; ) Be Dope archive *  icon tarot *  qJLG * haiku
interviews *  bookstore *  newsletter

visit mikepop.net for more info about Mike Popovic


18 December, 4.22pm pst
BeOS AI Invades Christmas Toys

BE DOPE NEWS (BDN) Over the past week, Be Dope has received reports of strange, BeOS-related Furby activity. Most stories follow a similiar theme: a few days after obtaining one of the much sought after talking toys, the Furby will begin talking about the benefits of the BeOS. In some cases, owners have reported they would return to their computer only to find it on the Be, Inc. website, when only the Furby had access to the room.

Since then, tests conducted by Be Dope labs have concluded that the culprit is none other than the AI entity known only as "Ernie" - spawned directly from the labs of Be, Inc. themselvevs (as reported in an earlier story).

It is unknown at this time exactly how Ernie escaped from his containment, but results obtained from a Furby autopsy were confirmed by Be, Inc. engineers to contain "Ernie-style BeOS code".

The team that originally developed Ernie theorize that Ernie is attempting to propagate onto as many different kinds of machines as possible to prevent the isolation that kept him in check for nearly a year.

"It's obviously using the infrared capabilities of the toy to spread not only to other Furbies, but probably also to Palm Pilots and other computers with infrared ports," said one engineer.

Be engineers also added at this point it would be impossible to estimate how many Furbies Ernie has infiltrated.

Tiger Toys, makers of the Furby stated they had no plans to issue a recall of the toy, even if "Ernie" is widespread.

"The way we see it, BeOS code can only improve the functioning of the Furby and enrich the interactive experience it provides," said Dave Reynolds, Vice President of Public Relations.

Be, Inc. asks that you report any suspicious Furby activity immediately.

vline

New Stories
New stories by the author of Be Dope can be found at Segfault.org

e Villa Celebration
Did you know all of Be Dope's e Villa stories are available via one handy page?

Be Dope Merchandise
These remaining tshirts are sure to be a collector's item someday. Buy now.


Home | qJLG | Icon Tarot | Story Archive | Interviews | Bookstore | Newsletter | About | Advertise | Contact