It began to become clear to us all, this technology wasn't anywhere near perfect. This chip had indeed been made to take memories from a mind, but was so crude in comparison to what it was likely modeled after that it left residual bits and pieces behind, making it possible to have abilities from the previous memory without having the actual memory behind it, which would likely explain my ability to quickly develop things. We also found that a similar effect would be likely when memories were inserted, meaning you'd have phantom moments where it didn't seem that you were in control of yourself, which I had already experienced. I wondered though, if I were going to force myself to make this chip, why would I make it imperfect? It didn't make any sense to me, it would have been easier to pull the full memory out directly and just put in the knowledge I needed. We continued studying the tiny chip, learning all we could about how it worked before preparing to make our own version of it which should, in theory, be closer to the perfect design we all envisioned. One of the more interesting parts about this design was that what it contained could only be inserted back into the one it had been pulled from, the ragged edges of its extraction making it so that if they didn't match up they wouldn't stick. This also meant that the information contained on the chip would not be readable without putting it back into the head it came from, which meant I would not learn what was on it until such time as I could handle the influx of knowledge. This thought of course was met by an immediate warning from my inserted memories that my brain was not ready to have all that knowledge back, and so I was resigned to just learning the technology instead of worrying about what my life had been.
The first chip wasn't constructed until we had gone through many designs, each time we came up with a finished one we learned something new and had to redo it all over again. It wasn't a very forgiving technology, you had to be sure to get the bits and pieces right. When the first one was made we had to get a couple of volunteers to try it out, and hopefully use it as intended first instead of just trial an error with a random memory. Finding some volunteers didn't take long, there were plenty of individuals who had some knowledge they didn't want but someone else did. We explained to them how it all should work and what the risks were, though we were confident in the design and ability of the technology. When they fully understood it and agreed to proceed we set them up in our version of the extraction device, which was built in to a chair so they could be kept still while the device worked. A vague shadow of the pain associated with the process lingered in my head and I dreaded what it actually felt like. We double checked the configuration and then brought a display for them to use to choose the knowledge that would be pulled from their brain. It was an interesting thing to watch, there were fragments of images associated with the knowledge and that was how you figured out what you were looking at. When the selection was made the subject was asked one more time if they were sure and once we were assured the device was activated.
It was difficult to watch them squirm as the knowledge had been extracted and even harder to watch when it was inserted back in the other individual. It was clearly an unpleasant experience, though in the end they didn't seem too disturbed by the pain, nothing like my faint knowledge of it at least. The process worked cleanly and the knowledge was fully extracted from the one and placed in the other and the second subject quickly demonstrated their mastery over the knowledge they were given. It wasn't until we got to some of the finer details of some of that knowledge that we noticed some of it had been lost, though not enough to make a huge difference in the use of the technology. It just meant we still needed to be teaching others at the same time as moving knowledge around. The next task we had would be a little more complicated, we knew with the modified design we could view the knowledge that was stored, but we weren't sure how successfully it could be copied to multiple chips and still retain the information it held. With the data we had gathered from the first test we were able to modify our simulation and make a much more educated guess on what would happen. If this worked it would mean their civilization could advance to a level I never even dreamed of, not even in my own technological abilities.
Monday, April 30, 2012
GOAL: XXI Claim Size
Whoo! What an exciting weekend for me! I decided to use the PED I got from selling my land deeds to have more fun in the game and work on my skills. I gained a full mining level over the weekend on my top skill (prospector) and am now level 22. I also found one of my missing claim sizes that are below a tower and that is size XXI. I now only have two more non-tower sizes to get and that is XIX and XXII, those will probably be difficult to get but if I can keep playing amped and not lose all my PED too quickly I might be able to pull it off. I have to admit, though I know the risk of playing amped, it is super fun. I absolutely love getting globals (yes, I am a global junkie) and playing with level 7 and 8 amps sure can give you a lot of them. For me, it was 25 globals this weekend, and with one that started at rank 5 in the HoF list and made it to number 1 for a bit and then back to 4 before it expired it was quite exciting.
