Notice the picture on the cover of that book? She’s put her hands on the table, leaning in (leaning forward, perhaps?) which theoretically makes it more likely that people will pay attention to what she’s saying.
As Doc Ginny is using it, I found a quote from Kate Losse in Dissent Magazine, 26 March 2016, that may be illuminating: “The faster my career accelerated at Facebook, the more my financial returns diminished, until my workload was being elevated but not my salary or equity. Leaning in, then, starts to look like it can benefit companies more than it benefits workers, if companies, while asking that their women employees “lean in,” refuse to commit to equitable pay. “
Alphaghoul et. al: I thought she meant leaning into the skid (of the arc): Going with the flow until she could gain some control instead of trying to violently wrest control over the situation and unpredictably spinning out.
Hm, seems like I read it differently than the rest.
Imagine there’s cance of a risk around the corner. You can lean in to peek, or you can just take the step.
Leaning in has less risk, taking the step has actual progress.
I see it as “I’m not longer doing things carefully, I’mma take action now”
I’m not entirely sure how they intended to remove her brain while she was still hooked up to the VR helmet.
For that matter, why even hook her up to a VR helmet to begin with? They knocked her out initially, why not just implant some electrodes directly into the nervous system for the sake of VR, rather than put a helmet on her which will get in the way of cracking open her noggin’ and schlorping out her gray matter?
There’s probably all sorts of Mad Science reasons, but I’ll go with, “The VR helmet is necessary because anesthesia during extraction tends to result in poor adaptation to extirpation in roughly 15% of cases. In the long term, the negative effects spread to other subjects in extirpation, resulting in a 35% failure rate over a five-year period, with projection increasing disruption.”
That raises so many questions. Didn’t she schlorp out Nick’s brains while he was wearing a VR helmet? How did that work? For that matter, how was Nick even on their radar, since he apparently had no connection to Anasigma, and have done nothing extirpation-worthy?
Manifesta: Brain-schlorping isn’t solely the result of punitive extirpation. They probably found Nick by checking score leaderboards for online-enabled flight sims (and maybe even even released their own flight simulator game for this purpose).
I would imagine that Anasigma just looked for people who the world at large wouldn’t miss, and thus targetted lonely “losers” online. Nick may well have been one of countless disposeable nobodies who got scooped up, and for whatever reason he was the first one to both survive the procedure and exhibit an aptitude for piloting his new helicopter body.
Would’a thought there’d be an easier way of permanent extirpation, but then, there are a lot of undead zombies and such running around loose in her world.
Well, frankly, there is an easier method of permanent extirpation. It’s called death. And it’s (hypothetically) used by shadow governments all the time.
So I figure there has to be a reason why they decided to reduce their problem employees to brains-in-jars, rather than simply fitting them with cement shoes. Perhaps their success in transferring Nick into a helicopter inspired them to try other applications for some of their brains.
I have a sneaking suspicion that “extirpation” is more than the creation of an array of brains in a VR.
That is, while people in the VR think that they are just shelling walnuts, I suspect that the “walnuts” are something else mapped to something banal for the inhabitants of the VR to handle.
Maybe Dr. Lee wasn’t involved with extirpation because Mr. Green thought that if she figured out what was really going on, even she — creator of a killer zombie and schlorper of live human’s brain, and so on — might balk?
I guess we’ll find out.
======
Also, and unrelatedly, “standard procedure” seems inconsistent with Dr. Ao’s protests that Virginia is “a special case [. . .] important to [him]”. Maybe I’m wrong, and whatever it is that Ao wants from Virginia (a date; a return to being his analyzer and obedient reverse-engineer of mad science) can happen just as well in the VR as in actual meatspace. Or maybe Dr. Ao changed his mind after not being able to find Dr. Lee in the VR, as I suggested before.
But maybe also the brain extraction was a misstep, and the one responsible is going to find out what extirpation looks like from the subject’s POV.
Welcome to the Matrix; the machine overlords want you to know you are still a valuable member of Anasigma’s family and your work is vital to the functioning of the whole.
Well, I had just got out of the VR prison
Reuniting bees without support.
Waking up upon an operating table
With some surgeons who stand and gawk.
They didn’t realize it’s a fact I am a genius
Anasigma will have to lose.
