![\"tokyoHighways\"](\"https:\/\/ryanwalraven.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/tokyo1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nIt terrified people at first, giving up control. It always does. But here we are and things aren\u2019t so bad. In a lot of ways, they\u2019re better than ever. Well, they were. Life working at a coffee shop was pretty sweet, especially considering the free coffee, but now I\u2019m stuck in a room with 3 eccentric men debating a question that\u2019s stumped humanity since Plato\u2019s time.<\/p>\n
Oh, did I mention? My boss isn\u2019t the only one on our committee. The machines decided to keep it low key after \u201cThe Incident\u201d at Sapporo II. So there are four of us. Just four.<\/p>\n
Of course, there\u2019s me. You know enough about me already, don\u2019t you? Math girl, likes retro music and coffee, writes in her journal all the time, pissed off about being here. I could go on about my family history, switching schools, the group home, blah blah blah, but who cares. I\u2019m fine.<\/p>\n
So then there\u2019s Dr. Barry Carlisle, my boss. He\u2019s an old electrical engineering nerd, but he\u2019s branched out. His hobbies include brewing his own beer, touring breweries, resurrecting ancient beer recipes so he can brew them, studying the history of agriculture and grain consumption, drinking, and pissing me the hell off. I mean, sure, he was a fine advisor when he wasn\u2019t so hungover that I had to give his talks for him.<\/p>\n
So yeah, we\u2019ve got that<\/em> guy. Granted, I\u2019m his former student, and the research groups in academia are a little like families, so yeah – full disclosure – I\u2019m the dysfunctional child of an irresponsible alcoholic. I even rebelled against my \u2018father\u2019s\u2019 wishes and switched to an\u00a0entirely different field of research. Not that it matters anymore.<\/p>\n Who else is on this all-star team? Number three is Jonathan Napier, noted astronomer. Gaunt, blonde, and saturnine, he\u2019s the sort of guy a director might cast as Richard the Third in a school play. Not that he\u2019s deformed or something; rather, he\u2019s paranoid and too smart for his own good, more like the real Richard the Third than\u00a0the Shakespeare character. Look it up. This is the sort of guy who gets glowing reviews on his dark star morphology paper but chain smokes a pack of cigarettes afterward because one of the reviewers used the word \u201ccompetent.\u201d<\/p>\n The fourth man is Herbert Souvin. Herbet is, well, special. Not exactly that <\/i>sort of special, but not exactly normal either. He\u2019s the sort of guy you\u2019d expect to get realllly<\/em>\u00a0into hardcore math, then descend into paranoia because he thinks aliens are trying to steal the secrets of his research. Only, he dropped out of the hard sciences to become a philosopher, applying the laws of statistical mechanics to philosophical problems. If it\u2019s sounds arcane, that\u2019s because it is.<\/p>\n What a group. As far as I can tell, we\u2019re plan D. Plans A, B, and C attended the machine\u2019s first conference and are either dead, hospitalized, or locked up in their countries best bomb proof bunkers. Well, that, or too smart to haul ass out to an obscure lab in rural Japan for spurious reasons.<\/p>\n So the machines had to settle for us. Yes, I know this description has been less than flattering, and I know what the implies about me.<\/p>\n Whatever.\u00a0I\u2019m a weirdo, too. I\u2019ve never denied it.<\/p>\n * * * * * * * * * * * * * *<\/p>\n So here we are, a motley crew at Tendo Mine, day one. I guess I\u2019d better set the scene. After showing us around, the machines dropped us off with some coffee in the old control room. Flatscreen monitors adorn the walls like paintings, still displaying plots and tracks and curlicues, presumably from things sputtering through the old experiment down there. The place smells like mold and rusting metal, but computers, laptops, and panels full of glowing buttons line the walls. They’ve got us\u00a0seated around a long conference table –\u00a0stuck us here really – like a group of children left to play in the basement while their parents prepare things upstairs.<\/p>\n I only have to wait 12\u00a0seconds before someone opens their mouth.<\/p>\n \u201cGentlemen,\u201d Jonathan Napier starts, tipping ashes from his cigarette directly onto the table, \u201cwhat the hell are we doing here?\u201d He raises a perfect eyebrow at our assembled group. \u201cOf course, I\u2019m not just talking about the consulting fees.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cConsulting fees?\u201d Barry, my old boss, strokes his beard. \u201cThey promised me authorship on a paper and some old Japanese sake recipes. Fees, no, and sake\u2019s not normally my forte, but when in Toyko…\u201d He cackles. His laugh has this way of rising and falling like a wave.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve got my mp3 player going with a headphone in one ear, so I hear just enough to grimace. \u201cPsssh. I just got an invitation and a plane ticket.\u201d My eyes dart to the faces of the others. \u201cWhat the hell. I guess I\u2019m lowest on the totem poll.\u201d I tap my fingers and glare into my coffee.<\/p>\n Our gazes all turn to Herbert. He\u2019s seated across from me at this table that looks like something from a Bond villain\u2019s lair. Herbet is hugging his arms to his chest and nodding his head, quiet as usual.<\/p>\n \u201cThey probably bribed him the most!\u201d Barry cackles again. hahHAHahah.<\/p>\n Jonathan rolls his eyes like he doesn\u2019t think that\u2019s very likely. \u201cAlright, shall we tackle this thing and get out of here already? Japan is a bore.\u201d<\/p>\n I snort. \u201cYou\u2019ve got a plan then?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere have been plenty of papers on the simulation hypothesis. Herbert over there has written two of them himself, haven\u2019t you Herb?\u201d He\u2019s talking about this idea that humans are all living inside some giant simulation, you know, like that movie \u201cThe Matrix.\u201d People actually write academic proofs about this stuff.<\/p>\n Herbert just nods while\u00a0Jonathan\u2019s mouth curls into a half-smirk.