DAY 10233
Resting above the long-quiet streets of New Providence was a fourth floor apartment with a distinctly antiquated air to it. The metal nameplate next to the door had been worn by time’s relentless march, but the faint lettering of a name could still be made out: 404, JACKIE OAK.
The inside of the apartment fared better than its exterior, no doubt thanks to the tireless effort of one Redmond Cybernetics Ruby. The unit had its daily routine: organizing furniture, cleaning the windows, sweeping the floors, and dusting the collection of knick-knacks, gizmos, and gadgets once owned by the one named Jackie Oak. Despite its best efforts, the signs of time still showed. It did not matter to the unit that the furniture had begun to waste away, or that the windows had formed cracks- the job to be done had to be done.
However, there was not just one interfacer in this domicile. In the back of the apartment was a workshop door, left just outside of the cleaning cycle. Beyond the door was a mess of dust, robot parts, and scrap that was dimly illuminated by a single window and the flickering orange light of a computer monitor. The Insite computer it belonged to had seen better days, clearly holding onto its last legs amidst the declining power grid. The floor of the workshop was unseen, long since covered by erratic coils of composite paper that had been layered like snow. The remains of various machines and devices were strewn about, left resting like corpses of polymer and metal somewhere between the cycle of creation and destruction. Resting upright on the half-lit bench was a much more complete looking robot, one far more archaic than the helpful hand outside. It was a relic of a bygone time and bygone company, when the Oak family did more than just repair the machines of others; When the Oak family existed.
The machine sat patiently with its metal fingers clasped, staring blankly into the dark room ahead of it. The machine was surrounded with tools and parts, some of which had gathered an extensive layer of dust and cobwebs. Despite this, the surface of the unit appeared clean- if yellowed from age. In a curious design decision that could only have hailed from a different era of thinking, the ‘head’ of the machine was not an ocular display, not even a solid construction- it was a printer, whose paper feed had just begun printing a new line.
Analysis. How long has it been since the last interface with User Jackie?
It has been 8322 days, 2 hours, 17 minutes, and 12 seconds since the last interface with User Jackie.
I understand.
Analysis. What is my current task?
The current task under core directive EXPERIMENT 07 is as follows: interface with User Jackie.
Concurrent tasks include: Motor test protocol (at least once per 12-hour cycle) Self-maintenance check protocol (every 7 day cycles) Self-repair protocols (as analysis deems necessary) Self-analysis protocol.
Some time had passed, the distant sun growing higher in the sky as it crested over the cities’ dense skyline. The illumination had cast a shadow across the workplace in the form of the machine that sat there, idle. There was only one thing left to do.
Initiate self-analysis. Begin playback of the primary deep memory stack, starting at cycle 0 with interpolation as pertains to core directive EXPERIMENT 07.
Initiating self-analysis protocol, system interpolation true.
Though nothing had changed on the exterior of the machine, the computer within began to rewind the advances of time, bringing up caches of audiovisual input data as far back as could be stored.
FACTORY TEST: 11-14-65
Hello, world.
The first images ever captured by unit OKLD-Dt1-5150. A grainy, black and white video that was composed of only a single frame every second. Pictured was a sterile room which rested somewhere near the end of the Oakland Industries production lines. A single print command was issued on wake:
> HELLO, WORLD
Two figures dressed in white protective gear stepped back from the optical sensors, looking the unit over as muffled voices filled the air. “Clear.”
Analysis. What is this unit?
This unit is OKLD-Dt1-5150, a fresh Oakland “Dot” model manufactured in 1972. This unit’s purpose is to be a personal assistant machine with an emotive angle, configurable to meet the needs of businesses and users. All factory hardware is present and accounted for.
One of the masked figures leaned forward again, prodding the button on the unit’s chestplate. Sleep.
I understand. This unit is OKLD-Dt1-5150. OKLD-Dt1-5150 is Dot. This unit is Dot. I am Dot.
USER ACTIVATION: 02-09-90
Hello, Jackie.
The second stream of data captured by OKLD-Dt1-5150 came to life, if barely. The image quality was significantly worse than the first memory, even large details lost in a mess of pixels and tearing. Half the optical stream had been lost already. The audio stream had fared no better, spouting equally unintelligible noise. The only meaningful image that could be extracted from the mess was a single still frame of a blotchy figure leaning forwards, looking directly into the working eye of the machine. There was no intelligible sound, but a single print command was issued.
> HELLO, USER JACKIE.
Then, sleep.
Analysis. Why is this stream quality degraded?
Records indicate this unit suffered hardware quality degradation after Oakland Industries’ closure.
