Monday, November 7, 2011
Chapter 1 Part 4
A thin man then appeared on the wall, and they realized that it was him speaking. The man was thin, with wavy auburn hair, and piercing, grey eyes. "Hello, and welcome to The Library Alexandria, Revision 2."
"Hello, what is this?" Said Ivan.
"My name is John Autumn, and I am the curator and founder of this repository of knowledge and technology."
Ivan looked annoyed. He waved his hand as if to get his attention. His hand cast a shadow on the wall, and he realized that his likeness was being shined on the wall from behind the glass. It was one of those situations where he knew that the man on the wall wouldn't talk back to him, but he asked anyways, because he figured that he couldn't embarrass himself if the man wasn't really there, but he didn't want to come off as rude if he was.
"If you can see this film, then that means that it has been at least 400 years since it was built. This also means that whoever is viewing this has made the discovery of a lifetime. It my time, humanity was making progress is science in technology at rates which are difficult to even describe. Disease and hunger had become all but unknown in developed nations of the day, and aging had been slowed considerably. However, this was all being destroyed by a global technological revolt led by extremist religious groups who saw the technology as blasphemous, and radical political groups who saw this as disruptive to their power.
These groups convinced many people from undeveloped nations to start destroying advanced technology and places of learning in their own countries, and then in the developed nations of the world. These groups were incited to destroy only the most recent developments of our day to slow the growth of science to a pace that the political and religious groups could control and use. It wasn't long, however, before pent-up jealousy and hatred caused these riots to spiral out of control into an all out war against knowledge and progress. It got worse as the same religious and political groups, when forced against the wall, turned on the same people whom they had led to start this revolution by using the latest technology they had at their disposal to fight off the rioters.
At the time that this library was sealed off, most world governments had declared themselves as being in a state of emergency. Marshall law is being imposed, quite unsuccessfully, in most of Europe and North America. The East was among the earliest, and hardest hit at this point. At this date, 2076, these riots have been going on for 4 years, escalating continually with no sign of slowing. Although the majority of people are not explicitly in favor of these riots, many of them are simply apathetic or rioting for other reasons. The outlook is grim, and that brings us to where we are now.
This is not your average public library. This place contains much more than volumes of science and literature. It contains step-by-step instructions for reconstructing the most important technological, industrial, and medical innovations up to my time. And, well, yes, it also has an extensive scientific and cultural archive as well. The point is that this library is effectively a seed from which a better life for all may sprout and grow forth.
If you step through the door on the far left, there will be additional instructions for what needs to be done. But, you must first understand that the effects it will have on you, your way of life, and perhaps even the rest of the world, will all be your responsibility the moment you step through that door. When I finish speaking, an hourglass will appear where I am now and the door on the left will be unlocked for 15 minutes. If you open the door and go inside, then it will remain unlocked and society will progress once more. If you cannot accept this responsibility, then allow the timer to run out. As soon as the last grain of sand reaches the bottom of the hourglass, then the door will lock, and remain locked for another 25 years.
Make a wise decision, and if you go through that door, then I look forward to meeting you."
"Hello, what is this?" Said Ivan.
"My name is John Autumn, and I am the curator and founder of this repository of knowledge and technology."
Ivan looked annoyed. He waved his hand as if to get his attention. His hand cast a shadow on the wall, and he realized that his likeness was being shined on the wall from behind the glass. It was one of those situations where he knew that the man on the wall wouldn't talk back to him, but he asked anyways, because he figured that he couldn't embarrass himself if the man wasn't really there, but he didn't want to come off as rude if he was.
"If you can see this film, then that means that it has been at least 400 years since it was built. This also means that whoever is viewing this has made the discovery of a lifetime. It my time, humanity was making progress is science in technology at rates which are difficult to even describe. Disease and hunger had become all but unknown in developed nations of the day, and aging had been slowed considerably. However, this was all being destroyed by a global technological revolt led by extremist religious groups who saw the technology as blasphemous, and radical political groups who saw this as disruptive to their power.
These groups convinced many people from undeveloped nations to start destroying advanced technology and places of learning in their own countries, and then in the developed nations of the world. These groups were incited to destroy only the most recent developments of our day to slow the growth of science to a pace that the political and religious groups could control and use. It wasn't long, however, before pent-up jealousy and hatred caused these riots to spiral out of control into an all out war against knowledge and progress. It got worse as the same religious and political groups, when forced against the wall, turned on the same people whom they had led to start this revolution by using the latest technology they had at their disposal to fight off the rioters.
At the time that this library was sealed off, most world governments had declared themselves as being in a state of emergency. Marshall law is being imposed, quite unsuccessfully, in most of Europe and North America. The East was among the earliest, and hardest hit at this point. At this date, 2076, these riots have been going on for 4 years, escalating continually with no sign of slowing. Although the majority of people are not explicitly in favor of these riots, many of them are simply apathetic or rioting for other reasons. The outlook is grim, and that brings us to where we are now.
This is not your average public library. This place contains much more than volumes of science and literature. It contains step-by-step instructions for reconstructing the most important technological, industrial, and medical innovations up to my time. And, well, yes, it also has an extensive scientific and cultural archive as well. The point is that this library is effectively a seed from which a better life for all may sprout and grow forth.
If you step through the door on the far left, there will be additional instructions for what needs to be done. But, you must first understand that the effects it will have on you, your way of life, and perhaps even the rest of the world, will all be your responsibility the moment you step through that door. When I finish speaking, an hourglass will appear where I am now and the door on the left will be unlocked for 15 minutes. If you open the door and go inside, then it will remain unlocked and society will progress once more. If you cannot accept this responsibility, then allow the timer to run out. As soon as the last grain of sand reaches the bottom of the hourglass, then the door will lock, and remain locked for another 25 years.
Make a wise decision, and if you go through that door, then I look forward to meeting you."
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