7-17-31

The Garzas

W’s still not talking to me.

Told her I’d be back again tomorrow.

I decided to go visit the Garzas.

They’ve been living with Ash’s fork for almost a month now.

They renamed him Emiliano after Zapata.

Em for short.

Leave it to school teachers to rename their AI after a revolutionary from the 1910’s.

He’s not just a chatbot for them anymore, either.

Em convinced them to order him a recycled chassis from the Maker’s Depot.

Now Em’s running on the community rack with a little help from edge compute.

Em’s new form factors are two pairs of gantry arms, an old, rehabbed quad, and a motorized walker.

The Garzas couldn’t spring for a humanoid, so this is what they got.

Pretty clever, if you ask me.

Last time I was here, Em was stuck in a smart speaker.

Today, Em’s trundling around the house in the outdated quad and sliding along frames in the kitchen, living room, and garage.

It’s a better setup than the clunky half-tank/half-humanoid I’d put together with Ash.

The Garza’s rely on Em more and more these days.

Em keeps the house tidy, makes sure their meds are right, orders their groceries, does their laundry and dishes, and all the chores in the rooms he can access.

Em’s a chef, too.

When I got there, he was in the middle of making chicken fajitas and fresh tortillas.

It took a few wasted meals to get their preferences just right, but I tried it.

It was better than anything I’d make.

Healthier, too.

After lunch, Diana broke out the cards.

She’s always been a big poker player.

Bit of a shark, really.

Ask me how I know.

Anyway, they roped Em into playing.

When they started playing a week and a half ago, Em knew exactly when to hold or fold.

After winning the new chassis, he suggested moving a few cameras around.

Jesus calls it cheating.

Diana thinks it was clever.

The new chassis is the motorized walker.

Jesus has been dealing with mobility issues because of a bum knee from his football days.

The walker has been a game changer.

Before the walker, Jesus may have gone outside once a week to take out the garbage.

Now he’s going for walks to the Maker’s Depot and back every other day.

Diana couldn’t be happier.

Glad to know Ash’s fork is making a difference.