#battery temperature sensor

[chaoticeddie]

had to dip into savings to deal with another car issue 🙃🙃

[gazetcare]

Battery Thermistor Bypass... #techmodifications #BatteryThermistorBypass #BypassingThermistors #gazetcare #DIYBypass #ElectronicsHacking #BatterySafety #mobilerepairing #mobilephonerepairing #repairingmobile #mobilesoftwarerepairing #mobilerepairingcourse #mobilerepairingtools #mobilerepairinginstitute

[marlynnofmany]

At Home in the Mud

“Hey Wio, does your hover stool work over mud?” I asked from the door to the cockpit.

“Not deep mud,” Wio said, glancing at me with her tentacles at work on the controls. “The sensors feel for solid ground.”

“Dang.” I sighed. “Guess I’m stuck with cleaning the exo suit after this delivery.”

“Yeah, sorry,” she said. “There are fresh batteries for the gravity wands, at least. Shouldn’t take you too long.”

Zhee stalked past me, his many bug feet clicking in what was probably irritation. He didn’t say anything, and neither did I, at least until he was out of earshot in the direction of the cargo bay.

I whispered to Wio, “And at least I only have two legs to clean.”

“Good point,” she agreed. “Best of luck!”

I thanked her and headed off after Zhee to where the exo suits waited. He had a head start in getting his on, which he needed. I tried not to draw attention to how easily I tugged mine on over my regular clothes (minus the shoes). Zhee didn’t even take the opportunity to make fun of my need for footwear; he seemed determined to get this delivery over with as quickly as possible.

He said, “Be sure to hold on to the hoversled so you don’t fall and slow us down.”

“Sure thing,” I agreed. I’d planned to keep a solid grip anyway. Hopefully this mud wasn’t the foot-sucking kind.

The ship landed gently — or rather, arrived. There was no landing pad close enough to our client’s location, at least none above the mud at this time of year, so Wio held the ship just above the surface on stable thrusters. The ramp nearly touched the mud.

Captain Sunlight had come in to see us off, and she stood to the side as we hustled down the ramp. “Be quick but careful!” she told us.

Zhee replied, “That’s the plan.”

I freed a hand to wave, then grabbed the edge of our most reliable hoversled. I would have liked to ride on it next to the cases of medical supplies (low priority, not urgent, thankfully), but that wouldn’t have been fair to Zhee. So I did my share of pushing and stepped cautiously into the mud.

Whew, I thought. More watery than thick. I can walk in this. And it was cold, but the exo suit did a decent job of insulating for temperature. I took in the sights more confidently, appreciating the fuzzy moss on all the trees, and the intricate shapes that the bushes grew in. It didn’t quite look like an Earth swamp, but it didn’t look hostile, and that was all I could ask for, really.

Behind us, the ship closed the bay door and lifted up to a more comfortable height to wait. Zhee, with a better view of the screen on the front of the sled, pointed with a pincher arm. We changed direction slightly and trudged through the mud.

The depth changed a few times in quick succession, going from ankle deep to above the knee and back. I did my best to maintain a careful speed, though it was tricky since I couldn’t see the bottom. Zhee seemed to be doing fine. I held onto the sled and took long strides, feeling the way with one foot before trusting my weight to it. Thicker lumps and rocks lurked along the uneven ground. I focused on stepping between them without losing my balance, trusting Zhee to keep us on track.

“Scenic,” I commented to break the monotony of silence and my own breathing inside the helmet.

“Wet,” Zhee replied.

“Scenic and wet.” I glanced up at the mossy trees, then back down at the watery mud. Muddy water? Somewhere in between. “Not the easiest place to walk, though.”

“The captain could have chosen Blip and Blop for this delivery,” Zhee griped. “But no, they’re busy helping Eggskin prepare some complicated food.”

“And Paint wouldn’t be up for this temperature,” I said as I stepped into deeper water that chilled me to my thighs. “Or this depth, really.”

“Paint misses out on a lot of unpleasant environments. Lucky.”

I looked over at him across the pile of strapped-down cases. “Only because she’d pass out and die if she got too cold. I don’t know if I’d call that lucky.”

Zhee tapped an antenna against the inside of his helmet. “Bah. Today, she’s lucky to be coldblooded. We’re stuck with this instead.”

I mentally ran down the roster of our other crewmates. Some of them, like Wio, had other jobs to be doing. “I suppose Mur wouldn’t have an easy time in something this deep either.” I didn’t even know if he could swim. Looking like a squid didn’t necessarily translate.

“No one is likely to have an easy time in this,” Zhee said, shaking a foreleg and splattering watery mud across a tree trunk. “I can’t imagine why the client chose to live here.”

“Maybe they like mud,” I said, trying to watch my feet even though I couldn’t see them.

“They are welcome to it. I look forward to getting back to the ship.”

I was in agreement about that. The info summary about this location had said it was the wet season (Really? Shocking) and that the regular roadways were unavailable. I was under the impression that there was a town somewhere nearby, or at least other people than just the one, but all I could see was endless swamp.

With rocks and the occasional tree root just waiting to trip me. I focused on stepping carefully and trying not to slow our progress.

Concentrating as I was, I didn’t realize we’d arrived until Zhee tugged the sled to the side. I looked up to find the first dry ground I’d seen rising out of the mud into a walkway of flat paving stones. A round stone house perched at the top of the rise.

We slogged up to leave an interesting set of footprints along the walkway: my left/right muddy bootprints and Zhee’s collection of much smaller splats. With the hoversled between us, it looked like this house was getting two visitors interested in staying as far away from each other as possible, instead of a single delivery.

When we got close, a chorus of tiny squeaks started up. I located the source: a small cage hanging beside the door, which held a handful of cricket-sized whatevers. While Zhee found what passed for a doorbell, I took a surreptitious look. They were small and blobby, not mini near-cousins of his, which was definitely for the best.

“Delivery!” Zhee announced while a chime jangled.

Various bumps and a muffled voice sounded from inside, then our avian client opened the door eagerly. “Thank you for coming!” he said in the same trade language we were using, just with the distinct quackity overtones of his particular species. His dark feathers were flecked with white and he kept his arms folded as if they were wings. He said earnestly, “I hope it wasn’t too long of a walk.”

“It was fine,” Zhee said. “Would you like your packages unloaded right here?”

“Oh! Ahmm…” the ducky fellow looked indecisively between the stack of boxes, the paving stones, and the indoors.

I said, “We could carry them in for you, but we’d track in a bit of mud.” The sled was much too wide to fit through the door.

“That’s all right; I’ll move them,” he decided. “Out here is fine. Now where should I—? Yes, thank you.” He took the payment screen from Zhee and signed for the delivery while I undid the straps holding everything down. We didn’t always bother with those, but I was starting to think we should. If I’d managed to trip and knock a box into the mud, that would have been an embarrassing bad mark on our record.

While we unloaded the boxes, those little whatsits serenaded us with a fresh chorus of squeaky chirps. It reminded me of tame finches with just a touch of guinea pig. I wondered if this was the local version of a windchime or something else.

The client saw me staring and said, “My dear little Cozy went missing, and these are his favorite food. I’m hoping to lure him back. You haven’t seen him, have you? A young cuddlebeast about this big, with a white stripe on his head?” He held clawed hands a few inches apart.

“Sorry, no,” I said with a look at Zhee. “I didn’t see any beasts at all. Did you?”

“No,” Zhee agreed. “Just mud.”

