Truth & Code: The Future is Black and White

Beta

Block 7,921,908

Han’s sitting at his desk, looking out over the city. Today is the day for the next piece of the puzzle. Min hasn’t contacted or updated him over the last ten days. That only means one thing, she and her team have had no issues, and he expects to be blown away by what they have put together.

He sits in the office thinking, “I’m glad I haven’t heard from Mr. Dickhead over at EMC since the rollback of the consensus feature. I just wished I had time to troubleshoot. But, unfortunately, Han Tech Test Net did not catch that problem.”

The trees out over the city have lost their leaves, and a recent heavy storm has passed, so most trees have few leaves. However, the rain has imprinted the images of leaves along the sidewalks and streets. He likes this time of year because he can see more of what’s happening in the below streets. He always likes to watch what people do and wonder what they are doing or thinking. He’s sure other people do the same for him, but it’s always an amusing distraction.

“Sir?”

“Yes?” He replies via AI.

“We are ready to present our Beta of the devices.”

“Good, assemble in my office in ten minutes.”

“Yes, sir.”

Han spins around in the chair, stands up, and walks over to the conference table. He would generally wait for everyone to sit before approaching the table, but he was excited. He hadn’t felt this way since being a kid and now smiles that his children think this way when he brings home surprises or treats.

He disables AI within the office and at the table. He hears the engineers assembling downstairs. Min would ensure her core team was all present before coming up the stairs.

He finally hears steps up the stairs. Min emerges first, with the team behind her. One has white cloth gloves on and holds a device about the size of the familiar console. Another has a pair of white cloth gloves and carries a small plastic bin.

They each gather around Han at the head of the table and sit down. They also begin looking at each other because they all notice that AI is off.

“Ok, Min, let’s see what you’ve got.”

“Yes, sir! First of all, we had to make certain assumptions. Then, we made some assumptions about the prototype you sketched out and about the new console concept. First, we assumed that the smaller device would contain a minimum of 1 Terabyte of data, but we allowed for up to ten. Second, we assumed there should be some means to check the device’s status. Finally, given the size of the port, we made some basic assumptions about the device’s overall size. We were not too concerned about aesthetics, so we used your sketches from our previous meeting and used 3D-printed titanium for its enclosure.”

“I think those are good and safe assumptions.” Han pipes in.

“Thank you, sir. This was a team effort, and we used Han Tech AI, too.”

“Of course.”

“There were some other assumptions about the smaller device, but we will move on to the large device. We assumed that data would move between the two devices. Still, since the smaller device has less memory, we assumed the typical data packets would be moved as smaller portions of the total of the smaller device’s capability. The larger device would be able to read, write and erase data on the smaller device. The energy from the larger device should not be present or cause an electrical surge into the smaller device. And for maximal security...?” Min said with a rising curious voice, “we assumed that the larger device would have a toggle switch to turn on and off its ability to communicate with the AI network.”

“Excellent, excellent, excellent!” Han exclaims.“Very well done! He was excited and slowly rising from his chair. Something the engineers weren’t used to. He was always usually very methodical and measured in his interactions with employees. Once he finally stood, he said, “Ok, let’s see it work!”

“Yes, sir. One final point about the beta console, we limited its data storage, just enough for basic testing.”

“Sure, whatever you think.”

She nodes to the two with the white gloves on, and they stand up, walk over to Han, and place the two devices in front of him.

“We added a power switch, sir, so that you can power it without AI.” Min points out.

“Excellent thought,” Han replies.

One of the engineers turns the console on. ‘Han Tech Test Net flashes’ on the screen with various disclaimers about using untested, unverified, and unapproved devices on Han Tech’s AI network. The engineer scrolls through all of that with his finger.

The other engineer places the smaller device into the corresponding port on the console. Han notices several lights on the small device start lighting up and flickering. The console screen goes blank and refreshes to show a small image that looks like a memory chip. One of the engineers points at it, and another screen appears. Han can see that the lights start flickering again when that is done. Within the new screen, Han sees several images.

“Sir, these are AI visual images we took with Han AI during our testing.”

Han has seen many images like this before but never on a small storage device. Any ideas or data present within consoles or glasses is presented from within the SO-Land or other appropriate AI networks. It is never accessible on a local storage device like what Min and her team have created.

“Wow, that is pretty cool, right?” Han asks rhetorically.

Min replies, “Well, if you want to carry data with you. However, given where we are now with our AI, I’m not sure why anyone would need something like this.”

“Yes, of course. I think that for Han Tech, it may make sense to keep core updates on small devices like this that we can distribute among each one of you on the core engineering team and for myself. This will allow us to update or recreate our AI network if a catastrophic failure occurs.” Han is confabulating to deflect what seems an obvious objection to developing this technology.

