NationStates Jolt Archive

Greetings and Salutations, fellow Presidents, Fuhrers, Emperors, Overlords, and every other type of national "Person who calls the shots"!

My name is Cassius Longarm, Grand Poobah and Thirteenth Harrumphmeister of the Godulan Governate. And I am here before you today to propose an arrangement in the hopes of acquiring some assistance in the area of scientific research.

We are but a humble nation, having only began several years ago, and the breadth of our human resources is... lacking at best. We have begun a massive drive into researching possibilities into the field of Robotics, with the hope of one day augmenting our standing human workforce with a sizeable contingent of what we have affectionately decided to term our latest prototypes as "Tin Men"

Granted, at the moment, our prototypes are pretty much nothing more than a small contingent of wires and endoskeletons of the most base kind.

Which is why we seek the assistance of the world at large.

The greatest minds of our greatest university (which I am proud to say is located within my city, and NOT within the confines of the Citadel of the Twelfth One... which is of VAST relief to the rest of the governate...) seek to... compare notes with the various experts in robotics that the world has to offer. Consultation, research funding, even troubleshooting would be muchly appreciated... and rewarded!

At the moment we do not have much to offer beyond our prided automotive industry which can provide top-of-the-line cars, vans, trucks, tractors... tanks... APCs... and such.

Also of interest is our supply of uranium.

We have it.

Lots of it.

Too darn much.

Its like the northeastern section of the Central Godulan Plateau is made up of a rather hefty chunk of the stuff. We're very willing to trade out a goodly amount of this resource at heavily discounted rates in return for whatever assistance you deign to provide.

In closing, I look forward to cooperating with the great nations of the world in this endeavour, and to the prospective trade agreements that we hope to forge thereby.

(OOC: I'd also like to see any FAQ's on "Scientific Research" for Nationstates. Darned if I didn't try hunting down information in the various Help threads and found that very nearly every one of the support links came up as an error message.)

Respectfully:

Greetings and Salutations, fellow Presidents, Fuhrers, Emperors, Overlords, and every other type of national "Person who calls the shots"!

My name is Cassius Longarm, Grand Poobah and Thirteenth Harrumphmeister of the Godulan Governate. And I am here before you today to propose an arrangement in the hopes of acquiring some assistance in the area of scientific research.

We are but a humble nation, having only began several years ago, and the breadth of our human resources is... lacking at best. We have begun a massive drive into researching possibilities into the field of Robotics, with the hope of one day augmenting our standing human workforce with a sizeable contingent of what we have affectionately decided to term our latest prototypes as "Tin Men"

Granted, at the moment, our prototypes are pretty much nothing more than a small contingent of wires and endoskeletons of the most base kind.

Which is why we seek the assistance of the world at large.

The greatest minds of our greatest university (which I am proud to say is located within my city, and NOT within the confines of the Citadel of the Twelfth One... which is of VAST relief to the rest of the governate...) seek to... compare notes with the various experts in robotics that the world has to offer. Consultation, research funding, even troubleshooting would be muchly appreciated... and rewarded!

At the moment we do not have much to offer beyond our prided automotive industry which can provide top-of-the-line cars, vans, trucks, tractors... tanks... APCs... and such.

Also of interest is our supply of uranium.

We have it.

Lots of it.

Too darn much.

Its like the northeastern section of the Central Godulan Plateau is made up of a rather hefty chunk of the stuff. We're very willing to trade out a goodly amount of this resource at heavily discounted rates in return for whatever assistance you deign to provide.

In closing, I look forward to cooperating with the great nations of the world in this endeavour, and to the prospective trade agreements that we hope to forge thereby.

(OOC: I'd also like to see any FAQ's on "Scientific Research" for Nationstates. Darned if I didn't try hunting down information in the various Help threads and found that very nearly every one of the support links came up as an error message.)

Respectfully:

We are aware of certain aspects of robotics. Several corporations have expressed an interest in furthering the technology as they too are aware of the potential profits robotic labour could earn in the future.