<\/p>\n \u201cSo we crank out one more paper, enjoy the free drinks and lodging for a week, and collect our fees.\u201d Jonathan looks quite smug with himself.<\/p>\n I glare. Well, they\u2019ll collect their fees. I\u2019ll collect my, uh, experience, I guess. But wait, no. That\u2019s not going to work. The paper, I mean. I turn down the \u2018Penguin Cafe Orchestra\u2019 coming from my mp3 player. \u201cYou think they haven\u2019t read those papers? They want something more. But what could we give them that they don\u2019t already have?\u201d<\/p>\n Barry nods, sloshing his black coffee onto the table enthusiastically. \u201cNow that\u2019s the question. What could our machine overlords possibly want from a bunch of rascals like us? Do they really think we can talk them out of their depression?\u201d<\/p>\n I chew my lip. \u201cThere\u2019s got to be more to it. More to these conferences and meetings.\u201d I look around. Some machine butler dropped off coffee and donuts earlier, along with a lidded cardboard box. I walk over and stare down at it. The lid has a piece of paper on top labeled \u201cafternoon session.\u201d \u201cMaybe they discovered something they didn\u2019t expect.\u201d My hands hover over the box.<\/p>\n \u201cOr perhaps it\u2019s what they didn\u2019t find that matters.\u201d Jonathan is standing so close behind me that I can sense his breath on my neck.<\/p>\n \u201cBack off creep.\u201d I shove him away with my elbow, throwing a glare over my shoulder. I swear, I shoot glares that could kill.<\/p>\n “Or maybe it’s our turn to get roasted,” Barry says with a chuckle. I narrow an eye at him. If I didn’t know any better I’d swear he’s been slipping Irish cream into his coffee.<\/p>\n I just shake my head. “Oh Barry.” He always has to make things awkward. Now all I can think of is the burnt chunk of metal that machine tossed on the table at my shop. It takes a lot of energy to melt metal like that. Somebody intended to kill us all, me included. Behind me, Jonathan has decided to nonchalantly stroll to the other side of the room and stroke his beard.<\/p>\n My hand clutch the edges of the lid and I lick my lips. I’ve never been one to wait for surprises.<\/p>\n * * * * * * * * * * * * * *<\/p>\n What do we really know about “The Incident” at the Sapporo II conference? Not much. You already know that 30 people were found dead and that the incident made it into what remains of the news media. That’s an accomplishment by itself.<\/p>\n The thing is, now that life is more peaceful, we don’t need the news so much anymore. War is nonexistent, crime rates are low, and life is easier. The rags that remain are mostly digital tabloids. They spread celebrity gossip and conspiracy theories, mostly about the machines. But what do they have to hide? There are cameras aboard all the interstellar missions, they make public releases of data, proofs, and discoveries, and the workings of our utilities are a matter of public record.<\/p>\n So this was a big deal, as you can imagine. Of the 30 killed, 27 were scientists. The other three were family members. Two machines went down, but were repaired. So whoever or whatever planned this dealt a pretty big blow to what remains of human science. But who cares? Most of those guys were probably there for the free skiing, booze, and hobnobbing. Nothing says\u00a0big deal<\/em> like an invitation to a\u00a0historic conference<\/em>.<\/p>\n Here’s the really interesting thing: the details of the bomb have been kept quiet. The machines know how to sniff out your conventional explosives: gun powder, dynamite, C4, nitroglycerine, napalm, picric acid, TNT, even plutonium. But somehow, someway, something\u00a0got through.<\/p>\n * * * * * * * * * * * * * *<\/p>\n I stare at the lidded box.<\/p>\n Without realizing it I’m holding my breath. When I finally lift, I’m half expecting a flash of light or a burst of heat. But all that’s inside\u00a0are packets of scientific papers, all with our names on the contributing author list. I’ve certainly seen worse.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it?\u201d Barry calls from his seat, still too lazy to get his fat butt over here.<\/p>\n \u201cYour not gonna like it,\u201d I say, shaking my head. Then again, this old coot might be in it just for the kicks and free booze.<\/p>\n HaHAHhahah. \u201cCome on Alice. Don\u2019t leave us all hanging. It\u2019s more donuts, right?\u201d<\/p>\n I pull a paper from inside and toss it, letting it slide across the conference table. When it reaches Barry, his eyes go wide. The title is, \u201cBaryon Asymmetry and A Reset Button for the Universe.\u201d<\/p>\n Jonathan snatches it up then tosses it back on the table and crosses his arms. \u201cOf course, they made the woman the lead author.\u201d<\/p>\n Typical Napier.<\/p>\n \u00a9 Ryan Walraven 2016<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Part 2 The problem is that we rely on the machines. And no, I don\u2019t just mean for e-mails, vending machine espressos, and advanced differential equations. They manage our nuclear power plants, program the microbe-sized robots that keep us healthy, clean the air, and filter dangerous chemicals from our water.\u2026 Continue reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":25,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-233","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ryanwalraven.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/233","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ryanwalraven.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ryanwalraven.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ryanwalraven.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ryanwalraven.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=233"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.ryanwalraven.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/233\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":237,"href":"https:\/\/www.ryanwalraven.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/233\/revisions\/237"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ryanwalraven.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/25"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ryanwalraven.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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