It’s actually a good description of the Greek’s notion of Hades’s Underworld, people endlessly repeating some action (most often punitive) in accordance with how they lived.
And it is our future should we ever upload into anything resembling a conventional digital computer (a finite state machine of any kind). Given enough time — and it takes a *long* time for big machines — any finite state machine must eventually reach a periodic state. Having external I/O can kick the machine out of some such states but there is always at least one that this is not true of, and in the end, once the universe grows cold enough, there won’t be much to do external I/O to anyway.
The time required for machines large enough to host even one person (let alone a whole civilization) is vastly longer than the lifespan of the universe, and the cycle can be enormously long too, but nonetheless it is inevitable. We will all endlessly repeat the same actions, the same thoughts, and never know it.
(Or not upload, and go into entropy, or find something other than a finite state machine. The latter is most likely, probably, given that we have all the future to think such a thing up. 🙂 )
See, this here is positive progress. Original!Nick would never have done this, but Virtual!Nick (or Female!Nick) has actually developed some assertiveness and some responsibility and recognizes how important it is (both for the Kingdom’s peace and for Baron’s personal growth) to let everyone kick Baron’s butt.
She’s “grown a pair” as the saying goes. In this case a pair of digital ovaries. Or something.
Ex-helicopter!Nick has had some serious personal development too; Original!Nick would never have valued others enough to have risked life and limb in that tournament.
So she’s become a better ruler, and he’s become a better knight-errant or hero.
Gotta start somewhere, and wherever it is, if it works for you that’s awesome.
RE: Original!Nick… Remember, on his first mission as a SH agent, he did in fact risk life and limb for his fellow agents. He may have bitched about it a lot, but even so, he often dove nose-cone first into the fray without much thought for his own safety.
A random and somewhat weird thought: In a digital kingdom, if something experienced as a physical issue is a problem, you just fix it by changing the underlying code. Like, for example, the gender switch that produced Aimee — a Whimsy Princess — from Nick’s mind and secret desires.
This woman (for woman she is, in the virtual context) has absolutely none of the physical issues that follow trans* people around. She doesn’t need drugs, she doesn’t need hormone replacement therapy, she hasn’t had the hassles around surgery, (although the hassles around digitalization can’t have been much nicer), she doesn’t live in fear for her safety when she needs to use a bathroom, (in fact I can’t think of a good reason to simulate the need for bathrooms, so maybe that’s not an issue to start with) etc etc etc… and, if she wants to do it, it’s certainly possible for her to get married, become pregnant, and produce a royal heir in the “traditional” Whimsy way.
Just sayin’ if you’re gonna have a sex change operation, doing it in VR beats hollow the best we can do in the physical world.
The phrasing seems a bit off: “everyone competes to be the one to kick your butt” would seem to indicate that only the winner gets to do the kicking, but “You’ll all get your turn” would seem to indicate butt-kicking is guaranteed. Perhaps that should read “everyone competes to be the FIRST one to kick your butt?”
I remember, from “God, the Devil, and Bob,” with a “throw a ball and dump the guy who cost our hockey team the championship into the water.” Most of them didn’t even throw at the dumping bullseye.
That was my interpretation as well. Tournament winner is representing everyone. Jut because Aimee is annoyed with her henchman and accepts that he must be punished doesn’t mean that he wants him to be permanently damaged. >_>
(actually, it’s quite possible that the Baron is simply terrible at speaking when his swearing is disabled via this apparent enforced subservience to his princess.)
That’s just the Baron talking like he’s in medieval times. He does that in here. “Didst” was perfectly normal back then. It means the same thing as “did”.
And there’s nothing forced about it. He’s in love with her.
I think the complaint is that “didst” is incorrect for first person singular (or really for any pronoun except 2nd sing. “thou”.) “I did” is historically correct. The Baron is apparently speaking RenFaire English.
I should have been more clear. The Baron is speaking like he thinks they did back then. Probably the only thing he has to go on is YouTube videos from ren fairs, so you’re probably quite right.
So, not resolving Nick’s angst this week.
Shoot, I’m itching to use a quote.
Are you kidding? Maybe, maybe this year, though it’s half over already.
Oh, really? Well, that solves that problem. But what about the robo-carcasses left lying around on the outside?
Presumably repairing them is the same as casting a Raise Dead spell? o_O
I believe the question is what to do about the carcasses of the robots once they are uploaded into the VR.
Oh, that’s easy. You just make copies of the robots uploaded onto the VR and download them into the robot bodies. 😀
Hey, maybe they can design an upgrade so they can be in VR and in their robot bodies at the same time!
It would have to be cloud-based, I’d imagine, so that both “selves” would stay synchronized with each other’s actions, experiences, memories, etc.
You know the downloaded copies will be screaming that they got cheated out of a stay in the VR world.
Simple. Robot vultures to recycle the carrion.
