Under which there are some words loosely describing what is taking place. "Cyborg of Dick at Nextfest in Chicago" That's not what it read at all, but you don't need to know exactly what it did read because some assholes made a robot of Philip K. Dick. Don't worry I've looked into it for you. It was unveiled at the 2005 Nextfest and designed by some wizards who are affiliated with Hanson Robotics, the FedEx Institute of Technology and the Automation and Robotics Research Institute. The first thing that hit me was how much this thing looks like Phil, Apparently the skin is some magical copy-written wonder polymer (f'rubber), that hides some low energy electronics that move his face ever so subtly. The face was produced by roboticist/ sculptor David Hanson of said Hanson robotics. Hanson says PKD was the one who got him into robotics vicariously through his books. He spent $25,000 of his own money making this robot. So This other magic person Andrew Olney wrote the software that runs through the head. Apparently it has all of dick's writings in its memory and can recognize the sound and site of Dick's friends and relations. They even used Dick's work as a basis for the software. The head was put onto a body and the body was put onto a representation of an american 1970s living room. Ok so let's recap this Robot is amazing, These people are magic, and the the head is missing. Oh yeah I didn't mention that yet, well this wonderment parade of my dreams was rumored to go on tour at comic-cons then rest in the Smithsonian in a plastic case, but it seems the head has escaped, possibly to whale's mouth(oh vague reference), but more likely toted off my marauders, the luckiest airplane passengers/flight attendants in the world are probably as we speak, feeding cereal to PKD in some dimly lit apartment, listening to the local affiliate of UPN playing Blind date reruns; you see On a flight to Las Vagas Hanson left the head safely tucked away in the overhead bin. He walked off the plane got a connecting flight, went home. Then probably punched himself in the dick for leaving a 25,000 dollar high-tech fantastic dream in a smelly tan-colored american-west 747. "I stuck the bag containing the robot head in the overhead bin and fell asleep. I didn't even know we were changing planes in Las Vegas. The flight attendant woke me up, and I walked off the plane in a fog - with the robot head still in the overhead bin." The head was allegedly found and put on board the next flight to San Fransisco, but somewhere somehow the thing japed. (god that's clever to learn more about that reference check out the wikipedia on "the man who japed") Well the program and "brain" of this PKD is still intact on someones laptop. America west may sponsor a new one made, but in the mean time that head is out there, possibly in an undeclared luggage warehouse, possibly in that dimly lit living room, but quite definitely in my dreams.
It appears (to my mother) my Father is 28 years in the photograph this is based on, the shirt is of course younger and possibly ageless because it does not appear in the photograph as my father was not allowed to wear shirts until he was 40. This is what I gather from the family albums, I've never asked. Also had the canvas been larger I'm sure a can of beer would be resting somewhere. Interesting note; this painting is pretty hideous and my father's final words on the matter were; "I don't like the subject matter"
