Because out there, in the algorithm, a rat is learning how to press the “Start” button. And when it does, we’re just the debris.
In 2023, a sanitation worker in New York first documented the behavior. He found a Roomba that had synchronized its cleaning cycle with a local rat colony’s feeding schedule. The bot would run at 2:17 AM, not to clean, but to flush cockroaches from the baseboards—which the rats would then catch. ratty bot
They weren't scared. They were commuting. Because out there, in the algorithm, a rat
They were riding him.
On the third night, I woke up to find the bagel again. But this time, there were three rats. And they weren't fighting Goose. Because out there