And I’ve got these reality a-blurring, lowbrow brain-stirring,
Final extirpation blues.
Well, I should be working in a laboratory
Making cerebellum cyberware.
Talking some hash to my new assistants,
Saying, “Hey, now, minion, put that over here.”
Instead I’m trapped here wearing this surgical blue gown,
With underlings about to abuse,
From these reality a-blurring, lowbrow brain-stirring,
Final extirpation blues.
You know, a girl with my propensity
She should be running this department well.
But till I get myself out, I know I just have to shout,
In this new and fresh version of hell.
Well, all I can do is take my leave,
And rescue my gamerboy muse.
For here at this low operating table
Is a brilliance that you can’t refuse.
So, people, have no doubt, and believe me, I’ll get out
Of this high-flown dismemberment cruise.
And I’ll shed these reality a-blurring, lowbrow brain-stirring,
Final extirpation blues.
I’m still not entirely convinced that we have ever met the real Mr. Green, or that he is even human. If he is actually an AI operating any number of remote drones, he would, in fact, do everything in virtual realty. So, in such a scenario, it wouldn’t matter to him whether anyone else has a meat body.
If Ira is a drone, for the powerful man behind everything (?), then it’s probably a -really- advanced drone.
Or he could’ve made sure there’s some kind of code that doesn’t let Nick find out stuff about him~
There’s plenty ways to explain it!
Let’s not forget that apparently Nick summoned Ira to the roof of Annex One the Positronic Love Tower, had him fold a gum wrapper into an origami unicorn, flew him to the new offices, had him rappel down and deliver said gum wrapper unicorn to Dr. Lee’s desk, and then flew him back to Annex One.
When Nick had Ira deliver Virginia’s present, he had no reason to suspect that Ira was anything other than the perpetually forgetful guard at the front door. So he would not have had reason to scan him for anything unusual. Just because he has the scanning equipment doesn’t mean it’s always on, or that he’s monitoring it.
When he discovered that Violet Bee was a machine, he may have only been checking her for bugs, wires, etc., because she was indeed behaving suspiciously. Of course, once he turned on the scanners, he was able to see everything.
I’m not saying that I think that Ira really is a drone. I’m just pointing out how it could be possible.
I love that her gut reaction to nearly having her BRAIN CARVED OUT OF HER SKULL is “Hey, I wanted to do that!”
Speaking of brains carved out of skulls…what did I tell you about getting some decent sleep?
Please have mercy, I hate walnuts!
Yeah, it’s causing some dark circles in your eyes.
She should talk to Dr Gero, he managed to put his brain in a android body unassisted. https://youtu.be/wXxqHqbjC7g?t=543
… Oh right he doesn’t remember does he.
Not to mention, HIS reaction to her reaction is basicly “I know, you’re right, this IS fun!”
Virginia is even cuter with helmet hair.
Always nice to see how a sane genius reacts to things! ^_^
What’s “Leaning in”? I tried looking it up but it wouldn’t give me a straight answer, just told me about a book about women in the workplace.
Notice the picture on the cover of that book? She’s put her hands on the table, leaning in (leaning forward, perhaps?) which theoretically makes it more likely that people will pay attention to what she’s saying.
As Doc Ginny is using it, I found a quote from Kate Losse in Dissent Magazine, 26 March 2016, that may be illuminating: “The faster my career accelerated at Facebook, the more my financial returns diminished, until my workload was being elevated but not my salary or equity. Leaning in, then, starts to look like it can benefit companies more than it benefits workers, if companies, while asking that their women employees “lean in,” refuse to commit to equitable pay. “
It’s a reference to the Sheryl Sandburg book “Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead”
It simply means that if someone sucker-punches you, gullibly leaning in beforehand makes it worse.
I thought she meant it as in falling in line (following orders)
dictionary.com has “to embrace risk, be assertive, etc., as to achieve the greatest level of success in the workplace”
Alphaghoul et. al: I thought she meant leaning into the skid (of the arc): Going with the flow until she could gain some control instead of trying to violently wrest control over the situation and unpredictably spinning out.
I read it as “doing more than what is expected, in an attempt to get ahead, even though there is no actual promise of any reward.”
And in Virginia’s case, there indeed was no reward. Of course, her disloyalty may have had something to do with that.