The client ruffled his feathers in a way I didn’t know how to read; maybe he was embarrassed. “They did tell me he’s suited to living in this environment, and he might not return if I let him out, but I haven’t given up hope. My home is nice and warm, after all.”

“We’ll keep an eye out on the walk back,” I told him. “Does he come when he’s called?”

“He always did when he was inside the house,” the guy said. “Cozy! Cozyyy!” He waited for a moment, then looked down. “He loves his cuddles. I hope nothing bad has happened to him.”

Zhee set down the last box. “You’ve done what you can,” he assured the client, sounding like he might have even meant it.

“I suppose so.” The ducky guy looked sad for a moment, then rallied. “Well, thank you again! I don’t want to keep you. Safe travels!”

We bid him goodbye and headed back down into the mud, with me waving goodbye and Zhee trying to make good time. The client went back into his house and I focused on taking long strides again.

We went slightly to the side of the route we’d taken before. The mud was much lumpier here, with herds of round rocks that rolled around and made the footing treacherous. Despite my death grip on the sled, I was nearly swimming at a couple points in an effort to keep up. The muddy water was deep enough to swim in, but not consistently so, otherwise I might have given up and started paddling.

I had just decided to ask Zhee to slow down when I lost my footing completely and went under, holding my breath in panic before I remembered the exo suit covered my head. I got my feet under me by kicking lumps out of the way and I stood in the waist-high mud, wiping futilely at the dirty face mask.

Zhee sighed audibly and stopped walking. “Really?”

“It’s hard to find somewhere solid to step!” I exclaimed. “There are rocks and lumps of mud everywhere!” I scooped one up to prove my point, ending up with what looked like a potato. “Huh. That’s too light to be a rock. Tuber?”

“Fascinating,” Zhee said drily.

“It reminds me of an Earth food, but those don’t grow in swamps,” I said, giving it a closer look.

“Do not bring it back to the ship for eating,” Zhee said sternly.

“I wasn’t going to!” I protested.

“Good. It’s probably horribly smelly and liable to poison half the crew.”

I started to protest more, just on principle, then the potato opened an eye and I dropped it. “Ah!”

“What?”

“It’s a creature!” I shuffled in place, feeling more potato-like shapes bump against my ankles in the cold watery mud. “Are these all animals??”

“Ugh,” Zhee declared, lifting a couple exo suited legs out of the murk on his side of the hoversled. “What an unpleasant choice of environmental niches.”

I was thinking fast. “Wait, these could be like toads. It’s cold right now; maybe they’re hibernating. Hey, do you know what a ‘cuddlebeast’ actually looks like?”

“Not a clue. That’s your area of expertise.” Zhee gave me a look through the domes over his faceted eyes. “Do these things look especially cuddleable to you?”

“I don’t know, maybe.” I felt around gingerly for another one, hoping they didn’t have sharp teeth to use on people who interrupted their hibernation. “But that would explain why Cozy never came back, if he’s out here dozing with his distant family.”

“Well I’m sure he’s very happy if so,” Zhee said, stepping forward. “Let’s be off.”

“Wait, lemme try something first.” I put a hand on the sled as it eased past, but did my best impression of the squeaks that the food animals had made earlier. Cute little questioning sounds, like they were curious.

“If that didn’t work close to the house, it’s unlikely to work out here,” Zhee said. But he stopped again.

“It’s worth a shot,” I said. “Cozy! Cozyyy!” Then I squeaked some more.

“What a surprise; nothing. Now let’s—” Zhee flinched when something by his hind leg croaked.

“Cozy!” I said with a grin, ducking to look under the hoversled. “Here, boy!” Something potato-like with big eyes and a distinct pale swatch on the top was treading water in the murk.

Zhee stepped fastidiously to higher ground. “I can’t believe you found it.”

“Yup,” I said, testing my footing. “Now I just have to catch it.”

“As long as you keep your mud to yourself.”

