http://qntm.org/ the personal website of Sam Hughes http://qntm.org/making http://qntm.org/making Extras, appendices, feedback » So let me tell you what I was trying to achieve with Fine Structure. This is going to be a little difficult for me to write because one of the first and most important things I was aiming for here was to write as original a piece of science fiction as I could manage. I deliberately tried to avoid invoking as many science fiction (and general fiction) tropes as I could. Irony? I wanted to create something which was pretty new. The central concepts of Fine Structure - most notably, the concept of information as a substance with an equivalence with energy and mass - was, as far as I know, pretty much entirely original, as well as naturally (through a little creative application) giving rise to a surprising number of wonderful new technologies and powers, such as teleportation, telepathy, mind control, memes, antimemes and other things which are generally impossible. Memes and antimemes in particular, as powerful tangible objects with offensive capabilities, are pretty new in modern ficti...]]> Mon, 01 Feb 2010 23:08:31 +0000 http://qntm.org/klick http://qntm.org/klick Extras, appendices, feedback » This short piece was originally intended to shed some light on the precise events which followed Andreas Kosogorin's suicidal attack in this is not over and I am not dead. I never found a good place to put it in the story. Last Updated: Tuesday, 9 June 2009, 19:58 GMT 20:58 UK E-mail this to a friend         Printable version Second Klick box "could have killed millions" The Klick device which was found in the possession of physicist Andreas Kosogorin this morning could have killed everybody in the city of New York, say scientists. The box, which was found in a Starbucks coffee shop in Manhattan, is an empty platinum cube, just 2.1cm (0.8 inches) on a side, and now being held as evidence in a police investigation into the attempted attack. Unlike Paul Klick's original device, Kosogorin's would have had devastating physical consequences, effectively destroying all of Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens as well as much of Jersey City ...]]> Thu, 28 Jan 2010 18:20:44 +0000 http://qntm.org/faq http://qntm.org/faq Extras, appendices, feedback » When did you decide to really commit to Mitch not being the aggressor? I was thinking about this all the way through the first half of Fine Structure (because it seemed like a pretty obvious twist) and then someone actually suggested the possibility in the comments some time after Sundown, which was when I dropped the idea entirely. Maybe I just have to read it again a bit more carefully, but what, exactly was Mitch? Was he Xio, but just not as... benevolent as Ching and co. first believed? Mitch Calrus, originally a mathematics teacher, becomes Xio's host body in Sundown, in the same way that Mikhail Zykov became Oul's host body in the events described in The Chaotician. The concept that information and thought are separate from matter means that the mind is distinct from the body. Note that the original Mitch Calrus dies, presumably of old age, some time in the 21st Century, while backed-up copies of his mind (well, Xio's mind) are resurrected in clone bodies or donor bodies man...]]> Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:57:37 +0000 http://qntm.org/marooned http://qntm.org/marooned Extras, appendices, feedback » This scene was originally the second sub-chapter of the final episode, Science Fiction Future. Its inclusion was controversial. In this scene several fairly major facts are revealed. First, that like Oul, Xio has an "egg". Xio's egg is buried under an archaeological excavation in equatorial Somalia, at the point on Earth where humans first rose to sentience, thereby creating a large enough concentration of intelligence to cause Xio to "condense out" from what, up until then, was something like a thin vapour of consciousness spread over the whole universe. Like Oul's egg, Xio's egg requires a freshly-deceased human body to escape, and it is an unlucky mathematics teacher called Mitchell James Calrus who fatally trips and falls and provides that outlet. Calrus is in Somalia on expedition with a few other teachers and a group of pupils from his school, establishing educational links with a Somalian school which, for no reason other than to convolute matters, also happens to include Anoo N...]]> Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:22:13 +0000 http://qntm.org/concepts http://qntm.org/concepts Extras, appendices, feedback » The first central concept of Fine Structure is that the real universe in which we exist, "Alef", is one of a near-infinite array of ever-larger universes. This "Fine Structure" displays size, coherence, intelligent life and all kinds of wonders on every scale and in every conceivable cross-section. Being only 3+1-dimensional, we exist right at the very bottom of this scale. The second major concept is that intelligence, thought, ideas and coherent information are all aspects of a superdimensional force, existing alongside gravity and electricity. Information is substance, and can be manipulated. Information is a much more powerful force in the higher dimensions, which is why they are filled with intelligent life. In a three-dimensional universe, however, information is a very weak force, so intelligent life is rare. Humans are the only intelligent life anywhere in Alef. We are extremophiles, existing far below the point where most higher-dimensional individuals believe that intel...]]> Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:13:57 +0000 http://qntm.org/stars http://qntm.org/stars Extras, appendices, feedback » This short story from January 2007 is what eventually became The Astronomer’s Loss. I was never really happy with this story. Gary’s emotional outburst towards the end never felt like it was timed or paced properly. The fact that he explicitly figures out exactly what is happening to the stars is implausible, as is the notion of the quintillions of microscopic singularities in the first place, and the odd saboteur at GILO obviously doesn’t fit in the story as it eventually turned out. Also, apologies to the real people whose names and identities I borrowed for some of the party attendees. "What time is it?" Gary is the kind of geek who's geeky enough to own a binary wristwatch but not geeky enough to be able to decode the digits instantly. The alcohol doesn't help. It's been a good party so far. Though he is still vertical. "Eleven fifteen," he says after doing the numbers in his head. "Cheers," says the girl-- Yin? He has a bad head for names. He smiles broadly. Drains ...]]> Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:34:33 +0000 http://qntm.org/squared http://qntm.org/squared Extras, appendices, feedback » This passage was written very early in the development of Fine Structure (circa December 2006) and, like Forgotten Things In Space, never really properly fit into the storyline. Unlike "Forgotten" I never released it as a standalone story either because it doesn't work in isolation. The unnamed man in the story is obviously Mitch, and he and Anne are evidently working together to "earth" the bulk of Mitch's remaining power in Mitch. Instead, they tap into another, much angrier, source of power by mistake - and realise that Mitch's adversary Oul has also survived the Fall seen in Unbelievable Scenes. Mitch's comment about "flattened information" is also a first stab at what later became the Crashes. Running all the way down the centre of the Atlantic Ocean is a tectonic fault. Two plates, one containing both Americas and the other containing Europe and Africa, are pulling apart from each other at a rate of millimetres per year. The surface of Earth is mostly dead rock but betwee...]]> Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:25:01 +0000 http://qntm.org/negative http://qntm.org/negative Extras, appendices, feedback » Obviously Fine Structure is not the last thing I will ever write. If for any reason you did not enjoy the story, please take the time to share your feelings here below - in particular, what aspects of the story are weak, what aspects of my writing are weak, and what things you would like to see me pay more attention to in future stories. Thanks in advance for all your comments....]]> Wed, 27 Jan 2010 12:45:01 +0000 http://qntm.org/positive http://qntm.org/positive Extras, appendices, feedback » Obviously Fine Structure is not the last thing I will ever write. If you enjoyed the story, please take the time to share below what you enjoyed about the story here - in particular, what things you would like to see again in future stories of mine. Thanks in advance for all your comments....]]> Wed, 27 Jan 2010 12:42:44 +0000 http://qntm.org/extras http://qntm.org/extras Fine Structure » Today in Extras, appendices, feedback... The Fine Structure Negative Feedback Thread The Fine Structure Positive Feedback Thread The Fine Structure Q&A God Squared Some notes on Fine Structure so far (2008-05-04) Take The Stars Marooned Second Klick box "could have killed millions" Concepts of Fine Structure The Making Of Fine Structure ...]]