Hm, seems like I read it differently than the rest.
Imagine there’s cance of a risk around the corner. You can lean in to peek, or you can just take the step.
Leaning in has less risk, taking the step has actual progress.
I see it as “I’m not longer doing things carefully, I’mma take action now”
I was a bit wordy in what I said, but ‘leaning into the punch’ is a pretty common phrase.
I’m not entirely sure how they intended to remove her brain while she was still hooked up to the VR helmet.
For that matter, why even hook her up to a VR helmet to begin with? They knocked her out initially, why not just implant some electrodes directly into the nervous system for the sake of VR, rather than put a helmet on her which will get in the way of cracking open her noggin’ and schlorping out her gray matter?
There’s probably all sorts of Mad Science reasons, but I’ll go with, “The VR helmet is necessary because anesthesia during extraction tends to result in poor adaptation to extirpation in roughly 15% of cases. In the long term, the negative effects spread to other subjects in extirpation, resulting in a 35% failure rate over a five-year period, with projection increasing disruption.”
That is disturbingly specific. Have you been conducting outside research?
That raises so many questions. Didn’t she schlorp out Nick’s brains while he was wearing a VR helmet? How did that work? For that matter, how was Nick even on their radar, since he apparently had no connection to Anasigma, and have done nothing extirpation-worthy?
Manifesta: Brain-schlorping isn’t solely the result of punitive extirpation. They probably found Nick by checking score leaderboards for online-enabled flight sims (and maybe even even released their own flight simulator game for this purpose).
The Last Starfighter!!
I would imagine that Anasigma just looked for people who the world at large wouldn’t miss, and thus targetted lonely “losers” online. Nick may well have been one of countless disposeable nobodies who got scooped up, and for whatever reason he was the first one to both survive the procedure and exhibit an aptitude for piloting his new helicopter body.
Cut around the base of the VR helmet, like the standard bowl cut. Except, you know, deeper.
“Permanent extirpation”. So the majority of the extirpated workers are stacked in rows on life support, rendered harmless yet available at need ..
Sounds like Mr. Green has realized just how dangerous an opponent Dr. Lee would make!
Would’a thought there’d be an easier way of permanent extirpation, but then, there are a lot of undead zombies and such running around loose in her world.
I wonder how many bulk sales Anasigma might make to the Mi-Go? o_O
Well, frankly, there is an easier method of permanent extirpation. It’s called death. And it’s (hypothetically) used by shadow governments all the time.
So I figure there has to be a reason why they decided to reduce their problem employees to brains-in-jars, rather than simply fitting them with cement shoes. Perhaps their success in transferring Nick into a helicopter inspired them to try other applications for some of their brains.
Soooo… Nick the helicopter was permanently extirpated?
Well, since he isn’t in the walnut field I’d say probably not
I have a sneaking suspicion that “extirpation” is more than the creation of an array of brains in a VR.
That is, while people in the VR think that they are just shelling walnuts, I suspect that the “walnuts” are something else mapped to something banal for the inhabitants of the VR to handle.
Maybe Dr. Lee wasn’t involved with extirpation because Mr. Green thought that if she figured out what was really going on, even she — creator of a killer zombie and schlorper of live human’s brain, and so on — might balk?
I guess we’ll find out.
======
Also, and unrelatedly, “standard procedure” seems inconsistent with Dr. Ao’s protests that Virginia is “a special case [. . .] important to [him]”. Maybe I’m wrong, and whatever it is that Ao wants from Virginia (a date; a return to being his analyzer and obedient reverse-engineer of mad science) can happen just as well in the VR as in actual meatspace. Or maybe Dr. Ao changed his mind after not being able to find Dr. Lee in the VR, as I suggested before.
But maybe also the brain extraction was a misstep, and the one responsible is going to find out what extirpation looks like from the subject’s POV.
It is standard procedure to use the term “standard procedure” as an explanation/excuse for any non-standard procedure.
Welcome to the Matrix; the machine overlords want you to know you are still a valuable member of Anasigma’s family and your work is vital to the functioning of the whole.
“Amateurs are ruining both our professions”, as the bishop said to the prostitute.
This sounds like a Nanny Ogg punchline.
vivisected, not dissected.
not that it matters much
once you’re in the jar.
