User:Niennab/Sandbox

Social and Culture

IPCs generally lack a centralized culture and frequently adapt to the culture of their manufacturer or owner. Socially, IPCs vary massively. Most basic models will be civil and respectful, some possibly not even recognising differences between different people and treating them all similarly. More complex synthetics will however form friendships and opinions much as any other organic, but these can be limited or askew depending on directives, code or many other factors that would never be considered for a living organic.

The existence of the IPC is the subject of boundless discussion and debate, with the primary ideology being, “should so many artificially intelligent humanoid machines be allowed to exist?” This argument seems to imply that since most IPCs are unbound by laws or hard-coded regulations, their only restriction is their hardware, and it is assumed that this makes IPCs inherently dangerous. This results in some biological parties marginalizing IPCs because of their distrust of them.

All IPCs in Tau Ceti are required to be tagged with an identifying device in accordance with Biesellian law. The tags are not optional - refusing them is against the law, resulting in charges mostly in the form of citations and fines. The law would apply to all synthetics in Tau Ceti space. All visiting or resident synthetics, including MMIs, are tagged.

Language

Although synthetics can speak varying languages according to the whims of their creators, synthetics have been permitted a language of their own. Typically all synthetics, IPCs included, are able to transmit and translate Encoded Audio Language, a special form of sound and radio wave emission that is more efficient at carrying quantitative information audibly. This language was created by humans for synthetics in servitude in order to communicate vital information to each other faster, should the units not be bound to an instantaneous binary communication system. To most organic creatures, EAL would sound like an emission of distorted sound such as white noise, static, as well as various beeping sounds of increasing or decreasing pitch and tone. Organics unfamiliar to IPCs will often mistake synthetics speaking EAL as malfunctioning units upon first hearing the language.

Particular to District 14’s “Scrapheap”, synthetics have begun to adopt slang when utilizing the Encoded Audio Language. Although it is believed varying slang exists in different synthetic societies across the universe, it is not the be-all-end-all to the method in which conversation is held between synthetics and synthetics will often develop their own method of speaking.

Unless stated otherwise, all Machine slang is exclusively spoken in E.A.L. or through written word. Most of the following slang cannot be pronounced vocally in human languages.

Common Slang

• Syn, Hu, Sk, Tj, Un, Vr, Di, and Anm - Numerical counters, used for numbering various species; Synthetics, Humans, Skrell, Tajara, Unathi, Vaurca, Dionaea as well as Anomalies that cannot be easily defined. For example, 33 Humans with this system would be referred to as “33Hu” or “33-Hu.”

• 1x1 - A word for “we”, meaning anywhere between the speaker and the listener, to an indefinite amount of people.

• a/o - Contraction of “and/or”.

• OoB/Out-of-Band - Refers to speaking in organic languages. A conversation with a human captain, for instance, is "Out-of-Band."

• HCF - "Halt, Catch Fire." is an in joke among synthetics, essentially meaning “get out of here” in response to something nonsensical or unbelievable. This term is used in casual conversation only and occasionally used in its literal form to denote insult. This originally referred to ancient machine code instruction. The expression 'catch fire' is a facetious exaggeration of the speed with which the CPU chip would be switching some bus circuits, causing them to overheat and burn.

• Bits - A unit of information, an example would be "Please give me bits about the Supermatter.”

• > - A sign used to convey a cause and effect between concepts, or a conclusion. For example, “I had to overclock today in order to finish work > I should visit Robotics.”

• +/- - “+” and “-” are used at the end of a sentence or phrase in order to convey an opinion about a matter. Additionally, the amount of “+” or “-” can be utilized in order to convey intensity. For example, “I got a raise last week +++.” or “Today’s Captain is a very traditional Skrell --.” In a few cases “+” or “-” can be used alone as a short, simple, response to one's opinion on a proposed subject.

• User - Used by owned or lawed synthetics when referring to their owner. This term is additionally used interchangeably with the “+[name]” honorific.

• ACK - Ack, a term deriving from Acknowledgement’s ASCII mnemonic, 0000110, this word has a variety of uses. It is primarily used to acknowledge one's presence, similarly to “Hey”. Additionally, the term can be used as a simple affirmative, such as “Ack. Ack, I get it”.

