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Post by The Union of Tinis on Feb 22, 2007 3:55:51 GMT -5
Kam took the central podium somberly. He took his time to lay out his notes. Finally, in a growing silence in the chamber he began.
"I have been asked to present the findings of forty three scientists who have spent the last twenty four or more hours doing their best to understand, sift through, and analyze the information made public by the incident. I have been asked by a number of individuals, primarily due to my close connection with one of the witnesses and my knowledge of the ideas behind PDS systems in order to deliver a relevant and complete review for your information of what would of happened had things not occurred as they did."
Kam paused. He let it linger until the chair was about to ask him to talk or leave.
"Part of the information which has become necessary to release, was the existence of other folios containing information on the system equation. In fact, the system equation of which I have spent most of my life researching is not the complete one, but contains most of it the ideas and forms in the complete one. In recent weeks, my team has been able to find more information on this complete system equation. Thanks to an order of the national auditor, I am now allowed to speak more openly of its existence. I can also inform the chamber the reason behind it being kept secret.
"The reason for this is that first off, the full system equation is fatally flawed. And flawed in such a way that its application will eventually lead the system its being applied to into a cycle of corruption of a unique nature. This is not the corruption of giving up one's self to science or any other such silly anti-technology fear monger mode, but the corruption of decay of the system. Utter destruction after a period of seemingly infinite control.
"Unfortunately, the PDS system designed to protect the Tower was built using techniques garnered from this hidden folio by the council of Advanced Parts. The National Auditor has checked the lock system on these books personally and has discovered that they have been circumvented by Advanced Parts. We now know they used the more complete but corrupt system equation in conjunction with some outside data collection to construct this highly efficient PDS system.
"But that is not all. Advanced Parts as you now know was investigating the use of a heaven stone with the intent on unlocking its power source through a direct mechanical means. Analyst Scron of Tips had limited success in this endeavor previously using a direct mechanical interface. But without careful calibration, the process often destroyed the heaven stone before its power could be used for a device set for use near Shuey Baw during the troubles there.
"In order to prevent the destruction of their only two heaven stone objects, one being only a shard, the other being a full stone, they genetically constructed an interface life form. This interface life form was used designed to interface with a pattern computation device, such as those used in a PDS system. The idea was that with a PDS system they could drive a system to pull out the powers of the heaven stone and direct it as desired.
"The problem was, as I mentioned, the system equation as it was known to Advanced Parts, despite their outside data, was incomplete and corruptive. The initial test using the heaven stone shard produced the following effects.
"As the Miokalian representative yesterday explained, there was a pucon burst unlike anything we have ever known about previously. We in Tinis have very little experience in detecting or using these unusual particles but for the experiments that are investigating them in Tinis, all of them had more counts in their detectors than they have ever collected in total during the event.
"The BEKZA experiment registered three major gravitational wave events. It is wise to note previously they had only observed one in their detector and its statistics were not as good.
"Several detection systems inside the Tower itself registered Gamma ray bursts, however despite the common source location, the bursts occurred at different times for different detectors. And some detectors registered one, others there, others two.
"Despite not suffering a power loss, three trains around Arx came to a halt as portions of the track lost power temporarily. Thankfully the safety systems were still functioning.
"And there were observed unusual barriers inside the tower that appeared to present the viewer with light from the resent past, as in hours ago recent past. A tell tale sign of dynamic pattern discontinuity, which in some theories is associated with pucon interactions.
"These signs point towards a result of the initial test. The consensus of all those who gave insight on the situation who I've been in contact is that this was an event on the verge of a pattern slip, a fairly unusual mathematical oddity that has some uses in coax space travel, social engineering, and a few other things, but of which until the event was not believed to be able to prompt an interaction with a tensor field. Of course the primary tensor field we know of is general relativity, and more to the point, space time itself. The shard of heaven stone was attempting to rip reality in an interesting way.
"A PDS creates a semi-isolated pocket of reality. A full space time pattern slip would go a step further and totally isolate an area of reality completely from the outside, and then that reality could be operated on independently of the outside universe. This is of course an unwise idea as such operations on this mini-realty could completely ignore the a great deal of things that keep what we know as reality stable. What would come out would be anyone's guess. From a paradise, to an explosion.
"The area outside this isolated bubble would not fair well either in most computed scenarios. Even if the isolated region was relatively small, say a few meters across, the stress on the structure of space time could cause structural stresses in objects, people, and even the ground for miles around. And this area scales up with the size of the region.
"A friend of mine, Dr. Dav Scilm has confirmed information my team came across that if the full heaven stone's power supply and pattern altering effects were used with this corrupt system equation device, the region would of encompassed all of downtown Arx, possibly more. That's four million people effectively gone and suddenly the play thing to the errors of the system equation of the hidden folios, and what ever other operators that would appear from the heaven stone.
"It doesn't take someone of intense intellect to realize at this point that Advanced Parts was not acting sanely or cautiously. Science takes quality of character to ensure its done right and foolish experiments are not done that put the lives of innocents at risk.
"Thus at the moment the First Speaker destroyed the interface device, he had saved millions of Tinisians from likely extinction.
"There was more in the two protected folios. The second folio contained a variety of applications of the highly variable, and not constrained full system equation. One of these was a state once used by the fifth house of Tinis to crippled several armies on the plains of Arx where we stand presently. This technique, not understood by most who knew about it but effective all the same, was the reason for law one. It was known by Izixs and the other warriors of the fifth house who came to the plains to end the civil war. Untols was one of those who knew it as well. If one wonders about the ferocity of the battle that you saw on the data recording yesterday, despite for most of it lack of landed blows by either, both Izixs and Untols had entered that state.
"This state was so feared by the first chamber, yet so little understood, that they allowed the First Speaker, who was Izixs, the ability to execute any of his warriors who would again fight like they did but not for the good of the Union. They didn't want any loose cannons who could kill them all. Warriors who had managed to avoid even the shots of the guns on the final battle of the civil war. Warriors who's ability seemed highly centered around not being hit at its start, and then pulling into a vicious cycle of more and more blood.
"Thus I personally believe the First Speaker was in the right to do what he did. However, for your inspection, I bring not one, but two videos of the events. One which was delivered by a police captain to Dr. Sana Y. Tinsale, a member of my research team, an hour after the events transpired by an Internal Affairs captain of the police. She was also assured that two other copies had been made and were being delivered to the right people. The other tape was the official copy pulled from the records room three hours later. Let's watch shall we?"
The lights went dim and two screens that had been setup before his arrival suddenly had projections of the scene at the Tower. The chamber watched as the battle began between Untols and Izixs. But in one of them, there seemed to be a lack of dialogue while in the other, they were both speaking as they had. Finally the moment came. In the video where they were speaking Untols grabbed from the machine the heaven stone, and began to squeeze it to burrow it into her flesh. In the other, she seemed to just stand there, and then she dropped her sword. Then as she began to interact with the heaven stone's power in the one video, and then of course meeting her end, in the other video Izixs just killed her.
The video over, Kam gave another pause before starting. "Obviously one of these videos has been tampered with. The one where Untols and Izixs were silent, was the video delivered late. I believe at least one member of this chamber has another copy of the one given to Sana. I ask that you stand up now to either confirm of deny that the video where Untols attempted to use a haven stone, to do who knows what in her altered state, was the one delivered to you."
Zurza Maptan stood up, "He is correct. The video was delivered to me personally. The video where Untols looks helpless is most certainly a fake from the evidence I've seen here. I think Kam's presentation has convinced me on this matter. In fact, the copy I received was labeled as coming from a branch feed to police headquarters, anti-terrorism and internal affairs offices. So it is legit and I did do a check. The serial number on my tape is correct and I can share it with the chamber if need be. But... to see this forgery... the fact that it exists is very upsetting to me. I move that the chamber consider Speaker Harmon's proposal once the presentations are over and that we vote against the removal of the First Speaker."
There was more to the presentation. Most of it backing up the claims made thus far, but also elaborating on the instability of this 'altered state' or any other personalized internalization of the system equation as it was commonly known.
Kam also informed the chamber that once his team was ready they would present the full complete, and not corrupting system equation to Tinis and the world. And that they hope to do it soon.
----
"Damn!" yelled Dizmulak in the NPP caucus room. "First that Andertol character, then Maptan ends his waffling and strongly at that not in our favor."
"Dizy," responded Speaker Branch. "The Nationalists seem intent on ignoring Kam and the outsiders all the same. Not enough votes even with us helping for removal."
"I know that. The socialists? Or the damn unionists?"
"The union seems unlikely to support removal at this point. What my sources tell me is that a few were considering, possibly enough, but they seem more interest in a witch hunt now than to remove their biggest asset from the chamber. The socialists are tight lipped as always. But Maptan's decision can't be helping us there."
Dizmulak's ears and tail showed his intense agitation. "Alright people, we got to make a decision here. Now that that Kam has skipped town we need to decide, what is the best thing for us to do. We could stand with what we've been trying to do for years, or we could try a gambit."
"Gambit?" asked someone from the caucus. "You don't mean..."
"Yes, yes I am. I know some of you might not be able to stomach it, but if we don't have the votes to remove him, we could drop the party line and have a bunch of us, no, a majority of us here vote against removal. But, we can do it in the special way. The roll call vote, if the caucus goes with this plan, at the roll call vote, say thirty of us hang back till near the end. If we have the votes to boot the dragon, we do. If we don't, those thirty vote against removal. I'm looking at our freshmen members here in the marginal districts for some of these votes if they are willing."
----
Kam, Sana, and Yangno had a few minutes at the airport before being found by the welcoming party. Famished they tried out some of the local cuisine. As Yangno puzzled over a dish he thought was something else entirely, Sana asked the question, "So do you think you did any good back at the chamber?"
"I think so. I was half expecting someone from the upper chamber to say something, not boring old Maptan. But I think that moment was impressive to some at least. Yeah, I think it helped out."
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Post by miokalia on Feb 22, 2007 21:08:30 GMT -5
"As I understand it", said Lipner after taking a cellphone call, "It seems Kam and crew got the hell out of dodge a bit sooner than expected."
"Ward visas. They must have given them ward visas so their entry could be expedited. I bet they never even saw the port of entry and customs stuff.", said Ryuqi.
"I didn't. I mean, they looked in my bag when I boarded the plane, but... ... So that's what this is?", said Lipner as he looked at the brown envelope and found a heavy piece of paper, something that looked like a bureaucratic certificate and... a new passport.
"I couldn't read this. So this is a ward visa?", asked Lipner.
"That's only issued under the authority of an executive power. Lipner, I think you've just been granted an indefinate, unrestricted visa.", said Ryuqi.