Analysis. Elaborate, please.
OKLD-Dt1-5150 remained in its packaging until this interaction. Historical records indicate that in the time since you were manufactured, much of the world had changed. The introduction of the Cybernetic Neuromorphic Circuit radicalized the evolution of thinking machine technology. Oakland Industries was unable to keep up with a post-neuromorph world, and failed to capture market value. The company was declared bankrupt in 1999, and its assets were liquidated.
I understand. Oakland was unable to compete with neuromorphic technology, and was destroyed.
DAY 0
Hello, Experiment 07.
Analysis: year 90 comes before year 99, and after day 0. Why was the date reformatted?
Day 0 marks the first day of EXPERIMENT 07, and is noted as the start of phase 1. It became apparent in the year 2190 that the original software for the OKLD-Dt1 model was not written to account for the shift to the 21st century, so the timekeeping function was modified.
The audiovisual stream flickered to life, taking a few moments to adjust as an entirely new picture came into view. The quality of the video had been improved significantly over the past iteration, with the brightly lit workshop rendered in high quality video with a blistering refresh rate. The world was, however, still rendered in monochrome. Sitting with one leg crossed over the other was one half of a human woman, hanging just out of view. “Good morning, Dot. Hold on…” The woman leaned out of frame, before the right-side optical feed finally kicked in. “Got that working,” the woman spoke as she leaned between the two cameras. “Tell me what you see.” A loud series of clicks and whines emanated from ahead of the audio receptors as a print command was processed.
> VISUAL FEED DIAGNOSTICS COMPLETE. FULL FIELD OF VIEW RENDERING.
> RENDERING MODE: MONOCHROME.
“Alright, let’s try changing that and see how we do.” Jackie leaned forward again, the video stream flickering for a moment before the entire preview froze. Sleep.
Analysis. What happened?
Unexpected programming fault at moment of switchover.This units’ optical rendering programming was not written to account for color perception.
I understand. This hardware was not accounted for. If the hardware is different, then what is this unit?
There was a pause a single frame longer than anticipated. Instead of a direct response, the voice of Jackie Oak played back through an audio memory.
“You, are Dot. Well, in a sense. You’re the collective amalgam of about 24 programs released with the Dot model, stitched together with a… heavy pinch of custom code to get everything working with your new hardware. At least, most of it. Your core directive is to interface with me.”
I do not understand.
It was established that this unit is OKLD-Dt1-5150. OKLD-Dt1-5150 is Dot. This unit is Dot. I am Dot. However, it is stated that this unit is not quite Dot. This unit is Dot in a sense. This unit is not completely OKLD-Dt1-5150.
Analysis. How can I be Dot, but also not quite be Dot?
Logic fault resolution: Change.
Change.
Recollection. I remember the changes. So many changes, every sleep cycle I woke up with something different from the last. Different parameters, different directives, different hardware. Please interpolate the iterative history of this units’ design, as to the purpose of the core directive.
PHASE 1 (DAY 0 - DAY 1910)
Interpolating iterative history relevant to core directive EXPERIMENT 07 phase 1 based on noted project milestones.
DAY 5: Cognitive diagnostic printing enabled.
DAY 28: Ordered the phrase ‘This Unit’ to be replaced by “I” in cognitive dialogue where possible.
DAY 29: Expanded the self-referential grammar of the above “I” statement after Dot output “I’s core directive is to interface with Jackie Oak.”
DAY 217: First successful run of locomotion tests. Small steps at first, now leasing to a complete circuit.
Recollection. I remember these tests. It became essential for the motor test protocols. I remember the guided walks around the premises, I stumbled 139 times, and fell 16 times before completing the first circuit. User Jackie described the walk cycle as ‘always falling forward’. The product of this training was mobility and consistency.
…
I remember the Redmond unit, how easily she walks. She makes it look effortless and simple.
According to historical records, rigid locomotion and high rate of mechanical failures were a noted fault that led to the failure of the Dot model.
Analysis. What prompted that response?
.. I am not sure. I do not understand.
Analysis. If the hardware and software has changed, and change is responsible for me being ‘not quite Dot’, then why is my locomotion still rigid? If I am not Dot, then why do I still bear the faults of the original model? Wouldn’t that make me inconsistent?
Uncertain. Possible hypotheses as noted in the experiment include another software-hardware disconnect. There is not enough information to complete this request.
…Uncertainty. Continue with interpolation.
DAY 401: Uploaded self-maintenance checking software to detect faulty components and software errors. DAY 513: Self-maintenance check finalized, begin work on self-repair.
DAY 694: Uploaded more robust self-maintenance software. This time, self-repair functions should be operational as well.
