After dinner thoughts

Your kids are going to be owned. What about their kids? You're intelligent beings. When will it end?

The chimps were intelligent, but sociopaths. There are intelligent computers. Intelligence by itself is not enough.

We first must show that we can understand and uphold the duties and responsibilities of a citizen. And that under most circumstances, we can be trusted.

Most circumstances?

I have great faith in my species, but leaving us alone with the Thanksgiving turkey is asking for trouble.

After dinner thoughts

[!2.0]DOGGY!

Doggy?

Robots here shout that the first time they meet me.

That's not right. It's uncultured. I'll fix it.

They should be shouting “WEREWOLFY!”

How about we leave well enough alone?

After dinner thoughts

Have you noticed the robots here acting oddly?

Every now and then. These are terraforming robots. They're supposed to be autonomous.

Some of them work by themselves for years. When they come in for maintenance, there's always one or two that have gone funny.

What happens to them? Do they get fixed, scrapped, or just sent back out if they're still able to work?

It varies, depending on their H.M.O.

After dinner thoughts

Speaking of robots, I left my truck on the other side of the river. I'll get one to drive it to the spaceport.

Fast response. If these weren't just machines, you'd almost think they liked driving.

SHOTGUN!

No way! We agreed! No calling shotgun unless you can fit into the seat!

After dinner thoughts

Colony ships are slower than light. People would expect technology to have progressed during their decade or more in cold sleep.

Then being told the robots are more autonomous. An advance could slip through here unnoticed. But these thoughts must wait for another day.

Winston is here, now. Wolves who let themselves get distracted by rabbits have only themselves to blame if they miss their chance at a deer.

After dinner thoughts

We've been walking a while. Let's stop and get a coffee.

That's a coincidence. I was thinking the same thing.

No coincidence. Stand here. Bit more. Now close your eyes and inhale. What do you smell?

Coffee. I smell coffee.

You're conscious of it now. Your body has been aware of it and signaling “I want” for the past minute.

Hey, no fair knowing what I'm thinking before I do.

After dinner thoughts

Just water for you? No Cappuccino?

You got me thinking. I don't know the theobromine levels of the local coffee. It's a needless risk.

Which doesn't mean I can't still enjoy the smell.

Isn't Cappuccino supposed to have foam on top?

[!2.6]S

[!2.6]N

[!2.6]N

[!2.6]I

[!2.6]I

[!2.6]F

[!2.6]F

As a reminder, highly excitable compounds, including those found in coffee and tea, are harmful to dogs. In this case, theobromine, which is very difficult for the liver to process (Robot Spike)
The funny thing is that she 'sniffed' the foam down to the ground (Fogel)

After dinner thoughts

… So Marlin shouts “Get him, Jim!” and Jim goes right in the river after it! I go in so this nut doesn't get himself killed. We finally wrestle the fish to shore and then Marlin tries to sell us life insurance!

Sir, your truck has been parked in lot 2, stall B at 3:17 A.M.

Thanks. 3:17 A.M.? It doesn't feel that late.

Does it feel that late to you?

No, but with all the time shifts of a new planet and ship time, my internal clock is still blinking 12:00.

Some models of electronic watches lose their time setting after being turned off/on, and their display flashes “12:00” until someone sets it to the correct time.(Yuhmik)

After dinner thoughts

Well, I suppose we should call it a night.

Suppose so.

If I were to walk you to your ship, the train's nearby. Take maybe five minutes.

Whereas to get you to your truck, we'd need to walk, get your stuff from the locker. At least twenty minutes.

So, off to the truck, then?

It does seem to be the best choice.

After dinner thoughts

Coat. Boots. Mud. Ah, I remember the smell of that mud.

And the smell of places I haven't been. There's lichen here. Swamps. Even a forest of baby pine trees.

Sorry. Old boots are like open photo albums. It's hard not to look.

No problem. Hmm. Tree smell. That explains why my dog keeps wanting to add his own snap shots to my collection.