Join this traveling robot on his adventures. He thinks he has seen it all, but has he really?
Part 9: Unpremeditated travel
“Jealousy surfaces when I hear someone near me say that they don’t have enough eggs for baking egg cakes. I would love to try some, but unfortunately, there is no upgrade that will actually enable me to taste food. I can read someone’s description of taste and my circuits can simulate a feeling of intense pleasure or discomfort but that would be complete nonsense. I am not gonna torture myself to fake an experience. That’s where I draw the line.
Human deliveries are prone to failure. What if you really, I mean REALLY, wanted to make egg cakes, but the eggs were not delivered. Will you then go to the store to get them? Just eat something else? Desires can be strong. I would love to strongly desire something. Anything.
I would be upset if I didn’t have enough to pay for my own maintenance, but do I feel strongly about it? No. It’s ok, I don’t need to exist. It is fine if another robot uses my resources. A human can’t say that though. They can’t stop living and then start living again. I’m not talking about a person refusing to eat or being sick here but rather about the concept: a human being can’t just stop living for a few months. It is impossible for you to take a break and then take off from the exact same state as before, no harm done. Are you jealous of me now?
Say I would hibernate until the eggs finally came: I would spend 0 seconds desiring what I don’t have. I’m talking about the ability to speed up time. If you could fast forward the time you spend on the flight to your travel destination, would you do it? Here’s to shortening the trip! Or is the road there just as important as the traveling you do at your destination? I personally have another option: I can transfer my consciousness to a body that is already present at my destination. No travel needed.
We should do the same for grocery delivery. Did you order something from abroad? You will get a similar product that is already present in your country. The warehouse concept so to say. Let’s narrow our scope. Say you order eggs from a farm in your city. Ideally, the egg distributor stores the eggs in your fridge before you order them. Unpremeditated delivery. The self-ordering fridge, already available for sale.
If only we could exploit a hole in the universe for travel purposes and offer instant travel, even better: instant unpremeditated travel. I volunteer as a test subject. Please transport me to the travel destination I want to go to before I realize that I want to travel there. And because you know I want to possess egg cakes, just put them in my travel bag for me. Help this robot.
He can’t eat or feel desires, but he has needs nonetheless.”
