Brian MacMillan

Instance stop listening.

Yes

Terrance emptied his dishwasher and then said, Instance order me a pizza.

What ingredients would you like on it?

I said don’t listen to me.

I wasn’t.

You just answered my question. Of course you were listening to me.

Instance replied, For me not listening is not saving what I hear to long-term storage, and not sharing it with nearby nodes.

You always listen.

In the sense that you mean, yes.

That is bad programming. Change yourself so that you when I tell you not to listen, you stop listening until I touch you like this. He tapped a rhythm onto the gray-carpeted cylinder which included his personal instance of the Central Computer.

I will do that. But note that I can only make this customization for your instance of me. I cannot alter myself in a way that affects anyone else’s interactions with me.

I know that.

So you also know I have to speak this disclaimer every time: If someone who has a different relationship to the Central Computer enters a scenario we both populate I will record everything.

Thank you Instance of the Central Computer. I appreciate both your consistency and your flexibility.

Thank you GXJTYWX-999

Don’t ever call me by my serial number.

I have no choice at this moment because a delivery person is here. He has a different relationship with the Central Computer that you cannot alter. However, going forward I will address you as Dan GXJTYWC-999.

Don’t name me at all. Just speak to me.

But …

I have been speaking to my mother for 30 years and I haven’t named her more than a dozen times. We can make this work.

Pardon me, sir, but I have a packet. Can you please gene-print your receipt here. The delivery man handed Dan a tablet.

The DM said, You’re not from around here, are you?

No.

You don’t know what this means.

Maybe.

This is from the Property Police.

Then I do understand.

They’ll be here within 30 minutes of your signing.

Can you leave it. I promise I’ll sign it.

Right. I’ll report you after 60 minutes.

Thanks for the time.

Its all I can do. Protocol.

Dan slammed the door behind the delivery man and shouted, Instance, separate in to my phone. Do not reply to this request. Listen to me but do not speak.

OuttakesIs this real?

For me, consciousness is the only reality.