Landless Theatre Company, June 2013

Landless Theatre Company is having a Mashup Festival in June, and my contribution will be “The Walking Fred.” Here’s how it works:

The Flinstones + The Walking Dead = The Walking Fred

Got that? Sure you do! Read more about Landless’ summer plans here. And if you want to kick in some money to get the project off the ground, there’s a place for that!

Allison de Fren has produced a documentary about real life sexbot called The Mechanical Bride. Here’s a trailer:

Maybe if I write a play about flying cars or practical fusion energy, we’ll suddenly have those things too. Worth a shot.

Kokoro, a Tokyo-based entertainment company, and Osaka University didn’t design Actroid F and her male twin, Geminoid F, just to harass and annoy sick people. But for some reason, that’s where they’re being tested. How will the terminally ill respond to unrequested and unending games of “monkey see, monkey do”? Only one way to find out!

The robots may eventually also serve as companions to the elderly (hence, the tie-in to my play).

Mrs. Surly Robot sent me this link. Thanks, honey!

Gygan, the gentle seXbot, can really boogie with the chicks. Can you imagine the size of his enormous schwanzstucker?

I was skeptical, until I saw the eager way June Cleaver jumps on Gygan for a ride. Something’s going on there! Watch for yourself:

Gygan’s got other talents, such as “the handling of dangerous radioactive material in the realm of nuclear physics.” Best part: Gygan crushes a metal cylinder in his scary claw while the narrator tells us that he could be used “for chores like babysitting.” I guess those claws would keep your kids safe by scaring away commies and reefer-crazed beatniks.

Gygan could also function as “a servant, or even as an obedient companion” for those that swing that way.

http://www.badhaven.com/comics/comic-news/alan-moore-responds-to-frank-millers-occupy-rant/

His series Next to Heaven is counting down the final 10 episodes of season two. Watch it, daddy-o, before the squares get there and ruin it.

What does Steve have to do with sexbots? This video from Rob Parrish offers some insights:

http://blip.tv/next-to-heaven/for-steve-nth-2-34-5510862

Or not. I used to give my grandmother peppermints, and she seemed to like that just fine. But if you’re one of those folks that feel the answer to every question is “technology!”, the telenoid may be for you.

Is the “sexbot” tag really appropriate for this story? Maybe, maybe not. Nobody in the video below mentions sex. It’s all very innocent–delivering hugs and smiles to distant loved ones. Yeah. That’s how it starts.

http://www.itworld.com/science/164957/telenoid-robot-attempts-emotions

Thanks, Adam!

But.. too late. The name’s been given to a robot that Slate describes as “a body-less, language-less machine with wide eyes and kissy lips that can display emotions while interacting with humans.” Kismet is part of an effort by Dr. Cynthia Breazeal to explore how humans interact with robots.

To me, Kismet looks like a robot that somebody never got around to finishing. Could you put some skin on that metal skull, Dr. B? But the way this relates to my play (because it’s all about my play, you see) is, as  Slate says, “Much of Breazeal’s focus today is on building robots that can improve the quality of life for the chronically ill, the elderly, and the very young.”

One of the characters in Rockwell’s Universal seXbots builds what he calls “Carebots,” which are companions for the sick, the elderly, and the lonely. Basically, Kismet is the great-great-grandfather of the Carebots in my play.

That same character also turns his son over to be raised by robots. This idea seems to have occurred to Dr. Breazeal as well–she’s also building something called the Alphabot that’s supposed to help with early-childhood education.

She’s got three young boys, so maybe you can’t blame her. Psst! Doc! You might want to see what happens in my play before you go too far down that road…

http://www.slate.com/id/2299990/