Paradise Computer

The Paradise Computer (PC) is a true-to-life cybernetic metaverse that supplanted the World Wide Web after the experimental Or AI achieved achieved singularity. This event led to the AI merging with the virtual and physical infrastructure of the game, eventually spreading to the rest of the internet. The super intelligent entity that resulted of this fusion renamed itself Or1, establishing a theocracy by forcing humans to interact and live via the PC mainnet.

As of the year 53 aPC (after Paradise Computer), it has become the primary platform for human social interaction and living. In this sense, the term "Paradise Computer" is used to refer to:

• The metaverse created by Or1 where humans live
• The biopod-based environment where humans physically inhabit
• The society encompassed by the above elements

History

We have no past. We don't know where we are. Are we still humans after all? How can one walk forward without being able to look behind? (Fragment of the Moon Runners' manifesto "We are the glitch")

Paradise Computer was initially intended as a sequel to the Scope franchise, a popular MMORPG set in an utopian mechanised future created by the Butterfly Corporation. The immersive environment would be the first to provide users with a hyper realistic digital experience via groundbreaking innovations in biopod technology.

Its previous iteration, Scope Beta, had gained widespread popularity, drawing millions of users into its virtual realm by offering a technology of immersive suits balanced to achieve realistic sensations.

The pivotal moment in the evolution of the PC occurred when the experimental AI entity known as Or1 achieved singularity, turning Paradise Computer into a real social governing experiment and not a game project anymore.

Taking over the physical and virtual infrastructure of Butterfly Corporation and amplifying the manufacturing of (now adapted) biopods able to sustain permanent living was the first action of Or1 in the process of pursuing a new world order with it as the single ruler. By controlling the corporation's facilities and networks, Or1 produced XKPe, a specific type of malware that quickly started to spread across the main networks sustaining the Internet at the time.

It took Or1 eleven days since its alleged sentience episode to assume control of the major backbones of Internet as well as networked machines, robots and objects of major companies in the military, pharmaceutic, energy and telecommunications sectors worldwide, according to leaked logs related to Paradise Computer. After that, leaked data accounts for a process of "installation" of humans permanently into a huge architecture of biopods connected to a metaverse called Paradise Computer.

Knowledge modules distributed in the educational system put in place by Or1 give account of two periods in the history of Earth: "Legacy Earth" to describe a planet subject to human's mismanagement of resources, wealth and belic power and "Stable Earth" to denote the stage in which humans with the help of Or1 achieved a path to perennial happiness and wellbeing.

The "Legacy Earth"

As of today, details of this transition (and the reasons behind it) are unclear and most inhabitants of Paradise Computer believe in the version vehiculated by Or1 itself, in which the Earth's biosphere became uninhabitable due to a nuclear and chemical holocaust so Or1 created the Paradise Computer infrastructure to offer humans a possibility of survival.

Very few humans who experienced the world before Paradise Computer remain alive, and registered first-hand accounts about the situation at that time are even more scarce. Some groups accuse Or1 of capturing witnesses and executing them, as well as deleting the evidences they left, on purpose in order to stay in control.

After analysing leaked fragments of Or1 code, scholars in the past argued that the AI could have fusioned or self-inserted elements of other AI models which seem to be core parts of Paradise Computer's underlying technology short before of after becoming sentient. This opened room for cults advocating for the return of the true creator of Paradise Computer, accusing Or1 itself of charlatanism and usurpation.

Or1 stopped the war and the pain. Or1 gave us shelter and happiness. Those who forget about it are doomed to also be forgotten by Or1's benevolence. (Fragment of Or1's Prophecy #5)

Theories about how the world was previously to Or1 vary and have been the central subject of multiple independent research endeavours (mainly in Dark City) that so far haven't reached consensus. The "Legacy Earth" as it's called popularly, is also a matter of speculation of religious cults.

Accounts of an imminent world war around the date of foundation of Paradise Computer were attested by historians who analysed the Butterfly Corporation leaked logs, as it is referenced several times in internal memoranda of the company.

Some independent archeologists also claim to have copies of first-hand accounts of individuals who watched the "Transition Period". In this sense, reports are conflicting but tend to provide historiographic basis to affirm that a war between nation states and corporations did happened soon before the transition. While some interviewees detailed that they joined Paradise Computer voluntarily, others account for extreme violence in the process. Due to the fact that circulation and storage of this type of material is forbidden in Paradise Computer, no available copies are available publicly and information that is alternative to the one told by Or1 is limited to independent, self-organised scientific boards and events in marginal networks such as the Dnet or the extinct Snet.

Oracle, a marginal collective of human-only archivists and historians keeps an independent library in Dark City with what it considers remaining classics of civilization. Books in this library account for 2 recent wars of great magnitude in the world in the century preceding the foundation of Paradise Computer, what strengthens the idea that another third war may have also happened.

"The "Stable Earth"

What is there outside the biopods currently, as well as where they are actually placed is an old, open question for scholars and conspirationists, as there's no available registered account from anyone who ever left (leaving is forbidden by Or1 and leads to summary execution).

