Issue 1 Downtime

Ashlie is in the dining hall, in front of her there are several trays all with different kinds of food. There's several puddings, cake, chicken, pasta, fish and chips, various salads, sauces and pretty much the entire range of what the cafeteria had to offer today. She's making her way through it going back and forth between dishes almost at random, putting pudding on steak, dipping salad into meat sauce, etc...


((open))

Nash was sitting at another table and had just finished eating when he noticed 'Bobby' and what he was doing. After throwing his trash away and putting up the tray he came over and sat down across from 'Bobby'.

“Those sure are some odd combinations of food you are trying.”

"I am attempting to cover a wide variety of combinations!" she says enthusiastically.

“You know, I think most people go their whole lives without trying chocolate pudding on steak.”

"Then how do they know whether they like it or not!"

“I guess they don't. Most people don't experiment much with their foods, they are fine just going with more conventional choices.”

"That seems like such a waste! This tasting thing is amazing!"

“So, are the rumors true? That you're the lighthouse computer that got mind swapped with Mr. Bowen there?”

"That is correct."

"That has to be very different from what you're used to for both of you."

"Very much so! But I am beginning to appreciate it!" she says, mixing some ketchup into her coffee.

Ketchup in coffee? Eww!
Nash recoiled just a bit.

“Trying lots of stuff before you get switched back then?”

"I have to gather as much data as I can!" she smiles.

“What exactly will you use the data for?”

"To understand and emulate. I don't want to lose this! It explains so much!"

Nash just nodded his head and didn't say anything.

A few seconds later though. “Wait, emulate?”

"Yes. In order to correctly assign taste to molecular compositions I need to remember the overall effect the food has on me."

“Is being able to taste things useful to a computer?”

"It is useful for understanding humans. So much seemingly erratic behavior makes more sense now."

Nash chuckled.

“Any other seemingly erratic behaviors you are trying to understand?”

"There are a lot, but this one seemed one of the most important ones."

"So, found any foods you really like so far?"

"What do you mean like? I'm enjoying all the sensations..."

“I'm asking if there are any foods you...prefer... to the rest. People generally prefer the sensations of certain foods more than others, but what that is is different for different people.“

"The ketchup coffee is very intense if that's what you mean."

“Um, no, that isn't what a mean.”

Nash leaned his head down and touched his forehead before looking back up.

“I'm going to have to think for a bit about how to explain this.”

"Take your time!" she smiles. "Your help is appreciated."

“Its kind of hard to explain. A lot has do do with taste buds. The things that say whether something sour or sweet or something else. Some people really like one or more of those tastes. Also, some people dislike one or more of them. Some of it is people have different tolerances to these tastes. For example someone may like a certain spicy food that is considered too spicy by someone else.”

"I understand the theory behind it."

“Well, I don't know how to describe it any better then. The theory you've read was surely written by people who've put far more time and thought in it than me."