Emoticonvention refers to the system of treatment created by the psychiatric robot Pinel-5 in 2410. It was fully endorsed by the Council for a New Tomorrow and put into practice approximately 8 nanoseconds after it had been conceived.

After studying all previous forms of psychoanalysis and the physiological construction of the human body, Pinel-5 deduced that the human mind and its emotional representations were far too simple to be given the amount of care and nurturing as had been applied in the previous 700 years.

Within the Emoticonvention system, the human state of being is divided into three parts: happy, sad and neutral. While neutral is the preferable state, it is sometimes necessary for emoticon advisors to push a subject into happiness or sadness in order to eventually reach a neutral state. This can be accomplished by pharmacological means or an imposed set of circumstances.

The emoticon advisor is not only responsible for the treatment of their subjects but also a cyclical emotional analysis represented by one of the following symbols:

🙂

🙁

😐

A staple of human culture since the early 20th Century (Gregorian calendar), game shows have continued to thrive in popularity due to the unrelenting fact that, generally speaking, humans like to be rewarded for their triviality. Also known as quiz shows, sporting events and reality TV, they provide a means to direct the human race’s mob mentality so as to avoid addressing real-world issues. But they have also served to avert global conflagrations.

In 2370, a brutal war between clashing factions in the Middle East seemed unavoidable. However, in a stroke of robotic genius, the Council for a New Tomorrow ruled that rightful land claims would be decided by way of the game show “Spot The Whore!”. Contestant Pepe Al-Amino single-handedly prevented the war by correctly answering, “the lady in the painted face.”

Some of the most popular game shows ever have included “Le Prix, C’est Vraiment!”, “Two Men Enter – One Woman Leaves” and “If You Can Stick Your Finger In It, It’s Yours”.

In 2177, human error led to a gravitational density overflow on the moon which caused a shift in the lunar rotational axis. Consequently, the lunar polar regions, previously having endured near-perennial sunshine, only saw approximately ten seconds of near-darkness every deci-cycle. The most significant effect that perennial sunshine has on these regions is an increase in solar radiation.

As a result, these areas are constantly observed and their solar radiation levels tested by both manned and automated environmental sensor outposts. Manned E.S.O.’s are self-sustaining single-person habitats lowered several feet into the ground and covered by a reflective fly.

While well-protected from solar radiation, humans in these regions do endure some side effects as a result of the perennial sunshine, including a hardening of the epidermal layer, a loss of REM sleep, a degradation of motor skills and the frequent but inappropriate use of the word “dude” in conversation.

All lunar-terran public transportation is provided exclusively by GO GalactiCorps’ Bot Division, headquartered at Shackleton Center, located at the lunar South Pole, and the balmy city of Winnipeg, located in the approximate center of North America on Earth.

A series of robotic mass driver devices at both locations are responsible for initiating atmospheric flight of cargo and passenger shuttles and an on-board gravity core fuels the pan-atmospheric journey.

While the cost of such transportation is relatively minimal, GO Bot Division recently began to price gouge its customers, for reasons unknown. Though consumers were at first shocked by the cost increase to ship to and from the moon, they eventually settled into a numb acceptance over the whole matter and continue to use the lunar-terran transport services of GO Bot Division without inhibition.

Human cloning was first legalized in Holland in 2082, though the first successful human clone would not occur for another 56 years.

In 2138, Dr. Hans Oleo and his team of genetic engineers managed to successfully create a clone of Dr. Oleo. Unfortunately, it was an evil clone – it surreptitiously murdered Dr. Oleo and took over his life. It was not until several members of his team were mysteriously killed and the doctor grew a mustache and goatee that the crime was discovered and the clone destroyed.

Human cloning has come a long way since its inauspicious beginnings. Genetic engineering robots can now produce clones catered to 99.71% of a host-client’s specifications. After a successful gestation, it takes an average of 10 sub-cycles for the duplicate body to be physically trained and societal integration to occur.

Any parties interested in conducting a cloning session on their own must first acquire a license from the Council for a New Tomorrow’s Human Cloning Licensing office at vid-pod CNT-3E. To contact a licensed genetic operator, check your local YellowPod.