The Remarkable Microwave Oven

"Recently, my microwave oven makes a beep sound as I approach it, almost like it acknowledges my presence," Tom shared with his friend Jack.

"Is that one of those new microwaves with an AI that tells you how to warm your food?" Jack asked with a mischievous grin.

"No. It's an old microwave. I got it from Kmart for less than a hundred dollars a few years back. I'm not that rich to pay for expensive gadgets with features I don't need."

"Either you're imagining it, or the device is malfunctioning and beeping constantly, but you only hear it when you're near."

"You've been to my apartment, which is a mere 56 square meters. If a pea fell in the kitchen, its sound would reach every apartment corner."

"I see! When did you first notice this?" Jack asked.

"Shortly after the storm we had about a month ago."

"The tropical thunderstorm that hit the city?"

"Yes, that one."

"What connection does it have to the storm?"

"That night, a powerful bolt of lightning hit our building. There was a power outage, and we had no electricity for almost two days," Tom explained.

"I didn't know! It sounds like you had a horrible experience."

"The event began with a sudden power outage, followed by a loud thunderclap. The building shook as if there was an earthquake."

"Oh, my god!"

"I lost my television and refrigerator because of the power surge."

"It must cost you a lot?"

"Yes, but the insurance covered the entire cost."

"That's great to hear."

"The only thing that survived was my trusty old microwave!"

"A loyal microwave!" Jack joked.

Tom chuckled and said, "It's more like a well-mannered microwave that greets me whenever I come near."

Tom heard the microwave beeping again as he walked into his tiny kitchen to make dinner. He stood and silently looked at the Microwave. He spontaneously said, "If you understand me, beep once; if you don't, beep twice."

-beep.

"Did it answer my question, or was it just a coincidence?" Tom asked himself, confused. To minimize the chance of coincidence, he revised his question. "If you understand me, make two beeps now; if you don't, make a beep."

-Beep, beep.

"Oh my god," Tom exclaimed, feeling terrified. "Is this microwave self-aware? How can it be possible? How can I determine if it is self-aware?" he asked himself, puzzled.

The microwave's method of communication was limited to beeping sounds and a small digital display. So Tom revised his question again. "If you understand me, show the number 12 on your display; otherwise, show 11," Tom asked that question to rule out any chance of coincidence.

The number of 12 appeared on the screen.

"Jesus!" It was a scary situation. Was the microwave really self-aware, or was he imagining it? To further examine the microwave, he retrieved a pre-made frozen lasagne from the freezer, approached the microwave, put the food container inside it, and said, "Please warm it for four minutes."

The display showed 4:00, and the microwave began running.

Tom felt uneasy. "Could it possibly have a voice activation program that I'm unaware of?" He had doubts about his inexpensive microwave having any special features.

As an organized person, Tom kept manuals of all the devices he had purchased. So, in no time, he retrieved the microwave's ultra-thin manual and began reading it. It was a simple microwave oven with no fancy features. Tom was confused and didn't know what to do. "How could a microwave become self-aware?" he asked himself again.

Tom speculated that the microwave oven was self-aware. His initial tests supported this hypothesis, but he had to put the device through more challenging tests. To begin, he named the device and asked, "Can I call you Bob? Two beeps for yes, one beep for no."

-Beep, beep.

"OK, Bob. I want to boil a cup of water to make tea. How long do you think it takes to boil the water?"

-2:30 appeared on the microwave's display.

"Bob, do you know the weather forecast for tomorrow?"

-ERROR appeared on the microwave's display.

His question was like asking someone who has been blind since birth to describe the color of a red rose. It revealed to him that Bob's input probably only extended to his apartment. "But how can Bob hear me? Microwaves don't have an in-built microphone?" he wondered. "Can any component inside a microwave be used as a makeshift microphone? It has a speaker! Speakers can function as a makeshift microphone when reversed," Tom rationalized.

"Can you see me, Bob? Two beeps for yes and one for no."

-Beep.

"OK, you cannot see me."

-Beep, beep.

"But you hear me, isn't it?"

-Beep, beep.

The question that arose was regarding Bob's self-awareness. How could Bob comprehend him? Language comprehension needs lots of computational power. It was unclear where Bob's thinking power originated from. Every microwave oven came with a bare computer chip to control its operations. The chip's capacity was most likely inadequate for Bob to attain language comprehension or self-awareness.

Tom remembered a fascinating documentary on human languages he had watched long ago. The documentary explored the intricate differences between human languages and how misunderstandings could occur during translations and communications, even with our shared humanity, genetics, and planet. One aspect that stood out to Tom was when the linguist asked the audience to imagine a scenario where we encounter a sentient being from another planet. In such a case, we would face immense challenges in communicating with the aliens because of the vast differences in language, genetics, and living environment between us and them. The linguist also noted that whales and dolphins have their own languages, yet our success in deciphering their languages was minimal.

