Lindsey Mastis

We all knew this was coming. A company called TrueCompanion has created a sex robot. It’s called “Roxxxy” and thanks to artificial intelligence, the machine has five different programs that simulate female personalities. The “personalities” range from shy to wild.

We don’t have to ask why this “pleasure machine” was created. But the mastermind said something in an interview that has got me scratching my head.

Here’s the excerpt from Popular Science (POPSCI):

“Oddly enough, the inspiration for Roxxxy stems from the September 11 attacks, during which artificial intelligence engineer and Roxxxy inventor Douglas Hines lost a close friend. An attempt to preserve that friend’s personality forever laid the groundwork for what later became Roxxxy’s AI.”

I have trouble believing anyone would truly want their memory to be preserved in the form of a sex robot. I did a little more digging (not much) and found a better explanation. But again– I’m scratching my head on this one. The inventor– Douglas Hines– says he began to create this version of the robot after his buddy died during 9/11. Yes– the buddy was a man. And somehow, the creator got Roxxxy. Complete with boobs. (And whoever buys the robot can determine the size of the boobs.)

Of course, they are creating a male version of Roxxxy. Right now, the female version costs about $7,000. The robot is anotomically correct, but cannot walk. It’s supposed to be able to hold full conversations, and you can even e-mail it. So, what happens if she gets mad?

I’m still formulating my personal New Year’s resolutions. I love making new goals each year and checking back at the end to see if I accomplished them. It’s perfectly find to modify my original plans. My big goal this year was to run five races. The plan was to end with a full marathon, but I realized I wasn’t ready to go a full 26.2 miles. I still accomplished my goal. I ran the Cherry Blossom, Frederick Half, Virginia Beach Half, Baltimore Half, and Vegas Half. Splendid!

This year, I’m looking to run more races. I’d love to complete my first marathon, but quite frankly, I’m happy doing halves. I’ll be getting married this year, so another goal is paying for the wedding a saving up for a house. That’s not going to be easy.

And I’d love to read more books. I’m a bit obsessed with reality shows and can sit in front of the TV for hours catching up and watching re-runs of all the drama. It would be wonderful to sit in my chair, and read a few good non-fictions.

There are also some words of wisdom I’d like to keep in mind during 2010. My uncle Robbie e-mailed me some suggestions, and I’ve chosen the ones I like best:

-Eat breakfast like a queen, lunch like a princess, and dinner like a beggar.
-Play more games
-Read more books than you did in 2009
-Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day
-Sleep for seven hours
-Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about
-Dream more while you are awake
-Forgive everyone for everything
-Spend time with people over age 70 and under age six
-Try to make at least three people smile each day
-What other people think of you is none of your business
-Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Keep in touch
-Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful, or joyful

I did it. I gave up Chipotle for Lent. I’m avoiding the  fluffy rice with lime and cilantro seasoning… the black beans that make it so warm… the spicy steak that makes my face sweat… the sweet, sweet taste of pico… the crunchiness and godliness of the corn salsa… and finally… and finally… (holding back a tear)… the guac. The magnificent guac! It’s so innocent! It never did anything to me, except make me long once again for the whole Chipotle experience. The guac– with its wonderful vitamin E that makes my hair shine and my skin glow! And because I always ask for extra– the guaciness that sticks to my thighs and gives me mini-love handles. Yes, Chipotle, I gave you up for Lent. And it was all for vanity! As great as I felt eating your hearty burrito bowls, I just want to lose some weight and save some money. I just can’t fork over $10 and change every day for your culinary masterpieces, fresh limes to go with my diet soda, and clean, clear forks that get died green from the guac. But… if you had mini-burrito bowls for half the price…

I had one of those nightmare travel experiences during the holidays. Here’s my earlier blog about the disastrous event . Basically, I had to fly to St. Louis early for a family emergency involving my pregnant sister. (No worries now, the baby is perfect and momma is recovering). I couldn’t afford to move my American Airlines ticket ahead of schedule, so I flew a different airline. I planned to take American Airlines back to DC , but I wasn’t aware of their policy.

What I’ve learned and what you should know: If you don’t fly to point A, your ticket to point B will be canceled. That’s unless you call ahead and tell them your situation .