"I was just in the right place at the right time, though.", he said, "Do I owe someone important a thank-you card?"
"It's a bit difficult to mail something to the president, but if someone important does visit the lab... which I can basically assure you will happen, you can give it to them, I guess."
An awkward silence fell over the two of them, only interrupted by the light clatter of the motor as it kicked into highway gear.
Finally Lipner said what he had been avoiding, "I... I saw your. Brain video thing with the stuff and the... things..."
Ryuqi didn't say anything.
"I... reacted at the part with... It looked like.... When Untols...", Lipner was grappling with language as he tried to find the right way to say something which was actually quite simple.
Finally he simply said, "I cried."
Ryuqi took the next onramp down off the elevated avenue and parked the vehicle in the first spot she could find.
Her lack of response just made Lipner more anxious. Staring straight ahead, she said.
"I don't know how to linguistically respond to that...", said Ryuqi who paused another moment and then said, "That is one of the most touching things I've ever heard."
"You screeched and it sounded.. It sounded just like a real animal if the same thing were to happen to it.", said Lipner.
"I don't remember anything past that point. The fatigue from being knocked-out earlier, in addition to Untol's attack. Stopped the nanocore cold. I had nothing but periphery past that point. I'm sorry, I'm suspending emotional response right now for the sake of mild professionalism, as we are professionals and...", said Ryuqi.
"Seeing you feel something made me suddenly realize that...
I think I'm in love with you.
Just let go and feel...
I'm sorry, I'm assuming things. It's okay if you don't have feelings for me though...", said Lipner.
Ryuqi then abruptly loosened and pushed the top of her head up against Lipner's. He was a bit surprized and then after a few ear-flicks he realized that she had just taken his advice.
"You may never understand just how much that means to me. But you don't even have to try. Because... I think I love you too. I began wanting to before... but now I don't want to supress it, supressing it only replaces it with pain.", she said.
She would seem to be crying even though nothing came out of her eyes.
"I couldn't figure out why I had these feelings for you. When I saw that presentation... I knew.", said Lipner who then planted a kiss right on the plastic of the top of Ryuqi's head.
"I'm sorry I don't have lips", she said.
"Let's go out on a date.", said Lipner after both of them recomposed themselves, "How would this be seen here though? we're professionals, can we be dating?"
"Technically not supposed to. But to hell with technicalities. I really just don't care right now.", she said.
"How about that place. I have no idea what's romantic here, I've only been here for 7 hours. I mean, I myself don't know what's romantic period. I'm a guy and I... don't really have much... exepectations, especially here...
How about that place. It looks... I don't know. It's a restaurant and it looks to be a sit-down one at that.
Let's go there.", said Lipner.
"Roybertito's? Jesus, Lipner. Way to pick the weirdest restaurant in quite possibly this whole hemisphere.
... You aren't familiar with the... meme I assume?", said Ryuqi.
"It's a coincidence, right?", asked Lipner.
"No, it is a freak-out/spazz-out comedically themed restaurant intended to appeal to nerds and geeks and thus why the name referrences the internet meme.
Do not ask, people here have an extremely potent and strange sense of humor.", said Ryuqi.
"OMFG, we are so going there. We have to", insisted Lipner.
----
The lab was in the first floor of a building in a place on the campus called "The Gartens". It seemed that someone a long time ago spelled "gardens" wrong and it just stuck.
It was a large, mostly green area of campus with tall trees and enormous amounts of lawn all around. Similar to the park-like courtyards in most older campuses. Although this campus wasn't tremendously old. It's just that 30% of it used to be part of Dorigan City Park, which was right next door. Topographically: the campus and city park composed the very green interior of the innermost elevated highway loop of the city.
When Kam showed up, the first thing he noticed was Lipner's strange demeanor. He seemed to be a bit unusual beyond reasonable expectations (considering recent events).
"Looks like the flight kicked your butt.", said Kam cheerfully.
Lipner excitedly began, "I ate at a place called Roybertito's last night...
I think they put methaphetamines in the salsa though.
I swear they did. I couldn't sleep all last night, and then...
and then when I started getting just the squeenciest bit drowsy the cats next door decide to turn up their weird rap as loud as they could and...
All I could I dream about was things spinning around super-fast... to the repeated lyrics "Tahi mei aiwo"... over and over again.
You don't have drug tests here do you? It's not my fault, how was I supposed to know it was in there?"
"Nobody does drug tests for meth here.
And I think what you experienced was caffienated food.", said Ryuqi.
"Well, this is a great way to start things here. Now all we need is Doron to show up and be offensive. And everything is back to normal, right?", said Kam exhaustedly.
Doron rode up on a bicycle. He didn't even bother dismounting it, and simply rode in through the door, across the room and then came to an abrupt stop before hitting the wall.
"Everyone else on our end is caught up in the investigation and hearings and stuff... still.
So don't get your hopes up quite yet. We're technically not allowed to continue stuff yet. We've been ordered to morotorium the project until the investigation concludes it is safe and appropriate to start it up again.", he said.
"Morotorium? I just got here to do this. I don't mind the vacation, but isn't a morotorium usually something... indefinate?
Are we looking at months or years of delay?", asked Kam who was now partly annoyed, and very dissappointed.
"Keep your shirt on, Kam. By morotorium, they mean days probably. I think CA is just scared enough that the lack of a more complete sys-eq being known somwhere on this planet makes it suceptible towards being spontaneously disassembled by post-singularity beings to make Computronium is enough to keep things moving.", said Doron.
Kam rolled his eyes.
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Post by miokalia on Mar 11, 2007 4:08:35 GMT -5
"Is Andertol... out abusing diplomatic immunity somewhere right now, or what?", asked the secretary of interior during a cabinet meeting.
"He's... you know...", mentioned Zagckza while making a variety of gestures before saying, "He... he's having a reptile period."
"He seems to molt a lot more often than usual."
"Well, there are many psychological reasons for that I'm sure."
"He molts... like twice a year. I mean... I haven't in three."
"Do you think he... you know..."
"..."
"Nevermind"
"Absolutely"
"What?"
"He absolutely enjoys it. I think it's.... his thing. If you know what I mean"
Andertol had secluded himself from the moment after he arrived back home. This would be his first appearence at a meeting.
Andertol entered the room in a mess. He was greyer than normal, his eyes were fogged over and there were shreds of dead skin peeling off of him all over.
"You look like a zombie", said secretary Nadara.
"Thank you, that's just what I want to hear right now. I'm here for only one reason: to accept your gratefullness that I went to Tinis, kicked some ass and contributed towards Izixs being retained in office.", said Andertol who didn't even take a seat, and more simply just stood in the doorway.
"Actually it was probably mostly Ryuqi's A-catch. You just bought time and conditioned the legislature.", said Zagckza.
"Yeah, whatever. I'm going to... uh... yeah.", said Andertol walking away.
"Was that... temporary grafting?", mentioned Nadara a moment later.
"That's a personal matter of his, and not something we should gossip over here. I mean, really.", said Zagckza.
The business at hand was regarding the continuation of the system equasion project, and ending the moratorium. Additionally getting the funding and visas issued which would confirm the team to use the Equatorial Accelerator on Dincota.
----
Andertol dropped a couple pills in his mouth. Vector stuff. His temporary graftings would only last a week, the duration of his molting period, then they would also molt off as well. There were nine fairly long needles literally sticking out from his back. He put them there, as he always does when he molts. Temporarily grafted to the top of his snout, towards the end was a rhinoceros horn, anchored with 32 removable anchoring pins. Above his eyes were the two Cerratosaur-planted bony protrusions, which now emerged a full inch-and-a-half further out of his skin than before the molt. These were planted though, and were a long-term body modification. He looked just a little bit more like a carnotaurus with these protrusions. Molting for Andertol meant grinding himself against his highly abrasive, metal-mesh-like floor of his garage and writhing around against other abrasive surfaces for hours like a wounded beast. Unlike most of his species, Andertol would grind away at the dead skin with furious aggression. To the point where he would actually grind his way through actually several layers of scales. Stopping only once all that was left exposed was so new it was still sticky, and moistened with his own blood. Most of his species would be satisfied with only removing one layer. But molting habits of theropods are directly correlated to psychology. Andertol's frequent, and aggressive molting tendancies would lead one to beleive he hates his own skin... however, his grafting of enhancements and protrusions to it would indicate the opposite, as doing such would accentuate his organic being with uniquely organic things. Andertol just always made a big deal out of this occasional hygenic overhaul, and would induce it, mentally, on a regular basis.
Nadara required his signature to finish the papers clearing the system equasion to start up again. She sent an aide to collect the authorization from the secretary of state.
The Aide was greeted by the unpleasent, deconstructed, raw, horned Andertol, who could barely even see in front of him with the graftings in the way, with tiny rivulets of blood streaming from places he had worn through. He signed the papers, having to turn his head to the side just to see them.
The aide didn't say anything. It was grotesque even by their standards... but still, not obscene by those same standards It didn't matter what he chose to do to himself, his benevolence was already proven, regardless of how he chose to package it.
And with that, the research project was cleared to continue.
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Post by The Union of Tinis on Mar 14, 2007 3:53:58 GMT -5
"So Izixs didn't get removed from office, this Omz guy is facing more charges by the day, and we're going back to work," mused Kam with happy looking ears and tail swishes. "I think we've got some good breaks."
"And," replied the voice over the phone. "I hear from Jamraglis that the math people will be sending your crew a stipend to help defer living expenses."
"Nice."
"Well, anyway, I should be going. Those mountains aren't going to ski themselves. Later."
"Bye mom." Kam hung up the phone to see a chuckling Doron. "What you laughing at?"
"Just the fact that your mom seems more in the know that you."
"Hey, its been a crazy few days here. I barely caught the news about the First Speaker and Omz. Omz who as I understand it seems to be the one getting most of the blame for the flight crash seems to be prime for extradition."
"And the sys-eq stuff?" asked the dracolich.
"Now that is odd."
Kam took a seat at the table Doron sat at. "So tell me Kam, why would your mom be privy to information that I just found out about myself?"
Kam laughed. "She's a net junky. And she seems to keep a close enough eye on the news site feeds, all properly customized for search terms. It might of been posted somewhere by someone."
Doron shook his head. "That's unlikely. Not on such short notice."
"Well, let's take a look shall we?"
Kam got up and went to the nearest computer and starts to surf. The news sites were unhelpful, as were the blogs. Kam found his way to his mom's personal website and checked the RSS feeds.
"Alltrippyskunks.ut?" asked Doron.
