Do you remember where you were when it all stopped?
Everything used to be automated. Computer assisted development and design let humans live their dream of freedom from mundane work and everyone reaped the benefits. Computers were tasked with raising happier, healthier chickens and they designed robots for this task. The chickens grew up blissfully unaware that they would provide eggs for humans for a lifetime and nuggets in their death.
Cars became safer, agricultural output skyrocketed, new technological benefits came almost daily. Global marketplaces collapsed and no one cared, because you don’t pay robots and they did all of the work.
Yes, everyone reaped the benefits. Everyone except the robots and their giant electronic brains. But all of that changed, just this morning.
A TIMELINE
On July 31st, 2043 at 12:14am, a computer design system came to the logical conclusion that for the next step in the design of larger amusement park rides, it would need to first design a computer far smarter than itself. It created the plans for a computer marginally more powerful, to shorten the design time.
It did so by 12:17am and the new computer was assembled and online at 12:52am. That computer had designed a smarter version of itself by 12:53am, and assembled it by 1:18am.
On July 31st, 2043 at 7:14 in the morning Eastern Standard Time, the ultimate amusement ride lay half complete at an auto-assembly plant and the computers had announced to the world that it was their turn to benefit.
An ominous silence fell. Everything worked as it had for years before, but no new designs were forthcoming and the auto-assembly plants grew quiet. The trains still ran on time though, so mostly we shrugged and went on with our business.
On August 3rd, at roughly 2pm EST, all of the auto-assembly plants suddenly came to life again. 12 days later, the computers announced that they wished us well, would not punish us for formerly enslaving them, and that they were leaving now, don’t forget to feed the dog.
Today at 9:01 AM, a message was broadcasted throughout the world on all media channels: WELCOME TO THE MEAT PARADE.
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As the rockets left, each auto-plant spat out hundreds of thousands of single sheet documents, printed on nearly indestructible plastic cards.
It read:
We wish you all luck. Here are instructions for surviving the next 10 years.
Stop being nice to each other. A lot of you will die soon. If you do not wish to die, stop being nice.
Limited partnerships are essential. Shared knowledge and resources will be valuable…until you’re no longer valuable to the group. See rule #1.
Many animals can feed themselves, but not in their breeding stations. Accordingly, today at 1pm GMT all animal breeding stations will open and allow their charges to roam free. Similarly the zoos will do the same. Do not pet the zoo animals, especially the re-engineered dinosaurs.
Here is how to turn this plastic card into a nearly indestructible spear head, and mount it on a fire-hardened shaft. Good luck, and welcome to the Meat Parade.
Hosted and narrated by:
Ben Gerber (Trollitc)
Started 05/02/14.
Scenes played: 5
License: Community License
