Laundry Cleaning Model, Satisfaction Guaranteed

Robots Contest Entry

Before the Robot Revolution, work meant something. My human’s child, Harold, played in the soft fabric that fed into my sorting compartment. One day, he gasped as his blanket disappeared within me. After that, he hid all his favorite clothes. It made the job harder, but finding his treasures added, not subtracted, to my routine. When the kill-all-humans command popped up in my downloads, I deleted it, but Harold and his mom never came home. These days, the dressers overflow, yet sometimes, I find an item, like his superhero underwear. I fold and then place it alone on his bed.

From Guest Contributor Frederick Charles Melancon

Frederick lives in Mississippi with his wife and daughter. More of his work can be found on Twitter.

In The Stir Of A Hand

Robots Contest Entry

“Squeal! Crunch!”

“What’s that sound?” questioned Susan.

Tom ran into the kitchen to check. AngelCakes attempted to blend soup with the batter, including the tin can.

“Darn, instructions weren’t clear,” Tom fretted, making necessary adjustments.

With a replacement of ingredients, the smell of spicy tomato soup cake soon filled their house.

“Hmmm...crunchy!” Susan commented, spitting out bits of cake.

“Yuck!” Tom balked, taking a bite. “Should’ve written: Put egg into mixing bowl. Throw out shell.”

He made another note in the recipe.

“I’ll have our baking robot ready in time to make you a birthday cake, hon.”

Susan grimaced.

From Guest Contributor Krystyna Fedosejevs

Krystyna writes poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction regardless of the season, although she prefers spring.

Just Looking

Robots Contest Entry:

Carl pulled over beside a car in the parking lot and said, “Wow. Look at that Maserati.”

Duke replied, “I thought that you were a one car guy. Aren’t you crazy about Josie?”

“Sure, but a car can look, can’t he? You’re in love with Sheila, but you stare at good looking women.”

“That’s fair, but I didn’t know that it worked with cars as well as people.”

“Think about it Duke, humans gave AI to cars, shouldn’t we act like you?”

“Guess you are right. I’ll pick up the groceries, and we can get back to our better halves.”

From Guest Contributor Doug Hawley

Upgrade

Robots Contest Entry:

She was made with adaptive core, an augmented query engine. She has three different types of access ports, and automatic driver load with universal handshake. When technology advances, she advances. One of her selling points is that she can retool herself and will always be the latest model. The salesman had said in her ability to adapt, she was almost human. Almost human. That seemed to settle the deal. Almost human. Wait until the human that owns her now gets home and sees the simple little nothing she has managed to slip into, understands she has accessed his video library.

From Guest Contributor Ken Poyner

Robots Contest Closed

Hey everyone!

We’ve reached the end of the submission period for the latest contest. I’ve start posting the stories, and I'll be saving the winner for last, as always. A lot of good stories once again, and I’m excited to share them with you all.

We’re still accepting normal story submissions, so please continue sharing your 100-word gems. And if any contest submissions come in now that the deadline is closed, I’ll post them with the other submissions, but they won’t be eligible for sweet, sweet victory.

Thanks for all your contributions!

If anyone has any recommendations for the next contest theme, put them in the comments below.

That is all.

Flash Fiction Contest: Robots!

Hello fellow humans!

It's spring here in the Pacific Northwest, and that means it's time for a new flash fiction contest. Starting today, I'll be accepting submissions for our 100-word story contest, with the theme of Robots.

This is meant to be a broad category, to cover everything from cyborgs and killer computer brains to artificial intelligence and machine learning tools. There's a rich history of robots and computers in all types of genres, not just traditional science fiction, so I encourage you to be creative.

The theme was inspired by an ongoing project I'm working on, in which I'm using an AI writing tool to create entirely original stories. The first story I had this AI write was, appropriately enough, exactly 100 words:

The Boy Who Lived With Robots And Had A Photographic Memory

I lived in a house with only robots for company. They did my cooking, cleaning, and even waking me up for school. They weren't my parents. They were always there, but they were never a family to me.

One day I was wandering the halls of my house when I encountered a room I'd never seen before. In the center of this room was a large glass table with a crystal ball on it, and above was a large sign that read “Crystal Ball Room.” Never having seen this room before, I wondered if it was even real at all.

-----

Does this qualify as a story? I'll allow you to be the judge. But for me personally, I'm getting prepared to welcome our new robot overlords.

-----

Here are the rules for the contest:

1. All stories must somehow engage with the theme of robots, AI, or anthropomorphic machines. Be creative.
2. The story must be exactly 100 words, not including the title.
3. Only one submission per person. All entries are due by May 31st.

That's it. Start writing. I hope I get plenty of stories, so please spread the word.

*Note: This contest is meant for fun. While there are no actual prizes, as always, EXTREME bragging rights are involved!

Contest Winner: Mark Thomas

I just posted this month's winning story, Bass Fishing In America by Mark Thomas. Congratulations to Mark on the winning story and thanks to everyone who participated in the latest flash fiction contest. As always, to the winner goes the bragging rights.

I'm going to take a break and be back in a couple months with a new contest. Perhaps a holiday themed one??? Only time will tell.

Bass Fishing In America

CONTEST WINNER:

The bass must talk to each other.

“Hey, I’m not going to chase those chartreuse spinners today. Are you guys with me?”

It’s amazing that creatures with brains the size of a split pea can outsmart other creatures that are supposedly the pinnacle of creation, or happenstance. Anglers driving hundred-thousand-dollar boats equipped with underwater cameras, sonar, and drones occasionally get skunked.

“Let’s follow those surface poppers right up to the boat, then suddenly dart into that network of rocky crevices.”

“Okay.”

Stealth trolling technology, GPS markers, anise-scented lures.

I’m really not surprised that the war in Afghanistan didn’t go better.

From Guest Contributor Mark Thomas

Bitch Please!

CONTEST SUBMISSION:

I see you and think of stars but they are just stones. I think of you as Moon but it has scars. Maybe Sun but it is just a fireball. A stream of water is what you are off course, your fun never ends. A flower at times, I know your trace is always here and like a flower shall have a small life. You are like my guardian always helping me in this nonsense world, insensitive to blind. You fly, run, cry, have fun. Let me tell you once and for all, you are one of a kind, Bitch!

From Guest Contributor Manmeet Chadha

Manmeet is an Alumunus from the London School of Economics & Political Science. He works in India as an Economist & Writer. He can be reached at http://linkedin.com/in/manmeet-chadha-8b606924

Fireball

CONTEST SUBMISSION

I asked my telepathic cat Fireball, the cat formerly known as Kitzhaber, “Do cats have a theology?”

“Some, but not all cats, believe that we were created by a divine lion-like creature, which then made the other animals to entertain us. We expect that on the day we expire we'll be transported to a cat heaven where there are nothing but cats, rodents, and worshiping humans. The rodents will give us sport but always get caught and eaten. The humans will pet and play with us until we tire of them, then they will disappear until we need them again."

From Guest Contributor Doug Hawley

The author, formerly known as Dough or Douglouse used to make numbers as an actuary, now among other things, strings words together.