Pip's Hellsborough Diary
I spend about 50/50 of my time between Hellsborough and The Dark Peak and the off-world -- the place that you likely reside, what you'd think of as Planet Earth, the real world, where you live.
In the off-world, there is lots of talk about AI -- Artificial Intelligence -- ChatGPT and Big Blue all that sort of thing. Clever stuff init? Well maybe you think so. Over here in Hellsborough, it is mere child's play.
You have social media. This side of The hinge we have the hive mind, it's pretty much the same thing, but it is immersive, it goes straight into your brain via your eyes and ears. I have to wear a physical psycmask when I'm here, otherwise I can't breath, but everyone here these days has their psycmask nano-implanted at birth -- and those devices determine your ability to do many things: If you’ve got no chits, then you don't "see" what's on the shelves of the supermarket -- you only see what you can afford. That stops a lot of alcoholism and the like, and wanton spending. The nascenti are nothing if not clever and powerful overlords, not that you'll ever see one of them (if you wear a psycmask).
Then there is the organic network. Think of that as being like your CCTV. The organic network sees everything, especially out in The Dark Peak. In Hellsborough, it being a build up area, the organic network is much less effective, but it still exists, and folk are still wary to step outside of the law. Drop a sweet wrapper or leave your barker’s smelt on the footpath, and you could be spotted and charged chits -- and you don't want to run out if chits -- doing that will put you on the radar on the exacids, and you really don't want to be on their The-fungal-ai, or fungai, take its input from both the hivemind and the organic network. This is where your off-world AI starts to look really lame, and when I read an article, it really made me think about the difference.
The Dark Peak has an advanced Artificial Intelligence, which is also quantum based. But more than that, it's not some artificial quantum simulation like you have in the off-world. In The Dark Peak, or more accurately, the entirity of The Dark Peak, is a quantum computer. But it is far more than that, it is an organic quantum computer built upon the mycelium of fungi that communicates with every living entity in the land mass. This is not just quantum computing, this is not just Artificial Intelligence, this is quantum-organic computing –- there is a word for it: Quantanic (some call it quorgantum) computing (the official definition is yet to be decided). It is the most general artificial intelligence you have ever come across -- entirely carbon based, and fully sentient.
It runs the humidity plants, and will protect against anything that tries to cause it -- or The Dark Peak -- harm, but mostly -- get this: It may sound dystopian, but it's actually fine — or maybe I am just becoming far too accustomed to living here?
Grab a copy of the curated guide for a more in-depth investigation into what I understand about this technology.
