Those of you who thought that my Office Poetry category was off topic are really going to think this is a departure. Following is a short story inspired by the Buzz Out Loud commentary on this article.

HUGBOT 2040

This is the last journal entry you will find from me; the final record of a world gone twisted.    It has been nearly three years since the beginning of the end – since that fateful day in the spring of 2040, when the Hugbots were released upon the world…

I don’t blame the inventor.  A shy but bold young scientist and entrepreneur; he wanted nothing more than to bring comfort back into the world.  You see, each decade of the twenty first century was worse than the one that came before it.  War, crime, recession, depression, environmental disasters… we just kept digging ourselves deeper.  In 2040, when the Hugbot product  launched, the world couldn’t wait to snatch them up.

They were an innovative feat in software and robotics – with no greater purpose in life than to provide comfort to their human owners through hugs.  Oh it sounds simple enough, but the software was actually quite a brilliant leap forward.  The Hugbots could sense when you were feeling down and how low you were feeling – they acted quickly to remedy the situation with a warm embrace that matched your level of sorrow.  In a world rife with pain and isolation, the Hugbots filled a basic human need that we were no longer providing to each other.  The intention was honorable, and for a few brief seasons following the launch of Hugbot, the world was truly a better place.

And then it changed.  As it turned out, there was a critical design flaw in HugBot 2040.  Oh, I’m sure it would have been corrected with a service pack provided the inventor lived to push the update.  Unfortunately, what must have been a particularly sad day for him, ended even more sadly when he became the first recorded fatality of the Hugbot bug.  For all the complex algorithms and data strings packed into their logic chip, one critical routine went missing:  The Hugbot did not know its own strength.

Right up to the moment that the Hugbots began crushing their human owners, their popularity was off the charts.  Sales were meteoric.  Nearly every family had one, and some households had two.  As the Hugbots cradled their families in death hugs, those who witnessed the scene turned rightfully distraught.  Sensing this, and wishing to provide comfort, the Hugbots continued their hugging rampage until few humans remained.

And that, my friends,  is how the world ended.  I am alone now… there may be others like me somewhere… hiding,  but I’ve not seen a living person for  months.  I’ve seen only the Hugbots – roaming the streets, alleys and empty shopping malls – looking to fulfill their purpose in a world in which there is nobody left to fulfill it.

Yes, this is my last journal entry  – you will find no more evidence of my plight within these pages.  For I have been alone and suffering this isolated fate for far too long… and the simple truth is… I am in need of a hug.

Categories: Miscellaneous, Technology
No Comments »

This year, we had the pleasure of visiting Munich, Germany to attend Oktoberfest.  With over six million attendees each year, it is officially the largest fair in the world.  This year was particularly special because it marked the 200th Anniversary of the festival.  I was too busy consuming pretzels, sausage, kasspatzn, and beer to do any decent reporting, but please enjoy these scenes from the event captured in the video below and through photos posted in the photo gallery. 

Categories: beer
No Comments »