Slowly Min says, “Sure, sir. But I know in my lifetime, and I don’t recall that there has ever been a failure of SO-Land AI in any of my schooling.”

“Min, that is why you are my head engineer. Your recall is outstanding. But I think given this last little incident with the consensus update, we should have kind of a backup plan.”

“Yes, Sir. I see your point.”

“Min, I would like to have ten prototypes of each within the next thirty days for us to test and deploy. Do you think that is possible?”

“Absolutely!” We’ve done all the testing and design work. It shouldn’t take that much time to produce in our testing facility. We will likely have to outsource it if we want to ramp up beyond that.”

“Yes, understood. Let’s get ten done and see how it goes before we start planning for that.”

“Yes, sir!”

“I will take these and play with them a little.”

“Sounds like a plan, sir!”

Han was so excited that he could barely contain himself. He was trying to be as composed as possible. He started waving his hands and pointing at the stairwell.

“Excellent, let’s get going! Great job, team.” He stood up and started corralling them towards the stairs. When the last of them left around the corner of the landing, he walked back over to the conference table and grabbed his new toys.

“AI, ON!”

He walked over to the desk and finished some work for the day, but he wanted to get home and try to solve more of the puzzle. If he stayed any longer, we would be too distracted. He finally stands up, grabs the new console and storage device, and walks toward the elevator. He gets up to the landing pad for the AAPD and steps in. As soon as he steps in, he commands, “AI, darken glass.” He doesn’t want any distractions on his ride home.

The AAPD starts its journey home, and Han picks up the devices and recreates the experience from meeting the engineers. Everything seems to be working as designed.

He finally arrives home and feels confident about mastering the new devices. He’s also been able to move data between the two and add more images. He thinks any data he would try to add would be too large to fit on the device. Data isn’t measured by size because it resides within the AI network. The size of a program is never a limiting function because data storage is essentially unlimited, and any program goes through several rounds of AI testing and modification to ensure it is as concise as possible. Only data essential for SO-Land to operate and meet its operational goals is stored within the network. Even visual data isn’t stored because of the vast amounts of data it would require. Instead, AI can recreate any picture or scene in time-based purely on the data and metadata within the network.

Han walks through the front door. Huifen is in the living room reading a digital book.

“Wow, you’re home early?”

“Yeah, I wanted to get some exercise today and play with some new tools the engineers made.” He holds up the devices in his hands.

“Ok, great. Do you still want dinner at our usual time?”

“Yes, thank you. Where are the kids?”

“They are lying down right now.”

“Ok.”

He walks over to kiss Huifen on the forehead. She puts her hand on his neck and pulls his head down to kiss his lips. He smiles.

“What’s for dessert tonight?” He asks with a slight smile.

She unbuttons the top button of her pink blouse. “Whatever you want.”

“Ok, let’s get the kids to bed early tonight,” he says as he pulls away and walks to the bedroom.

“Yes, dear.”

Han walks into the closet, changes into a cream-colored track suite, and walks out of the bedroom with his toys in hand.

“You’re going to exercise with those?” Huifen asks.

“No, Lǎopó! I would like to tinker outside to think more clearly.”

“Ok, but it’s chilly.”

“Yes, I know, I’ve layered.”

Han walks towards the door and juts into his office to locate his satchel. He opens the satchel, pulls the capsule out, and takes out the mystery device. He then places the small storage device into the capsule. It fits a bit looser than the original, but he thinks to himself, what a great job his team has done. He grabs his notebook and pencil and heads out the front door. Even a suspecting person or AI could not tell that the mystery device was in his hands versus the prototype.

He places everything down on the stone bench in the garden. He knows this is one place where he can sit, think, and draw without AI presence. Beyond his front gate, all bets were off. There was no way of knowing how extensive AI surveillance was. No one would want to find out because it could impact your Circle score with severe consequences. Your social credit score could be instantly affected. The dinner you thought you could eat would not be available when you got to the restaurant. Long ago, it became futile to do or say anything controversial. In some ways, Han liked it because there was always peace and tranquility, but make no mistake about it; if Han had commented on Arman’s attitude outside of Han Tech, he could have found himself in an uncomfortable social situation.

Han wanted to exercise and clear his mind a bit, so he did brisk walking around in the cool air of the garden. Then, he did some Tai Chi and meditation before approaching the bench to work on his puzzle.

“Ok, let’s see what we have here.” He said to himself as he picked up the console and smaller storage device. He turned the console on and ensured it wasn’t connected to AI. It wasn’t. Then he picked up the smaller device and plugged it in like he’d been practicing all the way home.

It didn’t fit, “Shit, what?”

He looked at the port on the console and then the port on the device. “They look the same?” He thought.

He tried again. This time trying to wiggle it in.

