What is Interface-Zero?( Q&A for RDP's upcoming True20 "cyberpunk" game setting)
- Thread starter Urizen
- Start date
The Lingo of Interface-Zero
Artificial Intelligence (AI) - A self aware program.
Aspect - A subsapient AI trained to mimic one or more skills or facets of a sentient being (usually its owner).
Augmented Reality Game (ARG) - A game or meta game that takes place both in a real and virtual setting.
Avatar - A person's interactive digital self.
Banger - A violent person.
Black Hat - A hacker who uses his computer skills for "criminal," destructive or selfish purposes.
Blit - To travel virtually.
Box – A amplification unit often used in conjunction with TAP. Restricted in some jurisdictions.
Brainer - A technically proficiently or intelligent person, in particular one who works on computers
Bountyheads - Wanted suspects and criminals with bounties placed on them.
Chimera - A person or animal that has undergone drastic gene-splicing without concern for their final form's appearance.
Crashing – A violent attack on a computer system designed to disrupt operations.
Cutter – An anti security program, often takes the form of a VR weapon.
Cyberform - A completely artificial shell used to house an AI. Many are humanoid in shape.
Deep, The – Another name for the Net, or MediaWeb. The virtual world. There are many metaphorical uses of the word comparing the network to the ocean. One can: “dive into the deep,” “surf the net,” “swim through media,” “create waves,” etc….
Derezz - The act of disrupting or severing a person's or object's virtual interface with hyper reality (typically an avatar).
Divers – Those who plumb the Deep for information. Net surfers.
Dry Spot – A geographic location without much in the way of passive external processing power.
Dubbing - The process of digitalizing a person's consciousness. Currently dubbing is fatal to the person undergoing the operation. The process uses nano devices to replace the patient's brain cell for cell in order to generate a hi-definition master copy for later uploading. The process is still experimental and has a high rate of failure the most common of which results in the production of an aspect-like sub-sapient consciousness.
Emancipated AI - An artificial intelligence that has been granted official government recognition as sentient being. This status generally comes with official citizenship and some or all of the rights afforded humans within the region that offers such recognition.
Gangland - A mostly lawless section of sprawland dominated by street gangs.
Ganglander - A person (usually a member of gang) who lives in section of gang controlled urban sprawl. Also known as gangers.
Gaucho - A “cowboy” or other slick, handsome or trendy male.
Gene-splicing – The act and science of splicing the genetic code of humans and animals.
Golemmech - Cybernetic power armor, or robots, usually vehicle size or larger. Golemmechs are used extensively for construction, rescue, and military purposes.
Gray Hat - A hacker who uses his computer skills for morally gray, or non-moral related purposes.
Gun Santo – Also know as a gun saint, gun-fu artist or gun kensei. A martial adept who specializes in gunplay.
Hack – Short form of “hacker,” or the process of hacking.
Hacker – A person skilled in computer use.
Headframe – A precursor to the TAP.
Human 2.0 - Humans who have undergone embryonic genetic upgrades to the point that they are considered a different species of human. In general they are more intelligent and physically enduring than basic humans. Most members of the New Mandarinate are Human 2.0.
Hyper Reality (HR)– Also called, augmented reality or hyper-linked reality.
Hybrid – A person who has undergone gene-splicing therapies involving animal DNA, but still appears at least passably human.
Icon - A media star.
Ideoform - A general term used to describe net fauna including: AI's, aspects, avatars, and viruses.
IDSMC – Incredibly Dense Self-Modifying Code. Also called “Id Smack” for short.
Ism – A philosophy, cause, or religion; usually a radical one.
Ismist – A radical. One who follows an “ism.” Also anyone who follows an ideal.
Martial Adept – A person who is extensively trained in one of many stylized martial arts forms often including mental discipline and bio-feedback techniques.
Maze – Another name for the Sprawl. Any highly congested urban area.
MediaWeb - Another name for the Net or the Deep. The interactive virtual world.
Megaconglomeration – Also called Congloms, Corps, MegaCons, and MegaCorps. They are large multinational companies that often wield many of the same powers granted to sovereign nations, including: sovereignty over their own domains (usually defined as corporate offices, and any territory real or virtual that they own), the right to make and sign treaties, the right to pass laws and enforce them within their borders, and the right to raise armies to protect the integrity of their sovereignty and trademarks.
