“Thinking on that now, Roy, their laughter did seem to lack a certain amount of what I guess you could call ‘gumption’ or ‘genuinity,’-at least as it compares to the way people laugh in present times.

“And what did that sound like,” Roy asked, “the laughter, I mean.”

“Oh, you hear it all the time, Roy. I recorded many of them and sample them through my internal speaker for moments of interaction where such inflections are appropriate, as you should already know.”

“I see,” Roy said, now understanding why the robot’s awkward laughter and chortles sounded forced, artificial and specific to the robot and not other similar models.  

“I suppose that also explains why I often had to inform the individuals I was telling...

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