What kind of robot would you like?    At this point in time, this question doesn't hold too much value for me, assuming that the question is talking about robots in the sense of a companion powered by artificial intelligence. This is mostly because I know that if I got any of the existing robots introduced by different tech companies regularly, then sure, it would be interesting at first, but I'm sure the novelty would wear off eventually. None of them do much that would be particularly life-changing for me on a day-to-day basis. On top of that, I don't think I would appreciate going ..read more

Secret Survival Strategies    From the ages four through seven, my biggest fear was undoubtedly tornadoes. It began one day when the local weatherman visited my old preschool to tell us about the dangers of extreme weather. He showed us pictures of all types of possible occurrences from thunderstorms to blizzards, but the one that stuck out to me the most was the tornado. I was captured in a trance by its sheer enormity, terrified, yet marveling at it at the same time. In the picture, a nearby farmhouse looked tiny compared to the huge twister. The weatherman warned us that tornadoes ..read more

Is doing nothing a good use of your time? Whenever the word "nothing" is used in a conversation, it's usually used to lie with. "What are you doing?" you could ask someone. "Nothing," they would reply, while actively working on something. "What's going on?" you could ask. "Nothing much," they would reply, while something is very much going on. "Hello," you could say. "Nothing," they would reply. The last example is a dead giveaway that the other person is doing somethiing so important that they don't think it's worth even giving you an actual answer to your question. These days, nothing and s ..read more

Self Control       Ideally, we all want to live as candidly as possible. Do the right thing, refrain from distractions, get an assignment done promptly, reach places on time. For some people, that's normal.      For me, obviously, that's not what really happens. What really happens is that I'm interrupted several times when I go about doing these things. By what, you may or may not ask? Myself. More specifically, a part of my brain. My brain overrides my actions with a new set of commands, which, at the given moment, seem more fun and ..read more

    What is the purpose of mail? As a child, mail held little value to me personally, as I knew that I could never sit down and get through whatever "dumb" paper came from the mailbox. These sentiments still hold, unfortunately. I would be asked to bring it sometimes, though, so that's all when I thought about it. When he asked me to tell him what the mail was about, I would clumsily tear open the envelope and read, "Blah blah blah, ok, can I throw it away now?" Mail was fascinating to me.      One day, my dad asked me to fetch the mail again. I rolled over t ..read more

Embarrassing memories. If someone was having a good day, all that is needed is one mortifying memory to surprise them and suddenly pull their smile a little down. Or, if one is engaging in a highly focused activity, like a game-defining moment in the middle of a sports match, a single memory can tuck some insecurity behind that person's ear, lowering their focus and causing them to miss their chance. An awkward conversation, a missed opportunity, or a humiliating moment in public. Embarrassing memories always carefully plan to appear when they are least wanted to tarnish the progress of someon ..read more