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Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: Matti Aistrich <aistrich@********.hkkk.fi>
Subject: Turning the Matrix off
Date: Wed, 21 Feb 1996 12:14:43 +0200 (EET)
On Tue, 20 Feb 1996, Lucifer wrote:

> Ok, I have a quick answer to this arguement. You can turn the Matrix
> OFF. You can't do that to the real world. That should help distinguish
> the difference.

Oh boy, I can imagine how you will get hit for this comment... :-)

Theoretically, it may be possible to turn the Matrix as a whole off, but
on that theoretical level you could destroy one main part of our reality,
the Earth, by blowing it up with nukes.

Even though a decker is not currently decking the Matrix still exists and
other people are in it (much like the internet).

Maybe I could expand on your comment by writing that even while decking,
the decker remains in the physical world as well. This is his base
reality. Whereas for a 'ghost in the machine'...

---------------------------------------------
: Perfect is : Matti M. Aistrich :
: only just : :
: good enough! : aistrich@********.hkkk.fi :
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Message no. 2
From: Jason Messer <bitter@****.ncn.com>
Subject: Re: Turning the Matrix off
Date: Wed, 21 Feb 1996 04:44:33 -0800 (PST)
At 12:14 PM 2/21/96 +0200, Matti wrote:
>Theoretically, it may be possible to turn the Matrix as a whole off, but
>on that theoretical level you could destroy one main part of our reality,
>the Earth, by blowing it up with nukes.

This got me wondering if anyone had anyone has introduced an AI into their game?
If you are a fan of the "Heinlein type" AI that develops a personality and
just wakes up in response to long term association with humans, then the
matrix would seem the perfect birthing ground. A general consensus on magic
seems to be that a sentient/creative mind can bind magical reality to
perception. Unless an AI were a hopeless solipsist "it" would reinforce the
growing tendancy of (meta)humanity to think of the matrix as an actual place
by making the matrix "realer".
Even if you aren't into matrix magic you've just got to wonder what sort of
personality an AI would develop in response to the the people of 205x. :)

_____________________________________________
Things fall apart,
the center cannot hold.
And mere anarchy is loosed upon the world...
_____________________________________________
Message no. 3
From: "Lucifer" <MFISHER@*****.vinu.edu>
Subject: Re: Turning the Matrix off
Date: Wed, 21 Feb 1996 14:21:46 -5
Matti Aistrich wrote:
> On Tue, 20 Feb 1996, Lucifer wrote:
>
> > Ok, I have a quick answer to this arguement. You can turn the
Matrix
> > OFF. You can't do that to the real world. That should help
distinguish
> > the difference.
>
> Oh boy, I can imagine how you will get hit for this comment... :-)
>
> Theoretically, it may be possible to turn the Matrix as a whole off,
but
> on that theoretical level you could destroy one main part of our
reality,
> the Earth, by blowing it up with nukes.
>
> Even though a decker is not currently decking the Matrix still exists
and
> other people are in it (much like the internet).
>
> Maybe I could expand on your comment by writing that even while
decking,
> the decker remains in the physical world as well. This is his base
> reality. Whereas for a 'ghost in the machine'...
>
True. Also, if you nuke the Earth, you can't fix it so easy. You can
always just turn the Matrix back on.
Lucifer
Prince of Darkness, Eater of Souls

"To the living one owes respect, to the Dead one owes
only Truth."-Voltaire
Message no. 4
From: "A Halliwell" <u5a77@**.keele.ac.uk>
Subject: Re: Turning the Matrix off
Date: Wed, 21 Feb 1996 19:33:19 +0000 (GMT)
|True. Also, if you nuke the Earth, you can't fix it so easy. You can
|always just turn the Matrix back on.

It'd be a bastard to start up if you lost the boot file though...... ;)
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Message no. 5
From: Robert Watkins <robertdw@*******.com.au>
Subject: Re: Turning the Matrix off
Date: Thu, 22 Feb 1996 20:52:14 +1100 (EST)
>|True. Also, if you nuke the Earth, you can't fix it so easy. You can
>|always just turn the Matrix back on.
>
>It'd be a bastard to start up if you lost the boot file though...... ;)

The Matrix could very well have "evolved" software-wise to the point
where it might be impossible to restart the Matrix if it got turned off.
Of course, you could go back several years and start again, but wouldn't
that be fun?


--
Robert Watkins robertdw@*******.com.au
Real Programmers never work 9 to 5. If any real programmers
are around at 9 am, it's because they were up all night.

Further Reading

If you enjoyed reading about Turning the Matrix off, you may also be interested in:

Disclaimer

These messages were posted a long time ago on a mailing list far, far away. The copyright to their contents probably lies with the original authors of the individual messages, but since they were published in an electronic forum that anyone could subscribe to, and the logs were available to subscribers and most likely non-subscribers as well, it's felt that re-publishing them here is a kind of public service.

Thwap!