Global Lords: I Have Information System

Chapter 516: Chapter 370: A Girl’s Nightmare, Castle Night 2

”I spent an afternoon in the bookstore, but there were no books inside. It’s been nearly half a century since books were last printed. Tired of the microscopic chips that make up the Prometheus library, how much do I long for these books! So unlucky! Wandering between the shelves, feeling the weight of books in hand, the strong desire to read seems to have become impossible. The bookstore has turned into an electronic laboratory. Books are crystals with recorded content, readable through opton. The opton resembles a book but has only one page between the cover. A light touch brings the next page of text to the surface.”

Internet

Provided by the Literary Newspaper

In the early 1950s, Lem had already started to ponder whether powerful computers could be connected to enhance their computational power. In his 1957 publication, ”Dialogi,” (tentatively translated as ”Dialogues”), he expressed the opinion that ”the gradual accumulation of information machines and memory banks will lead to the establishment of national, continental, and even planetary-level computing networks”—a completely realistic development direction.

Lem also witnessed many of his predictions come true, including the internet. The internet was a phenomenon that surprised him. His reaction to the initial contact with new media is said to be:

”Before using the internet, I didn’t know there were so many fools in the world.”

Smartphone

Provided by the Literary Newspaper

In the same book, Lem also described an early version of a modern smartphone as a small, portable TV set. This device could instantly access data from the Trion Library. The following report from ”Obłok Magellana” is once again considered to resemble the era we live in:

”Today, when using it, we don’t even consider the efficiency and potential of this immense intangible network enveloping the globe. Whether in a studio located in Australia, the Moon Observatory, or on an airplane—each of us will pull out the portable receiver countless times to access the Trion Library in search of the information we need, and this information will appear on the screen in front of us in seconds. Not a single person considers this: due to the perfection of the device, an unlimited number of users can simultaneously use the same Trion without interfering with each other.”

3D Printing

Provided by the Literary Newspaper

In addition, ”Obłok Magellana” mentions an intriguing scene of future commodity production that reminds us of 3D printing technology. More interestingly, the operation method introduced by Lem seems quite modern.

”Trion can contain records of ’production prescriptions.’ By connecting through radio waves, the automaton will produce the required items. Therefore, even the most complex requirements can be met, such as some imaginative person wanting to have ancient furniture and extraordinary clothing. After all, it is difficult to deliver these diverse and complex items to every corner of the world, items that people desire just on a whim.”

The Sims

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Map/Role-playing online game SimCity

Did Lem act as a game inventor? ”The Sims” is one of the most successful games ever, with its creator Will Wright repeatedly listing Lem as the main inspiration behind his game. The book that inspired Wright is ”The Master of Robots” (”Cyberiada”). This novel recounts the adventures of two robot inventors, Trurl and Clapacius.

One story tells of Trurl encountering an exiled dictator on an asteroid and designing a glass box containing the entire universe as a gift so that he can rule a simulated civilized society. It is said that the Kingdom in the box inspired Wright to create a game where each player could create their own world.

”Prove to me now, here on this spot, prove thoroughly that they cannot feel, they do not think, they are entirely unlike those beings able to realize themselves trapped between two forgotten abysses—the abyss before birth and the abyss like death—of existence. Prove it to me now, Trurl, and then I won’t nag you anymore!”

Electronic Poet

Provided by the Literary Newspaper

Image/Electronic poet Elektrybałt at Warsaw Copernicus Science Center

Another bold and interesting idea in ”The Master of Robots” is the ”electronic poet,” a computer device capable of writing poetry. Today, Trurl’s extraordinary invention seems to have been realized in the form of experimental poetry creation algorithms online. To experience a real electronic poet inspired by Lem’s work, visit the Warsaw Copernicus Science Center. Here, you can also watch entertaining plays performed by robots based on works by Lem and other writers.

If you want to try building a machine poet yourself, we’ll disclose Lem’s secret: first, ”avoid half the logical circuits, assign more potential for the emotional element,” second, ”enhance its semantic domain and add a strong character component.” Then, ”install a philosophical throttle,” ”completely raise the semantic center, insert an interactive rhythm generator in the middle.” Finally, ensure to ”dismantle all logical circuits,” replacing them with parts that give it a self-correcting solipsistic self-admiring function.” Very simple, isn’t it?

VR Virtual Reality

Provided by the Literary Newspaper

With virtual reality technology and devices being applied in almost every corner and commercial field, this technology has almost become a recent hotspot. However, in reality, as early as 1964, before Western futurists who invented the technology proposed their ideas, Lem had convincingly described virtual reality (which he called ”phantomatics”). In his ”Summa technologiae,” Lem described a machine known as ”phantomaton.” This machine could create a parallel reality indistinguishable from the ”original” reality.