3D Offices

[Corellion]

This has a very specific solution... and it is one of the main landmarks. People won't know where it is, but they will know of it. This is something that could easily be detected from orbit.

[Corellion]

Newsflash:

Population Boom in Capital.

On 211X.589, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Cybernetic Consciousness began receiving a number of odd radio signals. Initially, it was believed that a sensor glitch, or other technical anomaly had caused the event, however a quick diagnosis revealed that no system failures were present. It was soon determined that the readings were in fact coming from another human faction. Simulations as to the possible identity, composition, and intentions of the faction were immediately commenced, and initial findings suggested that, regardless of the faction, this encounter was unlikely to produce hostilities, given the likely composition of a scouting party. A team of diplomatic functions, military functions, and foreign affairs functions were immediately assembled and dispatched to meet with the incoming humans.

After several days of travel over rocky terrain and fungus, the team finally caught sight of the other faction. Initially, it was suspected that our simulations were erroneous, as the other party was approaching at high speeds in what appeared to be a number of unity rovers. Positions were taken in expectance of a military conflict. As the rovers approached nearer, however, something unexpected, even in our detailed simulations, occurred. The rovers were filled entirely with children. Our functions revealed themselves, and the rovers came to a halt. Upon closer examination, the identity of the other humans was apparent. The rovers were of low-grade steel, and appeared to have many spelling mistakes in the labels... these were Hiverian children.

The children disembarked from their rovers, armed with nervestapellers. The military functions immediately aimed their weapons preparing to fire. At that point, however, the children laid down their nervestapellers, and pleaded for asylum within the Cybernetic Consciousness. Questioning revealed that the children had been sent out from the Hive with the intention of nervestapelling other factions, thus severely damaging their command and control structures. During the journey, however, the children had turned on their oppressive escorts and nervestapelled them into servitude. They then completed their journey into Consciousness territory. Questioning of the adults revealed little useful information... they either were kept uninformed, or else the nervestapellind had destroyed what knowledge they had.

The children, and the few adults, were granted asylum and were allowed to receive implants, allowing them into the Consciousness. The children are young, however within a few years they will be able to become fully functioning members of the Cybernetic Consciousness. Samples of their DNA have been taken, and submitted to Function TK-Gamma for use in his Japanisation experiments.

[Method]

Samples of their DNA have been taken, and submitted to Function TK-Gamma for use in his experiments.

should rather be

Samples of their DNA have been taken, and submitted to Function TK-Gamma for use in his Japanisation experiments.

[Corellion]

Changed. I didn't know how much information we should reveal to the "other factions".

[Corellion]

A CyCon Poem for our great CMN...

[ahem]

10100001001100011010001110101001110101001000111001 01011100111111100111111100111011100010000100000011 10111001010011000010000101011010001110010101010011 01011101011111001100111001000000001100111011100101 00110000000111000100111111100111101000100000100000 01010001000000011111010101011110011001010011101010 01100011011100011001100001000010101001111011001101 10100110011100101110010100000100001010100111010100 11110011010000010000000110111101010011100110111100 11001011011001100000001100111001011001001110001001 00010100101100110100000100001010000100000000111000 10111100010010010010011100010111000000011111010010 01111001010101001001001001110001011100000001110100 001001000101101000011110

Thank you.

[Googlie]

Hmmm - my link to the encrypt/decrypt page ( http://peck.cs.uga.edu/~lamothe/encryptor2.html ) is giving me the dreaded 404 message, so the poem is currently lying unappreciated in my in-tray (on top of a cloud?) right now.

GGLIE

[Drogue]

Try http://www.cs.uga.edu/~lamothe/encryptor2.html instead. That works for me

I agree too

[Cedayon]

Oh, sorry, I forgot to mention that my peck account was going down after the may term, that's why I gave the other link as well.

[Googlie]

Originally posted by Corellion
A CyCon Poem for our great CMN...

