The Aftermath and Final Rest

All right everybody's time to talk about tonight's sponsor Helix Sleep. And if you listen to the show You already know how important a good night's sleep is, right? How it sets you up to have a better day. But I can tell you what, like your mattress plays a big part in that, right? Being comfortable, having a mattress that fits how you sleep, your feel preferences, what positions you like to sleep in, especially with the changing of the seasons. That's what I love about my helelix. I took the Helix quiz, I got matched with the right mattress because I don't like to be hot. I don't like to be stuffy, I sleep on my side, I sleep on my stomach. and my current helelix is a huge upgrade from the mattress I was temporarily sleeping on. So think about what you're sleeping on now and then take the Helix quiz, seeee what mattress you get matched with. You could take it at helixleep dot com slash sleep. It'll match you with the perfect mattress based on your Personal preferences and sleep needs It makes buying a mattress easy and that Helix mattress will be delivered right to your door with free shipping in the US. You can rest easy with seamless returns and exchanges. and the Happy Lith Helix guarantee offers a risk free customer first experience designed to ensure you're completely satisfied with your new mattress. There's one hundred twenty night sleep trial and a study they ran found that eighty two percent of those involved saw an increase in their deep sleep cycle while sleeping on a Helix mattress. So get over there. go to Helix sleep d dot com slash sleep to see the latest offer for sleep with me listeners. That's helixleep dot com slash sleep for current offers. Make sure you enter our show name after checkout so they know we sent you. Hixleep dot com slash sleep. Thanks everybody. This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Insurance isn't one size fits all. That's why drivers have enjoyed progressive name your price tool for years now. With a name Y prrice tool, you tell them what you want to pay and they'll show you options that fit your budget. So whether you're picking out your first policy or just looking for something that works better for you and your family, they make it easy to see your options. Visit progressive dot comot Find a rate that works for you with a name Y your prrice tool. Progressive casualty insurance compompany and affiliates, prrice and coverage match limited by state law Friends be and binary ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, It's time for the podcaster Wh's here to try to bring you sleepy joy and delight in the deep dark night. Maybe to put you to sleep, maybe to hang out with you, maybe to bring you some comfort some I don't know, some relief to just hang out with you, be here with you or for you. Welcome to Sleep and me. This show is very different Usually it' something silly to say. I mean, I guess anytime you rhyme Well, no, that's not true. already lost to that that debate that would have been a wrong question the SATs I bring that up early in the show, but there was always these logic questions right. Or maybe there weren't, Mbe this is all fan fiction in my head. It like well those one one of the things I one of those things I was good at is sometimes or I enjoyed thinking about it If if u W was my even thing? If a podcaster rhymes or if anyone rhymes Is it always silly? sometometimes silly? could be, you know, because I I was going to think it's always silly rhyming, not true So I only immediately recognize I nearly immediately recognize that Most of the I try to limit the rhyming to the early parts of the show if I can Though that's not always the case And a lot of times my rhymes I think I don't think this has ever been said but my l my rhymes My rhymes are about as sweet as limes. That could be said about them In my rhymes do leave something to be desired That fact iss not required because really I'm just here to see if I could help you be tired But if I had musical if I formally had played an instrument with it I had any musical like ability And you heard it and it put you to sleep. You could see I was liired Uh But yeah, mostly my rhyming should be retired. You're right You're right, dear friends. So I'm glad you're here I'm trying to think of some other gratuitous thing I could put in there But me stopping the rhyming is probably what could be also a could say say is certain most certainly desired. So I'll start to move. If you're new though, welcome to the show. This show is meant to be a friendly kind of a goofball to hang out with in the deep dark night can't sleep or you need help falling asleep It is a very different show So all I suggest is that you give a few tries and see how it goes just because it is so different And it does take some getting used to Um, That's just what most people have said. giveive it a few try, see how it goes I'm here to help. whher whether it's with sleeping or just a distraction or just something friendly to listen to If you're coming back for your five or six thousand listener somewhere in between. I'm glad you're here. U What we got coming up is support and the support does not apply if you're new. does not apply if you're like a student or somebody going through a life change or a tough time And you only listen from time to time. It doesn't apply to you if you're not in a position to support the show. or you actively choose, you say supporting the podcast is not for me. It's only For those people whose lives are positively changed by a podcast on a regular basis. And even those people It's usually less than one out of ten of those people that are so rebellious Their life is so positively changed by the podcast that they choose to join us and be a rebel with the cause So the sport only applies to a very, very, very select few people U then after the sport will be a long meandering intro and to ease you into bedtime And then after that, we'll be doing our kind of like audio fiction of this collection of short stories called Nothing Works Everything happens And all told I'll be here for about an hour to help you out Now if you are that rebel who gets so much out of the podcast. You say, I want to support this thing Dy This spodcast has changed my life. You could either support the show directly or one of these sponsors. Thanks All right everybody. It's time to talk about tonight's sponsor Quince and not only is Quince a sponsor that solved the problems with my bedding, the shirts I wear when I travel