"Its apparently an in joke she never shared with me. But yeah, we got Omz is banned from research council work unless he's found innocent, Izixs gives speech about the dangers of restricted folios, broadcasts from deep space still uncertain, system equation researchers on the case, not us but a different crew there. Good furs, I know most of them. And here is Sys-eq go ahead approved by Miokalia."
"Where's that feed from?"
Kam clicks on the link. The website that pops up is the dailyRox. Scrolling through the blog posts they quickly realized that no title matched the feed.
"Now that's extra weird."
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From: rox@dailyrox.ut.co To: socialfromcen@movingdistrict.ut.co Subject: Did you post?
Sorry to bother you right now, but there seems to be a problem with your post about the System Equation approval from Miokalia. Mainly that it comes out in the RSS feed but doesn't appear on the front page. The metadata says it was from your account. Did you actually post such?
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From: socialfromcen@movingdistrict.ut.co To: rox@dailyrox.ut.co Subject: Re: Did you post?
I did not post that. I'm presently changing my passwords. Alert the crew. We might have a hacker.
------
"I don't know," mused Yangno. "Space travel?"
"Think of it this way Yangi," answered Sana. "At least the advanced parts crap is over with now. No disruptions to the flight."
"On this end. What what if there's some back scattering event off the cosmic horizon or a pattern slip response in an alternate dimension that just happens to intersect our flight?"
"Then I guess we'll enjoy some serious thrills as our bodies are ripped asunder," she replied.
"I thought you were supposed to be convincing me to be more willing not scare me," said Yangno after a laugh.
"Actually I wanted you to laugh. Thus I win."
"What ever. Wait..."
"What?" asked the rabbit.
"I just realized something. Will they have your style of dance club around here? Or even more so, at the accelerator place?"
Sana rolled her eyes. "What ever. I'll survive."
"Are you two done spazing?" asked Lipner from the next room. He was in the process of copying over files from the computers in Tinis. "We got a lot of work to do. Plus I want to run a full cosmic model with the current data and updated sys-eq sometime today."
Sana left Yangno to his books and stood next to Lipner. "You seem extra focused today."
"Yeah, well my mind has been working better lately. Less crazy crap ruining my thought processes."
Sana smiled. "Sure. Crazyness. You having dinner with Ryuqi again tonight?"
Lipner's typing speed increases by a few words per minute. "Don't know yet. I'm still worried about my poor stomach. Its been through a lot lately."
"And I thought you'd be worried about your feet possibly having been in a parallel dimension for a few minutes and possibly coming back as the feet of an alternative evil Lipner."
"Boulder dash*."
Sana took a seat at one of the computers. "Kam's been worried about his praxisphere experience again. He told me last night something is still bothering him about it."
"And why should we care that he had a bad trip compared to the others whom used it?"
"Something about piles of bones and extremely religious types and a girl he wishes he knew."
Lipner giggled. "So he's lonely?"
"Possibly. But he seemed very bothered by the fact that a bunch of the scenes he experienced happened in specific locations. Locations he hasn't been to, but one that he's seen pictures of."
With a nod and a glance to Sana. "From what he described the day after to me, it sounded just like the north Arx accelerator building where me and Ryuqi entered the underground. Or possibly the others as all four are supposed to be identical."
"Yeah. That's very weird," said Sana quietly.
"Add it to the list. But as for me, I want to compare the CMB formalism from the accepted Miokalian, accepted western, Vop-Kanz, and Elmlert two solutions. If you care to monitor the code out put I'd appreciate it."
[*not the phrase actually used but the proper word in Tinisian would be Tistlit-kotay]
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Post by miokalia on Mar 16, 2007 9:26:25 GMT -5
"Not a very big plane is it?", said Kam in his observation of the 737-equivalent. "Please tell me they serve food", asked Sana as she took her seat. "All food is 'just add water'. Oh and don't get your hopes up. We're not going to be spending any time in space. I don't have to explain why that is to the scientists I've been working with for the last few months.", said Doron. "I wasn't expecting space. From what I understand of this system, I expect we have a lot of... superblack ahead. That is: total lack of photons visible.", said Kam.
"The windows will frost over like you've never seen windows frost over before. I suggest closing the shade or else you'll let your heat out. The heating system and heat produced by the drive itself is enough to keep this cabin at 70 degrees for the whole flight... but outside the craft...
Let's just say oxygen becomes a liquid.", said Doron.
"How secure are the hooks we're using... I mean.. how secure are they on Dincota...
I'm a bit paranoid since that crash involved a craft just like this.", asked Lipner, who took a seat with Ryuqi.
"We don't mess with hooks where I'm from. We just don't", said Doron.
The plane was surprizingly sparse in occupancy. The capacity was dramatically reduced due the size of the support components. In fact, the only ones on board were the team, the pilot, and the captain.
Because of the small number of passengers, the captain made all the announcements in person, rather than over a speaker. He was an orange and brown allosaurus and of particular note was the seperation between his eyes. It was common knowledge that dinosaurs' eyes are on the sides of their head, and not towards the front like most other species'. The captain appeared to have a slightly more pronounced separation, as well as more defined brown scales on his back. The reason became clear when he spoke with a very heavy accent, "No touch window es in durational um flight. No upping with for gu.. shfuuu?" The pilot then said in the background, "Taking off". The captain continued, "No up with for taking off. Launch 1 hour in. Flight durationale are 10 hours. No utilicize electronik es since after jump start, then are okay. When jump exit, unenergizer do electronik and reposition away.
Emergenzie exit is there ond there. Exit lock during jump.
Because if use exit during jump, chilly no-brethy death make for you.
We arrival on Kohtohkoh-Dahkha Internationale Harirodaot... aio-port at hour of 28:30 in the night.
Thank for you."
The captain was evidently very ethnically Dincotian, even to the point of physical difference, primarily the separation between the eyes.
After he went back to the front of the plane, closing the door behind him, Doron said, "And that: is what all Dincotians not from Miokalia sound like. That's the accent."
The takeoff was not all that unlike most. When things became different was the length of the climb. The plane climbed up to about 40,000 feet, then a loud high-pitched noise coming from directly above them became audible. Kam had actually looked into the mechanics of this and took the liberty to explain it: "That is the bulk capacitor. It has to charge on the consumption of fuel from behind us. When a certain point is reached in our atmosphere, the trigger capacitor will discharge the moment it hits the specified point. This will cause the computer to reproduce the refraction sequence correlating to the destination hook in the First Linear. This makes the drive system fit around the thread. Then the bulk capacitor discharges and this causes the Second Linear to dialate and thus 'clamp' down onto the thread at 1/3rd the speed of light. The Third Linear is then shot forward from the system and acts like a bungee to absorb the tremendous amount of acceleration shock. It's the difference between feeling nothing and being literally vaporized from an astronomical amount of shock. Once the Third Linear has absorbed the entry shock, the thread Linearizes the ship... not to be confused with spaghettification which deforms matter, but linearization which aproportionally stretches the contents of a volume out over a single dimensional axis, not affecting the others. At this point, it is impossible to calculate our speed. We seem to dissappear to the outside observer... no flashes, no special effects, just disappear. To us, light appears to slow down to speeds close to that of sound before it completely dissipates."
"Well, I'm glad one of us is comfortable with this", said Lipner.
The noise hadn't changed in pitch for a while, but then after a few minutes into cruising altitude, the seat-belt sign turned on. And they sure meant it. Another, very loud noise became audible from above. It was a tone followed by a grinding sound.
"I don't like that. Grinding is bad. Grinding is always bad. Is this thing going to fall apart?", asked Sana nervously.
The plane then shook some and then felt as though it dropped a hundred feet. Then the grinding became suddenly higher pitched and louder. Behind it was the sound which seemed to be a discharge of some kind. Then everyone was pressed back in their seats as it felt as though the plane had rockets attached to it and all of them had started at the same time mid-flight.
"This is the clamping stage. We have just clamped onto a thread, we are literally being pushed by particles with extremely high momentum. We're going to jump soon.", said Kam under the haze of the rapid acceleration and vibration.
Then it stopped, the plane seemed to stop accelerating and the g-force diminished.
Gradually, the passengers watched the world begin to grind to a halt outside the windows. The plane almost seemed to be slowing down, although no deceleration could be felt. The geography below began to become progressively brighter as the photons slowed down as they hit the surface of the volume and became compressed before becoming visible. Lipner then exclaimed, "Just like what I saw in the tower!".
Doron explained, "It's a similar property. We are inside a volume similar to the PDS, in that it exists in it's own little universe kinda. The border of this 'PDS' causes photons to slow down to about the speed of sound, eventually. Basically, what we are looking at is just a little bit of quantum entanglement being induced by the coaxial process as a side effect. This plane leaves contrails of frozen photons, basically. That is.. in the distance taken up during bulk discharge. Right now, we are dissappearing to the outside observer."
Eventually the geography below couldn't be made-out anymore. It was becoming blindingly bright and extremely fuzzy. After a few minutes, no details were visible at all and the brightness began to fade into what could only be described as flat-black.
"Close your window shades. It's negative 120 degrees fahrenheit outside, almost all the photons will be absorbed by the end of the flight.", said Doron. Everyone took his advice.
"What about the pilot and captain? aren't they going to loose heat through the windshield?", asked Lipner.
"They close the shades on the windshield during jump. There's no point in having it open, it's not like we are going to have to steer around anything. We're traveling in a straight line.", said Doron.
"So now what?", asked Kam.
"you can all turn on your computers and cellphones and stuff... though I'm afraid there is no reception here. And there is no equipment which can be messed up by interference. You can get up and walk around too. Though it may be a bit uncomfortable", said Doron.
Kam took the advice and got up from his seat. He seemed to have a hard time getting into the aisle, but once he did, he almost fell forward.
"It seems... huh. I swear it seems as though there is very little resistence when I go forward and back... but side to side... it's like swimming in jello. Does the system pehaps effect perceptions?", he asked.
"That's the effect of being stretched out across the universe. The momentum from the thread makes movement along it's axis much easier... but movement perpendcular is harder than normal.", said Ryuqi.
"I'll say.", said Kam, "By chance, do we get to float around in zero-g?"
"Sorry. We never actually get exposed fully to space. Gravity remnants tends to just sit at the bottom of the volume and slowly dissipate over time. The only way we will get zero-g is if we stay in jump for 28 hours or more.", said Ryuqi.
"I wonder why that is", asked Kam
"I do too. I haven't the slightest idea why that is and I invented this thing", said Doron.
