Impact of Chronotech on existing civilizations

Summary:

SA is all about the impact of technology. This one is a doozy.

Impact of Chronotech on existing civilizations

Colin_Fredericks 01 Dec 2014 00:09

This will be in no particular order, and I'll add to this as I go along. Comments are welcome.

The Tao of History

Aaaand of course this is the one my brain decides to start with. I guess it makes sense; they do have a clock as their emblem.

The Tao are all about recreating traditions and staying true to the past. Since research methods improve over time, Chronotech allows them to send back information about the past, from a time in the future when they have a better understanding of it. Their reenactments become more accurate.

There's also the potential of "reenacting" events that have yet to actually happen. This is a bit of a waste of temporal bandwidth, since information from the future is much more limited than information from the past. However, if the Tao spend their bandwidth on this, it means other people can spend theirs on other stuff, and that can rack up some serious money for the Tao. They could really become future-information brokers, charging huge amounts for their performances.

Likely Chronotech score: 4, with 4 for citizens as well.

Mechanica

Wiring future-information directly into your brain is a no-no in Mechanica. That's changing the brain, and changing the brain is not part of their definition of Humanity.

Mechanica does care about money and elections. As a plutocracy, those are basically the same thing for them. Here's where things become a serious pain in the butt for Mechanica. Knowing the future means they know who's going to win the election. However, because interaction permits alteration, the results of the election are actually still in flux. This is a more complex game than Mechanica can actually handle. With their low Metatech and Cognitech scores, they're unlikely to be able to capitalize on the information from Chronotech very effectively, and their leadership is going to fluctuate more heavily as a result. They're probably going to be more vulnerable to outside manipulation.

Being skilled at Stringtech means that Mechanica is likely to have a fair number of physical time machines sitting around. This will give them a much-needed boost when it comes to research. The bandwidth on a physical time machine is much larger than the bandwidth on ordinary Chronotech, and if Mechanica can defend them properly and limit access, they should reach quite a distance into the future.

Likely Chronotech score: 3 with 2 for the citizenry, but screw it we'll use our Competitive Advantage in Stringtech to do that instead.

The Logicians

As believers in (and enforcers of) strict hierarchy, it's likely that the leadership of the Logicians will have access to Chronotech and the rank-and-file will not. This makes them easier to predict and easier to keep in line, which means that the Logician monarchy won't have to worry about the observer effect wrecking their predictions.

Of course, the Logicians will really want to know how the future goes for them. They really care about having humanity make it as far into the future as possible; everything they do has that as a long-term goal. They're likely to be on the lookout for longer- and longer-term chronal channels, without worrying too much about the bandwidth of those channels. I can imagine them creating a huge concordance of predictions and waiting to hear the few bits of data that will shape their future.

Interestingly, the Logicians are also one of the few groups that would totally lie to themselves to get a better and more efficient future… so as long as their descendants give them actionable information that puts them in a better situation, it doesn't even need to be correct.

Likely Chronotech score: 3, or (null) for the rank-and-file.

Re: Impact of Chronotech on existing civilizations

Colin_Fredericks 01 Dec 2014 16:51

The Union

Chronotech allows Union implants to become lighter-touch - they can sense situations that will lead someone to think in a forbidden manner, and direct them away from them in a variety of possible ways rather than just removing the thoughts from someone's mind as they arise. From the outside there's not much difference, and really from the inside the effects are similar, but the difference is in how someone reacts once they're removed from the Union. Steering someone away from a place where they might make a bad decision is very different in the long term from altering their brain so that bad decisions aren't possible. It's less of a conditioning effect.

The Union's spread accelerates with the application of Chronotech, but not in a uniform manner. Their best proselytizers will now have a much better idea of who to talk to and what arguments will best convince them. It's more efficient, but… I keep coming up with this mental image of an aggregation fractal:

It's kind of fascinating to me that this might turn the Union from a civilization that lives all in one place to a society that exists in nearly every civilization - even perhaps the ones that might outlaw them in the regular game. The first Infrastructure III society. (Hell, let the process run long enough and they'll be Infrastructure IV.)