I was out about $400. (The actual ticket price was $188 each way, plus taxes and fees). I was quite upset, so I e-mailed customer service– and they actually responded quite promptly. (No, I didn’t have to call, wait on hold, or plead with a representative.) I just sent a short summary of what happened. They e-mailed me today and the news was good!

Because of the circumstances, they are making a one-time exception. They have exchanged my original ticket for an eVoucher. This means the money I paid will go toward a new ticket with American. This makes me extremely happy, since I enjoy flying American and because it’s the easiest way for me to fly directly to St. Louis from downtown DC. Yey! (Thank you American!)

American Airlines stole hundreds of dollars from me. But what they did was perfectly legal—according to their policy. Here’s the whole story:

I bought a round-trip ticket for about $400 to fly from Reagan National Airport (DCA) in Washington DC , to Lambert International Airport (STL) in St. Louis , in November. I was set to fly to St. Louis on Monday, December 22, and fly home Sunday, December 28. However, I had a family emergency.

On Wednesday, December 17, I learned that doctors needed to induce pregnancy for my younger sister due to complications with her pregnancy. We were told to expect her baby to be on a ventilator. I needed to get to the hospital to support my sister and my family immediately. So I called the airline that night to change my ticket.

I was told I would have to pay a $150 fee and then pay for the difference in ticket price. Altogether, it would cost me about $500 to change my ticket. I told the representative from American Airlines the price was too expensive and asked what my options were. She said I had none and that I could not fly standby because it was too early. I even asked if there was a special discount for family emergencies. Again, I was told no and that I would have to pay money, fly home on my original date, or find other transportation. I told the representative I would have to find a different way home. I made it clear that I would have to fly to St. Louis immediately.

I found a one-way ticket (a direct flight) with Southwest Airlines that would leave early the next day. I bought the ticket for just $150. My boyfriend Patrick drove me to the airport in Baltimore (BWI) that morning and I flew to St. Louis in time for the birth of my nephew, Eli. I spent the next four days with my sister in the hospital.

Once my trip was over, on December 28, I was dropped off at the airport (STL). I tried to check in but my ticket could not be found. I learned it had been cancelled. A representative told me this is customary for passengers who fail to take the first portion of their flight. This was the first time I had heard of this policy. I was especially surprised since this was not mentioned to me when I had called the airline previously. When I explained this to the representative, she simply said there was almost no way for me to know unless I would have specifically asked when I had called. How was I supposed to know?

I asked if I get my money back. The answer was no. Even though I had paid nearly $200 for a seat, and was ready to take my seat on the flight to DCA, it was gone. Not only was my ticket cancelled, it was sold to another passenger, which means American Airlines made even more money off of me. I asked if I could fly standby and I was told no—not without purchasing a new ticket for the price of $1000. I started to cry because I felt stranded, hopeless, and like I was just robbed.

I ended up booking a flight on Southwest Airlines for $240. That meant I could fly to Baltimore that day. I did– but this time, Patrick was on a later flight with American Airlines and would be flying to DCA. So I had to then take a shuttle to the Amtrak station, purchase a $20 ticket, and then go to Union Station. From there, I took Metro back up to my apartment in Rockville, Maryland .

I’m sure this policy is probably common knowledge to frequent flyers and those who fly American Airlines all the time. I don’t have the luxury of flying all the time—even though I love to travel. I also book flights based on price, not airline. This policy seems especially harsh and unnecessary. I also believe American Airlines should have contacted me before canceling my ticket. After all, they have no problem e-mail me when there are changes to my flight, when my flight is ready for online check-in, or when they want me to buy more frequent flyer miles, or sign up for an American Airlines credit card. I get e-mails from them on a regular basis, and get offers from American Airlines a couple times a month. Yet, this policy was hidden from me. Of course the airline wouldn’t tell me about this policy over the phone. They couldn’t double their money on my seat had I known.

Has anyone had something similar happen? How often do airlines cancel tickets, sell it to other customers, and then want even more money from the person they just ripped off? Anyone else know of other hidden policies that rob customers of their money, seat, or anything else??? Let me know! I’m pretty furious.