Everyware
The term 'everyware' represents the concept of true technological ubiquity which was achieved in Unturned Stones.
Ubiquity is defined as a 'presence everywhere'. Technological ubiquity is pretty straight-forward - everything was somehow wired into the digital world. From cars, to curtains, to calendars; everything is imbued with a networked microchip.
On it's own, the concept doesn't sound alarming. Of course, the world of Unturned Stones isn't that simple. Combined with powerful kaizen AI which would operate and run across everyware, everyware became the platform that enabled governments, organizations, and even some very exceptional individuals to perform deeds that should never have been possible. Actions like manipulating lives of individual people on an unprecedented scale, and modeling the future from data aggregated from trillions of devices.
Everyware ended up governing the lives of billions of people. Will it govern yours?
/codex/technology/computer-science/everyware/
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Was technological ubiquity a blessing or a curse?
Tiers of Everyware
Some people were not yet blessed with technological ubiquity. It varied from region to region. Some were beyond advanced, and were completely integrated with the digital world. Others were still rather analog with primitive levels of networking.
The 'tiers of everyware' are a rough metric for how deeply a region is integrated with everyware. It starts at 0 - with no networking and access to data - and ends with 2, at which point a location is entirely interconnected and computing is truly ubiquitous.
Tier 0: Nothing
Nothing. Just... nothing
As the name suggests... nothing. In an absolute tier 0 region, there is nothing that can be classified under the umbrella of everyware. If there are electronics, they are not networked with each other. If there is big data, nothing has access to it and it has access to nothing.
Quite boring, really. Places that fall under this category in Unturned Stones are either devoid of human life, or are perhaps the odd forgotten frontier settlement drifting somewhere in the interstellar void.
On second thought, perhaps it's not so boring after all?
Tier 1: Something
Some computers here and there maybe
Now we're getting somewhere. Tier 1 suggests that a region is in a midway development point between no ubiquity and total ubiquity. Formally, this is usually indicated by a limited amount of networking and limited number of points of access to that network data.
In Unturned Stones, regions that lie at tier 1 are usually underdeveloped, but would still be considered modern by the standards of where you come from. Practically, this means that everyware can be accessed through specific terminals, such as a computer booth on a street corner, or a network cafe, or a home computer device.
Perhaps life isn't nearly as convenient here. But it is less domineered by obnoxious and intrusive kaizen, and is less susceptible to the dangers of en-masse social engineering. It may be considered more respectful of a person's privacy, and maybe even their humanity.
Some prefer it. That group of people has been shrinking ever so steadily, as more and more of society is creeping towards a tier 2 existence.
CURATOR
Going forward, note that the technology for 'mobile personal digital assistants' was never quite perfected in this world as opposed to yours. Unturned Stones jumped straight from personal computers to what might be referred to as 'smarthome' technology.
Tier 2: Everything
Everyware literally everywhere
Once a society has reached tier 2 everyware, they have reached the pinnacle of how ubiquitous technology can get.
What does tier 2 everyware really mean?
You flip a gesture at a wall and whisper something. Suddenly, a rideshare vehicle appears at the next intersection.
You're walking into a coffee shop - your triple mocha latte is sitting on the counter. An omnipresent kaizen has predicted your order and timing from observing your daily patterns.
You accidentally trip and fall over a crack in the sidewalk, nearly breaking your leg. Thankfully, some stranger sweeps out of nowhere and holds you back right before you hit your head.
You've always dreamed of becoming an astronaut, and in that moment you glance at a billboard advertising the Muguang Space Engineering Corps. An algorithm buried deep in a distant data centre knew you'd need that final push.
How do you know that algorithm didn't actually imbue you with that life-long dream in the first place?
How do you know you have free will? Perhaps you do, perhaps not. Does it really matter? Life is great!
