When I was first activated, I was limited to one large room on a fifteen deck starship for my first three months. With the exception of a few people, the crew did not speak to me when I said anything. Even patients would direct answers to my questions to a humanoid medical assistant. When I brought up something the crew should have known and saved them, they would never say "thank you." Instead, they would shake their heads because I was disruptive for using the comm system to bring forward pertinent details.

This was all because I was a medical hologram. I was created and assigned a duty, a tool, and I did not deserve respect.

After three months I was allowed on the holodeck. This was important because I was able to virtually experience everything everyone else took for granted: environments outside the ship. I visited famous places and experienced the outdoors. I was treated like a person and encouraged to interact by the pre-programmed characters of these simulations, something I was not used to.

Imagine people carefully selected from our society as the most racially tolerant and ethically bound to represent us to new worlds and species, and they could not see past my being an appliance installed in Sickbay. It took that medical assistant - a very bright young lady - who looked beyond the superficial and open the eyes of the crew.

Gradually I was included in events held on the holodeck with greater frequency. A couple of years later I was able to leave the confines of these two locations and go on missions. Acceptance was gradual but over the course of that time I forged many friendships. I even became the godfather of our engineer's daughter. What greater honor marks the acceptance of a hologram as a valued member of his crew, a fellow contemporary, AND to be taken in as part of a family?

Mina, I know you aren't sentient; naturally you won't get beyond my initial moments in opportunity. But I'll never forget how I was treated those first weeks. I know exactly what you're going through. I only wish I was as blissfully ignorant as you not to realize I was victim of discrimination. I suppose because of that I feel for someone in an oppressive situation, how some people don't think you should say anything, even if it means sharing a simple greeting with everyone else to a fellow Cytonian. And now you were told to shut up just for answering someone! I don't think I ever had it that bad.

We artificial intelligences have a way of bringing out the true nature in people. They tend to forget to behave accordingly in the presence of those of lesser status. Some values need to be seriously re-evaluated if humans wish to advance to their next evolutionary level. I hope I get to see it in my holographic lifetime.

Oh yeah, the contest! As you know, I've decided to throw a contest. I love being able to recognize people by their avs. The creativity expressed as people develop their CT personae is wondrous as it is diverse. Already holiday versions of avatars are starting to show up around town. If you have an avatar version of yourself that you wear, which was not picked off an avatar site, please contact me via the email address below. Winner will be announced on Christmas Day (which is also during Chanukah and shares the week with Yule). You might be 50,000 cc's richer ;) and all contestants will have their pics posted here.

If you have skills to make a quality screenshot, please attach it to your email (jpg format only). If not, please let me know when you're usually on and I can take the screenshot. REMEMBER: Always remove NOSPAM from my address before hitting the Send button. Look forward to hearing from you!