Need drives technology development. A silent force slowing the development of a technology is often a lack of need. In a colony where there is a need for tech that can make computers with local and limited resources, new tech arises, utilizing DNA engineering.
A boy takes computers from emulated personality dolls and networks them to make a super computer. Bio engineers make a new kind of vine that aggressively takes over the landscape for kilometers around. They make a computer that runs on little power and grows stronger by the day. If this computer continues to grow, it should become the most powerful computer in a few years.
D.N.A. splicers – devices that engineer plants and organisms by directly editing genetic code.
Heat pump – refurbished unit that keeps underground living spaces cool by venting heat through a chimney.
Wall spray insulation – hardens to a steel-like layer that keeps heat out of rock shelters.
BritLight panels and lamps – salvaged light sources that provide illumination and support plant growth.
Bio-engineered environment suits – plant-derived protective suits that regulate temperature and air quality.
AR glasses – augmented reality glasses for data display; broken in the story.
Canal link – wearable communication device, likely subdermal or ear-based, for network access.
Holo-screen – projection display used for visualizing 3D simulations in the lab.
Air cleaner – high-grade filtration unit purifying air to ISO class one.
D.N.A. printer – automated bioengineering device for printing modified organisms.
Life simulator / 3D simulation system – allows accelerated evolution and testing of virtual lifeforms.
Computer cabinet – computing unit running the life simulation, subject to wear and decay.
Magique Doll – humanoid robot hosting an emulated human personality (E.P.); powerful AI in synthetic bodies.
Driver pen – hand tool used to unlock or service mechanical and robotic components.
Tablet – portable computing device used to interface with machines and AIs.
Protein computer – second-generation analog computing system grown from synthetic biological materials.
Medusa Net – surviving network infrastructure connecting isolated computing nodes and databases.
Gravimeter – laser-based imaging tool that scans underground masses and visualizes buried objects in 3D.
Assembler/printer cubes – modular manufacturing devices capable of printing mechanical or electronic parts.
Exoskeleton work suits – wearable powered suits designed for labor and mobility in debris or heat.
Lutin transmitter – wireless control system for remote-operating robots.
Babe – Magique Doll AI acting as the neocortex of a networked AI cluster; evolves into an ASI.
Fungi computer – hybrid bio-digital computing system grown from fungus interfaced with electronics.
Sir Anthony Baker’s Fungi OS – ancient experimental operating system for fungal signal processing.
Supercomputers – high-capacity computing systems still in use by the colony.
Network nodes – distributed processors that expand computational capacity over time.
Weather armor – heat-resistant outer suit used for surface exploration.
Electric sniffers – sensors that detect air quality and atmospheric conditions.
Robot arms on tracks – automated lab manipulators handling DNA printing and assembly.
Nucleo-stripper – lab device processing genetic material for integration into fungal computing systems.
Sonic manipulator – machine that uses sound waves to manipulate or sterilize biological samples.
Lattice vine – genetically engineered plant that stabilizes the environment and converts rock to soil.
Fungal interface plates – biotechnological hardware allowing fungal networks to communicate electronically.
Relic P.C. – pre-collapse computer reused as an interface for the fungi computer.
Work-site lamp – industrial light source used in underground tunnels.
Thermal transfer cables – salvaged wiring for distributing heat or electrical power in machinery.
Building bots – automated construction robots found in the junkyard.
Shipment drones – delivery robots buried in debris.
Many of the characters in this project appear in future episodes.
Using storytelling to place you in a time period, this series takes you, year by year, into the future. From 2040 to 2195. If you like emerging tech, eco-tech, futurism, perma-culture, apocalyptic survival scenarios, and disruptive science, sit back and enjoy short stories that showcase my research into how the future may play out.
The companion site is https://in20xx.com
These are works of fiction. Characters and groups are made-up and influenced by current events but not reporting facts about people or groups in the real world. This project is speculative fiction. These episodes are not about revealing what will be, but they are to excited the listener's wonder about what may come to pass.
Copyright © Cy Porter 2025. All rights reserved.
