Quickies

By David Hockey

Something to read when waiting. Ten miniscule stories jumping from ghosts to murder.

• Language: English
• Publisher: David Hockey
• Release date: Jul 24, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370159345

David Hockey

Eighty five years and still going! Air Force, industry, teaching, government and freelancing. But retirement is best, as I hope you will find. When I had more energy I built my own home and looked after a very big vegetable garden. Nowadays I like to read, write, travel, play a Clavinova, talk with my children and grandchildren and think. (Probably thinking comes first.) I’ve written technical and travel articles, training programs and a long autobiography. David

Book preview

Quickies

David Hockey

Copyright 2017 David Hockey

Smashwords Edition

Contents

Jimmy

Ghost Sneezy

From Outer Space

Roxy and Dodo

Dave’s Daily Blog

Murder!

Fruitcake.

Party Time

A Crabby Person?

T’ling

Jimmy

Have you decided Jimmy?

Yes. Made my mind up last night. I’m going for it. Wouldn’t you, Dr. Janis?

Yes, I’d want to live.

Ah, that’s the most important question, isn’t it. Will I be really living?

I think you will. You’ll be able to see and hear. And we might be able to add touch in two or three years.

But I won’t be able to talk.

Yes, I know. That’s our biggest problem. As you know, we’re trying both electronic and biological methods but without much success. It’s very complicated.

So I’d see and hear things, and move about, and there’d be absolutely no pain?

If it succeeds.

A ten percent probability. But I’ll die in a few weeks if I don’t. So what have I to lose? Yes. I’m in.

All right. There are some papers to sign. I’ll get them and tell the team. We’ll probably do it tomorrow.

You’ll tell the press?

Afterwards.

Well, I’ll be a world-wide celebrity if it works. How about that—the first brain-controlled robot! You know, I think it might be fun.

* * *

Daily National

Allison itSmh

It’s been ten years since Robo-One was born and I visited him yesterday to let you know how he’s getting along. By-the-way, he hates being called Robo-One and insists I call him Jimmy. He allowed me to record our discussion. This is a transcript of what we said:

Would you remind our readers what’s happened to you since your brain was successfully installed Jimmy. You were lucky weren’t you?

Yes I was, thanks to Dr. Janis. She’s a wonderful surgeon and is backed by a tremendous team at RobotsNow. They’ve looked after me very well and right from the beginning they’ve kept me up-to-date. I’m the first to try out everything, that is, after it had passed its robo-animal clinical trials.

When your brain was transposed you could only see and hear, isn’t that right?

Yes. Dr. Janis said they’d probably be able to add touch in a couple of years. In fact it took them only fifteen months to add it to my thumbs.

You have touch all over your body now, don’t you?

Yes. They modified and used the touch-sensitive computer technology.

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