> Wed, 27 Jan 2010 12:41:56 +0000 http://qntm.org/science http://qntm.org/science Fine Structure » Graveyard Universe "There goes the Sun." The swollen solar disc begins to dim, areas of its surface switching off in ugly black blotches as wide as worlds. Out of the sabotaged star shoots an actinic blue pinprick, arcing around to bear down on Earth, currently host to some one point zero five billion souls. Moving at a respectable and increasing fraction of the speed of light, he'll arrive in just minutes, hitting the Antarctic first, hard enough to punch a hole right from one side of the planet to the other. The shockwave from the supernova will follow a few minutes later. There'll be nothing left but ionised plasma. Anne Poole is dead. There is no Calculation, no Script Solution, no Power. A war which spanned twenty millennia, and inexpressibly gigantic tracts of hyperspacetime besides, is accelerating to its conclusion. Humanity-Zero is over. Mitch hits the catwalks feet-first, but it's icy and on an angle and he slides uncontrollably. Shards of exploded helicopter rain...]]> Wed, 27 Jan 2010 09:25:03 +0000 http://qntm.org/ergs http://qntm.org/ergs Endworld » The Big Idea It's late on a sunny January afternoon in 2016 at the Mauna Loa Deep Background Observatory and Anne Poole and Mitch Calrus are sitting on the grass looking out over the island and the Pacific. They've finished their long, involved talk with the astronomers. The object depicted on the black and white printouts in their hands has gone through classifications from "LSEAT LocalSC 45-662ACE-199204/444KJ" to "Gray-Jordheim Object" to "Quasi-Quasarlike Celestial Object" and will shortly be reclassified as a "Supernova Stack Anomaly". It is not Oul. It is Oul's wake. The United States Special Air Corps, formerly the Department for Special Flight Research, has almost a thousand Class VIs, a fistful of Class VIIs and who-knows-how-many stronger secret Powers on their side, enough to fight a near-silent, near-bloodless land war with nothing but radar support - not even medics, not even supply trains. They are hand-picked. They do good work. Overt work in bright uniforms. Some ...]]> Tue, 29 Dec 2009 18:38:03 +0000 http://qntm.org/future http://qntm.org/future Endworld » It's March 2017, two hours after Mitch Calrus left, not that he was ever really there, and John Zhang is sitting on a park bench in a deserted Moscow backstreet, building an Alcubierre drive. It would be difficult to tell just by looking at him. Most of the drive's components are software; intangible machines built from structured patterns of information interlocking and whirring inside the confines of his brain. A sufficiently detailed model of reality is indistinguishable from reality. The only physical manifestation of the drive is a cubical gold box, two centimetres on a side, which is suspended in the air in front of him, gently rotating on one vertex. There's nobody around. It's freezing cold, as it has been all day, and the Sun's going down and the street lamps are turning on. The world is concrete grey, deep blue and brilliant orange. Oul's approaching trail of destruction is plainly visible in the darkening sky. He's due to arrive in ninety-four hours. It is known that m...]]> Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:18:54 +0000 http://qntm.org/copy http://qntm.org/copy Endworld » There is nothing soft to land on in the basement tunnel; the grey-haired woman cries out, having smashed her elbow, skull and tailbone on the cement floor after falling through from above. Mitch is luckier on his landing and his body armour cushions his joints. A clatter of gunfire resounds and fades in the enormous space above them. "How do we get out of here?" demands Mitch, who hasn't yet come to terms with the fact that "Mitch" is no longer his shell's name. The woman grits her teeth and hisses with pain as he pulls her upright and then to her feet. "How many people are attacking this building? How far away do we have to get? Is there a safe house? A state line we can cross?" "I think I've fractured something. I think I'm bleeding." "What's your name?" "How can you not know my name?" "What's your name?" "...Linisd. Linisd Amarkaya." "Linisd, we do not have time to be hurt. Tell me how we're going to get out of here." "But you know! We went over this just a few minutes ago-...]]> Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:03:56 +0100 http://qntm.org/crisis http://qntm.org/crisis Endworld » John Zhang returns to consciousness. "I think I have been asleep for a long time," he murmurs. "You have been asleep for a very long time," says Mitchell Calrus, who is the only other person in the room. Zhang is comfortable under the covers of his bed, propped up by mountains of pillows, but the air on his face is cold. The room is painted cabbage green, except for small white ceramic tiles covering the lower walls, a white window frame (with frosted glass), and some old, dull, vomit-brown plastic chairs, in one of which Calrus is sitting. There's a drip running into Zhang's left arm. The fluid is colourless. "Zykov is dead," says Calrus. Memories churn in Zhang's head. They feel like they're further away than they should be. "I think... I think I already knew that." "He killed himself. It was just a few hours after you were captured. You might have felt his influence go out of your head while you were sleeping. Zykov was a creature of chaos and destruction. Sending you to one of...]]