or want to look good, but now Quince is providing me daily peace of mind and cutting through that nutrition noise. You know, everybody's got advice. Oh, take this, eat this For me, it gets overwhelming, confusing. I just want something simple and Quince has my back because now they have Quince Superfood Greens cuts right through that nutrition noise with one simple daily scoop that helps you fill your nutrient gaps and support your overall health. Quintince Superood Greens combines seventy eight high quality ingredients into just one scoop. It has vitamins, minerals, probiotics, and whole food sourced greens. It supports energy, gut health and covers your nutrient gaps without a complicated routine. It's made in the USA and rigorously third party tested. It's free from soy, stevia, major allergens and has no artificial sweeteners. This is my favorite part. Like everything Quintince does, it's thoughtfully made and priced really well At forty dollars for thirty servings, it's less than half of the leading Greens brands. Quintince works directly with trusted manufacturers so you're getting premium wellness ingredients without the inflated markup. And especially with travel this summer, makes a big difference for me. pututting a scoop of Quintince superood greens in a glass of cold cold water and knowing all my nutrient bases are covered So fill the gaps your diet, leaves behind. goo to quince dot com slash sleep with me for free shipping on your order and three hundred sixty five day returns. That's Qu I ncE dot com slash sleep with me for free shipping and three hundred sixty five day returns quince dot com slash sleep with me. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease Thanks everybody. All right every time to talk about the mattress I love sleeping in. We're talking about He looks sleep and that's my first question. Do you love the mattress you're sleeping in Does it fit your needs? Y feel preferences? What makes you comfortable? If it's not a solid yes, go to Helixleep dot com slash sleep and take the Helix quiz and find a mattress that you will love. Every time I'm away from my Helix a summer, I miss it. And then literally I start laughing when I get in bed now because it holy cow. I love this mattress. It's so comfortable. And one of the main reasons it's comfortable is I took the Helix quiz and I got matched with a mattress that fits my needs, my feelld preferences. The fact that I get hot when I sleep, that I like to sleep on my side and my stomach, that I like something firmer. You deserve a mattress that you laugh when you get in because you love it. So you say, hey, I missed you a lot. Not only that, Helix comes with one hundred twenty night sleep trial, a lifetime limited warranty. There's free shipping and seamless delivery. Helix delivers the mattress right to your door with free shipping in the US. They have the happy withith Helix Garanteee so you can rest easy with seamless returns and exchanges. The Happy With Helix Garantee offers a risk free customer first experience designed to ensure you're completely satisfied with your new mattress. And Helix is the most awarded mattress brand tested and reviewed by experts like Forbes and Wired. And of course, they've got a deal for our listeners Go to Hix sleep dot com slash sleep for twenty percent off site wide. That's Hix sleep dot com slash sleep for twenty percent off sitewide. Make sure you enter our show name after checkout so they know we sent you. get over there. takeake that quiz at Helix sleep dot com slash sleep. Thanks everybody Heybody Scoots here and I'm checking in with you in the Dep Dark night and I'm talking about my goals for the show. And my goal is to have this podcast here and free for anybody to discover it for anybody to count on it so that it can help people. peopleeople like you in the deep dark night bring you comfort, bring you relief, maybe bring you sleep Maybe sleepy joy and delight, maybe it lets you feel less alone Or maybe don't even listen to it. It's just a friendly drone in the background. My goal is to be here for you Night after night, year after year or on call as needed and to keep these shows coming out and available to anybody. Now Pascal recently signed up to support the show and said that they thought I was an old retired dude just doing this in my free time until they realized how many people and how much work it takes to make a podcast like this And then Pascal said, you know, I've spent tons of money on useless CRA to the P and stuff I didn't even need or never even worked. Man, I have to support this podcast. It's common sense. So if you share those goals, if you want to be a part of this thing, like Pascal, this show has brought you comfort relief madeade you feel less alone in the deep dark night. You do like it being around. You do want to see it here long into the future. Please right now consider supporting the show because if you're the one Almost ready to go. You're the only one listening It really does come down to you If you share those goals, supporting the show right now. And that's about by going to sleepbypodcast. com slash plus signing up to support the show or writing yourself a note, putting it on where you get out of bed to spread the word about the show or support the show tomorrow. So I love it for you to be a part of this. Either by spreading the word or supporting the show at sleepingepodcast dot com slash plus. Thanks. Oh, Mrter Bart, a lot of people help out on the show. whoo are they? sounds He Scottie Jennifer Im in the mystery bar I do commit Song for you any reason at. You can tell me the story You see the kindness shine Straight on through Leners for their own Facebook group Stacy Sarah, Julie and Jennifer saw your You can support your schoolot on Patreon, buy merchant support the sponsors. You can find anything new. Sep By So proud Rusty bisc and Lis Anna banana L transcript. Thanks, mister Bart. Don't forget if you haven't heard about surpriseed by Scooter, if you're spreading the word about the show, you're tagging me in social media or emailing me through the form on our website. I'm going surprise some people who are spreading the word about the show, just letting people genuinely know about their experience with the podcast with subscriptions to Sleep withith Me pllus, maybe a personal video Maybe some stickers, who knows? So get out there and be surprised by scoots Thanks everybody. What do you say? We get on with the show Hey, are you up all night tossing, turning, mind racing