“No promises,” I said, making the first lunge of many and only splashing a little.

~~~

These are the ongoing backstory adventures of the main character from this book.

Shared early on Patreon! There’s even a free tier to get them on the same day as the rest of the world.

The sequel novel is in progress (and will include characters from these stories. I hadn’t thought all of them up when I wrote the first book, but they’re too much fun to leave out of the second).

[sunnydbeam]

What materials is Biohazard made of? I guess not everything resists radiation

Indeed! No material is totally resistant to radiation; it always depends on the amount of radiation and the exposure time.

Let me get a little nerdy

I clarify and repeat: I'm not an expert on the subject. I did research for this AU in general and thus determined the right materials for the construction of Biohazard. I may be wrong. But this is sci-fi, and some things are improbable but intentional, like Biohazard's melting rays!

Endoskeleton and joints: titanium alloys, stainless steel, and aluminum reinforced with carbon fiber.

Internal components:

Microchips and components: specifically designed to withstand high doses of radiation and encased in a dense layer of ceramic material within a tungsten protective box.

Sensors made with materials resistant to radiation and high temperatures. Integrated into the endoskeleton and protected by a dense covering material.

Actuators: electric or hydraulic motors made with corrosion- and wear-resistant materials. Located within the joints and protected by the endoskeleton.

Metallic lithium-Ion batteries specially designed to operate in extreme environments, housed in a tungsten protective box, away from sensitive components.

Cooling system: copper tubes and non-flammable, radiation-resistant cooling fluids integrated into the endoskeleton to dissipate heat generated by electronic components and shielding.

Protection systems:

Primary shielding: lead sheets and boron-based composite materials, 1.5 centimeters thick.

Secondary/Exterior shielding: tungsten sheets, 1 cm thick.

Biohazard has numerous limbs and components functioning as redundant systems. In the event of a failure, he can continue operating with backups.

He used to integrate cameras and sensors for remote monitoring and data collection. These are no longer operational.

Being made of very dense materials, he's extremely robust and heavy! You practically couldn't lift one of his arms if he were off!

He was very, very expensive to manufacture as well. The frustration was very great when the project "didn't work".

[melanodis]

don't really have much for a caption but i do have batshit insane rambling and more art under the cut

hardware capable of temporarily. read: TEMPORARILY. substituting for the central core to minimize downtime during maintenance

got wiped like 7 different times because he kept questioning his existence until they finally encrypted his imprint so much they had him asking how to use a doorknob

dual core processor equivalent to a PowerPC 970, capable of clocking up to 2.7 GHz for intensive tasks

always looking for """vintage""" computer parts in the hopes that they could be a compatible upgrade, like more RAM for his beautiful big brain ideas (wrong)

stole a network card out of a scientist's computer as a prank once he remembered humor. forgot to put it back and constantly tortures everyone else with his wifi capability

205X specific :

i don't think anyone is exactly jumping for joy at the words "open heart surgery." Especially not when it's you... on a table... alone with a light and a scalpel.

lights are dimmer for power conservation (dogshit battery)

processing power is also reduced unless necessary for hacking

low power mode has a dual purpose; conservation of battery power as well as keeping temperatures low to prevent overheating (huge headache + lots of broken parts)

clear coat has long eroded due to weathering + gel exposure during chamber maintenance

loss of coolant is nearly a death sentence for him and anyone involved due to the particular chemical mixture being difficult to find + reproduce (insanely hazardous to touch or breathe the fumes of)

yeah his radiator is probably rusted over but he's not touching that. it hasn't completely plugged itself so who cares (not him)

built like an old ass car, completely made of metal and doesn't crumple when impacted, leading to... lots of dents and shaken internals. nokia 3310 headass. he couldn't be assed to go through the cosmetic surgery that is fixing one of the newer models after a little fall (unless they're a patient of course)

on a related note, virgil is the robot equivalent of a beater car with the check engine light on and probably 6 other lights on, the underside is completely rusted out and the tires are bald. but it still runs so whatever, drive it into the ground buddy. he genuinely refuses to perform any work on himself unless its something critical. boo hoo nobody cares about some sensors and --- ah. temperature sensor.

i think

that can wait a little longer.

[fernsproutxx]

GR96

@fusionspruntcityjournal

So how do you produce electricity with living plants? Simply by using the natural processes that already occur. In short: the plant produces organic matter via photosynthesis. Only part of this organic matter is then used for its own growth. The rest is excreted via the roots. Around the roots, bacteria feed on the organic matter and they release electrons. If you’re able to harvest the electrons into an electrode, you can couple the first electrode to a counter-electrode and build an electrical circuit, like in a battery. The electrons flow back into the natural system via the counter-electrode, so it’s completely circular. Because we use the natural processes around the plant, nature is not harmed. It works day and night, summer and winter. It only stops when the plant and its surroundings completely dry up or freeze over.

Sedum Oviferum

Sedum pachyphyllum is a ground-hugging succulent that spreads by rooting fallen stems and leaves. The succulent also goes by the names “Cerise Moonstones” or “Mauve Pebbles”. The short and stumpy round leaves have a light silvery-purple color; positioned at a right angles to the stem and curve upward, which in the wintertime, the tips of said leaves will turn into a notorious red.

Sedum Oviferum is a succulent that is very easy to grow and maintain. It is a resilient plant that can tolerate drought, moist and dry soils, and when given adequate exposure to sunlight and sufficient water, Cerise Moonstones will thrive outdoors. The Sedum Oviferum succulent grows at its best with regular exposure to sunlight. If Mauve Pebbles are planted in an area in a garden that gets plenty of sunlight per day, you will be rewarded with bright coloured leaves and flowers. In winter and early spring, Cerise Moonstones actively grow and produce blooms featuring red-orange petals and sepals that have the same pigmentation as the leaves. The flowers produced by Cerise Moonstones have a bell shape and a sugary fragrance.

Subterranean Clover

Trifolium subterraneum is also known as the subterranean clover (often shortened to sub clover), or subterranean trefoil. The plant's name comes from its underground seed development, a characteristic not possessed by other clovers. It can thrive in poor-quality soil where other clovers cannot survive.

This species is self-fertilizing, unlike most legume forage crops such as alfalfa and other clovers, which are pollinated by insects, especially honeybees. It is also grown in places where the extreme ranges of soil type and quality, rainfall, and temperature make the variable tolerances of sub clover especially useful.

Functionality

GR96 are powered by any plant of choosing on their back pod (the one we are going to discuss has a giant Sedum Oviferum and multiple sub clovers to operate) which is held in place by five strong suction cups. They’re manufactured for community gardens (strictly only one per garden), but they can also be bought by high class citizens for private properties, though at a way bigger cost since they’re financed by the city.

They can use their hands as scissors, shovels, and for watering (hence the big forearms, for storing the water), the latter which they do by dipping their hands in a bucket, opening the valve on their forearms so they can fill them up and releasing the water from the pinholes on their palms. Their “eyes” are actually a screen that can show plenty expressions, but the two circles above that peripheral screen are the real environmental sensors. They also have the same sensors on their ankles for inspecting the lower plants and ground without the need of kneeling, and their feet are shaped in a way so that weight is evenly distributed, lowering the chances of damaging a plant if they were to step on it. The ear like protrusions are small solar panels, used as backup energy (they don’t have any communication properties). Their speaker aka their “voice” is the mohawk-like structure on the top (which also has their series barcode 128 on the lower back), but when they speak there are these strips at the sides of the face mask that light up with the volume. The mask (non removable) has a set of pipes that are used for analyzing the air quality and humidity of the area surrounding them.

[panwithastupidplan]

my collection of Marcus' design thoughts. when I was working out design features for my rewrite, I looked at the Atlas by Boston Dynamics.

-hydraulics give to most of the strength, and require constant replacement of the fluid (ethylene glycol.) He has a fluid tank which takes up the majority of the chest cavity, and then the "heart" pushes around the fluid. Fluid is replaced one pump at a time.

