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[SalmonGod]

It pretty well describes the way we're headed.  Automation is expanding and businesses are demanding their employees be more and more machine-like.  I'm not plugged into an AI while I'm at work, but I'm micromanaged to a pretty insane and constantly expanding degree.  It's not going to happen exactly like that story, but it's a good simplified scenario to demonstrate the real challenges technology poses to our well-being.

[Aklyon]

The sad was more about the ending than the beginning. The beginning is just a giant mountain of downhill.

[SalmonGod]

The ending is just incredibly unrealistic, and has some very creepy elements.

[Descan]

I haven't read it in a while, why is the ending sad?

[Aklyon]

The ending is sad because it goes so far in the opposite direction it might as well have just looped around. We're not going to get to that point without more or less inverting politics all at once.

On a less serious note, because Australia ends up with space elevators and everything great in the history of ever while america turns into a giant lawsuit-inundated mostly-craphole made up of money and clay-based building material.

[Xantalos]

The ending is sad because it goes so far in the opposite direction it might as well have just looped around. We're not going to get to that point without more or less inverting politics all at once.

On a less serious note, because Australia ends up with space elevators and everything great in the history of ever while america turns into a giant lawsuit-inundated mostly-craphole made up of money and clay-based building material.

It's all the australium.

[Sirus]

I remember a short story I read once that had a similar premise (in regards to computers being in charge, sorta).

Basically, humans and some alien life were in a constant war far in the future. They kept launching missiles at each other, but never did much damage. Then one guy shows up with an unheard-of ability: he can do math in his head, without needing a calculator. Basic addition and subtraction at first, but eventually square roots and stuff. The military co-opts his knowledge for a brilliant new strategy: teaching people how to do math so they can pilot newer, better missiles. The one guy commits suicide for contributing to the bloodshed, but it's far too late.

[Aklyon]

The ending is sad because it goes so far in the opposite direction it might as well have just looped around. We're not going to get to that point without more or less inverting politics all at once.

On a less serious note, because Australia ends up with space elevators and everything great in the history of ever while america turns into a giant lawsuit-inundated mostly-craphole made up of money and clay-based building material.

It's all the australium.

Australium is solar-powered and works with optimism instead of whatever Mann Co. practices?

[SalmonGod]

I haven't read it in a while, why is the ending sad?

Because it was a pretty bad ending to a story that began as very thought-provoking, but also because the utopia the characters found themselves in was incredibly shallow. 

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I mean seriously, everybody has hardware installed into their nervous systems that can completely hijack their entire bodies and sensory experiences.  WTF.  Yeah, quality of life is described as great, but... holy hell so many issues I don't know where to begin.

[Aklyon]

Not that its going to improve my mood at it at all, but there certainly is a point you might've missed, SG: They tell him (and specifically him) that someone had bought a share in the company for him and one other person. That is why he can leave. Each person can only have one share, and theres usually only so many shares available, correct? Yet later it says 400k people a day are arriving or something like that. How many freaking shares are there to give out?

[Kadzar]

I remember a short story I read once that had a similar premise (in regards to computers being in charge, sorta).

Basically, humans and some alien life were in a constant war far in the future. They kept launching missiles at each other, but never did much damage. Then one guy shows up with an unheard-of ability: he can do math in his head, without needing a calculator. Basic addition and subtraction at first, but eventually square roots and stuff. The military co-opts his knowledge for a brilliant new strategy: teaching people how to do math so they can pilot newer, better missiles. The one guy commits suicide for contributing to the bloodshed, but it's far too late.

That's an Asimov short story and it was just humans against humans, because that's how Asimov rolls.

[Sirus]

I remember a short story I read once that had a similar premise (in regards to computers being in charge, sorta).

Basically, humans and some alien life were in a constant war far in the future. They kept launching missiles at each other, but never did much damage. Then one guy shows up with an unheard-of ability: he can do math in his head, without needing a calculator. Basic addition and subtraction at first, but eventually square roots and stuff. The military co-opts his knowledge for a brilliant new strategy: teaching people how to do math so they can pilot newer, better missiles. The one guy commits suicide for contributing to the bloodshed, but it's far too late.

That's an Asimov short story and it was just humans against humans, because that's how Asimov rolls.

My bad. It's been several years since I read it, I don't even remember the title

[SalmonGod]

Not that its going to improve my mood at it at all, but there certainly is a point you might've missed, SG: They tell him (and specifically him) that someone had bought a share in the company for him and one other person. That is why he can leave. Each person can only have one share, and theres usually only so many shares available, correct? Yet later it says 400k people a day are arriving or something like that.

Yeah, I didn't think of it right away, but every time I look back on the story, I'm more convinced that the Australia project is basically an update to the terra cotta public housing system.  They let people think they're escaping, but they're just being warehoused into a Matrix-like existence.  I did notice that slight disconnected the first time I read it, but just thought it was a minor thing the author overlooked.

Which actually makes it into a pretty decent ending, if you choose to interpret it as a very subtle commentary on what a fucked up pandora's box of paranoia transhumanism has the potential to be.  I'm not sure that's how the author intended it, though.

[Aklyon]

I'm tired and not really going to argue about it very well because of that, but at least it was a nicer warehouse than sitting in what could be easily summed up as a architect giant's fun in the mud given durability, less wetness (probably), and LEDs for eternity. The Australia one had replicator bots based off the fact that if you own it, you don't have to buy anything from it, the 'it' being the entire sodding continent of Australia. Thats pretty cool.

[Nega]

I feel like I have a Jeckal and Hyde thing going on. By day, I'm my normal self. But by night, I'm...really depressed and sad. :c
Yeah, sooner or later I'm going to vent on life advice one of these nights...