Stephen's Secure Blog #74
These stories about Stephen began was when he was 10 years old, and
moving to a new part of the country to attend a special school for
gifted students, in the 1950's. This was from a time before computers
would fit on a desk, and when people communicated with friends in other
countries by actual letters sent through the postal service. He wrote
225 of them to a friend. He stopped writing to his penpal, but found he
still wanted to record his life, in case he lost his memory again, and
wrote 30 entries in his first logbook. Then he wrote to an artificial
intelligence called Geenee, in the master computer in his school for
gifted students, which he started attending in 2016. Now it's 2018 and
later, and he's continuing to save his memories in a secure blog.
All characters are fictitious, even if some of them might have names
that belong to some actual people, or act like people we know.
The stories may not be posted in chronological order.
Stephen is 13 in this story, in the Fall, after the start of year 4 of
his special school.
Stephen's Secure Blog #74 "Boxes"
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I had a meeting with Rose and Pete. I gave them my memory of my last
meeting with Hoechess. They laughed. Pete said "She knew you were
playing her, and couldn't do anything about it!" I nodded, and then
asked Rose, "Did she follow your predictions?" She said "She must have
thought they were orders." I laughed. I said "Want to do it with her in
real time?" She said "I can? Wow!" I grinned and said, "I want you with
us on the ship. While I'm going after a candidate, you can show her
what you think she should see of that. She thinks you are so much less
than I am, that you will be easy to dominate. Ohboy is she wrong!" She
laughed. I said "She will try to get as much information from you that
she can, as soon as she is alone with you, and might try to turn you
against me, and for her. She should know it won't work, because I
already told her we are not entirely separate on a mission, but she
will still HAVE to try. Do you agree?" She said "I do. I will be
interesting." I grinned and said, "Fun for you, but NOT for her. Do you
think I should give a sly hint in reference to that, after we all get
together again afterward?" She grinned and said, "Absolutely! If I'm
not there, you'll give me the memory?" I said "Absolutely!" We hugged
and kissed, and then did that with Pete. Then we went to see Zander, on
his world.
I said "So this is where you live?" He said "Yes, and teach." I said
"Not bad. Need more room soon, though. In a few days, you'll have a
Tsuriss student. And, maybe another one. Of your own kind." He said "I
had some contacts from the source of my new found wealth, the astroid
miner. He said you told him his daughter could be qualified to be a
student here." I said "Yes, but there is a possibility that her mother
might need a little persuading, when the time is right. Hissssner can
do that. After you get proper contracts written. If you won't have
facilities in time for when you need them, I can build something for
you near my house, until you can arrange for something better. Oh, and
you will need better student computers. I'll give you some, when your
students can learn to use the mental interface." He said "Er, Wow?" We
laughed. I said "They will be learning faster than typing can keep up
with. With direct mental control, you can compose documents as fast as
you can think. You will use special headsets at first, and then
advanced Adepts can operate the controller directly. That's how we do
it in our school. Our Guardian wrist computers are relatively new, and
won't be available to you for a while. It will take a lot of work to
modify them be used for different species, and we can't fully do that
until we see how they are as full advanced Adepts." He said "We have
some mental control devices for computers, but they are unreliable." I
said "Even with your telepathy adapter, that will still be the case,
because there isn't going to be enough feedback. Our way is direct
involvement, and you can see and feel the results immediately. Lets
find a table and chairs, and I'll show you."
I said "I'll need a moment." About two minutes later, a small box
appeared on the table, and a controller to wear, to fit Zander. I said
"That's the computer. It has more capability than you will ever need,
and it's connected to your wireless network. It's always on. I'll tell
the screen to show in the air." It did. I said "It can use any language
known to the GC, but is using GC now as its operating language. I can
set it to print to any networked printer, after I examine it. It
contains all the information that is in the academic crystals I gave
you. Do you see the document producing the text of what I'm speaking?"
He said "Wow!" I said "That could be understood as a yes." Rose
laughed. I said "It isn't doing that from my speech, but from my
thoughts. The screen can be set to project into the mind only, for
privacy. Here is the headset, and the instructions for all of it,
indexed, are in that crystal on the box. Oh, it's all self powered and
tamper proof by GC science. No viruses, either. Want it?" He said "We
need Pete to answer that!" I laughed. I said "You can have it, to play
with. When we get time, we will make and adapt them more fully to your
needs." He said "Thank you VERY much!" I said "You're welcome."