Meme - A discrete pack of cultural information. Memes, like viral agents can be infectious.
Nano Assembler - A device used to reconfigure matter from one form into another.
Neko – A person who has undergone cosmetic surgery or superficial gene-splicing for purely aesthetic reasons, in order to look more like an anthropomorphic animal. Alternately known as either a furry or an anthro. Often confused with so-called true hybrids or chimeras.
OOL – Omniversal Object Locator. A small piece of data that indicates the location of an place, person, or file. Serves the same function as an email address, PO Box, and phone number all in one.
Parker - Someone who practices Parkur, the sport of treating the urban landscape like an obstacle course.
Pipe – A channel of communication from any one hyper reality point to any other.
Personal Reality - The reality a person experiences through their Hyper Reality filter preferences.
Phansigar – A member of the thuggee.
Phreak - Someone who practices the skill of phone phreaking, the manipulation old analog and T1 telephone exchanges.
Power Suit - Power armor.
Raider - Short for "corporate raider." Anyone who plans or performs clandestine operations against a corporation or conglomeration.
Scavenger - A person who combs old ruins, wastes and junk heaps for salvageable technology.
Script Kiddie - A newbie hacker or wannabe without any real knowledge of programming who uses code written by someone else to hack with.
Simulacrum – Also known as androids, puppets, simulacrums, or bioforms. Artificial lifeforms used as tools by mankind.
Singularity - A point in the near future when dramatic advances in technology or AI out pace human understanding possibly leading to the extinction of the species or some dramatic evolutionary leap. By its very nature the ultimate results of the singularity are unknown.
Sylph – Also called arm candy. An attractive woman.
Spindoctor - A publicist or public relations expert.
Sprawl - A heavily urbanized area. Often used to refer to "bad" or dangerous neighborhoods.
Sprawlander – A person who lives in the urban sprawl. Also known as Sprawlers.
Sword Sage - A martial adept who specializes in sword fighting.
TAP – Or Tendril Access Processor (so named for its three component parts tendril like brain filaments, the access chip, and processor/Wi-Fi signal processor and booster), is a brain mounted nano device that allows a user to interface with the hyper real world.
Triad Society – An Asian (primarily Chinese) secret criminal society akin to the Mafia.
Unplugged - A person without a media TAP.
Virtual Reality (VR)- computer generated interactive images.
Wasteland – A geographic region that is hostile to human life. This includes, deserts, barrens, radiation zones, former toxic landfills, bomb sites, Artic regions, and ruins located in such areas.
Wastelander - A person who lives in the in a wasteland or ruin. Also known as Wasters.
Weapon Master - A martial adept who specializes in armed melee combat, but does not use a sword.
White Hat - A hacker who uses his computer skills for "good," or altruistic purposes.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) - A self aware program.
Aspect - A subsapient AI trained to mimic one or more skills or facets of a sentient being (usually its owner).
Augmented Reality Game (ARG) - A game or meta game that takes place both in a real and virtual setting.
Avatar - A person's interactive digital self.
Banger - A violent person.
Black Hat - A hacker who uses his computer skills for "criminal," destructive or selfish purposes.
Blit - To travel virtually.
Box – A amplification unit often used in conjunction with TAP. Restricted in some jurisdictions.
Brainer - A technically proficiently or intelligent person, in particular one who works on computers
Bountyheads - Wanted suspects and criminals with bounties placed on them.
Chimera - A person or animal that has undergone drastic gene-splicing without concern for their final form's appearance.
Crashing – A violent attack on a computer system designed to disrupt operations.
Cutter – An anti security program, often takes the form of a VR weapon.
Cyberform - A completely artificial shell used to house an AI. Many are humanoid in shape.
Deep, The – Another name for the Net, or MediaWeb. The virtual world. There are many metaphorical uses of the word comparing the network to the ocean. One can: “dive into the deep,” “surf the net,” “swim through media,” “create waves,” etc….
Derezz - The act of disrupting or severing a person's or object's virtual interface with hyper reality (typically an avatar).
Divers – Those who plumb the Deep for information. Net surfers.
Dry Spot – A geographic location without much in the way of passive external processing power.