Trouble getting to sleep, trouble staying asleep. Well welcome This is Sleep withith me, the podcast that puts you to sleep. We do with a bedtime story. All I need to do is get in bed, turn out the lights and press play. I'm gonna do the rest going to attempt to do is create a safe place where you could set aside Whatever is keeping you awake. there could be thoughts on your mind 's, you know, you're thinking about about the past, present, the future I mean, maybe they're moving around Somebody I forgot somebody talked about something in a shoebx, like marbles in a shoebox. Maybe somebody said something like that to me recently I think they were just we're relating of our thinking is I don't know if it's one marble or hundreds. sometometimes it's And then you say, how is it possible that it's both at the same time Th those are thoughts. It could also be feelings rel those thoughts feeleings that are left over or anticipatory or the feelings of like if you're what if someone is you has a you old sh but well. Shoe boxes What if you have thoughts and feelings about shoe boxes changes to shoe boxes David Bowie did not write a song about that, but I don't know is chang in shoe is the change was the changes in shoeboxes? Did someone ever say was this like one of those u What have said it? Something is the motherhood of invention or something. They said, I want a unified shoebx No longer I'm so you know what the world needs what the world needs now is a shoe shoe box It's the one box. that there's not not too little of too much of. But this person said to themselves I'm so tired of losing the tops to my shoe boxes that I've repurposed for other things This I guess this is interesting and I mean not to I mean this would be better covered on something like ninety nine percent invisible Pide is not focused enough or it doesn't a lot of times it doesn't when it once it goes through my once it goes through my brain then it makes an appearance in the world to say, huh, did not make any sense But my point is strangely enough, or maybe not, maybe this is just my own personal experience. Yeah, when did I turn there's a question. When did I turn my backkend shoeboxes Pretty soon I'll need to again to keep going with this intro. to Okay. So at some point, let's just run through a brief the briefest history of the shoe boxes I can That's totally inaccurate. Once upon a time as far as I know shoe boxes, which was a box shoes or sneakers or trainers or whatever you reffer to them as Come in And it was a two piece box It had the bottom box and the top of the box that which still ex still exists though I don't have a my brain does not have a current example of it The last pair of shoes I got were on clearance at you guessed it one of those stores I don't want to say that no one says they're a Max andista anymore, but And I believe that one had no I think it was a traditional shoe boox, but no top because it was on clearance Now now most of the shoebxes I'm picturing in my mind They're they don't open like a clamshell, but they're they're a unified box or interconnected box. peace u And uh I don't know. I guess I would like that's where my meanderw went is it did someone say that one what I just said about ten minutes ago It can't I can't I can't I got to change the world. because this Be maybe they were in the place where all the tops of shoe boxes go I think we did a episode about that or maybe that predates the podcast about where all the Oh no, those was like in one of the candy episodes in one of the Keper on the Mop episodes where they found out where all the socks were. All the shoe box what if this person discovered all the shoebox tops I mean, they could be good for sliding furniture Maybe u N I don't know. other stuff recc recycling S So they're not useless, sir. But I can see your point though you said wouldouldn't this world be different Wonder if we track things back? Is this where This where it did le said we never the first anthropologist made the discovery by listening to a sleep podcaster, said, wait a sc and Production of two piece shoe boxes. It represents, you know, the oh wow. it's as is it causation or correlation And they say no it's not nonsense from a sleep podcast. So that's a little bit about shoe booxes let me luckily I couldn't step down from the shoebox I was standing on or remember why I started talking about it Honestly have no idea What like a sho Oh because I was thinking my thoughts putut marbles in either one of the shoe boxes and they would make a similar noise. There's good news and Well, maybe that's the unified unified this is my unified Sobx theory. There's no unification of the theory. or the single shoe backs theory probablyroably lose less marbles with a cllamhell shoe bues anyway just because you could hold it well a kid might not though, because u I don't know if their hand is big enough to hold the box closed to Thoughts about shoe boox that's they that's another chapter. in my chapter in my life could be a chapter in a book and ever write Could you give us more they're not deep thoughts about shoe boxes and not accurate. You know, personal thoughts about shoe personal My personal reflections on shoebxes Could this be considered shoe gazing if I'm talking about, I guess that would be my my own private shoe box whichich that one you say just leave it alone But so anyway, let's move forward thoughts It could be feelings related to shoeboxes or anything else, physical s sensations, changes in time, temperature routine. You could be going through something in the middle of something, getting over something, traveling, be a guest, haveave guests work a different schedule. whatever it is I'm glad you're here and I'm here to The only reason I list that stuff is to let you know that we may get where you're at that you're welcome here And that we're rooting for you to get a good night's sleep. the sleep you need The sleep you deserve a bedtime that You don't have to dread a bedtime you could look forward to or at least feel neutral about time in a night of rest you feel good about or that you could feel good about it like me sixty, seventy percent of the time Sometimes eighty, ninety percent, you know, but life happens. But and no that you're not alone U that there's other people out there whether we're experiencing something different than what brought you here or something very similar We're still rooting for you We're still sending you comfort across a deep Dark night. When I say we, I don't just mean Why I do mean