The End of Theresa’s Reign

Mortality is counterintuitive.

Theresa made it almost to nineteen. Her last two years felt like a complete bonus, every day extra beyond what we’d expected. She ate so much tuna, stole so much pork from fried rice, and constantly begged us to leave the faucet running like a waterfall. Goodbye, Theresa. ❤️ Continue reading “The End of Theresa’s Reign”

Clever Hansel 2020

by Mary E. Lowd

A Deep Sky Anchor Original, March 2023

“…he felt the upgrade chip click into place. And instantly, everything grew a million times more complicated.”

Engleine hesitated with the upgrade chip mere millimeters from the docking port in her beloved Hansel’s head.  His mechanical ear flicked, and he said, “You stopped.  Why?”

“Are you sure you’re ready for this upgrade?” Engleine asked.  Her own conical ears — a biological mirror of his mechanical ones — had flattened behind her long head.  She shuffled her hind hooves on the floor, and her keratinous hoof-fingers tightened on the upgrade chip that would push Hansel — her dance partner and best friend — from the seeming-sentience that had fooled her into believing he was fully his own person into an actual sentient robot. Continue reading “Clever Hansel 2020”

The Rocky Spires of Planet 227

by Mary E. Lowd

Originally published in Exploring New Places, July 2018

“Captain Jacques hoped these spires were the remnants of a long-ago civilization. He longed to search for signs of that civilization and learn about what kind of creatures could have once lived here.”

Captain Jacques sniffed the air on Planet 227.  It was dry and sweet, very still in his whiskers, and chill on his bare pink skin.  None of his science officers had mentioned being cold, but then Captain Jacques was the only Sphynx cat in his crew.  Everyone else had fur under their Tri-Galactic Navy uniforms.

“It’s exhilarating!” Captain Jacques said, eliciting a polite but distracted nod from the nearest officer, a junior scientist tabby who was busy scanning the unusual red-brown rock clusters with a uni-meter. Continue reading “The Rocky Spires of Planet 227”

Many Tiny Feet

by Mary E. Lowd

Originally published in New Myths, September 2017

“S’lisha sang to the arachnids in the guttural, bellowing tones of her native language — a sound that the humans onboard had compared to a giant frog dying.”

S’lisha traced her scaly claw over the transparent metal surface of the incubator.  It was the most complex cargo crate that she’d ever seen — heating and cooling coils all around the sides, a humidifier built into the base, and brackets inside to hold all of the eggs carefully in place.  It had come with detailed instructions for all the settings — cool at first, but warmer and moister over time. Continue reading “Many Tiny Feet”

On the Difference Between AI Cats and Actual Cats: A Love Story

by Daniel Lowd and Mary E. Lowd

A Deep Sky Anchor Original, February 2023

“Because even malicious AIs want to be liked. And people like cats.”

They Might Be Cats:  A Lecture on the Prevalence of Simulated Cats in Media (Social and Otherwise!) by renowned feline expert and AI trainer, Professor Andrea Middon

(Closed captioning provided by Mew Mew Twinklepaws.)

* * *

[Prof. Middon enters stage left.  Walks to the middle of the stage, nodding and waving at the audience (who are not visible on the screen).] Continue reading “On the Difference Between AI Cats and Actual Cats: A Love Story”

Evoking Appropriate Emotion with AI Art

Back during the summer when I first got access to some of the AI art programs, I spent hours and hours putting together illustrations for as many of the upcoming Zooscape stories as I could manage.

Now that I’m approaching the April issue, and the programs have improved… Continue reading “Evoking Appropriate Emotion with AI Art”

Attendance Policies, Broken Keyboards, and Hidden Mold

I’m so furious about my kids’ school policies about “attendance.”

Both of my kids are bright, have no trouble keeping up at school, and are doing distance learning. Yet, because we took them on a week-long trip where they didn’t log into their classes, the school’s in an uproar.

We tried warning the school that we’d be traveling to a family member’s wedding, but we were told family trips weren’t a valid excuse for an absence. Continue reading “Attendance Policies, Broken Keyboards, and Hidden Mold”