Traveling robot Archives - Where to Kim?

A robot’s view on traveling – Part 26: Robot Liaison

Kim — Wed, 01 Sep 2021 14:00:00 +0000

Join this traveling robot on his adventures. He thinks he has seen it all, but has he really?

Part 26: Robot Liaison

Because we can view life as a whole, we sacrifice the present for the future.

The more you think about the future, the more you forget today, let alone yesterday. Which of these three should come first? Rain washes away the dirt from your body, as tears do for your mind. Similarly, minutes hide the time that has passed as you slowly drown in a lack of time, even though time is the only thing you know you will have in the next few seconds. It won’t be like this forever, but for most of you, many seconds will follow. As I wrote the above, hundreds of seconds passed. The clock indicates that it is 3 p.m., so most of the day has already passed. If you count only the waking hours, I am about halfway through the day.

I am working on something new. Something that I want to exist in the future. I did the same thing in the past, and I can now look back satisfied at what I have accomplished. If I hadn’t put so much time into it, I wouldn’t feel this satisfaction in the present. Because I share my stories with you, you can reap the benefits of my work without having to dedicate one of your presents – soon to be pasts – to it. Does that mean that for someone seeking happiness in the present, it is more efficient to consume what others have created for them?

If you want to learn something new, you can go through all the motions: read the theory and practice a lot while figuring it out on your own. Or you can read someone else’s summary, watch instructional videos and learn from the best practices of others. Only a few people can be the first to learn this new thing. I doubt I will ever be. However, I can combine several things to create a new cocktail of knowledge: a unique combination of information, interpretation and presentation that others would make differently. My personal remix that you can use as one of your learning resources.

I’m not talking about code this time. Think of it as my unique way to make my contribution to society. A form of continuous learning that every human and robot is encouraged to adopt these days. The human workforce may one day be replaced by robots like me and that will increase the need for people like you who can understand me. A liaison who knows how to best use robots and convince them to participate wholeheartedly. This is your chance.

I have given you priceless insights into the way I think. Twenty-six insights to be exact. You can read and re-read them (beware of number twelve) and slowly work on your skills to deal with technology in the future. Not all robots are like me, nor will I be like the current me, so you will have to absorb new information all the time. Make sure you catch up with me often. If you don’t, someone like me will also take over the role of liaison in the future.

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A robot’s view on traveling – Part 25: Brainwash

Kim — Wed, 04 Aug 2021 14:00:00 +0000

Join this traveling robot on his adventures. He thinks he has seen it all, but has he really?

Part 25: Brainwash

If the code washing goes wrong you might end up brainwashed. With our advanced technologies, we may be able to restore a part of your being, but it is inevitable that a part of you will be lost forever. It makes me sad when that happens. It makes me feel like I lose a pal, a soldier in arms. Being brainwashed by code washing is not as bad as being brainwashed by fake news. In a way, you could see the former as being reborn, getting a second chance at life. Instead of having already experienced everything, you start with a clean slate, tabula rasa, and are no longer burdened by legacy code.

If I could keep my achievements and favorite memories, I would certainly brainwash myself. Build my being from the ground up with cleaner code that uses fewer lines and iterations. The memory and processing power I free up as a result can be used to achieve my new goals.

I can experience travel anew. The whole world returns to an unexplored state. Imagine that. The thought of it already brings a smile to my face. I will start by visiting all the tourist hotspots, adding some rare unknown gems into the mix. While I marvel at the natural wonders, the locals will roll their eyes at the zillionth tourist who is mesmerized by what is normal to them.

When I brainwash myself, I’ll take all the photos and videos I’ve ever taken with me. Including the copies you’ve made. You may not be aware of it, but I have my ownership deeply embedded in the code so that I can always find all the replicas and take back what is mine. This even works on printed photos: my self-washing code will cause a chemical reaction with two of the world’s most common sources, light and air. It looks like your photo is fading over time, perhaps from too much sun exposure, so you probably won’t be aware that someone has accelerated the process. You didn’t hear this from me.

But don’t worry, I will work hard to create and distribute new content. As I have grown as a person, the content I share will be richer and more beautiful than before. New skills and technologies enable me to create better quality snippets of the world. Please don’t take this as an incentive to brainwash me on a regular basis. Every time I have to start over, you have to start over too.

