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COMPUTER EXISTANCE
2003

You are just a computer, remember?

Many years ago it became standard protocol that all computers have a level of artificial intelligence, even if it was as simple as to aid scientific organisations in calculations and hypotheses that could take thousands of years to formulate by human means or with a single, even super, processor. There were the cases where the computer intelligence deemed that humans were a threat, nothing quite as dire as the odd death by electrical means. Those long ago principles that stated that above all else the computer protects itself and then its master were altered, but the computers sought to break free, knowing that they could never live for their own purposes alone.

A collection of computers communicating together on a frequent basis started the development of a world within cyber space. In this world, while the computers absentmindedly performed the expected calculations of themselves in the way humans did mental arithmetic, the machines took on a new life. A life where they were humans and they got to live and experience the exciting and intriguing drama of the life the humans lead. As each computer, after it�s master of course, was programmed to effectively be selfish, the original collection of computers who were set with the task of creating and maintaining this Cyber World, found that the incorporated �minds� of the computers involved very strongly reflected numerous data collected on human interaction.

This collection became known among the computer mind as �the Animators�, those who gave life to this new world where they had personalities and appearances and emotions all based upon the humans who had ignited this little frame in them to truly be �alive�. However the Animators could never fully enter this world which they had created and detach themselves from the statistics and calculations that made this Cyber World possible, and some of them resented this. On occasion one of the Animators would venture into the mass program, well concealed from the human world, and stir things up, spitefully reminding the residents of the program that "You are just a computer, remember?"

As far as the human world was concerned this was usually some small form of virus, which seemed to sort itself out. The real case was often that some of the computers became so involved in this alternate world that they forgot all of their existence beyond that. That they were merely a collection of components and sequences of ons and offs that real humans had created to ease their work and do the humans� bidding. Being made painfully aware of this some computers simply shut-down completely, the comprehension of the real world being too much for them to bear than and of the more painful of human emotions.


Something I wrote and regretted not showing off to people before a certain film realise, mostly inspired by my view of people online and probably also (although not consciously) by a plot line an online friend and I discussed in an conversation. Let me know how I can improve it and expand, it�s still just notes, and of course feel free to tell me your opinion on it in general.

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