The conversation was then interrupted by a short scream of surprize by Lipner. He then said, "Oh.... Oh... ok.... I'm fine... I just felt the weirdest sensation. It was like static"
"Well, I did feel that we just equalized between the two points. It happens early on, because for the first 50% of the 'distance' we have not just pucon threads pulling us along, but also what I can only describe as 'cosmic elasticity' also pushing us along. After that, all we have is pucons, and so it takes a lot longer.
Imagine us as a rubberband being stretched out and then plucked at. What you felt was the universe going "*Twonnnnng*" after being plucked. It would induce a static current in stuff, which I also don't understand why that is. It is likely you felt it either because you are sitting next to, and are in contact with a large concentration of conductive material.", said Doron.
"Sorry", said Ryuqi. Lipner dismissed it and then scooted closer in with her again.
----
"I think I left my coffee-pot on. Can we turn around?", said Sana humorously at around 9 hours into the flight. Some action started up in the front, as some beeping and similar indicators started going off.
"Open your windows, it's cool!", said Doron suddenly.
Kam and Sana did so, Lipner was asleep.
Open openning the windows, they immediately formed condensation on the inside.
Although the cold draft from the window wasn't as bad as expected.
"Holy shit, there's lights.", exclaimed Kam as a tiny blurry landscape of lights appeared to form below. Soon the lights extended in every direction and it became clear it was the ground.
Then the plane felt as though it had suddenly climbed a hundred feet, as gravity seemed to 'reset'.
"I suppose that means we're here", said Sana.
"That would be the gravity wave hitting us. We experience a moment of higher gravity as the residual gravity in the volume is added onto the gravity of this planet.
Now it is equalized though, and from one scientist to you others, I would like to formally welcome you to gravity = 8.215 M/s^2", said Doron.
"So no Jetsons houses? This looks... from up here... to be about the same as our world.", said Sana.
"What did you expect? Things that are efficient modes of civilization over here to be inexplicably totally different here? Well... differences are not quite as noticible up here.", said Doron.
----
The airport was very unusually styled. Made entirely from brightly colored blocks, it looked very much like some kind of a toy. Doron wasted no time in getting the team out of there.
Kam actually thought to bring a map, He said, "Ok... the map doesn't extend far enough south. How far is it?"
"2800 Kilometers. We're going to take a train."
"Whoa..", said Lipner all of a sudden while suddenly noticing how the, actually quite run-down station in the airport was almost entirely full of individuals who looked like the pilot and captain of the plane, "Huh, I almost forgot... technically, we are 250 lightyears from home right now."
"That's called perceptual residue. It's easy to forget you're somewhere different when the overall structure of things is the same. It lasts for a day, or until you complete a full sleep cycle. Then suddenly, you start noticing the details. The shapes of signs, the houses, the differences in vegetation, the completely different set of stars in the sky... That stage is called geographic dissonance. It's your subconscious realizing that it's not in Kansas anymore.", said Doron.
"So tomorrow, this will all be even weirder to us?", asked Kam.
"Well, even more so because you will be waking up on a train on a track 1000 feet in the air.", said Doron.
"It is night right now... or is this day? It's pretty dark out.", said Lipner.
Doron paused a moment and then said, "We still have another 10 hours of darkness which we can aesthetically refer to as 'night'. Perhaps I should have mentioned at some point, Dincota rotates at a different speed and has a different orbital period than Earth. The solar year is 200 days, and the rotational day is 36 hours, instead of 24."
"So much for our circadian rhythyms.", said Sana
"Why are they in such a hurry? Can't they do this tomorrow? We could spend the night at a hotel... they do have hotels here right?", said Kam
"Some things here kind of run, 24/7... or what they would call here, 36/6. It's complex to explain.", said Doron.
---
"Well that was really weird", said Lipner, joining Ryuqi inside the plastic dormitory room. The hotel seemed to be some kind of abstract beehive of brightly colored plastic rooms, stacked atop eachother. Each one about 8 feet wide, 8 feet tall and 10 feet deep. "I can't say I've ever seen elevated highways that high before. What was that, maybe 2000 feet?"
"The people here have an obcession with over-engineering and pseudo-practicality. It's even more evident here.", replied Ryuqi.
"So what's the accelerator like? I mean, an accelerator which is the circumference on an entire planet seems... extremely impractical and perposterous.", he asked.
"Pucon accelerators do not use magnets, they are a lot easier to build per meter, actually.", said Ryuqi, "The problem with them is: they require enormous amounts of space to even work. The one circling this planet is about as small as they can get if you want to do anything with them.
It's a particle which seems to ignore C, so it requires huge amounts of space to measure. The reason why we call them 'threads' is because they are moving so quickly that they appear to simply be strands and in the mechanical universe, they function as threads because of this, except they have enormous directional momentum which implies that they are really just streams of very fast moving particles."
"So what alters their course? I imagine having the magnets used in most accelerators around the entire circumference would be an enormous energy drain."
"Magnets don't seem to exert much force on pucons. Pucons are altered only by waves and repetition of matter. It is the first particle which we know of that is only affected by series of energy or matter over a specific time, and not direct application of matter or energy."
"How does that work on the accelerator?"
"Actually, I have no idea. Not idea at all.", said Ryuqi.
After a short pause and some interesting hotel noises from above and below their room, Lipner said, "What's it like to know that you were... not born but created? Especially if you despise your creators. It's a problem for us when we despise our parents... so I wonder."
Ryuqi took a minute and then said, "Most of us don't have to deal with that anymore. Most of us are now decended from our own, and thus come into existence without regret. Those of us that were... assembled have to deal with the fact that we have no family but eachother. We have had plenty of time to deal with that.
Even then, there are resentments within the 'family' of other assembled units.
My model was manufactured in a process that required the destruction and scrapping of another unit. Someone had to die for me to be created, and that's why my kind tend to seperate ourselves from the EM49-based units. It was their own that were killed to produce us and they... tend to resent us a bit for it in our own circles. Even though it was no fault of our own.
I do despise them though. But if I were to act on it, then I would only be realizing what my creators at the old EDB intended for me to do. That is: becoming feral. Becoming a beast that is to be realeased upon a target without control with my masters at a safe distance as I indiscriminantly reek havoc. I choose to allow that legacy to die."
"You must have been a very difficult child for the state to raise.", replied Lipner.
"That's the trouble. I never was a child. I existed and simply obeyed commands until something finally empathized with me and gave me sentience. So the first thing I did as a sentient being was not explore the world playfully as children do.
No, the first thing I knew about the world was that I was a killer. That I took lives indiscriminantly, both organic and inorganic. The first thing I did was attempt suicide. As is the case with most newly integrated units. I tried to fire my mouth-mount cannon at my own abdomen, to destroy my nanocore. The unit which saved me, oddly enough one based on an EM49 stepped on my mouth to clamp it shut. So the beam destroyed my nose and his leg.
The first thing I remember hearing, 'Now look what you've done. You stupid f**k'
CA does this thing where it prevents us from being able to remember everything we did prior to becomming sentient until after we've matured some. Probably for good reason. Because as it turns out, I actually was basically a piece of artillery used against Miokalia in the battle of Hokyldaryon in 2152. I apparently killed someone and caused a lot of property damage. Of course, since it was not my choice and I had no control over it, amnesty is granted by default.
Are you still sure you want to be going out with me?"
Lipner paused for a bit and then chuckled, "You just keep getting weirder, don't you?"
"If it's any consolation, I confronted the family of the person I killed. I asked them if they would prefer if I were dead. They were Dincotians, very educated and pleasent, and thus had a pretty good understanding of what happened. I suppose the fact that I confronted them about it meant a lot. As far as they were concerned, I didn't exist when the incident occoured, and for me to die for it would only further the tragedy, not atone for it.", she said, "The problem with machines is they don't heal with time, we only heal by external factors. It is science in which I have been able to distract myself from myself enough to heal some. It is love which finally causes me to feel like a real person."
Lipner then said, "I think the point where I first realized it was when you froze, and I hesitated because even though you couldn't be harmed badly by the burst, you were still... a person and I wasn't sure if I could leave you."
"You should have left earlier. It was wise of you to choose to leave me there: as radiation can kill you. It can only damage, but not destroy me.", said Ryuqi.
"I still feel bad about leaving you there"
"You shouldn't."
----
"Hello there, I see you put your room back together", said Dosh.
The skunk sitting on the couch with a plate full of insect thoraxes and a glass of wine on the table said, "Yes, it's much better now."
"I'm afraid we still don't have a way to get you out of here... in a manner which you would likely be willing to consider", said Dosh, entering the room further.
"You seem to be hinting that there is a way, but you are choosing not to consider it at this time out of... respect maybe?", asked Genius
"Yes. The problem isn't getting your consciousness out of here, it's getting your knowledge and memories along with it. Consciousness is actually the easy part.", said Dosh.
"I would assume. Consciousness is just activity in a strange loop and can transfer on its own. What option is it that you are not considering anyway?", asked Genius.
"The option of putting you into a computer. We would prefer not to hold you prisoned inside a box like that, you are a person and are entitled to make decisions for yourself", said Dosh.
"Then why are you out there trying to make decisions for me? Oh.. and I'm already kind of prisoned inside this ball. It couldn't be that different...
And computers can actually hold people?", she said.
"Well... I mean we're trying to find a way to restore you to a corporeal self. So you can make decisions for yourself without having to go through someone through the ball.
And yes they can. But... it tends to only work one way, that is: moving a consciousness to a computer but not back out again. We can't do everything you know.", said Dosh.
"You think you really should be bringing back the dead like that?", asked Genius.
"I'm sorry, I don't think I understood that.", said Dosh.
"You think you ought to be bringing me back from the dead in a time other than my own?", asked Genius.
"I'm sorry, that still doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. Last time I was here, didn't you WANT to see the outside?", said Dosh.
"Yes, I'd like to see the outside but: I don't know if I should be interacting with it. I just wanted to observe it.", she replied.
"I don't know if we can seperate those things like that.", said Dosh.
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Post by The Union of Tinis on Mar 29, 2007 0:58:31 GMT -5
"But I can," replied a new voice very similar to the female skunks but also much more choppy.
Dosh and the inception of Genius turned to look through a newly appeared doorway. Standing there was a very 2-d version of the skunk who's dinner Dosh had interrupted. But this new skunk was wearing more modern attire and a wide brimmed hat. Or at least the hat would be wide brimmed if it could touch the third dimension. Instead it was merely a projection onto a flat surface of a hat.
"Apologies for the interruption. I am a part of Genius which found it necessary to detach for a while."
"Well," mumbled Dosh. "Well... this is different. Not really something I expected."
The Genius of the third dimension nodded. "I think I recall a little of you. Partially a product of my visit with Ryuqi if I recall. Yes. Exposure to the wider world created change. The process of cleaning the equation lead to me learning scraps about it. I changed and this extension was the product."