I said "We are going to the museum next, to make another donation.
Want to come along?" He said "It probably won't be as exciting as the
last time, but I would still like to go with you." I grinned and said,
"Then you can carry the box." He grinned back. I said "Want to drive,
or shall we port." He said "Why use time unwisely?" I said "Ready?" He
and Rose were, and I ported us to the museum, in an unobserved hallway.
I ported the box to the floor in front of Zander, and he picked it up
like it was heavy. I grinned with him and said, "Just be glad it's
empty. The crystal is NOT light." We walked a short way to the
curator's office, and walked in. We were expected, and she was alone.
Immediately she said, "What have you got for us?" I said "How about a
big natural crystal?" She said "Alright. Of what?" I said "Maybe golden
topaz?" She said "We have some." I said "What size and quality?" She
said "Largest is 16cm tall, and of poor quality." I grinned and said
"Want something bigger and better?" She looked very hungry. I said "Not
to eat!" She laughed. We made room on her desk for the box, and I
lifted the side and top off, so she could see the gem quality topaz
multiple crystal formation, 84cm high. Her eyes almost popped out. I
said to Rose, "I think she likes it." Rose said "Well, we might know,
when she is able to speak." Zander said, "I don't hear anything yet. Do
you?" I agreed with, "No, not yet."
When the curator was finally able to say something, she said, "We
want it. How much?" I said "How much have you got?" That confused her a
little. Then she said, "I see. You know we can't afford to pay what
it's really worth." I said "I'm funding a school here. It needs proper
facilities, and can really use whatever you can er, part with." She
said "What kind of school?" I said "Like the one I attended and now
teach in, on my planet. For specially talented geniuses." She said "Oh!
To produce more of you?" I said "I'm lonely." I gave her that feeling.
She said oh again. She said "VERY worthy goal. I want to help, but I am
allotted only so much per year." I said "Give me a list, and I might be
able to find what you could be looking for. I have some skill at that.
At the moment, we will accept whatever you offer, with no bargaining.
If you don't want it now, I will not offer it to another establishment
for a year." She said "That is almost impossibly generous. Why?" I said
very gently, "I like it here. I have to, because you have part of me.
My box." She nodded in understanding and said, "I stop and look at it
every morning as I come to my office." I bowed. She typed something on
her keyboard, and turned the screen to me, and I saw the list. I said
"I have most of that, and better than you might think is possible. I
should bring some around when it's convenient for both of us. Oh,
you're looking mighty hungry again." She laughed. Then she said, "We
can afford 19,000 credits for this." I grabbed my chest and groaned and
said, "This is all my hard work is worth? Oh how can I live with the
shame?" Then I miraculously healed and said, "Agreed." She laughed. We
completed the arrangement, and said our farewells, and left, and ported
back to Zander's place.
We sat and I said, "Not very profitable. Do you have any other credit
making ideas?" He said "Actually, yes. Those red cushions you included
with the plates. They want more." I said "People stealing them?" He
said "Partially, but we don't have anything like that here, or anywhere
else I know of in the GC." I said "Wow!" We laughed. I said "It's well
known on our world, and is used in many places. Very interesting
properties. Useful in food preparation. We could make some, but we
don't have an entry into that kind of market here. Best way is to
patent it here and license it. I'll work on that. Anything else?" He
said "You're famous. We should take advantage of that. Unfortunately,
the market for sculpture in the size you prefer is very limited, unless
mass produced. The return on graphic arts, can be higher, and is much
more in demand. Paintings." I said "Please wait." I thought for two and
a half minutes. Then a little box shaped cube made of jade appeared on
the table. I said to nobody in particular, "Touch it." Zander did, and
a light sculpture appeared in the air above it. He and Rose said "Wow!"
I said "Touch it again." He did, and the light sculpture vanished. I
said "Again." And another one appeared, but different. I said "It will
be randomly different each time you cycle it. Think there is a market
for that? Oh, I can make the box out of any solid opaque material but
iron. It will cost me almost nothing but a little time locating the
material, and I can make millions of them." He said "Wow!" Rose said "I
agree." We laughed. I made more of different materials and ported them
to the table, and said, "Samples." Zander said "I'll show them around.
