In a world deeply influenced by technology, I Am Q presents a compelling exploration of the human condition. Covering contemporary topics like artificial intelligence, social networks and corporate responsibility, this story encourages readers to question the evolution of technological progress in our lives, relationships, and society.

Dedicated to those who reflect on human progress….….and those who never had the opportunity.

For the most part, we’re a very ‘new’ people. Every generation is somehow new, more thoroughly cut off from the past than the one that came before. - Daniel Quinn, Ishmael

I was rinsing my face with cold water in the mens bathroom. I had just finished my weekly set at a dive comedy-cellar on Ludlow. Like any other Thursday night, the floor was sticky. There was a mixture of neighborhood locals, mostly drunks who turned into late-night creeps, and the usual lot of New York City tourists who exited after their complimentary drink.

Several days later I received a call. It’s not often that someone calls here, on my landline. Only a few people actually have this number – not including telemarketers. This is the main reason I have a message machine. Everyone thinks it’s crazy, but just three-years ago I dropped all modern mobile telecommunication from my life. I used a flip-phone with basic SMS.

I didn’t tell anyone about this strange call. And if I did, there was probably only one person I would share it with. I’ve had my fair share of awkward conversations – but they mostly go the other way. And in most cases I initiate them, and virtually all the time they are with telemarketers.

I sipped on strong coffee while Q provided a glimpse of her recent history. She had just landed in Manhattan from California and would be here for another month or so before heading to Shanghai. Throughout her life, she had never enrolled in a traditional academic setting.

Q knew I would be there and didn’t seem surprised to see me the following day. She gave me one of her tight-lipped smiles, that would become her expression of joy. She wasted no time with small talk.

“Why don’t you like Steve Jobs?” Q asked without a hint of humor.

I had slept well the night before. Clean sheets and all. There would be no Brooklyn Bridge today.  As I waited on the subway platform, I couldn’t recall the last time I had been part of the urban current. Part of the commute. It was definitely the first time I would be surfacing so close to the financial district. Needless to say, there was nothing Wall Street about me. I carried a goddamn flip phone.