[handset | video] one love, one life (backdated to 3/5 or so)

[edgeoftheknife]

[The video flips on to show Erskine, gorgeous as always, and actually not looking dog-tired for once! In fact, he's smiling. This is possibly the happiest Erskine has looked on the network while sober.

...which probably has to do with the attractive redhead hovering in the background. Those who've seen Erskine's echo stone will recognize Hopeless. Those who haven't might recognize the man Erskine's been attached at the hip to for the last couple of weeks.]

Right, hello everyone. So, Hopeless had a question--

[The redhead in the background scoffs gently.]

Alright, we had a question. How old are all you Foreigners out there? We're interested in age demographics. You can be vague if you like, and you don't have to answer of course.

And in the spirit of sharing, I... missed my last birthday. It was in February. Which I suppose makes me 409 now.

Comments

[commandandcontrol]

In total, it's probably close to a year. But it's been broken up. A lot has changed since last time I was here.

[scryinghope]

Did your age change much from when you went back home compared to when you returned here?

[commandandcontrol]

Yes. About three years?

My closest guess, anyway, trying to reconcile the two timelines is a soft science when the memories are so fuzzy.

[scryinghope]

Yes, the mind is difficult to figure out at the best of times without the Dreaming getting in the way.

[He ought to know, being a mind-reader at all. Luckily, that can't happen over broadcasts like this; it's practically a novelty.]

Are you people customarily augmented in any way, especially in the brain?

[commandandcontrol]

Uh. [ Wow, left field, much? ] No?

[ ...not that that wouldn't be pretty useful having a computer in her head. ]

[scryinghope]

[He chuckles a little at her reaction, a single soft huff of a laugh in his eyes.]

I'm asking about age because I'm interested in the differences in psychology and development inside the mind. If your people are augmented, it would change how the brain works, and how your thinking works.

[commandandcontrol]

Oh, I see.

Maybe having advanced computation abilities might make you mature faster, for instance?

[scryinghope]

[He hums.]

More that augmentation can change what people notice, how they notice it, and their capacity to internalise it. Someone who isn't a soldier but is artificially given heightened senses, for example, may find themselves more inclined to notice threats; and a heightened threat-sense can have impacts on anxiety which someone who isn't trained will have difficulty managing.

[commandandcontrol]

Wow, so you're really getting ambitious with your data gathering here.

I'm not sure if you'll get enough of a sample size from respondents to this broadcast to be able to determine anything as fine as that.

[scryinghope]

[He chuckles.]

Probably not. It was only meant a hypothetical as part of a conversation -- Erskine was the one to decided to bring it to everyone at large.

[commandandcontrol]

Well, while people may not have cybernetic implants, a lot of people find themselves relying on technological assistance today than they did even 20 years ago.

Perhaps the ubiquity of GPS's might impact how well people tell direction now?

The study of violent video games on people's aggression has been an ongoing issue for some years now as well.