Newsgroups: comp.ai.alife
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From: sylvere@unige.ch (Silvere Martin-Michiellot)
Subject: I Robot
Message-ID: <1995Feb6.120055.1635@news.unige.ch>
Sender: usenet@news.unige.ch
Reply-To: sylvere@unige.ch
Organization: University of Geneva, Switzerland
Date: Mon, 6 Feb 1995 12:00:55 GMT
Lines: 41

February, the 8th, 1995 AD (Sylvere's personal diary)
I was walking through the lab when I heard a scream : "We did it, we did it...". I wondered what happened and stepped into the room where the voice came from. The first thing I saw was a metallic bug going from here it there, bipping all the way. It was very amusing to see this mini-robot, a pure creation of IA scientists that made every effort to make Dr. Frankenstein's dream come true. By the way, their desperate efforts were obviously futile : no one would dare saying this bug (shamefully called John) w
as alive.

June, the 1st, 1995 AD (Sylvere's personal diary)
It seems weird how thing do change from time to time. John has evolved over these months. It first used the raw materials in the lab to produce a pure copy of itself, then with his mate (named Jane, by everyone at the lab), it started to build a complex system that soon appeared to be a tool that it could use either to play with or as a prothesis alowing it to manipulate thing with much more ease.

December, the 4th, 1995 AD (Sylvere's personal diary)
John is now 4 feet tall, as is Jane. They both talk and speak a nearly perfect english. They now have a "son" which was grown in a few days from "inside them" while they were physically linked.

January, the 18th, 1998 AD (The Sun, this day, page 8)
"There are now more than one million of these robots called Metalloids."

January, the 19th, 1998 AD (Sylvere's personal diary)
I now wonder if the discussion with M. Minsky, C. Titus Brown, T. Van Belle, B. Hotltz and C. Andersson we had about life is not overdated. These robots are taking more and more a step into the human world.

November, the 28th, 2003 AD (Sylvere's personal diary)
Today, the Free Nation of Metalloids has been recognised by the United Nations Organisation as a member with fulls rights. No one can even think of living in a society without Metalloids as partners. Living or not, Metalloids are. I would like Descartes to be alive.

April, the 1st, 2007 AD (Sylvere's personal diary)
Bad day. Kami III, the deadliest virus ever seen, has infected almost every human. Metalloids do their best to find a solution.

June, the 3rd, 2007 AD (John's logbook)
Today, Sylvere's dead. Father, may his soul rest for eternity. No counter poison to Kami III found yet.

October, the 12th, 2007 AD (John's logbook)
Last human died yesterday. Everyone is shocked and sad. Bitterness must be fought, because even if they all died, Plato's world of ideas still remains. To all, I say we won't forgive their legacy.


One day in the middle of the 22nd century (John's logbook)
Looking back, I personally feel much concern about the question of being alive or not. One day I feel like I am, responsible of children, going beyond the boundaries of knowledge... and then I remember there was a day where every single human considered myself as "one kilo of metal". Perhaps, did I become alive when humans considered me as alive. That is, you are alive if and only if someone considers you alive. Sould I say that Metalloids are humans because the passed the Turing Test ? Who knows, life com
e life goes.


-----------------

"Is anyone alive down there ?"

Silvere MARTIN-MICHIELLOT