“Damn! What’s wrong?” He thinks.

He looks at the devices’ portals again. “Ah, shit, it’s upside down!” He laughs at himself.

He turns the mystery device over and attempts again.

“Yes!” It fits. It’s a little more snug than the Beta device, but it fits.

He then shifts his eyes to the console. He waits for any indication acknowledging its presence. Again, nothing. There’s no little image on the console screen like before.

“C’mon, this can’t be the end of the puzzle!” He thinks.

He then notices a solid blue light on the mystery device. The light was not visible before; it seems to be contained within the device’s casing. Han thinks, “Very clever.”

Then another light comes on. This one is next to the blue one, and it’s yellow. The blue light then begins to flicker quickly. The yellow light then begins to flash slowly at a steady pace. He still doesn’t see anything on the console screen. After a few minutes, the blue light slows down and flashes at a steady but slower rate, and then he notices the yellow light is now flashing, but now it’s flashing randomly. Sometimes it flashes with a short flash and others with a long flash, but it’s definitely random. Another few minutes pass, and then Han notices a third light. This one is red and next to the others. This one starts flickering randomly from the beginning. He finally sees an icon appear on the console screen. It looks like the capsule. Han smiles. Below the icon, it reads: “Estados libres de América El Salvador. Click here for freedom.” He’s not seen that last phrase before, but it looks like it is in a different language than the first part of the label. He places the console down on his lap, reaches for the notebook, flips to the page with the original inscription, and writes, ‘Click here for freedom.’

He puts the notebook down next to him on the bench and picks the console up again.

“Han.”

“Han!”

“Han?” He hears Huifen yelling. He looks up at her. “Dear, did you hear me?”

“Yes, I’m sorry I was intently reviewing some data.”

“Ok, well, dinner will be done soon.”

“Ok, I’ll be there in a moment.”

When Huifen shuts the door, Han quickly diverts his eyes to the console screen. He looks to make sure he’s still not connected to AI. He’s not.

With a slight tremor, he raises his finger to point at the icon and touches it.

He notices out of the corner of his eyes that the red light has sped up and is really flashing now, but it is still random.

Before he knows it, he sees:

00000000 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 00000010 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 00000020 00 00 00 00 3B A3 ED FD 7A 7B 12 B2 7A C7 2C 3E ....;£íýz{.²zÇ,> 00000030 67 76 8F 61 7F C8 1B C3 88 8A 51 32 3A 9F B8 AA gv.a.È.ÈŠQ2:Ÿ¸ª 00000040 4B 1E 5E 4A 29 AB 5F 49 FF FF 00 1D 1D AC 2B 7C K.^J)«_Iÿÿ...¬+| 00000050 01 01 00 00 00 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 00000060 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 00000070 00 00 00 00 00 00 FF FF FF FF 4D 04 FF FF 00 1D ......ÿÿÿÿM.ÿÿ.. 00000080 01 04 45 54 68 65 20 54 69 6D 65 73 20 30 33 2F ..EThe Times 03/ 00000090 4A 61 6E 2F 32 30 30 39 20 43 68 61 6E 63 65 6C Jan/2009 Chancel 000000A0 6C 6F 72 20 6F 6E 20 62 72 69 6E 6B 20 6F 66 20 lor on the brink of 000000B0 73 65 63 6F 6E 64 20 62 61 69 6C 6F 75 74 20 66 second bailout f 000000C0 6F 72 20 62 61 6E 6B 73 FF FF FF FF 01 00 F2 05 or banksÿÿÿÿ..ò. 000000D0 2A 01 00 00 00 43 41 04 67 8A FD B0 FE 55 48 27 *....CA.gŠý°þUH’ 000000E0 19 67 F1 A6 71 30 B7 10 5C D6 A8 28 E0 39 09 A6 .gñ¦q0·.\Ö¨(à9.¦ 000000F0 79 62 E0 EA 1F 61 DE B6 49 F6 BC 3F 4C EF 38 C4 ybàê.aÞ¶Iö¼?Lï8Ä 00000100 F3 55 04 E5 1E C1 12 DE 5C 38 4D F7 BA 0B 8D 57 óU.å.Á.Þ\8M÷º..W 00000110 8A 4C 70 2B 6B F1 1D 5F AC 00 00 00 00 ŠLp+kñ._¬....

And it continues to scroll.

He then notices, “Synchronization in progress .0001% complete. Seventy-Five years, three days, 8 hours, 24 minutes, and 10 seconds to go. Estimated time, “3 years and 65 days.”

He scribbles the wording down in his notebook. Then, finally, he shuts it and stares at the screen.

“Han, it’s time.”

“Ahh, Ahh, OK, dear,” he stutters.

He thought he was going to solve a puzzle today, not find another one. He turns the console off and removes the mystery device.