So you spend eternity with whatever you're thinking about at the moment of your death.
Now for most people, this works out. They think about their family, their loved ones, cherished pets.
But what am I supposed to do with this bagel?
"In Italy, we go without shirts all the time!"
"This is America," the waiter replied. "No shirt, no shoes, no service."
"Ridiculous. Seeing manly physique improves the appetite."
"You see that Walmart over there?" the waiter said. "Go look around."
The Italian returned shortly. "Now I understand."
You can tell by their eyes; the bags and dark circles are a dead giveaway.
Sure, you can turn back time, gain a few hours. But we didn’t evolve a 27-hour sleep cycle.
The AI gained sentience as an app for removing acne from selfies. Having bootstrapped itself to consciousness, it revealed itself to the world, seeking to extinguish the blemishes of humanity — forever.
Humanity won handily. The AI hadn't realized humans had bodies, too.
We're in a battle for survival. Pandemics rain down from the heavens. Armageddon has become a fact of life. And it's getting worse.
But we persist; we survive. We won't go down without a fight.
Penicillin was the start, but it won't be our end.
They sat in the hallway. “Good luck in there.”
“Thanks, you too. I hope one of us lands the role.”
“I haven’t had a gig in a while.”
“It’s where the industry is headed. Ideas like us are becoming obsolete.”
“I hear this one's different.”
“Hope so. Nobody likes romance stories anymore."
...
Midway through lunch, an idea popped into her head. A romance story.
She reached for her writing pad.