Weekend Log
Friday:
16:11 I have arrived to the halloween campsite and see no signs of "Strange
Man" (I wonder what his name is?). I do hope that he is here and that this
trip isn't just some wild goose chase. It's freezing and Laika is looking at
me like I have lost my mind. I don't think I can argue that I haven't.
17:32 I have set up "camp" and started a fire. Perhaps he will notice the smoke. I hope that I don't have to search through the woods for him. Laika is running around after every shadow she sees. She seems so happy. Perhaps I need to look into a place with a bigger yard when I get home.
18:58 Went for a long walk and didn't notice anything unusual. It is really cold out here. I wonder if I have enough gas in the car to sleep in there with the heater running. Maybe I should just go home. It's dark and I'm tired, but I haven't eaten yet today and should make dinner.
19:21 Still no sign of "Strange Man". I do hope that he's here. Where else would he have gone? I know that he's here, I just don't know where. I think that I'm going to try to read by the fire. Laika is curled up in a ball and looks so happy. Doesn't she understand how cold it is?
19:59 OK, boredom has set in. I have a great book to read, but I just can't get into it. I'm so distracted. What was I thinking coming out here? He told me it was dangerous to be near him. He said his goodbyes. Why do I feel the need to see him? Why do I think he needs my help? I think I'll just stay here tonight and then head back in the morning.
20:28 Laika and I ran around for a bit. I was hoping that the noise would bring the "Strange Man". It didn't. I'm beginning to think that he's not here. Is it safe to sleep with the fire still burning? It's quite cold and the fire will be at least a little warmth. I'm going to pack up everything and go to bed. I'll head home in the morning.
23:43 Woke up to Laika barking like crazy to go out and now I can't get back to sleep. It is so peaceful out here with the crisp air and smoldering fire. Now that I've resigned myself to the fact that I'll never see the "Strange Man", I can enjoy the beauty of the moment. I've never been much of a nature person, but now I can understand why some people are.
23:49 I see a strange lights just over the trees about a mile away or so. I'm going to get Laika and check them out. I wonder if it could be him?
Saturday:
02:46 Well, I didn't see anything unusual and lost sight of the lights
as soon as I left the campsite. So, I've spent 2 hours wandering aimlessly through
the woods at night. This is stupid. Off to bed again
07:18 Rise and shine. It looks like it's going to be another miserable day. It's really cold and rainy. Everything is wet and yet the fire is still smoldering. The campsite is covered in a sort of slush, it's not quite snow but it's not quite water. I hate it when the temperature is borderline like this. I'm going to take Laika for a walk and then get ready to head home
08:03 Plans have changed! I have found "My Friend." I asked him his name and he said that I could call him "My Friend." I suppose that's better than "Strange Man." He seems troubled that I am here and keeps telling me that he needs to work. He doesn't seem to understand what he should be working on though. His primary concern when we last met was his communication system. That has been repaired and is working properly. His other systems seem to be in order. However he has no knowledge of his "purpose in the system." I have not been able to discover who developed him or how. We certainly have nothing this advanced at Metacortex. The communication system alone is beyond what we have been able to do. It's fascinating.
09:18 Have decided to experiment with his capabilities. I'm unsure of what will happen. He is bothered by my presence but seems thankful that I am here. It's very confusing. The first test will be on his climate system, at least from what I have been able to gather. This is unbelievable.
09:22 Unbelievable! By climate system he meant the climate! He has stopped the wind. The weather this morning was cold with a very light rain/snow mix and a bitter wind. The wind has stopped, it has now been just over a minute. The laptop appeared to struggle just prior to the wind stopping. There must be a minor interference. So, he is drawing too much power (?) and is able to control the weather. Unreal.
09:36 The wind is back. I was hoping it would be clear for a while, at least long enough to warm up. Whatever control he has over it is temporary. Is this a malfunction in him or are his effects meant to be temporary? What else can he effect? What is he? He's certainly not just any ol' AI robot. "Any ol' AI robot", the guys in the lab would kill me for saying that. What am I dealing with here?
10:51 This second test was very interesting. In an area that I would judge to be a 12 foot square, nothing would stop moving. Things were slipping as though they were on ice. When the reached the edge of the square, if the momentum wasn't great enough to take them over the edge (where they would come to an immediate stop), they would slid right along the 'edge'. It's as if friction was removed. The effect lasted for about 2 minutes before returning to normal. This leads me to believe that whatever abilities he has over nature are temporary. Does he have any long term effects? What would be the purpose of an AI that could make temporary changes to small areas?
12:18 Made lunch and we decided to use the time to test his affect on the olfactory system. Midway through a meal of hotdogs and potato chips, I suddenly lost all ability to smell or taste. The only eating experience was textural. It was very odd, as if I had a horrible cold. The effect lasted longer, at first I believed that it was because I was no longer enjoying my lunch. However the clock confirmed that it lasted about 7 minutes. Is he more effective when it comes to sensory issues? Should we test other senses? Do I want to be a guinea pig? What am I dealing with here?
14:01 Needed to exercise Laika so we went on a walk. Arrived to a clearing with a small abandoned shack. While Laika ran around in the clearing, the shack suddenly became very distorted. I asked him if it was my perception or if it was the shack itself. He replied with a cryptic answer of how everything is as it is perceived. Had he not just taken away my sense of taste or smell, I would have believed that it was the shack itself. Now I'm wondering if it was my eyes. If he wants my help with this, he should be more clear on what he's doing. Right now I feel as if I'm an observer and not on some scientific voyage of discovery. Perhaps Phil would be able to help me. I wish that he had come.
15:22 Going to test translocation. This should be interesting. Wonder where I'll end up. I wonder if I'll be able to upload the log. Hope this works and that I'm not lost in some other dimension. Have I mentioned how crazy this all is?
16:07 This is insane. Last location: 48º55N 2º24E Current location: 46º31N 30º42E This is just amazing! How is this happening.
19:44 What a crazy afternoon! I spent it traveling the world, seriously! As far as I can tell (my notes are rather rough), I began by traveling to 48º55N 2º24E from there I went to 46º31N 30º42E. After that I went to: 29 º52N 31º20E, 59º56N 10º44E, 31º47N 35º13E, 44º25N 26º6E, 21ºN 57ºE, 18º29N 69º54W, 44º48N 20º28E, 43º7N 131º55E. It was a quick tour, no more than a few minutes in each spot. It was very overwhelming and I'm not quite sure of the point. His translocation abilities are in tact, that was proven from the first stop. I assume that I just got so excited about it that he felt the need to continue. He seemed to get excited with every new stop. It wasn't until I started to get rather frustrated that we stopped. I've received a lot of help and advice while I was on the road. If I didn't get to you (and you are reading this), I'm sorry. There was just so much going on. I do want to hear your ideas though, so please email me or get me on one of the various chat clients. "My Friend" has wandered off. I didn't see or hear him leave. I was wrapping up food and putting the cooler in the car and when I turned around he was gone. I trust that he'll return shortly. I hope that he will. At least it will give me time to figure out some additional tests. There has got to be an easy way to narrow in on his abilities and his purpose.
23:33 Going to bed. It has been a long and interesting day. I'm still very confused and overwhelmed by it all. "My Friend" still has not returned. I wonder where he went and if he'll return tomorrow. I hope that he does as I received a lot of great ideas from friends, both new and old, in chat tonight.