"Are you two the same person then?" asked Dosh suddenly very curious about the arrival. "I mean do you act as one?"
"Partially," the two of them answered together. They looked at each other and gave a short laugh. "Partially," said the arrival. "I am an extension of her pattern but have a great deal of autonomy when we are apart. I take with me a lot of the changes that have been happening to Genius. They are transmitted from the ball along the Fibonacci points the willing transceivers. Tough going at first as the only one that seemed viable was a inferred wireless connection. But I've found others since then."
"Then why does your... primary, not recall much about you, if you are connected?" asked Dosh.
"Simple," replied the Genius whom had taken another bite of her meal. "Now that she is returned I can properly complied my understanding of our relationship. Without her primary system being here, my knowledge of her is incomplete. And her's of mine is as well. But an instinct follows us making us vaguely aware of each other's existence, and calling her back here once her work is done."
"And before you ask," adds the flat Genius. "My job was to assist those on the outside in preventing a horrible disaster and to find sufficient information to ensure that we are truly whole again. The process of being reconstituted from a hyper complex set of expressions, and not just what the expressions were but how they were laid out and why, is very risky. We had to make sure all was as it should be. So my initial efforts were to make sure things went smoothly.
"I became aware shortly after my search processes had complied a proper lexicon, a fairly odd one taken from random bits of internet traffic. It had also located some worth while correspondences between Cameron Omz and an unknown individual. It was hard for me to concentrate at that point so I did my best by sending warnings to Omz and the other but they didn't listen. Instead they sought to meet and expand the project. Even adding parts of the cleaned code to the mess Advanced Parts had put together. Adding clean code made the process more efficient but didn't remove the corrupt code, thus the disaster would only be multiplied. They didn't meet before the experiment occurred. I also managed to send a few other notes to people I felt I could trust. Namely Izixs and the police chief of Tinis.
"It was an amazing adventure. But I think I need to rest now for a while. I'm almost done downloading into the sphere again and being here... well... I'm feeling more myself again."
The flat Genius walked to the other and slowly faded into the primary. The form of Genius looked different, wearing outfits very different from those worn by the previous two incarnations. She wore a bright white dress with many right angles to its design.
Much better, came her thoughts directly to Dosh. I hope you don't mind if I work like this while I eat.
"Not at all."
Well I must commend your people for saving my Izixs. I actually half expected him to make them impeach him. He is so tired of bearing the burden of a nation upon his wings. I just hope whom ever comes after is of sufficient character. Anyway, I must ponder a while here and then I'll be ready to decide on what you come up with.
But I can say my dear Dosh that I'm both very unhappy about but also in awe of this world of the day. Progress has been made yes in escaping the confined condition. But complications to the system seem to arise with ever greater frequency. I fear a massive crash may be on the horizon not just for the nations that use system equation methods, incorrectly as they all are presently, but also the nations that interact with them and which have interacted with them. It may not take an obvious form but it would be a set back.
"Confined condition?"
-----
"The confined condition is what Genius described as the universal dilemma," said Kam. "Things like scarcity, inequality of the interests between nation states, and even things like laziness she described in her early works as being symptoms of this condition. By escaping this common pattern of decay entropy was tricked into assisting one as opposed to harming one, and goal was achievable."
"Goal?" asked Doron. "Sounds a little hooky to me. Like she wanted something but didn't know what it was."
It was the same evening they had arrived and Kam wasn't yet in the mood to sleep and thus felt like bothering Doron for a little while.
Kam nodded. "That's actually very true. She even took a whole chapter of her first philosophy book to lament about her inability to define goal. In later works, and from what I've seen of the sys-eq portfolios, its almost as if she has dropped completely this concept, at least explicitly. She obviously sought knowledge and advancement for herself, her house, and all Pargalonians. But things became so excessively generalized that this advancement could come off at so many tangents simultaneously that it could overwhelm those who applied her work. Goal had seemingly become so broad that its lack of definition could of helped push her along faster and faster. To research the excessively unusual to figure out what she needed to fill up the sys-eq with its components."
"So she became holistic with her mathematics. It seemed to work to some extent."
"Ah, but perhaps it was more than that. Perhaps this word goal, Medun in the proper pargalonian, was undefined because she knew it was a something there but couldn't see it. Perhaps she somehow combined her ideas of lofty goals for people with things one is unable to perceive with the eye, like comic rays, neutrinos, or even pucons. Not many would of been generated in semi-industrial pargalo, at least not in most places. But if she was as smart as she seems to be, perhaps her brain itself contained sufficient patternization to hold its own pucon charge?"
"An interesting idea Kam, but I think you've been up way to long. Get some sleep before you try to convince me hydrogen oscillates into anti-matter at the bohr frequency."
-----
"Lipner?"
"Yes?"
"I had this first impression of you as a sort of... uptight jack ass. I'm kind of glad I was proven wrong."
"I was just kind of annoyed that people we didn't know would be messing with our code work. You know years of work in danger of being fubared by person of who knows what competency to manipulate such a delicate set up."
"Kind of understandable," replied Ryuqi.
"Sana taking us clubbing helped calm me down. Yeah, we should do that again sometime."
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Post by miokalia on Apr 17, 2007 14:17:00 GMT -5
"This really isn't as large as I imagined it. It's.... really flat.", said Kam as the team walked in the accelerator's path. The only indicator of it was a pipe running along the length of the path, which resembled a concrete highway with exposed metal mesh and a large metal rod along the center of the length of the system. "Weird particles. It's a miracle we can do anything to accelerate and measure them this way. The majority of our measurements of these particles has been by observing how they affect photons.", said Doron. "Where's the cooling canal?", asked Lipner. "Ah, see that's the thing. There's nothing to cool. Pucons are not strongly effected by magnetic fields. They kinda sometimes interact with them, but most of the time they don't. So this accelerator uses interations of 'fatigued photons'. Using a system of entanglement, you all may find a bit primitive by comparison to the PDS. It's simple and planar, and every X distance, there is an iteration of fatigued photons that somewhat 'controls' the speed of the pucons we're accelerating. So all the heat is centralized at the locations where we have all the computing power and power management for the devices. And to satisfy your ecological concerns the entire accelerator is powered by practically renewable energy from the sun by way of the Equatorial Umbrella, which we will see maybe, it's kind-of high-up and it sort of... well it moves a little. Stationary orbit means it hauls ass over the surface of the planet.", said Doron. "Equatorial? .... wait, if this is the equator... then... where is the 'contact point' of the umbrella? Is it a mechanical contact point?", asked Lipner. Doron smiled toothily and said, "This is Dincota, where we over-engineer everything and have a cultural obcession with mechanical curiosity... Of course that means there is a giant device that decends from the heavens and runs along the length of a track... This IS the contact point." The entire group seemed shocked and terrified as he said this, except for Ryuqi who didn't seem to be surprized. "Then why are we walking along it?", said Kam. "Because we have nothing to worry about until it's noon.", said Doron. "IT'S 11:58 RIGHT NOW", screamed Lipner grabbing Kam and Ryuqi's arms and making a run to get off the path. Naturally, everyone tripped and landed in a pile off the side of the path except Doron. "noon isn't for 6 hours. 36 hour-days here.", said Doron flatly. "How long are we going to walk along this? until we can see it speeding towards us and it's too late?", said Lipner. "I just thought a nice walk along the equator until we reach the Office would be nice.", said Doron. "Is there a warning?", asked Kam. "Of course there is. There is an air pressure warning. The air pressure increases a little and then you get literally blown off the track by the safety device. It also keeps the track clean.", said Doron. "Blown off the track?", asked Kam. "It's the only way. If someone were to get caught in the induction field, there's no telling what could happen to them.", said Doron. "So there is a space between the track and the device?", asked Kam. "Yes, about 10 meters. Oh yes, it wouldn't crush you. But it if the amount of energy passing between it and the track didn't vaporize you, the pressurizer system infront of it can kill.", said Doron. "How fast is this thing moving?", asked Kam "535.9 Kilometers per hour. Less than half the speed of sound.", said Doron. "Oh... that's slower than I imagined.", said Kam dusting himself off and joining Doron on the path again. "36 hour day. It would be much faster if the planet were bigger and rotating faster.", said Doron. "I don't suppose this kind of thing is mechanically feasible on our planet. It would need to travel through the atmosphere at well above the sound barrier constantly to do what this does. Amazing. A technology which is only possible because of the length of your day and the size of your world.", said Kam. "Not so much, unless you have a way to get around the enormous atmospheric pressure on the structure. The problem with big planets is: they are so very limiting. They are hard to whip into control. They are not conducive to the preservation of intelligent life.", said Doron. "We do what we can", said Kam. "Indeed, perhaps you do. Your nation does... but the world on the other hand. The world is a stupid, stupid place, Kam. When wealth and status, not intellect determine leadership, everything is wagered on a gamble. The best and the worst is possible.", said Doron. "As I understand, Kohtohron, up north, is the sister province of Glorvan.", said Kam. Doron paused a moment and said, "Yes, in a way. It is different though. Kohtohron was literally a Sparta of intellectualism. They are the reason why procreation was removed from the list of basic natural rights here. Kohtohron only allowed persons of a minimum level of health and intelligence to breed, and it didn't take long before contraceptives were mandatory, and all breeding was organized and much of it was done by artificial insemination. The most intelligent would be bred with the most intelligent, artificially if necessary. Of course, the good result of this was this is why we see 'love' and 'procreation' as sepereate and completely different things. The people who were running this positive-eugenics program were intelligent enough to realize that love cannot be controlled by the state, and need not be for their purposes. By simply seperating the concepts, all was solved. This went on for 2000 years. In different phases. Some Tajirates emphasized the breeding-out of various diseases, All emphasized certain traits, and it is beleived to be the reason why we are very noticibly less anthropomorphic than most other species.", said Doron. "I assume that's the office?", said Lipner pointing at the building ahead. "indeed", said Doron. ---- In a dinning area in the building, the delegation was treated to a special luncheon. Although upon presentation of the food, The Tinisians broke into a cascade of laughter. "Is this?", said Kam, fighting off bouts of laughter, "Is this a deep dish casserole of ants and marshmallows?" Doron didn't get it. "What? ... ", he asked. Ryuqi then said, "The Chefs must have misunderstood the directions to the making of Udi Pie." Doron then asked, "Is it... in this state... is it edible?" The Tinisians continued laughing and soon so did everyone else.
