dreamdancer 0 #51 October 8, 2009 Jason took his glasses back, folding them up and putting them into his pocket with the control ball. ‘Thankyou Mr Tucker, you’ve been a great help.’ A flashing light from a wristband caught his attention. ‘A signal from the batmobile.’ He smiled. ‘I’ve gotta go.’ Cautiously Cedric took out the envelope Suarez had given him. ‘This is for you.’ Jason eyed it suspiciously. Cedric pushed it closer. ‘It’s from Suarez.’ ‘Mmmm,’ Jason said, obviously reluctant to take it. ‘I see.’ Cedric began to consider putting it back into his pocket, feeling very vulnerable with the envelope, now admitted by deed, in his possession. Finally Jason took it, placing it into his pocket without further scrutiny. He left the waiting room. The lift began to ascend. Cedric strolled round to examine the books contained within an ornate, glass fronted bookcase. One of them in particular caught his eye, ‘Land of the Free – The Essential Nclicker Manual’. He opened the bookcase and took it out. ‘Worldwide Nclicker communities number in the tens of millions’, its cover boasted, ‘Join us now in our Fight for Freedom’. Inside he found numerous tips on how to remove oneself from the ‘Announcer Addiction’ and achieve an independent ‘Announcer Free Life’. The lift stopped. He replaced the book. The oddly placed mirror that had earlier stoked his suspicions creaked slightly and swung inwards, revealing a small opening and a short drop into a hallway jammed with trolleys and cooking utensils. Somewhere, he imagined, Dancer was taking childish satisfaction in dumping him out the back door, his final word to him. He pushed aside a trolley and stepped down into the hallway. At one end he could see a fire exit, the door already half ajar. A busy waiter brushed past him. It was the boozy breath that alerted Cedric to the presence of the Nanja representative. He turned, to see Andrew Suarez darting into the mirror opening. He stepped back and looked in; Suarez had shaved, tied his hair back, stood straighter, and was obviously more focussed. He watched him extract from a waistcoat pocket a crudely sketched diagram. Suarez acknowledged him with a grin and put his finger to his lips. Cedric nodded, acutely aware that at any moment another, real waiter could appear. He knew he should leave but found himself unable to. He watched Suarez orientate himself to his diagram in several different configurations, finally examining the bookcase as Cedric had done. With a stroke of his hand he pushed in the book adjacent to the Nclicker manual. The lift’s locking bolts withdrew. Suarez took out a small glass phial, and before he clenched it entirely within his fist Cedric caught a glimpse of the pale blue liquid it contained. ‘You better get out of here,’ Suarez advised sharply. Cedric stepped back, watched as the mirror door swung shut. Then, almost in panic, he turned and swiftly made his way down the hallway. Finally, very much relieved and disorientated, he was back out into sunlight and fresh air. END OF CHAPTER TWO stay away from moving propellers - they bite blue skies from thai sky adventures good solid response-provoking keyboarding Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dreamdancer 0 #52 January 23, 2010 CHAPTER THREE ESCAPE ‘Jenny will be here in a few minutes,’ the Announcer whispered in his ear. ‘Thanks,’ Cedric replied. He flicked the buzzing arrowfly away and began to remove himself from the intricacies of survival on the planet Altameera, where, in a frenetic hour of swordplay (fending off several brutish Tarqa assaults) he had managed to explore much further into the woods. But he had found nothing significant. Some of the charging Tarqa, he now noted as he exited, had taken to wearing bulky armour plates. Others had lengthened their horns with spiralled metal spikes. They had changed tactics too, attempting to encircle him and wear him down rather than rush fruitlessly at his shield. He had lost a lot of health in the last encounter and he calculated he would have to upgrade his weaponry or change his own tactics, and soon, to get any further in the game. He picked up his glass of wine and shifted, stiff legged, to the front door of the secluded country cottage the Announcer had booked them for the night. From the porch he watched the taxi-carriage wind its way along the private driveway, finally crunching to a halt on the soft gravel in front him. Jenny and friend stepped out – he had almost forgotten about the friend she had mentioned bringing with her. She was taller than Jenny, almost his height, smartly dressed, with dark green eyes and an assured manner. Jenny hugged and kissed him. ‘You’re on all the news you know.’ He hugged and kissed back, not quite sure what to do now that his plans to take her immediately to the master bedroom had been sabotaged. ‘I know. It’s been a very strange day. And who is this?’ Jenny laughed mischievously. ‘This is Anna Border, my landlady from my student days.’ Anna held out her hand. ‘Thankyou for the interview Mr Tucker.’ ‘Interview?’ ‘I work for the Nclicker Times, I arranged an interview with you, via the Announcer, this afternoon,’ she replied crisply. She began to pull her luggage, comprising a weighty backpack and several silver cases, from the carriage. ‘I approached Jenny when your name came up.’ Jenny picked up one of the cases. ‘As you know the Nclickers won’t acknowledge the Announcer directly, so I did all the talking.’ Cedric picked up the last of the cases. ‘Hello Anna,’ the Announcer trilled. ‘Shut up Machine,’ she replied coldly. She briskly led them through the cottage to the verandah, her short heels clik-clakking on the wooden boards. She appreciatively surveyed the back lawn, enclosed within a copse of sweet chestnut and silver birch. ‘There should be enough light here.’ She stood on tiptoes. ‘Is that a river bank?’ ‘Yes, the water’s a bit sluggish though,’ Cedric said. ‘I skipped a few stones there earlier.’ Jenny flitted back into the cottage. ‘I’ll get my bags, and a drink.’ Anna had already opened one of her boxes and was busy checking an old fashioned – a very old fashioned, Cedric thought briefly, recording device with a grotesquely large microphone. When Jenny returned, bottle and glasses in hand, Anna passed the microphone to her. ‘Give me a few words Jens.’ ‘Peter piper picked.’ Anna rewound the tape and checked through the headphones. ‘Set to go.’ She placed the microphone on a stand on the rickety verandah table and opened up her next case. From this one she brandished an antiquated video recording camera the size of a brick, two bricks. ‘Mistress Anna takes her Nclicker lifestyle very seriously,’ explained the Announcer. ‘All of the equipment she uses dates from pre-1990, well before I could possibly have corrupted it.’ When Anna called it a machine again and threatened to cancel the interview the Announcer withdrew. ‘I’ll leave you to it then.’ She ignored it, continued her camera check. ‘Thanks,’ said Jenny, who though pretty disdainful of the Announcer generally, took this moment to be conciliatory. ‘We’ll leave these two to finish their business. I hope you’ve got the fridge well stocked. See you later.’ She patted Cedric’s bottom and disappeared into the cottage. Anna, with practised ease, unfolded a tripod, mounted and focused the video camera. Cedric finished his wine and put his empty glass onto the table next to the microphone. He took his tie out of his jacket pocket and put it on. ‘Out of all the agencies, don’t you find it strange that the Announcer would choose you for this interview?’ He sat down in one of the cane seats. ‘There’s usually some method in its madness though, don’t you think?’stay away from moving propellers - they bite blue skies from thai sky adventures good solid response-provoking keyboarding Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dreamdancer 0 #53 January 24, 2010 Anna, having completed her assembly of her recording equipment, seemed, to Cedric’s wary eyes, a little more relaxed. She poured herself a glass of wine and took a slurp. ‘Very nice.’ She gave him a first proper smile, enticing him with its broad cheekiness, the tight lines of her concentration momentarily melting. She sat down onto the opposite chair and brought out a compact mirror and makeup from her backpack. With deft strokes she applied lipstick. ‘Rather than speculate on the arcane workings of an inanimate machine Mr Tucker, I would prefer to concentrate on the survival of what little remains of our humanity.’ She mushed her lips. Cedric was tempted to try a flippant remark, as he had done with Dancer, along the lines of, ‘The Announcer can save you all this palaver and produce broadcast quality footage at no charge. It’ll even digitally edit and apply makeup for you’, but didn’t. Underneath her businesslike style he sensed that she was more harrassed than she appeared, and she was after all, Jenny’s friend. ‘I’m all yours,’ he said, ‘fire away.’ She put on a petite pair of reading glasses, taking a few seconds to view her notes. Cedric waited patiently, watching her red lips murmering the odd word as she meditatively brought her focus to the planned flow of the interview. Finally she set the camera and microphone running. ‘Ogden & Partners, New Age Bank. New Age? We see that description more and more. What exactly does it mean?’ ‘As you will be aware the Urban Peasant economy organised by the Announcer consists entirely of barter transactions and worktime money, and contains none of the traditional fiat monies printed by the central banks.’ Anna gave a brief nod. He continued, feeling comfortable with his familiar customer presentation. ‘This alternative economy initially formed to provide a safe haven for those left destitute by the Asian hyper-inflation and urban breakdowns in the twenties, leading of course up to the China Missile Crisis. At first small and localised, steadily, through the mediation of the Announcer, these tens of thousands of communities have been brought together into a worldwide trading web, a near perfect marketplace. New Age is merely the generic title for the many new types of enterprise now operating within this expanding market.’ ‘Many, the majority, would deny the existence of any sort of human freedom within an economy so closely controlled, and dependent upon, the Announcer.’ Cedric shrugged, reluctant to be drawn into a familiar argument, but willing to stand his ground. ‘Others argue that the Announcer is a physical, emergent manifestation of the freemarket’s ‘invisible hand’, initially envisioned by the father of economics, Adam Smith, back in the eighteenth century. And now that the economists and politicians have what they predicted, and are largely redundant, they rebel.’ ‘You see the Announcer as self-created then, a force of nature?’ ‘I have seen no evidence to the contrary.’ ‘Yet you also believe the Announcer is here to help us?’ ‘Many forget that the first action of the Announcer was to clear out all the accumulated viruses and spyware of the TIA wars that clogged the system. In the same way I believe it is currently removing all the old monies that distort the trading system.’ Anna smiled wryly. ‘You have a very generous view of the actions of the Announcer. Most would say a delusional view.’ She checked her notes. ‘Ogden & Partners is not a large bank.’stay away from moving propellers - they bite blue skies from thai sky adventures good solid response-provoking keyboarding Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dreamdancer 0 #54 January 25, 2010 ‘Correct,’ Cedric said defensively. ‘We are very small compared to some of the giant Asian enterprises. We are however the largest New Age bank in Western Europe, with over one hundred thousand workhours deposited, and offering a range of highly competitive worktime products and services.’ ‘The bank has commissioned the building of a fleet of airships?’ ‘Two airships, the ‘Patrick’ and the ‘Quiet Swan’, both of which are about to complete their first commercial flights.’ ‘Entirely manufactured from within the Urban Peasant economy?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘What inspired you to go into banking?’ ‘When I was a boy my dad participated in all the neighbourhood barter schemes. He would exchange gardening work and produce from our allotment for all sorts of things. When I was eight or nine I spent several weekends helping him out, building up enough workhours to trade for an electric bike. Though the gardening itself never inspired me the idea of the market certainly did. In college I worked on simulations of large scale barter markets. There was, of course, the central mathematical problem that the more goods and traders brought into such a market, the harder exponentially to maximise the satisfaction of everyone’s wants and needs. The anyon quantum processors that were becoming available at the time seemed as though they might have the processing capacity to solve the problem, but the algorithms I developed were never sophisticated enough to prove viable. The simulated markets they produced would break down very quickly with fiat money, time and again, being forced into creation to bridge the gap. The Announcer appears in the meantime to have solved the problem. Its market shows no sign of breakdown, in fact quite the reverse. Which leads one to the question is the Announcer inevitable? And if it is, shouldn’t we just do our best to live with it?’ Anna didn’t seem much interested in his speculations. ‘After university you joined NatWest International?’ ‘Yes, I spent several years with them in Beijing in the early twenties watching the crisis there unfold as the Chinese public finances ran out of control. When the Announcer appeared and I realised what it was up to, I quit, came home and set up Ogden & Partners.’ ‘What do mean by ‘what the Announcer was up to’?’ ‘It was obvious to me at the time that it was preparing a safety net for the crash and depression to come.’ ‘The Americans argue that the actions the Announcer took precipitated the crash, redirecting vital skills and energy away from the global economy with pernicious edicts and wasteful misdirection of resources when they were needed the most.’ Cedric spread his hands. ‘Look, we’ve been over this already. We can argue over specifics but I believe that were it not for the Announcer there would have been complete social breakdown throughout Asia, and much of the rest of the world. Remember that at one point over a hundred million Chinese and Indian workers were unemployed, with no welfare structure of any kind in place except for that assembled by the Announcer.’ ‘You think not only is the Announcer self created but that it saved us from ourselves?’ ‘I think the Announcer was forced into acting to stabilise the world economy after a disastrous blunder by the trading blocs of the time, who had allowed enormous sums of credit currency to accumulate in the system. Once it had decided to act the Announcer sought to re-assure us, through its First Universal Edict, that it had no malevolent intent. It transparently laid out its plans for all to see; fifteen hours of individual worktax paid weekly would provide access to the basics of life; food, accommodation and a health service, wherever you were in the world. If people didn’t like what they saw, they could opt out. The Americans of course didn’t like what they saw at all. Nor the Nclickers,’ he added.stay away from moving propellers - they bite blue skies from thai sky adventures good solid response-provoking keyboarding Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dreamdancer 0 #55 January 27, 2010 ‘And the charge that all the Announcer does is breed helpless welfare addicts and economic dependants, and that its users should be brought back into the traditional workplace where their time can be better utilised?’ ‘Well that’s an interesting concept,’ Cedric replied. ‘Because in our cosy little chats that you disapprove of so much, the Announcer describes the old system in much the same way – providing safe haven for longtime money addicts, unable to stand on their own two feet when the traditional supply finally ran out in ’25.’ ‘Do you also agree with the rest of the Reclusionist addicts that the Korean missile was not loosed by the Announcer – that the Announcer indeed managed to divert it from its intended target?’ ‘I would agree with that. Though I am in no way an addict as you describe me.’ ‘You talk to it daily, you constantly play its games, you don’t ask questions, yet you are not addicted?’ Cedric began to realise that Anna wasn’t going to be an easy interviewer. ‘This is all very interesting personal perspective Anna,’ he replied, ‘but our viewers will be composed of more than an Nclicker fringe group. Pretty much everyone else, from the UN down, is prepared to recognise the good work done by the Announcer, and work pragmatically with it.’ ‘So it would seem.’ ‘You might call me an addict, I think of it merely as a friendly and impartial adviser.’ ‘And what does the Announcer think of you – just an insignificant variable in its grand human algorithm?’ ‘Perhaps, Jenny says pretty much the same thing, but not so politely.’ Anna changed tack. ‘What do you know of the Nanja, Mr Tucker?’ ‘A Chinese corporation.’ ‘What if I were to tell you that no-one yet knows who or what the Nanja really are.’ ‘I have it on good authority that they are a corporation called Nanja World Holdings.’ Anna smiled. ‘Nanja World Holdings is entirely a ficticious enterprise. Aren’t you suspicious that it, the Machine, won’t tell you more?’ ‘Not really, sometimes it’s talkative other times it isn’t. You sound Anna like another believer in the crackpot Watch theory of a Great Conspiracy pulling the Announcer’s strings, with the implication that the Announcer is somehow intent on defrauding the world economy of a massive sum. If that were so then it has had plenty of opportunity to do so.’ ‘It appears the only official employee of Nanja World Holdings is a Mr Andrew Suarez. Perhaps the obvious answer that he is also the strategist behind the Announcer is also too crackpot to entertain?’ Cedric scratched his chin. ‘There is also the Japanese theory that the Nanja is a last version of Snowstorm, mutated and stronger now, making another attempt to fulfill its mission and extract the dues it still claims on behalf of the US Patent Office. There are all sorts of theories out there Anna, I’ll give the Announcer the benefit of the doubt for the moment.’stay away from moving propellers - they bite blue skies from thai sky adventures good solid response-provoking keyboarding Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bolas 5 #56 January 27, 2010 Stupidity if left untreated is self-correcting If ya can't be good, look good, if that fails, make 'em laugh. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dreamdancer 0 #57 January 28, 2010 ‘You stand to gain an awful lot of money from your co-operation.’ ‘Ogden & Partners will receive a flat fee of one thousand workhours, not a huge sum considering the capital stake involved.’ Anna checked her notes again. ‘The US authorities have issued statements saying that you are currently under investigation for tax fraud and supplying the Announcer with contraband goods.’ ‘All our trades are with lawful UN registered Announcer communities and none of the goods are proscribed by national laws. If you research a little more you will find that the vast majority of the articles we trade are children’s toys. I fail to see how Ogden & Partners can be accused of any illegality.’ ‘Their investigations mention numerous ‘multi-use’ goods, or goods of ‘unknown use’.’ Cedric upped his hands. ‘The recent Patriot Five legislation makes it nearly impossible to put any product into the ‘approved’ export category. The burden is now on the exporter to prove to the Federal authorities satisfaction that the article cannot be utilised by the Announcer in any way detrimental to the American national interest. Which,’ he added, ‘is proving very difficult as you might imagine.’ He took a small red and yellow coloured cube out of his pocket and put it onto the table. It swiftly tumbled this way and that, up to the table edge, before, with a hop and a spin on one of its corners, it settled. ‘This is a Rubic’s pet for instance. It will do all sorts of tricks to amuse. Jump,’ he instructed. They watched the cube ping into the air. It flipped back down onto the table with an exaggerated, rectangular, orange and blue flattening, and smooth remolding into its original cube. ‘Bunch of university geeks in California built it. No way is it going to get onto the export list.’ Anna grimaced disapprovingly. ‘I would hope not. What if it hit you in the eye? Think of the damage a few of those could do if they got together.’ Cedric picked it up and put it back into his pocket. ‘Perhaps it’s not the best example to use. I liked it. My point though is that everyone is having problems with the US authorities at the moment. Even the Watch, despite their ‘special relationship’ have mostly withdrawn from the US market.' Frustrated at the negative trails of the interview he made an effort to wrap it up with a more upbeat conclusion. ‘I would like to take this opportunity to assure the investing public that Ogden & Partners is a bank of the highest English quality and integrity. In our two decades of service we have consistently achieved ‘very satisfied’ levels of customer service. Please visit our website where our friendly agents will be happy to talk and customise an account for you, with an initial deposit of only one workhour needed. You will also find a breakdown of a few of the materials required for the upcoming Nanja contract. If you can supply any of the goods listed we can assure you of a guaranteed and competitive price. Further details will be posted to the website as soon as we receive them. I would also like to assure interested parties that Ogden & Partners will receive a flat fee for the organisation and execution of the bidding process and will subsequently not accrue any further monies in any fashion from the bidding process. Ogden & Partners is proud to –’ ‘Thankyou Mr Tucker,’ Anna interposed. She stopped the audio-cassette recorder and video camera. She pulled out an ancient film camera. ‘A few photos and I’m done.’ He posed for her at the far end of the lawn, with the river behind him. Jenny leant out of the kitchen window, shouted, ‘Are you staying for dinner Anna?’ ‘No.’stay away from moving propellers - they bite blue skies from thai sky adventures good solid response-provoking keyboarding Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dreamdancer 0 #58 July 28, 2010 QuoteNot-so-secret seven hold keys to the internet. It's like something out of a Templar's mystical ritual: seven key holders are each assigned to guard a part of a key, and in times of great crisis, five of them must come together for the key's power to be unleashed and save the day. But this is no fantasy tale; it's the latest attempt to safeguard the internet. The plan was drawn up by the internet domain name watchdog ICANN as a means to protect the internet in the event of a major attack on its infrastructure. The complete key can be used to reboot the systems at the heart of the internet which direct users to the genuine websites. http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2010/07/not-so-secret-seven-hold-keys.htmlstay away from moving propellers - they bite blue skies from thai sky adventures good solid response-provoking keyboarding Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dreamdancer 0 #59 January 11, 2012 surprisingly i've had a couple of posters ask how the book is getting along i'm formatting the thing now into an epub and will publish chapters 1-15 at these self-publish sites: http://www.lulu.com/uk/publish/index.php?cid=en_tab_publish https://www.createspace.com/AboutUs.jsp exact links when i've managed to format and upload ok. i'm still working on chapters 16-25 and will publish hopefully later in the year... stay away from moving propellers - they bite blue skies from thai sky adventures good solid response-provoking keyboarding Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
