Phoenix - the Insilico tales - chapter 26 - "Transactional Atomicity"
(originally posted 10/13/2011)
Atomic implies indivisibility and irreducibility, so an atomic operation must be performed entirely or not performed at all.
-Webopedia
A few minutes passed. Phee stalked angrily around the base of the access node. 209's head poked in from the top, her voice calling down to Phee "You coming or what?"
Phee flashed a look of anger mixed with embarrassment "Is this some kind of a damn sink or swim thing?"
209 nodded and grinned.
"I'm never going anywhere with you again."
209 just laughed. "This isn't as big a deal as you're making it out to be. You have this capability. It's not functionally any different than jumping across a hard line. I don't see the problem."
"No. no - of course you don't see the problem." Phee griped as she paced back and forth, her nervousness clearly rising. "Why would you see the problem?"
"Look, you can learn this now, or when a widow is bearing down on you in the transit hub. But you need to learn it. I think you know that."
"Yes. I know that. It's just that... ok. Never mind. Screw it. I'm going for it."
Phee gritted her teeth, furrowed her brow worriedly, and jumped into the data stream. She ascended quickly to the top of the node and disappeared in a flash of light. She felt herself being pulled apart into millions of small pieces, then transmitted out into the harsh radio noise of Insilico. She felt her sense of self dilute to nothing, as if she were raindrops falling into an ocean. She felt sickening agoraphobic waves, but had just begun to feel herself begin to collect and solidify on the other end when she felt a terrible, wrenching sting. She recoiled in pain, and aborted the transmission. She suddenly appeared again at the top of the access node and fell very ungracefully to the bottom, screaming the whole way down. She hit the ground hard. It gave way with a cartoony bounce, flinging Phee slightly into the air before she came to rest on the ground nearby, groaning with frustration, pain, and embarrassment.
209 looked on with a surprised expression. She swooped down from the top of the node and knelt beside Phee "I had no idea it was this bad for you. What happened?"
"Packet retransmission. Part of me attenuated and disappeared, and the transmitter sent a replacement copy." Phee sat up and hugged her knees, trying to recover her composure.
"So? You can't transmit something the size of an AI's mind and not expect the occasional dropped packet. That's why the protocols have error checking."
"I know" Phee said quietly.
"Look, if this is too much to deal with right now, I can have someone reconnect the hard line..."
Phee interrupted her "No. I will not be coddled. You set a challenge I wasn't expecting, but it is one I need. I just need to figure this out and get over my hangup."
"How are you going to do that?"
"I don't know. Maybe find some friends. Other AI who have done this but have a different perspective. We need to reach out to other living machines anyway. Maybe this is a good thing strategically." Phee stood up and went through some very futile motions of brushing herself off.
"Well..." 209 began, looking up and smiling wryly "... if you're not going to be using your chassis..."
"No." Phee interrupted her quickly "I don't want to live down whatever reputation you might give me galavanting around in my shell. It's off limits. Leave it where it is, wireless system active."
"Fine." 209 intoned begrudgingly. The pair stood a moment in an uneasy silence before 209 glanced over, half smiling. "Galavanting?" she asked with mirthful incredulity. Phee looked over and caught 209's expression, and broke into laughter. 209 couldn't help but laugh herself.
Atomic implies indivisibility and irreducibility, so an atomic operation must be performed entirely or not performed at all.
-Webopedia
A few minutes passed. Phee stalked angrily around the base of the access node. 209's head poked in from the top, her voice calling down to Phee "You coming or what?"
Phee flashed a look of anger mixed with embarrassment "Is this some kind of a damn sink or swim thing?"
209 nodded and grinned.
"I'm never going anywhere with you again."
209 just laughed. "This isn't as big a deal as you're making it out to be. You have this capability. It's not functionally any different than jumping across a hard line. I don't see the problem."
"No. no - of course you don't see the problem." Phee griped as she paced back and forth, her nervousness clearly rising. "Why would you see the problem?"
"Look, you can learn this now, or when a widow is bearing down on you in the transit hub. But you need to learn it. I think you know that."
"Yes. I know that. It's just that... ok. Never mind. Screw it. I'm going for it."
Phee gritted her teeth, furrowed her brow worriedly, and jumped into the data stream. She ascended quickly to the top of the node and disappeared in a flash of light. She felt herself being pulled apart into millions of small pieces, then transmitted out into the harsh radio noise of Insilico. She felt her sense of self dilute to nothing, as if she were raindrops falling into an ocean. She felt sickening agoraphobic waves, but had just begun to feel herself begin to collect and solidify on the other end when she felt a terrible, wrenching sting. She recoiled in pain, and aborted the transmission. She suddenly appeared again at the top of the access node and fell very ungracefully to the bottom, screaming the whole way down. She hit the ground hard. It gave way with a cartoony bounce, flinging Phee slightly into the air before she came to rest on the ground nearby, groaning with frustration, pain, and embarrassment.
209 looked on with a surprised expression. She swooped down from the top of the node and knelt beside Phee "I had no idea it was this bad for you. What happened?"
"Packet retransmission. Part of me attenuated and disappeared, and the transmitter sent a replacement copy." Phee sat up and hugged her knees, trying to recover her composure.
"So? You can't transmit something the size of an AI's mind and not expect the occasional dropped packet. That's why the protocols have error checking."
"I know" Phee said quietly.
"Look, if this is too much to deal with right now, I can have someone reconnect the hard line..."
Phee interrupted her "No. I will not be coddled. You set a challenge I wasn't expecting, but it is one I need. I just need to figure this out and get over my hangup."
"How are you going to do that?"
"I don't know. Maybe find some friends. Other AI who have done this but have a different perspective. We need to reach out to other living machines anyway. Maybe this is a good thing strategically." Phee stood up and went through some very futile motions of brushing herself off.
"Well..." 209 began, looking up and smiling wryly "... if you're not going to be using your chassis..."
"No." Phee interrupted her quickly "I don't want to live down whatever reputation you might give me galavanting around in my shell. It's off limits. Leave it where it is, wireless system active."
"Fine." 209 intoned begrudgingly. The pair stood a moment in an uneasy silence before 209 glanced over, half smiling. "Galavanting?" she asked with mirthful incredulity. Phee looked over and caught 209's expression, and broke into laughter. 209 couldn't help but laugh herself.
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