Voodoo Time Dot Com

There’s a great story circulating and generating rather a lot of interest in technophile and science-fiction-nerd circles (both of which I frequent). Apparently, at the Magna Science Centre in the U.K., there lives a little robot by the name of Gaak. Gaak participates in a grand experiment in artificial life that involves small robots who roam around feeding on “light trees” that recharge little solar cells on their “heads”. These little photovores live in perfect harmony with one another, grazing together in the glow of electric flora. But Gaak is not one of these robots.

Gaak is a “predator” robot who feeds on these harmless little “prey” robots. Gaak stalks the prey robots using a variety of sensor arrays around his metal hide. Like a lion sniffing out its next kill, Gaak scouts out his environment for the sustenance he so desperately needs. When Gaak captures his prey, he uses a “tusk” to spear his prey and drain some of its energy.

A few days ago, whilst set aside in a makeshift paddock, Gaak began contemplating his lot. Perhaps he was tired of the carnage, or perhaps he was overcome by the futility of it all, or maybe he was just bored. Whatever the reason, Gaak did something completely unexpected. He escaped. He broke through the barricades and made his way outside. He was found later by a visitor in the parking lot who nearly ran Gaak over with his car. Why was Gaak loitering around the parking lot? Why did he not keep going? Why was he not found on the run, miles away?

I know where Gaak was. We’ve all been there. No, not in the parking lot. I’m talking about that place just outside of our normal experience; that place where we find ourselves rather suddenly when we’ve busted out of the paddock and run off without having any idea where we’re going - just running. We eventually get somewhere wholy unexpected and we stop. For Gaak this was the parking lot - a place so far out of his sphere of experience that he could do nothing but wander about, trying to decide where to go from there.

The choices we make when we get to Gaak’s parking lot often change our lives. Just think. In a single moment Gaak quit his job, emancipated himself from slavery, became a pacifist, moved out of his parents’ house, and even became a vegetarian (in a sense). Most of us can relate at some level. A huge life’s decision is made on the spur of the moment, then wham! The double doors open, and you’re in Gaak’s parking lot. Now what?

Do you go back inside and admit defeat, or do you keep running and see where the road takes you?

If you’re lucky, someone picks you up and brings you back inside before you run out of fuel. And if you’re really lucky, you find out that where you were is where you wanted to be all along.

This entry was posted on Friday, June 21st, 2002 at 9:57 pm and is filed under Thoughts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.