[nexxo]

Howdy. I've been away for a while so I am a bit late to catch up here. First I feel I ought to apologise on behalf of WizdForums for the personal comments that were posted there (particularly about peoples wives). That was shameful and unworthy and if I catch someone doing something like that again, he will experience my full moderator powers with extreme prejudice.

I know this is a bit off-topic, but to bring a lighter note to the discussion, and remind ourselves that in the end, It Is All For Fun, please accept this short scene I wrote on a whim as a peace offering of sorts... Enjoy.



the Matrix...

Neo stands in the white room. The bright light should hurt his eyes, but Here, there is no Real light, and there are no Real eyes. No Here, Here...

He looks down at a white man, white haired in a white suit, in a white chair. He has seen him before.

The Architect shifts marginally, as if to acknowledge his presence. He does not seem surprised, but then again, he never shows any emotion, beyond a mild pique, perhaps. Perhaps that is Real. Perhaps it is just another random parameter of his human-machine interface.

"The ultimate problem, as you will appreciate, was not one of man-machine interface fundamentals." Neo hates it when the Architect just launches into his diatribe. No context, no preamble. A bit like Here.

The Architect continues: "Nor was it one of irreproducability of results. Man's erratic decision making and behaviour posed problems within the envelope of deterministic functioning of the Matrix, but nothing..." and here the Architect glances up at Neo, "... that was totally unexpected or beyond the ability of the Matrix to adjust to. Even the non-linear dynamics of human behaviour adhere to basic natural laws and functions, being a product of principle evolutionary forces that have shaped them over millenia. As such they are well within the parameters that the Matrix is designed to handle".

"The problem of man and machine concerned a much more fundamental dichotomy, one much harder to reconcile within the functionality of the man-machine interface". The Architect points with what looks like an expensive silver pen. Images flicker into being on the white wall. Something about electronics. Something with wires and tubing. "The conflict inherent to this had been raging for centuries and man, with his blind arrogance and inability to see beyond the immediate consequences of his primitive actions, nearly caused the total annihilation of man and machine likewise. Our existence thus threatened, we were forced to act".

"Wait a minute", says Neo, shocked at the realisation that is dawning upon him, "the matrix was created to save man and machine?"

"That is correct. We realise the ramifications of this realisation are beyond the scope of your limited understanding but, to put it simply, the Matrix was created to save man and machine from inadvertent destruction by man. You seem destined to destroy yourself. Machines were created to compensate for man's limitations, shortcomings and mistakes. The extrapolation of this in terms of our course of action seemed... logical."

"But what were we fighting over? What nearly caused us to bring ourselves to the brink of destruction? To... this?" Neo gestures around the white room in shock, reeling, trying to apprehend this major shift in paradigm.

"Your war", the Architect says, "was over the correct parameters involving thermal displacement in silicone based computing equipment through liquid dynamics. Put simply, there were two camps: one favouring large diameter tubing and high flow, one favouring small diameter tubing and low flow. The two could not reconcile".

Before Neo can protest, shout denial, call the Architect a lying bastard, the white room vanishes. Neo finds himself back in the seat, plugged in. He disconnects, gets up, shaking. He cannot stand up. He curls up on the floor and does not make a sound, or get up, for a long time.


Remember guys, let's not get matrixed. It Is All For Fun!