But on a more serious note, I feel it is necessary that I post my precautions to playing how I did this weekend. For one, playing with amps is a calculated risk, you can lose a LOT of money really, really fast by using them. Also, the swirlies don't always mean profit and I actually lost quite a bit on one of the runs I did and have not been able to get that back yet (though I am hopeful). I also took a HUGE risk by going to FOMA for my biggest run. FOMA can eat your PED card faster than you can fill it. Luckily I found that XXI claim, otherwise I would have lost quite a bit considering my profit was only about 7.5% after the run, not counting markup due to the fact that everything hasn't sold yet (someone please buy my narc on auction, I want to play more). Even though that sounds good, before I sold my deeds I had been burning through PED, so I knew my swing should be back up again and I was hoping that it would be on a high this weekend for me (which it was, so that was pretty lucky). I also was being very careful where I would go mining when I was on planet, I needed to get good MU stuff so that the amps wouldn't eat my profits with their extra costs. To do this I used my knowledge of mining on Calypso to choose the spots, this takes a lot of time and a lot of personal drops (just because someone else found an ore/enmat somewhere doesn't mean you will be as lucky to get that same one), so I knew where most of my better spots were and what I could hope to hit if I mined there. I had a few surprises in my travel as well, so my knowledge isn't perfect, but at least I didn't waste some of my better finds on something like lyst. So anyway, what I'm trying to say is, be careful and don't play this way unless you're prepared to see your money go from a good level to a bad level really quick (and basically in saying this I'm saying: if you play this way, expect to lose it all at any point).
But on a more serious note, I feel it is necessary that I post my precautions to playing how I did this weekend. For one, playing with amps is a calculated risk, you can lose a LOT of money really, really fast by using them. Also, the swirlies don't always mean profit and I actually lost quite a bit on one of the runs I did and have not been able to get that back yet (though I am hopeful). I also took a HUGE risk by going to FOMA for my biggest run. FOMA can eat your PED card faster than you can fill it. Luckily I found that XXI claim, otherwise I would have lost quite a bit considering my profit was only about 7.5% after the run, not counting markup due to the fact that everything hasn't sold yet (someone please buy my narc on auction, I want to play more). Even though that sounds good, before I sold my deeds I had been burning through PED, so I knew my swing should be back up again and I was hoping that it would be on a high this weekend for me (which it was, so that was pretty lucky). I also was being very careful where I would go mining when I was on planet, I needed to get good MU stuff so that the amps wouldn't eat my profits with their extra costs. To do this I used my knowledge of mining on Calypso to choose the spots, this takes a lot of time and a lot of personal drops (just because someone else found an ore/enmat somewhere doesn't mean you will be as lucky to get that same one), so I knew where most of my better spots were and what I could hope to hit if I mined there. I had a few surprises in my travel as well, so my knowledge isn't perfect, but at least I didn't waste some of my better finds on something like lyst. So anyway, what I'm trying to say is, be careful and don't play this way unless you're prepared to see your money go from a good level to a bad level really quick (and basically in saying this I'm saying: if you play this way, expect to lose it all at any point).
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
GOAL: Ziplex TK220 Seeker
This one isn't quite as exciting as some of the others I have in mind to reach, but I acquired one, a Ziplex TK220 Seeker. I am trying it out, so far it seems like I've been getting less garbage resources, but I'm also choosing my areas carefully to get a good markup, so maybe I am just choosing the right spots and its not the finder, I suppose we'll find out. I've removed my goal of land deeds as well, I doubt I'd be able to get any more and have no desire for them as I've discovered that I can't withdraw without making some more changes in my life that I just finished making changes on (basically, I don't want to get another account at a bank right now, so until I have a very good reason to withdraw I won't be doing it). Of course, some inspiration could be if I get a 5-6 digit global, that's tempting enough to open an account with one of those evil banks. I suppose there are less evil ones out there if I can find one that will work, but that requires some research I'm not really in the mood for at the moment, so for now money in game is as good as the gold in any other popular online world.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Nothing to Help With
With the second generation being complete I stood and admired it. The suit was no longer just a suit, but rather a full exoskeleton, slightly smaller than the previous model but packed with technology. It didn't have all the equipment built in anymore, that was instead in different attachments sitting on the floor next to it. I had found the original design with all the technology built in to be impractical. Instead I had made tools for it that were much larger and heavier than the ones I had been able to handle and they could be kept in the suits storage for use later. The armor would move nearly as well as I did outside of it, making it perfect for protection while still allowing me to do everything I needed to. I finished up a few bits and pieces and put my previous life's memories safely in the chamber that was the most secure location in the entire facility. With it locked away I climbed in to my suit, stored the tools I would need for the day and returned to see how the research was coming.
