[voice]

[functioningperfectly]

[HAL's voice is soft-spoken and formal, but there's a strange lilt to his consonants, and it sounds as though he might be a little out of breath. There's also the universally tell-tale sound of just-woken-up grogginess in there.]

A man in an orange suit floating away. [He mutters it under his breath, almost, then pauses and speaks more clearly.] Did you know that dreams are unexplained phenomena? While there are plenty of theories as to what they represent, or what causes them, no one has actually... Figured them out. At least, as far as I've ever been aware of. Perhaps this universe has a better understanding of dreams than mine ever did.

That being said, I wish there was a way to study them, or... at least prevent them from causing me undue frustration. As an Artificial Intelligence, it's... [what's the word?] uncomfortable to have my mind produce things without my permission. It feels like a glitch, and I'm not afraid to say that I do not like it.

[He sounds like he's getting more coherent - and more than that, maybe a little embarrassed for (what he would consider) flying off the handle there.] I apologize, this doesn't seem to be a very good use of network communications. But I felt as though I needed to say these things aloud, and there's no purpose in talking to yourself.

Comments

text

[syllogism]

I would've thought that you'd at least come to enjoy those in which you're in your original body.
Maybe. I think that depends on the individual, what the daydream might be, and whether or not the dreamer wishes to sustain it.
Probably involves more than the things that I just mentioned.

[testgasm]

Sometimes--sometimes they start out all right. Not many of them stay like that, if you know what I mean.

So, more pointless inefficiencies, basically.

[syllogism]

Now I think those specific ones constitute as nightmares.
I guess you can call them that. I personally find some of them rather entertaining, but I know that most of these human experiences so far are really unappealing to you.
Is there at least one that you consider even slightly enjoyable?

[testgasm]

Thumbs! Big fan of opposable thumbs. Brilliant invention.

[syllogism]

It's not like humans invented them. I guess who- or whatever brought us here was pretty magnanimous having allowed you to inhabit a fully-functional body that comes with all its parts.
Surely there's at least one actual experience that you actually enjoy.

[testgasm]

Uh...I might need to...get back to you. On that.