Stephen's Secure Blog #367
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 after
2018, 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 19 in this story, in Winter of year 9 of his special school.
Stephen's Secure Blog #367 "CNN Again?"
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In a meeting with my movie director, He said "I noticed you did some
odd things with perspective in close quarters shots." I said "Yes. Had
to, to have a wide enough field of view, so close to the subject. I
also enhanced the lighting a little in some shots, too. More so, when
there was too much backlight. I'm learning this as I go along, and it
sure isn't easy!" He grinned, and said, "That I know! I think we can
use this without additions. I'm going to let my editor look at it, and
see what she says." I said "Fine." He said "One of my favorite authors
has another SF series, from that same pen name publisher of your Masada
book. Aliens captured humans from ancient America. I can't help
thinking something fantastic." I said "That's great! I think of
fantastic things all the time. It's great I'm not the only one who does
that."
He said "You can be very frustrating!" I said with a grin, "I've
heard that before." He said "Alright, did you write all those books
from that publisher?" I said "Anonymous pen names. Hmm, seems like
somebody who would do that, wouldn't be all that eager to tell people
he did that, who might, accidentally, of course, tell other people who
he really wouldn't want to know about that, and most particularly that
they aren't fiction at all." His jaw dropped open, and there were a lot
of interesting expressions and feelings coming at me. I said "My wife
Rose, and her brother Hawk, usually keep a mental connection on me, and
I have to tell you, Hawk is laughing hysterically, and Rose is trying
not to, and isn't succeeding very well. Oh, and that publishing house
is just one person. My manager Chad, my great grandfather, who was my
best friend and first student in my previous life. Oh, that sent Rose
over the edge. They love it when I get to be outrageous. And they're
telling Chad, who loves that even more. We knew somebody would figure
it out someday. I'm glad it's you, and not somebody I don't know and
like."
He said "Wow!" I said "Absolutely! Well, who wants to have a boring
life?" He gulped, and said, "Not you, obviously. With all the lives
you've lived, I guess most lives which would be exciting to most
people, would be all the same thing to you." I said "True, except for
one thing. Love. Well, and sex. Can't have too much of either." He
grinned, and said, "I'm not going to argue about that! So, Attin was
real, and you. Wow!" I said "Yes, my first life. Longest, too. But I'm
not in that new series. That's just from backtracking those who are
living now, to see their remote past." He said "Wow! On another planet,
and you know them. It would make a terrific movie. A TV series, too." I
said "For a movie, it would have to be real. For a TV series, it would
have to be er, 'inspired by'." He said "Yes. It could be done, but the
budget for the effects would be pretty high. Three movies, though. Are
there going to be books leading to the present day?" I said "No. By the
time our two people's meet, what is happening with them now, they
wouldn't want to be reminded of." He said "Another alien war?" I said
"No, they are doing bad things to themselves. I have some of their
children as my students. When they graduate, they will set things right
for their people. Ha! Rose is asking that I tell you some of the things
I am doing there, to some in power. If I do, you won't be able to think
creatively for a long time."
I said "Sorry. I'll tell you someday, I promise. And no, that could
NOT ever be on TV, or even in an R rated movie." He said "Wow!" I said
"I think you might want to think of another word you can substitute for
that, after you wear it out." He laughed. He said "Are you ever going
to come out in the open about your books?" I said "When I completely
retire from public life, in about 14 years or so, probably. Might be
some interesting reactions." He laughed, and said, "I'm sure of that!"
I said "Do well on Masada, and you might be able to have the pick of
the rights to other things in that group, but I advise against it." He
said "Why?" I said "Don't waste your career on things you don't create
all yourself. You have great ability. Use it well, for NEW things,
unique to your vision." He had some tears. I hugged him with all my
love, and told him to call me when he wanted to talk again. I ported
away.
