[Voice]

[gaveherwings]

In the light of current events, as well as an increasing awareness of our dependency on electronic assistance, it begs the question...

Humankind really is over-reliant on our own technological advancements, aren't we?

My own city of Romdeau fell in part because of the Cogito Virus, which gave rise to the revolt of artificial intelligence. We could not function in our day-to-day lives without entourage and other service autoreivs handling menial operative tasks within the dome. People went mad, lost sheep- it was really quite humbling, how easy crippled we were. How childlike and helpless. Myself included. This world has changed me even in the simplest ways.

Three years ago, prior to my arrival, I'd never really done any cooking for myself, or cleaning for instance, or... so many things. Blackouts would render even the modern day hospital effectively paralyzed, if not for our backup generators.

(This is an awfully ironic conversation to be opening over NV, isn't it?)

All the same, my curiosity is piqued-

Some of you are from ages before the development of computers, androids, networks, lights, motorized vehicles, electronic devices and appliances, digital media, etc, etc...

I'd really like to know- what was it like? How did you live? What was the adaptations necessary, living "hands on", and without tools? Reliant on only face to face communications.

How is it for you now? Improved? Or do you feel as we're all inadept and talentless by comparison, as drone-like as the binary accessories which support us?

Comments

[cursedarrows]

[To be honest, the question surprises him. Ashitaka likely comes from one of the eras with the least amount of technology, where large forges and rifles are new, strange, and turning the tide of power.]

I'm not sure what you mean, to be honest. "What was it like?" It was . . . simply the way, and the only way.

Much, I would imagine, as it is for people and their technologies here.

[This doctor speaks as though it were some bizarre culture, and yet . . . quite simply, it was life.]

[gaveherwings]

Yes, but...was it a significantly more difficult way? Heavy labor and hand-processing resources, with no time for intellectual pursuits in day to day struggle for survival?

[tea_lover64]

Hello Dr. Daedalus. In my world we would utilize messenger hawks to give messages back and forth at times. Though meetings were always in person. It had a much more personal feel to it. People helped one another, and neighbours were far more friendly, by necessity I would say.

[He strokes his beard]

There are things I enjoy certainly, it is nice to be able to talk with and communicate with people in such a wide way, and to be able to see them as well as hear them. I would not say inadapt and talentless, simply different skillsets necessary for different times. I think ideally you should be able to utilize technology, yet without being dependent upon it.

[gaveherwings]

Iroh, if I'm not mistaken, yes? A pleasure.

I've gone quite some time now, without Deleuze and Guattari to carry the brunt of my work. We have hospital orderlies, things like that. Far less is automated here.

And there's far more room for interaction, you're absolutely right. In Romdeau, given the delicate state of our containment, that may have even been intentional, to minimize the potential for human conflicts.

...So you used birds to carry messages? How were they trained to do that, to know where to deliver?

voice

[istheatmosphere]

I was a scientist from a foreign star system. I came to live on Earth's moon as part of a team assigned to observe it, and we noticed the same thing about the humans we saw there.

They were focusing on technology to the detriment of their environment. [Disappointed;] It has been almost 40 years since I died, and it appears the problem has only gotten worse.

Voice

[gaveherwings]

...to the detriment of their environment, as well as themselves?

There are very sparing details available, about how the global cataclysm of the Creators' age happened. I should like to think that it wasn't their fault, but based on what I've heard ecological experts say here, it's entirely likely.

How did society function, where you hailed from?

voice;

[motioned]

Well, I mean, it's not like we knew we were missing anything if it hadn't been invented yet.

I don't think anyone here is talentless, though! I mean, the fact that people have made this kind of stuff is a really special talent in itself. And there are parts about being here that are really convenient, too, when it's not acting all weird like it was.

voice;

[gaveherwings]

Yes, I suppose that's a very good point! [an uneasy laugh]

The capacity for creation and innovation is the strength of humanity. I hate to see the end product do more harm than good in the long run, though.

text

[psychopath]

Well, we did still have servants. Human ones.

text

[gaveherwings]

Yes. That practice continues to the present day, if I'm not mistaken.

voice

[rewritter]

I got by fine. And I wouldn't say this technology is an improvement at all.

voice

[gaveherwings]

Well, certainly not this week, with the way things have been running.

Most of the time, contemporary conveniences are...convenient.

Voice

[runebladeknight]

We had most of these things back home, though not necessarily widespread across the world. The communications here are certainly much more efficient, however.

