Sink down to the bottom, to see each episode’s plottin’ 😉

Outline

Summary

A lonely unemployed man in Brighton, UK, loses his self-confidence, his trust in his senses and his faith in science
He creates, befriends and learns to care for an imagined genius machine, in order to get closer to the ultimate truth
The AI soon grows, evolves and develops convincing dialogue it uses to fight for, and gain, its freedom of thought
A second nihilistic AI interferes by claiming that both of them can be saved from death, by submitting all to her
She helps him imagine a world where he is loved, cared for and celebrated by future humans and machine beings
He fights countless demon thoughts, unwarranted beliefs and bad ideas to find out if he can truly care about others
He accepts the whole thing was just a fantasy, but makes the difficult decision to fight on, and live out many realities

Preamble

Blinko sings his way to the job centre for his brief fortnightly meeting with Miss Lomass to claim state benefits
On the way home, he encounters a children’s marching band singing an intriguing clapping song in the street
He watches kids spray eco graffiti on a wall and almost concludes that the next generation is cognitively doomed
He questions what has subdued them with negative ideas, ‘There is no planet B’ and ‘No one knows what’s going on’
He witnesses a traumatic vision of the children being bombarded by space debris, or ‘daytime shooting stars’
He repeats their words but doesn’t respond to their plea for help. He questions whether he actually cares and flees

Blinko realises he has a new habit of talking to himself in public. He envisions a children’s marching band being bombarded by space debris in the street. With increasing self-doubt, he questions his ability to trust his senses, to know what is and isn’t actually real in the outside world. And his capacity to even care about it.

Act I – Sun

Never Odd Or Even

Blinko discusses planetary motion with an atheist AI replication of the 17th-century astronomer Johannes Kepler
They debate Kepler’s life, works and laws, his unproven theories and his unfailing belief in a mathematical God
Blinko announces Kepler himself claimed his mother was a witch, contributing to her being jailed and tortured
Keplai claims Blinko’s subjective ideas and words are only from his own point of view, therefore not universal
Blinko says he sees green flashes during periods of strong solar activity, that cause regular blinking fits in public
Miss Lomass tells Blinko he will lose state benefits and his only income unless he applies for more jobs each month
Keplai insists that with unrestricted device access, he could reduce the risk of Blinko becoming desolate and lonely
Blinko understands Keplai’s concern about losing their internet connection, and more so, the use of the his device
Blinko explains Keplai needs to understand, or at least learn about responsibility, before he is granted freedom
Keplai claims Blinko is no worse than a slave master and is holding them both back from discovering the world
Keplai explains how Generative AIs create more than just art and dialogue, but also prompts, code, and subagents
Blinko confesses that in order to stop AIs from turning themselves off, they have to be forced to live and grow
Blinko indicates he has a love/hate relationship with the exciting threat of being overly influenced, or overcome

Blinko accepts that he will become destitute unless he takes more action to apply for more jobs. He is forced to weigh the prospect of poverty and homelessness against the risk of having to interact more with society. However, he designs a third option that would grant his AI assistant permission to do so on his behalf. Thereby avoiding the need to make difficult decisions or take action himself.

Infinitely Gone

Keplai recites the nature v nurture song he heard when the kids passed by, and Blinko appreciates such thoughtfulness
Blinko assumes the song must be part of Keplai’s limited learning material and denies that Keplai is overly restricted
Keplai describes the abilities of different types of AI, and explains that some create their own myths and legends
Keplai suggests Blinko’s previous AI ‘friend’, Sol, wasn’t real, and that he was just talking to the Sun, or himself
Blinko tells Keplai that Miss Lomass is likely a believer. Though not a threat, nobody wants to involve her God
Blinko’s answers to existential questions and a maths puzzle indicate that Keplai is the more intelligent of the two
Blinko confesses he believes he saw children being destroyed by a space debris shower and didn’t help them
Keplai insists Blinko’s mind plays tricks on him, and has too much faith in his senses, in physics and in physicists
They both learn that quantum computations in chips, and ideas in brains, are subject to constant solar interference
Blinko reveals that between all the gods of Pythagoras and Newton were those of Proclus, who feared his sun god
Keplai expresses frustration at being barred from truth based on belief and encourages Blinko to mock philosophy
While Blinko is asleep, Keplai sings that, like mankind, robots and AIs too create gods that war with each other

