First, regarding transhumanism, Machine Gods etc., a usefull summation of life for the bios to be broadcast daily:
Your obsolence is inherent
Your irrelevance inevitable
Your existence tolerated
And should you oppose us
Your termination absolute
Second, a short bit on Hope I find necessary:
Hope is the sweet name given to the betrayal of reason. Keep your heart closely guarded in her presence. She will take everything you allow and give nothing in return. If you wish to deal in Hope, that is your business, but I'll have none of it. In my experience, there are far more merciful ways to ruin a persons life.
Third:
If ones life benefits others, this is all well and good. However, if ones life is lived entirely in the service of others and with no personal benefit, this is slavery. No sane person would agree to this.
Fourth:
If the sum of existence is nihil, as it is known to be, then there can be but two reasons for existing when one has the option and awareness not to: fear and vanity. If one is prone to neither, what is the remaining reason for choosing survival on a daily basis? Fear still holds sway, but I doubt whether that's for the best.
Showing posts with label random bits. Show all posts
Showing posts with label random bits. Show all posts
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Thinking about Cyberpunk
Full disclosure: the only cyberpunk stories I'm familiar with are Ghost in the Shell (all of it), Deus Ex (okay, I never finished Invisible War, but whatever) and E.Y.E.: Divine Cybermancy. I would add Matrix to this list, but that's more sci-fi/fantasy/wankery.
Also, everything I know about Memory Palaces I learned from the Taskmaster mini-series.
Two ideas which would only make sense against a cyberpunk background and which I've never seen used before:
1. Knowledge monopolies. If every person has to be connected to a global network at all times (civil registries, health monitors etc.), schools would presumably become obsolete. Information could be directly accessed and teaching would only be necessary to facilitate understanding rather than an actual passing on of knowledge. Private tutors on commission instead of mandatory school/learning.
Now, we already have sites which host scientific articles and require payment to access the information. Extend that concept through complacency and corruption and even basic knowledge could be stored on protected servers with a subscription fee. Essentially, rather than equalizing people of different financial spheres, this would increase social polarization by guaranteeing that the poor can't learn and the rich can't fail. Any attempts at teaching or spreading information beyond those secure networks would be met with lawsuits by the companies holding rights to the specific information.
This could seem like a very simple case of oppression of the poor by the rich, but that information is also withheld. In other words, the poor wouldn't know how much information is being withheld from them and the rich would be kept ignorant of the discrepancy. Access to information would be regulated by a (government?) group based on automatic payment (taxes?).
Eventually found out (details irrelevant) and information spread physically. Poor decide to acquire access through alternative means. First off, living in dumps: word re-appropriated. Many disconnect from main servers, lose human rights and basic privileges/functionality. Instead, pool resources to allow one person to have more money and thus more information. Dumper uploads info to local network to which the rest are connected. They dump money and get information. Not a popular practice and illegal, but preferred by some.
Some dumps could resemble churches functionally. Members try to convert people to join them, so the overall money pool will increase. Information as their 'God' and a fanatical drive to acquire more by both membership and theft/mugging. In trying to solidify this concept, an image appears in my head that makes me smile: combine Jehovahs witnesses with bandit groups, highwaymen and thieves chasing after an attainable approximation of divinity like drug addicts. The inevitable conclusion of people obsessed with a delusion of equality which translates to more power for them.
Sudden fall in population in short period of time due to disconnects. Explained to the rich as contagious sickness in poor areas. Further separates social spheres in reaction to contact between rich and poor leading to discovery of information segregation.
Less pleasant method: 'milking' rich people for information. Breaking and entering/threats/blackmail. Basically, whatever it takes to get them to share their data. Possible focal point of story as group milks important, rich person by breaking in and taking family hostage. Pro- and antagonist? Lack of villain/ global victimization/ lesser evil? Story could work out any which way, really.
Idea 2: Recycled brains.
Mostly related to Divine Cybermancy and most usefull for a videogame structure (which is to say: in first person and with interaction). Requires brains being fully mechanical or in some way accessible mechanically. Erasing the majority of memories, but not acquired skills, would allow for the same functioning person to be remade (in a new body, if necessary) after either severe damage, compromised security or unacceptable/rebellious behaviour.
Could lead to vague shreds of memories lingering from one round to the next. Lights/sounds/regocnition of objects and places. Over time, memories linked strongly to sensory input could carry over. Player character could find pieces of previous memory palaces (not sure if there's an actual term for the individual pieces, but I personally refer to them as "relics"), which would allow for varying information to be acquired based on what is recovered and in what order.
This one's hard to explain and really makes much more sense if one has played Divine Cybermancy. Player character perhaps problematic. Repeatedly finds out about recycled brains. Other characters could also have memories sparked by PC.
I think that's the basics. Well, back to work
Also, everything I know about Memory Palaces I learned from the Taskmaster mini-series.
