comStar Firewall alert - PhaseThrough

Matrix overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
8
Matrix and everYdaY Life
> A couple of us here on Jackpoint have been discussing this collection
for a while now. Seems like everyone’s always going off on
the Awakened world or talking about the newest and biggest guns.
While I’ll agree that magic is something every runner better take
into account, the Matrix is gonna be a lot more relevant to the average
runner, wage slave or squatter than any discussion of magic.
Astral space is accessible only to a select few, but virtual space is
accessible to everyone, everywhere, for only the price of hardware.
It’s 2071 and metahumanity has created a whole new world. Let’s
go for a tour.
> Pistons
Those of us in the shadows can be pretty far out of touch
with the average Joe on the streets. It never hurts to know what the
wageslaves of the world are doing, though; today’s innocent bystander
is tomorrow’s mark. To that end, I’ve gathered some info
on everyday life for those people who actually live within the law.
Most people never venture past the superficial levels of the
Matrix, considering it little more than a venue for increased virtual
socialization, more convenient shopping, on-demand entertainment,
and, of course, work. Communication is key here, since it
is the primary way most people talk to their friends, their bosses,
their colleagues, even their families.
Back before the Crash, most homes had a central cyberterminal.
It was an all-in-one computer, trid, phone/email service,
message center, simsense … everything. Now that cyberterminal
has been condensed into a personal commlink that’s carried with
you everywhere, all the time, connecting you to the AR world
24/7. With today’s faster-than-thought transmission speeds, there
are no global barriers any more. The Matrix is the ultimate way to
bring your life up to speed and let you live it to the fullest. You can
read your gossip news in one AR screen, have directions guide you
to the nearest coffee shop in another AR window, and be talking
to someone in Singapore in a third. Once upon a time you’d see
someone walking down the street and talking to themselves, and
you’d figure they’d lost it. Now you can walk down any urban street
and you’ll see crowds of people, AR glasses on, holding conversations
with people only they can see or hear. Sure, you get your folks
with built in ‘links, mostly older folk who just can’t quite seem to
go with the flow and act like raving lunatics with the rest of the
youngsters. Among the 16–25 demographic, though, datajacks
and internal ‘links are just so “2060-ish”—or so I’ve been told.
> With the recent technomancer scare, people with internal commlinks
were frequently targeted by ignorant, fearful crowds. Even
those of us with internal ‘links started carrying a commlink to avoid
that danger.
> Glitch
Another side-effect of the AR communication change is that
people mostly use their icons as their virtual representation. Used
to be you had to be sitting in front of your cyberterminal or staring
into the tiny screen/camera of your pocket secretary to have a videoenabled
conversation with someone around the globe. Now, unless
you’re willing to walk around, carrying a camera pointed to your face
while you talk, your icon is what the other person sees, not your face.
The technology exists to create a virtual “you,” a perfect representation
of yourself complete with mannerisms and personal
quirks, and use it as your icon. That was all the rage a few years
back. The newest fashion, though, is to use customizable “personas,”
like Horizon’s Perfect Fit, which allows a user to create an
idealized version of themselves. Since so many people interact
solely in cyberspace, why not be exactly who you want to be?
Nowadays a voice-only call is unusual, limited to shady business
deals and paranoid shadowrunners.
BUSineSS
The business world was crippled in the aftermath of the crash.
As a result, when the Matrix was rebuilt, the service providers ensured
it could never crash again (or so they’d like us to believe),
building a web of wireless coverage that blankets most metro
areas. Given the damage done to hardware and the infrastructure,
it quickly became obvious that rebuilding—much less maintaining—the
old-fashioned wired telecom system wasn’t profitable.
Now most corps have jumped fully on the wireless bandwagon.
It’s quick, easy, and profitable—for them and for us.
Through AR, employees can be logged in from home, from
the road, or even from nomadic work environments. Virtual offices
are considered convenient, quick to set up, and most importantly
cost-efficient. With no central offices, wageslaves become their
own mobile offices, eliminating the costs of maintaining central
buildings, increasing the amount of hours an employee can be
available, and ensuring business can run 24/7/365.
> The security holes in this business approach leave room for enterprising
criminals like us. Want to hack into a secure network?
Just drop in to visit Bob-the-Accountant at home, log on through his
system, and Voila! Of course, big corps often house their employees
in secure corporate enclaves to thwart such efforts, making this approach
a bit more complicated.
> Glitch
> For the real sensitive stuff, though, like those juicy R&D specs
for that new drone you’re drooling over, corps lock everything—and
everyone—down in a secured building or campus.
> Slamm-0!
> Don’t fool yourselves into thinking you’re getting away with something
when you take advantage of a security hole like that. Corps account for
“shrink”—losses from theft, data breaches, and other sources—just like
any other line item on their budget. They also tend to be proactive in
managing those losses when the bottom line is threatened.
> Mr. Bonds
Other corporations provide fully jacked-in offices where wageslaves
go, plug in, and then spend the next twelve hours in a VR
office, with no outside distractions to hamper full productivity.
In high security areas, the system may be completely off line with
employees required to “check” their personal commlinks at the
door and use a workplace ‘link while on site. Of course, this does
lead to a high number of burnout employees, but hey, people are
replaceable, right?
Businesses have also discovered the ease of using AR for training,
monitoring employees, and disseminating corporate bullshit.
Unwired
Simon Wentworth (order #1132857) 9