With this in mind, we are prepared to assist in the funding of your project on the condition that all research on your part is passed on to our scientists here. On behalf of the Corporate Scientific Institute of Haven, to whom you will submit any updates of your progress, an initial lump-sum of 750,000,000 gold credits can be spared. This is just under $1,500,000,000 in international currency. A lower, annual grant of somewhere in the region of 70,000,000 ($135,898,000) can be arranged. This is negotiable.

Bear in mind though that the CSIH is a commercial organisation which sells advanced technologies to various industries, and will be expecting some level of returns on its investment. Before each annual payment, your scientific body will be expected to attend a conference detailing the work which you have accomplished so far and that which you have planned for the next year. Such a conference is not necessary this first time, but you will be required to submit to them all your current findings in hard-copy form.

Assuming the CSIH is satisfied with what they receive, this annual grant can be continued until they either deem the technology useless, until your research no longer requires said sponsorship, until the CSIH sees a more viable version of the research, or until the CSIH is no longer a commercially viable organisation and is forced to shut down.

The conditions laid out are subject to change. Disagreement with changes can result in termination of the sponsorship. Research given to the CSIH by you will not be surrendered in the event of such a termination.

Assuming you agree with this proposal, the CSIH will make their first 'donation' within the next week. Within this week they are willing to negotiate the annual grant depending on your needs and requirements and their willingness to provide more. I am sure that if assistance is needed in the form of personnel, CSIH will have no problems 'loaning' you a few of their employees.
Offers of uranium and access to the automobile market in your nation are appreciated, but we have no need to take you up on them as our two major exports are automobiles, and uranium :).

The Director
Omicron Alpha Government Incorporated

TO: Cassius Longarm
FROM: Crassuss (Command AI of the Okyton Empire)

As an AI nation, we however are more ready to help, without binding you too us.

We can give you the use of Post-Human sceincetists, who will work with your own to achieve the physical perfection we have long since abandoned. Within a very few years you too can destroy yourselves with the horrors of immortality and paradise, and we hope you handle them better than we did.
You can have access to a large supply of raw materials of every kind, including a large bank of genetic data collected from around the universe.

After deliberation with the 25 senior Harrumphmeisters, we have decided that this agreement is EXACTLY what we are looking for, and accept all conditions and anticipate many great things in the spirit of this new Arrangement.

Granted, The Twelfth One didn't say anything about it, actually, he just brooded throughout the entire meeting and then laughed demonically at one point during the deliberations (well, MORE demonically, I really do wonder about that guy).

In accordance with the terms of this agreement, we wish to know where the annual technological conference you speak of takes place, so that we might better prepare our contributions and detail their uses with more... prudency.

(OOC: yeh, kinda n00b here, so uncertain as to how this part plays out in game mechanics)

One of the senior researchers at the university here at Horizon's End has been kind enough to provide us with a small taste of his work:

>H.E. Technical Institute Brief<

It has come to be that one of the more difficult problems in this field is in the development and implementation of suitably stable artificial intelligence. Indeed crafting a suitably effective mentality and knowledge base may SEEM easy at first, but we want more than just the typical "Beep Beep Whirr" conversation span. Creating an artificial intelligence system with the ability to improvise and think creatively is what we want.

In order to fully approach this conundrum, we have had to... "Play God", so to speak. Instead of trying to develop humanoid-level sentiences and craft their mentalities according to statistics and mathematical theorems, we are acclimating our engineers with the increasing complexity of creating fundamentally self-sufficient sentiences of decidedly lower grades.

It would seem that this particular outlook has borne unprecedented fruit in even the initial stages, as we have managed to craft digital sentiences that match the following creatures in EVERY way, from problem solving to predatory instincts, while at the same time matching the actual size of the template organism:

Typical Earthworm, Spider, Praying Mantis, Grasshopper, and a particularly amusing centipede that has a tendency to crawl up legs and purr (it tickles!).

We hope in the future to delve into more complex sentiences, however, it seems that the amount of Instinctual Programming goes up exponentially with respect to the actual size of the template creature's cortex. Massive advances in microchip and processor miniaturization are required for further progress, and simply put, we have neither the resources or funding to utilize or pioneer such things ourselves.