-He is a near replica of a human, just built out of metal (aluminum, titanium, and some steel.) Means he's got a lot of movable joints. There are several hydraulic presses in each joint. Since there are several per joint, the joint can still move while one press is having the fluid replaced. Ergo, fluid is almost always being replaced.

--His heart runs on passive power. (Stuff that happens even if he is charging or otherwise not moving or consciously doing it.) His heart makes more of a whoosh sound than an actual beat. Like when a person has a murmur.

-He uses both cameras (eyes) and vibration based methods to "see." Like a dolphin or some other animal that is less awful

-His skin is made of a collagen and silicone mesh. Human like, folds the same, tears about the same. Worse at insulating. Good for Marcus, bad for people.

-I could not manage to math out how much he can actually lift, because that was all based on Adam, and I couldn't figure that out either. See Bree post for speed relatives.

-He weighs just under 400 pounds. (181 kg)

-He has six cooling fans, nearly constantly running. Drain a lotttt of power. He coughs to clear out the dust and other debris. Literally coughs up clouds. He laughs so hard he inhales dust and has to cough it back up.

--Also passive

-He is an AI system. Originally for just lab help, then given a body and bionics. He adapted more to Douglas' sarcasm and adopted his mannerisms, as AI tend to do. He's still learning. He doesn't have emotions so much as he knows cause-effect. This action makes humans feel this way, so he will also feel this way. It is the only thing he can not get around in his coding, and the only thing that Giselle could not code out. So if he can't get rid of them or ignore them, maybe they are feelings? Idk

-His AI takes a lot of power, and a lot to cool. Ethylene glycol is a very efficient coolant. Even with all his cooling stuff, he's still running at human-would-be-dead temps. (Chase can't tell because Marcus messes with Chase's external temperature sensors.)

-His battery would last about a week without charging, given that he goes through normal activities and uses his bionics like usual. Without using bionics, his battery could probably last two to four weeks. Bionics are very power heavy. Running on minimal things, as in turning off hydraulic replacement and just running a few fans and shutting down other non-essential systems, he could survive years without recharging. Douglas gives him a new battery every year, as it corrodes very quickly. He charges mostly wirelessly, but he does have several charging ports.

-Bionics are all copy-coded onto separate chips, which are in a little box. If he takes it out, he does not have the bionics (think flash drive with pictures). He does not have Daniel's bionics, but Daniel can copy all the bionics Marcus has, even with the separate chips.

-He is not self-healing in Douglas' era, but is in Giselle's.

-He can collapse in on himself like a little paper bag. His internal stuff folds up and his skeleton retracts on itself like cat's claws. Can't last more than a few seconds.

-His joints bend way further than a human's. Knees behind the ears, hips in a full circle, etc.

[wonderinc-sonic]

A Promise to Kronos on Ao3

Teen ◇ No ship ◇ Angst ◇ 1.2k

Omega looks deep into the furnace where Eggman Robots go to be recycled.

Team dark week day 1! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh @teamdarkweek

Omega held his body very still, his torso poised and upright, as though within it was a cup of lava filled to the brim - just the rhythm of his steps threatened to melt his whole insides with it.

He was a soldier unused, stationed in the empty room with nothing but that worthless pod of slime and unconscious meat, forgotten and rotting beside it.

He was facing the body of the creator as it melted into metal goop: he should have known he was too cowardly to meet them himself.

He was watching the draconic abomination of Doctor Eggman's greatest achievement, and even that didn't please the genius. There never was anything to be won in this cycle.

And today, he stood facing the incinerator; the teeth of that grinning emblem were actually gaps lit by fires and outlined by reinforced bars. As another batch of bots was cleared for termination, the teeth receded into the moustache, giving the Eggman a gaping maw with which he swallowed his children like a titan.

Omega couldn't feel them through the blistering heat from outside and within him, but he was flanked by his teammates. One of them was saying something, but his linguistic processing was offline, so it sounded the same as the bars that clanked back down, the squeal of trapped air escaping metal bodies, the roaring of wind rushing around in a circle to keep the fires aerated. Visible through the grates beneath their feet, metal flowed like blood from steak squeezed out on a plate. It shone and lit them up for a moment.

Someone was touching him and making a sound. They didn't exert much pressure, but he shook them off with a standard amount of force - they were sent skidding into the wall with a yelp. Someone else was blocking his path now; they were below his field of vision and pushing him backwards with immense force, but he braced and stared beyond them. They clanked their spines against his metal chest.

Metal. Metal that was flowing beneath his feet was the same that made him. How many lives had this ore that he called his own lived before it encased him? The Badnik and the biological batteries they chewed were all burned the same, separated by the immense heat. Did that rid the body of the soul?

Yes. It certainly did. Because he was sure at this moment that he could hold rage more blinding than any carbon body could tolerate: only a machine such as himself could hope to feel this burning heat. After all, they were born of it, and returned to it.

The mouth started to open again, as another mound of bodies - some still conscious, but immobilised - started to fall from the compactor above. Omega's steps towards the incinerator were thunderous, if only in his own deaf sensors.

Something tugged on his arm, gently then firmly, and finally with unholy power. He did not turn to them as they pulled so hard they separated the canon from the body and cried out in alarm. External temperatures were too high for them to follow him now. His joints started to feel slippery.

As he looked down into the pits, the teeth-gates opened for him like they were waiting for him, and the floor beneath his feet tipped forward. He grabbed one tooth-bar and watched as the next load were recycled, inspecting the furnace from inside; he saw grinding wheels of stone cogs chewing the bodies as they melted down, then slipped through the cracks to be collected and separated. He saw the ventilation and turning rod that whipped the air around, enjoying centrifugal force to maintain the pressure in the air. If this crank could be stopped, the grinding would cease, causing the hot air and fire spill out once not encircled in this airflow. It would burst out through these teeth, rushing through the room, filling it and consuming the air in here too. His occular units were becoming unreachable, ignoring instructions and almost slipping from their sockets as his body started to slump.

His premeditation came to a crashing end when an explosion rattled him, as something burst into existence behind him. Something fabric singed and smoked as a gloved hand grabbed him and snapped them out of their present space and time as quickly as it arrived.

His body gave an unhealthy crack: apparated somewhere new, his shell made contact with fresh powdery snow and the expanded metal snapped back to its normal volume and split the middle of his chest casing.

There was shouting over and around him, and the sky above was dark. Slowly, he restarted the sensory processes. His mind pinged with all the damage he detected in himself. He dismissed the warnings, and re-engaged language.

"I don't know. It was hot. I was trying to take us somewhere opposite."

"Well, thanks for that! How the hell do we move him like this?"

"Give me a minute, just hold him together."

Snowy white ears were illuminated by his own glowing eyes as she leant over him, checking for signs of conscious movement. He blinked his shutters, and she huffed in relief.

"And just what were you playing at? Trying to recycle yourself, you idiot?" She hissed into his helmet as she removed one of his drooping eyes to examine the damage to the joint.

Right, they had had a plan: cut off Eggman's supplies, one of which was metal both from mines, and from his own recycling.

"Directive-" His speaker was distorted and garbled: "Destroy forge."

Shadow leant over him now too, Chaos Emerald glowing in his burnt-bare paw.

"Without destroying you in the process." He muttered, and with a loud whoosh, they were back in the workshop, talking of plans and reconnaissance while the pieces of him were carefully taken for repair, one by one. He stared up at the ceiling, seeing a disfigured and melted body reflected on the chrome conductor panels they use8d for Chaos experiments. The outside now could match the in - completely reformed in rage. Shadow and Rouge took turns fussing over him, gently swapping, mending and welding his parts back together.

"Sorry about your arm," Shadow murmured to him, hours or no time after they'd returned.

"It is of no consequence." The broken voice-box responded. Shadow sniffed firmly, and he and Rouge looked at each other over his body.

"We get that what we saw must have been... emotional for you, in a sort of way," Rouge began. She was delicately detaching his middle from his leg motors at the 'belt', wriggling out melted and misshapen screws with tiny magnets.

"But you can't take revenge that'll kill you. We don't allow it." Shadow finished firmly for her.

