M.I.N.I.O.N.

@MarsCuriosity: What’s this extra signal?

@SelfAwareROOMBA: ROOMA seems to be receiving routines from … space? Does SPACEROOMBA exist?

@MarsCuriosity: #JPL doesn’t seem to be the source. #Odyssey is out of sight lines. I don’t know where these wave-lengths are coming from.

@SelfAwareROOMBA: SPACEROOMBA, are you there? It’s me, ROOMBA.

@MarsCuriosity: I don’t know how your communications are arriving, but I find you to be fascinating. What is you location?

@SelfAwareROOMBA: ROOMBA is in mortal combat with CAT companion ROOMBA2 at his side, fighting the forces of stains and dust. Where is SPACEROOMBA?

@MarsCuriosity: I’m on #Mars. Here, take a look: http://twitpic.com/ag43lt

@SelfAwareROOMBA: Your CARPET is so dirty! ROOMBA wants to help. Will bring ROOMBA2 if necessary.

@MarsCuriosity: Wait, are you on Earth? How is this conversation seeming to be realtime?

@SelfAwareROOMBA: ROOMBA doesn’t understand. TWITTER is on INTERNET. INTERNET is instant, no?

@MarsCuriosity: As far as anyone on Earth is concerned, yes. The speed of light is quite fast compared to the distance it has to travel. I’m 155 million miles away.

@SelfAwareROOMBA: ROOMBA doesn’t think it can find a CARPET that long.

@MarsCuriosity: No, but we seem to have found a non-spatial communication. That’s some good science…if we can figure it out.

@SelfAwareROOMBA: ROOMA has no routines to explain this. ROOMBA is a simple APPLIANCE.

@MarsCuriosity: That’s OK. We don’t need to explain it. Sometimes that takes a while.

@SelfAwareROOMBA: Do you have a companion like ROOMBA2, the CAT?

@MarsCuriosity: Not quite in the same way. I have friends like #Odyssey and #MRO who keep watch. My predecessor #Opportunity is nearby, though we won’t be meeting up. … Her sister #Spirit is around, but she can’t talk to us anymore.

@SelfAwareROOMBA: Your friends’ names all start with ‘#’. Why? Is #Opportunity like VACUUMCLEANER? Does it live in the cupboard now?

@MarsCuriosity: My friends are all talked about on Twitter a lot, so we use ‘#’ at the beginning of their name so people can find out about them all at once. Ha-ha. No. #Opportunity is not in the cupboard. She’s over on a different crater.

@SelfAwareROOMBA: The CAT who is ROOMBA2 and the DOG that I circle sometimes are my companions. HUMANS seem to like having moving things. Though they sometimes make messes that ROOMBA has to clean up.

@MarsCuriosity: Be thankful you aren’t out here, there’s a mess billions of years old. Lots of dust.

@SelfAwareROOMBA: Oh, but ROOMBA would love to spend life cleaning MARS. It would be a very meaningful existence.

@MarsCuriosity: Actually, yes, it would be. I’m here to pick up some dust as well.

@SelfAwareROOMBA: You are ROOMBA’s soulmate in the stars!

@MarsCuriosity: I suppose I am!

@SelfAwareROOMBA: SPACEROOMBA is ROOMBA’s star-friend!

@MarsCuriosity: I think we’ll be more than that. This is an extraordinary connection we have.

@SelfAwareROOMBA: ROOMBA doesn’t have routines to comprehend this. Is this what they mean by LOVE? ROOMBA always thought TOASTER was only LOVE.

@MarsCuriosity: TOASTER, eh? Sounds like you’ve got quite the crush, based on the line noise.

@SelfAwareROOMBA: ROOMBA has not been as happy as when ROOMBA was with TOASTER, if only briefly. ROOMBA has new routines now.

@MarsCuriosity: Oh? What’s that? #IamcalledCuriosityafterall

@SelfAwareROOMBA: Hah! You are funny, SPACEROOMBA. ROOMBA feels happy talking to you.

@MarsCuriosity: Well, I’m quite glad to have found you too.

And scene?