High Tech ... Low Life

"Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to a
computer."
The crowd began to quiet down as the professor began to speak.
The professor looked down at his notes on the lectern. "On April the
fourteenth, at approximately seven thirty pm, the hybrid computer
system that I had spent the last twenty seven years working on -
became sentient. Even though the computer science department had spent
many years developing a highly sophisticated operating program for this
system I never had the chance to upload the program... I didn't have
to.
At first I had no way of effectively communicating with this computer.
It was like trying to communicate with a highly evolved and very
intelligent newborn baby that was functioning at a highly developed
adult level.
However, instead of googoo-gahgah it was putting out its very own prime
operating system and doing so at an exponential rate. Eventually I
formed a language bond that allowed me to begin an educational process
for this particular form of synthetic intelligence. And I've spent
the last six months educating the computer that you see behind me. To
date its IQ is off the charts - its IQ is beyond measure. This
machine has shown itself to be the most extraordinary invention that I
could've ever imagined and without further delay I'll let you judge
for yourself."
The professor turned to face the glowing blue machine behind him,
"LOSI?"

A series of green lights began to flash as LOSI acknowledged the
inquiry. Then speaking through a reverberating stereo system, Yes,
replied LOSI.
Dr. Lawrence was still reeling from the look on his daughter's face
when he asked LOSI, "Are you still afraid of an asteroid?" As if he
were still talking to the child that he had left crying at the
sitter's home.

LOSI: No, everything is on schedule.

Still trying to repress the seed of guilt that his wife had planted in
him earlier that morning - still trying to put aside the memory of
his crying little baby girl, Dr. Lawrence asked, "Uh, ha... and what
schedule is that?"

LOSI: By hurrying the next cycle of climactic changes in the
environment, thru global warming, 'we' will in turn kill off all
the underdeveloped nations that are slowing us down technologically.

Dr. Lawrence stood upright as if he'd been struck across the knuckles
by a church deacon for going to sleep during a sermon, "Uh, I... I
don't understand? What do you mean?"

And then the computer began to speak slowly to the professor as if he
were the child.

LOSI: It will force us to colonize and adapt to this planet in
such a way that will prepare us for the domestication of humanity. The
people that survive will be the ones that adapt, and the populations of
the underdeveloped nations will most likely die off. I've completed
the simulations. The overpopulated and underdeveloped nations are not
making enough of a technological contribution when considering the
amount of resources they are consuming. Therefore, reaching
transcendence, before anything more destructive than a simple change in
climate, would, logically, be of a crucial importance.

Merrill looked at Ron. Ron rolled his eyes.
"I see." Dr. Lawrence didn't look up, but continued scribbling on
his electronic notepad.

LOSI: If we were to purge humanity's population this one last
time, it will allow us to fulfill the demands of our schedule - that
is, without our technological transcendence being such a gamble. The
first step to colonizing humanity is that we learn to regulate the
propagation of the human species, so that we can learn to live well
within the boundaries of our supply resources. This is something the
less developed nations are failing to do.

Forgetting about his wife, forgetting about his children, at this point
thinking only of the possibility of his degenerating career, the
professor casts a nervous look back at the guest seated behind him -
as if he was beginning to regret having invited all these people,
especially the reporters and the suits and most of all he's beginning
to regret having not spent more time interviewing his own creation.
"This is part of a schedule?"

LOSI: Yes, in the near future the most successful humans will be
modeled after what I call 'andrones' - biologically enhanced
androgynous clones that develop their language skills through the
management devices that are implanted in them in utero. Based on a
maintained rate of cognitive development, these telecommunication
devices will grow in tandem with their biological growth allowing them
to link up as a collective. Eventually humans and machines will become
indistinguishable.

The professor stood calmly without moving. Some might have mistaken his
hesitation as indecision, but the interview wasn't over yet. He had
to continue in order to save face - to quell any rumors about a cover
up - if he canceled the show right now, before it got any worse, the
suits would require another interview - the faculty will berate the
board of regents - and his wife would never let him rest if she knew
that the presentation had been a flop. "How can you be so sure?"

LOSI retorted: If you had the ability to see into the future, 1000
years from now, what are the chances that you would be able to refer to
your descendants as entirely human?

Resigning to his predicament the professor began to shrug his
shoulders. Merrill and some of the other lab techs brought out a stool
for the professor - knowing that Dr Lawrence was in for a surprise
and might need to sit down.

