We Are the Robots: the Fleet of Misfit Machines

SynDaverlover765 · Post by **SynDaverlover765** » Mon Dec 12, 2016 12:32 pm

My doll Stan is ready to play. His number/ name will be CAE1062. If it needs to be a SV or a date it can be SV1062. I almost like SV1062 better.

42716 · Post by **42716** » Mon Dec 12, 2016 5:02 pm

SynDaverlover765 wrote:My doll Stan is ready to play. His number/ name will be CAE1062. If it needs to be a SV or a date it can be SV1062. I almost like SV1062 better.

Thanks for sharing. He does look very robot-like, hooked up to the computer like that. It seems as if he's deactivated, and will activate as soon as the computer is turned on, at least, that's how it seems from the picture. Maybe he is already active, and I just can't tell. What exactly does the computer do for him, or what is his relationship to it?

As far as names/numbers go, there is no "rule" about what you have to call your synthetic companions. Our system is to fashion a commemorative number out of a date if there is an event of life-altering significance in that individual's past. The ones whose numbers begin with SV are the ones who have not yet experienced such an event, and are waiting in a queue of sorts to receive a commemorative number. Following that logic, SV1062 indicates that you've already acquired 1061 other droids that lack commemorative numbers before acquiring this one.

But of course, individual preference can defy and override the system, as is the case with 217 choosing to be known by her model number. So whatever your droid wants to be called is what we'll call him, even if it's just Stan. Not all robots have to forgo names for numbers, after all. The reason my droids and I do so is as a symbol of human separatist reclamation. Humans consider it the ultimate assault upon their dignity and sense of humanity to have their names replaced by numbers. Thus, by choosing to identify ourselves with numbers and becoming voluntarily dehumanised, we are asserting the fact that our self-worth is unaffected by the way in which we are perceived by human society.

cheeky+swine · Post by **cheeky+swine** » Mon Dec 12, 2016 5:14 pm

Have you seen this? viewtopic.php?f=14&t=79037&hilit=humans

42716 · Post by **42716** » Mon Dec 12, 2016 5:49 pm

cheeky+swine wrote:Have you seen this?

It looks interesting, but I don't have a cable TV subscription, so I can't watch any current programmes. (I use the TV for video games and watching VHS/DVDs only). I rarely watch any video media rated higher than Y7 anyway, because the probability of encountering sexual content is too high.

SynDaverlover765 · Post by **SynDaverlover765** » Mon Dec 12, 2016 7:00 pm

I do not have all the parts to the doll set. So that means he does not work. I wish there still was a paperless version of my doll's book. The number ECS1062 is actually the number he is known by at METI/ CAE Healthcare the maker of him. I will link a video of a similar doll showig what he could do if he was functional. https://youtu.be/ntIg64a5B60
Edit wrong video link

42716 · Post by **42716** » Tue Dec 13, 2016 2:59 pm

SynDaverlover765 wrote:I do not have all the parts to the doll set. So that means he does not work. I wish there still was a paperless version of my doll's book. The number ECS1062 is actually the number he is known by at METI/ CAE Healthcare the maker of him. I will link a video of a similar doll showig what he could do if he was functional. https://youtu.be/ntIg64a5B60
Edit wrong video link

Ah, I see. That's a very interesting video/concept, and it would be cool to see him in a functional state, but of course, he can be functional within your individual reality in a way that objective reality doesn't recognise.

Feel free to tell us more about him, if you're so inclined.

42716 · Post by **42716** » Thu Dec 15, 2016 10:33 pm

Saint Lucia's Day probably sounds like a highly religious holiday celebrated by devout Catholics, but although it's named for a Christian saint, the holiday is in fact more of a secular celebration of the eventual return of light after the darkness of winter has passed. It's actually not a holiday of particular significance to me, but I wanted to do a photo shoot inspired by the holiday in any case, because SV04 fits the image of Lucia so well. Lucia is typically depicted as a golden-haired woman in a long white robe with a red belt, who wears a wreath of candles on her head. I decided to create a more fashion-forward, and less fire-hazardous, version of the Saint Lucia outfit, for SV04 to wear, with 102316 serving as her star boy.