Likely Chronotech score: 4, citizens 4

The Stored

The Stored are in a strange position. They're connected to each other primarily by being the "old guard" of human-derived digital intelligences. None of their core values or practices are necessarily connected to Chronotech's implications. The Stored are likely to investigate Chronotech primarily because there are a lot of curious and technically inclined folks in their population. However, they're not likely to incorporate it into every bit of their infosphere like the Dreamers do. In many ways the Stored are still traditionalists.

This means yet another breakpoint for the Stored culture, and this one feels to me like the straw that breaks the camel's back. At the point when Chronotech is introduced, some folks will want to embrace the new technology; others will see it as merely a useful tool. This is not the first time this has happened to the Stored. They've gone through this with every new computer technology, choosing to remain human against the pull of the singularity that the Aia experienced. Chronotech is a disruptive force acting against the edges of the Stored, pulling them away toward other civilizations that are embracing new things more and clinging to old things less. The core of Stored culture will have to react against this neophilia in order to hold firm. If they do, they'll be seen as old-timers who can't keep up, and will lose both population and social credit. If they don't, it probably means the end of the Stored as a civilization.

Likely Chronotech score: highly dependent on the outcome. If the core holds, it will probably be Chronotech 3 for both the civilization and its citizens.

Edited to add: At the time I was thinking about what would happen if Chronotech were introduced. If it had already been around, however, things would be very different. Can you imagine if someone had created the Stored knowing what replication was like - knowing that it felt like dying? Or if the Stored created some of the first Chronotech, determined to avoid having such events happen in the future? This gives me a very different view of what might happen to the Stored. I'll have to think about that one for a bit.

Last edited on 06 Dec 2014 16:03 by Colin_Fredericks Show more

Re: Impact of Chronotech on existing civilizations

Colin_Fredericks 03 Dec 2014 20:28

Gaia

As believers in the connected nature of all things, the Gaians will take to Chronotech immediately. Of all the existing civilizations they are likely to be the least changed by the presence or introduction of Chronotech.

Likely Chronotech score: 5, citizens 5

The Disciples

Disciple stealth technology will become even more effective when guided by Chronotech… but that's where things are likely to end. As a small civilization, the Disciples don't have the infrastructure to pursue many different kinds of technology. They are likely to stay focused on their particular goals: silence, inner peace, and enlightenment. To the extent that Chronotech enables Disciples to achieve these goals, it will be pursued. To the extent that it distracts from this, it will be ignored.

This doesn't mean that the Disciples will have difficulty using Chronotech on their home turf. On the contrary, since their anchorages are small, well-contained environments, prediction becomes easier. Disruptions in the anchorage have ripple effects long before they appear. When a Disciple goes on a pilgrimage, however, the timestream of the "universe of noise" will be chaotic and difficult to understand. Disciples with higher Chronotech will be better able to choose how "loud" they want their environments by avoiding or seeking out certain futures.

Likely Chronotech score: 3, citizens 1

Re: Impact of Chronotech on existing civilizations

narfanator 11 Dec 2014 06:51

Actually, I think the Disciples get way more interesting than that.

If you treat time as a fourth spatial dimension, then the Disciples seek out spaces that are historically quiet, not just spatially, if that makes any sense at all. You would load up on Chronotech and then seek out where it is saying *nothing*.

Which either means something interesting, or means they're so boring that in itself may be interesting.

Re: Impact of Chronotech on existing civilizations

Colin_Fredericks 14 Dec 2014 23:51

At least it would be super-easy for them to get to historically boring places - just kick off from their anchorage and drift into the intergalactic void. Nothing happened there for the past few billion years, and unless something comes to rescue them, nothing will happen for the next few billion. :)

Re: Impact of Chronotech on existing civilizations

Colin_Fredericks 04 Dec 2014 17:14

The Masquerade

I went back and forth on this one. Reading the description of the Masqueraders' Identity CV helped.

Identity for the Masquerade means "I choose who I am." It's a fundamental statement of free will and self-determinism. No Masquerader would try to pretend that the influences they've seen earlier in their life don't shape them in a myriad of ways - that's a foundational truth of Metatech - but Identity lets them pick which parts of themselves to bring to the front. The "true self" behind all the masks, the self reinforced by the Identity CV, is a continuous experience of selfhood.