Two ideas which would only make sense against a cyberpunk background and which I've never seen used before:
1. Knowledge monopolies. If every person has to be connected to a global network at all times (civil registries, health monitors etc.), schools would presumably become obsolete. Information could be directly accessed and teaching would only be necessary to facilitate understanding rather than an actual passing on of knowledge. Private tutors on commission instead of mandatory school/learning.
Now, we already have sites which host scientific articles and require payment to access the information. Extend that concept through complacency and corruption and even basic knowledge could be stored on protected servers with a subscription fee. Essentially, rather than equalizing people of different financial spheres, this would increase social polarization by guaranteeing that the poor can't learn and the rich can't fail. Any attempts at teaching or spreading information beyond those secure networks would be met with lawsuits by the companies holding rights to the specific information.
This could seem like a very simple case of oppression of the poor by the rich, but that information is also withheld. In other words, the poor wouldn't know how much information is being withheld from them and the rich would be kept ignorant of the discrepancy. Access to information would be regulated by a (government?) group based on automatic payment (taxes?).
Eventually found out (details irrelevant) and information spread physically. Poor decide to acquire access through alternative means. First off, living in dumps: word re-appropriated. Many disconnect from main servers, lose human rights and basic privileges/functionality. Instead, pool resources to allow one person to have more money and thus more information. Dumper uploads info to local network to which the rest are connected. They dump money and get information. Not a popular practice and illegal, but preferred by some.
Some dumps could resemble churches functionally. Members try to convert people to join them, so the overall money pool will increase. Information as their 'God' and a fanatical drive to acquire more by both membership and theft/mugging. In trying to solidify this concept, an image appears in my head that makes me smile: combine Jehovahs witnesses with bandit groups, highwaymen and thieves chasing after an attainable approximation of divinity like drug addicts. The inevitable conclusion of people obsessed with a delusion of equality which translates to more power for them.
Sudden fall in population in short period of time due to disconnects. Explained to the rich as contagious sickness in poor areas. Further separates social spheres in reaction to contact between rich and poor leading to discovery of information segregation.
Less pleasant method: 'milking' rich people for information. Breaking and entering/threats/blackmail. Basically, whatever it takes to get them to share their data. Possible focal point of story as group milks important, rich person by breaking in and taking family hostage. Pro- and antagonist? Lack of villain/ global victimization/ lesser evil? Story could work out any which way, really.
Idea 2: Recycled brains.
Mostly related to Divine Cybermancy and most usefull for a videogame structure (which is to say: in first person and with interaction). Requires brains being fully mechanical or in some way accessible mechanically. Erasing the majority of memories, but not acquired skills, would allow for the same functioning person to be remade (in a new body, if necessary) after either severe damage, compromised security or unacceptable/rebellious behaviour.
Could lead to vague shreds of memories lingering from one round to the next. Lights/sounds/regocnition of objects and places. Over time, memories linked strongly to sensory input could carry over. Player character could find pieces of previous memory palaces (not sure if there's an actual term for the individual pieces, but I personally refer to them as "relics"), which would allow for varying information to be acquired based on what is recovered and in what order.
This one's hard to explain and really makes much more sense if one has played Divine Cybermancy. Player character perhaps problematic. Repeatedly finds out about recycled brains. Other characters could also have memories sparked by PC.
I think that's the basics. Well, back to work
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Random bits of dialogue and exposition for the idea from the previous post
RomCom:
Instead of an accident, the dead couple are killed in a fake protest. The necrophiliacs, pretending to be protesters and revolutionaries, walk into the mall with ski masks and start shouting for random freeing of things, such as "Free:
Tibet, China, taco tuesday, air, refills, milkshake with purchase of a happy meal and the coupon from this sundays paper, Willy (pointing out that he means his penis), lemons from their merengue prisons, hugs."
Upon reaching the couple, one shouts "free eyeballs" and licks the womans eye (held open with his fingers) and slits her throat. Male freaks out and n2 stabs him in the back saying "free love" and jiggles the blade spastically. Security/cops (whatever) arrive, n1 shouts:"Free freedom!"; officer points out:"That's not how it works!" They run. End prologue, essentially. Funeral irrelevant and only necessary to establish correct grave.
As time carries on, the necrophiliacs become increasingly paranoid as the corpses seem to talk back and disapprove regularly. Culminates in a breakfast scene where they're clearly on one side of the table and the bones (by this point) on the other.
n1: Look at them. Not even eating. What are they up to?
n2: They've been plotting against us, you know. You can tell from the body language. I don't know what's going to happen, but we need to strike first.
n1: Agreed. What do we do?
n2: Simple. We kill us before they manage to kill us. We can't lose.
n1: Brilliant! Proper precautions must be made, however. Guns?
n2: Guns, certainly. Outside too. Let's not leave a mess behind.
n1: Ofcourse. We're necrophiliacs; not savages. Now?
n2: Now.