Len and Don asked for a meeting. Don said, "We've been asked to ask
you if you would appear on the interview show which usually airs at
9PM." I said "Why?" Len said "We have a lot of topics we would like to
ask your opinion on, that our regular interviews are just too short to
handle." I said "I'll do it with you two, but not with him." Don said
"Why?" I said "You actually want to know the answers, and aren't afraid
to go after them, but you do it to learn, and for the viewers to learn
something new. The other guy is all about intellectual supremacy. He
plays to the audience, and wants his victims to do that his way. He's
going to attack, and when it doesn't work, he's going to be so
irritated, it will show. You work FOR your viewers. He works for what
he wants them to think of him, which he believes he doesn't care about.
You are genuine, a real person all can relate to. He is an image that
has some cracks around the edges, which will really crack all to pieces
if I poke them. In his job, he isn't real. You are. I don't like him. I
really do like you. Both of you."
Silence, and then, they both said, "Wow!" I said "Right. He wouldn't
have said that. Instead, he would have gone in for a poke against it,
and try to get me to deny what I just said. You are much more human
than he is." Len said "Now that you've explained that, I do see
something of what you mean." Don nodded agreement. I said "He's fine as
an interviewer of celebrities, being one himself. But me, a combination
of The Dalai Lama, Bill Mahar, and a professor of just about
everything, it just wouldn't work." Don said "Everything?" I said "The
teaching crystals we are using in our universities in Tibet, cover all
the subjects you would find in all the best universities, up to and
beyond the doctoral level. They are made by somebody transferring his
memories of all the academics involved, directly into the crystals. Me,
actually. I made them all, and what I don't know directly, I can find
on the internet instantly, if it's there, even if I'm not near a
computer. Does that make me the king of all know it alls? Maybe, but
I'm also easily embarrassed, so I would appreciate it of you would keep
that to yourselves. Er, if you have room." I heard some odd noises.
I said "I hope you don't do that on the air." They laughed in
reaction. I said, "We have a good thing going here. I don't want to
change it. Would you like a file of this, up to the human comment, to
show your bosses? Oh, I see. I thought you really would." They laughed.
I said "If you do get to do it, it might help if you tell me the
topics, but not for what you might think is the reason. Some of them
would have answers that would work better in a specific order. Some I
won't answer at all, but I won't oppose you asking them, if you want
to. Just remember, I can't lie, but I'm not all that bad at leaving
some important things out of the answers, which would be harmful if I
said them." Don said "I do know that! You neatly sidestepped, and with
some slight of er, words, part of the question about aliens visiting
Earth." I said "Right. We won't allow any of their spaceships here,
until the people of Earth go out there on their own. But If I told them
the whole truth about what they did to us in the past, there would be
such a panic, a lot of people would die, and the world will be changed
forever, and they won't be able to believe it wouldn't happen again. Do
you believe me?" They nodded. I said "Would he believe me?" Len said "I
get your point. We would be responsible. He wouldn't allow himself to
be. He wouldn't believe you, and would go after it like a terrier on a
mastiff. You would chew him up and toss away the bits, and that
wouldn't be good for anybody." I said "Er, woof?" They laughed.
Don said "That works with us, but won't work with him. He doesn't
have much of a sense of humor, so your skilled efforts to defuse tense
situations would go right over his head." I said "Perceptive. I like
that!" He was embarrassed. They told me the topics. I said "The
Catholic child abuse scandal should come before the other religions,
and I guarantee some people are going to be shocked by what I'll say. I
see problems with the other religions. One isn't going to attack me for
what I would say, but you know one will, and with outright fanaticism.
Hawk is going to laugh a lot, and Chad might sprain something with his
grin. Well, they both do have a few things in their favor. One has a
good choir, ask about that one first, and one has an interesting book.
As for the political subjects, well, I've written a lot of things on
the subject. The personal things, I might answer, and might not answer.
I think there might be some surprises in which ones are which. I hope
so, anyway."
I said "One thing you might consider for preparation. You could ask
those religions which weren't invited to my first conference here, what
they think about me. I just asked Chad, and he said they haven't asked
me to talk with them. If you do, please tell them only I asked the
people I had met before, and those who THEY chose to bring with them.
