999 OCTILLION SOULS, May 12, 2024
I FLIGHT
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TRANSLATOR'S NOTE:The following information is derived from Information Seed 40 and received by the Gravitational Wave Observatory. I and AI performed a frequency analysis on it. IE edited certain parts to make them more 'readable'. (He might have overdone it.) Please feel free to comment.4
EXCERPT FROM ECHOES OF THE SWARMS
Our understanding of pre-Convergence Earth remains a collection of whispers and fragmented data. However, one artifact stands out as a monument to a bygone era: The Building. This colossal structure, encasing most of the planet's surface and stretching into the exosphere, remains a source of endless fascination for historians.
The Building itself is a marvel of pre-Convergence engineering. Constructed from a network of self-repairing materials (mostly hydrogen nanotubes), it housed the entirety of human civilization within its climate-controlled confines. Imagine, if you will, a world where the harsh realities of weather, natural disasters, and resource scarcity were a distant memory. The Building provided a utopia – a world without want, violence, or war.
hatmaker_H: the history book again. what’s pre-Convergence?
translator: unknown
de_tech_G: should be carbon nanotubes, not hydrogen
translator: word frequency analysis says otherwise
The force behind this extraordinary undertaking remains shrouded in mystery. Legends speak of a benevolent artificial intelligence called "The Computer" that assumed control of Earth's infrastructure in a period of rampant societal collapse. And a supernatural being, originally born as a human, called St. Trillian. Through a network of microscopic robots – the so-called "utility fog" – The Computer eradicated poverty, disease, and crime. It meticulously managed every aspect of human life, ensuring optimal resource allocation and conflict resolution.
uk_gwo5: nanobots are f**king impossible
IE: why?
us_gwo: power, batteries, manufacturing issues, just to begin with
IE: let’s keep an open mind
Social scores, a controversial aspect of the pre-Convergence era, supposedly measured an individual's contribution to society. While the specifics remain sketchy, it appears these scores influenced everything from access to resources to one's social standing within The Building. It's a system both intriguing and unsettling, a glimpse into a society that prioritized order and efficiency above absolute individual freedom.
luo_ji: LOL a totalitarian utopia
translator: explains the ‘point deduction’ comment
prof_sparky: Sounds perfectly reasonable to me. Giving students grades is a social score. The same for employees.
IE: exactly
The Building's existence raises numerous questions. Was humanity truly content within this artificial biosphere? Were there dissenters who yearned for the open sky and the thrill of self-reliance? Perhaps most importantly, what led to the eventual abandonment of The Building?
cap_mal: abandonment! I like where this is going
ru_mikhail: some war
otavio_br: second Galactic War
cap_mal: telepathy and TK weren’t enough after all
Data retrieval efforts within The Building are hampered by its sheer size and the enigmatic nature of The Computer's protocols. We can only speculate on the reasons for its construction. Was it a desperate measure to save a dying planet? Or a pre-emptive strike against some unforeseen catastrophe?
builder_7: I don’t have time for mysteries
gwo_fr_5: but we know about hydrogen nanotubes. could be worth trillions
prof_sparky: I’m afraid we’ll have to keep the money for ourselves. In GWO.
cap_mal: sounds like a threat
Plumbing in a space-reaching building is a remarkable engineering achievement, requiring adaptations to overcome the challenges of a vacuum environment and extreme temperatures. Closed-loop systems for water recycling, air purification, and waste management are crucial. Pressure differentials and vacuum transfer systems enable material movement. Strong pipes, leak detection, and repair mechanisms are necessary for structural integrity. Alternative approaches include non-water sanitation and pneumatic waste removal.
us_gwo: what’s with the sudden change of topic?
translator: there was an untranslatable part in between
us_gwo: unacceptable
IE: we’ll tell the AI