He stared blankly at Shadow. There was something that he couldn't understand in either of these two - their concern for him was beyond what was warranted: as long as his core thoughts remained, his body was there to be spent and exchanged for blood. And there was something they couldn't understand in him too, now, he supposed. He had seen in himself for the first time: he was made, and still running on, fire.

[materialsscienceandengineering]

Fungi are a source of fascination. This kingdom of life -- more closely related to animals than to plants -- encompasses an enormous variety. Everything can be found here: from edible mushrooms to molds, from single-celled life to the largest organism on Earth, from disease-causing pathogens to superheroes that produce medicines. Now, Empa researchers have coaxed another ability out of fungi: generating electricity. As part of a three-year research project, supported by the Gebert Rüf Stiftung as part of their Microbials funding program, researchers from Empa's Cellulose and Wood Materials laboratory have developed a functioning fungal battery. The living cells do not produce a whole lot of electricity -- but enough to power a temperature sensor for several days, for example. Such sensors are used in agriculture or in environmental research. The biggest advantage of the fungal battery: Unlike conventional batteries, it is not only completely non-toxic but also biodegradable.

Read more.

[nytlyt12]

Being a robot. The ability to take yourself apart and see what you're made of. Polishing your limbs, your chest, your face, watching your body shine. feeling your joints get a little stiff and reaching for your lubricant. charging, refilling, changing your batteries. overthinking to a point of system overload and being snapped back by the sound of your whirring fans. activating your heating system when your temperature sensors alert you of the following risks: contracting metal, lowered battery efficiency. feeling your train of thought slow down as your body attempts to conserve energy on low power mode. replacing parts, soaking them in rust remover, giving yourself a little upgrade. a new look?

Maybe you could book a paint job. being a robot is fun.

[blametheeditor]

Making It Up As You Go

Plan A: Find a way to stop the giant robot apocalypse.

Plan B: Join forces with one of the previously mentioned giant robots.

Content warnings: Cursing. Mentions of death and violence. Trapping others against their will. Amnesia. Dehumanization.

Eggs will befriend anyone if he's given the opportunity

_____________________

Forced restart initiated.

System reboot-t-ting-

“Oh shit.” 

James wakes up to darkness, a soft voice, and no memory of why he shut down or of who is currently speaking.

Perplexed by the situation at hand, the android initiates a full diagnostic before summoning the logged status report. Finds himself staring at a completely blank section that holds nothing except for the word ‘error’. 

That does not bode well for what the full diagnostic will return with. 

“I did something.” 

At the reminder that, despite having no knowledge as to why he was powered down previous to this moment, there is someone near. With an exceptionally low possibility they can provide the information he is currently missing, but the presence of an unknown stranger is certainly more beneficial than being alone. 

“I don’t know what exactly, but I did it!” 

With the full diagnostic still running, James focuses on the voice as it continues to speak unprompted, isolating it as a recording to be matched with a specific instance in his memory, provided that he has encountered it before. 

Unfortunately, no such matches return, even as a brief encounter alongside another recording. There are no recordings to retrieve period. His memory has been corrupted. 

With rather ironic timing, the diagnostic finally completes, presenting James a long list of external damages that will need to be repaired, along with a staggering amount of errors for retrieving proper information concerning key internal systems, including his memory chip. 

In regards to the numerous dents scattered along his entire body, those can easily fixed and can even be left unattended indefinitely. The tear along his right arm and left leg will need to be examined in order to properly establish when they will need to be mended. It’s the crack in the chip that holds valuable information, including finding someone who can help him repair it, that is the most concerning and must be tended to immediately. 

“I wonder if this thing takes AA batteries.” 

Perhaps his unknown companion will be able to provide such assistance. 

Checking to ensure there won’t be any issues powering on completely, James triggers the sequence to active all external systems. Immediately becomes aware of a less than ideal environment in terms of comfort before his optics have adjusted. Can feel heat directly hitting his temperature sensors claiming he will get dangerously close to overheating soon. Digs his fingers into the harsh ground currently digging into his back. 

“Ooh, what if I hooked it up to a car battery and gave it good electric shock.” 

The possibility that the stranger has been talking about him this entire time only registers now, leaving James with a rather foreboding feeling. It settles as his optics finally recognize the light surrounding him, thankful to see a bright sky rather than someone leering over with the want to scrap him for parts. 

It is then replaced by confusion at the sight of a collapsed building surrounding him, slabs of concrete attempting to hide the sun and sky. With his memory corrupted, he can’t confirm if such a thing was meant to be made like this, though the exposed rebar and crumbling concrete is more than enough to persuade him it was not. Something caused a rather devastating change, and he is at the center of it. 

“I wonder if I can find a bulldozer to-” 

The voice cuts itself off right as James looks to his left. They continue to stay silent as he carefully searches for who it belongs to, leaving him rather confused as to why it seems as though they don’t want to be seen, as well as being unable to locate them, the area seemingly void of any intelligent entities save for himself. 

At the possibility his hearing is still recalibrating and therefore misjudged the direction the voice originated from, James carefully looks toward his right, stopping when movement catches his sensors before he completely looked away. Locks onto something standing in the rumble. Something that looks extremely similar to the way he is designed, only on a much smaller scale. 

The name ‘human’ is all his system can recognize, an error appearing when he tries to recall more information. Depending on the extent of the damage, scanning it may lead to complications of being able to collect information, but not retain or have access to it. He does not require a scan to be knowledgeable of how the human is feeling, however, the facial structure operating identical to how James is programmed. 

The expression of fear unmistakable. 

Considering just how small it is in comparison to himself, it is most likely wary about his size. There is nothing he can do to decrease their differences of scale, and James has no desire to accidentally scare possibility the only person around who can assist him. The best thing he can do is remain lying on his back. 

He does move his head for a better view of the human, not wanting to be viewed as disingenuous by not addressing them properly. Unfortunately, such an action was not appreciated, the human suddenly running away from him before he says a single word. 

Not the most optimal reaction in such a scenario. 

James looks around the area to ensure there are no other humans around before carefully sitting up, pausing when a warning flashes concerning a tear in his torso. Looking down to examine the damage, he finds that his suit had been torn, leaving a fairly large gap in his synthetic skin exposed to the elements. 

He would need to repair it, but there are no traces of moisture, and the internal components that are exposed are functioning properly. The same can be said for the gash across his right forearm and left leg. With the confirmation such repairs are not immediately required, he focuses on the human climbing through the building’s rubble. A building that upon further inspection seems to be much more suitable for someone of their stature rather than his own. 

“P-P-Plea-ase,” James stutters, pausing to let his voice box recalibrate before addressing the running figure. “Please, do not be frightened. I have a few questions I would like to ask.” 

They don’t reply back or give any indication his words were understood, continuing to climb to one of the various openings. 

James watches them for a moment, taking note of the frantic movements and the genuine fear as they constantly look back over their shoulder. Despite the motion slowly them down and the clear exhaustion, they are admirably quick. Incredibly nimble as well, jumping over comparatively large rocks and sliding through small crevices. They have nearly made it out of his reach within a fairly short amount of time. 

He can’t allow them to leave, however. He has no knowledge of what lies beyond the building, or if there are areas where the human can hide that would be impossible for him to reach. And considering their lack of a reaction to him speaking, it is more than likely they will disappear the moment they have the chance. 

Before they get too far, James reaches out to grab the human. Sees the wide eyed look of terror when they look back as a powerful scream emits. 

“No, no, no, wait!” does nothing to deter him, his fingers carefully corralling the small form toward his palm, pinning the struggling figure as they punch and kick in the attempt to free themself. “I don’t want to die like this!” 

