Observation of the Interstellar

      I didn't wake up to the sound of an alarm anymore. Honestly, I hadn't even bothered setting one up, no need to anymore. The thought of this would've been novel two years ago, exciting even. No need to drag yourself out of the warm caverns of bedsheets and shrivel in the inhospitable chill of the morning air! No longer would you hiss at the opening of a curtain, acquainting you once more with the knowledge of an outside world! What fun! Aren't you happy? You are, aren't you? You can stay basking in the heat, curling into yourself with the languid air of a cat settling down for the fourth nap of the day. It's all you ever wanted, in those quiet hours when the sun had yet to rise, a life of stillness where the burden of time ceases to weigh on your inconsequential shoulders. It was a luxury to exist so perfectly stationary. And yet, that is how I lived. It's how everyone lived.      The first time I heard of COVID, I was swinging my feet under the scienc...

       When compared to the debut of automatons as entertainment, modern robots play a far more pivotal role in our current society. Robots have been integrated into our manufacturing and agriculture; even the healthcare industry is witnessing a shift towards automation with the use of robotically-assisted surgery and companion robots. From the food we eat to the products we consume, humanity is becoming increasingly reliant on the presence of robots. While it's not inherently terrible to embrace this era of efficient tech, there arises a concerning question when considering the role robotics plays in our society. At what point will robot usage spread from production to destruction?     Robots are creations moulded to serve a singular core purpose. Unlike humans, they are not multifaceted by nature; robots do not discover or overcome. They remain finite in their creative capabilities, where humanity is infinite. And it's because of this coded focus that rob...

         The first thing we noticed when we stepped out was darkness. Our eyes had grown accustomed to unnaturally bright fluorescence after weeks of relying on the cheap backup bulbs for a light source. Months? It became hard to tell after the time log broke down, the numbers behind the touch screen now half submerged in a luminous fluid none of us could attach a name to, the date in the corner erratically shifting from Wednesday to Thursday to Monday when we were lucky. Elliot tried to fix it in the beginning when the rest of us complained about the incessant buzzing of the monitor that eased its way into our dreams, but then he burnt his left hand on the circuitry. The resulting blister bubbled painfully and healed into a scar that covered the better part of his palm. He reassured us that the injury didn't hurt anymore, that it wouldn't get in the way of his training as a cadet back home. No one forgot the horror on his face when he could no longer bend his h...