The Long Night*

5 Senses

Music=

1. Wake- Linkin Park

2. Wide Awake- Solab

"Life comes from the Earth and life returns to the Earth." -Zhuangzi

UFOtext=

Aristarchus watched and listened through the crack. Princess Lei spoke softly in the quiet night of the abandoned house.

"I can deliver one metric ton of rare earth minerals through the junk ships of Hong Kong within 3 months. I assure you we can evade the authorities of the Empire- the Foundation would have an underground link to the riches of the Silk Path. Are you interested?"

Sauveur took a moment to consider.

"Like everything, it depends on the price." said Sauveur.

"How much?"

"Five trillion euros." said the Princess.

"That's rather high don't you think?" asked Sauveur.

"No, in 3 months time the euro will be worth much less." explained the Princess.

"A lot can change in 3 months for sure." said Sauveur.

Aristarchus sensed a change. He rose from the floor and quietly padded his way to the window on the balcony. He peered into the moonlit streets. A small vehicle stopped one block away and three figures emerged. Their silent shadows in the moonlight moved toward the abandoned house.

"I think we have company." thought Aristarchus to himself.

.....................

Astira saw the man standing in the street. She keyed xx into her i5. She slipped it back into her pocket and then she felt the warm heat of her small laser pistol. Now she was ready for her blind date.

* 

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The Black Swan Branch

Beta

Music=

1. Loud Music= Michelle Branch

"A Visi-Sonor- and of a make to distill joy out of a dead man's heart."- The Mule 

(in Isaac Asimov's Foundation and Empire)

UFOtext=
Xanthia listened to the scientist-
"Everyone knows about the jump from classical computers to quantum computers. The classical computer types in only one bit of information per keystroke- either a 1 or 0 for a spin up or down. The quantum computer types in much more information per keystroke- for example, it types into a quantum spin state where one knows only the probabilty that the spin points up or down. As a result the quantum computers vastly outperform the classical computers. Today I want to talk about an even more powerful kind of computer- complex quantum net computers that might someday answer any answerable question asked of it! For example, we all know that here on the Foundation none of us knows anything to speak of about psychohistory. A few crackpots work on psychohistory and they entertain us with their drivel- but we all know that they ultimately don't have a clue! However, this new generation of quantum net computers might actually discover and develop the science of psychohistory- if we just ask it to in the right way!" And the young man made a face at his amused audience.

Xanthia stirred in his seat-
It was vital that the First Foundation remain in the dark about psychohistory. Who could say whether or not the new computers could discover psychohistory? The most brilliant psychohistorian alive- Aristarchus of Samos- repeatedly stressed the possibility of disruptive technological change that nobody could anticipate. He proved every branch on a realistic psychohistory probabilty tree carries the invisible and mysterious black swan branch- that branch which covers the possibility that something else might happen- something that nobody thought about. A simple example of the black swan branch involved a coin toss- one branch for a head, one branch for a tail and then the black swan branch- like when the coin bounces around on the table and then finally comes to rest- balanced perfectly on its edge- neither head nor tail!
"Hi- my name is Beta."
Xanthia turned in his seat to see a young student with a shiny silver pendant.

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Flames Of History

s-rae

Music=

1. Burn It Down- Linkin Park

2. Tinfoil- Linkin Park

"It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong."- Voltaire

UFOtext=

Aristarchus peered down through the crack in the floor at the man named Michael. He stood proximate to Princess Lei and when he turned briefly Aristarchus got a good look at his face. Aristarchus felt a shock of recognition.

"Of course," he realized, looking up from the floor into an aerial  shaft of moonlit dust, "it now makes perfect sense. It is the infamous underground figure Michael Sauveur- or as he is known in Londontown, Sir Michael the Savage." 

He knew the firebrand Sauveur was banned from Londontown and could be arrested in Paris. A politically active black marketeer like Sauveur would support the cause of Princess Lei's revolt from the Empire. Aristarchus knew well his fractal probability trees of psychohistory. The beautiful Princess Lei would likely bloom in the role of a key branching variable on the Silk Path- and thus for the entire galaxy including the Foundation. 

-------

The man waved and smiled at Astira. She sat down at the small outdoor table and said hello, slipping her shiny i5 into her pocket.

"You know, I've heard so much about you. It's so good to meet you in person!" he said, looking at her with a calculating smile.

"Oh yea, live at 5, that's me!" said Astira, and she made a little bit of a cartoon play face.

"Let me introduce myself- my name is Max Iglinsky." and the man paused.

The world stopped. Astira began to cry but she felt shock instead. Her stomach twisted in fear and then she felt a hatred twist inside her- she stared at the man. Then the Dragon spoke to her and led her to become one with the grasses, to become one with the river and to become one with the sky. She led herself to heightened awareness beyond the blinding chaos of her emotion- she saw both danger and opportunity. She knew her beloved Max from the days of Telegraph Pass in the high mountains. This man was not Max Iglinsky.

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ixx5

idiotgraphic

Music=

1. Intro- The xx

"It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness." - Chinese Proverb*

UFOtext=

Like a moonlit spider Aristarchus climbed up the side of the abandoned building. He crawled carefully upon the roof, then swung down upon a small balcony on the second floor. He heard the faint murmur of voices. He then reached through a broken window pane and gently unhooked a small latch. He very slowly opened the antique door to avoid making any creaking noise. With just enough space, he entered a room imbued by only the faint stray moonlight filtering through the windows. Like a stray dog on the prowl he quietly padded his way on the old creaky floor. The voices below on the first floor were now clear enough to hear. He listened intently as he stared through a crack in the floor.

"Look, Michael, these numbers are scary. The Empire hammers us everyday. Their spies are everywhere. Their bureaucrats manipulate governments and markets against us. How long can we go on like this? No one will hear or listen to our voice!" The words of Princess Lei then burned quietly in the night like a constellation of stars.

-------

Astira walked along the riverfront as if she were a tourist. Then her mobile i5 lit up with a message and spoke-

"Astira- Look over here on your right- see xx?"

Astira clicked off her i5. At certain pseudorandom times- like now- the symbol xx identified members of the Second Foundation. 

"Now is xx trouble…" she thought to herself.

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* = recent tweet from @titanraines

Way Functional

Prague Bridges

Music=

1. Trouble Comes Running- Spoon

"There is one single thread binding my way together…the way of the Master consists in doing one's best…that is all. - Confucius 

UFOtext=

Aristarchus carefully shadowed Princess Lei. She walked quickly and chaotically through a maze of backstreets, frequently looking over her shoulder- no place for a Princess in the dark of night he thought to himself. And then she stopped- but in front of a small dark abandoned building with broken windows. The Princess lifted her gown and then jumped through a window, disappearing in the dark.

-------

Astira crossed the bridge. She wasn't looking for trouble, but trouble had a way of looking for  her.

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