Professor Cabbage and the Indifference Engine (short story)
Professor Cabbage and the Indifference Engine was a narrative prose blurb and accompanying single full-colour illustration, created by Laura Seabrook. Although not prima facie Jenny Everywhere-related, it introduced elements which reappeared in Seabrook's contribution to Jenny Everywhere Day 2022 a few months later, including the titular character.
Contents
Plot
Underfunded but enthusiastic tinkerer and inventor Professor Cabbage creates an automaton from “scraps and recycled parts”. Thereafter, he finds that no matter how many times he tries to tweak the robot's programming, it remains determined to create a Martini using whatever is on hand. In defeat, Cabbage names his creation the Indifference Engine after its apparent indifference to programming. Eventually, it proves surprisingly popular at parties.
Worldbuilding
Universes
- Per PROSE: Barbelith Baristas, this story presumably takes place in Interstitial City, a seemingly interdimensional city.
Continuity
- Professor Cabbage reappeared in PROSE: Barbelith Baristas, which also featured WaitBots with boxy heads similar to the Indifference Engine's, suggesting that some of the “scraps and recycled parts” from which Cabbage made the Engine came from one or more discarded WaitBots.
Behind the scenes
Read online
The story is available to read for free on DeviantArt.
