More About the World

[tibbius]

Unliving (mostly) like to live like they used to, in part because bad weather tends to affect their bodily integrity moreso than it does the living. BUT they don't often get paid like the living. So - a few neighborhoods of rundown buildings that used to be nice, densely packed with unliving social groups, numerous to an apartment. They don't eat or sleep, just party in their downtime, intoxicants seem to affect them in large quantities. Their culture is largely foreign and inscrutable to the living, though they speak a common language their concerns are very different.

[tibbius]

Neighborhood of Crown and G

- dilapidated factories, autobody and repair shops, parts shops, and machine shops. A few large buildings boarded up, most in business but rundown.

- a scattering of wooden three-family houses, small overgrown and trashstrewn yards fenced with chain link.

- mix of troll and human residents.

- most streetlights don't work, but factory premise security floodlights provide some faint illumination after dark.

- rumors about some kind of lamp-posting redevelopment.

[BackworldTraveller]

map here

full size version on previous post

[tibbius]

About android programming:

There aren't three laws of robotics.

Low-model androids don't have free will and aren't generally programmed to do violent things. So it's not a possibility for them.

Higher-model androids have the free will to do violence, but their AI training doesn't incorporate it. So it doesn't make sense to them.

It takes something sickly special to make an android violent.

Shift is kinda special because he lucked into free will, and had some rough experiences on the way. So he's a bit out of the norm.

[shaidar]

It takes something sickly special to make an android violent.

]

So, either some kind of very unusual glitch, or they would have to have there programming changed? I assume that androids are incapable of doing that, to either themselves or other androids?

[tibbius]

So, either some kind of very unusual glitch, or they would have to have there programming changed? I assume that androids are incapable of doing that, to either themselves or other androids?

If someone gave an android a patch to make them violent, and instructions to apply the patch to other androids, they could probably do that. There's nothing about androids to prevent them programming each other.

[shaidar]

Could an android write a patch and apply it to themselves or other bots if they have the coding skill?

I've been assuming shift got his brawling skill and other enhancements by stealing them from bots on the scrap heap.

[tibbius]

Androids don't have the intrinsic motivation to write a patch for violence.

They might be able to do it if they were externally motivated.

[shaidar]

So, if someone was 'deactivating' androids at their kinky parties, would that be enough motivation, or are we talking something more?

I see Shift's brawling skill as something he's picked up from a sense of self-preservation. He will still avoid harming people unless he has to, and even then he would only try to kill them if there was no other option.

[tibbius]

Wireless Meshwork?

Yes.

Paywalls for good news / information content?

Yes.

[shaidar]

Btw, I've been assuming in my head that Shift "identifies" as male, but how does that work for an android? Is it something pre-programmed to make them more comfortable for sexual/gendered beings to interact? Is it a choice? How much choice do androids have?

Great question! I think lesser androids would not have a gender, and their form would be less anthropogenic. Higher androids would have a far more anthropogenic form and have a gender assigned to make the humans more comfortable, and very likely reinforcing cultural gender bias for job types.

Shift doesn't consider itself to have a gender, but doesn't care if humans give it one during their conversations.

[tibbius]

Apropos of nothing, I'm starting to consider The Knife as a historic prequel to CRAWLERS ...

[tibbius]

Just a note about Unixty

It's an underground movement that Louis is part of.

It's also an institute of higher education where Angus teaches.

Deliberately confusing.

Given context, Louis is contacting a member of the movement, who might also be a student.

[tibbius]

The city is a sprawling sea port with a waterfront over in Ward 7, distant from Ward 3. It has old walls surrounding Wards 7, 8, and 9 and in the middle of Ward 8 is a partly-ruined, partly-occupied historical site - the former Royal Palace, now Govcorp offices. The official name of the city is Thelav, but many people call it Strive. Others - mostly unliving - call it The Knife.