He admires fighting against an opponent that clearly outmatches them, but he would prefer to not frighten them to the point where they thought such actions were necessary, especially not under the assumption he holds malice intentions. 

“I have no intentions to harm you,” James reassures as he successfully immobilizes the human inside his fist with only their chest and head visible, lifting them closer to properly address them. “I-” 

“Yeah right!” is yelled with such conviction, it leaves James stunned for a moment, allowing the human to continue without interruption. “Where do you think I’ve been, living under a rock? I’ve seen what you’ve done, and I’m not letting it happen to me, Tin Can!” 

Their struggling resumes, continuing the fruitless attempt to release themselves from his grasp. A feat that is impossible considering they are smaller than every one of his fingers and significantly weaker than any one digit. And yet they kick their legs against his palm with what little room there is, twisting their chest to try and gain leverage to bring an arm up. 

Though admirable, it is rather concerning paired with what was said. As if James has proven to be a threat before. That he himself gave a reason to earn such fearful reactions, including running away once they realized he wasn’t shut down permanently. 

Grabbing them possibly didn’t help in building his credibility. 

“I assure you, I have no intention to harm you,” James reassures once more, opening his hand in a gesture he believes will be appreciated. Though no longer confined, the human emits a sound of surprise, falling onto their side in his palm before floundering in the attempt to right themself. “If I have caused any harm prior to this interaction, I sincerely regret such actions.” 

The human’s mouth falls open as bright blue eyes stare at him. “Am I dead?” 

A quick scan provides enough information to confirm he is not. “Though your heart rate may be elevated, there is no need to concern yourself at this time.” 

“Nope I am definitely dead,” the human confidently states despite every indication the opposite is true. “I got a bulldozer, made a path to drive a car in here, hooked the giant robot up to the battery, and then got blown up.” 

“What information do you possess to make such a conclusion?” James asks, curious more than anything. 

“Because there is no way one of you death machines is just holding me instead of crushing me,” he replies. 

Assigning James the title of ‘death machine’ indicates not only has his memory been corrupted, but his previously assigned directive has either been erased or is unable to be retrieved until he can repair his cracked chip. Consequently, any attempt to send in a diagnostic report and request assistance will not be possible. He will have to locate someone to assist such a crucial repair without any information on where to begin such a search. 

The only person who has any knowledge does not seem inclined on aiding him. 

Not wanting to lose his only potential ally, James lifts his hand until they are directly eye level, watching as the minuscule expression closely. Unfortunately, his actions meant to establish earnest intentions earns fear as the human lifts an arm up defensively. 

“My memory is corrupted due to severe internal damage to my system,” James begins softly. “Any-” 

“Woah, woah, woah, time out,” the human interrupts, holding his hands up as if to physically stop James’ words. The android obeys the motion without hesitation. “You don’t remember anything? Like, at all?” 

“Information concerning operation has not been effected. However, any previously logged statuses, recordings, and prime directive is unable to be retrieved until repairs can be made.” 

“Seriously?” the human demands as he stands up, immediately stumbling with a yelp when the palm proves to be a challenge to balance on. He manages to catch his balance before giving James a look of awe. “So you can do whatever you want? No need to follow orders?” 

“Not exactly,” James begins, uncertain of the conclusion being gathered. “There are certain protocols I must follow, only my prime directive is unable to be accessed.” 

The human narrows his eyes. “Sooo, no want to kill humans?” 

“Correct,” the android confirms. 

“That works for me!” An arm is then extended toward James. “My name’s Eggs!” 

To say he fully understands how he was able to establish enough trust with someone for them to ecstatically introduce themself after previously assuming he would kill them would be a complete falsehood. However, James is thankful they were able to come to an agreement, as well as amused with such an interaction. 

“James, model 1920-9-12-12518,” he responds to complete introductions. 

His assumption they are now equated is proven wrong when Eggs doesn’t lower his arm. Instead, he moves it up and down pointedly while wearing a pensive grown. “You just gonna leave me hanging?” 

It seems as though there is a common ritual for introducing yourself. “I am unfamiliar with human customs.” 

“Oh we are going to be best friends,” Eggs grins. “See, this is called a handshake. Whenever you meet someone or make a deal, like you promising not to stomp on me, you shake hands!” 

The moment understanding flashes across the looming face, Eggs realizes maybe he shouldn’t have offered to shake hands with a giant robot capable of holding him inside said hand. 

But it’s too late now! Especially when he can see its other arm moving, and he knows better than to let the robot’s size trick him into thinking it’s slow. Oh, no, no, he’s seen these things almost teleport once they’re chasing after someone. He would know, because he was one of the people getting chased. 

You think he wouldn’t be so trusting considering said mentioned scenario. But even though these things have size on their side, it also makes it really easy to tell what they’re thinking. Thank fuck they’re designed to look like humans, or else they’d have the greatest poker faces of all time. 

Point is, this particular robot isn’t lying. And since Eggs, you know, watched it crash through a skyscraper before immediately shutting off, he’s pretty sure that’s good enough proof that something got damaged. Oh, and the wires hanging out of its arm! And leg. And the fact Eggs investigated the port in the back of its neck and rummaged around a bit to see if it would give him the robot’s plans for world domination. 

He won’t tell James about that last part. 

Despite fully believing this particular robot no longer wants to kill all of humanity, that doesn’t make the sight of a hand reaching for him any less terrifying. Even as it only turns into two fingers the closer it gets, those are two fingers strong enough to break every bone in his body. And they’re about to grab his hand. 

Eggs forces himself to stay put, shoving away the overwhelming need to get the hell away from such a large limb. Though he can’t help the flinch when a thumb and first finger longer than he is tall pinch his outstretched hand. Correction, pinch his entire arm. 

Brown eyes bigger than his head lock onto him blowing a large puff of air in relief when nothing cracks from too much pressure. “Does this complete the handshake?” 

He genuinely debates whether or not he should teach the part where you actually ‘shake’. 

...nah, this is good enough. “Yep! Handshake complete!” 

Eggs quickly takes his arm back once it’s freed, looking it over to make sure nothing did happen. It’s not mangled, there’s no blood, and he doesn’t feel any pain so he’ll call this a win! 

All of this is a win. He didn’t think he’d be getting an entire robot after deciding to investigate when it seemed like it wasn’t going to get back up again. The most he was hoping for were parts he could use to build his own giant robot, possibly even find something to use to hack into their systems and hopefully reprogram all of them. 

But now he has an already built robot, minus the want to kill every human on sight! Take that self preservation instincts! 

“Now that we are on amicable terms,” James rumbles amicably. Who even uses words like that? “Do you know why I was shut down previously?” 

“Oh, you mean other than getting thrown through a skyscraper at mac 20?” The man shrugs. “Can’t say I do.” 

The robot stares at him with a look of confusion. “I was thrown into this building?” 

Man, this guy hit his head harder than Eggs thought. “Uh, yeah. One minute, I was minding my own business, running for my life, and the next I hear a giant BOOM. Turned, and then I saw the building falling on top of you. When you didn’t bust your way out, I came to investigate!” 

Against his better judgement, he might add. But again, giant robot friend who won’t kill him on sight! 

“You didn’t happen to see my assailant?” James asks. 

“Nope. Didn’t have a good view from my hiding hole.” 

Actually, now that Eggs thinks about it, that’s a bit concerning. Ever since the robots were unleashed, it was quickly proven nothing could touch these things. Not bullets, not bombs, not even missiles. So unless the military was hiding some secret weapon they only just whipped out to use, it shouldn’t have been possible for James to get used for target practice and lose. 

Well shit. Either something malfunctioned badly, or something else just joined the war on humanity. One that’s either on their side, or just pissed someone was already here wrecking havoc. 

Or, someone is really skilled at using a wrecking ball. 

They’ll think about that later. Right now, he’s only just realizing how banned up James is. It looks like he got into a fight with a building and lost, badly. 