00011110000011110000110100011110100011011110000000 00001101001101010011001010101001000111001010011001 01001101111111100100011100100000100001010100110100 10010000010000100010111001010010101110011011010011 11101001100001000011011001101111001010101101000011 01010000100001100000111100100111100100111010100111 101010101101000

Image removed - see my reply here

[Maniac]

Nice. You know, with Rynn among us, I fail to see the need for our Japanization experiments.
Btw, you weren't banned because of her, were you??

[Googlie]

Originally posted by Maniac
Nice. You know, with Rynn among us, I fail to see the need for our Japanization experiments.
Btw, you weren't banned because of her, were you??

No - it was an innocent photo upload (of RedFred and me) 'cos I couldn't find a way to attach it to a post in the 30 page pics thread (which contains 100 or so photos of other 'Poly members- presumably all banned???????)

I have removed all my uploads and will boycott this feature of the 'Poly board

Harrrrummmmph

G.

[Corellion]

Originally posted by Googlie


00011110000011110000110100011110100011011110000000 00001101001101010011001010101001000111001010011001 01001101111111100100011100100000100001010100110100 10010000010000100010111001010010101110011011010011 11101001100001000011011001101111001010101101000011 01010000100001100000111100100111100100111010100111 101010101101000

Indeed!

[Googlie]

Originally posted by Googlie

Image removed

Course I can always direct your attention here


G.

[Whaleboy]

So you convert a message to ciphertext, then to binary?

I can try to find a more simple and secure method ...I'll let you know if and when i succeed.

[Cedayon]

I don't convert to ciphertext, I just convert to binary and do a few semi-clever twiddles of the binary to make it nastily difficult to decode without the program.

The algorithm could easily be made more simple and secure... shift the letters a bit on the ascii table, take the binary encoding, XOR it with some suitable key, done...

I was just having a bit of fun, it's not a particularly serious attempt at encryption. We don't really use the code on the main forum anymore, they were complaining it was too hard to break

[Maniac]

It's time we publish our next 3D...

Corellion:

Unless I missed something, we already have three articles from you for a next 3D issue: "the virus", "where's Santiago" and "population boom".

About the virus article, for some reason I found it funnier when I saw "/entertainment/20thcentury/humour/MPflyingcircus/" instead of simply "MPFlyingCircus" in your edited version. Could that be changed again?

Also in the Santiago article, perhaps the end goal of the game should be explained better, how exactly Santiago can be found? Perhaps you should say that every issue she will be on a different tile. It would be the DOSC agent's task to PM the coordinates of that tile to the CISCO. However, if the tile in question is terraformed, the agent should also PM the terrain improvement Santiago is residing. Or if she's in a base, the base facility she's currently in. How does that sound?

Btw, I was thinking it would be more fun if we also included a picture showing Santiago (or some other item she recently used or person she was last seen with) with on the background the scene where she was last seen. I don't know how to do that though. The irregular shape of Santiago should be somehow cut out of her diplomatic pic in sparta.pcx (or whatever their faction files are called). Does anyone with more graphic experience know how?

Cedayon:

I can no longer see that picture you attached where a cat was aiming a gun. Could you please reattach it? Unless of course we're gonna use something else for the "caption the picture"?

TKG:

I can no longer see the 3D icon pictures you posted earlier either. Do you still have them? Could you please reattach them then? Today I've reread the first 3D issue, and two pictures (the first and the last, your 3D icons) were missing.

***

On a general note, should we include an article dealing with the new July government, even now we can't find enough active people to fill the government?

