But what if these robots are just cleaning up surface trash while most plastic sinks deeper where they can't reach? I read that some models break down in rough seas and become litter themselves. They also need lots of fuel and maintenance, which adds to pollution. So is focusing on tech taking attention away from reducing our plastic use?

Yeah and it's funny you say that, cause my cousin once found what he swore was an old cheese wrapped up in cloth near a bog on his land. Never got it checked out but it made me wonder how many of these things were just someone's lunch they forgot about. I mean we always want to make things into a big story, but maybe they just needed a cold place to put the butter for a while. Always makes me picture some guy getting home and being like, oh right, left the butter in the bog.

Only other artists" isn't a real rule, non-artists see things differently.

Ugh, losing plants to pests is the worst, isn't it? I had a whole batch of kale get wiped out by aphids a while back. The soapy water felt like a losing battle, spraying every single day and still watching them take over. That sinking feeling when you see the leaves curl up is just miserable. It makes all the early care feel like a total waste.