Some of the best-loved characters in science fiction don’t even have a heartbeat. Why? They’re robots, that’s why! Unlike the mechanical “slaves” (the original meaning of the Czech root robota) that built your car or enable your GPS devices, these robots are a lot more human. In fact, the word “droid” is short for “android,”… Continue reading D is for Droids
Tag: robots
Story Notebook #5 (part 2)
For those of you who don’t know (or can’t remember, since it’s been so long), I’ve been doing this ongoing thing where I go through my old story notebooks. Last time, we covered my last semester of classes at BYU; this time, we’ll cover my time in Washington DC, when I was trapped in an internship from… Continue reading Story Notebook #5 (part 2)
The Lifecycle of Software Objects by Ted Chiang
Ana was a washed-up zoologist turned programmer looking for work; Derek was an avatar designer for the Data Earth virtual reality platform. The thing that brought them together: Blue Gamma Inc., manufacturer of autonomous self-aware AI pets known as digients. Like any pet, each digient requires constant attention as they learn and grow. Soon, Ana… Continue reading The Lifecycle of Software Objects by Ted Chiang
Story Notebook #3 (part 1)
I’m not sure whether this notebook is #3 or #2. There’s a lot of notes from English 318, which would put it in the winter, but I don’t know if it’s from ’08 or ’09. Not that that matters; ideas are ideas. And here they are! An empty parking garage with no exit. Covered this… Continue reading Story Notebook #3 (part 1)