Monthly Archives: June 2013

TantrumBot AlphaBots ~ Artificial Emotional Intelligence

TantrumBot

I’m not sure if a tantrum is an emotion, precisely, but it’s definitely an emotional outburst.

I’m happy to say that my life has been pretty much tantrum-free lately, but I certainly remember them vividly from the days when my twins were toddlers. I was pretty lucky even then, really. The boys weren’t excessively frequent fit-throwers, and usually they were kind enough to take turns, but once in a while they’d gang up on me with a tandem tantrum, & that was pretty miserable! But you know, I always felt their fits were at least as hard on them. After all, kids have it rough– they’re always being told what to do, with very little say in the matter, & that would make me cranky too! Besides, their outbursts were mainly triggered by exhaustion, hunger or over-stimulation, so I tried to minimize all as much as possible, & it helped.  Still, those days were wearying, & my heart goes out to those of you who are still living in the tantrum era!

SurpriseBot AlphaBots ~ Artificial Emotional Intelligence

SurpriseBot

Surprise! I did an AlphaBot this week after all!

We had a surprise flood situation this weekend that put me behind in everything— only the basement was affected, but with both sons home there was a lot of stuff stored down there. Luckily nothing truly precious was destroyed, but it still took many, many hours of clean-up. And it happened on my birthday, too, hmph!! The nerve!! This bot pretty much captures my mien upon discovering the situation.

RestlessnessBot AlphaBots ~ Artificial Emotional Intelligence

RestlessnessBot

Oh how I identify with this wiggly bot! It’s strange that someone with a severe case of the fidgets would choose a career that requires hours on end of near-immobility, but making art is just as irresistible as movement, so my two obsessions fight it out every day. Usually I start with the art & when I can’t sit still another minute, I get up & hoop-dance madly for a while. Then back to the desk or drawing table until the wiggles take over again.

I’m very tempted to animate this little guy, but that would mean sitting here a lot longer, & I really need to go hoop!