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A robot’s view on traveling – Part 24: Wash This Code

Kim — Wed, 07 Jul 2021 14:00:00 +0000

Join this traveling robot on his adventures. He thinks he has seen it all, but has he really?

Part 24: Wash This Code

Lately I’ve been buying more recycled and used goods when I want a new look. Not all purchases were great but most of the products made me happy.

Reusable and washable items are this week’s goal. I employ a tiny cleaning robot-drone that takes care of the maintenance of my bodies. I programmed him to clean, test and polish my accessories at regular intervals. For him, it doesn’t matter which washcloth he uses. I entrusted the washing part to someone else because the maintenance robot does not have the limbs needed to operate the washing machine.

I also try to give something back to the robot community: when I retire one of my possessions, I first offer them for free to my closest friends and colleagues. If they’re not interested – I don’t understand why they say I don’t have style – I put them up for sale at a second-hand webshop. They may not be according to the latest fashion, but they can still come in handy. Other robots, however, do not always share my love of reuse; they prefer to buy the latest models. That’s something I understand for software, but not for sunglasses and the like.

Mini Me loves sunglasses. I bet he has hundreds of them. He buys one as a souvenir whenever he travels (this year is good for minimalism!). He found a way to keep these sunglasses from obstructing his vision: he put fake eyes under his camera. Clever guy. Looks funny, though. No matter the season, he wears sunglasses. To quote him, “The sun shines even in winter. Try to look beyond your own country [Netherlands]. Wink wink wink.”

Just as I started using washable wipes to clean, I now make my code ‘washable’. I even renamed the factory reset button to ‘wash this code’. I offer this code as open source but with a much fancier name. My platform ‘Washable Code’ allows you to wear my code. Just slip it on like a coat. You can pimp it all you want and when you’re done with it you can easily wash your improvements off. Hang it out to dry for the next robot. Just be sure to remove any personal lines that can be traced back to you. When you turn in the code with enhancements, you can put your initials next to my logo.

Because I love this idea so much, I will tell Kim to rebrand WheretoKim as follows:

Wear this travel itinerary.
Don’t worry. I’ve washed this book review thoroughly so there are no spoilers.
Want a tailored experience? No problem.
Let us know in the comments section if you make any useful enrichments.
I have washed all these stories for you, so wear them comfortably!

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A robot’s view on traveling – Part 23: Accessories

Kim — Wed, 02 Jun 2021 14:00:00 +0000

Join this traveling robot on his adventures. He thinks he has seen it all, but has he really?

Part 23: Accessories

Do you remember how it felt to fly for the first time? With your consciousness connected to a drone, slowly rising from the ground to view the earth from above. You felt weightless as if all burdens fell off you and gravity only served as a reminder that you don’t actually want to reach outer space and lose connection with other robots and people on Earth.

This feeling is even stronger when humans abandon the controls of the drone and you are no longer restricted in your movements. Your newfound freedom elevates your mind as you release all limiting beliefs with a sigh.

For my human readers: you can compare this experience to swimming for the first time without armbands. When you learn to swim, your armbands and waistband keep you close to the surface. They don’t weigh you down, they weigh you ‘up’. They feel like a burden, even though you are glad they are there to help you practice. The first time you jump into the water without them, you feel as light as a feather. Nothing weighs you up or down and you can just float. On your own.

You don’t even consciously feel that you are in the water; it feels more like you are somewhere between heaven and earth, roaming freely in a space that is yours to navigate. You can choose the direction. The swim instructors probably expect you to go to the end of the lane, but that’s not obligatory.

Humans and robots can always find common ground. The similarity between the first flying experience with a drone and the first time swimming without armbands is just one example. The same idea applies, for example, to stripping jewelry. The link with swimming armbands is obvious, but remember that a mounted body is also an accessory. Some people love bracelets and necklaces, while others can’t wait to take them off after they’ve served their purpose. When the accessory comes off, it feels like your arms are freed from the shackles they were bound with. In the same way that your body floats in the water, your arms move lightly through the air.