Dubbing - The process of digitalizing a person's consciousness. Currently dubbing is fatal to the person undergoing the operation. The process uses nano devices to replace the patient's brain cell for cell in order to generate a hi-definition master copy for later uploading. The process is still experimental and has a high rate of failure the most common of which results in the production of an aspect-like sub-sapient consciousness.
Emancipated AI - An artificial intelligence that has been granted official government recognition as sentient being. This status generally comes with official citizenship and some or all of the rights afforded humans within the region that offers such recognition.
Gangland - A mostly lawless section of sprawland dominated by street gangs.
Ganglander - A person (usually a member of gang) who lives in section of gang controlled urban sprawl. Also known as gangers.
Gaucho - A “cowboy” or other slick, handsome or trendy male.
Gene-splicing – The act and science of splicing the genetic code of humans and animals.
Golemmech - Cybernetic power armor, or robots, usually vehicle size or larger. Golemmechs are used extensively for construction, rescue, and military purposes.
Gray Hat - A hacker who uses his computer skills for morally gray, or non-moral related purposes.
Gun Santo – Also know as a gun saint, gun-fu artist or gun kensei. A martial adept who specializes in gunplay.
Hack – Short form of “hacker,” or the process of hacking.
Hacker – A person skilled in computer use.
Headframe – A precursor to the TAP.
Human 2.0 - Humans who have undergone embryonic genetic upgrades to the point that they are considered a different species of human. In general they are more intelligent and physically enduring than basic humans. Most members of the New Mandarinate are Human 2.0.
Hyper Reality (HR)– Also called, augmented reality or hyper-linked reality.
Hybrid – A person who has undergone gene-splicing therapies involving animal DNA, but still appears at least passably human.
Icon - A media star.
Ideoform - A general term used to describe net fauna including: AI's, aspects, avatars, and viruses.
IDSMC – Incredibly Dense Self-Modifying Code. Also called “Id Smack” for short.
Ism – A philosophy, cause, or religion; usually a radical one.
Ismist – A radical. One who follows an “ism.” Also anyone who follows an ideal.
Martial Adept – A person who is extensively trained in one of many stylized martial arts forms often including mental discipline and bio-feedback techniques.
Maze – Another name for the Sprawl. Any highly congested urban area.
MediaWeb - Another name for the Net or the Deep. The interactive virtual world.
Megaconglomeration – Also called Congloms, Corps, MegaCons, and MegaCorps. They are large multinational companies that often wield many of the same powers granted to sovereign nations, including: sovereignty over their own domains (usually defined as corporate offices, and any territory real or virtual that they own), the right to make and sign treaties, the right to pass laws and enforce them within their borders, and the right to raise armies to protect the integrity of their sovereignty and trademarks.
Meme - A discrete pack of cultural information. Memes, like viral agents can be infectious.
Nano Assembler - A device used to reconfigure matter from one form into another.
Neko – A person who has undergone cosmetic surgery or superficial gene-splicing for purely aesthetic reasons, in order to look more like an anthropomorphic animal. Alternately known as either a furry or an anthro. Often confused with so-called true hybrids or chimeras.
OOL – Omniversal Object Locator. A small piece of data that indicates the location of an place, person, or file. Serves the same function as an email address, PO Box, and phone number all in one.
Parker - Someone who practices Parkur, the sport of treating the urban landscape like an obstacle course.
Pipe – A channel of communication from any one hyper reality point to any other.
Personal Reality - The reality a person experiences through their Hyper Reality filter preferences.
Phansigar – A member of the thuggee.
Phreak - Someone who practices the skill of phone phreaking, the manipulation old analog and T1 telephone exchanges.
Power Suit - Power armor.
Raider - Short for "corporate raider." Anyone who plans or performs clandestine operations against a corporation or conglomeration.
Scavenger - A person who combs old ruins, wastes and junk heaps for salvageable technology.
Script Kiddie - A newbie hacker or wannabe without any real knowledge of programming who uses code written by someone else to hack with.
Simulacrum – Also known as androids, puppets, simulacrums, or bioforms. Artificial lifeforms used as tools by mankind.
Singularity - A point in the near future when dramatic advances in technology or AI out pace human understanding possibly leading to the extinction of the species or some dramatic evolutionary leap. By its very nature the ultimate results of the singularity are unknown.
