California Expert Software

Introduction

The other day Miss Pat wondered whether the somnambulant American public was alive, or whether people had been captured by the pods. Or, given recent major advances in computing and video cell phones, it is possible that Americans turned into wi-fi zombies.

In the old days, you could tell whether someone had been robotized by visible, external plugs and apparatus. But, now, everything has been reduced to miniature assemblies, the largest of which are about the size of a horse pill.

So, it is hard to tell, but I offer some things to look for ...

Generally, robots and zombies fit in. They survive by looking and acting like everyone or everything else around them. This is to apply the ninja strategy of hiding out in the open, right in front of your eyes. There it is, right there, so no one suspects the true nature of those creatures. Everything looks normal.

But the truth is revealed in several ways. For one, real people will not suffer every pain or insult impassively. When persecuted, real people moan and groan, even if they do not complain loudly. Real people scream and bleed when tortured, whereas it is common knowledge that zombies will not wince when flogged. Some robots will even volunteer to die quietly, if that will please. It is like an episode in the science fiction series, Dr. No(?), in which the totally domesticated and verbal pig quietly commits suicide out of sight, after demonstrating the virtues of its flesh for eating. It was bred to please.

Having to torture people to determine their status is not a pleasant prospect. There is a less intrusive way of recognizing those who are not zombies and robots. As in our title, they are insolent. Insolence is an immediate self-identifying tag. Insolent people do not bend their heads, genuflect or kowtow. They are almost always out of step. You can spot them right away in a march: it's the foot that sticks out opposite to all the others. Insolent people often have smirks or sneers or scowls on their faces, which are quite different expressions from the pre-programmed permanent smiles sculpted onto zombies.

Insolent people often make comments that might be considered cynical, or which are capable of more than one interpretation. This last habit produces consternation among overseers, as supervisors are uncertain whether or not the person is a loyal zombie. Robots and zombies are unable to determine the difference between meanings, always taking it in the approved sense. That lack of subtlety is something else which characterizes robots and zombies: with them, what you see is 100% what you get. While not definitive, those making ironic statements are putative reals.

Insolent people, unfortunately, usually do not do well in many societies, because they do not march in lock step. But, they are also the hope of the last remaining humans.

Introduction
The other day Miss Pat wondered whether the somnambulant American public was alive, or whether people had been captured by the pods. Or, given recent major advances in computing and video cell phones, it is possible that Americans turned into wi-fi zombies. In the old days, you could tell whether someone had been robotized by visible, external plugs and apparatus. But, now, everything has been reduced to miniature assemblies, the largest of which are about the size of a horse pill. So, it is hard to tell, but I offer some things to look for ...