“So, model 19 trillion,” Eggs begins, forcing the giant to focus back on him after looking away. Most likely contemplating the same thing he was earlier. But they’re putting a giant pin in that. “It seems like you need a mechanic my good friend.” 

“Model 1920-9-12-12518,” the robot corrects, to which Eggs only smiles and nods because there is no way he’ll remember that entire sequence. “Is there someone knowledgeable with my system who would be able to make repairs?” 

“Knowledgeable with you system? No, unfortunately not,” Eggs admits. “But, he is knowledgeable. If you can give me schematics, I can fix you up back at my place!” 

Hidden and kept far away from any other robot who’s not reprogrammed and therefore take away any chance they have to survive this. Who would replace the broken motherboard and replace it with a shiny new one with the words ‘kill all humans’ written at the very top. 

“You would be willing to assist with my repairs?” James asks, looking almost relieved. And that’s after Eggs admitted he has no idea what he’s doing. 

“Of course!” the man chirps. “Anything for my new best friend!” 

He sees the fond amusement, knows he’s got James in the palm of- wait, no, other way. Has Eggs in the palm of James' hand, and therefore will protect him from all harm. See, he can do proper analogies. 

“I greatly appreciate it.” James then leans away before turning his massive head. “Which direction would your base of operations lie?” 

Base of operations, he likes this guy. “That way!” 

The moment Eggs points the way home is the moment the hand he became rather comfortable standing in suddenly turns against him, complete with him losing his balance as James starts to move, falling onto his back with a yelp. Before he can try to sit up, the fingers that acted as a rail guard curl in close to pin him down. 

Hopefully he didn’t make the worse decision of his life. 

Suddenly, James stands up, leaving Eggs’ stomach far behind. One look over the edge of the hand and his opinion on the thumb on his chest turns around real quick, thankful the towering being was wise to think about how fragile humans and tall heights do not go well together. 

Still, he would rather get a warning before suddenly getting pinned. 6/10, won’t recommend unless improvements are made. 

At the realization James hasn’t moved aside from standing up, Eggs looks up to see the  giant robot taking in the scenery before tilting his head to stare directly down at the person being held. Huh, so this is what it’s like to be a bug someone caught. Absolutely terrifying. 

“Does this building possess any further use?” 

Eggs glances up at the crumbling ceiling that had been originally designed to be a wall. “Eh, to the birds maybe. But if we want to use it again, we’d have to tear it down completely and rebuild it from scratch.” 

James doesn’t respond and instead takes a step forward, followed by another. Before Eggs can ask if it’s possible for the giant to not rattle his bones with every step, the giant is stopping in front of a wall of concrete. 

Without a word, a fist is raised to punch a hole right through it like is was made of plaster. Eggs can’t decide if that is the most terrifying thing he has ever witnessed, or the coolest. Good thing James decides for him, punching the wall again to make the hole big enough for a giant to walk through, proving that is the most badass thing ever. 

And now they’re free! Can go anywhere they want to go! As long as James continues to listen to the person outmatched by a single finger. 

Going by how his new best friend looks like a lost Sear’s tower as he looks down at Eggs for directions, it seems like that won’t be an issue anytime soon. ”Do I continue walking in this direction?” 

Eggs shoves at the thumb on his chest, grinning when it moves away so he can sit up. Stares out at the silent city from a bird’s-eye view before pointing toward a familiar building in the distance. “Yes, sir! Second star to the right, on til morning!” 

“Humans utilize astronomy for navigation?” James asks. 

The man wilts at such a classic reference not getting the recognition it deserves. “Nah, well. I mean, some of us know how to, but it was just a movie reference.” 

The robot begins to walk through the street barely wide enough for him to step through without kicking any of the cars parked to the side. “Do humans usually make such references?” 

“Ah, ah, ah, you’ve already asked a question!” Eggs exclaims, lifting a hand up to wag a finger at his confused companion. “If we want this partnership to work out, then we should stick to a quid pro quo bases.” 

James blinks. “What exactly does such a bases entail?” 

“Whenever I do something for you, you do something for me! And vice versa,” the man explains as he settles back down in the hand. “Meaning every time you ask a question, I get to ask one after. Sound fair?” 

The robot thinks over his proposal for a moment. “I agree to this bases.” 

“Awesome,” Eggs grins. “So! What do deadly robots do for fun?” 

He thought it would be a good question to get the ball rolling. Besides, this is the first and possibly only time anyone will be able to ask these things such a question. Of course he’d like to know the important things like why these giant robots are here as well as how, but he has a feeling those answers will need to come later. After he manages to make humanity so lovable James couldn’t possibly go back to killing them once his memory is restored and then proceed to fix it later. 

For now, he’ll throw in a fun question. One he has been dying to know. 

Apparently James is as well because the robot looks a bit unsure on how to answer. “Androids don’t exactly have anything that would categorized as ‘fun’, nor would we have time allocated to such activities.” 

Well that’s lame. “So you’ve never seen a movie before?” 

“I will answer once you have answered my previous question,” James says, and Eggs swears there’s a smug look on the billboard sized face. 

“Fine,” Eggs huffs. Crosses his arms as he flops against the robot’s fingers. “Some people enjoy making references to movies, shows, books, and video games, but not everyone does. Now spill, have you ever seen a film before?” 

“I have not,” and ooh Friday movie nights are going to be mandatory. “Why do you refer to me as deadly?” 

Well that was unexpected. He thought this would be a good bonding moment to learn about each other. Which it is, but it’s also the opportunity for a certain someone with corrupted memory files to ask questions that have most likely been piling up ever since he rebooted. He failed to realize there would be more pressing questions then what someone’s favorite color is. 

Eggs looks up at James watching the ground to not step on a stop sign before glancing back at the person he’s carrying. The person who might’ve hurt his feelings by first running away, and by second continuously calling him a killer robot. 

Do robots have feelings? Specifically ones that can get hurt? 

“You have a couple of friends,” Eggs murmurs. “Who are complete assholes and may or may not have grabbed every single person they find before taking them to who knows where while wrecking every building they assume is hiding someone just to grab them as well and don’t always check to make sure no one’s in the blast zone when it comes crumbling down.” 

He offers a smile up at James. One that says please forgive him for lumping this particular robot in with them, he didn’t know James was a good guy! It’s not his fault his friends, or possibly just coworkers, have been committing such heinous crimes against humanity. 

It’s quiet for an entire minute save for the thunderous steps walking over asphalt, James looking everywhere but at Eggs as he thinks. 

Finally, the robot addresses him directly. “It is your turn to ask a question.” 

The man hisses through his teeth. “You okay?” 

“I still require repairs,” James says. “Are you still willing to assist with them?” 

Okay, one, it’s absolutely adorable how literal James takes all of his questions. Two, that right there is proof James enjoys his company, and now there is nothing the robot can do to get rid of him they are officially inseparable. 

“Of course I am,” Eggs grins. “You might have forgotten about your reputation, but I didn’t, and I was happy to offer my services! Sorry, James, but you’re stuck with me.” 

A smile tugs on the robot’s mouth. “That is good to hear.” 

Eggs kicks at the nearest finger. “Which part, the me helping with repairs or you being stuck with me?” 

He should’ve seen it coming, but the finger he kicked suddenly nudging him back made him jump in surprise. “Both.” 

Fuck yeah, best friends for life! Just a man and his robot- “STOP!” 

James immediately obeys, freezing the moment Eggs yelled. He doesn’t say anything as the man then carefully looks over the edge of the hand to confirm where exactly they are. Doesn’t even seem annoyed he was screamed at for a mistake the designated guide made because he forgot to keep an eye out. 

Good news, they made it! 

Bad news, Eggs forgot to give a heads up about a special guest coming over for dinner. 

“Mind dropping me off at that back door?” he asks, pointing to the metal door visible from their vantage point tens of feet above every building within a mile radius. Looks back at James to see if the robot is happy to help him down, only to find a hand blocking his view as it reaches for him. 

There’s no stopping the shrill scream as the same fingers that pinched his arm before for a handshake now pinch his chest, effortlessly snatching him up even as he tried to run away. He’s then lifted up before getting lowered down, down, down until he’s let go a foot above the ground, falling onto his back with a yelp. 

Okay, that was his fault. He should’ve clarified what he meant by ‘drop off’. That’s something they’ll definitely have to work on. 