Sylph – Also called arm candy. An attractive woman.
Spindoctor - A publicist or public relations expert.
Sprawl - A heavily urbanized area. Often used to refer to "bad" or dangerous neighborhoods.
Sprawlander – A person who lives in the urban sprawl. Also known as Sprawlers.
Sword Sage - A martial adept who specializes in sword fighting.
TAP – Or Tendril Access Processor (so named for its three component parts tendril like brain filaments, the access chip, and processor/Wi-Fi signal processor and booster), is a brain mounted nano device that allows a user to interface with the hyper real world.
Triad Society – An Asian (primarily Chinese) secret criminal society akin to the Mafia.
Unplugged - A person without a media TAP.
Virtual Reality (VR)- computer generated interactive images.
Wasteland – A geographic region that is hostile to human life. This includes, deserts, barrens, radiation zones, former toxic landfills, bomb sites, Artic regions, and ruins located in such areas.
Wastelander - A person who lives in the in a wasteland or ruin. Also known as Wasters.
Weapon Master - A martial adept who specializes in armed melee combat, but does not use a sword.
White Hat - A hacker who uses his computer skills for "good," or altruistic purposes.
Here's some juicy world Information bits for everyone to check out:
THE WORLD OF 2088
Despite the prophecy-inspired, drug-induced apocalyptic predictions of many fringers at the dawn of the twenty-first century, the nation states failed to wither away. That said, history did indeed shuffle the deck, knocking down some great powers and raising others to new heights. But for the most part, the old adage holds true in 2088; The more things change, the more they stay the same.
….Incoming Comment Stream….
[White_Noise_Junkie]: Stacked the deck is more like it…
[告発者53]: Word WNJ! It’s like the man said; “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.” Everyone knows the powers that run sh*& now are just spewing the same gutter trash their predecessors did in 2008. Back in tha day it was all about oil, cloning and the economy. Now the name of the geo-politico game is simulacrum rights, oil and the economy.
SSDD.
[Celebr8ingMe68]: “SSDD?” What’s that mean? {/me twiddles thumbs}
[Killer_Jarvis]: “Same S*&$, Different Data, chica. It’s all about retro now. Retro is the new blue, babe. {/me winks at Celebr8ingMe68}
[Celebr8ingMe68]: Oo! Looks like I need ta adjust my TAP-links to stream Historymedia for the next few days. {/me sighs}
….End Comment Sream….
Those with money, breeding and influence still have all the power. The only difference is names like Caesar, Bonaparte, Stalin and Bush have been replaced with Webber, Wei, Lochan and Afolabi. Travel to any nation in the world and it’s all the same. Some places are just cleaner than others. Is every leader morally bankrupt? Nope; at least not on the Media feed.
The average world leader is primarily interested in maintaining or elevating their own standing in the world community, many of whom (much like the CEO of a conglom cares little about how the bottom line is reached, only that it IS reached) have no problem killing a few thousand people or oppressing a nation to get both what they want and what their constituents have been media-programmed to expect. If they look good in the process, so be it. If they don’t Well that’s what spindoctors are for, right?
The following INFOdocs have been compiled by me, VagabundoEscrever, to give you the dirt on life in 2088. Set your TAPprefs to streaming and We’ll show you what’s what in this brave new world. Hopefully you’ll learn enough to survive it.
THE RICH AND POWERFUL
The poor stay poor, And the rich…? Yeah, that’s right. Nothing new under the sun here. But what does it really mean to be rich in 2088? How much stuffing do you need in your cloned turkey to make that claim? Back in the day, a few hundred thousand was enough to lift a Joe above the streets and get him a sweet, tricked out house in some UBER-posh gated community. You know the kind of pad I’m talkin’ about; more square footage than a Malmart, a butler for the dog and hot and cold running EVERYTHING. Even the air has been purified, each molecule synthesized to smell and taste like your favorite...anything. Nowadays, the same amount of money won’t even get you a decent condo in a climate controlled bioplex. Inflation’s a bitch.
….Incoming Comment Stream….
[Killer_Jarvis]: I had me some cloned turkey once…Tasted like nutri-chicken. YUM.