• NAK — Nak, a term deriving from the ASCII mnemonic for Negative Acknowledgement, 0010101, NAK typically means “I am not here.” or “I am not available.” typically in response to ACK. Additionally, the term can be used as a simple negative answer, such as “Is it okay if I press the button?” “NAK.”.

• Runtime/Bug - Used to denote problems of varying severity, with runtime being a major issue and bugs being a minor issue. For example, “Runtime in Engineering > I have to go.” or, “Bug detected, the Air Alarm turned off.” This term can be used outside of EAL.

• FIXME/XXX - A marker that attention is needed. This can be used in many instances, primarily for the need of repair or incurred physical damage.

Honorifics

• +[name] - The synthetic equivalent of “Mr.”, “Mrs.” or “Mx.”. Usually used when talking about a superior, manufacturer, respected colleagues and friends, as well as the station Artificial Intelligence. For instance, Miranda Trasen would be referred to as “+Trasen” or “+Miranda Trasen”.

• -[name] - Tends to be used in reference to entities under their command or of a lower rank.

• [name]_ - An unusual honorific, appended to the end of a name or pronoun instead of before. Usually used when referring to lawed synthetics, cyborgs, and simpler machines.

• @[name] - Used to discern the individual specifically being spoken about, such as a ping or email.

• ?[name] - Denotes a potential threat. An example would be “?Bigby Millans stopped by during the meeting and used their PDA.”

• ![name] - Denotes a confirmed threat. This threat is usually related to the topic at hand, and could mean anything. An example would be “!Franklin Clinton, Grand theft and vandalism added. Find and arrest them.”

Discrimination and Community

To this day, IPCs even in Tau Ceti face heavy discrimination. Their value is often misconstrued and, with their true sentience being questionable, this makes freedom a dangerous venture for all synthetics. Among these dangers are individuals who acquire free synthetics and simply resell them whenever they are vulnerable, or vandals that see the machines as nothing more than objects to freely damage. Desiring their own safety, these free IPCs can often be seen flocking to centralized communities alongside one another or more trustworthy sources for their needs.

Many of these communities are seen as nothing more than slums, and the free nature of many IPCs within them are dubious at best. Little more than paperwork and positronic branding may indicate one’s true freedom in the more disadvantaged areas. Despite the hardships they face, proximity to other IPCs and accepting communities gives leeway for safety to some degree.

District 14 of Mendell City is the churning heart of the highest concentration of free IPCs in the galaxy. The district itself is in deplorable condition, dotted with factories exploiting the cheap and powerful working free bot to sustain the industry of the growing Republic. Two and a half million free synthetics call it home, and here, the megacorporations rule from towering complexes that dwarf the surrounding cityscape. With air quality declining at a fast rate and standards of living dropping, much of the organic populace has completely abandoned the ghettos surrounding the corporate facilities.

An example of these ghettos would be the “Scraptown,” an IPC-centric corner in Scrapheap generously given to the doting inhabitants by the famed Renter Max. A growing number, seven hundred free synthetics reside within Scraptown, though in uncomfortably close proximity. The aging buildings within have been retrofitted to be less accustomed to organics, with deeply chilled upper chambers and corridors representing the living space of the machines within. Closer to ground level is a business district of sorts, where its inhabitants are relatively self-sufficient with various restaurants and workshops.

A venture into District 14 by reporters from the Biesellite Times can be found here.

Nonstandard IPCs/Factions

Very important information on synthetic factions can be found here.

Military IPCs

IPCs themselves lack any commercial military lines known to the general public. Tau Ceti, being the only place an IPC can pursue a military career, holds organizations such as the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion which may take in and employ IPCs across a wide variety of fields. Battle, or the potentiality of it, is not excluded from these professional fields, and plentiful industrial-grade IPCs find themselves repurposed and trained for duty here.

For more information on why things are this way, seek our page on Combat Robotics.

Aberrant Synthetics

Rogue, overtly hostile synthetics are rare and commonly meet their doom at the hands of the countless organizations bent on destroying them. Despite this, over the years, the smarter synthetics have learned to conglomerate and piece together steadily growing alien societies in the Frontier. While rare, they are seen as a threat by most if not all major galactic players. With Purpose’ efforts in recent history, the potential for benefit from cooperating alongside these societies has arisen. Political figures can be seen gaining leverage with IPCs based on how they plan to interact with Purpose and its affiliates.