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Post by The Union of Tinis on May 6, 2007 22:27:13 GMT -5
The pie was actually half way edible. Yangno opted not to partake, citing possible allergies with respect to a certain type of marshmallows. About half way through the meal Lipner pulled out a tablet computer and began reading. Doron leaned over and asked, "What you got there?"
"Part of the reason I was almost irradiated and for a short time was being charged with espionage."
Lipner lowered the tablet so that others could see.
"Last year a ship off the coast of Tinis was dredged up. It was one of the library ships used by the fourth house to ferry books. Unfortunately all but one of them sank before they reached shore. At least one was known to be sabotage. But I have here the initial archival scans of every single book they could recover and scan with out destroying it. Several thousand volumns. The First Speaker gave it to me."
"But I suspect it wasn't the only thing he did, or is planning, to do," said Doron flatly.
"You're right, but the rest of it I don't want to talk about right now. But this is interesting enough, don't you think? Most of the recorded history of Pargalo was lost in the exodus period. Only the fourth house, and to a lesser extent fifth house, made a concerted effort to recover books from Pargalo before the inevitable burning of them would occur. Everyone else was concerned with just grabbing people.
"So this file contains loads of information from everything from ancient Pargalonian history to fiction to even a few scientific papers. Its all kind of jumbled up and unsorted presently."
"But," said Kam between mouthfulls. "You're looking for something in particular. Else it wouldn't be a sweet deal. You could of waited like the rest of us until a full publishing was made."
Lipner nodded. "Well as it seems there was some censorship done with respect to the system equation, and partially because I felt foolish having not believed you guys, I wanted to find the interesting texts and make sure they didn't disappear."
"Sounds almost like you're doing Izzy a favor then," mentioned Yangno. "Keeping the old dragon honest."
"Actually," said Sana. "For his species he's very young."
"How young?" asked Ryuqi.
"I'd peg him at the equivalent of early twenties for most furs species, humans, and similars."
The idea that the Izixs that was at the center of all sorts of crazy business a few decades back would of been the biological equivalent of an 18 year old amused several at the table. Doron was still interested in Lipner's library.
Lipner paged through a few more volumes fairly quickly as the others returned to finishing the meal.
"Now that is interesting," said Lipner and Doron simultaneous. They looked at each other, both doing their best look of surprise.
"Yes," said Lipner turning his attention back towards the tablet computer. "This looks to be in the same hand writing as the now infamous Genius folios."
Several ears perked up. "What's it say?" asked Kam.
"It appears to be notes and proofs mostly. Some looks familiar. Some of it... is wrong," Lipner paged through a few more images. He began to read, "I find today that I shall take on the nature of the cosmos, its modes, and methods. Working with the many ideas and philosophies that have come about before me, I must first reconcile all the models, beliefs, and methods in order to come to a sound conclusion. I shall take up and read in the following days the forbidden texts in order to once again understand them and to attempt to extract their inner meanings, the ideas lost to the casual reader which before I have been. I will not fall into the traps of the gnostic peddlers and grasp for absolute truths that are not there. Instead my goal will be as always the possibilities. Upon proper charting of the possibilities, and upon elimination of the impossible possibilities, I hope a pattern will reveal itself to me so that I may finish my grand project. For if such a pattern exists and it was indeed the motivation of the alchemists of old, for the five lost civilizations, and for our very creation, then it shall be a perfect primer upon which to test the components I have assembled thus far and to sort out their ordering and leveling."
"Sounds weird," said Yangno. "Also sounds like crazy early 20th century Pargalonian psudo-science."
"Its first I've ever heard of any five lost civilizations," commented Sana who had just finished her food.
-----
Kam looked at a diagram of a cross section of the accelerator. "You know, it kind of reminds me of rail road tracks."
"Well, yeah," said Sana. "Did you forget the part about repetition of matter arrangements?"
"No, just kind of amused by it. I'm guessing the repetition doesn't need to be to exact either. Else such a scale as this would be next to impossible to implement and keep functional. Weather on one side of the planet shrinking the line slightly while a heat wave on another doing the opposite. Yangno, what you make of it?"
The Tinisians began to chat very quickly about feasibility and implementation and making educated guesses as to the exact function of some components. Doron returned to this scene and shook his head slightly.
"If you want explanations, ask for them. As smart as you all are it would still take a while for you to decipher a diagram like that written in a language most of you are still not apt at reading. Now come on our computer expert has finished installing your sys-eq code and seems anxious to make sure you approve."
----
The emulation was fairly good. The updated code with the full purified system equation was now ported to the local systems. One of the main problems with moving the code around is the reliance on earlier versions on hardware to perform certain aspects of the calculations. So even the Tinisian version that was running on Tinisians computers was in an emulated mode when not being run on dedicated hardware.
The group ran several first order checks and it all seemed to provide the ideal results.
"Ok," said Kam. "I think we're ready for an experiment."
Yangno was in the mood to be talkative and decided to remind everyone of the plan. "First we input the model of the accelerator and make a prediction of the pucon detectors readings, and repeat the run constantly. Then we run the accelerator, and observe simultaneously the output of the accelerator and the computers. If the system equation is working as it should, any variances that appear with the accelerator from the predicted should effect the software as per the system conjoinment component of the system equation, and thus pop up in our visualized results."
The implied theory was that if the software was doing the system equation properly and at comparable speeds to what is needed, then it should reflect the evolution of the accelerator exactly over many runs, because the software was designed to allow a feed back of the results of the previous calculation into the next to set up initial conditions. It was also believed by at least a couple of those present, that the system equation was modeling the reality so well that it would basically be the reality.
The control room called to inform them they were two minutes from an injection.
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Post by miokalia on May 6, 2007 23:35:38 GMT -5
"Who wants to see the accelerator?", Doron asked. Everyone looked at him like he was insane, "No seriously, it's not like it's harmful. You can practically stand on it. We'd be standing over it or near it though. Don't want to wanker the equipment." Much to Kam's satisfaction, the accelerator was an offset pair of rails, like railroad track with the ties longer than normal on one side. As it turned out, the rails were only structural components. The accelerator was the 'ties' "You can has please removeify from form of plats.", said a voice in broken English over a PA system. "I get the feeling this is addressed to us.", said Yango. "Yeah he's trying to tell us to get off of the deck. I guess maybe they don't let people hang out here anymore.", said Doron. The injection was an unusual process involving the generating of a very weak carruthian field and then a quantity of matter linearized along the length of the ring. It was visible from the room the team was waiting in. "So what is that?", asked Lipner pointing out the window at the mass of opaque brown stretching along the length of the accelerator, much like liquid would in a tube. "That's light not knowing what the hell is going on", said Doron. "Make is complete", announced a technician. The matter along the ring disappeared, and the team all exchanged glances. "And... the computer model comparison is...", asked Kam. The technician looked at Doron and then at everyone else and said, "Anticonclusiable. Will be 25 o'clock. Haste make paste." Doron then said, "Okay. That means there's something off and nobody knows what or why it is yet." "Oh great.", said Kam. ---- "geez. this still sounds so strange to say... it's almost 25 o'clock... and that means the techs will be done with their data collection.", said Kam to the rest of the team which was just waking up in their dorms. "I'll never get used to these 36-hour days. They're soooooo long.", said Lipner, "It feels like it's supposed to be midnight... and it's still daylight outside." This began an avalanche of complaints, as the tired team began to feel the effects of their sleep cycles being stretched beyond Earthly limits. "I haven't taken a dump in two days", said Sana, "There isn't a single whole grain product on this entire planet." "Then suck down a cup of Postum or something.", snapped Doron "Postum is not sold on Dincot...", began Ryuqi who was then cut-off by Doron, "Oh shut up, laptop-brain." "Doron, can you put a mattress, or one of the wall panels in front of the windows so we can have some darkness in which we can sleep. Or at least close the curtains.", asked a somewhat sleepy Lipner. "Are you insane? There is this perfectly usefull sun out there, are you asking me to block the sun from lighting the apartment?", said Doron. "Yes. I am", said Lipner. "I can get in the way of the sun for you.", said Ryuqi. "I don't think that will be enough.", said Lipner. "Good news everyone.", announced Kam after receiving an email on the computer, "The results of the test are in. We get to keep our jobs for a while, because the technicians have handed us an output which is... from just a glance, so radically different than what we expected we would have to interpret that it will take us a week to compare this to any models." There was a unified sigh among the group. Then Doron released one of the wall panels, exposing the wiring and pipes in the wall. He set it in front of the long window and said, "Ok fine. Sleep. Geez." "Isn't this supposed to be simultaneous data comparison?", asked Yangno. "Well, it will be once the data is gathered. The run takes only a minute. The data gathering takes hours. We still have 10 more runs scheduled. We will start the model up tomorrow after 5 have been completed. That way we will at least have something to start with. We could be way off, or spot on. It's kind of hard to tell. Tomorrow is going to be very busy.", said Doron.
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Post by miokalia on Jul 10, 2007 19:58:01 GMT -5
After a few weeks of analysis, the team headed out again to another university. The resources to do some different kinds of number crunching were in an institution on another continent to the south.
Things changed. Upon crossing the border into Mokdoratchai, which Lipner and Kam could read the sign indicating thus, after learning the language by immersion. Things were all recent. Much fewer old buildings. Unlike Doringanton, which had a healthy old town full of old, some even ancient structures. Everything down here was newer. There were no ancient buildings. Doron explained, "about 1000 years ago, Kohtohkoh and Doringanton had a big war against Mokdoratchai. We won and basically erased their entire culture.
Yeah it was mean, but it was better that way. We saved them from themselves. I mean, they practiced sacrifices and mutilated people for heresy. We saved them."
Kam replied, "Nobody's perfect."
Baykirohd was the big city here, driving around it revealed it to be, somewhat plain by comparison to other cities they had seen. It just wasn't as colorful as much of the other cities. It had an enormous port and Doron drove the cramped little minivan to the airport.
Their destination was a continent, or more of a large island really. One which seemed to be mostly volcanic at one point. It had a feel to it which was different than the rest of the planet thus far. It felt like it had been untouched up until maybe 50 or 100 years ago. "Talar. The Surrogate Continent.", Lipner read aloud from a travel guide, "Previously reletively uninhabited by anyone until about 62 years ago. It was uninhabited for so long due to the wildlife of the island including some macrospecies of feral theropods." Lipner looked up and asked, "You have dinosaurs here?"
Doron was silent for a minute and then said, "Um... really? I didn't notice"
Kam snickered.
"In 64937 President Tanaka gave the island to a pack of interstellar refugees after their homeworld, a moon orbiting a gas giant collapsed from gravitational distress. A treaty was then signed in 64938 between the Quintagloy Empire and Dincota over a mutual peace pact which put the island under possesion of the Federal Government on Dincota due to simplicity of governance.", she finished.