> Thu, 20 Aug 2009 23:01:55 +0100 http://qntm.org/postmortal http://qntm.org/postmortal Endworld » That came from the generator level. They're inside the Hall. The hospital looks incredible from the outside - white and glassy and curvy, like it was built ten years from now. Hell, there's no reason why it shouldn't have been. According to innumerable works of science fiction from previous years, decades and centuries, the year in which Mitch Calrus' appointment is due to take place is the incalculably distant future. Although the Cold War ended a few decades ago. And the Singularity still hasn't happened. And cyberpunk is bunk. On the way in, Mitch keeps an eye out for anything that might break the illusion of a perfect Utopian white city. Reception is immaculate, as is the waiting room. Gorgeous, soft, firm seating. The magazines on the nearby table are all in French, but they're hardly thumbed and the cover dates are next month's. There are ill people in the waiting room, not looking their best, but Mitch decides to give the place a free pass on that one. Exquisite plant li...]]> Tue, 28 Jul 2009 21:40:58 +0100 http://qntm.org/endworld http://qntm.org/endworld Fine Structure » Today in Endworld... Postmortal Crisis on Earth The Last Copy Of You We had to destroy the future in order to save it Last Ergs ...]]> Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:01:38 +0100 http://qntm.org/over http://qntm.org/over Fine Structure » > He's here. He's in the facility right now. I can "hear" him. >> Who's here? > Xio. The bad guy. I can feel his mind.> I'm moving towards the transceiver. Buy me as much time as you can. Whatever it takes. >> Okay. Hugh Davies looks like the boy he was five years ago at UKAPL. His intractable hair's still in the same slicked side parting he always used to sport. Black tie, long-sleeved shirt, tucked in. What kind of geek dresses so formally? Something's wrong with his brain, the same thing that was wrong with Ching-Yu Kuang's and Jim Akker's. There's something parasitic and metaphorical wrapped around his brainstem. It's two o'clock in the morning, local time. Davies' workstation is in the same room as eight black monolithic roaring mainframes and their attendant air conditioners. Orange fibre optic cables, white raised flooring and fluorescent lights. This is not a concrete Soviet installation. It's a shiny advanced supercomputer cluster on the second-to...]]> Tue, 09 Jun 2009 12:52:35 +0100 http://qntm.org/chaotician http://qntm.org/chaotician Fine Structure » "Tarczal Eigenweapons Laboratory was established in early 1973 under a cold and remote mountain range in what was then the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. Its staff of some forty biological scientists and mathematicians were tasked with developing alternatives to the nuclear stockpile. New ways of fighting the Cold War. The Soviets wanted some kind of trump card, a weapon which could be neither matched with nor countered by the American nuclear arsenal or their-- your-- our conventional resources of the era. Think of using a rifle bullet on an African tribesman with his spear and shield, or, to give a more modern example, using teleportation capability to penetrate a highly fortified installation. We're talking Outside Context Offense. Things which would render everything that had come before meaningless. "By 1981, work on biological and chemical weaponry had almost completely halted at Tarczal, predominantly due to new international conventions explicitly outlawing global produc...]]> Sat, 02 May 2009 12:49:12 +0100 http://qntm.org/leak http://qntm.org/leak Fine Structure » It's very, very simple. You find out who's going to be the next Power. Abduct them ahead of time. Take them to a city you want levelling, lock them in a room in a building near the centre, and run. They wake up. They break out. Ten to fifty thousand individual people die over the course of what for the Power works out to subjective days. 15.8 real-time seconds later, they wake up sane and soaked with gore in the middle of a city hit so hard by the supersonic human tornado that it hasn't even had time to start collapsing. The body count doubles over the next ten minutes as the skyscrapers fall. And with luck, once you tell it what it did, the Power commits suicide. That's the only way to do it. With a live, unborn Line member. Because they're weapons, the superhumans, but they're not weapons of mass destruction. They're in one place, at one time. And you can't send a human into a city and tell him to kill ten thousand people. He'd have to do it personally, hand to hand, in twos and th...]]> Mon, 06 Apr 2009 22:59:52 +0100