sirenspull | [Voice]

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?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

So it requires the strenuous work of at least one other person, to ferry another from place to place?

At least two people.

Forgive me, but isn't that sort of a...waste of effort? Unless the person traveling is an invalid?

Subway cars, for instance, have one conductor to transport hundreds at once.

And how many to build that subway car? Or dig the tunnels it goes through? How much metal and other materials?

And what if something goes wrong? Carriers... well, I can't say they won't try to kill you, but if they do, you can usually find out why.

In the long run, it certainly still sounds more efficient? Less twisted ankles, and back injuries? Faster, by far, unless palanquin carriers have super-speed.

[Pause.]

I guess that is true...

Still. I think I prefer that to what is happening now -- technology all going crazy and no one knows why.

Someone's testing the limits of their control, I suspect. Some of the effects seem rather childish- like the toy incidents, from last week.

Great. So one person tinkers with things and everything stops working? Really efficient, there.

Well, ideally, people with powers should use them responsibly...

We can agree on that. Unfortunately, they don't always do that. In fact, they often don't. And don't care who they hurt in the process.

[Getting lectured by a teenager? So happening.]

This city doesn't particularly prioritize citizen ethics.

I imagine that if someone's in power, it's very tempting to abuse it.

It can be, certainly.

But temperance can also be taught, if it's held as a social value.

How do you teach the people in power, as someone who's not?

Cleverly.

You say that like it's easy.

It's not.

Sometimes, it demands that you resign yourself to living a life of very private satisfaction, in what little you are capable of directly affecting.

Of course.

You've done this before?

Have I taught people how to manage their powers in a way that minimizes harm, you mean?

Yes. I'd like to think so?

How?

[Asking all the questions all the time.]

Sometimes, you let people take a large risk and trip, without being there to catch them. Even powerful people can take a hard fall.

In other circumstances, its easier to let them think they're working for something within their own self-interests, when it is in fact yours.

Or you can be honest. Sometimes powerful people simply aren't expecting frankness. But you need to find meeting ground where their powers don't hold so much weight. Or you must decide that you have little left to lose.

[That spurs a sudden outburst.]

This is all so frustrating! We small people must either sacrifice a lot or let the bigger people walk all over us! I hate this!

A concept that doesn't change much throughout the ages, it seems.

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