I've also written an article that could be used for the philosophical section. It's mainly reusing text I had already written for the debate I had with Drogue concerning the nature of cyborgs. My plan is to write another article for the next 3D issue, saying that an Artificial Intelligence has been born, making emotions less useful than our implants (for the details, reread my post from a while back). The 3D issue after that would deal with Unimatrix 001 members rioting in Pi Square, resisting the government attempts to suppress their emotions. Does that sound well? In any case, here's the article I'm proposing for the next 3D:

The Philosophical Section - By Mani Alpha-3

As the Consciousness’ 3D information service strives to approach the laudable ideal of objectivity and neutrality as close as possible, we would like to share with you the opinion of the other side in the emotions debate. Below is an extract of Mani Alpha-3's recently published work entitled "Essays on Emotion”:

Lately there have been many debates on the nature of emotions, and whether we Cyborgs should have them. To understand the discussion about emotions, it is useful for outsiders to first give a summary of the nature of our cybernetic implants.

When a fullhuman chooses to become member of the Consciousness, he or she receives a series of implants. Naturally those cybernetic implants are not self-aware, and will probably stay that way, unless in some far future we should discover the appropriate technology to make them self-aware. Also, unlike the popular misconception among fullhumans, we are not controlled by those algorithms. As they are non-sentient, that would make us mindless drones. Those who do claim that we are mindless robots are simply opinion leaders in other factions who wish to prevent all humans to flock to our glorious faction. We are still conscious individuals, and have near-full control over our algorithms. We can choose to use them or not to use them, just as we could choose to or not to switch off a 21th century computer. They simply increase our logical and analytical abilities using advanced software programs, just like those Old Earth computers. They also allow us to communicate with each other, by transmitting casual electromagnetic beams, which are decoded by our algorithms and directly fed to our consciousness.

Currently our algorithms suppress our emotions. This is done by sending electrical impulses and chemical signals to certain areas of the brain responsible for emotions, such as the limbic system and the hypothalamus. The reason for doing so at the dawn of our faction was because it was assumed emotions were per definition illogical, and it would be better to let the physiological processes normally taken care of by emotions be regulated by the rational algorithms. However I fail to see the use of letting our implants instead of our emotions control those physiological processes. I mean, as Prime Function Drogue Beta-8 argued well in the past, emotions are instinctive and autonomous reactions we don’t think consciously about the moment they happen, as our consciousness is too slow to react rationally on certain situations. However, after fifteen years of experience with our cybernetic implants, I fail to see how that has changed now we have implants. Before our implants can become self-conscious due to further technological progress and could take over some of the brain's duties - if we would want that - our consciousness and our center of reason and action still resides completely in our “slow” brains. So even though our implants can process huge amounts of data for us, our reaction speed on that data doesn’t improve much.

In other words, since our algorithms don’t have a consciousness, and our consciousness is still as slow as that of fullhumans, we wouldn’t be able to react as fast to surprising circumstances as emotions can, if all the physiological processes previously regulated by emotions would now have to be done consciously. The solution to that, as implemented fifteen years ago, is pre-programming our algorithms to react on certain situations in certain ways, without us having to take conscious decisions. But then I ask: how is this any different from emotions? Those pre-programmed algorithms are also a sort of “instinctive and autonomous reactions we don’t think consciously about the moment they happen”. The conclusion I reach is we haven’t gained anything by replacing emotions by algorithmic responses.

Therefore I would like to suggest we start an experiment. Let's call it "Unimatrix 001". It would involve asking a large group of volunteers to order their implants to no longer suppress their emotions electrically and chemically. A research team would observe the results of that change and report to the Science Function. He would then, after deliberating with the other High Council members, decide if the experiment should be generalized to the entire Cybernetic population, to further increase the productivity and efficiency of the Cybernetic Consciousness.

[Drogue]

3D Issue 2 will be published tomorrow, in less than 24 hours. Sorry about the delay, it hasn't been done much because of exams the past few weeks. Thank you for the articles, they will all be included.