On the surface, however, Masqueraders are different people on a regular basis. Chronotech is, for the Masqueraders, a strong and constant connection to a different person, one that they chose to be only temporarily. For the Masqueraders to adopt Chronotech with a large look-ahead capability, they would need to bring it and its messages into the deepest parts of their minds. The other alternative would be breaking Chronotech at each identity change, which would really handicap them and push for them to keep the same identities for longer and longer.

But what if they did both? What if the longest-term messages were sent to and from the true self, and the short-term messages were kept at the mask level? That would allow Masqueraders to activate specific mask-selves to deal with situations that their true-selves saw coming. That, to me, seems like the best depiction of Chronotech for the Masqueraders - it lets them keep the distinct flavor of their civilization and still take advantage of (almost) the full power of this technology.

Likely Chronotech score: 4, citizens 3.

Re: Impact of Chronotech on existing civilizations

Colin_Fredericks 05 Dec 2014 15:05

Cargo Cults

What would happen if a Cargo Cult rose up around Chronotech? It's not the easiest thing to maintain, but let's imagine that it happens somehow. What might we see?

• An oracular computer worshipped as a machine god.
• A family of assassins, so fast and graceful that no one can stand against them.
• A ruling class that subtly manipulates the world with their foreknowledge of events
• A secret society that moves unseen by knowing when they might be caught
• A family of oracles, kept prisoner and used for their unique gift

Old-Worlders

Nope!

Spacers

If Chronotech were invented before the Spacers left, they'd love it. Something that allows them to predict danger before it arises? To more completely control their precariously balanced and oh-so-precious environment? Yes please. Whatever it takes to adapt to this odd new sea of information, it's worth it. Every gram of oxygen saved is one you (and perhaps your descendants) can breathe for hundreds of years. It's likely that chronal beacons will be common for the Spacers.

Likely Chronotech rating: 3, citizens 3.

Re: Impact of Chronotech on existing civilizations

Colin_Fredericks 06 Dec 2014 22:44

Replicants

You know what doesn't survive replication? Information flowing backward through a chronal channel. Replication is a downstream process; it won't handle upstream propagation. In order to keep a steady flow of information, you need to offload all the information into something that will carry it while you get replicated. This opens the door to all sorts of third-party interception.

It's worth it to the Replicants, though. Their Safety and Life CVs won't let them overlook the potential benefits of Chronotech when it comes to avoiding accidents. Plus, knowing that you'll need an extra six of you this week (and will have to pay for all of their expenses) is very useful for planning purposes.

Likely Chronotech score: 4, citizens 3

Nanori

The Nanori concept of Emergence fits very nicely with the way Chronotech flows. This will lead to a widespread acceptance, which is good, because Chronotech helps out the Nanori a lot. The issue with the Nanori approach was never quality or speed, it was always resources: it takes a lot of space to let a thousand flowers bloom. By iterating over thousands of different options in the same physical space the Nanori Chronotech allows the Nanori to have things that are good, fast, and cheap.

This, in turn, means that physical (and even mental) space are no longer at a premium on Nanori worlds. Without the pressing need for large experimental regions, the Nanori can be more social. The civilization as a whole will end up friendlier and more compact, with a larger population.

Likely Chronotech Score: 5, citizens 4

Last edited on 06 Dec 2014 22:47 by Colin_Fredericks Show more

Re: Impact of Chronotech on existing civilizations

Colin_Fredericks 07 Dec 2014 19:12

The Daoine

While normally a high-tech civilization, the Daoine have a major ideological conflict with Chronotech. Their Zest for Life CV isn't just about enjoying things, it's about living in a challenging, surprising universe and testing yourself against it. High levels of Chronotech take the surprise out of things. While the Daoine would certainly enjoy trying to unravel and outguess the minor "prophecy" that low levels of Chronotech provide, knowing everything that's going to happen for the next day would drive them nuts.

Likely Chronotech score: 1, citizens 1

The Builders

Chronotech meshes well with the Eternity CV. Those Builders who are still physical (rather than dataform) are likely to focus on one particular use of Chronotech: making it to their ascension. Once they're safely in the infosphere, they can take all the time they need to explore other uses of it. Life begins at death, as they say.

As a small civilization, the Builders don't always have the infrastructure to pursue multiple technologies at full strength. Advancing their Chronotech means leaving behind another technology. It's likely that they would allow Biotech or Metatech to fall behind, as Chronotech's strengths balance out a loss in Metatech and Biotech isn't as important for a group with another route to immortality.

