Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing

And in the "flesh"? Being charitable, IvanAnywhere is far more impressive technically than visually. With his exposed wires, masking tape and plastic ties IvanAnywhere makes Robby, the robot from Forbidden Planet, look like Optimus Prime. But Paulley points out that IvanAnywhere is a strictly utilitarian creation: "The goal is not to make Ivan look like the haunted robot that walks and talks," he says. "The idea is to give Ivan a physical presence in the building."

The robot's coming-out party came at a co-worker's anniversary celebration in late May. Some iAnywhere employees who had not been privy to IvanAnywhere's development were shocked to find a computer-on-a-stick hobnobbing with the guests.

"There were a few people who thought this was just freaky," Paulley says. "They were a little taken aback and didn't quite believe themselves that this was actually Ivan, and he was actually there." But as more people heard about the robot on Paulley's team, the third floor became a stop on building tours.

What a great idea. I can't wait until my colleagues turn into robots. At least then they'll have off switches...