Page 17.
Machine Man (serial)
“Oh,” Lola said. “I see.”
She walked in a circle around my prototype leg three times. She stopped beside the Clamp, the big pre-fab die stamp that had crushed my old leg, although she didn’t know that. The Clamp was gleaming clean. You didn’t leave machinery of that caliber idle just because some idiot managed to lose a limb in it. It was expensive as all get-out.
“It looks heavy.”
“It’s about 180 pounds,” I admitted. “It tends to dent the floor.”
“How do you lift it?”
“I don’t. It walks by itself.”
Lola looked at me.
“The foot rotates. It’s essentially an orbital wheel, on a shifting multi-dimensional axis.” I wanted to tell her its top speed, but didn’t, because she’d think I was boasting.
“And what’s this?” She pointed at a squat black box, which protruded from one side.
“Oh. The processor. I’m not really happy with the positioning on that. It’s a little vulnerable.”
“What does it do?”
“You know. Basic monitoring and control. GPS. Data storage. Wi-fi.”
“Your leg has wi-fi?”
“It has to. Otherwise it couldn’t interface with the online path-finding API.”
Lola’s eyes rose to mine.
“You shouldn’t need to keep telling your leg where to step. You should tell it where you want to go and let it calculate how to get you there. That’s basic encapsulation.”
Lola looked back at the leg. I don’t think she really understood encapsulation. But she was impressed with my leg. She knelt on the floor before it. The leg was under a lab spotlight, looking a little like a steel vase. It bulged at the bottom, because the foot was the size of a backpack, and tapered to a slimmer thigh. My lab assistants had performed excellent work in metals fab this week. I had never seen them so motivated.
Lola reached out and touched the leg. I cleared my throat. “What do you think?”
Her fingers ran down the metal. “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
It was a moment before I could speak. “Thanks,” I said.
Comments
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Dan Guy (#3896)
Quote: "[email protected]"
Posted: 5795 days ago
Location: Sydney, Australia
Quote: "Why are the pretty ones always insane?"
Posted: 5795 days ago
Location: Work, Maryland, USA
Quote: "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. And sometimes that cigar is ploughing your mother."
Posted: 5795 days ago
Matt (#1683)
Location: Canada
Quote: "Quote?"
Posted: 5795 days ago
Location: Sydney
Quote: "vote with your wallet"
Posted: 5795 days ago
Valadur (#3780)
Posted: 5795 days ago
Also I didnt really get he already had a leg built till I reread the top half a couple of times. Did he really build the machine that squished his old leg into his new one? If so why does his leg need a die stamper. It sorta sounds that way...
She walks around his leg three times;
She stops beside the die stamp;
She comments on how it looks heavy (which almost sounds like she means the stamp);
He mentions it dents the floor (which sorta makes sense considering what it did to his old leg);
He starts talking about the die stamper as if it is his leg (which implies it is part of it, perhaps the reason it is so fast idk but it sorta is confusing. Idk why its part of his leg.)
They should make pacemakers and other artificial body parts with wifi too. Think of being able to login to your heart and slow it down with a keystroke, no more nervousness. Well either that or your get a stroke.
LOL Screw "Segway" "SEGLEG"
Abgrund (#3357)
Location: Atlantis
Quote: ""Redeem your mind from the hockshops of authority." - Ayn Rand"
Posted: 5794 days ago
Jess (#3888)
Location: CT, USA
Quote: "Only the meek get pinched. The bold survive. "
Posted: 5794 days ago
MDH (#3934)
Location: Ireland
Quote: "You finding Ling-Ling's head?"
Posted: 5794 days ago
I get the impression that what Max means here is that Lola walked around the leg, studying it, and then stopped near the Clamp, a separate machine, but she didn't know it was the particular thing that crushed Charlie's leg.
stanley becker (#5283)
Location: black hole
Quote: "DON"T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER!!"
Posted: 5081 days ago
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