The look of surprise at seeing the newer, sleeker, more advanced model made everything I had been working on worth it. They stopped everything they were doing and rushed forward to inspect every little piece they could. I took advantage of their distraction to use some vision enhancing technology to read over their notes so far on what they had discovered. From what I could tell they would have the chip figured out quickly, which was surprising to me as I had not been able to learn that much in my research, though that had been some time ago and I now had much better technology to work with. I also analyzed their new tools and found that their approach to technology had lead them in a different direction than myself, meaning their equipment did things that mine did not. I was impressed with what they had done so far and realized that it would soon be possible to work with them directly on all my projects, their abilities would enhance my own and we would be able to create wonderful things. When they finally had returned to their work, though still longingly glancing at the shiny new technology, I finished making my way to the surface to assist in finishing the city.
The swarms of individuals made it difficult to move at first, it appeared that not only had the first village come to live here, but all the villages were making their way to this place. All of them had been unified in their desire to advance and so none wished to live on their own anymore. The elders all came together to oversee the development and the people quickly took to the new way of life. There was new technology appearing everywhere in the city and I found that my abilities would not be needed. Even outside the city their farms were developing at a rapid rate. I marveled at what this civilization could become at this rate of advancement, it was truly inspiring to see them all working together. Something about them working this way felt to be out of the norm, though I had no specific examples to tell me why. I looked to see if there was a place for me to fit in to their work, but finding no such need I went back below to check out what they had started to develop in the other chambers of the complex.
In the various chambers I found them researching body armors similar to the first one I made, though they quickly stopped their current progress and started making new designs when they saw mine. I also found them constructing smaller and larger manufacturing devices, the smaller ones starting to resemble my second generation one. They also were developing tools to ease their ability to produce food and protect it and the village from the beasts of the night. It was all quite impressive, and I quickly found that none of their projects required any more input from me. Finding myself once again unneeded I returned my technology to its storage location and made my way back to help the research team unlock the secrets of the memory chip.
The look of surprise at seeing the newer, sleeker, more advanced model made everything I had been working on worth it. They stopped everything they were doing and rushed forward to inspect every little piece they could. I took advantage of their distraction to use some vision enhancing technology to read over their notes so far on what they had discovered. From what I could tell they would have the chip figured out quickly, which was surprising to me as I had not been able to learn that much in my research, though that had been some time ago and I now had much better technology to work with. I also analyzed their new tools and found that their approach to technology had lead them in a different direction than myself, meaning their equipment did things that mine did not. I was impressed with what they had done so far and realized that it would soon be possible to work with them directly on all my projects, their abilities would enhance my own and we would be able to create wonderful things. When they finally had returned to their work, though still longingly glancing at the shiny new technology, I finished making my way to the surface to assist in finishing the city.
The swarms of individuals made it difficult to move at first, it appeared that not only had the first village come to live here, but all the villages were making their way to this place. All of them had been unified in their desire to advance and so none wished to live on their own anymore. The elders all came together to oversee the development and the people quickly took to the new way of life. There was new technology appearing everywhere in the city and I found that my abilities would not be needed. Even outside the city their farms were developing at a rapid rate. I marveled at what this civilization could become at this rate of advancement, it was truly inspiring to see them all working together. Something about them working this way felt to be out of the norm, though I had no specific examples to tell me why. I looked to see if there was a place for me to fit in to their work, but finding no such need I went back below to check out what they had started to develop in the other chambers of the complex.
