Sloth, Maybe?

  You're probably wondering why I've assumed this title:  Lunar Robot God? Well, it all began while I was watching a series of interviews with British grade school children in 1966.  They were asked about what life would be like come the year 2000.  "Our old future," as Crow T. Robot would call it. Some foresaw nuclear annihilation.  A planet devoid of life made so by the folly of men.  One child even went as far as the earth burning brightly as would a supernova if beheld by extraterrestrial astronomers light years from hence. Others prognosticated overpopulation and human beings being housed in cramped cubicles stacked one atop the other.  They found this prospect to be very depressing indeed.  I should know.  I lived in one of these apartment buildings, or "tower blocks" as the Brits would phrase it. Another topic that was raised was ecological disaster.  One boy envisioned the majority of the British Isles immersed under 300 to 400 f...

Isolation is something I both desire and fear.   On one hand, the bustle of the city where I used to live overwhelmed me with unrelenting clamor.   Now, I live on the fringes of a smaller city where there are more trees than buildings.   My wife goes out to work Monday through Friday from 9 to 5.   I remain home.   I venture out in the warm weather to get some circulation, but as the days grow short and the weather gets colder, I hide myself in the shell of my office.   Many of my friends are scattered around the country.   I communicate with them mostly via social media and get togethers are increasingly rare.   Most everyone else is out at work as well.   Those that I greet in my new building rarely go beyond, “Hey, how’s it going?   Can I share this elevator?   What’s your name?   Mine is ____.   Okay, have a happy (insert holiday here)!”   That’s about as far as it goes. We have concierges and custodians in our bu...

Let me tell you something about myself you probably don't know. I am a cyborg. For those of you not in the know, the word cyborg is a contraction of the words "cybernetic" and "organism."  Put plainly, it means a living being that has artificial parts.  "Part man; part machine." If you're a science fiction buff - or if you were just some kid in the 70s and 80s - you're no doubt familiar with some popular characters who were cyborgs.  The Six Million Dollar Man for instance, was about Steve Austin.  Austin was a secret agent with artificial legs, an arm, and an eye which enhanced his strength and vision. Another example is Darth Vader.  He was described by his former Jedi master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, as "More machine than man."  Vader's limbs were cybernetically enhanced.  It increased his strength and stamina, but he also needed a respirator and armor to prevent his damaged lungs and his burned flesh from being exposed to the elements....