We would like to inform all Sphereans that as of tomorrow all Spheres will be serviced by our new autonomous taxi: the JCAB, easily identifiable by its unique shape and elegant design. Thanks to GAIN and the integrated direct neural coupling we are able to offer this revolutionary public transport for free to everyone.
All you need is to think of a JCAB and the nearest available unit will pick you up and bring you safely to your desired location within the Sphere in which it operates. Once you board your taxi, the neural link will act as a deposit and ensure coverage in case of any potential interior damage or misuse during your journey. We want the JCAB to be a pleasure to use for you and the next passenger.
Following GAIN Directive 42/001-TR7X your travel will be free of charge as long as all parameters are met and no violations have been logged during transit. Please respect your JCAB and trust in GAIN. Happy travels with JCAB. Your personal taxi awaits.
If this is your first time receiving Tales from the Defrag, please note that while this Lore content can be read and viewed independently, the Lore articles build up on each other. If you want to follow the journey through the dystopian lands of SPHEREAN from the beginning, I recommend starting with “On World-Building.” Alternatively, if you are interested in some of my flash fiction, check out my last piece “Special Flavour.”
SPHEREAN LORE
As with the previous S-zer0 reveal, here’s a video of a QLUV, a Quantum Levitation Utility Vehicle, which I talked about in the podcast “On Creation and Meaning” (link below). Joe did an incredible job once again, I hope you agree. Gotta luv QLUV taxis.
Unlike Felice Vongestalt’s pod, these are public transport pods but they are also “personal.” How so? Thanks to Direct Neural Coupling, the JCAB will know what you want before you know it. Your taxi experience will be completely tailored towards your needs and as long as these needs don’t violate GAIN Directives (of which there are many) then rejoice for your fare will be ZERO credits.
What’s so dystopian about free public transport with zero emissions? Nothing. Only, that if something sounds too good to be true, then..? Exactly. The gist is, Sphereans better be responsible when using a JCAB. Otherwise, they’ll get their neural clusters hooked up to the ArcHive for penance, I mean, to support GAIN operations and keep the Spheres running. In GAIN we trust.
In terms of future society, you may ask: Who pays for all this? Where do the resources come from? How is this society operating? Why is there no more coffee? And what’s up with Hein Sorenson’s mole? All will be answered.
Remember Senator Bosso? He was mentioned in the world-building article, hinting at the fact that there is some sort of “political system,” and we heard about factions (one by the name of Logicians) last time as well.
How this all works and plays together is too much to describe in one post but it is described in the novel, to a degree where it is essential to the story. Other parts that are not in the novel, live in the SPHEREAN Lore Book, and here, same with the SPHEREAN Dictionary.
When you read SF & F you may find many made-up words, Dan Simmons likes to do that. Sometimes it can be overwhelming and some readers don’t like it, esp. if there is a perfectly fine word for it already, like Augmentation. Characters in the story might decide to abbreviate words and suddenly you see holo signs advertising the latest AUG modules, black markets spring up with illegal AUGs and all that, it saves time typing, too.
AUG /ˌɑːg./ n. abbrev. for AUGMENTATION /ˌɑːg.menˈteɪ.ʃən/ Neurobionic module used to augment and enhance either cognitive or motor functions in humans. See also DEFRAG: Augmented human clone.
Biochem: AUG. Specific sequence of three ribonucleic acid (RNA) bases encoding for the amino acid methionine and also serves as the initiating codon for protein synthesis by ribosomes.
SPHEREAN DICTIONARY
Copyright © 2423
Special thanks to Dr.
for his vast knowledge of AUGs and their biochemical significance, we are dealing with altering DNA after all. We’ll speculate more about that as we dive deeper into this future earth.Here’s the logline for SPHEREAN.
The Spheres that protect the last of Earth’s civilisation are failing. Scientist Hein Sorenson has found the solution and gets entangled in a web of cybertheft, corruption, and murder that leads to the destruction of one of the Spheres. A race against time unfolds to ensure the survival of the human race.
On Collaboration and Substack
I would like to take a moment and thank two incredible individuals, Ryan and Matt. You guys rock.
Yesterday (Monday) I was scrambling to finish the video, recording the VO (what you hear was the first take, no cuts) and in my editing frenzy, I still had no soundtrack when I received an email from Ryan over at
telling me that he would be thrilled to let me use one of his songs for the JCAB video. Not only did he send me three choices to pick from, but he also included an unreleased fourth track. This, my friends, is beautiful. It touched me deeply.And if that wasn’t enough, I later received another email from Matt over at
whose compositions were featured in the last S-zer0 videos. He also shared something new with me, potentially for a future pod. Something that will blow you away, but you’ll have to wait until later this month. I love that track, Matt.TFTD Community
Thank you for reading and viewing. It has been an absolute rush and a joy to chat with each one of you. Stay tuned for CARTER which will be dropping end of the month.
To all new subscribers, welcome and thank you for joining TFTD. Please say Hi in the chat or on Discord or drop me a line via email. I am always happy to hear from you.
Credits
Soundtrack “A.W.S.A.M.” from the album Shelled, courtesy of
. Ryan graciously agreed to let me use one of his fantastic tracks for this video. Make sure to check out his Substack. “Absolute Hit” is a favourite of mine.Pod Design by Joe Reeve. Master of Pods. If you have any design needs, send your inquiries here and I will get you in touch with the Master. You may also want to check out his Instagram at josephreevedesign.
If you are interested in the whole design process behind the S-zer0 or the JCAB, check out my podcast with the designer and more videos in the links below:
Voiceover by Alexander Ipfelkofer. You can book me for all your voice-over needs.
All concepts and designs are based on the novel SPHEREAN by Alexander Ipfelkofer.
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