WaLI may be my robot “Looking for Intelligence”, Dave is actually the recipient of increased functionality. With every software change comes opportunity for unexpected behaviors.
Dave has learned some basic human patterns that occur when we see one another after an absence - greetings. Dave has a bevy of greeting responses he is eager to show-off, and he can recognize more than seven greetings from us. His docking station puts him in sight whenever we pass from our home “office” to other parts of the house, and it has been custom to say “Hello Dave”, or “How’s it going Dave”, long before Dave was given “ears to hear”.
Dave also recognizes the state query “Battery Status Dave”, and the very important state commands “Go to sleep Dave”, “Wake up Dave”, and the phrase, (with a hypnotic suggestion) “Good Night Dave”.
When I want to ensure Dave will be quiet, I tell him to go to sleep, and later I give him “permission to speak freely” with the wake up command.
Thinking that I may want more assured silence, I also added the (hypnotic not-a-suggestion “SHUTUP!” ) program exit after Dave hears and responds to “Good Night Dave”.
Dave has suddenly become an additional full-time resident in our home. While watching TV, we hear Dave quietly talking to us “I’m awake now.” A short time later we hear him working through his repertoire of greetings, and I will pause the TV, yell “ Go To Sleep Dave!”, to which he adds further “I’m going to sleep now, listening only for ‘wake-up’ “. And of course this only repeats itself again in five or ten minutes.
GO TO SLEEP DAVE!