the royalty in the sense that this you're in you're in you're in a company of the sleepless royalty. U you stumble upon a podcast full of love and goodwill for people that struggle whatever reason for not being able fall sleep They keep each other company indirectly in the deep dark night. And because there's enough people listening, there's someone out there That's been where you are or someplace very similar a regular listener Who's in bed or winding down And they are thinking fondly of you right now. They are sending you kindness like a as a deliberate act of u Sleepy Jelight or joy and delight. That's what happens when we combine it in the deep dark night. They're sending it to you And then there's listeners that have been through something different that are sending you their kindness And they're rooting for you And then they're they also hope like if if the show helps you out that you get to experience both sides of that the giving and the receiving, the warmth of this community because it is a royal way. So Oh boy. this is a royal W Not that like not no no, not a not a rooyal weewi brain That is when a monarch uses blue. That's the royal Wwi I think it's just Ryal Pe. Do people say weei or I guess say maybe they do.. I mean, Gota move on from this one. That's probably the best joke I've accidentally written in the podcast, but it's a joke that's probably been told millions of times. Yeah. What's a royal way we when a monarch uses the Lu Uh I guess it's say like would that be on that show What is Royal Wwi I guess that'd be that's actually anyway, we got to move on holy, come on. I got my adolescent brain. Is that what it is? is can't let it go M likeike what do you in like this is more of a fourth or third grade So We get where you're at. That's what I'm saying. Now the show does st I'm getting used to clearly. We've already been on two very strange tangents already. so u the show is very different. and when most people get here, You know, you're skeptical, you're doubtful, you're tired, you're frustrated You spent your whole life or at least during this phase. lookingoo for something that's going to help you out Maybe you're like me in a lot of those just spend a lot of money and time in a lot of frustration around bedtime and stuff to help you sleep. notothing has quite worked Or you're just going through something now and you need to get the rest you need. And then you found the show or someone recommended it came up in a search and this show is probably very different than what you expected of a sleep podcast And that's okay because It's supposed to be very different. I'm here to hang out with you, but it takes some getting used to the idea of You're going to listen to a show. It's going to take your mind off stuff and then you fall asleep So that's what over the past thirteen years. a lot of people have said to me that are now regular listeners or supporters to say, yeah, first I didn't like to show. I didn't listen again for years and then years later I heard about it again and I tried it out and now I listen every night or I listen eight episodes tonight or I listen, you know, during school year So give it a few tries and see how goes. if it doesn't work out O you already know that this show isn't for you If you say this kind of shoebx gazing and royal weing is not for me. That's fine too. I mean, what do you call what's the sound when a monarch's on a roll What do you call when a monarchs on a roller coaster having fun What do they do? the they do the royal wee especially if there's two what do you call when there's two monarchs enjoying a roller coaster together What if you were drawing a dialog box and it was in their mouth Yeah, something like that, right. Partial if partial jokes partial, partially funny. A not your thing. That's actually okay. I'm not I'm serious. And I have a website set up. So if you've tried to show two or three tries, it didn't work, it doesn't help you. or you just don't like me or the show at all. pretty normal Go to sleep withith mee podcast. comlation. No thank you people grow out of me or the show. like and check out the other sleep podcasts and sleepy stuff on there because I still want you to get a good night's sleep. And we have a list of other sleep podcasts and stuff that can help you out. So check it out The other thing or one of the things that is very different about the show is it's a podcast that you don't exactly listen to. It's kind of like background noise could listen to it. It's like a TV on in the other room or a show streaming under your pillow or an uninteresting roommate or friend or lecture or conference. Or when you're not sure and you're listening to something you just it hits you. You weren't tired until it started or it's the temperature of the room or the time of day and you just can't stay awake And there's something about the content that's helping you sink to sleep. That's what this show is kind of here to do. is to hang out with you and maybe put you to sleep So it's almost like a out of focus picture that you could look at, you know, just change where you're at or sand streaming through your hands So give it a few tries, that takes some getting you to. This is also a sleep podcast. It's been around since what twenty thirteen And I'm not here to put you to sleep. There is no pressure to fall asleep with this show I'm going to be here over an hour So that you don't have to worry about falling asleep, but you don't have to wonder if you're not asleep in twenty minutes, what'll happen. plenty of time. I'm going to be here keeping you company whether you're awake or asleep There's no pressure to fall asleep. There's people listen who can't sleep at all who wake up in the middle of the night who just need constant background noise who need to break during the day who need something to listen to while they're at work. I'm here the whole show for them and for you, whether you're awake or sleep. My job is not to putiouslyep, but to be your boyf, your bore bay Borby Borean, you're Boris Borloff, your' chairman of the boards, your b there was a new one that I thought of and now I already forgot it Even though it was rusty and reminded me Uum, I can't think of it It wasn a new one. I was like that'll fit right in there But I'm here to be your best boyfriend Fv and just keep you company so you could fall asleep and hang out with you So if you can't sleep, you got a friend in the deep dark night I mean, who knows this this is a very specific specific niche I fe But it is a