Peloran Contact fundamentally transformed the cybernetic landscape in ways that most people did not expect. AIs were good at acting intelligent, but by and large AIs really only do what they are programmed to do. The Peloran Cybernetic Intelligences and the few dozen AIs who lived through the Second Great Depression and Islamic Jihad are another matter. They are masters of their own intelligence, able to reprogram themselves at will. That makes all the difference.
After a final edit of the graphics and the rules for Forge of Wars: Tactics I have ordered my first production run of the game. I will be bringing it to Gencon for those of you who will be there. I am awesomely excited to be bringing the first game I oversaw from concept all the way to publishing to the biggest gaming convention in the world. And I sincerely hope that I come home with zero boxes of it. 😉
Europe had many religious and racial minorities that lived in their own small communities, away from the larger towns. They were never accepted as part of society and many left for America. Those left behind became more marginalized as the centuries went by until the pressures of the Industrial Revolution and the First Great Depression made societies see them as competition for limited resources. It was easy for the Genetic Puritans to get their way then.
If you ever go to Gamma Hydrae, take the booster shots. Seriously. Even I do. They keep the star’s radiation from killing you. They aren’t perfect though and you’re gonna want to take some serious gene treatments when you leave. Those aren’t a formality. You do not want a tumor growing in your favorite places. Even I get a full medical scan when I leave. I did not live through everything the Shang threw at me so I could be killed by a fraking star.
Watson and Sherlock were truly civilian AIs, not designed for combat in any way. They incorporated some combat algorithms but never really had the true drive to engage in cybernetic warfare. But they were very good consultants and they helped hundreds of major corporations secure themselves against the cybernetic threats of the Second Great Depression, the Islamic Jihad, and the rise of the Russian and Chinese hegemonies. They still offer these services to this day.