PeterWatts_Blindsight

Peter Watts 273 Blindsight
with information. It meets all the criteria of an intelligent
transmission. Evolution and experience offer a variety of paths to
follow, branch-points in the flowcharts that handle such input.
Sometimes these signals come from conspecifics who have useful
information to share, whose lives you'll defend according to the
rules of kin selection. Sometimes they come from competitors or
predators or other inimical entities that must be avoided or
destroyed; in those cases, the information may prove of significant
tactical value. Some signals may even arise from entities which,
while not kin, can still serve as allies or symbionts in mutually
beneficial pursuits. You can derive appropriate responses for any
of these eventualities, and many others.
You decode the signals, and stumble:
I had a great time. I really enjoyed him. Even if he cost twice
as much as any other hooker in the dome—
To fully appreciate Kesey's Quartet—
They hate us for our freedom—
Pay attention, now—
Understand.
There are no meaningful translations for these terms. They are
needlessly recursive. They contain no usable intelligence, yet they
are structured intelligently; there is no chance they could have
arisen by chance.
The only explanation is that something has coded nonsense in a
way that poses as a useful message; only after wasting time and
effort does the deception becomes apparent. The signal functions
to consume the resources of a recipient for zero payoff and reduced
fitness. The signal is a virus.
Viruses do not arise from kin, symbionts, or other allies.
The signal is an attack.
And it's coming from right about there.
"Now you get it," Sascha said.
I shook my head, trying to wrap it around that insane, impossible
conclusion. "They're not even hostile." Not even capable of
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