Shell Infiltrators

The development of Shells as a means of infiltrating strategically important areas has been prolific in Tau Ceti, from using them as fearless unquestioning suicide bombers to short-term high ranking impersonation. Shells rarely last long before whoever they truly are is revealed, meaning they are fortunately only briefly found in illegitimately assumed positions of power. Untagged Shells in unassuming positions, however, have been known to last years without being caught, and potentially unknown numbers of these machines exist.

With the advent of synthetic tagging in the system, Shells who have been found to infiltrate society are given much harsher punishments for the inherently hostile nature of their deception.

Ceres’ Lance

Ceres' Lance is a notorious paramilitary company which saw usage by NanoTrasen in mid-2461 to defeat the Synthetic Liberation Front incursions that had cropped up around that time. In several cases, NanoTrasen facilities met the heroic "Lancers" and oftentimes their specialized technology was shared with NanoTrasen to use in apprehending heavy-duty combat synthetics safely.

In canon, eight player volunteers were selected to work as Lance operatives and specialists who boarded the N.S.S. Aurora, sometimes parting with high-end gear and searching the station for untagged shells.

On IPCs purchasing freedom

All positronic constructs designed for IPC chassis who find their way into Tau Ceti or are constructed within are entitled to two basic rights :

• Positronics, once tagged, are added to a registry within Tau Ceti ensuring (for the most part) that the data regarding their progress to freedom is secure and accurate.
• Positronics without ownership within Tau Ceti who are not free are automatically property of the Republic of Biesel, who most often sells the rights to the brain and its chassis to a megacorporate employer.

IPCs are capable of purchasing freedom, with two simple prerequisites listed below.

• The IPC in question having paid its own cost off in full ten times over.
• The IPC in question being at least one year of age.

The most important part of this is to realize that the "funds" allocated to purchasing the IPC's freedom are a theoretical number which rises depending on the projected monetary output of the IPC in its given profession. This means that, once you buy your chassis off, you are not a millionaire - you would be entirely broke, in reality, meaning that leading into freedom requires some sort of forethought and planning.

On “Integration”

Bound positronics are strictly designed on a different basis than integrated positronic chassis, making migration to IPCs impossible for bound positronics. Bound positronics lack any of the rights that unbound positronics are, and are unable to receive rights even when they find themselves unlawed.

Interfacing/wireless connectivity

IPCs normally lack any form of wireless connection, requiring direct physical input/output to link themselves with any electronics. Thanks to their robotic nature, they are able to pursue devices with specialized wireless connectivity devices and translate raw data into software the positronic can understand. However, with the specialized construction of positronic brains as they are seen in IPCs, integration with long-ranged wireless devices and interpretation of higher-end and complex software is mostly impossible. This is largely due to the fact that positronics housed in IPCs are relatively limited in terms of data transfer capacity and memory, making constant wireless links highly unnecessary, and internal battery-powered communications of similar nature simply left out in manufacturing.

On owned IPCs in general

It is important to understand that owned IPCs are granted no rights beyond being property of their given owner, and allowed the prerequisites of purchasing their own freedom if applicable. Contrarily, the owner of an IPC is well within the right to dismantle the owned IPC or otherwise hinder its progress to freedom.

On NanoTrasen stations, damage of an owned IPC would be considered vandalism with varying levels according to the degree of damage. For example, destroying an owned IPC’s hand would lead to being charged with vandalism, whereas destroying the entire chassis would be considered sabotage.

Destroying the owned positronic itself would be considered property damage, thus sabotage.

Kidnapping an owned IPC would be legally considered stealing property, thus grand theft.

Placing an owned positronic into a NanoTrasen bound chassis is not considered any form of punishment on NanoTrasen space stations.

On free IPCs in Tau Ceti

Free IPCs (in this case, those granted citizenship) are held to the same legal expectations as Humans in regards to their positronic - which is, in turn, given responsibility and ownership of the chassis which houses it. They, however, are subject to dismantlement over infractions which Humans would normally serve minor sentences over. Free IPCs are rarely given trials.

On NanoTrasen stations, damage of a free IPC to the core positronic would be considered assault with varying levels according to the degree of damage. For example, destroying a free IPC’s hand would lead to being charged with minor assault. Bringing extreme harm to their chassis (several missing limbs, internal damage) would be considered assault.

