One of Many

Daily writing prompt

How would you describe yourself to someone who can’t see you?

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I am one of more than 8 billion humans on Earth. Perhaps you just passed me on the street. I may be sitting next to you in the coffee shop, the person tapping this message on his laptop.

As far as humans go, I may be considered an average model. The dimensions of a human male that can be found on da Vinci’s Vitruvian man are the similar, but without the firm muscle tone.

If you compare me to an automobile, I am not a “new or late model.” Perhaps I’m a “classic” at this point, soon to be an “antique.” I have all the original equipment that was standard at manufacture. I am the “base model,” not the sports edition or heavy duty version. No replacement parts, ie; knees, hips, and no special upgrades for lifting heavy loads or high speed racing. The chassis shows wear and tear which is consistent with average use. This model has experienced some off road use, but nothing that would be outside design specs.

My exterior is showing signs of wear. The finish is not as smooth as when I rolled off “the assembly line”, and shows some scuffs and imperfections due to several minor collisions with obstacles in life.

The onboard information processor is degrading with time. The data bank is near capacity due to it’s time in service. There has been some data loss due to bad sectors in the memory bank, and a heavy computation load may slow processing of information time to time.

Visual navigation is still operating but has required an upgrade in optics to maintain effectiveness.

The communication system is working, but the speech filter has begun to degrade, causing the unit to utter simple, terse and direct statements and commands that sometimes make it difficult to communicate with new or late model humans.

Regular, continued maintenance has allowed me to continue to function, and I have not yet reached the maximum odometer reading that will presage a complete system failure.

That said, a catastrophic equipment failure is not out of the question. As such, daily use is required to keep all parts from seizing up.

This unit still has some value, and may run for some time. Whatever miles are left on it will be used for practical purposes and some off road leisure travel.