Story

Years from now in an underground station, an isolated society live happily ever after.

Until the day a monster arrives and threatens to kill everybody.

The station is powered by nuclear energy. In a nuclear reactor, water is used to cool the radiated fuel rods, and convert the thermal energy into electricity. The water used in this process, is filtered through (among other things) living microbes and purified in the same cisterns as the rest of the station’s water supply. When some of the microbes mutate (from continued exposure to radiation), they become a symbiotic organism hungry for energy.

The entire story takes place in one day. The monster grows at an exponential rate, thus what starts as a small filter clog in the morning, is a massive and viscous psuedopod beast by late afternoon. The story is interactive, so whether or not the stati on’s residents survive is largely in the hands of a participating audience.

A horrible monster is not the story’s only intrigue. Technical jargon used by main characters is more then futuristic filler babble. The dialogue is symbolic. Water for example, has always been a symbol of love and affection. The discussion between cha racters Wind and Craw about possible ways to optimize the flow network is heavy with flirtatious subtext. In Station, the synchronization of electromechanical components with the thoughts and moods of people controlling them is a consistent theme. A build up of pressure is a real physical threat as well as a psychological one.

Station is interactive digital video. The user interacts with the video in three ways:

Act One- By choosing red or blue (a choice that can be made at any time during the act), the user sets the genre of the scene. The lines are the same along both paths, but they are delivered very differently. When blue is selected the flirtatious tech- talk is light hearted and fun, the problem that arises is complex, but of no great concern. When red is selected the subtext is more like sexual harassment, the problem is dangerous and handled very seriously.

Act Two- The User now has the choice (and as with act 1 it can be switched at any time) of following either of the two main characters. Both characters become involved in an explanation of events in Act One, but from very different perspectives.

Act Three- The final segment follows traditional branching story-lines. At certain key points the user selects from two possible paths (only one of which is correct. Not making any choice is a third option, also incorrect). Making the wrong choice will end the story sooner.

One who controls computers is in effect tangibly manipulating energy (in its' conventional form: electricity).

Energy/matter is sensitive to concentrated human influence. This indeterminate control is particularly evident in manifestations so obvious as to precipitate the phenomenon's intangibility. Examples range from simple physical manipulations, to the more apocryphal (given the appeal of coincidence) sensitivities of electrical components to thought, intention and beyond. Exercising influence upon our environment requires interacting within it. Interactivity is fundamental to controlling the direct ion change takes us. Every action is linked to interaction and even the most insignificant, is reference to the holistic perspective.

Interactive media productions of pure philosophic discourse will not necessarily be exciting to participate in. Action is faster, quick edits, compelling characters swinging on knotted plot lines through bold adventure in controversy, relations hips, dogs, demons, and time is running out... The only way to win is by changing the...

-Station-

Distributed on CD-ROM Station will be a model for media-convergence in the entertainment industry. Station at first appears to be a collection of interactive broadcast data, possibly emulating a network of the future. It evolves into its' primary modul e, an interactive digital video. There are also several games and non-interactive vignettes.

Doctor Wind- A noble young woman who works with the station's flow systems.

Doctor Craw- The supervisor at the reactor core.

Commander Dawson- The head of security.

Commander Lang- The station's network and broadcast node director.

Chief Engineer- A good, strong willed man, 2nd in charge of the station.

Major- The somewhat narrow-minded last word in the station.

Ghost- An elusive and suspect character- the station's computer expert.

Appendix A:

Information technology is the keystone of our global culture. Ancient Greek philosophers theorized about a spiritual symbiotic database, a root directory of mankind's knowledge, referred to as Logos. The astounding evolution of the Internet has transfo rmed that archaic science fiction into fact. Now the sum of mankind's knowledge is tangibly accessible, and it's chief contents are ironically, logos.

The corporation's control of media governs its distance from the edge, keeping it from becoming too "radical". They impose strict limits along the predefined lines of acceptance by the target demographic. "Stand too close to the edge you might fall off", is the illusion perpetrated by parameters. In reality, waves crashing on the rocks below are a refreshing sea of new and fantastic information. Only by carefully exploring and charting our progress will we be able to benefit from interface type s not yet imagined The human condition is defined by change. Parameters, like the walls separating this from that, can be blurred allowing for smooth transitions. Understanding the patterns of change is the primary intention of science, controlling change is the goal of technology.

In the near future there are no phones, TV's, computers, stereos, VCRs, et al. All of this functionality is within multipurpose global-network terminals. We use them to make video calls, watch sporting events, listen to music and more. Everybody custom izes they're own interface, which loads whenever a user logs on with their personal credit ID. There are several popular services that act like a cross between CNN, Fox and Yahoo- starting points that feature time released content.

There is a very popular game called Infoception. It is fundamentally the art of customizing your interface on the fly, for ones own amusement and others. This is done most effectively with an object oriented, point and click style arrangement o f media. A good spinner (Infoception professional) will create compelling new media by combining old and current objects (or samples) with original (usually computer generated) material. For the novice, Infoception is more akin to channel surfing.

Mechanics of an Infoception Database

Evolution is no longer biological, it is technological. Humankind's physical development has slowed down to a crawl. However, every passing day breeds a significant increase in the carrying capacity of our global network. We are zooming forward , faster then ever before. Now evolution is the exponentially increasing pace of technology.

Society is enmeshed in a digital network. The information on this network is organized in an organic structure like a tree, or the vascular system. The database as a whole could not have developed otherwise, given the propensity for creation to reflect its creators (also, the original design called for a distributed system functioning largely in parallel).

Infoception is the transparent result of continued technological development. It is the act of navigating information: from live personal messages to the bottomless archive of film history. Data can take the shape of a voice or video signal, in formation from a colossal tomb of history, science and current events. The intimidating task of creating a customizable interface through which anyone can relate to the database and its labyrinth network of hyperstuff moves forward.