Can you put distributor names on them?" Another one showed up on the
table, with "Your Name Here" in raised letters on it. They laughed. I
said "Ask Hissssner if he wants a monument sized one for some public
plaza. If he does, after that, everybody will want their own home
version." Rose said "Great idea!" Zander said "I agree. I'll go call
him now."
He came back and said, "He wants to see us." I said "Fast work!" He
grinned, and we flew to the government center, and went into his
office. Hissssner said to me, "Here are the papers you requested." Then
he said, with a lot of interest, "Zander is all excited about something
new you made. That doesn't happen easily. Show me?" Zander put the
container box on the table and said, "Take one out." Hissssner reached
in and took one out, and put on the table. as soon as he let go, the
light sculpture appeared above it. Zander said, "Touch it." He did and
it went off. "Again." It came back on, but different. Zander said,
"Random, and never repeats. He can make any size, any material but
iron, and I assume with different programs for the control. We watched
him get the idea and invent it! Go ahead, play with the others. Would
be great for an outside large sculpture. Lights don't get dirty and
have to be cleaned." I said "Large ones can be set to only change when
all four sides are touched at the same time, for more reasonable
intervals between changes, with public interaction." Hissssner, all
through our talking, was looking at it and the others and saying, wow
under his breath. I said "I can hear you say that, you know." He
laughed. I said "All proceeds to go to the school." He said "Wow!"
I said "Would you like to see a large one set to slowly change
continuously, at my house? I can project the image here." He said "Yes,
please." I did that, and he said, "Wow" again." I said musingly, "I
wonder if I can power it with wows." They laughed. Hissssner said, "But
how is it really powered?" I said "From available ambient energy. Very
efficient, and won't cost anything in electricity." He said "Can you
make regular lights like that?" I said "If I could and did, which I and
we have never done, and allowed them to be on the market in the GC
worlds, your economy would be severely damaged. You know you shouldn't
have alien technology like that. Art and toys are different. Actually,
I could put a fusion generator in a larger one, like the size of this
desk, but the sculpture doesn't need that kind of power." He said "We
can't build them that small." I said "You could, if your regulations
allowed it, and the research to develop it. Your scientists have the
knowledge. All it needs is some engineering research. Even if they
could do that in an unknown system, and be successful, the GC wouldn't
allow it to be used, out of fear, even in spaceships." He said "I
didn't know that. I'll see what I can do about it, after some research
into the situation."
He said "When I put my hand through the light, it doesn't cast a
shadow." I said "The light is emitted by forcefields, which react only
with light, in the air above the cube, not projected. It won't even
damage your eyes if you put your head in it, but you will look a little
funny if you do that." He laughed. He said "I want one for the central
plaza." I said "I think multi grained basalt would combine beauty with
durability, and be the best choice of material. I can make the rock in
any shape, but I recommend it be as simple as possible, so it won't
distract from the lights. I can put any designs and lettering on the
surfaces. I would recommend incised and filled with contrasting stone
lettering saying 'welcome' in all the major languages of the GC." He
just stared at me for a while. Then he really surprised me with, "I
love you." I must have broadcasted my surprise. Rose said "Stephen is
surprised to his core. I don't think that's ever happened before in
this life." Zander said "Wow!" I recovered a little, and said to
Hissssner, "Could you please explain that?" He said, with a confused
struggle, "I see who you are. I saw you create your art, and it's from
your love. Your inner beauty is reflected in your art. Knowing that,
experiencing that, who couldn't love you?" Zander said "I agree." Rose
said "All of us, his friends, already knew that, and love him." I
turned really red, hot pepper red, with embarrassment. I mumbled, "Oh.
Well, give Zander the contract, when your bureaucracy finishes arguing
about it, and I'll deliver it. You can keep the samples. Please excuse
me; I'll be outside in the flier." I walked out.
I sat and tried not to think. After a while Zander and Rose came out
and got in the flyer. I said "Rose and I have to go pick up Hoechess so
we can go to her world and find and take your new student. We can port
there from here. Unless we are needed here for something else?" He said
"Go, and have fun." I said thanks, and we stood up as much as we could,
and ported to Hoechess' office.
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Grant
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