Character Intel: Bishop Harvey
Chief Engineer of the Queens dome. He allegedly backhanded a Collective during AGOCE training. There are no confirmed reports of Bishop Harvey defeating AI on pure fear alone. There are also no confirmed reports denying it either. Multiple machine-learning systems have independently concluded that interacting with him offers a negative probability of survival. Engineers call […]
Character Intel: Kyng Bridges
Chief Engineer. Special Forces Operator. He’s never officially failed a mission. Several laws of physics have filed complaints with some still pending decisions. He was loosely inspired by Ken Rhee, a ROK Navy SEAL. Suspected descendant of AI pioneer Kunihiko Fukushima. Alleged heir to an ancient sushi snack-pack empire. Kyng now spends most of his […]
Analog Tech: NORAD Vibes
Analog Tech: NORAD Vibes The Expert System is a relic from a forgotten age when engineers were expected to know how their computers worked. STATUS REPORT: System Age: Ancient Reliability: Alarming Communication with Distant Spacecraft: Nominal EXPERT SYSTEM DIAGNOSTICS Signal Tracking . . . . . PASS Fault Detection . . . . . PASS […]
Neat Tech: Goldstone
Proving that a computer doesn’t need to ask a spacecraft to solve a CAPTCHA. They reliably communicate with spacecraft so far away that a message takes a day to get there and back. Somehow, they accomplish this without once asking engineers to “accept updated terms and conditions.”
Analog Tech: Voyager Computers
The command center aesthetic wasn’t chosen by accident. Voyager is proof that longevity and competence are not determined by processor speed. NASA launched it in 1977, and its computers are still doing their job without demanding a subscription, an account login, or access to your contacts. Or blood. Fun Fact: Humanity’s most distant spacecraft runs […]
Player Card: Gary Friedman
A NASA analog photographer kindly provided a few original shots from the Cold War era, back when cameras worked without a software update. And the Expert System screen is what you see as the newsletter heading. It’s also AI-proof because nobody in their right mind wants a command center that can be taken hostage by […]
Character Intel: Cas Shepard
Cas represents Special Forces. Fueled by MREs, caffeine, and unmitigated rage, he has dedicated his life to solving problems, preventing future problems, and occasionally creating entirely new problems in the pursuit of aggressive efficiency. When disasters fail to appear, he starts scheduling his own. If Cas is already moving toward the objective, Krue is usually […]
Character Intel: Krue Nex
A common question is where Krue Nex came from. He was loosely inspired by Simon “Ghost” Riley from Call of Duty. But instead of giving him a skull mask, military hardware, an ACR assault rifle, NVGs, a Halligan bar, and a bulletproof vest, I gave him engineering problems and the responsibility of saving an entire […]