Likely Chronotech score: 4, citizens 3

Re: Impact of Chronotech on existing civilizations

narfanator 11 Dec 2014 06:58

Combine that Daoine attitude with a vague combo of Pre-enacted Pattern / Chronotech, and you can target the most surprising, not inform yourself about what the surprise is.

If I were Daoine (although I think we all recognize I'm Nanori…), I'd send myself places to go that were about a quarter boring/quiet, a quarter "normal", and a half various degrees of interesting. So I'd never properly know what to expect (including degrees of meta), but I'd know that more often than not it's at least as interesting as my life without it.

Re: Impact of Chronotech on existing civilizations

Colin_Fredericks 14 Dec 2014 23:49

Hmm. Inverting Chronotech to send you into danger (or at least uncertainty) without foreknowledge sort of removes a lot of the point of Chronotech, though. It's not an invalid use, but it does mean that you can't take full advantage of your abilities.

Re: Impact of Chronotech on existing civilizations

Colin_Fredericks 08 Dec 2014 17:53

These are my last two. They've proven the most difficult to make interesting, which is often how I get my best mileage. We'll see if that's how it works this time.

Stardwellers

The Stardwellers are universally pro-technology. They're bleeding-edge early adopters with a penchant for the strange and a high tolerance for error (at least in the beta stage). Whether or not they would adopt Chronotech was never in question. The question was how they would adopt it.

The Stardweller view on Chronotech goes like this: There is no freedom without knowledge.

Many civilizations (and individuals) that fear Chronotech in some way worry about predestination, free will, and the like. The fact is that Chronotech doesn't interfere with free will in the least. Anyone who knows what predictions have been made about them gains the ability to change their future. Therefore, secret information is the most powerful and valuable information. Information from the future is hoarded and kept safe, to maximize its accuracy.

The Stardwellers don't work that way. If everyone is to be free, then everyone needs to know, so that they can choose how to live. Therefore, Chronotech predictions, prophecies, and correspondences are passed around the Armada continuously. The web of social contacts that tie the Stardwellers together is woven thick with future knowledge. Those who decide to live up to what is predicted of them do so willingly, freely.

This also makes for an excellent defense system. For anyone from the outside, the Stardwellers are almost impossible to get good temporal intel on. The rest of the universe considers them even more enigmatic and unpredictable than before - which is just how the Stardwellers like it.

Likely Chronotech score: 5, citizens 5

Independents

The Independents are a small civilization, short on resources. They can only pursue a few technologies at once. While they've done very well with what they have, they've mostly done it by stretching Stringtech to its limits - witness the Emotion Beam. The Mechanicans do their best temporal work with wormholes; the Independents conserve energy and do theirs with glider guns.

Glider guns are self-replicating patterns of universal fields. They're Stringtech auxons, the electromagnetic analogue of self-replicating nanobots, viral memes, or dividing cells. Glider guns are good at certain computational tasks, but they're typically short-lived. They need specific environments in which to reflect and replicate without dispersing. A chronal channel can be made into just such an environment.

The Independents don't have quiet, well-maintained chronal channels - they have chronal ecosystems, filled with self-replicating, data-crunching, Turing-complete field patterns. They read in problems and grow solutions backward in time. Powerful, adaptive, elegant, and delicate, their channels are easily disrupted. The approach isn't standards-compliant, but they did it on their own, and for the League of Independent Worlds that counts for a lot.

Likely Chronotech score: 4, citizens 2

(On a totally separate note, this has also made me want to have a version of the Independents who went with biotech rather than stringtech. That would be fun.)

Re: Impact of Chronotech on existing civilizations

narfanator 11 Dec 2014 07:03

Re: Independents. Hot damn! So, you might… The future uses the past for information processing? Like… You get the answer. Then the entropy in your causal channel increases until you seed it with the auxons at the other end. Maybe you're continually pulling energy from it, so that in reverse you're continually adding energy to it….

And you end up with a process where in you get the answer before you get the question, and from the forward-time perspective you're trying to figure out what was asked…?

Which reminds me an awful lot of 42…

Re: Impact of Chronotech on existing civilizations

Colin_Fredericks 14 Dec 2014 23:52

Good description of it. I like that interpretation.