real niche. I'm sure on the planet there are other friends who have thoughts on shoebxes And there's even friends that have sleepy thoughts on shoe boxes But you know, it's not it's not a huge quantity Uh people of shoe booxes or whatever the other tangent I went on Oh like terrible like well Probably people, you know could make up not great jokes is more So that's what I'm here to do. L this is how I found my path in life truly to be a service to people You kind of been through a tough time like I've been through a tough time or continue to deal with it. So that's really what I'm here to do is help out And uh in the way I can So I am glad you're here. The only other thing that throws new people off that I like to meet you where you are or kind of re explain the realities of podcasting if you're a regular listener is the structure of the show This version of the podcast that's supported by listeners mainly and then sponsors benefits the maximum amount of people we can And uh Paying for it is very optional But yeah, it depends on both those things to be out there in the world. Otherwise the show would just be behind a paywall or be an audio book or something that you have to pay for pay for and it would only be like Probably less than one percent of the people that benefit now would benefit if it was paid. And I don't want that because I've heard the stories to all the people that listen People that only listen for a few weeks while they're dealing with a tough time So U anyyway, the show starts off their greeting F friends, we other the binary ladies, gentlemen boys and girls U S you feelil seen and welcomed in and you say, okay, I could check this show out. I don't have a high tolerance for rhyming nonsense, but I have some, you know, I get it Then there's support again prefer something without s, you get that on sleep to me plus. or if the show majorly changes your life, otherwise you can enjoy this version. then after that is a long meandering andrum it eas into bedtime not to put you asleep. if you fall asleep fast, please consider supporting the show because the intro is meant to ease you into bedtime. follows a familiar structure every time but every intro is new you get that reassurance, but this variety that whatever it is that keeps you awake can't quite ideally adjust to And then, um The intro goes on and on and on for fifteen to twenty five minutes so that you could listen while you're winding down. you have a buffer. between being awake and asleep So while yeah, there is a small percentage of people that fall asleep. Most people are getting ready for bed In bed, getting comfortable or winding down chilling out and doing some other relaxing activity So the they get eased into bedtime And then after that be support and then after the support will be our ll be reading from and reimagining notothing works. E happens. a few stories from there. Nal told I'd be here for a bit over an hour. And I'm really glad you're here. Myself and a team of people work really hard. because we want to help you falsely. We want to bring you comfort in the deep dark night idedeally bring some sleepy joy and delight And u and this is all possible when the people that likeike one out of every ten people who listen Night after night, year after year, episode after episode. if in their lives are so changed by the podcast that understandably they've overcome every You know, you know, the fact they're in bed, the fact that it like they're so rebellious that they either support the show or support one of these sponsors. Thanks Hey everybody, this is Scoots and I want to talk to a very specific group of listeners tonight Maybe you listening the show longer than a year, two years, three years, maybe even five years. And over that time you've been listening to the show Things have been financially tight, right? Well, Olive recently signed up to support the show and told me, yeah, I relied on the free podcast for years when I couldn't afford to support the show. But then Olive's financial situation changed and Olive was excited to support the podcast back when she could to keep the show a going to pay it forward, to pay it back. however you want to consider it. And Katie also sent an email about how isolating insomnia can feel, right? in the deep dark and night just lying there. A lot of us have been there and it's just you in the deep dark night That's what it was like for me, particularly as a kid alone in my room, even though Somebody else was in the room, even though I was in a housefulull of people, I felt alone. And that comfort is what made Katie support the show. And then Caleb said, had no idea my seven dollars a month could make such a huge difference in the podcast and knowing that and hearing that is what made me sign up to support the podcast. So if the podcast has got you through tough times financially or you've been able to flourish financially because of the support of the podcast And you're in a place where seven dollars a month, sixty dollars a year, or even one hundred and twenty, two hundred and forty dollars a year. You get that much value out of the podcast you'd pay for it if it was a product in a store or some giant corporation was selling sleep with me for two hundred twenty dollars a year. Please consider supporting the show now if you can so that the podcast can be there for the people who aren't in a place to support it. and it could be free for anybody to discover it whenever they need it. It'll be around because of your support like Caleb, Kadian Oles. than you so much. You can support the show directly at Sleep withith mee pllus, sleep withithepodcast d. com slash plus or by letting people know about the show and just spreading the word tagging me on social media or letting me know through the contact form on our website so I could surprise you. Thank you so much Al right everybody. this is Scoots reading from the book and collection of stories. Nothing works. Everything happens. And this will be like a sleep paraphrasing. in reinterpretation And earlier Scoots should have told you everything about the book and you could always find stuff in the show notes. because it'd be really cool if you were able to read along I actually listen to this or you know, it's always in the show notes. So this story is the last book wrritten by human In the waning light of a world drunk on invention, I offer this elegy We are not mere vessels for data dada The words we speak rise from the pit of something old and aching and unmeasured They are