Talk:Fertile Ground

Brilliant. Positively brilliant. Even if I was slightly confused some details of the new form, that of course wasn't the point. And I was left wonder if the AI got down the details that people don't think about but actually -matter-. Can the new forms see in the full visible light spectrum? Do they still processing air in lungs? Do they have four fingers and an opposable thumb on each hand? Do they have a sense of touch all around their bodies? Is their sense of taste still able to pick of salt, sugar, acids, and basis? Can the sense of hearing pick up all the same octives? The AI suggested that these new forms would have the same base instincts (hardwired programming) that humans do, which of course you'd need for the software (human mind) to work properly, so that's one thing no one has to worry about.

So many questions, the AI made a point to say he was trying for compatability with the human mind, not human vanity. I supposed it's only rational he gave each person a preview of forms so no one would panic.

In short. A fantastic sequel. A wonderful story. Even if I'm surprised the man didn't react more to learning he was just an AI himself born out of people's INTERPRETATION of him. (reminds me of a spoiler for the second Digital Devil Saga game.) -- Alex Warlorn Dec 2007 28

Thanks. I suspect that the New Humans' senses are different from those of Old Humans in a wide variety of ways, though generally not to a large degree. Since they're living in a completely new world there may not be any easy way for the New Humans to tell what's different though - everything's colored differently (including the sunlight), the scents and tastes are all alien, etc. I didn't specify in this story but I'm pretty sure they've got two fingers and a thumb on each hand. That's how I usually envision big bugmonsters, at any rate. :) I did have an idea for a sequel set a few decades later but unfortunately the plot never gelled; I was going to establish in it that New Humans can regenerate lost limbs over time (one of the characters was going to be in the process of regrowing a lost hand as a bit of background color). The characters were going to be a group of machine prospectors, searching the wilderness for easy access to derelict terraforming machinery to mine for raw materials. Bryan 15:44, 28 December 2007 (EST)