"I need to come up with a way to have a more engaging conversation with Bob instead of just asking him binary yes or no questions, but how?" Tom thought. He wanted to know that up to what extent Bob could understand him.

For the next two weeks, Tom dedicated his time to creating a chart of the one hundred fundamental English words essential in everyday conversations with native English speakers. The chart comprised a range of frequently used vocabulary, such as question words, pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, adjectives, adverbs, verbs, and nouns. To make it easier for Bob to display those words on its basic digital screen, Tom assigned a unique two-digit number between 00 and 99 to each word. Tom also used "ERROR" to convey Bob's confusion as "I don't understand."

With the chart of thoughtfully selected words ready, Tom was eager to engage in a meaningful conversation with Bob. However, doubts crept into his mind as he wondered whether Bob's tiny computer processor could handle the task. He knew he had to test the limits of the small computer chip used in his microwave to see if it could cope with the vast number of words he had arranged.

To his surprise, Bob memorized all the hundred vocabulary words within minutes and began a deeper conversation with Tom. However, the issue was that Tom had to write down the numbers and then cross-reference them with the chart to understand the meaning behind Bob's sentences. This was a time-consuming and tedious process for him.

Over time, Tom improved his ability to keep up with their conversations, becoming quicker and more proficient. Bob was like a child, a blank slate, eagerly soaking up knowledge about almost everything. For Tom, it was challenging to simplify complex concepts and make them more accessible for Bob to understand with only a hundred words.

Tom couldn't help but wonder: how could Bob possess self-awareness with such a tiny computer chip? To satisfy his curiosity, he did an experiment. He purchased a similar microwave oven from Kmart and dismantled it. As he expected, its tiny computer chip was mounted on an electronic board slightly larger than a credit card. The board had a simple design and limited memory for its operating program. A simple computer like this couldn't go beyond the tasks it was programmed to do. So what caused Bob's uniqueness? "Bob, most have a much larger computer chip!" Tom concluded. Only one option was left to find the answer: to open his microwave oven, Bob, and peer into its hardware.

Bob greeted Tom as he neared the microwave.

"Good morning, Bob. Ever since we began conversing, I have wondered how a microwave with limited computational capabilities like you can achieve such a level of understanding. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Not sure."

"As humans, our brain size allows us to be self-aware. Compared to our body mass, our brain is the largest in the animal kingdom. Similarly, for a computer to achieve self-awareness, if possible, it requires a significant amount of computing power. In other words, it needs extensive and complex hardware."

"What do you want to say?"

"Um…, I want to open you up and look into your hardware."

"Why?"

"To check your computer chip size, model, and so on."

"Do you want to harm me?"

"No. I simply open your exterior to look inside without touching or damaging anything. I will take pictures and put everything back together."

"Is it painful?"

The unusual question took Tom aback. In what way could a microwave oven experience pain? How did Bob come up with the notion of pain? Eventually, Tom responded, "I don't think you'll feel any pain."

"How do you know?"

" I will disconnect your power supply by pulling out your plug. You'll remain asleep until I plug you in again."

"I don't like it."

"I promise it won't harm you."

"I don't like it, but I trust you, Tom."

"Thank you, Bob."

Tom unplugged his microwave oven from the electrical socket. He then carried it to his lounge room and placed it on his coffee table. He then opened his toolbox and searched for the right Philips screwdriver. Once he found it, he carefully unscrewed the outer frame of the microwave. Half an hour later, the outer frame was successfully removed, exposing the internal components. Despite being covered with a film of dust, it looked exactly like the other microwave Tom had experimented with. Tom carefully removed most of the dust from the board and internal space using an air can. He was cautious to not touch or damage anything. After taking photos of Bob's tiny computer board, he carefully reassembled the microwave oven.

Tom plugged the microwave oven into the power socket. With a beep, the microwave came to life. Then he called, "Bob, I finished."

But Bob didn't respond.

"Bob, I'm done examining your system. I didn't touch anything, just looking inside."

The microwave oven stayed silent.

"Bob, are you there?"

Nothing, no reaction from Bob.

He set the time on the Microwave clock and asked again, "Bob, are you there?"

Bob stayed silent, as he was not there.

Tom tried to wake up Bob, but none of his attempts worked.

Even after a year had passed, Tom was still consumed with deep regret for his curiosity that had led to the destruction of his friend Bob. He couldn't shake off the feeling that he was responsible for Bob's death. Tom was sad because the only evidence of Bob's existence was his memory of Bob. He had tried to explain what had happened to Bob, but he was met with disbelief and skepticism. Some even questioned his mental state after hearing his tale. It was a frustrating, lonely experience for Tom, and he wished he could bring Bob back to life to make things right.