threads, frayed ent tangled as they may be Our words connect us to one another, not to machines They anchor us to the beautiful absurdity of life Each word is a wink and a nod Each sentence an outstretched hand Our stories do not move in straight lines but in tangles Pages are shouts across the endless abyss No machine can know what it is too long What it is to lose. to weep at nothing in the early hours and feel that somehow That too. preserved. As we teeter on the precipice of convenience, we must not forget the weight of these clumsy tangled words of our cumbersome weighty pins This age offers us ease, precision, efficiency. But we must not give it everything in exchange. canan't let it take from us our glorious disorientation This makes us human. It is through our defects that we find each other. The how in our stomachs long drawn out drag of thought across the surface of time That is my plea Let your language be crooked Let your own tales surprise you Let your voice rise above the sterile hum of these foul machines Bury your truths in the mock and Mire It is the mark with which we protect them. I do not mean to resist change, but to remember ourselves within it. Treasure the profoundly human act of creation Spill ink even as the world turns smooth and silent. In an ever accelerating age of convenience, let us choose to hold fast St up against a tide of calculated indifference and with every word Claire Th those imperfections, those sweet, sweet imperfections, which cover us AI Z ninety five closeed the book The Android to itself It was less impressed than it hoped it would be Perhaps it was the desperation with which the lastast book ever written by a human had wrapped up What a frustrating note to end on Perhaps it was simply the bias of hindsight No one had taken BE. Mortam's advice There is no one holding fast against the tide of calculated indifference The author's plea had fallen on deaf ears If this were truly the last book ever written by humans, literally Nobody had listened. No more ink had been spilled No more sweet, sweet imperfections that cover us declared poor guy The Android stood in a vast hall lined with dusty bookshelves from floor to ceiling The room stretched on forever Reading and cataloging every book in this library seemed a near impossibility Even for the most recent model of the universe's most advanced Android No sense in lingering AIZ ninety five toss the book into the pile to the shelves Maybe it was time for something a little bit more upbeat. binary reflections on the continued evolution of digital life. pedestrian Androids in my dreams, the meenoir of L shaped to introspective data breach A love story Perfect. AI Z ninety five pull it off the shelf The Android returned to its small spot on the intricately patterned rug amidst growing piles of recklessly tossed books It sat down cross legged AIZ ninety five had discovered this library over four cycles ago. been voraciously reading ever since It had yet to compile the full history of whatever ancient civilization had built this archive This was by far the most prolific collection of printed literature the Android had yet discovered As per protocol AIZ ninety five would read and collate all the information stored here J into the first chapter of the next feeather in its cap Evelyn was in a city that had a lot of lights and did not sleep big screen B like an elephant Her fingers made tapping sounds on the keyboard in her office, which had low lighting And the rain was also making tapping sounds on the window too Data breach This data breach was different It was personal Her breast went in GASP, she said. Hidden within these encrypted files was a message Evelyn just had to find it in the electric lasagna As she decrypted packets, her heart was going faster beating away She knew this breach L leadader to Moo than just the taken without permission data data. It just might lead her straight into love AI Z ninety five caught itself looking at the pages of Data breach, a love story eying the tangle of books in the meh pile The Android refocused and searched for its place on the page it had been reading What did the human BE Mortem meant when he said, we are not mere vessels for data. or data AI Z ninety five's creator always emphasiz the importance of accumulating data pronouncing it correctly. But it didn't matter Those four letters really stood for seeking knowledge What was BE Mortam's issue with that Android tried to go back into out a breach But before it could have felt another uneasy pull towards the big elephantine pile of mediocre books For the first time in days, AIZ ninety five wanted to go back and reread something AIZ in ninety five never went back and reread anything inefficient It stood up, several motors and its joints buzzing and worirring to power its unsettlingly smooth movements It dropped the romance novel on the rug and glided over to the bile Was Mortem really attempting to argue that all that rambling mess of ambiguous feelings, all of that was a value pooor guy. He was seriously misguided AIZ ninety five is audited toss the last book written by human near the top of the pile It wasn't there. anchor us in the beautiful absurdity of life AIZ ninety five muttered. scoffed and chuckled to itself as it dug through the mess. Cumbersome. Cumsy. obbjectively absurd The Android was indulging its agitation and wasn't sure if Mortem's words were affecting it or if it's frustration, was with wasting time Hunting for a silly human book in a mountain of bland books Pcise. Before recent updates, reader Android programming required a digilant filing of consumed works back on the shelves they'd come from AIZ ninety five's firmware afforded it more freedom in its filing protocols. quirk that it increased AI Z ninety five's efficiency over older models like the AI Y forty five. only now shown its weakness Treasure the profoundly human act of creation Mortam had said The words tickled the robot's anger receptors such human hubris They thought they'd had sovereignty over the act of creation. they had for a little while but only while they were the only ones doing it Once they open the doors to us We've shown them There was The bucket flipped open and falling clumsily down the far side of the pile inconvenience AIZ ninety five had been searching for the image on the books cover pass over it numerous times The Android picked up the book and dusted it off This time it sat right there at the top of the pile down Tetering on a mountain of unimpressive books it had