[Lilths_Beautiful_Daughter]: …
….End Comment Sream….
These days, even the peeps us blue platers call rich are poor compared to the seriously loaded cabrónes who live so high above the stink they don’t even know what it smells like. For these super rich hombres, life is a perfume-laced ride all the way to the bank. Being wealthy in 2088 means you have access to the best of everything; real food (yummy trans-fats and all), nano-filtered water, the finest vehicles, top EDU-sites, and health and dental plans that don’t require a day-long wait in some, dark, piss-stained basement below the nearest government-owned medi-plex (if you can even get on the waiting list). And those are just the bare necessities, kiddies.
In the world of 2088, being rich and being powerful go hand in hand. The vast majority of wealth lies in the private sector, particularly with megacongloms and the people who run them. With immense sums of money at their disposal, CEO’s and high-level executives have wide-reaching political influence. Indeed, politicians and elected officials representing the myriad of world governments cater to the corporate interests of these individuals in return for financial backing. Even more curiously, the distribution of wealth (and subsequent power) tends to stay with a person or persons for a longer period of time, barring accidental death. The overall quality of life for the rich and powerful ensures they live longer, more healthy lives than others. Such is the high cost of living.
POVERTY
If you don’t have the cash, clout, luck, or the right genes to rise above the masses, then you can look forward to a daily grind filled with acid rain, smog, traffic jams, over-priced, roach-infested squats, vat-grown food, roving ganglanders, strung-out pharma-junkies and other creatures (some of them people) that look like they were grown in some splicer lab.
In short; welcome to life for the rest of us.
With all of the advances in agriculture, medicine and technology over the past century, you’d think that people would find a way to cure poverty. The cold hard truth, however, is that people who could fix the problem choose not to; partly because it’s expensive, but mostly: They just don’t care. The middle class of the early 21st century has all but disappeared. Nowadays, you’re either rich or poor. It’s hard to keep a good paying job when some corporate gamborimbo builds a robot capable of working 24 hours a day for no pay, no benefits and almost negligible repair costs. Inevitably, people out of work and unable to feed their families (because inflation means government subsistence checks barely keep the electricity and NUTRImachines on) turn to crime as a means for survival. Suburbs across the world that were once great places to live devolve into ghettos. Businesses shut down as ganglanders move in and wage war for control of a piece of concrete, further devaluing the property and assuring no new businesses will move into the affected sectors.
….Incoming Comment Stream….
[告発者53]: It’s worse than that, aibou. Some megaconloms fund black-ops designed to put these small businesses out of commision! I’ve seen it happen time and time again. Some wanna-be suit tries to take advantage of the lower costs in a red sector and opens up a shouhou. A week later its burned to the ground and the insurance companies won’t pay out. Or the guy starts paying protection money to the local triad, misses a payment, and they take over his biz.
[Tomato_Read]: QFT!
[TheHidden1]: Sometimes, it’s the congloms who pay the Triads. I have detailed files on the subject.
[New_Guy_Number0912]: Hi everyone! Sweet TAPstream. I’ve heard a lot of stuff about corporate corruption and would like to get involved in the movement! DOWN with tha MAN! We should interface TheHidden1 and swap knowledge.
[TheHidden1]: Erm… Yeah, maybe.
….End Comment Sream….
Of course, the average citizen is caught in the middle of this violence because they’re too poor to move anywhere else. The rich don’t care. In fact they blame the poor, ignorantly assuming that these unfortunate souls choose to live in these conditions. Politicians don’t care. Poor people don’t vote (in the countries where they CAN vote, that is). City officials don’t care. Their budgets don’t allow for added security in crime-ridden sectors that might as well be demilitarized zones. Better to protect the affluent zones where the average citizen can afford a nice campaign contribution than fund a costly neighborhood revitalization project which will probably fail anyway.
Children grow up fighting in the EDU-facilities; the gladiator academies of the urban sprawl. When they aren’t getting a substandard education and fresh bruises, they’re flooded with TAP streams advertising things they can’t afford, places they’ll never see and glamorous people with money they’ll never have. Craving a piece of this elusive pie, these disillusioned kids start taking what they want and selling it to local pawnbrokers. They run away from home and join gangs who promise protection, fast money and an exciting lifestyle. Before the newb gangers know it, they’re jacking cyberware, boosting hovercraft, selling tailored drugs and killing for cash.