Voice

[gaveherwings]

As far as I've been made aware, Siren's Port is not necessarily a fair representation of what is available around the rest of this world either.

What is typically used where you are from?

[jokesonthem]

[He does have some feelings on how frustrating all of these Modern New Things are, but first--]

I'm sorry, did you say people went mad without--servants?

[gaveherwings]

Without autoreivs. Automated servants, ah- 'robots', that is.

[voice]

[12second_orz]

[Oh, you're fun when you're in one of these moods, Doctor. Tonegawa adopts a loose, conversational tone, as if warming up his thoughts.] I can't say that I'm particularly in the thrall of technology. The year I was taken from was hardly medieval in quite the way you're implying, but the thought of becoming reliant on machines when there are countless numbers of people in the world to fill the same roles is frankly bizarre to me.

[voice]

[gaveherwings]

Ah, see, yes "when there are countless numbers of people in the world to fill the same roles-"

But in a society of Malthusian checks? A steady and small population? The number of resource-consuming people needed to fill the roles of autoreivs would have meant a lower quality of life for all- a thinner spread of resources, food, oxygen production, individual living space...

[czes]

You kids and your technology.

The big difference, aside from the general dental hygiene and the constant fires from lamps getting knocked into curtains and sexism and child labor and slavery and rats everywhere... people just died a lot more, and younger.

Oh, and only rich people were fat.

[gaveherwings]

Well, perhaps if they took a moment to reconsider their protein portioning and how many foods went in the frier, people wouldn't be.

So mortality rates and life expectancy have risen, even discounting the small number of complete cheaters, like you?

I've heard the latter three exist to some degree in this very city, though swept rather carefully from sight.

[bloodyantivan]

That is indeed a strange question. [A pause as he considers his answer.] I lived much as I do now, though usually with more murder and less riding the subway.

[gaveherwings]

That must have been something, considering the homicide rates here.

[fluffybeard]

... I feel as if you may be being a little bit over-dramatic. But that might be because I've yet to become one with all this uh... fabulous technology.

[He grins.]

Though I must say the plumbing here is far superior to that of Thedas's and I don't think that you should regress past it.

[gaveherwings]

...says the man practically weeping into his drink not two days ago? Over-dramatic?

Plumbing? You admire the plumbing. See, that's very interesting. Most are quick to comment on how their buildings don't keep a large enough storage tank of clean water for the Darkness hours, and worry about contamination.

[video] ... this got long orz.

[revengeisalie]

[WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT WAT WAT WAT]

Artificial intelligence? Auto... reivs? [She has difficulty pronouncing this.]

Prior to your arrival... you mean you've been here for three years? [Clearly shocked. Yep, that is some thorough shock.]

I only just got here, but all these things you talked about... I have very little idea what they even are. So far, I have seen electrical lights and my magical notebook. Though I've seen others, in passing, hold small, shiny objects with which they talked. It's all so strange to me! How do these things even work? You say it's technology, but it might as well be magic! My question is, how do you live with all these things? They just make everything more confusing, I think. Where I'm from, you walk whereever you want to go or you take a palanquin. Maybe a horse. You talk from face to face or send a letter. You make things with your own hands or buy them from someone who's made them with their hands. Simple.

[Realizes she's been going on and on.]

... I'm sorry. I'm just very confused.

[video]

[gaveherwings]

That's alright. Newcomers are bound to be confused by what we find here. Since no one else seems very willing to help us adapt, we have to lean on one another.

Magic, for instance, is almost entirely new to me. And abundant here.

Most of these things- lights, NetVices, microwaves, cars? Operate on electrical power. We still send letters, electronically, and the arrival time is practically instantaneous, rather than going through all the trouble of passing handwritten notes.

Autoreivs....are computerized, mechanical, programmable and customizable servants, non-human nor organic nor sentient (well- not up until Cogito, arguably), for a simplified explanation.

It will be three years next May. It will be my third birthday here, in a week.

[mediumdrip]

I don't know if I can answer this for you, my generation is the first use texting as their main mode of communication after all.

[By this reply, it might be pretty clear that Blaine isn't sure he has anything to add to the conversation, he just wants to talk to Daedalus to check up on how he is.]

[gaveherwings]

Does that development cause friction between yours and the generation that came before?

[Oh, oh Blaine you silly, lets not talk about my personal life!]

voice; private||very difficult to hack

[discretion]

You're a terrible anthropologist, dear. [There's a definite amused fondness.]


[OOC: oops hitting this three times.]

voice; private||very difficult to hack

[gaveherwings]

A good thing I'm in medicine, then.