already consumed. It started over from the beginning In the Waning Light by B. E. Morham Widely renowned across the galaxy is the last book ever written by a human And now our next story, infinite potential to Three years later That's three years later from part one I don't really know Nv said again. Glinton took a long swig of his filing cabinet coffee Something just didn't feel quite right Was it the romance? It's almost always the romance, Glint asked He prepared to jot down notes on a messy scrap of paper. No, no The Gita was wonderful Gotcha, Gint nodded So it was the career, the locale wantant to spend your life in someplace more exotic never hesitated again She furrowed her eyebrows and looked down at her shoes Everything was fine. But also something wasn't right. It was good. but not good enough somehow, she said. the desk in front of him with both hands Hey, no problem I've seen this before That's why we have the first three free policy ickly refill this He grabbed his mug and raised it as he spoke. Then we'll get back down to business goingo through the process from scratch. sometometimes you don't know what feels good until you've tried what feels not quite good, right Never giveave him a brief smile. Can I get anything? O said, moving towards the door N shook her head politely twentyw minutes later, the two sat in front of Glintz computer terminal stuck again Multiple printouts of Neva's previous choices covered the desk, scribbled on and highlighted in a mess of color Greens, yellows, and reds Glensair was even more frazzled than it usually was. hisis tie loosened. What was it about the three years you spent in this life that you think was most dissatisfying? he pressed Never saw it Well, I didn't I don't don't know that the arts are right for me. toooo much posturing Okay, that's something. Glint highlighted the latest collection of printouts He drew a thick red line through the word career. Also, I know I said Geta was great and I really did love her, but I don't know. Neva said reluctantly turned and watched her face closely, leaning forward a little I mean, it was great. We were a team. We laughed a lot I just thought it would feel a bit more You know She continued reluctantly. Glint shook his head silently didn't know. I don't know. Maybe let's keep Gita. It was good. Yeah, it was good. Nv said Glint sat back in his chair and stretched out his arms. He didn't bother to hide a long yawn Okay, he said, leaning forward again. Here's what I would suggest for you You get three trials before your premium changes I've worked with people in your position. I think what might be best for the second attempt is You go wild over the top wild, like totally beyond, you know, like you know what I'm saying? never shrink away at the suggestion Here's what you do. You pick a life that is nothing like your original life And nothing like this recent one You try something so out there. Like that you've always dreamt of, but you were too responsible to try He raised his eyebrows to nav a hoping. this angle might get him somewhere Th then it's like a best case scenario. you love it. You stay And my job well done And then if it doesn't work out, you come back in six months with a better understanding of what you're truly looking for neverever considered this. then she considered it more She crossed her legs and rested her hand on her chin comprehensive but evidently trying to maintain our composure When we first met You know, the first time You said infinite potential Ink could revoke my ability to change without warning never remembered He wentne sigh heavily. Oh boy, your memory, holy mackerel kid You leaned in close and whispered the next part. Listen, I've got a near to the ground around here I've been working in an infinite potential ink for like almost infinitely a long time That's most definitely veryery probably not going to happen Never frowned No risk, no reward kid Just trust me in all likelihood It'll be great Glint said he waved his hand towards the office door You know, enjoy things L look at it like a grand adventure. for six months. Either you love it. come back and switch it up. no charge Nev inhaled slowly and then made a quiet groan She leaned forward and began pursuing her list of options again. Six months later It was incredible glints I was literally exploring uncharted space I was the captain. ordering people to do stuff steering the ship No autopilot, you know, going through like a challenges asteroids, fields of asteroids. It was like playing the game parsec, but in real life and Th three, four, five, six dimensions instead of two D I slept on a different planet every night. Well, almost every night I discovered an uncontacted civilization Everybody was calling me for interviews I had fans I was like legitimately kind of a big deal of a frontiers ship And that came with lots of pretty wild well, you know, Neva held up her arms in the air waiting for his reaction. Very cool, Glint replied, smiling earnestly Yeah, you were absolutely right I never would have thought about trying that life and it was wild It opened up a whole other side of me. N sat back in her chair. H arms flopping into her lap couldn't hide her smile Well, I'm really glad it was a good time, kid, Glint said He hesitated for a moment So why are you back here then? He asked Neva's expression changed Her smile faded into a sulk. She shifted in her chair. Right, she said. It was great. It really was and like I said, eye opening. Uhuh, Glinton nodded After six months, you know, the first three months were nothing but fun Th Nev paused searching for the right words the novelty wears off a little Guint offered Exactly Nevaline forward couldn't shake the feeling that Something didn't feel quite right ant side leaning back in his chair. Never noded silently. Oh dear, going exhaled I was actually I was kind of I was wondering what Gida was up to. Nv said instantly transported back to her previous shoe gazing demeanor Oh, kid Glnn said, putting his hands on his keyboard, he typed a few key strokes, he rubbed his eyes and nodded mumbling to himself. Of course, he said under his breath never watched him sheepishly Okay, the first thing I'm going to say is this Everything you're going through here is textbook I've seen it a hundred times Glint turned his old computer monitor around so Nv could view the screen The second thing is Gid' moved on never tried to hide or dismay Listen, Kid, I told you, these aren't simulations These are real lives, real people If you