![]() As a fourteen-year-old, I qualify-by society's definition-as a child. It stands for Citizens to Protect Our Children. "The demonstration is by members of CPOC." "Rasmussem employees are not on strike," the bus reassured me, at just about the same time that I could make out the picketers' signs. There was a brief pause while the bus's computer brain accessed Central Information. "Are they on strike?" I asked into the speaker embedded in the armrest. Do you wish to continue to another destination, or would you prefer to be returned to the location at which you boarded?" The voice was kind and polite and only slightly metallic. I saw the picketers just as the bus paged me: "Passenger Giannine Bellisario, you asked to disembark at the Rasmussem Gaming Center, but there is a civil disturbance at your stop. ![]() So there I was, on my way to cash in my gift certificate, riding on a bus powered by artificial intelligence-emphasis on the artificial. Of course, if he was really considerate and involved, he wouldn't have had his secretary call to ask me what kind of gift certificate I wanted for my birthday. ![]() This year I didn't even have a good excuse: I had actually received my birthday gift from my father on time, which might have been a sign he was making an effort to be a more considerate and involved dad. How pathetic is that?Įven before the bus had started in on me, my mood wasn't exactly the best it's ever been. ![]() ![]() It was my fourteenth birthday, and I was arguing with a bus. ![]()
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