I would write something about the nominations, but that would be about it. I have a question. TKG has written a small article on meeting the Pirates:

Early this morning, at approximately 05.00 Cyberntic Standard Time, routine scout partols plucked a strange, confused man from the treacherous waters off the coast of Pi Square, a base in the northwest corner of Cybernetic territory. Authorities were startled to discover that this man bore no cybernetic implants, and thus was not a member of our faction. His confusion seemed perhaps to stem from his obvious intoxication from alcohol, which he appeared to have consumed in abundance.
Identification tags the man was found to be carrying distinguished him as Ivan the Fearsome, of the PMS vessel Montezuma's Revenge of Tripoli, later spotted by Cybernetic Ocean Patrols some two kilometers off the Cybernetic coast. As for Ivan himself, a decision has not yet been made as of a course of action. "Put him in the back of the paddy-wagon!" one patrolman suggested. "Shave his belly with a rusty razor!" another shouted. A consensus has still not been reached as of yet, simply because nobody knows what to do with a drunken sailor, ear-lie in the morning.

Does this give too much away? Do we mind if others think we've met them. I will do a newsflash soon about meeting an AI faction, just to confuse others, soon. If we say we've met the believers, and so have another faction, they'll think we're near them

Anything else to go in, please write before tomorrow night GMT.

[Maniac]

3D Issue 2 will be published tomorrow, in less than 24 hours.

A bit in contradiction with my previous post but: That soon, in less than 24 hours? Shouldn't we first wait on the answers on my questions to Corellion, Cedayon and TKG?

I would write something about the nominations, but that would be about it.

So you mean the article should not yet the final government? Do you want it to be saved for a next issue, together with the titles we will have voted for?

And to be frank, I doubt it's smart to give away we've met another faction.

[Corellion]

I agree with Maniac; let's keep the info to ourselves for now. If the pirates tell anybody, we can then release an article such as this.

And curse you TKG! I was planning on putting out that joke later . But I think we should save the "drunken sailor" jokes in case we end up invading PEACE bases. We can then address the question directly to the pirates themselves ("What should we do with a drunken sailor? The only information we've retrieved from our databanks is to put him in bed with the captain's daughter").

BTW, which verse is that from? The version I've heard only has Wey-ho and up she rises, shave his belly with a rusty razor, put him in a longboat until he's sober, and put him in bed with the captain's daughter?

Maniac: I shall change it immediately.

Maniac again: Those are all very good suggestions. At this early point, however, the locations must be very general, as almost nobody knows any tiles in common (although the pirates and us share a few). I have virtually no skills in graphic artistry, so I cannot do this, but if anybody else were willing to volunteer some effort...

[Drogue]

Maniac: Ok, I can wait, I thought you were aching for it to be published

Corellion: That passage was written by TKG. It we he who stole your joke

I agree with not saying we've met them too. TKG's article will be saved for the time being.

[Method]

er, about those images, they're gone. sorry

[Corellion]

What are you talking about Drogue? It says TKG, and always did.

[Maniac]

er, about those images, they're gone. sorry

Do you still know how you found them? Perhaps we can re-search them.

[Method]

i put in 'binary' in images.google.ca

then added the text with paintshop pro.

[Drogue]

Originally posted by Corellion
What are you talking about Drogue? It says TKG, and always did.

And I'm sure if we ever declare war on PEACE, we will not need to declare war, as we will already be at war, and will have always been. Indeed, nothing ever changes, and anything that says differently, is propaganda from the enemies of the Collective.

It appears someone has discovered my evil plan for personal domination as an all seeing ever present supreme being the great literature of Earth's 20th Century

[Corellion]

Personal domination? Do you have multiple personalities, or are you being possessed by (or are possessing) another entity?

[Drogue]

No. Personal domination, ie one person controling everything, like Big Brother in 1984.

[Corellion]

Ah. Sorry, I misinterpretted "personal domination" as domination over oneself.

[Drogue]

Ahh, that explains it then.

[Maniac]

Ok, so what images did we use again, and what text was written on them?



The next one is from the "3D (!!) Computer Corporation" site:









A previous one in a different colour: