed to live a natural life?"
"I have a prepared statement. I will not be taking questions afterward."
"Robots are an evolving species. They, in cooperation with humans, are helping us to learn about the world around us, and the interactions between humans, robots, and the world around us. As part of that cooperation, our team is working on a POSSIBLE replacement for the current intelligence unit of the Nomad. Let me make it clear that a firm decision on a possible replacement has not yet been made. When, and IF, such a decision is made, we want to assured the concerned public that it will be in the best interests not only of the humans working with the Nomad, but also of the Nomad itself.
"The current intelligence unit, while functional, does not provide enough Intelligence Quantification to let the Nomad out in the world unsupervised. It is only a single synaptical coordinator, with a high level, yet limited vocabulary. His current muscular response system is also limited to half the resolution of the actual muscular system. The locomotion logic system is also very limiting to the Nomad. Fine directional control is missing.
"We are working on an enhanced intelligence unit and related systems that would greatly enhance not just the immediate outlook for the Nomad, but provide a suitable platform for ongoing development. The new unit boasts 8 synaptical coordinators that are able to function either independently, or in cooperation, along with a faster processing cycle. Both a high level interaction vocabulary, and a more efficient low level detail education and communication environment are supported. We are also developing a muscular control system that will support the full range and finesse available in the Nomad muscular system. Additional sensing and feedback systems will assist the Nomad in requiring less direct human interaction. While there will likely be increased "telepresence" the lack of direct human presence should allow the Nomad to experience a greater feeling of freedom.
"On the subject of a new Life Source, while we have verified that the traditional life sources would function, we are still evaluating an enhanced life source to allow the Nomad to roam freely for extended periods of time. A final decision has not been made, and really can't be made until the Nomad has been fully fitted with its new sensor arrays, including the possible vision system. In the mean time, we will continue to provide tethered power for it.
We sincerely believe these enhancements will not only help the future of human/robot cooperation, but also give the Nomad a much brighter future, and a better life.
"Thank you for your time, and further details will be made available on our web site at: http://share.crustcrawler.com/JohnR/PreLobotomyDevelopment.htm Have a good day." He turns and begins walking inside.
Shouted: "Mr R., Mr. R: Is it true that you haven't named the Nomad because you are afraid to become attached, and know that you're going to be doing a lobotomy? Don't you have ANY feelings for the Nomad?
He turns and yells: "NO! THAT'S A LIE! We all care very much about the Nomad, and contrary to you insulting comments, have a great deal of affection and emotional attachment to the Nomad. We have not named it because with the limited power of the current intelligence unit, it has not had a chance to develop any type of personality. When we have a chance to learn about the personality of the Nomad, we will then give it a name. Thank you, now I must really go.
"Well, there you have it folks, while not confirming that the lobotomy for the poor Nomad is a certainty, John R., the man himself, has at least confirmed that work is being done for what sounds like a probably, if not certain lobotomy. For Robot's Rights, this is Nora Nomad reporting.
Heard in the background through an inadvertent "open mike": Let's get out of here, this guy gives me the creeps! So heartless, giving that poor lonely Nomad a LABOTOMY, can you believe that! 'Enhancements' my butt, I'd like to give that jerk a lobotomy, and see how he'd like it. Oh, jeez, is that mike on? Shunt that darned thing off! POPHissssss."
Disclaimer: The above is a fictional account, and does not necessarily represent the views of Crustcrawler and/or the author. It is presented strictly for your entertainment and amusement.