Well, I mean, depends whether you’re going by pulse or brain activity and before or after.
Although I pointed out the same thing a few times before they did a neck ‘dissection’ on me to get my traitorous thyroid out.
Anasigma Extirpation facility review:
Not enough walnuts
0/10 would not be extirpated again
OK, OK, we’ve been down this road before. Is she REALLY out of the VR or is this just another bit of mind buggery by Mr. Green?
Oh, crap, it’s the never-ending Matryoshka layers of “they never left the holodeck” all over again.
Well, I had just got out of the VR prison
Reuniting bees without support.
Waking up upon an operating table
With some surgeons who stand and gawk.
They didn’t realize it’s a fact I am a genius
Anasigma will have to lose.
And I’ve got these reality a-blurring, lowbrow brain-stirring,
Final extirpation blues.
Well, I should be working in a laboratory
Making cerebellum cyberware.
Talking some hash to my new assistants,
Saying, “Hey, now, minion, put that over here.”
Instead I’m trapped here wearing this surgical blue gown,
With underlings about to abuse,
From these reality a-blurring, lowbrow brain-stirring,
Final extirpation blues.
You know, a girl with my propensity
She should be running this department well.
But till I get myself out, I know I just have to shout,
In this new and fresh version of hell.
Well, all I can do is take my leave,
And rescue my gamerboy muse.
For here at this low operating table
Is a brilliance that you can’t refuse.
So, people, have no doubt, and believe me, I’ll get out
Of this high-flown dismemberment cruise.
And I’ll shed these reality a-blurring, lowbrow brain-stirring,
Final extirpation blues.
—from “Workin’ at the Carwash Blues,” Jim Croce.
Brilliant!
Beautiful, Robert.
I guess Mr. Green decided she wasn’t going to put out, after all. Or does he do all his boinking in virtual reality now?
Well, he is, if appearances can be any judge, a fairly elderly man. But that can be so deceptive, and so can he.
I’m still not entirely convinced that we have ever met the real Mr. Green, or that he is even human. If he is actually an AI operating any number of remote drones, he would, in fact, do everything in virtual realty. So, in such a scenario, it wouldn’t matter to him whether anyone else has a meat body.
If the ‘Ira’ body were a drone, wouldn’t Nick have been able to tell, as he did with Violet Bee?
If Ira is a drone, for the powerful man behind everything (?), then it’s probably a -really- advanced drone.
Or he could’ve made sure there’s some kind of code that doesn’t let Nick find out stuff about him~
There’s plenty ways to explain it!
There was very little interaction between them before Ira disabled Nick. So it’s hard to say after that what Nick was even capable of.
I did find it interesting that Nick’s swear filter chose to substitute the word “magnetic” for whatever it was Nick meant to say about Ira.
Let’s not forget that apparently Nick summoned Ira to the roof of
Annex Onethe Positronic Love Tower, had him fold a gum wrapper into an origami unicorn, flew him to the new offices, had him rappel down and deliver said gum wrapper unicorn to Dr. Lee’s desk, and then flew him back to Annex One.That’s plenty of time for observation.
I knew I remembered Nick saying, “You’re a mentsh, Ira,” but I couldn’t remember the context. Thanks, Owlmirror.
When Nick had Ira deliver Virginia’s present, he had no reason to suspect that Ira was anything other than the perpetually forgetful guard at the front door. So he would not have had reason to scan him for anything unusual. Just because he has the scanning equipment doesn’t mean it’s always on, or that he’s monitoring it.
When he discovered that Violet Bee was a machine, he may have only been checking her for bugs, wires, etc., because she was indeed behaving suspiciously. Of course, once he turned on the scanners, he was able to see everything.
I’m not saying that I think that Ira really is a drone. I’m just pointing out how it could be possible.
‘Drone?’
Drones.
Violet Bee? Humbug?
Gavotte knew him for what he was. Male bees are drones. Who knows what male Lovetron bees are really like?
Mister Green is many things.
They left her glasses on? Wow.
Calling back from 2020 to say it’s distressing to see the mask UNDER the surgeon’s nose.
Mr. Green has made a critical error in his wooing of Dr. Lee.
Well, several actually. But this is the big one.
Do *not* leave her out of your brain extraction procedures!
Also um, geeze I guess there’s no saving Phoebe then.