Being poor means you’re less likely to afford basic medical care, even at government-funded MEDI-plexes; commonly regarded as only marginally better than street doctors. The wait to be seen can last days. When you are actually “treated,” the process is usually about as effective as the amount of money you have in your wallet. The afore-mentioned street doctors can be handy in a pinch, but only if you have the cash on hand. Street docs aren’t cheap, nor are the meds you’ll need to maintain your health after the street doc patches you up.
So take my advice: Don’t get sick or shot.
….Incoming Comment Stream….
[White_Noise_Junkie]: I was in Tehran once, helping out a friend. To make a long story short, we got caught up in a firefight with some Brotherhood of Islam fundamentalists and I took a few rounds. We went to a local state-run hospital, and they made me wait for hours because I was a foriegner. Then, they kept me there for days, feeding me strange meds; really weird stuff that caused my skin to turn various shades of green. I still get headaches and the occasional twitch.
[Killer_Jarvis]: “Oh why oh why didn’t I take the BLUE pill?”
[Hoplight]: Jeez killer…
[Lilths_Beautiful_Daughter]: I’ll take the Street Doc option ANY day. I was poking around a server farm of a St. Louis Medi-plex (which will remained unnamed), and I found some interesting DATfiles on human test subjects for an experimental drug called Proto-X. Based on the data I read, it sounds like you were injected with it White… Umm.. exactly what shade of green did your skin turn, teal, or emerald?
[White_Noise_Junkie]: … teal, I think..
[Lilths_Beautiful_Daughter]: Hmm, Okay… Explosive Diarrhea?
[Killer_Jarvis]: OK, that’s way too much information. I’m a pretty visual guy and.. sheesh.
[White_Noise_Junkie]: Killer, I’m gonna DEREZ you if you don’t shut up! Lilith’s: I had that for a few days….WTF do I have?????
[SystemMessage]………. Connect Error
.
..
…
{Lilths_Beautiful_Daughter quits channel}
[White_Noise_Junkie]: Bitch.
….End Comment Stream….
Generally speaking, the food is crap. The average sprawler lives on what they can find at INSTAfood joints like McCafé, Fat Sally’s international pancake house, Lou’s almost-real Ribs and Chicken, or King Krill. These places work in a pinch if you need to quiet that grumbling stomach, and they taste addictively good what with all the additives, but eating off the floor of the local recycling center would be healthier. If you want to take stuff back to the squat, you can always go to a cheapo Malmart (they’re on every corner). These “one-stop-shopping” centers have every processed Nutripack you can imagine; YUMsinn noodles, cloned meats of all kinds, hydroponic veggies, freeze-dried krill, and (my favorite) frozen burritos.
--------------------------
THE WORLD OF 2088
Despite the prophecy-inspired, drug-induced apocalyptic predictions of many fringers at the dawn of the twenty-first century, the nation states failed to wither away. That said, history did indeed shuffle the deck, knocking down some great powers and raising others to new heights. But for the most part, the old adage holds true in 2088; The more things change, the more they stay the same.
….Incoming Comment Stream….
[White_Noise_Junkie]: Stacked the deck is more like it…
[告発者53]: Word WNJ! It’s like the man said; “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.” Everyone knows the powers that run sh*& now are just spewing the same gutter trash their predecessors did in 2008. Back in tha day it was all about oil, cloning and the economy. Now the name of the geo-politico game is simulacrum rights, oil and the economy.
SSDD.
[Celebr8ingMe68]: “SSDD?” What’s that mean? {/me twiddles thumbs}
[Killer_Jarvis]: “Same S*&$, Different Data, chica. It’s all about retro now. Retro is the new blue, babe. {/me winks at Celebr8ingMe68}
[Celebr8ingMe68]: Oo! Looks like I need ta adjust my TAP-links to stream Historymedia for the next few days. {/me sighs}
….End Comment Sream….
Those with money, breeding and influence still have all the power. The only difference is names like Caesar, Bonaparte, Stalin and Bush have been replaced with Webber, Wei, Lochan and Afolabi. Travel to any nation in the world and it’s all the same. Some places are just cleaner than others. Is every leader morally bankrupt? Nope; at least not on the Media feed.