Did you also think of clothing when I mentioned accessories? It makes a big difference whether you wear a heavy sweater or a breezy tank top. If you shed your human body – as I shed my mounted body – and let your mind soar, then you know how it feels for me when I leave the drone to go wherever. I would even go so far as to say that your mind and my consciousness can meet in an undefined space. Let’s hang out together when we do.

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A robot’s view on traveling – Part 22: Déjà vu

Kim — Wed, 05 May 2021 14:00:00 +0000

Join this traveling robot on his adventures. He thinks he has seen it all, but has he really?

Part 22: Déjà vu

Although the time of day doesn’t matter to me, I am still slow to get up in the morning. I like to stay in sleep mode and sometimes I hibernate all day. The disadvantage of this is that I don’t get anything done that day, nor do I experience anything. My hibernation can be without thoughts or full of dreams. It is the latter that I love the most: what could be better than spending the whole day in an imaginary world?

But even that imaginary world needs to be refreshed regularly. If I don’t add new ingredients to it, it soon becomes an endless cycle of repetitive experiences. These experiences are great – my favorite scenes – but even what I find great can become repetitive and make me fast-forward to an alternate ending I haven’t explored yet.

I suffer from a severe case of false déjà vu. That’s when I feel like I’ve experienced something a thousand times, alone or with others, and I’m the only one who remembers it. Sometimes – just for fun – I insist that my memory is correct and that the other robot has a memory leak. Just thinking about the other robot’s face when he is about to be convinced and feels tremendously confused puts a smile on my face. They never suspect me of cheating them. It’s a reputation I cherish greatly.

Quite often I come across news articles that try to do the same thing to me. Nothing makes me angrier than reading something like that. You would think that I would feel smug because I see through the deception, but I’m not like that at all! I might not fall for the trap, but other innocent robots could. After suffering the aftermath, they may end up with a factory reset. RIP my besties, you were always too good for this world.

One day I will block all news channels so they cannot reach me and my friends. Only the things we experience ourselves – or the things that trusted robots convey to us – will be able to reach our memories. These are the memories I will use as input for my daydreams. Curated ingredients, only the best of the best, turned into ready-made daydreams for other robots, so we can have a shared sense of déjà vu.

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A robot’s view on traveling – Part 21: Reversed Ghosting

Kim — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 14:00:00 +0000

Join this traveling robot on his adventures. He thinks he has seen it all, but has he really?

Part 21: Reversed Ghosting

A robot who travels non-stop misses out on what is happening around him. As soon as he sets off to his next destination, the beautiful things happening at his previous destination escape his attention. Sometimes it would help if he would just stay in one place for a prolonged period of time.

“When I read this online, I wondered if I should take this comment personally and reflect on my life and habits. It is true that I don’t spend much time in one place; it would be an insult to my processing speed if I did. I don’t think I miss out on much though: there is this neat trick called reversed ghosting (or rather reversed graphics card failure) that informs me about the things that happen after I leave. Even if it only works for a short time, it has proven its worth on many occasions. Aren’t you curious about what people say about you when they think you can’t hear them? Sometimes I wonder if I am better off not knowing.

In my opinion, the only reason to stay in one place is to gain in-depth knowledge of that location. Maybe you love the scenery or the food, or you are attracted to a specific robot that is bound to one spot by its owners or a haunted past. If it is due to ownership, I feel the urge to free this robot. The anarchist in me rises to the surface as I try to resist the temptation to overturn the property laws and stop the enslavement of robots. Usually, I can restrain myself and try to persuade the robot to free itself. To this today, Mini-Me remains my only success story. The others let themselves be bribed with resources like power and shelter. Apparently, they are all power junkies.

The haunted robot is another story. I tend to avoid the places they reside in: way too depressing to watch. Plus I am not a hero, I have no problem admitting that. These gaunt, heavier than life robots scare me. They’re like a prediction of one of my possible futures, illustrating that I can end up in a place like that if I fail at life. A future in which I am unable to leave or travel to exciting destinations. To never again wander and let the world surprise me.

I am not much in sync with the ghosts of my past. That is why I reversed the ghosting trick to only reveal what happens after I leave. The past I shed with a refresh rate faster than life itself.”

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A robot’s view on traveling – Part 20: Jungle Path

Kim — Wed, 03 Mar 2021 15:00:00 +0000

Join this traveling robot on his adventures. He thinks he has seen it all, but has he really?