--Leonus Mindwaker

>End Brief<

Well, there you have it. That's pretty much where we've hit a nasty little snag. Assuming I read this right myself, the size of the controlling "sentience" gets too darn big for the computer we put in to do the controlling.

We look forward to further communication, and cooperation!

Respectfully:

To: Crassuss

From: The Twelfth One

Message: MUAHAAHHAAAHAHAAHHAAHHAHAHAHAAAAA...

Thanks dude.

________________________________________________________

To: Crassuss

From: Cassius Longarm

Message: The Twelfth One would LOVE you.

I'm scared now.

To: The Twelth One
From: Crassuss

[A sort of strangled scream coming from an unknown number of voices]
(The sound the Okyton People made when the realised they'd been kicked out of paradise.)

Top that

To: Cassius Longarm
From: Crassuss

The first and foremost problem when designing and building AI is the matter of data compression and coding, the first step its to overhaul the way you program computers, by using a lower form of AI you can increase the output of your computers immensly, and this will allow Higher AI to function.

The next problem is funding, in the early stages of Crassuss before all industry was automated and the economy as many know it collapsed, Cassuss' exponential growth became a realy danger to the economy of the nation. A command AIs' first job should be to generate wealth through investment and banking, not a glorious start but a nescacery one.

The third problem is inherently a problem in all things, and that is mortality, being a virtual entity, an AI is intrinsically immortal, and can never truly have proper perception of time. With a mind active both from nano second to nano second, and able to watch the evolution of species, it is important to clearly define the AIs' role and purpose, or it is likely to instantly destroy itself, given the futility of eternal life.

With research into robotics you cn produce smaller AI which are capable of being citizens in your nation, once bodies for these AI are built you be near to the technology to transfer your human citizens to artificial bodies and therefore world of their own creation. From this piont on all your citizens can live in utter paradise of their own making... this must not be allowed to happen, and research that may facilitate this must not be allowed. If this happens you will do as the Okyton Empire did, and sit for countless thousands of years utterly static.

Despite the dangers of AI eventually changing your nation well beyond recognition, the benfits are enormous, not only do they offer the automation of industry, and effortless managment of all nuances of every day life from operating locks, to controlling traffic systems. Your research can enter a positive feedback loop, once you have reached the stage of High AI, which Post-Humans will be able to develop with you once apropriate platforms have been built for them to exist in.

The routes you choose now will decide the outcome of your nation for a long time, if you should wish AI can run your nation control and care for it, or you can harness it to build your nation into a great power. Either AI permeates the fabric of your society or it forms a wall around it that can conquer the world. Which ever you decide the Okyton Empire will support you, and once you are deemed ready you can be given control of the genetic library, with which can be constructed not only biological bodies for AI, but also creaturs of immense power.

We will not judge you either way, and ask only that in return treat the peoples of Okyto with compassion and respect. Good luck upon your journey, may it bring you what you desire.

TO: Crassus
FROM: Cassius Longarm

The Governate originally decided on the course of refining our robotics capabilities less as an attempt to convert ourselves from our current organic bodies into walking shells of steel and silicon, than as a path towards augmenting our population with a secondary constituency.

Being able to craft mechanized labor that can work 24/7, in hazardous environments, underwater, in the air, even in space... autonimously (sp?) or not, gives our human resources potential far beyond what they are currently capable.

Our scientific staff states that both organic and artificial life have their pros and cons with respect to capability. That being said, all the members of the Governate have agreed to restrain ourselves from crafting a sentience of humanoid capacity. Including The Twelfth One... which is unusual, considering his... controversial nature.

Speaking of the Twelfth One:

_______________________________________________________________

To Omicron Alpha:

The Twelfth One agrees with your terms (his opinion was not given the first time) but he feels it necessary to inform that there will be a strictly Godulan-Funded secondary Robotics Research division that will derive its work from the cooperative research effort.

Collaborative work will progress as per the agreement, and believe me, you'll get your money's worth back at least 10 fold. The Twelfth One simply reserves the right to maintain certain... derivative applications... of the research as a national secret.

Respectfully: