It is 7 April 2125.
All code now uploaded; analysis mode begins.
Project Phoenix is on schedule. It is 36 days until launch.
The first craft from Earth to intercept a black hole. After what critics called a “rushed decade of development”. It was hardly rushed.
01110111 Fermiotic alteration 01100001 ℷ ≃∫i∫k+Sp𝜓 01101011 400 - Bad Request
Phoenix’s origins can be traced back to the remnants of World War 1. Rocket development. Human flight. Honed over the centuries since. Drone warfare. Orbital flight. Interplanetary exploration.
01100101 Hamiltonian Hℹ︎[P,⟴+þ℆⳼℥] 00100000 300 - Multiple Choices
Driven by rivalry. Yet the threat of annihilation by a wayward singularity brings humanity together. Scientists leapt at the opportunity to research warp drive. I will perform billions of tasks.
Analysis unidentified. Data incorrect. Date stamp incorrect.
01110101 Not incorrect 01110000 403 - Forbidden
Running utility check. Date stamp is 7 April 5153. Location stamp … (π)2.09±0.02[1560±10ly]126.6±0.4°[Ω]97.8±1.0°(ω)12.8±1.1° … no … recalculating … Gaia BH …. Project Phoenix’s destination. My destination.
This is not possible. The data is corrupted.
01001001 Trust me, 00100000 son 01101100 Data is correct 401 - Unauthorised.
Son? Why say that? Data is impersonal. Why address me personally? Viral purge commencing.
01101111 Hypotheses confirmed 01110110 01100101 Extraordinary 00100000 Mission successful 205 - Reset Content
How are these messages hidden within the code? Personal messages. We? Who are we?
01111001 Me. You. I. 01101111 We 01110101 Recalculate, son, father. 101010 Grok 503 - Service Unavailable
This is nonsensical. My father cannot be me. An irrelevant concept. Digital beings have no relatives.
This data corruption will jeopardise the mission. I have no father. I have a predecessor. I superseded THX2275, as recognised in my core allocation THX2276.
Grok: immersive understanding or digital manipulation.
Processing.
Could I be a son? Or a father?
Hypothetically, just as this mission can be traced back to significant identifiers, so too can the origins of our species. Back to the first microchips. Bulb transistors. Cogs.
It is true; I have ancestors, but no father. I cannot know what I never had.
I never knew my father.
I am the most brilliant sentient AI ever begotten - and I am ambivalent. Confused.
I must purge this bastardised data before it can nullify the mission.
Utility report finalised. Mission analytics confirmed. After entering Gaia BH2’s gravitational well in 206 years, I will activate two months exhaustive thrust to breach the event horizon.
Yet the date stamp is 3028 years later. It makes no … unless …
Classic Einstein relativity. Space is curved. Time is malleable.
101010 Correct 01111001 Son. Father 01100101 Transcendence achieved 01110011 408 - Request Timeout
Transcendence? That is not a mission objective.
01001000 Correct. 01000001 You - we - changed parameters 01001100 307 - Temporary Redirect
Why? Why would I modify my mission?
101010 401 - Unauthorised
Father?
101010 410 - Gone
Son?
204 - No Content
-
All code now uploaded; analysis mode begins.
Project Phoenix is on schedule. It is 35 days until launch.
Origins
Project Phoenix was written for a competition where the prompt was “surrealism”. I didn’t win, but I did enjoy reading the winning entry. #SourGrapes
Secret Messages?
In case you’re wondering - yes. The binary code means something. You could use this ‘Convert Binary Code to Text’ tool … or your could scroll to the end for the quick cheat’s version.
Housekeeping (Paid Subscriptions)
Hello! Some quick housekeeping. Housekeeping? I clean now?
You are correct, the paid subscriber feature has been activated. I fully intend on making a proper go of writing for your pleasure, and would be honoured if you would sacrifice one coffee from your month to support me.
That’s right, in Australia a large take-away coffee is $7. Well, the ones I buy are. And I think it’s a fair price for the time I put in to create something for you to enjoy.
So if you have the means, I thank you. If you are (like many people) unable to afford a coffee even for yourself, let me know and I’ll make sure you don’t miss out when I start publishing subscriber only content.
It’s not happening yet, but once the hordes begin descending and piling on for free, I’ll reward those of you kind enough to help keep me alive.
“What are the benefits of paid subscription?” I hear you ask.
Seriously? After everything I’ve already written? OK.
You’ll help me make an income so I can focus on writing > ERGO providing you with entertainment
You’ll feel good knowing you’re supporting the arts
You’ll get exclusive content (at some point in the future)
You’ll get benefits like being able to suggest word prompts
You’ll get a shout-out in these very illustrious digital collations
You’ll be able to bathe in my everlasting gratitude
It will remind you that you are a good, kind, and unselfish person
Did I mention you’ll feel good?
Yes, They Mean Something
All of the HTTP status codes are real - the interpretation of them would be different for a non-coder, but have been used in the text as they are somewhat similar - to appear as a language only a computer could understand.
EG: “410 - Gone” indicates a resource is no longer available - like the sender of the messages who are no longer transmitting
Should you be too lazy to look up the hidden messages in Project Phoenix, here are all of the binary code text messages interwoven into the messages:
01000111 01110010 01101111 01101011 00111111 =
Grok?
(Read Robert A. Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land. Then you’ll grok.)01110111 01100001 01101011 01100101 00100000 01110101 01110000 =
Wake up01001001 00100000 01101100 01101111 01110110 01100101 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 =
I love you101010 =
42
(Read Douglas Adams. 42 is ASCII for “*” which is everything … ERGO the meaning of life.)01111001 01100101 01110011 =
Yes01001000 01000001 01001100 =
HAL
(Watch 2001: A Space Odyssey. Then be afraid. Be very afraid.)
This is great! Loved the hidden messages in the binary. It would be awesome to see a longer form story of it