It wasn't me who snubbed them." Len said "Good idea. I'll do that.
Thanks."
Don said to Len, "We HAVE to do this!" Len nodded. I said "Can I hold
out for special treatment?" Len said, cautiously, "What did you have in
mind?" I said "Er, ice cream?" They laughed. Len said "You might be
surprised at what some of our guests have demanded." I said "Really?"
He said "Er, maybe not, but we were, a little." I said "Do you think
they did it just to test you?" Don said, "I'm sure that was part of
it." I said "I think it could have been their people doing standard
demands for them, that your guests might not have approved of if they
had known in advance." Len said "I think you're right. I don't recall
any unusual demands from the guests themselves." I said "I'm not making
any, because I can make anything I want, but people. Er, that isn't
quite right, in one sense." They laughed, knowing I meant sexual. I
said "In Thailand, in a live news conference with the King, I was asked
if I approved of sex." Don said "We reviewed that. You handled it very
well." I said "Thanks. Rose thinks so, very often, the er, handling."
They laughed. I said "It works, too. We are expecting a boy." Len said
"We heard." Don said "Congratulations!" I said "Thank you."
I said, "Your opinion. We haven't decided where the birth should take
place. We would like it to be in our home, but there is the thought
that it might need to be witnessed by outsiders, considering the
significance of it." Len said "That is a thought. I don't know. I'll
think on it." Don said "I see what you mean, with your importance for
the world. I think you might not want to have live cameras focused on
that part of your wife which will be doing the producing." I said "That
would be her decision." He said "But such an event would be real news."
I said "We'll just have to think it over. I think if we invite you, you
might want CNN to have the exclusive." Len said "Absolutely!" I said
"I'm actually right. What a big surprise!" They gave me bad faces. I
said "Didn't your mothers tell you it might freeze like that?" Len said
"Mine did." Don said "Mine said a lot more than that!" We laughed.
I said "Do you like ice cream? Want some?" Len said, "I would love
"Sure!" Don said "Any kind." I said "Flavor?" Len said "Chocolate
fudge." Don said "A mix of strawberry and peach?" I said "Interesting.
I'll have sweet ginger and toasted sesame." Don said "That's
interesting!" I said "How about we all have a little of each?" I made
fancy little ice cream parfait glasses of diamond, and fancy platinum
spoons. Three for each for us. It all tasted very good. Don said to me,
"I like this ginger sesame a lot! Where can I get some more?" I said
"Ah, er, I just made it up." He looked at Len, and, "And he can cook,
too." They laughed. I said "If you tell me where you want it, I can
port a tub of it there." He gave me an address. I said "I had to move
things around in the freezer a little, but you have it now. More, any
time you want. Len, anything here you want that way?" He said "Yes,
thank you. Yours and mine. This is the best chocolate fudge I've ever
tasted!" He gave me the address. I said "Done. Let me know when you
want refills. Oh, and you can keep the dishes and spoons. Diamond and
platinum." After their stunned surprise, they thanked me a lot.
Back at home, Rose said, "Live on CNN. It's an idea to consider. I
wouldn't like it, but it IS news, and it's not as if they won't know
it's happening." Dad said, "I don't like it. You are not the mother of
the Lion King." I said "Not enough fur." I got poked. Mom said, "But
she is, in a way. The mother of the most powerful child in existence."
Hawk said "That we know of, yes." Mom said "And it will be in our
territory, and show The People to the world in a good way again, after
the marriage of the century. That's what they are calling it." I said
"But that was scheduled. Births are not so finely timed." Dad said "Can
you?" I said "Yes, but I don't know if interfering with nature in that
way is a good thing. But, there is one thing for sure. No complications
will be allowed." We all nodded. Dad said "I'll ask the Council what
they think about it." We spent a lot of time hugging, and Mom and Dad
didn't even notice they and we were unclothed. I good sign that they
were becoming real naturists.
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Grant
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