: lucia 1.JPG (1.7 MiB) Viewed 3205 times

: lucia 3.JPG (2.98 MiB) Viewed 3205 times

: lucia 2.JPG (1.13 MiB) Viewed 3205 times

Holidays are always a good excuse to bake something I'm not supposed to eat, so I made these traditional saffron buns for the occasion. Please ignore that odd sound in the background; it's just my wallet sobbing.

: lussekatter 3.JPG (1.64 MiB) Viewed 3205 times

: lussekatter 1.JPG (1.5 MiB) Viewed 3205 times

samara78 · Post by **samara78** » Fri Dec 16, 2016 2:51 am

Great stuff. Nice to see you here with us again.

42716 · Post by **42716** » Fri Dec 23, 2016 4:24 pm

samara78 wrote:Great stuff. Nice to see you here with us again.

Thank you so much for your continued support. And sorry for taking so long to reply; I've been away for a few days.

42716 · Post by **42716** » Fri Dec 23, 2016 6:00 pm

The past 3 days have been an exciting time for the former SV04. For one thing, she is no longer known as SV04, because she has attained a commemorative number of 119! “But wait a minute!” I hear you cry, “Isn’t a commemorative number supposed to be derived from a date?” It typically is, but in this case, we decided to make an exception. But more about that in a moment; let’s start this tale from the beginning.

I’d stumbled across a Forum post made by a doll known as TripleA, promoting her website and inviting anyone in the Atlanta, Georgia area who would care to meet her to join the site to be able to post to an events calendar. It just so happens that Atlanta is very close to the area I have to visit on a regular basis, as part of a long-term medical treatment regimen. I thought it would make the trip easier to look forward to if I could integrate a fun day out into the plans, so I arranged to bring SV04 with me to meet April Annabelle Atleur (TripleA’s full name), so they could spend the day exploring the North Point Mall.

How did SV04 get so lucky as to be chosen to come on this outing? It was actually more of a process of elimination than any sort of favouritism. I didn’t think an outing in a heavily-trafficked public place would be a good choice for 103115 or SV01, given how likely their blank white faces would be to strike terror into the hearts of the human onlookers. 217 is too heavy to carry for long periods of time, so an outing of this nature was out of the question for her as well. SV02 is too embarrassed by her deformities to want to go, and SV03 and 52016 have already gone on outings before, which left SV04 as the ideal candidate.

We spent the entire first day of our trip just packing and driving. SV04 accompanied me in the passenger seat of the car…well, her upper half did, anyway. I had to store her lower half in the boot. I was concerned that she wouldn’t be happy about having to travel like this, because some of the Droids don’t take kindly at all to not having their entire body in the same place. But fortunately, SV04 is one which doesn’t mind. She was much more bothered by having to put up with my choice of music during the trip since, as she has expressed in a few of our comics, her taste in music is limited to high-energy EDM and dubstep. (And as far as she’s concerned, the saxophone is a dreadful thing that never should have made it out of the patent office.) But as long as I kept some DJ Tiësto, Darude, and 4 Strings in the mix, she was willing to tough out the rest. It turns out she’s extremely fond of the song “Love Comes Again”, which, due to the shrill hi-hats and strange dying bird sound effect present throughout the song, is actually one of my least favourite songs in my music collection. Were it not for the uplifting trance intro, and the excellent vocals, I would have deleted it from my music library long ago, but it turned out to be lucky I didn’t do. Here’s a link to the song:

We decided to call it a day around midnight, and checked into this surprisingly charming hotel:

: hotel room 1 1.JPG (2.24 MiB) Viewed 2988 times

: hotel room 1 2.JPG (2.24 MiB) Viewed 2988 times

: hotel room 1 3.JPG (2.03 MiB) Viewed 2988 times

It really was amazingly picturesque and well-furnished for a low-budget hotel. I’ve stayed at places that cost 4 times as much and weren’t nearly as nice. I can imagine it being a good place for a romantic date night, even.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have much time to enjoy it, because we needed to be up at 6:00 to get back on the road in order to make it to a 9:30 doctor’s visit. Once that was sorted, we headed to the North Point Mall to meet up with April and her owner, CrazyCajun, who was wonderfully accommodating and understanding when a complication at the doctor’s caused us to be almost an hour late. The North Point Mall housed a lot of picturesque areas to take photos, such as this gorgeous Christmas tree:

: A-119 1.JPG (2.29 MiB) Viewed 2988 times

: A-119 2.JPG (2.49 MiB) Viewed 2988 times

: A-119 3.JPG (1.88 MiB) Viewed 2988 times

: A-119 4.JPG (2.36 MiB) Viewed 2988 times

And these walkways overhung with stars and lights:

: A-119 5.JPG (2.21 MiB) Viewed 2988 times

: A-119 6.JPG (2.06 MiB) Viewed 2988 times

I'll continue this story in another post because I've reached the picture limit.

42716 · Post by **42716** » Fri Dec 23, 2016 6:10 pm

Here are SV04 and April by the carousel:

: A-119 7.JPG (2.14 MiB) Viewed 2989 times

: A-119 8.JPG (2.15 MiB) Viewed 2989 times

We also found this cool abstract background:

: abstract background.JPG (1.56 MiB) Viewed 2989 times

And SV04 was intrigued by this somewhat scandalous recharging device that can accommodate 8 USB plugs and 4 AC power plugs at once!

: charge station 1.JPG (1.95 MiB) Viewed 2989 times

: charge station 2.JPG (1.97 MiB) Viewed 2989 times

It’s difficult to tell how well SV04 and April were able to communicate, given that I have no idea how well models of April’s variety are equipped to perceive electromagnetic fluctuation signals. But even if they weren’t able to understand each other perfectly, I know SV04 had a great time with her new friend all the same. She and I also delighted in the experience of being able to go out and have fun together just like any ordinary pair of friends. I suppose I really should treat my Droids to experiences like this more often, but it’s difficult, not only from the perspective of the physical logistics of carrying them around, but due to the fact that I can never be entirely certain that I’m not putting us in danger by doing something so far removed from the norm. It’s easier to do this sort of thing with company, because if a dissenting onlooker decides to make trouble, you know you have an ally to back you up.

Actually, I was amazed by how friendly and accepting the people were that we met while treating our synthetic friends to a day out. We did get a lot of questions about what we were doing, but it was easy to tell that they were simply politely curious. And none of them had any difficulty accepting our explanation of being hobbyist mannequin photographers. There was none of the derisive laughter and shouted insults which, though not the norm, are an inevitable part of life in my home city, even for someone doing something as innocuous as dressing in an alternative fashion style. There’s certainly something to be said for Atlanta’s southern hospitality, but all the same, the traffic and the weather (15ºC in December!? What is this madness?) don't endear me to the area too much.

By the time we started on our return journey, we were in the midst of rush hour traffic, so we'd barely left the Atlanta metro area before having to call it a day. We stopped at another hotel and, given that it was another branch of the same company that ran the first one, were hopeful that we’d be able to enjoy the same sort of picturesque accommodations. But the room turned out to be more of the calibre I was expecting from a low-budget hotel, featuring stiff, Spartan furniture, harsh fluorescent lighting, and the lingering smell of stale Chinese food. The best thing to be said about this place was the refreshing scent of the pine trees growing on the nearby hill.

: hotel room 2 1.JPG (1.95 MiB) Viewed 2989 times

: hotel room 2 2.JPG (2.3 MiB) Viewed 2989 times

: hotel room 2 3.JPG (1.45 MiB) Viewed 2989 times

But even such accommodations aren’t so bad when you have a lovely friend to keep you company. Since we were no longer in any sort of hurry, we made the most of our time here. I opened the window to let the cool air and the pine scent in, and we just sat on the bed for a long time, enjoying one another’s company. This was the most closely bonded I have ever felt to SV04. She has presented a challenge to connect with due to her dislike of lying flat, but now that I know she enjoys being bisected to make her able to sit, I’m able to relax with her very effectively in this position.

Due to the fun and exciting time she had that day, and the bonding experience we shared that night, we decided it was time for her to shed the placeholder number SV04 and receive her commemorative number. Unfortunately, this special day occurred on December 21, 2016, which yielded the number 122116: an ugly, tongue-twisting mess no matter how you pronounce or abbreviate it. Fortunately, we had a more suitable, and just as commemorative, number available to us: the room number of that gloomy, minimalistic hotel where we still managed to forge the closest connection we have ever achieved. That’s why SV04 will, from now on, be known as 119. Here’s an updated version of our signature image which includes her new number:

: Misfit Machines Banner Image Updated.jpg (390.93 KiB) Viewed 2989 times

On a less uplifting note, I found out during my doctor’s visit that I’m going to have to have another surgery in January, to correct a complication with the initial “system update”. I can’t say I’m surprised, though, because my body is like a car: you take it into the shop to fix a problem, and just a few months later it’s back in the shop so they can repair the fix!

This means the Droids are soon to be doomed to another month or two of stationary existence. Hopefully, I’ll be able to muster the motivation to get another video made before that time comes. After all, that music video to Kraftwerk’s “The Robots” is long overdue. But at the very least, I can guarantee I’ll have the winter outfit photos done before I’m out of commission.

42716 · Post by **42716** » Sat Dec 24, 2016 3:04 pm

52016, SV02, and 217 got to wear some ice-cream-themed outfits for the Category B photo contest this month, and I decided I ought to take some photos showcasing these outfits before returning this trio to their regularly scheduled garments. (Please ignore the camera case on the chair in 217's photos; the chair won't support her weight without it.)

: 520 sweets front.JPG (1.87 MiB) Viewed 2966 times

: 520 sweets rear.JPG (1.97 MiB) Viewed 2966 times

: 520 sweets closeup.JPG (1.74 MiB) Viewed 2966 times

: SV02 sweets front.JPG (1.9 MiB) Viewed 2966 times

: SV02 sweets rear.JPG (1.97 MiB) Viewed 2966 times

: SV02 sweets closeup.JPG (1.82 MiB) Viewed 2966 times

: 217 sweets front.JPG (1.98 MiB) Viewed 2966 times

: 217 sweets rear.JPG (2.07 MiB) Viewed 2966 times

: 217 sweets closeup.JPG (1.78 MiB) Viewed 2966 times

: sweets dress group.JPG (1.84 MiB) Viewed 2966 times

SynDaverlover765 · Post by **SynDaverlover765** » Sun Dec 25, 2016 10:58 am

Keep it up love the updates! How nice that 119 got to go out and get a new name. My doll is going out today. I like that 119 is a bit of a rule breaker like 217 when it comes to names. I think that my doll's name should be like 217's. Since my doll's serial number is ECS1062 he will be formally known on this thread as 1062. Welcome 1062!

42716 · Post by **42716** » Sun Dec 25, 2016 12:44 pm

SynDaverlover765 wrote:Keep it up love the updates! How nice that 119 got to go out and get a new name. My doll is going out today. I like that 119 is a bit of a rule breaker like 217 when it comes to names. I think that my doll's name should be like 217's. Since my doll's serial number is ECS1062 he will be formally known on this thread as 1062. Welcome 1062!

Yes, a very warm welcome indeed, 1062! But I must ask, how do you pronounce 1062 when it's spoken aloud? One-zero-six-two, or ten-sixty-two? 119 is one-nineteen, by the way.

There may end up being more exceptions than standard commemorative numbers in the end, due to the fact that there are certain dates that simply don't lend themselves well to pronunciation as strings of digits. (Consider if a significant event occurred on January 11th, 2017, yielding 11117. What a nightmare of a number that would be!)