什么是“腦洞大開”?
看完本文,你就知道什么才是真正的“腦洞大開”!首先,主人公是一個人,然后他假設(shè)自己是一個機器人,住在英格蘭海岸邊的一個農(nóng)舍里,夢想著成為一只貓咪,一只不被主人賞識的貓咪。很奇特吧?這樣奇葩的腦回路,加上令人忍俊不禁的細節(jié)描寫,讓這曲機器人狂想曲顯得歡快激昂。
If I were a robot, I would probably not kill all humans. Emphasis[強調(diào)] on the “probably” part, because Im not making any absolute guarantees[保證] about my behavior[行為] as a robot. I wouldnt want to limit myself in that way. I dont necessarily know what Id be like as a robot. And while I dont want to kill all humans now, who knows how Ill feel once Im in robotic[機器人的] form?
Like, say Im a robot and I go to see that movie The Artist, and then someones like, “Hey, robot Oliver, did you like that movie The Artist?”
And Id say, “Like? Such a comment[評論] does not input[輸入] with me. It was a succession[一連串] of filmed images projected[投射] at 28 frames[幀] per second. I chose to watch it in infrared[紅外線] because I never get to use my infrared goggles[護目鏡].”
“Yeah, but did you like it?” whoever will say.
“Like?” Id say, and Jesus, do you see how annoying[令人惱火的] this conversation is getting already? Id kill the person to make it stop and then Id have to go kill all the other humans to avoid[避免] getting in trouble for killing the original[最初的] human. Anyway, where was I?
After killing the humans, I think Id build a cottage[小農(nóng)舍] with a thatched[茅草蓋的] roof, on the coast of England somewhere, by the cliffs of Dover. Ive always wanted to live in a cottage, and as a robot, Id have time to build one. Because the thing about being a robot is that you dont get old and you dont die, so you have time to do stuff…And then, once the cottage was done, Id read all the great books, I guess, while not really“l(fā)iking” them or understanding them…
God, being a robot sounds awful, actually, when you think about it. Never getting old? Never dying? The thought sounds appealing[吸引人的] for one, two seconds. But then, what meaning does life have if one can never taste death and other such existential[存在的] questions? Not being able to die would be like never being able to go to sleep…Have you ever thought about that, never being able to go to sleep? This is actually a parable[寓言] that youre not totally getting; but dont worry about that, not right now. Anyway—not being able to sleep. Itd be awful. Things would go on and on. Robots never sleep.
Instead of being a robot who cant sleep like that, Id rather be a cat. A little kitty. Oh, Id be a good cat; the best cat youve ever seen. Id be a tortoise-shell[龜甲]. I wouldnt be an indoor cat, but I wouldnt be an outdoor cat either, not exactly. Id be inbetween, just a cat, but my owners would have a cat-house on the porch with an electric blanket[電熱毯] for when it got cold, so that I could be not-inside, but also nearby at all times. And there, I would dream my dreamy cat dreams. First, you flex[收縮] your cat paws, then you pounce[猛撲] and catch the mouse, but youre just dreaming the whole time, well, arent you?
For breakfast, I would eat breakfast, and then I would hunt. Id catch baby bunnies[小兔子] in the yard; theyre very prevalent[普遍的] in the Spring; more baby bunnies than you could ever imagine. I would catch one and then leave it on my masters porch—you have this expectant[期待的] look when you leave them a bunny or a mouse, but then, youre always disappointed. With your tender[溫柔的] eyes, youre like—Look! Look please at what I have done! But then the children just turn away, appalled[驚駭?shù)腯, and then its all very disappointing.
And after that, Id sleep again, and flex, but Im not a cat, am I?
Im not a cat. Im a robot. I was a robot the whole time. It was a dream that I had; I lied when I said that robots couldnt sleep.
I was a robot the whole time, living on the coast of England, dreaming that I was a cat. Its just a dream; sad. A single cybernetic[控制論的] tear trickles[滴] down my aluminum-alloy[鋁合金] cheek.
