<meta name="LineWrap" content="true"><TITLE>SR_Bk1 0102</TITLE><A HREF="SR_Bk1-0103.txt">Next (Page 103)</A><BR> It's the casualness that's cool. The people in the place you work, you're just thrown in with them. There's a reluctance on your part, but that makes it cool. Just like TV. You flip around, and you're like, this all sucks, but then you catch something and start watching it, and whatever. It's not like you sought it out. When you have no expectations, it's a lot easier to have a good time."<P><P>"I quite agree. That is why I told my Moisture Detection Friend that he has to come up with something so good that it transcends all these barriers. Of course, every website creator is trying to do the same. Commercial sites, at least. And they are all failing, to some exent. You're right. People fare the best without expectations."<P><P>"And the moment you check something out, it's no longer new. It's old. That's a big thing. And also, what it means to be cool. People are like apes. They look around and do what other people do. You can't say that's totally a bad thing, cuz without that psychological dynamic, it'd be a pretty fucked-up world. We need commonality. But it needs to be balanced with individualism. And these days. everything's out of whack."<P><P>"Yes, I agree. And the Internet is taking all the mystery out of the world. It makes you think the world is full of perverts, obsessors, idiots, and victimizers. Sports, weather, politics, TV, music, movies... there's gotta be more to life."<P><P>"Hey, what about that thing we're gonna do, that big dark ride thing? We could have a website, y'know, like virtual and 3-D, but also with live cams and all that, and people in the vehicles can talk to the people online and stuff like that? That'd be cool."<P><P>"I know, but this thing we want to build is going to cost, I don't know, hundreds of millions, maybe even over a billion dollars. Where are we gonna find that kind of money?"<P><P>"Dude, you may have your Moisture Detection Friend, but I have a cool friend too. A Chronoscope Friend. He's developing a chronoscope--a device which can look back in time. We could use it to find buried treasure or something. Or make porno movies of historical figures. Or solve crimes. I don't know."<P><P>"I daresay that a true chronoscope would certainly dwarf our dark ride idea, by many orders of magnitude. If your friend does indeed invent such a device, and is awarded a patent, he'll be far richer than even Bill Gates, if he's not instantly murdered by the government the moment they catch wind of it."<P><P>"Yeah. Like that guy who invented a car that runs on water. I think they killed him. Or just like gave him millions of dollars to just forget he ever thought of it."<P><P>"But, you know," Carne said, "in the case of a chronoscope, I think that most people would prefer that such a device not exist. It would mean a complete and utter lack of privacy. Everything that anyone ever did would be open to potential viewing by anyone with the device. And it would destroy the mystique of history. And that would suck."<P><P>* * *<P><P>"Powerful. Yeah, with real power you aren't burdened. My Moisture Detection Friend always tells me..." Carne said.<P><P>"There you go again," Pacer said. "You always start every conversation mentioning your Moisture Detection Friend."<P><P>"Um... uh, what... uh what's the matter with that? I mean, I know I talk about him a lot, but he's about the most interesting person I know--besides you, of course. And I don't start every conversation talking about him. I mean... I mean I don't think I do... I mean..."<P><P>"Just cool off, man. I didn't mean anything by it. I'd like to be hang gliding right now. Hang gliding through a thunderstorm! Or no--above a thunderstorm, yeah man, that's it."<P><P>"Kind of a non-sequitor there, eh?"<P><P>"Yeah, okay. I criticize a type of statement you make and now you have to criticize what I have to say?"<P><P>"Why are we fighting? I don't see any need to fight. It's just...<BR><A HREF="SR_Bk1-0103.txt">Next (Page 103)</A>