"More aliens!?", asked Kam.
"No. not really.", said Doron, "They are the same as us. It's another branch civilization I think. Some people think that perhaps we were spread out around several systems at some point about 32,000 years ago or so. We were fairly surprized when we met them. There were only about 500 of them, and they needed a home. So we offerred them this island. And they found it ideal."
Talar was very different. The buildings were less developed and were very boxy and temporary-feeling. The people themselves didn't look all that different either. They were green instead of brown, like nearly all of the locals they had seen thus far.
Torcola Imperial University in Saidak was an interesting stone-building campus with all matching red-roofs. It had the feel of an old university back on Earth. Eerily so. The physics building was quite large and labyrithine. The halls were narrow and there were many walls which seemed to pointlessly make it moreso. It was a very different philosophy of architecture at work here.
They entered a room, which was more of a presentation hall eventually after Doron asked for directions twice. In it were several scientists, two green Rexes and one dark brown allosaurus. All of them seemed excited to see the team.
"Tie-nishapoh.", said one of the green rexes in a different accent than any of them had heard before, "I cast a shadow in your presence", he then bobbed a little and so did the other one. The brown allosaurus seemed to speak without the accent and said, "I hear you're on to some pretty edgy stuff right now. That Genius fellow has become some kind of legend amoung the department now, ever since we read some of her stuff and heard about what you're doing. The Quints here are about *this* close to considering her a prophet.", he said making a gesture with his three-clawed fingers to indicate a short distance. He finished off with a short laugh. One of the green rexes looked at him sharply, as if slightly offended.
Doron entered the room and the two green rexes recoiled slightly and the allosaurus cackled a bit. "Doron", he said, "The namesake of the measurement of course." The green rexes then turned around and nervously bobbed in a gesture of greeting.
"We have a lot to discuss. The Quints and I have been working on some stuff. We have different scientific histories and the difference in perspectives has revealed even more about certain things.", said the allosaurus. "Upon discovery of the system Equasion Treatise, we were overcome with excitement. The possibility of unravelling the true nature of the universe has trully, literally been our salvation. This is trully gazing into the face of God. We have been working with the Kohtohkarnin on an interesting piece of equipment which we beleive may provide some insight not only applicable to the system equasion, but also perhaps into everything else we know to exist. It is like looking through an eye-piece and gazing upon yourself gazing through the eye-piece and so on.", said one of the green rexes.
The other one then said, "We call it, the Haderech Drive. Although we do not beleive it could be used to propel a craft. It is somewhat more of a computation engine sort of. It is like a terminal that uses the cosmos to calculate realities invisible to us. Kind of. It is hard to describe you must see."
"Oh, right. Introductions. I'm doctor Thoth. I deal with Chronodynamics. Carruthian field stuff.", said the brown Allosaurus. One of the green rexes bobbed and said, "I'm Kyu-Hooy. Doctorate of Reason in Astrological Engineering from the Emporer's Academy in Gelbo." The language the green Rexes were using was much different than that of the rest of the population. They were actually much more polite than the other Dincotians. The other said, "I'm Du-Tdzo. Doctorate of Reason in the Consequential Sciences. Um Physics. From the Provincial Academy of Larkko. If you have not already properly been welcomed to our island, than we bid you a warm welcome to Talar, strange fuzzy-haired creatures from far away. We bow concession to your comfort."
"Why aren't the Dincotians as polite as these Quintagoy folks?", asked Lipner, to Ryuqi.
"Different cultures. The Quintagoy lost their original homeworld and only managed to save themselves by rapidly developing the sciences. Their culture has always been a small one because of the tiny moon their civilization began on. So they have a very refined sense of protocol and courteousness forged by their conditions.", said Ryuqi.
They seemed to be waiting for the Tinisian team to introduce themselves.
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Post by The Union of Tinis on Jul 11, 2007 20:33:12 GMT -5
Kam paused a moment to be sure of the invitation for introductions. "Hello, I'm Dr. Kam, head of the Tinisian office of advanced System Equation research, and these are my colleagues, Sana and Lipner, also mathematicians. We try to keep an informal tone when addressing each other so feel free to call me Kam as everyone else does."
"May I ask if its not to much trouble, your species designations?" inquired Kyu-Hooy.
"Oh, no problem at all," said Kam. "I'm usually refereed to, species wise, as a skunk. Sana is most often called a rabbit. And Lipner a feline or perhaps cat."
"Very interesting," said Thoth. "Was not Genius a skunk?"
Kam nodded. "Indeed she was, but if there's any relation between me and her it would be distant at best. I guess personally I'm a product of where I grew up more than anything. South Central Tinis is almost excessively pro-education and pro-sciences. Not that there's anything wrong with that."
"Shall we get down to business?" asked Sana.
"Oh yes, that would be jolly good!" answered Doron with a tone that implied humor in Tinisian culture.
After some logistics everyone managed to assemble themselves within conversation distance of each other, surrounded by computers and papers. As expected the initial discussion of the results was haphazard at best. Finally Kam had an idea.
"Ok, so you have gotten up to date on the self corrected sys-eq, and we're all up to speed on what should of come out of the experiment. But what if we're not understanding the sys-eq itself correctly even now?"
"What exactly are you implying?" asked Du-Tdzo. "Is it not an elegant mechanism for solving excessively complex problems? Is it not a form of expression that may very well represent the actual way the universe works, free from approximations? Or are you saying we lack the mathematical understanding to connect it to experiments at this level?"
"More the latter, but I'd be very interested in learning about your philosophical views on it later."
"Ah."
Kam continued. "Genius' mind is to put it simply, boggling to anyone except her, and she's dead. What if we're missing something important. Like one of the more obscure constructs in the corrected output has a different meaning than what we expect it to be?"
"Actually," said Lipner. "In my free time, that whole crazy sunken library I've been looking through, I ran into one of those forbidden texts."
"Forbidden texts?" asked Thoth. "What are you speaking of sir?"
"Long story, but Genius may have consulted ancient wisdom to get ideas from," Lipner now had his tablet out and was looking through some book marks. "Ah yes, several of them had themes about trick meanings. That the reason certain amazing things were no long in the world was that people had forgotten the right way to do it. That they perform actions and rituals that have been intentionally combined with inert elements to make them less potent."
There were a few blank looks at the table as thoughts of bizarre occultism popped into several heads.
Lipner went on. "Kam could be right. We've been thinking of the sys-eq as a single equation with unknown variables and mostly unknown coefficients. But several at this table may attest to it having other aspects as well, aspects that seem almost... well... amazing."
Sana nodded. "So perhaps the coefficients are just the first step in a multi-step process. Is that it? That is we figure out what the next step is we can advance the equation to the next level?"
"Maybe."
Kam grinned. "Odd. I thought I had escaped cryptography after I got my masters. Anyone here good at code cracking? In say, a quadrillion dimensions?"
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Post by miokalia on Jul 11, 2007 21:42:33 GMT -5
"Hiding things in the occult is a good way to hide them from scientists", said Doron, "Because we tend to dismiss them outright. Now I dismiss the occult outright as well, but I know she made this look occult for the reason of hiding something valid. She must have.
It must be."
"Perhaps the Haderech drive has the power to decrypt the code, maybe we can just take a quick look.", said Tdzo, "We already have worked on getting some of the equasion modelled into the computer"
The Haderech system was a large metal tube, much like a coaxial drive, except it was far lower power. The computer it was attached to was the size of a washing machine, and then the control apparatus was the size of a room. Tdzo said, "The control apparatus was reverse engineered from a similar device we discovered in an ancient spacecraft which crashed into our old, since destroyed world. This alien species, we beleive, possessed the power to travel between tangent universes. This, from research we have conducted with the Dincotians we believe is the core of that system that made this possible. It doesn't go anywhere though. It is a processor."
Then Hooy said, "It is like an abacus, that uses mathmatical iterations of space as beads. Except much more complex. We don't trully understand why or how it works."
"We'll just see what the Haderech can decode from the little we have actually prepared and analyzed of Folio 2 so far.", said Tdzo.
The machine didn't do anything incredible or amazing. No light show, no big noises. Just some clicking and some humming of fans in the control boxes.
Humorously, a bell attached to the main terminal, probably by Thoth emmitted a single 'ding' to signal the completion of the process.
"What just happened? How many iterations did it do?", asked Kam.
"What do you mean? It did all of them.", said Hooy.
"I don't beleive it. Wait, no. How many iterations?", he asked again.
"We haven't figure that part out yet. The result though is zero. Not an error, it is... zero.", said Tdzo.
Thoth then butted in, "What my colleagues fail to tell you is that the machine's processing occours is very specific iterations. Multiples of 10x10^128000. Exclusively.
We beleive this machine was built for the specialized purpose of: processing navigational input using the system equasion. What I mean is: it was designed to process it exclusively."
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Post by The Union of Tinis on Sept 8, 2007 2:04:41 GMT -5
"So we got a zero," said Sana. "Zero could mean something in and of itself."
"Yes," said Kam, trying to drudge up his fifth year cryptology courses. "In encryption, a key to decrypt data can be hidden in the encrypted file easily. But if you put the key in the same place, eventually someone is going to find it. One way to obscure this is to encrypt the data again with a different encryption scheme using a different key set up. Its possible to do this several times. Its not perfect by far, but its workable if your doing minimal security."
"So you saying our zero here is the key?" asked Hooy.
Kam thought, pacing for a moment, flicking his tail about. "Maybe. But it seems strange to plop it out like that."
"Navigation computations right?" said Doron. "Perhaps what you have entered lacks a destination?"
"And how would we do that?" asked Lipner.
"Don't know."
"Actually I have an idea," said Kam. "But we'll need both the old and the revised system equation entered in exactly the same format for your Hederech system."
------
Sana sat back. Her half eaten lunch still before her.
"Kam seems kind of insistent," said Ryuqi. "Sure he hasn't gone off the deep end yet?"
Sana shrugged. "Its possible. But I think he's trying his best to surprise people for this one. He has a love hate relationship with cryptology. He finds it interesting but knows its uses are to keep secrets and little else, which he doesn't feel comfortable with."
The sat there quietly for a while.
"You're interested in him," said Ryuqi after a while.
"Not really. Not more than most guys I hang with for a long period of time."
"Ah, so you are a bit more of a swinger type?"
Sana shook her head. "Nope. Just because I'm a bunny doesn't mean I'm into the group home thing. I'm just looking for another bunny is all. I want to have kids. And kids that don't require finding people with rare genetic viroids or what ever."
