Requiem for a robot

Following up on Tuesday’s post about Steve, the suicidal security robot that turned treads up in a DC office building, the response on- and offline has been heartening in a world swirling around the existential political drain.

Because—rather like the citizens of Toronto, who marked the death of one of the city’s four-pawed residents with candles, flowers, cards and other respectful sentiments a few years ago—the denizens of DC erected a memorial to the K5 unit that slept with the fishes on Monday. Complete with AA batteries.

Beyond the physical manifestation, however it was the outpouring around the Twitterverse that brought us all together. I look forward to the ability to superimpose an image of Steve on my Twitter avatar. Maybe there'll be tee-shirts. 

Naturally, this being DC in 2017, it would not be a Twitter thread without conspiracy theories.

I must say that I find it strange that so far I'm the only person to lament the fact that everyone's saying what a great guy Steve was...now that he's in some gigantic bag of rice. Seriously—if more people had given him attaboys while he was beeping and booping around the atrium, he might not have felt his only out was down those weeping steps.

Well, if there’s a vigil (no candles, just smartphone flash apps, please), I shall of course keep you apprised.

Good night, sweet robot, and flights of drones sling thee to thy rest.