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[What's O.L.D Is N.E.W] Iain M Banks-inspired sci-fi campaign!
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<blockquote data-quote="Shayuri" data-source="post: 6641760" data-attributes="member: 4936"><p><em>I like that character a lot, [MENTION=4936]Shayuri[/MENTION]. So is Blahblah actually the name, or just a placeholder?</em></p><p></p><p><strong>Totally a placeholder. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></strong></p><p></p><p><em>Everything looks to be in order to my admittedly untrained eye. (By the way, everyone: let's all assume characters start at Grade 5 unless you have some particular reason you'd like it to be otherwise.) I've read over the rules at this point, but I'll give the crunch another pass once I've gotten a little more practice with them. But let's face it, you're better at that kind of thing than I am anyway.</em></p><p></p><p><strong>Hee hee, thanks. I thiiiiiink I got it right, but it's always good having another pair of eyes or three. I do have embarrassing derps from time to time.</strong> </p><p></p><p><em>If your character is the cutting edge, then that tells us something about the state of technology in this future imperfect we'll be inhabiting. There may be other robots, but workable artificial intelligence is new and controversial, especially on such a miniaturized scale. Perhaps the reason people are so suspicious of inorganic intelligence is because they've been burned before? Maybe one of the colonial infranets woke up one day and things got all Skynet (or so it's said) before it was declared a strict no-fly zone.</em></p><p></p><p><strong>Yeah, my narrative instincts say that robotics is fairly advanced, but also pretty expensive. Small 'pet' type robots are toys for the rich. Larger ones are typically tools for well off businesses. The kind of robot that this character is technologically feasible, but could never be economic on any scale other than military. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Artificial intelligence is a controversial subject, placed on a similar axis as human cloning and genetic engineering in some ways. It's been developing in tandem with advances in prosthetics and other forms of neurally controlled hardware. As humans learned to interface brain and machine, they also by necessity started learning how the data structures of the brain worked. This in turn led to the possibility of imitating them more precisely. However, research into complex AI that has the potential to be 'volitional' is unpopular. It happens, but quietly, and under tight controls.</strong></p><p></p><p><strong>There may be other AI's therefore, though because the computer in my character utilizes very new and specialized technology, they're unlikely to be in mobile platforms. In fact, given the climate of research, it's more likely that any AI system would be isolated from electronic contact and kept secret. Much like my character was, only they can't just walk out. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></strong></p><p></p><p><em>Perhaps most other robots in this time are clunky, wheeled, distinctly nonhuman models? Out of date and out of fashion. The technology behind something like your character might have existed, but the programming to run it lagged behind, and the cost was prohibitive-- or so they thought.</em></p><p></p><p><strong>Yeah, I think humanoid robots in particular are very unusual. The engineering challenges associated with making something like that have largely been solved, but it requires expensive talent and resources to pull off...and it's almost never a good bargain. If a human form was the right form for the job, it's almost always better just to use a human. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>So I guess the short version is that robots like my character are possible in the world, but in almost all cases aren't economically feasible. The project that created my character was an experiment...a testbed. Can it work? How does it work? The goal would have been to get the costs involved down at some point, but that would have been quite a ways off.</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Ironically, the 'intelligence' of the robot was not a big design goal of the military funding. It wanted the unit to be able to act semi-autonomously, with intermittent contact from a human operator that monitored its progress and could give general instructions. But when you throw money at AI researchers playing with revolutionary new computer technology...this is what happens. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></strong></p><p></p><p><em>Did you see Ex Machina? I haven't yet.</em></p><p></p><p><strong>I have! And I borr...stol...uh...was <em>inspired</em> by that in some aspects here. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></strong></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Shayuri, post: 6641760, member: 4936"] [I]I like that character a lot, [MENTION=4936]Shayuri[/MENTION]. So is Blahblah actually the name, or just a placeholder?[/I] [B]Totally a placeholder. :)[/B] [I]Everything looks to be in order to my admittedly untrained eye. (By the way, everyone: let's all assume characters start at Grade 5 unless you have some particular reason you'd like it to be otherwise.) I've read over the rules at this point, but I'll give the crunch another pass once I've gotten a little more practice with them. But let's face it, you're better at that kind of thing than I am anyway.[/I] [B]Hee hee, thanks. I thiiiiiink I got it right, but it's always good having another pair of eyes or three. I do have embarrassing derps from time to time.[/B] [I]If your character is the cutting edge, then that tells us something about the state of technology in this future imperfect we'll be inhabiting. There may be other robots, but workable artificial intelligence is new and controversial, especially on such a miniaturized scale. Perhaps the reason people are so suspicious of inorganic intelligence is because they've been burned before? Maybe one of the colonial infranets woke up one day and things got all Skynet (or so it's said) before it was declared a strict no-fly zone.[/I] [B]Yeah, my narrative instincts say that robotics is fairly advanced, but also pretty expensive. Small 'pet' type robots are toys for the rich. Larger ones are typically tools for well off businesses. The kind of robot that this character is technologically feasible, but could never be economic on any scale other than military. :) Artificial intelligence is a controversial subject, placed on a similar axis as human cloning and genetic engineering in some ways. It's been developing in tandem with advances in prosthetics and other forms of neurally controlled hardware. As humans learned to interface brain and machine, they also by necessity started learning how the data structures of the brain worked. This in turn led to the possibility of imitating them more precisely. However, research into complex AI that has the potential to be 'volitional' is unpopular. It happens, but quietly, and under tight controls.[/B] [B]There may be other AI's therefore, though because the computer in my character utilizes very new and specialized technology, they're unlikely to be in mobile platforms. In fact, given the climate of research, it's more likely that any AI system would be isolated from electronic contact and kept secret. Much like my character was, only they can't just walk out. :)[/B] [I]Perhaps most other robots in this time are clunky, wheeled, distinctly nonhuman models? Out of date and out of fashion. The technology behind something like your character might have existed, but the programming to run it lagged behind, and the cost was prohibitive-- or so they thought.[/I] [B]Yeah, I think humanoid robots in particular are very unusual. The engineering challenges associated with making something like that have largely been solved, but it requires expensive talent and resources to pull off...and it's almost never a good bargain. If a human form was the right form for the job, it's almost always better just to use a human. :) So I guess the short version is that robots like my character are possible in the world, but in almost all cases aren't economically feasible. The project that created my character was an experiment...a testbed. Can it work? How does it work? The goal would have been to get the costs involved down at some point, but that would have been quite a ways off. Ironically, the 'intelligence' of the robot was not a big design goal of the military funding. It wanted the unit to be able to act semi-autonomously, with intermittent contact from a human operator that monitored its progress and could give general instructions. But when you throw money at AI researchers playing with revolutionary new computer technology...this is what happens. :)[/B] [I]Did you see Ex Machina? I haven't yet.[/I] [B]I have! And I borr...stol...uh...was [i]inspired[/i] by that in some aspects here. :)[/B] [/QUOTE]
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