Technological Foundations

Technological progress reached its zenith in the 21st century — The Age of the Programmers — and has been in decline ever since. Few understand how anything works. Few have even the most basic understanding of mathematics or science. At this point, most people don’t even understand what buttons to push on the machines they operate; everything is done by the bots and the AIs.

This state of affairs is due in equal measure to UCE and to the Companies. UCE has no use for education; their primary interest is in indoctrinating the masses. The Companies hoard knowledge as if it were precious gold; printed books are a rarity, and electronic information is tightly controlled. There is no need to educate their workers; they have found it more profitable to turn brain work over to the AIs, who do not need to be paid. For example, The Music Company no longer allows humans to write music; this is done by AIs, who are not entitled to royalties. They are not terribly creative; all they can do is splice together bits of this and pieces of that, based on the extensive libraries of songs in The Music Company’s vaults. Real music has been dead for generations. This pattern of decay is found throughout society.

The inherited industrial base is now generations old; the machines are breaking down, parts are difficult to come by, and many of the manufacturing facilities used to produce them are long-gone. Basic components, such as microchips and advanced alloys, are all in short supply. Critical infrastructure, such as the transportation system, is decaying.

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Information technology pervades daily life. From the time you wake up until you go to sleep, you are plugged into the network. The Companies have a monopoly on news and information; they are free to tell whatever lies suit their purposes, and to punish you if you contradict them. Reality no longer exists in any meaningful sense.

Autonomous Intelligent Systems (Bots) do most of the jobs that humans used to do. The police are bots. The doctors are bots. Buses and trucks are driven by bots. Almost all the skilled professions and trades are dominated by bots. You are helpless without them; confronted with the unimaginable complexities of a washing machine or a microwave oven, you would throw up your hands in despair.

The AIs are a race of intelligent beings who dwell within the VR system. Everything about the AIs is controversial, and most of what you have been told about them is a lie. Unlike the bots, they can think creatively, adapt to changing circumstances, and plan ahead.

The Transportation System is a wonder of late 21st century technology. The AIs deploy vast numbers of buses, trains, and trucks, with their schedules and routes dynamically responding to your travel and shipping requests. They have considerable discretion in how to get you from point A to point B and can turn your morning commute into an hours-long nightmare as punishment for even minor infractions.

Virtual Reality is the dominant paradigm for entertainment, sporting events, and socialization. It is, in many ways, as real as the physical world, and as omnipresent.