comStar Firewall alert - PhaseThrough

technoMancers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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I, as a user, will never recognize or have to worry about. How do you
technomancers deal with that?
> Winterhawk
> It just takes getting used to. Over time, most of us adapt well to
filtering out the noise, and actually enjoy the constant hum of activity
around us. Meditation helps. Every technomancer has faced the
noise problem at some point, and different people develop different
coping strategies. For some it is harder than others. Some can’t cope
at all, and it drives them crazy.
> Otaku-Zuku
> It is like driving on autopilot (non-electronically speaking). When
you drive the same way every day, you may suddenly realize that
you’ve been thinking about something and can’t remember anything
about the past few minutes of driving, even though you somehow
navigated traffic without crashing or killing anyone. It happens subconsciously
because all the actions and moves are ingrained in your
brain, like a program that you just start when starting your car. Well,
I’ve gotten so used to navigating a wireless world that I’m barely
even conscious of the traffic around me or how I’ve interacted with
it, though I can easily concentrate and notice it if I need to.
> Inbus
Unlike many technomancers today, I did not have the luxury
of having someone on hand who could teach me such things. I
was on my own, and I was afraid to tell most people because they
wouldn’t believe me or would think I was crazy. Everything that
I can do today I achieved by myself through training and persistence,
and because I had no other choice. I am pretty proud of it.
I found my own way.
> A quick aside, from an academic position. As far as current scientific
understanding goes, it is not entirely clear how a metahuman
biocomputer (read: technomancer) functions and what the source of
their abilities is. Genetic predisposition seems to be a crucial factor,
and not all individuals who Emerged were trapped in the Matrix or
had some sort of previous elevated affinity for the digital word. It
is also not an entirely neuronal or bioelectric phenomenon, as far as
scientists can tell. The current prevailing theory is that the Emerged
are a true evolutionary branch of the human species, just like the
Awakened.
> The Smiling Bandit
experiencing tHe Matrix
Becoming a technomancer changed my personality unlike
any phase of my life before. I am a new person quite different from
who I was in the past—not because I am a brainwashed pawn in
some global AI chess game, but because of the new experiences
and knowledge life forced upon me. Believe me, not all of the
changes were easy to swallow.
Unaware at the time that other technomancers existed, and
knowing that there was no way I could employ my new skills in
the normal world, I began looking for more open-minded places
where I could rebuild my life and turn my rare talent into profit
with enough secrecy to protect myself. I thought the shadows
could be such a place, but I was wrong. It was easier to hide
what I was, and I did find some acceptance of course. But social
marginalization, prejudice, and mistrust based solely on what
I am, rather than who I am, are still permanent companions. I
don’t want to sing my pity song too loudly here, though, as I
must admit that previously I never thought much about how
about magicians and metahumans may have felt in the 20s or
what changelings went through back in ‘61. It is just the way
our society ticks. It is a price I am willing to pay, as my talent has
made me special, better than before, and I would not want to live
without it anymore.
Before my Emergence, back when I was hacker, I enjoyed
spending time in virtual reality worlds. I flew through the clouds,
stood in resplendent armor, smelled the fresh spring air, and felt
the rays of the virtual sun. It felt real, though my brain always knew
it was a simulation. Now, as a technomancer, my daily experience
makes those memories seem pale and dull in comparison. Every
hacker out there, every normal user immersed in the Matrix right
now, experiences but a thin, shallow copy of the world that I sense.
What regular Matrix users experience is like looking at an alternate
reality through a tinted window. I don’t watch the world through
this window any more. I climbed through the window and became
an active part of the real virtual world.
> She is indeed right. Words can hardly describe how much different
the Matrix and the real word are to us now. Information pervades
our very self, as long as the Matrix is present. It is literally like being
attuned to an alternate universe on a frequency that only you can
hear. Some would say that we are truly in resonance with the Matrix,
we are on the wavelength of the world of information. Most importantly,
we are no longer shackled by technology as the rest of
metahumanity is.
> Inbus
Though what I “see” of the Matrix is much the same as a standard
Matrix user sees—arrows and icons—there is an additional
layer of contextualization that provides information, sensations,
and feelings that was never there before. This extra substance gives
me an intuitive sense for what is going on in the Matrix around
me. I no longer need to interface with a program or other clunky
tools to understand or affect the flow of data around me. I simply
reach out and understand what the data is, or what it is doing, and
just by concentrating I can change it or make it do other things.
I do not need to blink open a window or enter a search routine. I
simply visualize the parameters I am looking for in my mind and
the Matrix responds to me. I have no use for software any more,
not matter how cutting edge—it is a crutch when I can fly. Even
hardware no longer interests me, at least as a tool or a possession.
Devices are simply extensions of the virtual world to me, charms
that the primitives carry around so that they may remain in touch
with their ghostly digital world. I have no need for such things, as
the Matrix is always with me.
> Every technomancer uses a different method to interface with the
Matrix. Imagine an Exploit program. For the hacker it is like sitting in
front of a locked door, running a program to probe and find a weak
spot to log onto the node. This program will work like a lock picker,
trying billions of combinations until it finds the right one (or the
blind spot to squeeze through). For me, the Matrix is an overwhelming
complex symphony, with each node having his own melody. By
Unwired
Simon Wentworth (order #1132857) 9