In the various chambers I found them researching body armors similar to the first one I made, though they quickly stopped their current progress and started making new designs when they saw mine. I also found them constructing smaller and larger manufacturing devices, the smaller ones starting to resemble my second generation one. They also were developing tools to ease their ability to produce food and protect it and the village from the beasts of the night. It was all quite impressive, and I quickly found that none of their projects required any more input from me. Finding myself once again unneeded I returned my technology to its storage location and made my way back to help the research team unlock the secrets of the memory chip.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Building Something Big
My plan hadn't been to work through the night, but after my meeting I felt compelled to complete something big, something necessary to my future, though I had no idea why. The massive hole I had made slowly filled in with passages and walls. The refinement was precise and the whole thing would hold up against nearly anything that was thrown at it, including further refinement. Something about the end product made it nearly impossible to modify once it was done. There were secret chambers that were complex to open and the markings that were carved in to the structure as clues were unfamiliar to me, yet the images of the symbols filled my mind and I knew where they had to go. When the first part was done I was given time to rest, the project wasn't done but my mind was pained by the process, it was like the feeling I had when all the knowledge of my previous life was there as well, it confirmed that it must not all be gone, merely suppressed for the time being, though I was not sure why. In my down time I set up a few of the rooms, I had a general idea of what they were meant for and so the research lab was established and when that was done all my possessions moved from the house to this new base, the house being taken down and the materials stored for use in something else. While I was decommissioning the place a few of the villagers came to see me and inquire about my decision, apparently it was out that there was a deal in the works. I said I thought it would be a good idea and that I was establishing a location for us to work in, one that would be secure. They were overjoyed at my response and quickly rushed back to tell the others. Before they could return I had finished my task and returned to the new city that I was developing. I was sure the village would be moved, or at least part of it, to reside on top of all I had made and the real work would be below the earth in the labyrinth that was forming. When I made it back my mind had rested enough and soon I found myself back in a trance while the lower levels continued to form before my eyes.
The work was difficult, I think in all it took me three days to complete, though I couldn't be sure as most of my work was in the near darkness, at least until the lights had been created, but it still didn't help as I needed to see the sun to know for sure. I was given short breaks, just long enough to eat, nap, or do a few other things while my head stopped throbbing. Every time the pain subsided though the process began again, I couldn't seem to stop myself until it was complete. When it was finally done I went back to the surface, closing the secret passages and rooms and enabling all the security measures that had been developed to keep them safe. Above me the villagers were hard at work building their new city, as I had guessed they wanted to live where the greatest advancements would happen. Engineers had already inspected the lab and added their equipment as well and they were busy exploring as far as they could, though without knowing the language of the symbols they would have a hard time going deeper. I would have had the same problem, if it weren't for the fact that I had just built the entire thing. I took a little bit of time to answer their questions and eat some food, but quickly found myself exhausted and had to return to the depths to the place I knew was meant for me. The suit of armor was put in its room and I retired to my comfortable suite deep within the depths of the earth.
My head was filled with ideas, but the sleep was still restful. When I awoke I wasted little time getting back to the surface, this time without my machine. The city was nearly finished and the people were glad to see me awake, they had been worried when I disappeared two days ago after the brief conversations I had with them. They were anxious to learn more about the new facility and to get started on the research. Once I had enjoyed a warm breakfast I went back in to the depths to give them the technology they sought. It took only moments to construct, the materials being so raw compared to the others I had worked with. With it in hand they got to work testing it with their equipment, which I noticed was improving greatly in its capability and refinement. I left them to their initial research and went back to my private area where I proceeded to implement all the ideas I had been having, starting first with the suit.
The work was difficult, I think in all it took me three days to complete, though I couldn't be sure as most of my work was in the near darkness, at least until the lights had been created, but it still didn't help as I needed to see the sun to know for sure. I was given short breaks, just long enough to eat, nap, or do a few other things while my head stopped throbbing. Every time the pain subsided though the process began again, I couldn't seem to stop myself until it was complete. When it was finally done I went back to the surface, closing the secret passages and rooms and enabling all the security measures that had been developed to keep them safe. Above me the villagers were hard at work building their new city, as I had guessed they wanted to live where the greatest advancements would happen. Engineers had already inspected the lab and added their equipment as well and they were busy exploring as far as they could, though without knowing the language of the symbols they would have a hard time going deeper. I would have had the same problem, if it weren't for the fact that I had just built the entire thing. I took a little bit of time to answer their questions and eat some food, but quickly found myself exhausted and had to return to the depths to the place I knew was meant for me. The suit of armor was put in its room and I retired to my comfortable suite deep within the depths of the earth.
My head was filled with ideas, but the sleep was still restful. When I awoke I wasted little time getting back to the surface, this time without my machine. The city was nearly finished and the people were glad to see me awake, they had been worried when I disappeared two days ago after the brief conversations I had with them. They were anxious to learn more about the new facility and to get started on the research. Once I had enjoyed a warm breakfast I went back in to the depths to give them the technology they sought. It took only moments to construct, the materials being so raw compared to the others I had worked with. With it in hand they got to work testing it with their equipment, which I noticed was improving greatly in its capability and refinement. I left them to their initial research and went back to my private area where I proceeded to implement all the ideas I had been having, starting first with the suit.
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