Friday, December 28, 2007

My first steps in Twinity

Here

If you stand still outside you can hear it... Winter's footsteps, the sound of falling leaves
Takayuki Ikkaku, Arisa Hosaka and Toshihiro Kawabata, Animal Crossing: Wild World, 2005

My avibot


I had a dream…

Let’s say I am a scientist and I am able to create an avatar that can behave on its own, without me commanding do this or do that.
The avatar of a robot: an avibot.
I stay still on my chair, facing my computer, elbows on the desk, head supported by my cupped hands, and I only watch my screen where my creation is making her way.
I prefer saying her instead of its to give my avibot some personality, but of course don’t think one moment that I believe my baby is a living creature, I always have my feet touching the ground, even if my mind often tends to travel with the clouds.
I can see her doing shopping, chatting with people, with my friends if I gave her their names, dancing , even camping if she needs some money and I am too penny-pincher that I forget her periodic installment, having sex at random or with specific partners according the restrictions I made during the customizing, creating weird objects, painting splendid scenes, scripting phenomenal programs, teaching newbies how to dress-up without looking ridiculous and so many other things that you and I can’t even imagine doing in our cherished in-world.

But when I woke up I had to admit that I am not a scientist.

When I am with my avatar, I am bent over my desk, scrutinizing my screen with my squinted eyes, struggling with the mouse, striking the keys in the bda odrer, and nothing goes as I would like things go!
Apart from doing shopping and chatting with people, maybe dancing though I am a terrible professional (the most I made was 50L$ in a whole night, unless it was 500…I don’t remember, it’s now so far away…), all other activities are unreachable to me (well I forgot one, but you know that I have some reserve… )

Conclusion: I am more stupid than a robot.

But the robot cannot have my reserve.

That saves me from depression.

So we and our elaborately evolving computers may meet each other halfway. Someday a human being, named perhaps Fred White, may shoot a robot named Pete Something-or-other, which has come out of a General Electric factory, and to his surprise see it weep and bleed. And the dying robot may shoot back and, to its surprise, see a wisp of gray smoke arise from the electric pump that it supposed was Mr. White's beating heart. It would be rather a great moment of truth for both of them.
Philip K. Dick, The Shifting Realities of Phillip K. Dick
US science fiction author (1928 - 1982)


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