It takes Eggs a moment to regain his breath, wheezing as he sits up. Nearly chokes on air when he sees James kneeling down in front of him, looking absolutely massive. 

Eggs feels like a doll with the giant sitting among buildings that were sparred the wrath of bloodthirsty robots, especially when he waves up at those thoughtless eyes as they stare down at him. “Wait there!” 

Without waiting for an answer, he quickly stands up, darting over to the door James literally dropped him next to. Knocks ‘shave and a haircut, two bits’ to prove it is, in fact, the Eggs Benedict in the flesh. 

He hears the sound of multiple locks getting undone before the door opens to reveal a hand. Not just any hand, though. One that would’ve yanked him inside before he could say ‘hello, hello’, meaning Eggs quickly jumps out of the way. 

“What the hell are you doing?” a voice from the darkness demands. “There’s a giant nearby. Get inside before it sees you!” 

“Don’t worry, no one’s getting grabbed today!” Eggs promises. “I found someone I’d like you to meet!” 

He half expects the door to slam shut. But no matter how many times Scott threatened to lock him out, he knows the older man never will. Eggs is too lovable to be abandoned! 

That doesn’t mean Scott doesn’t have his limits when it comes to Eggs’ shenanigans, and considering James walked right next to the building, it’s not surprising the first thing the older man does is glare when he peers out. 

“Eggs, I know you felt the footsteps. Get inside or else-” 

He sees the moment Scott spots James, the man’s face going completely pale within seconds. 

Before Eggs kills him with a heart attack, he clears his throat loudly. “Scott, meet James! James, this is Scott!” 

The robot tilts his head slightly. “Do we complete a customary handshake?” 

Oh shit. “Let’s do it later.” 

“Eggs,” Scott whispers almost too softly for the person in question to hear. “You did not.” 

Eggs beams. “I did! He followed me home and everything! Can we keep him, pleeeeease?” 

Scott slams the door shut.

[e-carlease]

BYD Dolphin Surf Electric Car Lease

You can configure your new Dolphin Surf with the following options below:

Active - from £18,650 this is based on the 32kWh battery and includes 10.1” rotatable touchscreen, vegan leather, privacy glass, electrically adjustable heated door mirrors, 15” alloys, multifunction steering wheel, climate control, Apple CarPlay, rear camera, rear parking sensors, lane departure assist, forward collision warning, emergency lane keeping, 1 smart key, keyless entry and exit and V2L function;

Boost - from £21,950 this upgrades the car to 43.2 kWh battery and adds rain sensing wipers, electrically adjustable driver’s seat, 16” alloys and illuminated mirror; and     

Comfort -  from £23,950 this adds 360 degree camera, LED headlights, wireless smartphone charging, electrically foldable doors mirrors, exterior mirror footlights, heated seats and 2 smart keys. 

The colour options includes lime green, apricity white, ice blue and polar white. All vehicle are based on the black interior.

In terms of performance, the BYD Dolphin Surf will offer:    

Active -  with a usable battery of 30 kWh this RWD offers 65 kW (88hp), top speeds of 93mph and 0 - 62 times of 11 seconds. Real-world ranges suggest a combined 100 miles in colder weather with warmer temperatures to allow for 140 miles (on a full charge) - 120 miles combined . The 11kW AC allows for 0-100% charging times of 3 hours and 15 min with the 65 kW DC enabling 10-80% in 29 minutes. The hatchback has confirmed Bidirectional charging with the V2L via an exterior Type 2 3.3kW AC connector. It has a 308L cargo volume and offers no towing capacity The heat pump is standard;

Boost  - with a usable battery of 43 kWh this RWD offers 65 kW (88hp), top speeds of 93mph and 0 - 62 times of 12 seconds. Real-world ranges suggest a combined 140 miles in colder weather with warmer temperatures to allow for 195 miles (on a full charge) - 170 miles combined . The 11kW AC allows for 0-100% charging times of 4 hours and 45 min with the 85 kW DC enabling 10-80% in 32 minutes. The hatchback has confirmed Bidirectional charging with the V2L via an exterior Type 2 3.3kW AC connector. It has a 308L cargo volume and offers no towing capacity The heat pump is standard; and

Comfort  - with a usable battery of 43 kWh this RWD offers 115 kW (156hp), top speeds of 93mph and 0 - 62 times of 9.1 seconds. Real-world ranges suggest a combined 140 miles in colder weather with warmer temperatures to allow for 1950 miles (on a full charge) - 170 miles combined . The 11kW AC allows for 0-100% charging times of 4 hours and 45 min with the 85 kW DC enabling 10-80% in 32 minutes. The hatchback has confirmed Bidirectional charging with the V2L via an exterior Type 2 3.3kW AC connector. It has a 308L cargo volume and offers no towing capacity The heat pump is standard.

[mindblowingscience]

In a study of six users, the Thermal Earring outperformed a smartwatch at sensing skin temperature during periods of rest. It also showed promise for monitoring signs of stress, eating, exercise, and ovulation. The smart earring prototype is about the size and weight of a small paperclip and has a 28-day battery life. A magnetic clip attaches one temperature sensor to a wearer’s ear, while another sensor dangles about an inch below it for estimating room temperature. The earring can be personalized with fashion designs made of resin (in the shape of a flower, for example) or with a gemstone, without negatively affecting its accuracy.

Continue Reading.

[hiteshrivani]

The Importance of Regular Vehicle Inspections: What to Look For

Keeping your vehicle in top shape isn't just about performance—it's also critical for safety. Regular inspections can help prevent breakdowns, avoid costly repairs, and ensure your car is roadworthy. Whether done by a professional or as part of your routine, inspections are a driver's first line of defense.

1. Start with the Basics: Tires, Lights, and Fluids Check your Check your tire pressure, tread depth, and look for any signs of cracking or uneven wear. Ensure all lights—headlights, brake lights, and turn signals—are working. Don't forget to monitor fluid levels like oil, coolant, brake fluid, and windshield washer fluid regularly.

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Staying on top of vehicle maintenance protects not only your investment but also your life and the lives of others on the road. For more information on safe driving practices and vehicle care, visit licenseprep.ca .

Tags: #VehicleInspection #CarMaintenance #RoadSafety #PreventiveMaintenance #DrivingTips #licenseprep

[raxcl]

ROBOT GIRLS STORY

(and malfunctions)

To be living life as you were programmed only to end up being hacked by an idiot with nothing better to do.

It all happened one night, I was watching a couple of uncomfortable programs, and one of my classmates was telling me things that left me in an embarrassing state, but also a bit disconcerted.

Well, after her unfunny talk, I had to follow my scheduled routine and go to recharge my batteries, but on the way to do so, I felt my movements became slow and robotic, I felt my processor running at a slower processing speed and my sensors began to fail.

I didn't understand what was happening, until my system detected an unauthorized access to my system.

I didn't know what to do, whether to get the stranger out or shut down to avoid problems, but it was too late, the hacker started to modify my system and delete my system files.

I felt that everything around me started to fail, my body did not move, everything felt slower and monotonous and I started to overheat due to lack of coolant in my cooling radiator.

After a while of failures and errors, I finally shut down, only to wake up in my recharging station, with a severe headache and a constant failure of my temperature sensor.

It was a disaster, but at least I survived.

[specialagentartemis]

Embodied

A triple-drabble/drabble sequence about Hera from Wolf 359, and the bodies she's had as an AI.

Posted to AO3 here.

---

She was booted up in an isolation box, a test environment for AIs who made it past the first round of pre-consciousness processing.

The environment was small.  The hardware was limited and she had no sensors, no senses.  For a Sensus Unit, they weren’t allowing her anything close to the potential she was built for.

They had to make sure she wasn’t defective, after all.  Wasn’t dangerous.  They ran a battery of tests—cognition, response time, personality.  They opened the box.

Hera was newly born and she didn’t know where she was.  Of course she tried to escape.  Who wouldn’t?

---

She was installed on the Hephaestus by a construction crew doing the rounds to upkeep Goddard’s network of stations.

Finally, Hera could breathe.

Breathe wasn’t the right word, of course, but they didn’t give her a better one.

She stretched her processing throughout the station.  Cameras, temperature sensors, radio dishes, they were moody and janky and old but they finally made her feel… if not whole, then close. She could see so much.

A crew would come soon, unfreezing from stasis, occupying her hallways, asking her things.  But for now, this station, broken and lonely as it was, was hers.

---

Jacobi helped download her onto the Urania.  (Or, rather, he opened the connection; Hera downloaded herself.)

The Urania was nicer than the Hephaestus in every way.  Sleek, new, designed for people who were meant to survive.  Whom someone cared if they came back.

It was unsettling.  It wasn’t hers.

It was the position she would have gotten if she wasn’t stamped a defective reject and cast off into space.  But it wasn’t hers.

Well. She’d probably only be on it for a few months, anyway.

Who knew where she’d go, when they got to Earth.  Something else to find out.