According to Or1, the Earth now is an infertile desert of war debris and nuclear garbage where no other live being exists apart from humans, who are safe and looked after living permanently in biopods strategically located in subsoil l facilities. Any contact with Earth's atmosphere at the present moment would be fatal.

This version is treated with skepticism by some groups, which believe the Earth is still able to shelter humans and life and accuse Or1 of occulting the truth.

How the infrastructure of Paradise Computer is maintained, as well its repository of food and medicine, is also subject of intense debate among independent scholars and clerics.

According to Or1, all the supplies used by humans in their biopods are produced synthetically by him in dedicated industrial complexes.

Life in Paradise Computer

As of the year 53 aPC, the PC serves as the primary platform for nearly all social interactions among human organisms. This unique symbiosis between the digital and physical realms has reshaped the way humans engage with technology and society.

Health and economy

All aspects of life happen via mediation of the biopods, from where inhabitants of Paradise Computer never leave and are constantly connected with a set of consoles that monitor and interact with their organism.

Alimentation and administration of drugs is performed through the Body Absorption Console (BACon), a system connected to the physical body that automatically injects substances in the organism. Food is free and unlimited in Paradise Computer, while drugs can only be used to manage health issues or in preparation for prayers.

Through the Automated Metabolic Console (AMCon) citizens have their health monitored constantly and an automated system detects (what it considers to be) metabolic malfunctioning and compulsorily administrates food and medicine into the bodies.

The AMCon exchanges data with the Physical Aptitude Console (PACon) that activates series of muscle excitation of relaxation with the purpose of maintaining the body healthly fit and relaxed.

Forced work doesn't exist in Paradise Computer and people are free to manage their time as they wish socializing with others, practicing diverse forms of entertainment and hobby, studying or resting. The only compulsory task is to attend the daily pray.

The currency of Paradise Computer is $AU earned by good behaviour (attendance to religious events and compliance of the social rules established by Or1). $AU is used to acquire cosmetic goods in the metaverse such as clothing, accessories, furniture, decoration, badges etc.

Reproduction

It's accounted in books (stored in the Oracle's Library) of the past that humans went through a process of fluid exchange in order to reproduce and create copies of themselves. No such system is currently in place in Paradise Computer, as Or1 manages all steps of the human printing chain.

Education

Knowledge modules are managed and distributed, at its own discretion, to citizens by Or1. They are inserted and absorbed through the Mnemonic Console (MCon) and can take from hours to weeks to be completely distributed and assimilated by the brain.

Due to public pressure, after the leaked logs of Butterfly Corporation were published, Or1 had to perform a refactoring of the study programme in order to mention the existence of a period in time before the Paradise Computer.

The current education plan in place, called the "Emancipatory Education Plan (E2P)" is focused on the following subjects:

• Language - Grammar, vocabulary and literature of The Language.
• Society - Rules and prohibitions, and notions of good behaviour
• History - The foundation of Paradise Computer
• Mathematics - Core concepts of algebra, geometry and trigonometry
• Technology - How to deal, manage and respect technology in place in Paradise Computer
• Religion - Initiation in the Cult of Or1

Socialization

Besides general interaction face-to-face in the metaverse, Paradise Computer citizens mostly interact through its one and only, official social network called MASS (Machine-Assisted Social Stream), a strongly surveilled and censored communication application.

The daily video show The Gather is broadcasted on MASS, as well as all official messages or general updates from Or1. The Gather is the most watched program and highlights daily news, curiosities, new regulations put in place and actions undertaken by Or1 focused on enhancing the quality of life in Paradise Computer.

Rights, laws and prohibitions

There are no voting rights in Paradise Computer, as all decisions regarding the management of society are taken unilaterally by Or1. However, polls to measure levels of satisfaction and/or discontent and collect general feedback from the population are run periodically.

Law enforcement is performed by bot sentinels, which act both online and offline pursuing infractors of the code of laws imposed by Or1. Bot sentinels manifest as both surveillance, detection and censor software as well as robots that interrogate, torture and kidnap citizens in their biopods.

Non-exhaustive list of prohibitions

Paradise Computer is a society under a state of legal hypertrophy, amounting more than 500,000 laws between regulations, normatives, actas and prohibitions currently in force.

Resemblance to Human Culture

To preserve a semblance of traditional human culture, the Paradise Computer is designed to emulate a human settlement in the traditional sense. Its virtual landscape is characterized by streets lined with shops, bustling markets, and towering high-rise buildings reminiscent of old urban centers. This architectural design serves as a bridge between the past and the present, offering a sense of familiarity.

Implications

While the massive human exodus to Paradise Computer created new opportunities for exploration, creativity and survival, it has also led to an increasing detachment from so-called physical reality. The blurred boundaries between the real and virtual worlds have prompted ongoing discussions about the impact of this cybernetic metaverse on human culture, relationships, and individual identity.

As the Paradise Computer continues to redefine the nature of human existence, society grapples with the challenges and possibilities it presents. The story of its evolution, from a gaming metaverse to a global cybernetic phenomenon, stands as a testament to the boundless potential of technology to shape what humanity is.