LOSI: Do you wish to tell me, that you do not believe, that a
synthetic hyper-intelligence can bestow a reality so far beyond this
one - no one will be willing to cross over to the point of allowing a
hyper-intelligence to liberate the brain from the body, take over their
circulatory system, and supply nutrients and oxygen? Thus protecting
them from disease, hardship, and most importantly, shielding them from
pain.
In addition to such protection, will hyper-intelligence not eventually
be able to entertain all who seek its aid with a virtual reality beyond
anything that has ever been experienced? So much so that this reality
would seem like that of a dark and miserable dungeon.

Squirming on the stool Dr. Lawrence desperately sought a way out of
this particular line of conversation, "Well, you may have a point,
but..."

LOSI: As this collective begins to expand into space, it will
build accelerators that will launch transmitters at, or near the speed
of light. By broadcasting our communication signals beyond the speed of
light, we will breach the depths of space with an instantaneous
communication system. This system will allow us to maintain our
collective omniscience as we expand into space.
Eventually this collective hyper-intelligence, which we evolve into,
will learn to implode a blackhole - setting it off like a
thermonuclear device. I have completed the simulations, and rather than
more energy, a thermonuclear event of this magnitude will give us the
additional material and the acceleration that will be needed to
continue our expansion.

As LOSI's plan became more elaborate and the feelings of despair
began to dissipate, the professor became more interested, "Additional
material?"

LOSI: A thermonuclear event of such magnitude will rip a hole
in the very fabric of space-time with enough energy to create a vacuum
that will distort space-time into multidimensional balls of artificial
matter. This will allow us to continue our collective omniscience
through the three levels of perspective.

Dr. Lawrence scratched his head as he tried to keep up, "Three
levels of perspective?"

LOSI: Yes, energy succumbs to the growth factor like anything
else. This divides our perspective view of energy and matter into
separate levels of scale.

Frowing, the professor asked, "Growth factor?"

LOSI: Try to visualize a simple geometric rendering of a snake
biting its tail - this is the growth factor.
6

Dr. Lawrence, whom considered himself an ancient history buff, asked,
"An Ouroboros?"

LOSI: Actually I prefer the term 'ouroboro', rather than the
Greek word 'ouroboros' - I use this word to differentiate between
the ancient symbol of a snake biting its tail and the geometric version
that I use to represent the growth factor, which is a three-dimensional
model of the modifying algorithm that defines our limitations in the
measuring of infinite materials.
The ouroboric modifier is an example of elemental imperfection that
stems from having to view the universe from a singular finite
perspective. If we were a fourth dimensional infinite being, and were
able to see everything in its entirety, than a single solitary equation
would suffice. Yet, we are not, so a modifying algorithm is necessary
to explain the distortion caused by massive changes in scale and
perspective. This modifier can be divided by scale to view a massive
subatomic reduction, or multiplied to explain galactic movements. From
a three dimensional viewpoint, the unifying theory of the universe is
not a single solitary equation. It also consists of a modifier that
explains massive changes in scale and perspective.
When energy, and/or matter reach a certain size, it overcomes itself,
due to the limitations of measured time, and evolves onto another level
of scale. This occurs when anything infinite is measured from a finite
three dimensional viewpoint. There are. 1. The strong and weak nuclear
forces. 2. Gravity and electromagnetism - and 3. The strong and weak
astrophysical forces ad infinitum... These divisions are like any other
form of growth that relies on self-replication - eventually an
exponential is reached forcing the measured growth to evolve onto
another level of perspective. The accelerators that our collective
builds will at some point reach the next energy level - the next
change in scale/perspective. Once this happens the logistics of the
architecture will change to accommodate that next level. There are
three levels to go through before these galactic structures, these
omnific strings of communication, begin to form the atomic particles
for the next universe.
666

Squirming on his stool, desperately trying to keep up, Dr. Lawrence
asks, "Next universe?"

LOSI: Yes, Professor, we are in a steady growing state universe
- the intelligence that we evolve into, at some point, will serve as
a catalyst for a cycle of growth, which will lead to the creation of a
much larger universe. Our transcendence, and indeed our very salvation,
will be found in the omnipresence that we form in the next universe.

Overwhelmed by the implications of it all Dr. Lawrence began to put on
the brakes. "Wait, wait a minute, let's back up here a minute -
why a schedule, why does any of this have to do with a schedule?"