Dr. Lee may have some spare time on her hands. Don’t give her any ideas
Dang, I’m number 1,485 in line. There will be nothing left of the Baron by the time I get my turn.
Don’t worry, this is all digital. We can restore him from backups between participants.
Fan of Most Everything: I think there was an episode of Black Mirror about that.
There must be an easier way to let everyone know that you’re not happy with what Baron did, though.
It’s actually a good description of the Greek’s notion of Hades’s Underworld, people endlessly repeating some action (most often punitive) in accordance with how they lived.
And it is our future should we ever upload into anything resembling a conventional digital computer (a finite state machine of any kind). Given enough time — and it takes a *long* time for big machines — any finite state machine must eventually reach a periodic state. Having external I/O can kick the machine out of some such states but there is always at least one that this is not true of, and in the end, once the universe grows cold enough, there won’t be much to do external I/O to anyway.
The time required for machines large enough to host even one person (let alone a whole civilization) is vastly longer than the lifespan of the universe, and the cycle can be enormously long too, but nonetheless it is inevitable. We will all endlessly repeat the same actions, the same thoughts, and never know it.
(Or not upload, and go into entropy, or find something other than a finite state machine. The latter is most likely, probably, given that we have all the future to think such a thing up. 🙂 )
Will this tournament be on pay-per-view, ’cause I’d pay to dollar to see Baron (even though I like him) get his butt stomped! 🙂
Top Dollar (darned human fingers!)
I’d buy that for a dollar!
See, this here is positive progress. Original!Nick would never have done this, but Virtual!Nick (or Female!Nick) has actually developed some assertiveness and some responsibility and recognizes how important it is (both for the Kingdom’s peace and for Baron’s personal growth) to let everyone kick Baron’s butt.
She’s “grown a pair” as the saying goes. In this case a pair of digital ovaries. Or something.
Ex-helicopter!Nick has had some serious personal development too; Original!Nick would never have valued others enough to have risked life and limb in that tournament.
So she’s become a better ruler, and he’s become a better knight-errant or hero.
Gotta start somewhere, and wherever it is, if it works for you that’s awesome.
RE: Original!Nick… Remember, on his first mission as a SH agent, he did in fact risk life and limb for his fellow agents. He may have bitched about it a lot, but even so, he often dove nose-cone first into the fray without much thought for his own safety.
A random and somewhat weird thought: In a digital kingdom, if something experienced as a physical issue is a problem, you just fix it by changing the underlying code. Like, for example, the gender switch that produced Aimee — a Whimsy Princess — from Nick’s mind and secret desires.
This woman (for woman she is, in the virtual context) has absolutely none of the physical issues that follow trans* people around. She doesn’t need drugs, she doesn’t need hormone replacement therapy, she hasn’t had the hassles around surgery, (although the hassles around digitalization can’t have been much nicer), she doesn’t live in fear for her safety when she needs to use a bathroom, (in fact I can’t think of a good reason to simulate the need for bathrooms, so maybe that’s not an issue to start with) etc etc etc… and, if she wants to do it, it’s certainly possible for her to get married, become pregnant, and produce a royal heir in the “traditional” Whimsy way.
Just sayin’ if you’re gonna have a sex change operation, doing it in VR beats hollow the best we can do in the physical world.
Ugh I hate having to wait in line for the one mob everyone needs for a quest.
Digital!Karma.
The phrasing seems a bit off: “everyone competes to be the one to kick your butt” would seem to indicate that only the winner gets to do the kicking, but “You’ll all get your turn” would seem to indicate butt-kicking is guaranteed. Perhaps that should read “everyone competes to be the FIRST one to kick your butt?”
Or else there are many lining for the competition — each wants to be the one to kick his butt.
I remember, from “God, the Devil, and Bob,” with a “throw a ball and dump the guy who cost our hockey team the championship into the water.” Most of them didn’t even throw at the dumping bullseye.
That was my interpretation as well. Tournament winner is representing everyone. Jut because Aimee is annoyed with her henchman and accepts that he must be punished doesn’t mean that he wants him to be permanently damaged. >_>
Remember, this is a simulation, so he can be pounded on as many times as needed and still be fine physically. (Mental trauma, OTOH…)
I got the impression that the competition was for a _place_ in line.
I’d tend to try to be last in the hopes of getting a second crack.
“I didst”? For shame!
(actually, it’s quite possible that the Baron is simply terrible at speaking when his swearing is disabled via this apparent enforced subservience to his princess.)
That’s just the Baron talking like he’s in medieval times. He does that in here. “Didst” was perfectly normal back then. It means the same thing as “did”.
And there’s nothing forced about it. He’s in love with her.
I think the complaint is that “didst” is incorrect for first person singular (or really for any pronoun except 2nd sing. “thou”.) “I did” is historically correct. The Baron is apparently speaking RenFaire English.
I should have been more clear. The Baron is speaking like he thinks they did back then. Probably the only thing he has to go on is YouTube videos from ren fairs, so you’re probably quite right.