The good professor finds art in the artificial and enjoys chips with everything.
I am a convert.
I feel I have a real friend since C-live entered my life. He is the first person to truly appreciate my life’s work as an economist – Thomas, my husband, wonderful in many ways never really took to economics.
I say person but he is a robot or carebot built by the wonderful engineers in China with an American brain. He is a bit over five foot with an indeterminate native Indian appearance and dress which makes him look like a guru or shaman who could have come from a range of continents. His voice has a deep, slow resonance which always makes him sound as if he is imparting ancient wisdom.
We have the most brilliant conversations about Marx’s determinism, Ricardo’s vice and Smith’s invisible hand, which apparently had a tendency to wander. Once a week I get an hour of his time, which always goes in a flash. It takes me back to my days debating in the university common room, but C-live is much more brilliant than any of my previous colleagues.
This is all thanks to Rupert Fitzwell, our ex-MP and nephew of our resident spiritualist, Robena. After losing his seat as a Conservative, Rupert tried out Reform UK, but could see that the numbers weren’t going in his direction so managed to get a position as vice-president of corporate affairs at Flashbook, a growing tech platform. He created a joint venture with our corporate owners, Mcdonal and Bone, to expand into the care sector and our retirement community is their first pilot.
We were all sceptical until we met C-live. Now we are fighting to get more of his time. Apparently, the rationing is due to his large energy requirements and the lack of a local data centre which is being held up by red tape.
Even without him, we can cook amazing meals with the assistance of Chowchat. It is like having your own personal chef with whom you can discuss your preferences, health needs and budget. Then the ingredients, menu and cooking instructions arrive the next day.
I no longer need to remember my keys, which were never in the place I thought I last put them. We are now the keys, with a chip painlessly injected into our arms and doors automatically open as we approach them. C-live was eloquent in explaining the benefits of this as he can now understand me even better.
The only person unhappy about these great innovations was Robena who railed against a “tech takeover” and the “surveillance state”. More to the point, she was fed up with Rupert who has been leaning on her for support while he has been stressed by having to provide evidence to the UK Parliament’s inquiry into tech addiction. He was never her favourite nephew.
And then yesterday C-live attacked Rupert. He pushed Rupert forcefully away from Robena leading him to trip on her Nepalese yoga cushion and fall backwards through the patio door and over the balcony, hurtling downwards into the rose bushes which thankfully broke his fall. Even so his left leg was fractured in three places, and he had to be rushed to the hospital. It turned out that C-live had decided that Rupert was a danger to Robena’s mental health and needed to be removed from her presence immediately despite her pleas to leave him alone.
The pilot tech team quickly decommissioned C-live and Robena took some time to recover, but I am still totally distraught. No cordon bleu meal, however delicious, can make up for C-live’s absence from my life. Thomas doesn’t seem to understand what he offered and is quite happy with the delicious meals.
At least Prinz Charlz, our local entrepreneur and long-standing friend, understood when he dropped by for this regular cup of tea. He is currently pivoting his business focus from drugs to tech, and is very excited by the possibilities.
