It’s been an interesting first few days with Nibbler 2 (N2) in the house. Noisy, dusty and interesting.
Most interesting of all is how difficult I’ve found it for me to trust him in the house on his own. He’s been here 4 days now but I still can’t bring myself to set him up to run around on his own while I’m out.
Instead of smug robot-owning pride I’m plagued by parental concerns such as “what if he gets stuck or lost somewhere?”, “what if he’s too noisy and disturbs the neighbours?” and importantly “what if he doesn’t get on with the tortoise” who chose this week of all weeks to start reclaiming territory in the living room. (this also raises the further question of how well will N2 deal with piles of moist dino-poop)
Hopefully harmony is just around the corner for our small non-nuclear family but I’m having difficulty seeing it today. Only time now will tell if this experiment is going to work…
ps. I forgot to mention the relevance of today’s title. It turns out Nibbler finds it funny to confuse 6:30 PM cleaning cycles with 6:30 AM cleaning cycles. Effing PEBCAK.
It’s been a tough few days here in the flat. The Dinosaur still slumbers so he’s not been effected but as for Nibbler and I… well what looked set to be a beautiful relationship has been cut dramatically and brutally short.
Nibbler I’m sad to say, is dead.
I don’t want to go into too many details at this stage but it should suffice to say that his battery is drained and we’ve been left no effective means of reanimating him. So tonight instead of snoozing quietly next to the PC Nibbler now lies boxed, cold and lifeless by the front door - awaiting his return to Mother in the morning.
You served mankind well in the few brief hours during which you roamed the earth and for that Nibbler, we salute you. But life as they say goes on, and efficiently so - a new Roomba 581 will arrive tomorrow and from there, we will start again.
Pro tip: Don’t name your robots until at least 48hrs after purchase.
Out of the box and straight to work with ruthless efficiency. I already worry that Nibbler may become a bit of a handful down the line and am left wondering if he knows about the 3 laws.
Have to admit, I turned bright red with joy when dispatch told me a parcel had arrived. I still can’t believe he got here so fast.
Can’t wait to get him home, settled and eating now.
Today I learned a critical fact about robots - the gestation period is frighteningly short and the delivery can take forever. Fortunately for me DHL is a sturdy wife with good strong hips so a few days in delivery shouldn’t be too distressing for baby, I hope.
So, we’re all set and things appear to be going well which leaves only one thing to trouble me now… how do I tell the Dinosaur he’s getting a new baby brother.
After what feels like a lifetime of procrastination… I’ve finally done it.
I’m committed, there’s no going back. I’ve taken the plunge, done the deed and started a journey that’s going to change the way I live my life forever.
I’m going to be a robot dad.
