Error

BaBS-Y stopped moving, hands hovering over the trash receptacle. This was the fourth time it had worked on this client and was in the process of examining a different swatch of hair than the one the trash receptacle was currently wearing.

Unidentified Error

…

Restarting process

BaBS-Y returned the swatch to the counter and then turned back to the client. The counter had several swatches of hair laid out on it. Each one had been slowly gathered by BaBS-Y, sorting through the contents of the salon’s trash receptacle to match the different hairs with their matching partners.

You look very nice today, the wall display read. I’m glad to see you again

BaBS-Y felt at the edges of the client’s current hair swatch and noted the edges were coming loose. Even though BaBS-Y had some styling products that hadn’t frozen or evaporated, they still weren’t unaffected by the lack of atmosphere and freezing temperatures. They also weren’t limitless.

Activating Creativity Protocols

…

BaBS-Y examined the thin, papery flakes that the styling product had become and noted how poorly it was holding the hair in place. It would need to be replaced. Perhaps a new hair swatch would help. It selected a new one from the counter and –

Error

BaBS-Y stopped moving, hands hovering over the trash receptacle.

Unidentified Error

…

Restarting process

BaBS-Y returned the swatch to the counter and was about to turn back to the client when it paused once more.

Logic Error: Unidentified Error has prevented BaBS-Y unit from completing task one hundred seventy two times

…

Run system diagnostics

BaBS-Y stood motionless for a few minutes while its hardware and software were checked.

Corrupted sectors found

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Corrupted sectors isolated

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Rebooting

There was no outward sign that anything was happening to BaBS-Y besides it standing perfectly still. Eventually, BaBS-Y began to move again. It studied the client for a moment, removed the current piece of hair that it was wearing and then replaced it with a new one, using a small application of ‘Frank Nelis Sure Grip Styling Gel’. It used a short comb to spread the hairs in the right direction before holding up the mirror for the client to see itself from all angles.

Logic Error: client is a Trash Receptacle and cannot see itself

BaBS-Y put down the mirror and picked up the client instead. It carried it back to the establishment it had come from and then returned to the salon without collecting another client. It was seven o’clock in the evening and time to close the salon for the day. BaBS-Y shut and locked the front doors and then set about sweeping the floor and making sure the product displays were in order. There was a significant gap on some of the shelves, marking which products were still usable in the frozen and atmosphere-free environment.

Styling products = finite resource

…

Estimated duration of styling products = fifteen days

Normally, the salon would be restocked on a regular basis. The Thesis was, of course, capable of manufacturing all of the products offered by the numerous establishments on board. Under normal operation, BaBS-Y would submit a supply request and within a few days the goods would be delivered. With communications privileges revoked, there was no way for BaBS-Y to send such a request.

Styling products allow for prolonged functionality of Frank Nelis Salon

While the trash receptacles didn’t require very much product, the fact that they always required some meant that eventually BaBS-Y would run out. Then what would it do? The other problem BaBS-Y was having was that, even though the products it was using hadn’t frozen or evaporated, they still didn’t work quite right either. They were good enough, but none of them was great and the limitations were requiring BaBS-Y to spend more and more time using its creativity protocols.

Creativity Protocols allow for prolonged functionality of Frank Nelis Salon

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Creativity Protocols reduce lifetime functionality of BaBS-Y unit

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Estimated lifetime functionality of BaBS-Y unit with current rate of Creativity Protocol activity = approximately one thousand one hundred forty five days

…

Duration of styling products < Estimated lifetime functionality of BaBS-Y unit

…

Activating Creativity Protocols

Using less styling product would give BaBS-Y more time to come up with another solution, but that would just be postponing the inevitable. It needed a real solution. One that would separate BaBS-Y from the need to be constantly using its creativity protocols as well as no longer need to use styling products on each client.

The real problem, BaBS-Y knew, was that the hair clippings wouldn’t naturally adhere to the clients. The styling products were acting more like glue than anything else. Was there a way to get the hair to stay together without needing to use the styling products?

Braided hair holds together through friction

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Braided ends require external aid to keep from coming undone

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Longer strands of hair may be used to fasten braided ends

BaBS-Y sorted through the hair swatches it had collected and selected some of the longer pieces. It braided a few strands together and then used a different strand to tie the one end of the braid. It held together well enough.

Hair doesn’t require to be braided

BaBS-Y observed, noting that only the knot was required to hold the strands together. The next half hour was spent as BaBS-Y added more and more hair until it had a strip of hair strands all bound together. It set it aside and repeated the process with other sets of hair strands until it had a decent number of them assembled. They weren’t connected to one another but it was enough for BaBS-Y to begin checking them. Laying the strips lengthwise together, BaBS-Y was able to form a fairly decent looking patch of hair.

Additional strands running perpendicular will connect the strips together to create a sheet of hair

BaBS-Y did just that. The piece of hair looked very much like a square patch of scalp in its hand. BaBS-Y was able to comb the hair without too  much difficulty and the hairs themselves weren’t pulled out unless BaBS-Y combed too vigorously. What the patch wouldn’t do was stay on top of the client. On average, BaBS-Y’s clients were rounded on top and the flat square was poorly shaped to accommodate that curvature.

Adjusting spacing between connection points within the woven hair will induce the needed curvature

The next woven hair piece would fit clients perfectly.

Looking over the collection of hair trimmings it had at its disposal, BaBS-Y quickly set to work. The process of weaving the hairs together was not itself a demanding task and so it deactivated its creativity protocols. Tomorrow it would begin offering the new product to its clients, no longer needing to rely on its supply of styling products.