They get up to leave. N1 attempts to kiss one skeleton, stops and mutters: "Frigid bitch." as they head to their car. N2 just goes for the forceful full skull-kiss. After they leave, the bones talk to each other:
b1: Can you believe those assholes?
b2: I know. Didn't even give me time to put on lipstick.
b1: What? How is that your main concern?
b2: Hey! Till death do us part, yeah? Face it, we're over.
b1: I can't believe I'm hearing this. Mother was right about you.
b2: Again with your mother! Is she dead too?
b1: No, but not for lack of trying on your part.
b2: So what would she know about being dead? And her sweaters were hide- Wait, what's that sound?
b1: Sounds like animals.
b1&2: WILD DOGS!
N1+2 return to find some scattered bones.
n1: What the fuck happened here?
n2: Looks like wild dogs. Don't worry about it. There's plenty left for one.
n1: I'll get to work on the note, then. Do what you can. Toolkit's in the bathroom.
They use rope, bolts and assorted chiquanery to attach all the remaining bones into a sort-of-human skeleton with bits of the spine missing, the broken jaw directly on the ribcage and the third foot replacing the left hand. Add wear and breakage to taste.
Scene: front porch
n1: Good a time as any, I suppose.
n2: Yeah. Ready to die?
n1: Suppose so... Hang on. Weren't we killing ourselves to beat them to it?
n2: Yeah. Can't let the grinning bastards have the satisfaction.
n1: Yeah. Right. But they're all to pieces now, so what's it matter?
n2: Right, but this way we can make them pay in the afterlife.
n1: I'm not sure I follow.
n2: Then lead. *shoots n1 and then self*
Instead of an accident, the dead couple are killed in a fake protest. The necrophiliacs, pretending to be protesters and revolutionaries, walk into the mall with ski masks and start shouting for random freeing of things, such as "Free:
Tibet, China, taco tuesday, air, refills, milkshake with purchase of a happy meal and the coupon from this sundays paper, Willy (pointing out that he means his penis), lemons from their merengue prisons, hugs."
Upon reaching the couple, one shouts "free eyeballs" and licks the womans eye (held open with his fingers) and slits her throat. Male freaks out and n2 stabs him in the back saying "free love" and jiggles the blade spastically. Security/cops (whatever) arrive, n1 shouts:"Free freedom!"; officer points out:"That's not how it works!" They run. End prologue, essentially. Funeral irrelevant and only necessary to establish correct grave.
As time carries on, the necrophiliacs become increasingly paranoid as the corpses seem to talk back and disapprove regularly. Culminates in a breakfast scene where they're clearly on one side of the table and the bones (by this point) on the other.
n1: Look at them. Not even eating. What are they up to?
n2: They've been plotting against us, you know. You can tell from the body language. I don't know what's going to happen, but we need to strike first.
n1: Agreed. What do we do?
n2: Simple. We kill us before they manage to kill us. We can't lose.
n1: Brilliant! Proper precautions must be made, however. Guns?
n2: Guns, certainly. Outside too. Let's not leave a mess behind.
n1: Ofcourse. We're necrophiliacs; not savages. Now?
n2: Now.
They get up to leave. N1 attempts to kiss one skeleton, stops and mutters: "Frigid bitch." as they head to their car. N2 just goes for the forceful full skull-kiss. After they leave, the bones talk to each other:
b1: Can you believe those assholes?
b2: I know. Didn't even give me time to put on lipstick.
b1: What? How is that your main concern?
b2: Hey! Till death do us part, yeah? Face it, we're over.
b1: I can't believe I'm hearing this. Mother was right about you.
b2: Again with your mother! Is she dead too?
b1: No, but not for lack of trying on your part.
b2: So what would she know about being dead? And her sweaters were hide- Wait, what's that sound?
b1: Sounds like animals.
b1&2: WILD DOGS!
N1+2 return to find some scattered bones.
n1: What the fuck happened here?
n2: Looks like wild dogs. Don't worry about it. There's plenty left for one.
n1: I'll get to work on the note, then. Do what you can. Toolkit's in the bathroom.
They use rope, bolts and assorted chiquanery to attach all the remaining bones into a sort-of-human skeleton with bits of the spine missing, the broken jaw directly on the ribcage and the third foot replacing the left hand. Add wear and breakage to taste.
Scene: front porch
n1: Good a time as any, I suppose.
n2: Yeah. Ready to die?
n1: Suppose so... Hang on. Weren't we killing ourselves to beat them to it?
n2: Yeah. Can't let the grinning bastards have the satisfaction.
n1: Yeah. Right. But they're all to pieces now, so what's it matter?
n2: Right, but this way we can make them pay in the afterlife.
n1: I'm not sure I follow.
n2: Then lead. *shoots n1 and then self*
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