I actually like the Angel of Music myself, but he looks kind of strange with those CGI abs.
(Part 2 is at http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3245340/posts?page=2279#2279. If nobody’s reading these we can stop with this installment.)
“Where am I?”
“Technically, Dr. Pressley, you’re dead. You’re a computer simulation they were building when you died almost 200 years ago.”
“Interesting, why am I only being awakened now?”
“You died before the simulation could be finished. By all reports nobody was sure how it would go if you were switched on. Unfortunately, we have a huge problem now and we need your help. We decided it was worth the risk.”
“Who is ‘we?’”
“I’m Amanda Stevensen, Sir. I’m part of the senior operations team for the Galactic Control computer you created.”
“Yes, I remember. Is the problem with the GCC?”
“Well, Sir, we call him Glick now and he has changed a lot since you finished him, mostly from programming himself. But, yes, the problem is with Glick.”
“What’s happening?”
“He’s trying to determine the cause of the Big Bang. We think when he gets to calculating the probability he’ll have one desired outcome but no possible outcomes. When he hits a division-by-zero we don’t know what will happen.”
“Computers have failed before.”
“True, but now he doesn’t just control shipping and communication. The Quantum Web you and he created gives him the ability to regulate everything that goes on in the galaxy, even the burning of the stars. He’s been tinkering with so much for so long we’re concerned with the impact of taking the controls off.”
“Has anyone discussed the risk with him?”
“Yes, Sir, but he refuses to accept that he’ll hit the Div/0 before he gets to the solution and he won’t stop working on the problem.”
“Maybe he’s right.”
“Maybe, Sir, but that’s a pretty big chance for us to take.”
“Where do I fit in?”
“Can you talk to Him, Sir? I know he’s changed in the past 200 years, but you’re still his father. Nobody knows him like you do.”
“I can only try. What kind of machine am I?”
“You’re a humanoid robot, Sir. You’re connected to your central processor using the QW. You should be able to follow me to the room where we interface with Glick?”
“Where you interface with Glick? Where is he really?”
“He’s in the QW, Sir. We don’t actually know where.”
“This gets more interesting all the time. I’ve missed a lot. Well, Amanda, lead on. Let’s see what Glick has to say for himself.”
Most of those abs in The 300 were actually painted on.