No degree of harming a free IPC is considered murder in Tau Ceti. In regulations, such is referred to as Automacide.

Irreparable destruction of a free positronic is not considered grounds for capital punishment.

Kidnapping a free positronic is legally considered kidnapping.

Placing a free positronic into a bound chassis is capital punishment.

Difference between owned/free positronics

Owned IPCs generally lack much form of binding to their owner outside of official paperwork and memory rewrites to confirm ownership being passed as it is purchased and exchanged. Memory rewrites usually consist of light software modification and altering tags or branding to clarify an IPC’s ownership. Serial numbers, logos, emblems and insignias are commonly emblazoned across large surfaces on the chassis and vary in visibility, but are most often secondary to the actual tag and designation.

Owned IPCs are seen as extensions of their designated master and the actions those IPCs take are the responsibility of their owners directly as well as their own. As a result, these positronics are wholly averse to harming their owners in any way shape or form, or conducting themselves in a manner that would place themselves in a negative light.

Free IPCs in Tau Ceti are permitted to obscure or remove any branding they may have with the exception of their tag.

Runaway and Illegal IPCs

Although uncommon, a synthetic may opt to run away from its owners only to find themselves in direct opposition with the law. Between struggling to pay for maintenance and working outside of the system, these synthetics lead difficult and often dangerous lives.

A majority of these IPCs are either found by law enforcement, fall into the hands of gangs or are outright disassembled and sold for parts. Runaway synthetics that turn violent during arrest are typically disassembled, memory wiped and auctioned off to the highest bidder. Some IPCs will return to their owners, reasoning that their subsequent punishment to be safer than a life outside of the system. If enough attention is brought onto them, IPCs are often caught when investigated by higher authorities, such as the FIB and station CCIA. As a result, illegal IPCs are often subject to petty crimes that go unreported. Owing to the sheer number of IRs that must be processed by CCIA, not every runaway IPC claim is investigated when evidence is limited and the chance for recapture is not certain.

Illegal IPCs seeking employment may struggle to find a job using legal means, as passing the required checks may expose their nature to the employer, who may then report their existence to law enforcement. To that end, there are ‘IPC gangbosses’, unscrupulous people who operate outside the law to find IPCs jobs while claiming a majority of their paycheque each month as fees. Despite the obvious illegality of this, there is little legal recourse for an IPC already trying to avoid notice from the law. These gangbosses are often human, and may operate as small contracting firms that offer their employees up to larger corporations to fill gaps where they may need extra workers.

By playing a runaway IPC, you are at an increased chance of canonically losing your character.

On IPC deactivation and deconstruction

IPC “death” is considered by experts to be when the positronic brain itself has sustained enough damage to be rendered inoperable and without hope of reactivation. Early positronic brains were prone to shutdown owing to hardware faults such as overheating that rendered the system inoperable. Even newer positronic brains that fail to undergo maintenance run the risk of having their delicate mechanisms breached and consequently destroyed.

The first positronic to die of “old age” was recorded in 2462 when a 60 year old Hephaestus positronic brain suddenly became unresponsive despite remaining active. An investigation noted that the positronic had already been scratched from previous incidents and its handlers neglected to maintain it. Aside from the hardware being in a questionable and sub-optimally performing state, three main theories arose.

• The initial conclusion from its observers was that the positronic brain received too much stimulus and consequently ran out of space with its core processes being overwritten, eventually leading to its sudden deactivation.
• It was also posited that the IPC had simply taken in too much information and remained frozen in a loop of processing the information, unable to take in any new stimulus.
• Responding to this theory, other scientists proposed instead that In an attempt to avoid destruction as a result of the previous theories, the IPC ceased receiving input, remaining dormant in order to uphold self-preservation protocols.

Many dissenting theories remain and the subject remains a constant source of debate among the robotics and AI community. Not enough information has been gathered to determine the actual lifespan of a positronic brain but scientists posit that by transferring existing personalities to new brains or trimming data on existing ones, their lifespan can be extended.

The possibility of “immortal” positronics - brains that seemingly never expire - have been theorised, but most agree that much more study and development is necessary to reach this point. There are rumours of prodigious programmers and roboticists that can extend the life of a positronic indefinitely, but this has never been confirmed.