comStar Firewall alert - PhaseThrough

siMsense and skillware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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the global office
Linguasofts have eliminated the biggest barrier to international
business by enabling workers to seamlessly shift languages as
soon as they land in a new nation. The new global worker will also
usually be fitted with knowsofts (and sometimes even activesofts)
for local customs, so they can avoid committing a faux pas while
representing their company. As a result, there is an entire class
of workers who have no “home office” and instead are transient,
relying on skillsofts and the wireless Matrix to conduct business
wherever necessity takes them.
wageslavery
While employers reap the benefits of skillware, such as low
costs and quick training, chipped employees suffer from detachment
and a lack of upward mobility. Most chipped workers have
little or no pride in their work, a side effect of performing their
jobs with skills they do not naturally possess. They perform their
jobs virtually on autopilot, with a wage or salary being their only
real reward. The lack of personal fulfillment has led to numerous
side effects, including widespread depression and high addiction
and suicide rates among chipped workers.
Additionally, since chipped skills are not learned, advancement
and upward mobility are limited for chipped workers.
Corporations have done away with training programs in favor of
skillsofts, but that leaves a worker with no marketable skills once
the chip is removed. As a result, most chipped workers are bound
to their employer, unable to market themselves to a competitor.
neo-Luddites
The megacorporations have virtually crushed labor unions,
leaving chipped labor with few options for collectively voicing
their frustration. But the ease with which the global marketplace
can shift and suddenly leave thousands of unskilled unemployed
has riled up the anger of chipped labor, and the wireless Matrix
has begun to give a voice to these workers around the world.
The first major example of this new movement might be the
organization known as 9x9 in Hong Kong, which appears to
be a multi-faceted terrorist organization fueled by labor imbalances
and class strife. 9x9 strikes out at corporate manufacturing
and transportation in Hong Kong, similar to the way the nineteenth
century Luddites destroyed the mechanized looms of the
Industrial Revolution.
SkiLL Service providerS
Wireless ASIST has changed the way people typically receive
a skillsoft, replacing the pre-packaged retail chips of old
with wireless downloads straight into the user’s commlink. Now
a customer can purchase a skill when they need it, as opposed to
making a run to the store or waiting for the chip to be shipped
to their home. A number of skill service providers have appeared
on the scene, companies that sell these direct download skillsofts.
While they are all selling virtually the same product, these competitors
have differentiated each other in their target consumers
and level of quality. It is worth noting that all major skill service
providers require a valid SIN to create an account and begin
downloading skills.
workShop (renraku)
Renraku’s WorkShop is the big player in the realm of skill
service providers. WorkShop was founded as an incubator startup
in 2065, rumored to be based on technology researched at (or
acquired from) the Renraku Arcology. As the fledging wireless
ASIST networks went up, WorkShop was in place to immediately
start delivering wireless skillsoft downloads. Since then, WorkShop
has solidified its majority control of the marketplace by offering a
wide selection of skillsofts in a varying degree of skill level (most
linguasofts and knowsofts up to Rating 5 and activesofts up to
Rating 4). Skillsofts can be purchased individually, or subscribers
can pay an annual membership fee for frequent-user discounts,
package deals, and other promotions.
kolkota integrated talent and technologies
India’s only AA corporation, KITT has made significant
inroads into wireless skillsoft distribution, particularly
in corporate training. KITT has focused on low-rating skills
(Rating 1–3) geared towards the business world, promising
to show companies how they can transform their workforce
through skillsoft downloads. In addition, KITT has started up
a skill networking service, where business customers can have
a trained KITT professional remotely network a skill from
across the globe, enabling high-rating skills on demand for
contracted periods of time.
Luxe (Spinrad industries)
In Spinrad Industries’ fierce fight to become a major contender
again in the world of metahuman enhancement, they have
added Luxe, a skill service provider specializing in “designer skills.”
Luxe sells high rating skillsofts (Rating 3–5 knowsofts and linguasofts,
and Rating 3–4 activesofts), many of them featuring skills
recorded from so-called skillebrities, popular figures known for
their skill in a certain field. Luxe is also known for selling skillsofts
with many options (Program Options, p. 114), tailoring them to
the buyer’s desires. Though Luxe’s market share is still small, there
is a lot of buzz around this skill provider, buzz that Johnny Spinrad
hopes to ride to high profits.
Lifeline (Horizon group)
Lifeline is Horizon’s new effort in the field of wireless skill
downloads. Though its collection of activesofts is anemic compared
to Renraku’s WorkShop, Lifeline has a vast collection of
linguasofts and knowsofts in all ratings. More importantly, a buyer
can opt for the Lifeline program option (p. 114), which connects
their linguasoft or knowsoft to Horizon’s specialized online search
engine, greatly expanding its potential and adaptability. Horizon
has also been pitching business solutions intended to assist organizations
in establishing and maintaining internal skill networking
methods, which makes some wonder if Horizon already uses these
techniques extensively in-house.
Unwired
Simon Wentworth (order #1132857) 9