如果我是個機器人的話,我可能不會殺光全人類。重點在“可能”這個部分,因為作為一個機器人,我可沒法對自己的行為做絕對的保證。我也不想那樣限制自己的自由。我不太需要知道自己作為一個機器人會是什么樣子。而且盡管我現(xiàn)在還不想殺死全人類,誰知道一旦我進入機器人模式后,我的感覺會是怎樣的呢?
比如說,我是個機器人,去看那部名為《藝術(shù)家》的電影,接著某人說道:“嗨,機器人奧利弗,你喜歡那部叫《藝術(shù)家》的電影嗎?”
而我會說:“喜歡?我可沒被輸入過這樣的評論。它就是一連串拍攝好的影像被以每秒二十八幀的速度投射出來。我之所以選擇以紅外線模式觀看它,只是因為我從來沒用過我的紅外線護目鏡而已?!?/p>
“是啊,但你喜歡它嗎?”其他隨便什么人會說。
“喜歡?”我會說,天啊,你沒發(fā)現(xiàn)這樣的對話已經(jīng)變得多么讓人厭煩了嗎?我會殺掉那個家伙來停止這段對話,但接著我將不得不殺掉其他所有人類,以便擺脫最初殺掉那個人所帶來的麻煩。哦,我說到哪里了?
在殺掉這些人類之后,我想我會在英格蘭海岸邊的某個地方建一個茅草屋頂?shù)男∞r(nóng)舍,就在多佛懸崖附近。我以前一直想要住在一間小農(nóng)舍里,而作為一個機器人,我有時間來建一個。因為作為一個機器人的好處就是,你不會老,也不會死,所以你有時間來干活……接著,等農(nóng)舍建好后,我猜我將會閱讀所有的偉大書籍,雖然并不能真的“喜歡”或理解它們……
天啊,成為一個機器人聽起來糟透了,真的,當你好好想想的時候。永遠也不會老?永遠也不會死?這個想法聽起來很有吸引力——在那么一兩秒的時間里。但再想想,如果一個人永遠品嘗不到死亡以及其他這種關(guān)于存在的問題時,生命還有什么意義呢?永遠不會死將會像永遠不能睡覺一樣……你有沒有想過這個問題呢,永遠不能睡覺?這就像是一個你不能完全理解的寓言一樣;但是不要擔心那個問題了,至少現(xiàn)在還不用。無論如何——不能睡覺,那會很糟糕的。萬物周而復始。機器人永遠不能睡覺。
我寧愿變成一只貓,而不是一個像那樣不能睡覺的機器人。一只小貓咪。噢,我會變成一只乖貓的;你所見過的最好的貓。我會縮在一個龜殼里。我不會是一只室內(nèi)宅貓,但我也不會是一只戶外野貓,不完全是。我會在兩者之間,就是只貓,但天冷的時候,我的主人們要在門廊上放置一個帶有電熱毯的貓窩,這樣我可以不用宅在屋里,卻又總是在附近溜達。在貓窩里,我可以做著我的夢幻貓咪美夢。首先,你要收起你的貓爪子,接著猛撲過去抓住老鼠,但你只不過是一直在做著美夢呢,嗯,對吧?
對于早餐,我會吃早餐的,接著我會去狩獵。我會在院子里逮兔寶寶;它們在春天里到處都是;兔寶寶比你能想象的要多得多了。我會逮住一個,然后把它留在我主人家的門廊上——當你給他們留下一只兔子或老鼠時,你會有這種期待的樣子,但接下來,你總是會失望。帶著那溫柔的眼神,你會像是——看??!請看看我干了些什么!但隨后,孩子們只會轉(zhuǎn)過身去,驚慌失措,接下來一切都會讓人非常失望了。
在那之后,我會再去睡覺,蜷縮起來,但我并不是只貓,對吧?
我不是只貓。我是個機器人。我一直都是個機器人。那不過是我所做的一個夢;當我說機器人不能睡覺時,我撒謊了。
我一直都是個機器人,住在英格蘭的海岸邊,夢想自己是只貓。那只不過是個夢,一個悲傷的夢。一滴機器人的眼淚滑下我的鋁合金面頰。