there's nothing grosser than, when eating, picking up a wayward crumb and putting it in your mouth just to realize that it is decidedly not food.

...

i was watching the next generation today instead of working on my thesis and the preposterousness of data (um, the character) really struck me.

as an aside, my sweetie's absurd first-year philosophy prof once used data as a demonstration of the fact that artificial intelligence exists -- no joke.

anyway, i was watching a mediocre TNG episode where a prisoner was talking to data and asked 'why do you have yellow eyes?' to which he replied 'i am an android.'

now, it seems to me that emulating the skin tone and eye colour of a normal human being is perhaps the easiest aspect of constructing an android. yeah, i know they made brent spiner wear all of that cake make-up to distinguish him from other characters and characterize him as a machine, but that doesn't make it any less ridiculous. what, they didn't have any flesh-coloured paint when they put him together?

you know what i'm sayin'?

...

two...more...months...