The average world leader is primarily interested in maintaining or elevating their own standing in the world community, many of whom (much like the CEO of a conglom cares little about how the bottom line is reached, only that it IS reached) have no problem killing a few thousand people or oppressing a nation to get both what they want and what their constituents have been media-programmed to expect. If they look good in the process, so be it. If they don’t Well that’s what spindoctors are for, right?
The following INFOdocs have been compiled by me, VagabundoEscrever, to give you the dirt on life in 2088. Set your TAPprefs to streaming and We’ll show you what’s what in this brave new world. Hopefully you’ll learn enough to survive it.
THE RICH AND POWERFUL
The poor stay poor, And the rich…? Yeah, that’s right. Nothing new under the sun here. But what does it really mean to be rich in 2088? How much stuffing do you need in your cloned turkey to make that claim? Back in the day, a few hundred thousand was enough to lift a Joe above the streets and get him a sweet, tricked out house in some UBER-posh gated community. You know the kind of pad I’m talkin’ about; more square footage than a Malmart, a butler for the dog and hot and cold running EVERYTHING. Even the air has been purified, each molecule synthesized to smell and taste like your favorite...anything. Nowadays, the same amount of money won’t even get you a decent condo in a climate controlled bioplex. Inflation’s a bitch.
….Incoming Comment Stream….
[Killer_Jarvis]: I had me some cloned turkey once…Tasted like nutri-chicken. YUM.
[Lilths_Beautiful_Daughter]: …
….End Comment Sream….
These days, even the peeps us blue platers call rich are poor compared to the seriously loaded cabrónes who live so high above the stink they don’t even know what it smells like. For these super rich hombres, life is a perfume-laced ride all the way to the bank. Being wealthy in 2088 means you have access to the best of everything; real food (yummy trans-fats and all), nano-filtered water, the finest vehicles, top EDU-sites, and health and dental plans that don’t require a day-long wait in some, dark, piss-stained basement below the nearest government-owned medi-plex (if you can even get on the waiting list). And those are just the bare necessities, kiddies.
In the world of 2088, being rich and being powerful go hand in hand. The vast majority of wealth lies in the private sector, particularly with megacongloms and the people who run them. With immense sums of money at their disposal, CEO’s and high-level executives have wide-reaching political influence. Indeed, politicians and elected officials representing the myriad of world governments cater to the corporate interests of these individuals in return for financial backing. Even more curiously, the distribution of wealth (and subsequent power) tends to stay with a person or persons for a longer period of time, barring accidental death. The overall quality of life for the rich and powerful ensures they live longer, more healthy lives than others. Such is the high cost of living.
POVERTY
If you don’t have the cash, clout, luck, or the right genes to rise above the masses, then you can look forward to a daily grind filled with acid rain, smog, traffic jams, over-priced, roach-infested squats, vat-grown food, roving ganglanders, strung-out pharma-junkies and other creatures (some of them people) that look like they were grown in some splicer lab.
In short; welcome to life for the rest of us.
With all of the advances in agriculture, medicine and technology over the past century, you’d think that people would find a way to cure poverty. The cold hard truth, however, is that people who could fix the problem choose not to; partly because it’s expensive, but mostly: They just don’t care. The middle class of the early 21st century has all but disappeared. Nowadays, you’re either rich or poor. It’s hard to keep a good paying job when some corporate gamborimbo builds a robot capable of working 24 hours a day for no pay, no benefits and almost negligible repair costs. Inevitably, people out of work and unable to feed their families (because inflation means government subsistence checks barely keep the electricity and NUTRImachines on) turn to crime as a means for survival. Suburbs across the world that were once great places to live devolve into ghettos. Businesses shut down as ganglanders move in and wage war for control of a piece of concrete, further devaluing the property and assuring no new businesses will move into the affected sectors.
….Incoming Comment Stream….
[告発者53]: It’s worse than that, aibou. Some megaconloms fund black-ops designed to put these small businesses out of commision! I’ve seen it happen time and time again. Some wanna-be suit tries to take advantage of the lower costs in a red sector and opens up a shouhou. A week later its burned to the ground and the insurance companies won’t pay out. Or the guy starts paying protection money to the local triad, misses a payment, and they take over his biz.
