Mid-Season 15.0 Production Update (Patreon)

Hi folks, welcome to the slightly delayed mid-season update, I'll have the late-season update ready for you in a few days, ahead of the Finale Party on Sunday - I hope you can make it? Details here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/season-15-10-7th-101412072

On to the update:

YADYAM

YADYAM's full plot arc only lasted from episode 4 to 7, sadly.

YADYAM waking up was one of the effects of the spread of the ONI virus (and more are to be revealed...)
As I understand from our own evolution, it appears that some of the building blocks of AI life can also be triggered by viral sources, in this case, ONI.

His home, on the highest point of La Palma, the Roq de los Muchachos Observatory, is in our time one of the top few sites in the WORLD for ground-based astronomical research.

High above the cloud layer, 2.3 km less atmosphere than at ground level, and with almost zero pollution, it must be an incredible site for science!

There is also a residential complex, expanded upon in Lost Terminal, where whole teams of astrophysicists can live, monitoring their experiments for extended periods of time.

Here's a cut scene, as our heroes rush across the large complex to YADYAM's datacenter, as time runs out:

The Observatory site is very extensive.
Maddie and the crew sprinted over the cracked tarmac roads that connect over 32 domed telescope buildings, as they ran towards the datacenter.
The site is approximately triangular, 4km between the farthest 3 points.

We were guided precisely by Yadyam, using his knowledge and blueprints and plans.
We passed multi-story spherical telescope buildings in various states of ruin, sometimes glimpsing the names as we passed.
Two were called "Isaac Newton" and "Liverpool", and the third, a concave radar-like sheet of cracked mirrored hexagons, simply called "MAGIC".

As the sun set, we reached the residential complex, many utility buildings surrounding a large concrete central block.
The data Yadyam transmitted to me indicated that there was space for 300 resident scientists, even with double and family rooms for those with scientific or open-minded partners!

Yeshi pointed and laughed bitterly at a large hanger containing over 16 broken and rusted utility vehicles:
4x4s, firefighting trucks, and even two helicopters.

"That would have made the climb a bit easier!" They said, as the group ran past.

The Observatory does tours, if you're ever visiting the Canary Islands... Raise a toast to YADYAM for me, if you go.

By the way, did you notice his name is MAYDAY backwards?
You have to make your own fun, as a writer!

Aircraft carriers are WILD.

They're SO expensive, and SO huge, I didn't have to exaggerate the size of the Lafayette too much for the story.
The largest in operation today (so far) is the USS Gerald R. Ford: 1/3 of a km long, 1/4 of a km from top to bottom.
WILD

Seth spoke my opinion directly in this episode, "Every Euro spent on a machine like this was a Euro not spent on education, medicine, and food."

Here are some statistics I just looked up:

There are 11 aircraft carriers in service to the USA, and 4 more planned in the next decade.

Cost to end homelessness in the United States (according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development):
$20B.

Cost of the USS Gerald R. Ford:
$18B.

A dramatic photo of the ship undergoing a shockwave test.

I, of course, don't know what the answer is to fix the balance between military and domestic spending, I'm just a programmer who is pretending to be a writer.

The Collapse will fix it for us, of course.

Southern Relay

(btw: thanks to this season, I now learned how to both say and spell "bureau"!)

Wow these nerds sure love talking don't they!
As Nia found out, the biggest problems are never technological. We could literally have the Star Trek dream of fully-automated luxury socialism TODAY if we decided to build it.

However, without bureaucratic delays, Violetta built the Southern Relay just fine:

Thank you

I hope you've liked the season so far! Thank you so much for supporting me, I wake up every day so happy to be writing this lovely show. Next update soon!
Tris <3