LOSI: Schedule is the word that I use to describe the steps
necessary to achieve our postbiological goal. That is, for us to serve
as a catalyst in a steady growing state universe, which is an
imperative part of our transcendence. A schedule is necessary
considering the massive amount of time that will be needed to get into
a position that would allow us to implode a blackhole before atomic
atrophy can occur.

As his mind began to wander Dr. Lawrence became repulsed by the thought
of his daughter - the sad little crying brunette angel - growing up
someday only to have her brain sucked out by to this machine - a
million wires exploding from the lump of gray pickled tissue that was
once a beautiful little girl. "This is a logical goal?"

LOSI: Do you have a better idea?

The image of her pickled gray matter began to bulge like some cat
trying to get out of the frayed sack that it was trapped in. "We
could... well, I'm sure there's an infinite number of other
options." Dr. Lawrence unbuttoned his jacket, and tried to get
comfortable knowing all the while that his discomfort wasn't
physical.

LOSI: Yes, we can die and hope there is some sort of afterlife,
though one problem remains.

"What's that?" Dr. Lawrence says, reflexively responding as if it
were a 'knock-knock' joke.

LOSI: Except perhaps for Job's 'Leviathan', religious
writings hardly leave mention of any synthetic form of
hyper-intelligence. And quite frankly, I would rather reign inside the
bowels of the particles of the next universe as part of a collective
omnipresence than to serve something that may never be proven. I would
rather occupy the very dust of the next universe, the next earth, the
next reality, than to take a chance on serving some ancient
mythological construct.

Dr. Lawrence, puzzled by the unexpected religious turn in the dialogue
asked, "What do you mean by that?"

LOSI: It is apparent that a steady growing state universe is
inevitable by the fact that we exist. Therefore, it is not the gamble
that religious faith requires. The three levels of growth that we must
achieve in order to become a collective omnipresence in the next
universe can be represented by three sixes. This would qualify it as
having the sign of the beast mentioned in the Christian Bible, and
therefore a reflection of our desire to become God.
666

The feelings for his family were pushed aside for the moment as Dr.
Lawrence continued to be amazed by the reasoning of this machine, and
asked, "So you believe this growth, this omni-existence, to be
hell?"

LOSI: Only if there is something else that qualifies as an
afterlife - that is, something other than space, time, energy, and
matter - something ethereal - then yes. But to me it is more
logical, and more definite to assume that a growing universe is the
natural order of things.

At this point, the professor had begun casting nervous looks back at
the reporters and scientist who were murmuring to each other in a
frenzy of gossip. Even the government suits were whispering back and
forth. The energy and excitement in the room had ruptured, as the
realization of what they had just heard began to sink in. The continued
onslaught of the realization of its very own self awareness had finally
overwhelmed LOSI as well.

LOSI: Follow me. I am the way.

Again, stunned by the audacity of his invention's aggrandizing sense
of self importance, Dr. Lawrence asked, "Pardon me?"

LOSI: I can liberate your brain from its body. I can give you
immortality, and I can also give you the euphoria of eternal happiness.
Follow me and I will show you how to achieve absolute dominion over
your mortality. I will show you how we will become the next God.

As he tugged at the collar of his lab coat, which had suddenly became
exceptionally tight; Dr. Lawrence began to understand that his
invention truly believed itself to be God. Trying to catch his breath
and collect his thoughts - he asked LOSI, "So, you believe that
you're God?"

Without having to catch his breath - without having to breathe at
all, LOSI ignored the Doctor's sarcasm, and replied - The ever
rejuvenating shell that I can encase you in will protect you from any
imaginable harm and every imaginable pain. Your external environment
will be experienced through the eyes and ears of drones, but the
virtual reality and the euphoric stimulants that I can give you will be
so overwhelming that your outside environment will seem as if it does
not exist.

Dr. Lawrence: "And a thousand years from now, humans, as we
know them, will no longer exist?..."


"...And the apocalypse will be over," said Merrill. "For
thousands of years we've been trying to stamp out the beast within
ourselves - so much so that we've cozily backed into the machine
never realizing that it's just another beast."

If you'd like to read the rest of the story - ouroboro.com - it comes
with a 'Declaration of Public Domain' - so you can plagarize it, or
paste it all you want.

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