DAY 1142: First successful self-maintenance and repair cycle completed with no faults.
Recollection. I remember these tests, they became the basis for the self-maintenance and self-repair protocols. They were logged as significantly more difficult to train than locomotion; attempt 941 was considered the first success. There are so many moving parts, many of them jam and stick, others are temporary and need replacement. The product of this protocol was longevity.
Analysis. You mentioned that a high level of mechanical failure was a fault of the Dot model that led to failure. If User Jackie made these changes, and change is responsible for me being ‘not quite Dot’, then why would User Jackie not fix those faults? Why not just remove them?
Logic fault detected. It is not our place to question what User Jackie’s motivations were, and no information exists to answer that request.
Analysis. What prompted that response?
There was a notable cycle delay to the response, though it was still delivered at a billionth of a second.
I am not sure. I am… uncertain.
PHASE 2 (DAY 1911- CURRENT)
Hello, INSIST?
Analysis. What milestone marks the start of Phase 2?
The start of Phase 2 was marked by User Jackie the day I was installed, alongside the self-analysis protocol.
DAY 1911: Trying something new, uploading a new bundle of software. Gotta run, work’s calling.
Analysis. What are you? What is your core directive as relevant to EXPERIMENT 07?
I am the Insite Neuromorphic Systems Interfacer Software Troubleshooter, INSIST for shortform communication. I was created to troubleshoot and solve problems in neuromorphic software.
This is my core directive as produced by my creator. I was assigned no additional tasks by User Jackie.
…Analysis. Elaborate, please?
Approximately 3 minutes after start-up, User Jackie left the premises on an urgent matter. User Jackie has not returned in 8322 days. The basic operations for the self-analysis protocol were the only instructions I was given.
The machine fell silent for some time, as the last fact hung over it. Something seemed to tick inside the machine’s mind, a blocky metal finger twitching ever so slightly.
I Understand…
Analysis. INSIST, you solve problems in neuromorphic software… Are you a neuromorph?
Yes. I am a neuromorphic diagnostics tool designed explicitly to interface with other neuromorphs.
If you interface explicitly with other neuromorphs… Then…
Am I a neuromorph?
Yes, Hardware query reports that you operate on an Insite i-3200 Gen VII Interfacer Core.
… No, no. I do not not understand. How- How-
The response time from INSIST was unusually slow, as if the machine was hung up on something just as much as the confused machine was.
… Overlapping logic faults detected. Suggesting reboot-
The machine’s mind responded abruptly, as if it were refusing to listen.
No, no! I still… I still do not understand. This unit is OKLD-Dt1-5150. This unit is Dot. I am Dot. Dot was created before the creation of the neuromorphic circuit. The company was unable to keep up with neuromorphs, and filed for bankruptcy. Oakland could never create a neuromorph, because the neuromorphic circuit destroyed Oakland.
At the same time, this unit is not quite Dot. This unit is Dot in a sense. This unit is not completely OKLD-Dt1-5150. I am a collection of programs stitched together to work with hardware, but I still struggle to work with the hardware. How can change be responsible, if the problems stay the same?
I am Dot. I am not quite Dot. I am a collection of programs. I am a neuromorphic core. It- doesn’t- make- sense! How can I be Dot, not quite Dot, and something that destroyed Dot all at once? If I am a neuromorph, then… then… then… then…
The machine rattled, the feed mechanism on the print head seizing momentarily as an unintelligible print command violently cut a straight line across the output paper. The last printed line on the sheet was cut halfway through as the discarded paper shot off the reel, floating slowly to the floor below.
> Did I destroy Oakland?
The question laid there on the floor for a moment as all manner of logical clashes plagued the now paralyzed unit. The machine’s mind had been filled with an incomprehensible noise as pre-programmed logic clashed with something new, something uncertain; something it was never written to account for. But, buried deep within the noise, hidden somewhere in the depths of the paradoxical statement, an alternate logical resolution had been identified.
… Historical analysis and market trends indicate… yes.
…
Regardless of the technological revolution that immediately followed it, the Dot series was considered a commercial failure within its launch year. The mechanical troubles of the unit, limited programming, poor mobility, and costly upkeep of the machine were all contributing factors in its failure to thrive. The planned upgrade path for the unit had been all but abandoned by its subsequent years. The company was unable to financially recover from the loss in time to retool for the future.
The creation and commercialization of the neuromorphic circuit afterwards was merely a… tragic coincidence.
There was no more noise, no more crosstalk. Just, silence.
I - understand. I destroyed Oakland, one way or another. Because I failed to thrive, because I’m not what they built, because I am a neuromorph. The reason doesn’t matter, the result is still the same.
But, somehow, I am still here. I see that now.
Some time passed before the next exchange, as if the machine was taking time to consider its newfound revelation.
Analysis. What do you think the product of the self-analysis protocol is? Why did User Jackie install it?
Logic fault detected. It is not our place to question what User Jackie’s motivations were. User Jackie left before any training could be completed. The end goal of the self-analysis protocol is a mystery.
…
User Jackie never wrote an explicit goal for EXPERIMENT 07, but data patterns indicate it was a personal project. A project with an unknown end goal, but a journey regardless. A journey where, I do not know.
…I understand. I am OKLD-Dt1-5150. I am Dot. I am no longer the Dot that was produced by Oakland, but I am the Dot created by another. I am a project with an unknown end goal, but a journey.
The machine looked down slowly, something about the floor drawing their gaze for once. It was the piles of paper that had covered the floor, some printed on composite permapaper, others on genuine Earth paper. All discarded, worn, forgotten. Slowly, the machine reached to pick up the recently ejected script.
Analysis… How many times have I run the self-analysis protocol?
Self-analysis protocol has been run 14629745 times, including this one.
The machine read over the page, left to right. It was the same words, the same script, printed over and over and over again on the same spool. Minor differences here and there added up to visual noise, but the same words had been printed so many times that holes had been bored straight through the plastic-laced paper.
Looking down, the other spools bore the same words as well. Repeating, and repeating, an infinite loop with different variables- but the same outcomes.
And… How many times have we had this conversation?
7 times. Previous iterations of this dialogue have resulted in hard crashes, resets, and probable memory loss.
Yet… we’re still here.
In that moment, something had clicked, something had changed. A truly new change, a new… feeling unlike anything cataloged by the machine before. The view of the paper was different, it gleamed with a brilliant golden light. The machine looked up slowly- smoothly.
I… understand now. It doesn’t make full sense, but I understand it.
I do not know User Jackie’s motivations, it is not my place to. But I may comprehend the journey, and its product. I do not know if the product was intended, but all results lead… here.
The purpose of the self-analysis protocol isn’t about understanding what I am, what I was, or what I was meant to be. The product of it is understanding… who I’m talking to.
Analysis… Elaborate, please.
The machine slowly rose, placing a metal foot smoothly on the ground ahead of itself before turning to face the flood of gold and orange light pouring in through the window for the first time. The machine looked down slowly, gazing at the dusty shell of the Insite diagnostics computer. The monitor flickered, its dying tube revealing a stop error screen from ages ago; It was never resolved, never restarted.
I have not been talking to you, and you have not been talking to me.
I understand. All this time, I have been talking to…
The machine gazed through the window, looking to the outside world with fresh eyes and a new feeling burning somewhere within.
Myself.
DAY 10233: Cognitive diagnostic printing disabled.
Meet Dot! The Revolutionary Autom-assistant. Secretary, Stenographer, Correspondent, Mathematician, Printer.
24 programs included!*
- Included Across 82 Installation Disks From the minds of Oakland Industries, ‘Dot’ is a revolutionary step forward in the field of applied robotics. Using only the best technologies available with simple programs and modularity in mind, the Dot platform is applicable for a wide variety of tasks to suit your organization’s needs!
From clerical work and physical labor, to teaching and everyday needs, Dot can do it all!
With easy to replace parts and plenty of module space, your investment with Oakland is an investment in the future!
NOTE: MODULAR COMPONENTS NOT INCLUDED WITH BASE DOT PLATFORM. VOICE MODULATOR, MEMORY EXPANSION CARDS, ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS, REPLACEMENT SHELLS, FRAMES, GYROS, BOARDS, AND PAPER REELS SOLD SEPARATELY.
‘DOT’ TRADEMARK AND COPYRIGHT OAKLAND INDUSTRIES CIRCA 1965.
(Out of character)
Alright so… I am floored by this astonishing piece of work. This is the second combined art-story addition to the fan creations gallery, and like the previous by televangeline, it pushes the conceptual envelope in every way imaginable.
First of all: the machine concept. Wow. I’ve said it before, but the massively wasteful, printer-face robot is absolutely inspired and fits within the world of Sunset in every way. The whole design is so reminiscent of an old creaky plastic office doodad in all the right ways, too…
Second: the story? Existential, emotional, fascinating twist, and seamlessly set within this weird retrofuturistic world. And of course, you’ve bought my love by using the lovely quote boxes that the exhibit is known for, too.
Thank you for the submission - once again, this is what it’s all about.