[Tomato_Read]: QFT!
[TheHidden1]: Sometimes, it’s the congloms who pay the Triads. I have detailed files on the subject.
[New_Guy_Number0912]: Hi everyone! Sweet TAPstream. I’ve heard a lot of stuff about corporate corruption and would like to get involved in the movement! DOWN with tha MAN! We should interface TheHidden1 and swap knowledge.
[TheHidden1]: Erm… Yeah, maybe.
….End Comment Sream….
Of course, the average citizen is caught in the middle of this violence because they’re too poor to move anywhere else. The rich don’t care. In fact they blame the poor, ignorantly assuming that these unfortunate souls choose to live in these conditions. Politicians don’t care. Poor people don’t vote (in the countries where they CAN vote, that is). City officials don’t care. Their budgets don’t allow for added security in crime-ridden sectors that might as well be demilitarized zones. Better to protect the affluent zones where the average citizen can afford a nice campaign contribution than fund a costly neighborhood revitalization project which will probably fail anyway.
Children grow up fighting in the EDU-facilities; the gladiator academies of the urban sprawl. When they aren’t getting a substandard education and fresh bruises, they’re flooded with TAP streams advertising things they can’t afford, places they’ll never see and glamorous people with money they’ll never have. Craving a piece of this elusive pie, these disillusioned kids start taking what they want and selling it to local pawnbrokers. They run away from home and join gangs who promise protection, fast money and an exciting lifestyle. Before the newb gangers know it, they’re jacking cyberware, boosting hovercraft, selling tailored drugs and killing for cash.
Being poor means you’re less likely to afford basic medical care, even at government-funded MEDI-plexes; commonly regarded as only marginally better than street doctors. The wait to be seen can last days. When you are actually “treated,” the process is usually about as effective as the amount of money you have in your wallet. The afore-mentioned street doctors can be handy in a pinch, but only if you have the cash on hand. Street docs aren’t cheap, nor are the meds you’ll need to maintain your health after the street doc patches you up.
So take my advice: Don’t get sick or shot.
….Incoming Comment Stream….
[White_Noise_Junkie]: I was in Tehran once, helping out a friend. To make a long story short, we got caught up in a firefight with some Brotherhood of Islam fundamentalists and I took a few rounds. We went to a local state-run hospital, and they made me wait for hours because I was a foriegner. Then, they kept me there for days, feeding me strange meds; really weird stuff that caused my skin to turn various shades of green. I still get headaches and the occasional twitch.
[Killer_Jarvis]: “Oh why oh why didn’t I take the BLUE pill?”
[Hoplight]: Jeez killer…
[Lilths_Beautiful_Daughter]: I’ll take the Street Doc option ANY day. I was poking around a server farm of a St. Louis Medi-plex (which will remained unnamed), and I found some interesting DATfiles on human test subjects for an experimental drug called Proto-X. Based on the data I read, it sounds like you were injected with it White… Umm.. exactly what shade of green did your skin turn, teal, or emerald?
[White_Noise_Junkie]: … teal, I think..
[Lilths_Beautiful_Daughter]: Hmm, Okay… Explosive Diarrhea?
[Killer_Jarvis]: OK, that’s way too much information. I’m a pretty visual guy and.. sheesh.
[White_Noise_Junkie]: Killer, I’m gonna DEREZ you if you don’t shut up! Lilith’s: I had that for a few days….WTF do I have?????
[SystemMessage]………. Connect Error
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..
…
{Lilths_Beautiful_Daughter quits channel}
[White_Noise_Junkie]: Bitch.
….End Comment Stream….
Generally speaking, the food is crap. The average sprawler lives on what they can find at INSTAfood joints like McCafé, Fat Sally’s international pancake house, Lou’s almost-real Ribs and Chicken, or King Krill. These places work in a pinch if you need to quiet that grumbling stomach, and they taste addictively good what with all the additives, but eating off the floor of the local recycling center would be healthier. If you want to take stuff back to the squat, you can always go to a cheapo Malmart (they’re on every corner). These “one-stop-shopping” centers have every processed Nutripack you can imagine; YUMsinn noodles, cloned meats of all kinds, hydroponic veggies, freeze-dried krill, and (my favorite) frozen burritos.
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