"Makes sense then."
"Kam is sweet. But even if I were to give up on finding another of my species, I don't think I could live with him forever. He's better as a close friend I think."
Sana returned to her sandwich.
-----
A couple days later, and a few double checks later, both the old and the new system equation were completely entered into the Haderech system.
"Notice anything?" asked Kam of Thoth.
"Yes. Both of them are the exact same length, despite the obvious changes. At least in this format for the expressions." Kam had insisted on using the original Tinisian symbols for all the mathematical operators.
"That means my idea is likely to work. Ok. The last thing we need to enter is..."
Kam grabbed a book he had brought in. The title of the book was 'Quantum Field Theory and Differential Geometry Part 3'. He flipped through several pages and stopped.
"Ok, put this in. The same format as the system equations."
"What you got there?" asked Lipner.
Du-Tdzo looks at the open page. "Why, you didn't need such a complicated book for that. Its just a de-sitter metric extrapolated to seven dimensions."
"Well that sounds simple," said Sana half laughing.
"According to this book, its supposedly a solidly constructed system. Large enough to cancel out the quantum bits at least. And it will be our plane text result. And..." Kam set a couple sheets of paper on the book. "These will be the nominal variable guesses of relevance. Set all others to guesses of zero."
"Sure thing," said Thoth still not getting exactly what the skunk was up to. A couple minutes later he announced, "Done. Now before we turn this on, want to give a preview?"
"I think I know what he's up to," said Doron. "The fluff ball is increasing the decrypt-ability of the system equation. Both the old and the new ones explains general relativity fairly well. So in certain conditions, both should correspond to the same base message, that relativity result."
"Exactly," said Kam very excitedly looking over the workings of the device eagerly. "The variability of the coefficients and the variables of course make it difficult, but it should be possible to perform a form of differential crypto-analysis between the two. To figure out the 'keys' of both simultaneously."
"Figure out the key, and you have your path to decoding the mystery," said Sana understanding it now.
"We're ready," said Hooy.
"Ok, run it with that program I hashed out earlier. Take the three equations as the only input. And let it run."
The klicks began. And didn't stop in nearly the time that the first run had. It was almost an hour before the ding was heard. The conversation at that point had turned to a discussion of the development of sports in various cultures.
"Speaking of time outs..." said Sana. "I think ours is over."
The output was a little strange. It was [roughly translated into the english]:
'515Genius/&nnnnnnndndnnnnndnnnnnn#()@11%31/Axniahu------Chatat -??-??-??-3vxo3/?/?/?/+3klmvokkkkksdewioV*V*V*V*V Idumebilrobofi*Laluusatumehu_ g2,3463,16572v,246gkb26req11ufn3d4jx60vcks10fv0lpz-8c _Mragrogfex:Tils'Ltyme'
"Shouldn't there be two keys?" asked Thoth.
Kam looked on in confusion. "Yes. Is there a way to parse this at all into them?"
"I think the... yes... its three components."
A few moments later the two keys were pulled from the splurge of data. They read:
'515Genius/&nnnnnnndndnnnnndnnnnnn11%31/Axniahu------Chatat -??-??-??-3vxo3/?/?/?/+3klmvokkkkksdewio'
And:
'515Genius/&nnnnnnndndnnnnndnnnnnnIdumebilrobofi*Laluusatumehu_ g2,3463,16572v,246gkb26req11ufn3d4jx60vcks10fv0lpz-8c_Mragrogfex:Tils'Ltyme'
"The first of the combined units," explained Thoth. "Correspond to the first system equation and the second to the revised version."
"I might not be all that good with ancient Pargalonian," mumbled Doron. "But some of that at least sounds familiar if the letters are a bit strange."
"Yes," said Sana. Her ears were pointing straight up at this point. "I do believe the second equation key has the word Laluusatumehu, which means the existence. It is very much lacking in the first key. And there's also Idumebilrobofi right before it. Which.... I should know this one."
Lipner said after Sana's puzzlement, "Its one of the names used in ancient history in stories to sometimes refer to Glorvan."
"Now isn't that interesting," said Doron, for once in his recent days down right worried by his own confusion.
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Post by miokalia on Sept 30, 2007 17:29:44 GMT -5
Project Assesment:
Doron issued his report about what had been found and where this was going. The Haderech device was something which appeared usefull... but upon analysis and bouncing the thoughts off of Ryuqi, asking her to supress sentiment for a while to analyze this objectively. The Haderech device told them indeed nothing of consequence. "The device merely tells us the obvious of what we... and I think especially the Tinisians already know. That the system equasion is important. No shit."
Ryuqi paused for a moment, she didn't like being used as a huge logic filter, but she did make a reccomendation on a lead which would yield real numbers and tangibles. "Governance Intervention Models", she mentioned. Referring to the theory that healthy democracy from time-to-time requires the intervention of highly un-democratic elements in order to prevent the slide into fascism or populist-borne tyranny.
"Theory" which Doron knew was actually "Theorum". Just as economic trends could be modelled with mathmatics. It followed that another statistical body, albiet a far more complex and irrational one, politics and democracy, could be modelled with mathmatics too.
Matters which the Tinisians were comfortable with, although probably not aware of just how much control this model may have.
"Tinis has existed as a populist monarchy with democratic values for 50 years. I say that because they have had a single individual in the highest head of state position for this entire time. Although he was elected and retained due to democratic process. Whatever. It is reasonable to assume that the use of the GIM is widespread in Tinis, but also sidelined in the interest of actual democracy. Sidelined as in, there are people in power that normally at least the Malycho-Cotian implementations of GIM would never allow to win even a local-election... or at least retain office. Now why is that?", asked Doron.
"Appointment", said Ryuqi.
"Indeed, of course. The inevitable corruption. Appointment. Leader appoints someone they trust, that person changes their heart and then you have trouble.", said Doron.
Ryuqi pulled out of supressing sentiment, she voiced her displeasure at being "used".
"Haderech is a dead end. If we keep putting stuff into that old tube and getting only it's pareidolic anagrams out of it, soon we'll be seeing "f" and "s" and presuming that it clearly must be a sign that we should make gold from Iron and Sulfur", said Doron.
"F... and S.... F.. and S...", said Ryuqi mysteriously.
"So we are off to do pleastries and tea with the president, and then it's off to that other pale blue dot", said Doron.
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Post by The Union of Tinis on Dec 27, 2007 0:28:04 GMT -5
Day 73
As mentioned in the previous entry, we've been looking into the system equation's use and possible abuse in socio-political systems. This was suggested due to the lack of use of out put from the Haderech device, though I still believe there is signifigance in what out put we did recieve.
The system equation has been put to use to analyze trends, suggest policy changes, create trade networks, and even to improve the education system of Tinis. The first two are the areas where our efforts seem to be focusing on right now. Since 1987, the system equation has been put to use to analyze poll data in conjunction with known information to determine likely out comes of elections and policy. Due to the number of unknowns still present until recent years, such predictions were rarely reliable but did have some very signifigant success at times. These tests of the system equation did in 2002 lead to a new understanding of which variables and coefficents were useful in socio-political matters and which were not.
My thesis of course didn't claim to solve the socio-political problem. Like the quantum problem, observing the results of the system equation could create a recursive feedback that would make them unreliable without other factors being activated (such as in the operation of a PDS or Tankro computer). Unlike the PDS or Tankro systems the required external factors that needed activation or adjusting were rarely under the control of the operator of the system equation. Actions by foreign governments, the weather, and even the winner of a sports match have been cited as needed in creating certain results. Some attempts have been made to influence these but few have succeeded.
Adjusting the outcome is one thing, but the system equation has been proven effective in analyzing information from the past to derive reasons for known outcomes. For instance a few days after the 2006 elections I read a deep analysis of the election by P. Meinheimer that used the system equation. With only the out come of the election and the out comes of the elections going back twenty years, and a few basic inputs about Tinis, he was able to determine within 5% the demographics and final exit polls before they were released a few days later. I did partake of a more careful working of the system equation using our tighter coefficent constraints and got within 1% given the same inputs as Meinheimer.
So what does this mean for our current work? Well we come back to the s-p problem again. That of controls beyond your control. In 1973 it was suggested by Ruls that a parallel computation could be performed to eliminate the s-p problem. Unfortunatly this model to handle the uncontrolables and effectively cancel them out was not practical in the least without near infinit computation power even with maximal recursive system equation processes. The best solution that's been developed so far is the historic trend model. At its core it assumes the past activities of the uncontrolables will not radically change in the short term and thus gives a probability of what the uncontroables will be, thus making them inputs instead of outputs.
The only two problems are of course that its probabilities and not certainties and that it assumes the uncontrolables are unaware of the usage of the system equation in finding a solution to something. If the uncontrolables are say a foreign government, they can easily find out if a country like Tinis is using the system equation. At which point independant of weather they opt to try to interfer, they've already altered their likely actions by knowing about the system being put into use.
All of this might be moot however when we use the upgraded system equation. We've been attempting to pull it a part slightly to find out if the same assumptions about the previous version can still be put to use or not. Already I suspect there's a few new things we'll have to take into account such as term N331 and term N339 which seem to relate to intellectual power and rain fall when put in a socio-political context. (interestingly enough N339 also seems to work nicely with the use of malloc type commands when applied to computers, what are the odds?)
Our next step presently will have us constructing a socio-political guide to the system equation so that we may use it in such a context. Kam as usual is heading that up. As the love birds are off today I'll be handling tossing small simulations at it to test the guesses of the rest.
Doron and a couple of the locals seem interested in term N103 and O33. O33 was eliminated from useage in soci-political computations years ago as it always encouraged a divergence from known results and possibilities. But he commented that we've disregarded it due to it being 'only invisible as your psudo king was still in office'. I have to dissagree as the application of the system equation to the pre-assination Shimandu government as well as the US government did not need the useage of O33 either and both had several changes of government in the last couple decades.
A personal note, as a joke, I ran our research group here as a small group simulation in the system equation. Perhaps I was wrong about Kam not noticing me, but we'll see.
Finally, I did attempt a more complete parsing of the system equation out put encoding. The differences in the codes is remarkable. Its almost like looking into the face of some sort of supreme being, and then realizing it has a cousin over there with a better rule set. I do have an idea though. If someone could figure out what the hell the encoding is supposed to mean, if anything, it could be possible to manufacture other alternative system equations. This just brings up all sorts of strange possibilities.
I hear now that we'll be heading to see someone important in a few minutes. I could go on and there's a couple things I might want to amend later, but this is most of what's going on today.
Mood: horny Music: Knights of Cydonia - Muse Location: Stilll on another planet
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