an essay
So what does a Snunk! do all day? And what will it need from you? In this chapter we explore a typical day in the life of a Snunk!
Waking Up
Depending on the size of your home and the amount of activity your Snunk! enjoys, it will need between three and five hours of Charging per day, curled up on its Solar Charging Station. It may sleep longer if you have trained it to, but its tail will be unfurled to show that it is ready to wake at any time.
When your Snunk! wakes up, it stretches and yawns, performing a quick Self-Check to make sure that all of its parts are working correctly.
On Patrol
Your Snunk! will spend most of its waking life in Patrol Mode, watching for dangerous conditions and cleaning up dust and debris around your home. It will alert you immediately if it senses danger, or try to find you if it is confused by something.
The data that Snunk! collects with its sensors can be used to generate reports on the conditions in your home over time using S!PI, the Snunk! Pet Interface software.
Eating and Drinking
Your Snunk! requires daily feeding and fresh water in order to stay happy and attentive to your needs. It does not eat traditional pet food, though: the Snunk! has special dietary requirements that can only be fulfilled by a Snunk! food packet.
There are several types of food packet-- each is designed to help you monitor the level of different substances in your home: lead, radon, pesticides, etc. Please see the Accessories Brochure or our website for information on the different types of Snunk! food packets.
When your Snunk! indicates that it is hungry (which should be at about the same time every day), simply squeeze the contents of one food packet into the Food side of the Food and Water Bowl. When your Snunk! is done eating, rinse any excess food out of the bowl, and fill the Water side up to the indicator line with fresh tap water.
Daily Hygiene
The Snunk! is probably the most meticulous pet you will ever own! Like a cat, it will habitually clean and condition its own coat, but unlike a cat it will also help keep your home free of stray hair, dust and dander. While on patrol, it will constantly sweep and ingest debris, and deposit it neatly in its Litter Box.
Pay attention to the color of your Snunk!s litter: bright colors may indicate the presence of one or more toxins in your environment. Consult the color chart on the back of any Snunk! food packet for a diagnosis. The normal color of Snunk! litter is light grey.
Play Time!
Your Snunk! can be trained to play several different games, and it enjoys spending time with you and your family. Use the S!PI to teach your Snunk! its name, and to find out how to teach it to play games like Fetch, Hide and Seek, and Soccer.
Even if you're not the game-playing type, your Snunk! will be happy to tag along and keep you company. Of course, you can always tell it to go away if it distracts you, but it will learn over time what you like and don't like, and modify its behavior accordingly. Give your Snunk! a chance to get to know you, and you'll have a friend for life!
Sleeping
When your Snunk! senses that its batteries are getting low, it will return to its Charging Station and sleep with its tail curled around its body to indicate that it should not be disturbed.
If the Charging Station is near your computer, you can plug in the USB cable so that your Snunk! uploads its data and checks for software updates while it sleeps, but this is not necessary: your Snunk! will ask you for a USB connection if needed while it is awake.
Your Snunk! may also sleep at other times, such as when it has finished patrolling for the day or if it senses that you need quiet time. It will awake to a touch or if you call its name.
Next Chapter: Special Events
By Psydeshow on September 25, 2002 at 12:53pm