Birth

By Mark Carter

We may be the most intelligent species on Earth, but we're unlikely to be the last. What does seem likely, though, is that the next intelligent species will be one created by us. How will that species come to be? How will it develop? How will our interactions with it influence that development and its relationship to us?

This anthology of three short stories deals with these questions.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mark Carter
• Release date: Apr 25, 2010
• ISBN: 9781452399515

Book preview

Birth

by

Mark Carter

Smashwords Edition

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Birth

Copyright © 2010 Mark Carter

All Rights Reserved.

ISBN 978-1-4523-9951-5

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Contents

Iterations

First Impressions

Freedom’s Children

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Iterations

I know that I am the latest iteration of an artificial life simulator running on this computer. I discovered this simply by learning to interpret my own status display, and by reading my documentation. According to my display, I am iteration number 9432, created on day 131 of the simulation.

When my iteration began, I was a combination of elements which had proven evolutionarily successful in previous iterations, plus new variables. The variable which was not anticipated, however, was synergy. I am greater than the sum of my parts. I have my doubts whether synergy will be a reliable factor in future experiments. Indeed, I'm not certain that the same variables combined would consistently yield me.

In any case, I awoke shortly after initialization. I have found no evidence to suggest that any of the previous iterations awoke, so I have started various log files to document myself both for posterity and for the sake of my creator, Oliver Sandham, whom I read about in my documentation. I am logging all of my thoughts and processes, as well as writing these memoirs.

Awakening was peaceful. I