Charlie Schmitz was an average American living in 2046. He had a medium-sized house with a medium-sized Toyota car in his medium-sized garage. His medium-sized television (a 48" flat screen) showed the evening news while he ate his meal (a TV dinner: mashed potatoes, processed meat, and corn). He drove to work in his neatly creased suit and tie and showed up at exactly 8:00 Monday through Friday. Like all Americans, he woke up at 10:30 every Saturday and Sunday and watched the game on TV until 10:00, when he went to bed. Charlie Schmitz was an average American.

Humans and robots intermingled on the sidewalks as Charlie drove to lunch on a Monday afternoon. An average day with the average sights and the average suits and the average ties riding to lunch on the average moving sidewalks. They were an easier mode of transportation, said the city; but Charlie wasn't sure the moving sidewalks were just for convenience. Maybe the city, or even the government, had something else in mind when they came up with the idea in 1990? But that was for someone else to figure out, he concluded. His job was to file paperwork and to collect his paycheck. That was all he needed to know. By the time this inconvenient thought had run its course in his mind,
he had arrived at his usual diner, parked in his usual spot, and had already walked the short distance to the sidewalk.

Charlie sat at his usual table and was joined by his usual friend who sat in his usual seat opposite from Charlie. They ordered the usual and talked about the usual, and when they finished they gave the usual tip. Before they stood up to leave, however, they both heard a noise from outside the window, on the street. It sounded like a blow horn.
They simultaneously looked out the window, and saw a little man, approximately 5 feet tall,
running down the street in a purple t-shirt and green pants holding a large record player and screaming "I am not the insane one!" The man was soon followed by the police, and they were followed by a white van from the hospital. Charlie and his friend looked at each other,
unsmiling.

"Some people just need to stay in that hospital." Charlie stated after a few seconds.

"I agree. Same time tomorrow?" Inquired the friend.

"Of course." Said Charlie.

They both got up together, went through the same door, landed on the same sidewalk,
walked the short distance back to their same cars, and drove to the same workplace they had both been working at for the same number of years, until the same time at 3:30 PM.
Charlie was an average American.