First posted: 318 March 1996
"Just finishin' up a tad o' de-buggin' on the interface program," i explain as i hit the "save" hot keys.
"Debugging literally or virtually?"
"Ah, literally, Tracers me girl. Think i've fixed the external video feed problem. Thought it was a screen re-fresh difficulty for awhile, but looks like there was actually a fault in th' export code."
I pull a desk drawer open and pull out the VR rig. Tracey perches herself on th' edge o' me desk as i slip th' helmet on and fix th' chin strap.
"Going to use the glove, too?"
"No, not this time. Just keyboard commands. I'll send th' frames off on a data search. Mainly i just wanna see if the frame images port to th' screen there proper like. Do me a favour an' tell me if th' images are flowin' smoothly."
"Errr...ok, but you owe me. Why couldn't you make the frames look better?"
"Eh? What's wrong wi' 'em?" i ask as i slide the mike down in-line with me mouth.
Tracey shudders a little. "I think puppies would have worked as well, you know."
"Nae, nae... Not up to dogs yet. Give it a couple more years. Mind you, Maes at MIT doesn't think we'll do dogs for a decade or so. I think she's a touch pessimistic, meself."
I jack the cables for the VR helmet into the desktop 'puter.
"Right, here we go," i say as i bring the frames' environment program up via the keyboard. "No overlay," i say into the mike. The HUD display of the helmet goes opaque, blocking the office from view. Then it darkens and a cave-like image forms on the display.
"Cave looks ok," says Tracey.
"Ok, now let's see how th' frames do. Remember, check for jerkiness."
I key in the command to activate the frames. After a moment a number of "ants" appear in the helmet's display. I turn me head and the display pans around, showin' me more o' th' beasties.
"Oh, yuck!"
"Now, now," i gently chastise.
As i begin to type in th' search parameters one o' th' ants approaches me, openin' its mandibles. In th' display it appears that th' ant is approachin' for a "kiss".
"Ghaa! That's disgusting!"
"No, no, they communicate largely via chemical signals," i explain to Tracey who is makin' gagging sounds.
"If yer gonna hurl, make sure t' use a waste basket or somethin' disposable," i add.
"Oh, fine... If you're not going to be sympathetic to my obvious distress I just wont bother," mutters Tracey in a pouty voice.
"Well, ok, then. Here, if ye don't like this here's another way to communicate wi' th' frames."
"Antenna," i command into the mike as i keep typing. The ant backs off and in the display two antenna appear, as if growin' from me own head. Th' antenna begin beatin' on the ant's head, in time wi' me typing.
"Hmm...well, ok, i guess that's ok," Tracey concedes. "Do ants actually communicate this way?"
"Yes. Some species more than others, o' course. We don't really know what the patterns of taps mean, so i've just rigged the environmental program to tie the antenna taps into me typing speed. Still, it carries the illusion pretty well. How's this showin' up on the monitor?"
"Pretty good, actually." Then, "All things considered, that is..." Tracey mutters. "Hey! What's that?"
"Hmm...what? I can't see where yer pointin'," i remind her.
"That big...thing...over by the back wall."
I turn my head slight to bring that part of the image into the middle of the display. "Oh, that! Like it?"
"Not really, to be honest. Looks even scarier than the regular ants."
"That's sort o' th' idea," i explain. "It's new. A warrior."
"Scuse me?"
"It's part o' th' computer defence system Darcey an me've got set up here recently. Mainly it looks for viruses an' stuff that might get brought back in with a data search or an ftp download. I've been gradually encorporatin' most o' our computer resources into the frame's environment. Actually, warrior can do a few more things. If someone tries to hack us, gods know why, warrior will sound alarms. Might even be able to slow an intruder down."
Might do a damn-sight more, i think, but don't say. Even good Darcey isn't knowning everythin' i've programed in here. Good as Darcey is, i'm better. Years o' experience...
"Just by running around and looking gross?"
"Oh, well, no. To anyone not runnin' our frame's environment program it won't look like anything. It's just a program. The frame program gives it a form. Just like it gives form to everythin' else in our system. It'll even try t' give form to programs in other computer systems, 'tho i suspect it wont be entirely successful at that."
I finish typing the search parameters an' th' ant in front of me goes scurryin' away. It pauses beside another ant, exchanges fluids and taps on its head, then is off again with th' second ant joinin' it. Th' warrior takes brief interest in the activity, then returns to its spot by th' wall. Basically, the protection programs determined that a data base search routine had been sent out from our systems. A non-threatening event.
Satisfied i shut down the VR helmet and put the gear away. The monitor on me desk continues to show the inside of the ant tunnel. Ants continue to pass across th' monitor. One's carryin' something food-like in its mandibles. Data transfer?
"Ok, i understand the bit about making our computers' programs look like bugs, but i don't understand why you'd bother. I mean, why not just keep it in the factory icons and stuff?"
"Ah...good question. Ok, you see, th' frame program does more than make a bunch o' programs look like bugs. Th' frames are actually semi-autonomous. This program is loosely derived from work that's been goin' on at MIT for a number o' years. I did some work wi' them a few years back on autonomous programs an' have been modifyin' th' code ever since. Semi-autonomous programs require parameters to be set initially. So, you saw me type in search commands just now. The ants, or data base search programs, go off an' execute their search. However, they have a certain latitude built into them so that they can follow up promisin' leads or make decisions to try to access databases that i didn't specify if what they have already found suggests it would be worthwhile. Also, th' frames learn as they go. There's a series o' neural nets encorporated into their programin'. Admittedly, the frames are still pretty limited," i add as i get up to pick up one o' th' mugs Tracey brought back into me office.
As we leave th' office an' head toward th' coffee i continue, "That's why i made 'em look like ants rather than dogs. Dogs would be able to do a lot more."
"Like play fetch," suggests Tracey with a grin.
"Oh, yah, an' piddle on yer carpet too," i reply.