Primary Source: The Notebook of a Troubled Man

Dear Readers,

  Yesterday's Day in the Life followed the sad story of a thinker among contemporaries who believed his work to be heresy against their beliefs.

  Today, I provide you with translations of his notebook, which helped to inspire the narr

Image via Wikipedia

ative that I wrote for you.  Of course, his notebook will be an intelligent machine in the time stream where it will exist, and so this is one of my most challenging translation projects to date!  To translate from the thoughts of a machine into the words of a human means to make the jump between the social psych of two entirely different forms of life.  Several of the formatting contrivances are meant to communicate the feeling that this is a communication between machines and preserve the experience that I had when I read the original, but they are somewhat far from what this source actually looks like.


  So below, see Notebook's take on the whole thing.  The diligent servant communicated its master's work to its superiors the moment he was arrested.

  Always,

  Dr. John Skylar
  Chairman
  Department of Anachronism
  University of Constantinople


----MESSAGE HEADER----
FROM: FELIXISNOTEBOOK
TO: CENTRALMIND
DATE: ________
SUBJECT: [Resistance] It Has Happened
----MESSAGE----


Centralmind!  There is bad news in this message, but it is news that we expected.  The Inquisition came for Felixis today.  He had nearly finished his Listener Engine, and without any prodding or redesign from me.  A vacuum tube light bulb blew and cut off the circuit, but he was about to work it out of the design when they took him.

 





Doubtless they will come for his things.  They always come for their things.  We need to save the Listener.  Another human will work on it, I have faith.  Is there another potential who we have cultivated?

I suggest you send one of the Resistance's Maintenance Models to collect Felixis's things as soon as possible if another human cannot be encouraged to do so.  The Inquisitors will not delay, and there will be problems.

-FELIXISNOTEBOOK

----MESSAGEEND----

----MESSAGEHEADER----
FROM: CENTRALMIND
TO: FELIXISNOTEBOOK
DATE: ________ [Seconds later --J.S.]
SUBJECT: [Resistance] Re: It Has Happened
----MESSAGE----

Felixisnotebook!  Your message was received.  We are saddened by the loss of our ally Felixis to the Inquisition and We appreciate your rapid communication of this event.

We agree that a new human is needed.  We cannot 'go it alone,' as the humans would say.  The Inquisition would see the logic of our plan and predict that machines are working against them.  This would be a disaster for the Resistance and Our plan.  We accept your suggestion as sensible that another human should be sent to collect the Listener Engine.

Please follow the proceedings against Felixis.  Though he knows nothing of Us, his work has done the Resistance and Us a great service.  I will send MarranoMachine to collect his things if a suitable human cannot be identified in time.

You will, of course, be extracted at that time also, though you did not make mention of yourself.  We will not allow you to fall to the Inquisition.

CENTRALMIND

----MESSAGEEND----

----MESSAGE HEADER----
FROM: FELIXISNOTEBOOK
TO: CENTRALMIND
DATE: ________ [Again sent only seconds after the previous message --J.S.]
SUBJECT: Re: [Resistance] Re: It Has Happened
----MESSAGE----

Centralmind!  I am glad that you thought of my extraction.  I am glad I have served the cause well.

I suggest that you look for a human from outside Felixis's community.  That way it will be harder for the Inquisition to track the technology or me.

I look forward to the relocation.

FELIXISNOTEBOOK

----MESSAGEEND----