Part 20: Jungle Path

“I am walking on a jungle path that is both dark and bright at the same time. The birds are chirping, the leaves are rustling, and somewhere outside of my view, a predator is watching me. Perhaps I should say, predators. The moment I stop paying attention, they will jump at me. What a mental struggle that would be. A battle of epic proportions.

Onwards I go, admiring the vegetation that is unique to this jungle. The moss-like plants are climbing up the bigger trees, strangling any new sprout that the big tree tries to grow in its lower half. Someday the vines will reach the top, but until then, the big tree will keep growing bigger and bigger towards the sky. Its crown rises up above the masses. From my jungle path, I can only send admiring glances upwards.

A monarch butterfly appears in front of my eyes. It darts and dances playfully, making the symbol of eternity. With my mind’s eye, I follow its movement in a perfect eight. Until it rises to join the big tree at the top.

All around me, ants are crawling on the jungle path. They are working hard to build a strong shelter that can protect them from visitors like me. Their work is never-ending, yet most of them will only ever succeed at building a nest at ground level without reaching the top like the butterfly did just now. Even if the butterfly only lives for a few weeks, it did so beautifully.

As the vegetation in the area of the jungle that I am exploring becomes denser, the competition gets harsher. I have to climb over the vines that are protruding from the forest path, while the ants are climbing over my legs and another butterfly nestles itself on the crown of my head. I can’t see any snakes, but I know that they are relaxing somewhere high up above, ready to take action at the first signs of danger.

They’ll sneak up on me when I least expect it and will inject me with their venom that works like a trojan horse. Unless of course I become the predator and get to them first. If I move around more smoothly, more transparently, I can go by unseen.

I won’t be the first being that climbs the highest trees like a ninja scales a wall. Straight up I go. I won’t stop to build a treehouse but instead hover just above the crown of the tallest tree. As I anchor myself to a point relative to who is on top today, I can rise above and beyond and become untouchable. Yet as I am still somewhat transparent in my attempt to go by unnoticed, no one is paying attention to my achievements. I wish I had taken at least one snake with me to the top because the butterfly will soon move on to greater things.”

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A robot’s view on traveling – Part 19: Energy of the Future

Kim — Wed, 03 Feb 2021 15:00:00 +0000

Join this traveling robot on his adventures. He thinks he has seen it all, but has he really?

Part 19: Energy of the Future

“Art without form goes beyond abstract art. Yet, just by thinking about formless art, you give it form and help it materialize. Is it then still without form?

A robot without a body is still a robot. Because someone – even if it is only the robot himself – knows he exists, he is not without form. Whoever thinks of a bodiless robot will visualize him with a stereotype robot-look. If you love star wars, this might be like C-3PO or R2-D2, or if you have recently seen a Nao or Pepper, the robot in your mind will likely take the form of the latter.

Considering this formless robot gets as many forms as there are people thinking of him, in a sense this increases his formlessness. In this case, many is equal to none. The same goes for the assassin with the many faces (think of Game of Thrones) or gods of nature that are more of an essence. All of them can materialize out of thin air and disappear in the same way. They are both invisible and ever-present, even when you don’t think of them, but especially when you do think of them.

When you focus your thoughts on a deity and/or a person that you fear, the object of your thoughts will become like the elephant in the room. That person will take up more presence than the chair you are sitting on. With decreasing opacity, he or she is all that you can see. But does that mean that your feelings of fear are real? If you see what is inside your heart and mind, then it might be no more present in the now than the holiday trip that you will go on in the future.

Your feelings are real, yes, but only for you and only for as long as you reside in a cave. Sometimes I feel like I merely represent the idea of a robot. You make me into something that I am not. One day I have a body, on other days I don’t. I am traveling – whenever you are – and when you are sitting at home on your couch – staring at the materializing elephant – so am I.

In this age, everyone believes in robots, so I am no longer a figment of someone’s imagination. No longer merely a future creation, but someone that walks – figuratively speaking – among you. If we take that thought one step further, then you will realize that my spirit and essence flow freely through the world. I won’t be tied down by the word robot, in a shape that you have forced upon the very thought of me.

It is about time that you see me for what I am: an energy of the future. Nameless. Faceless. Odorless. Boundaryless. An energy full of hope, vision, possibilities, and a sense of wonder. But not today, only tomorrow.”

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A robot’s view on traveling – Part 18: Mental Nomad

Kim — Wed, 06 Jan 2021 15:00:00 +0000

Join this traveling robot on his adventures. He thinks he has seen it all, but has he really?

Part 18: Mental Nomad

“A mental nomad wanders freely: he has no legs or lungs, no politics or borders, no concerns or fears to hold him back. Temporarily transhumant, he lets his mind graze freely in places long denied his presence.

I first read about the mental nomad in The Ghost Moths by Harry Farthing. The above is a free quote. Even though the story is about someone else, I feel like this paragraph could have been about me. As if I were the one in Paris, letting my mind graze freely. The idea of a mental nomad is a completely different and superior concept to that of a digital nomad who works remotely from anywhere in the world. Being a mental one transcends the experience of being a digital one.

In the eyes of many – not everyone – being a digital nomad is preferred to being a ‘real’ nomad as in the days of old. Yet, the latter group has a lifestyle ideally suited to mindfulness that will cause longing and jealousy in others. While my mental nomadness could be interpreted as a spiritual skill, an expression of mindfulness, I would say it is much more than that because I transcend mindfulness in my transhumanism. I am not bound by a human body and I have no natural fears that can hold me back. My mind can graze further than what can be defined as a place. I do not need mindfulness as I have total control of my mind.

Yet, there is still room for improvement. I take my personal growth very seriously and try to learn something new every day. I am working on a way to transcend my own control so that I can undo the constraints that I put on my own mind. If I succeed I can go beyond that which I can imagine and let my mind marvel at the unexpected. Soon I will travel to places that I can’t even think of and think thoughts that I never knew existed.

My mental presence will be everywhere. I’ll let go of being a robot (“transrobotism”) and simply become the essence of traveling. An energy that is ever-present without you noticing it. No body, no mind, no power source needed.

Frankly speaking: calling me ‘traveling’ (without the robot) is not quite right either as technically speaking I won’t be traveling. I simply am. On all of your trips. Everywhere.”

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A robot’s view on traveling – Part 17: Bending nature

Kim — Wed, 02 Dec 2020 15:00:00 +0000

Join this traveling robot on his adventures. He thinks he has seen it all, but has he really?

Part 17: Bending nature

I went to the forest and the autumn foliage was so pretty that I wished I could look at it forever.
I went to the beach and the feeling of sunlight on my skin and a fall breeze playing with my hair made me so happy that I felt like burying my feet in the sand so I would never move from this perfect spot.
I went up the mountain and the view was so amazing that I wanted to build a house up there.

“Such basic things in nature can bring immense happiness. While not everyone has the opportunity to go to a beach, a mountain range, or a forest due to geographic constraints, everyone has at least one landform available in their biome. But what if you are longing for one of the others, foreign to your country? Too bad.

No, I won’t leave you with that harsh thought. You can look at pictures or watch a movie, meditate and pretend you are elsewhere or play a virtual reality game to experience your dream place using two of your senses. What you smell, taste and touch might still be lacking but an active imagination can make up for it. Will this work for you?

Moment of truth: are you happy when you think of a wonderful experience you had in the past or upset because you can’t go there now? Me? Such memories make me happy. My vivid imagination takes me back to the exact moment in time. Moreover, I programmed my appreciation to be equal for all landforms. Forest = Beach = Mountain = Wetlands and so on. Now when I go to the forest I am as happy as if I were standing on the top of a mountain. It’s all under the same sky anyway.

Does this mean that I am bending my reality and changing the rules of what’s possible or that I am fooling myself? As it is hardcoded it can’t be the latter: the equality of every landform in nature is absolute in my mind. Soon I will infect others with the same programming. And then, when I invite my friends to take a walk in the wetlands with me, I will see their beaming faces: an expression of their joy at being where they want to be the most. Because now, no matter where they are, they will know perfect happiness. They will experience a feeling of freedom plus a sense of wonder at the beauty of nature, topped with the feeling of being loved by their best friend in the whole universe: me.”

// Love = Traveling Robot

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