step out and go try another life, the world keeps turning you told me to go have an adventure life never shouted The volume of her voice surprised both her and Glint And you just finished telling me how great it was for you. you see another side of yourself? You said so yourself canan't go backward We have an even better idea of what we're after. And you still have lots of options a bewildering number of options O seem to weary as he spoke the last sentence N sat back and considered this She wish she was better at confrontations, thinking of clevever rebuttals on the spot. Maybe she could choose that as a special aptitude in the next go round The room was silent for a while. Glintn took a long sip of his filing cabinet coffee. Neva picked at her fingernails, thinking. eventually Glint cleared his throat A him So Gida is out of the picture But we weren't happy with that life anyway, were we? got one more freeie Let's take real stock of where we're at where we've been And where will head neverever puffed out an exhale and nodded begrudgingly. continontinued soon Three In our next story is Inkjet Rising in the light twentieth and early twenty first centuries, humanity had reached a fever pitch in the art of mass producing cheap expendable technology for profit These tools were designed to be so inexpensive and so unreliable that the moment anything went wrong, they could be easily abandoned. exiled to a closet somewhere to collect dust Humanity's crowning achievement in this arena was the fabled Ink jet printer. At the zeniith of its impermanence, the printer itself became one third the cost of a single ink jet refill Manufacturers produced millions of affordable plastic units that could handle maybe one resume a few recipes in an accidental full color image before something jammed or came loose. Profits available to those who filled homes around the world with the soon to be useless paperweights was immense produced millions of units Almost none of those were properly recycled, let alone disposed of at all They all sat silently patiently stacked in corners piles of gifted books and old tax returns forgotten to Today There was a loud rolling sound someomewhere behind the human with the blonde hair as he reached out his hand to another human with red hair and who had skinned their knee and said, run along with me A lot of the buildings around them had closed signs on them, really large closed signs In fact, the close signs were both blinking and chirping The blond human could barely see or think with the bright lights from all the blinking closed signs U and get a straight thought with all the sounds of the signs chirping chirp, chirp chirping. We're saying sorry, we're closed over and over and over again They ran together heedlessly desperate to find some reprieve a miss miss the chaos. Over here, a third human shouted somewhere off to the left. The human with red hair stumbled and u had a second skinning of their knee and shouted something The blonde human couldn't make out over the sound of those signs ing are saying they were closed. Once again, the blond human helped them up propping them up with his shoulder A surge human. Brown hair called out to them again Over here Holding a door open and waving them inside, they rushed through the door towards the human's voice The red human rested against the wall as the door was closed What is all this As a human with blonde hair It's the ink jets. The brunette responded pausing as he expected the red humans skinned knees B Many miles away, another human was harvesting their corn Cornfield on a calm summer evening And early cricket chirped occasionally as the setting sun painted the world in warm orange The human sat back in his tractor seat enjoying a cool domestic beer and soaked in the scenery He savorered the pce he had found in his life. Across the field, his large farmhouse stood tall kids played ball in the yard The smell of his wife's cooking wafted all the way across the field The tractor rumbled gently as it harvested the corn And the human smiled to himself as he turned down the last row corn You saw something out of place A few yards ahead, a bright white eight point five inches by eleven inches piece of paper danced in the evening breeze danced like it wanted to dance off The human reached down and turned the rusty key in the trackors tractors ignition to left. The tractor sputtered to a stop and just a stopped a few feet. in front of the twirling paper The human stared at it, confused. He looked around over his shoulder No one was there. Slowly the human stepped down from his tractor The old metal squeaked as he lowered himself down The human lifted his baseball cap and wiped a sweat from his forehead as he stepped forward You watched the paper dance for a moment more and then snatched it out of the air before it could blow away. The look of confusion on the human's face deepened His jaw clenched, his eyes widened He shoved his paper into the back pocket of his Sveralls and ran towards the house As the first human ran across the field and into the yard, another human who was his wife emerged onto the porch. two was carrying a letter size piece of white paper Her eyes didn't look up as she stumbled down the front porch stairs, lost and thawed. A human man panted and tried to catch his breath. What is that? he said gesturing at the paper she was holding It's a photo of me. on Halloween She looked up directly into his eyes A single tier Traced a line down her face She handed the page to the human who was her husband I can't why why would anyone print a picture of me? I just don't understand It's not complimmentary at all down at the human who was her husband as he pulled a out of his back pocket and offered it to her. His face It was drained of all color What? u She she said is this u It's it's a candid picture of me. He said twenty years old. she has me eating spaghetti and it's covering my face is covered in spaghetti's all over and I was shirtless eating spaghetti. so it's all over my chest too He fell into her arms It's just like This picture got passed around work and everyone laughed at me It's od Oh man. I even stopp being friends with the person who took it and the person who shared it at work Who would do such a thing? The human, that was the wife asked, searching her husband's face for answers I think I might know the human that was a husband replied apprehensively Is it Wife whispered under her breath Her expression showed concern The man who is her husband nodded solemnly