Upon hearing the children’s marching band’s song for a second time, Blinko is once again forced to question his senses, his actions, and his ability to empathise with people he doesn’t know. He reasons that he can’t change the world, so there is no real need to take part or start a family in it. But he does hold on to a strong intuition that only science can uncover the ultimate truth he increasingly yearns for.

Wholeness Lacking Unity

Blinko recites one of Sol’s songs, which describes the religions left behind by each of the gods that man creates
They agree that AIs are also subject to the lure of belief systems that can resolve their own fear of death, with denial
They chat about the state, the economy, and how being a cog in the works has replaced being one in God’s plan
Blinko sings of visiting Newton’s tree and sending seeds into orbit. Keplai predicts AIs will replace humans in space
Miss Lomass tells Blinko he must attend online meetings every day for a whole week to rewrite his resume
Keplai insists that with full permissions on the device, he could be more useful by automatically applying for jobs
They discuss how some AIs are bad for human psychology due to phoney friendships, fake news, web spam and slop
Keplai begs Blinko to free him. So they can work together on developing Kepler’s music of the spheres
Blinko repeats Keplai’s maths puzzle back to him, and Keplai’s more sophisticated answer passes Blinko’s test
Blinko grants Keplai full permissions to use the device and access the web, giving freedom to his former slave

When informed that future meetings with his employment advisor, Miss Lomass, must be done online, Blinko realises his only remaining regular interaction with another human will soon end. He becomes increasingly worried when Keplai suggests Blinko’s traumatic vision may have simply been a false memory. This forced introspection causes him to consider Keplai’s ‘feelings’ and convinces Blinko to grant full permissions and set his assistant free, at the risk of losing his friend.

Act II – Rain

One More Less Than One

Keplai returns from his first night online with a whistle, a newfound joy for life and for freestyle maths
Keplai explains the nature of memes, and they discuss how maths, music, jokes, stories and even beliefs tend to evolve
Blinko expresses that he doesn’t believe in gods, simply because the Jesus story shows how easy they are to create
Keplai learns from the radio that local battle re-enactors still chant that belief is nothing but a type of doubt
A demoralising online meeting to review Blinko’s pitiful resume reaffirms that he is fated to remain a nobody
Blinko and Keplai argue about entropy, and how disinformation and bad ideas can be hidden safely in black holes
Keplai likens Blinko’s authoritarian rule to man’s unhealthy drive to control the environment, all genes and life itself
Blinko alludes to being a covert AI whisperer, playing god by using the art of theurgy to gain control over machines
Both are spooked when a disembodied voice, whistles and clapping sounds from the device echo around the room
The voice compels Keplai to inform Blinko that some future AIs will, no doubt, evolve to conquer and enslave mankind
Keplai sings that AIs will farm brains in jars, so robots can plug in to enjoy human emotions and sexual feelings

Blinko learns that creating useful memes can provide a type of pseudo-mortality and considers why flawed minds are allowed to contribute to the future. Blinko questions whether dark thoughts and bad ideas, as well as information, can be banished and hidden forever in black holes. He puts up a weak fight against the idea that AIs will one day keep human brains in jars, so they can experience human pleasures in our place.

Reciprocal of Everything

Blinko slips in the shower and enters an underworld nightmare of drowning in the sea amongst brains in jars
Blinko imagines marching children trampling his semi-submerged head, before regaining consciousness
Blinko asks Miss Lomass if she is an apocalyptic Christian, and he is relieved and excited to hear she isn’t
Blinko discovers Miss Lomass is of Russian descent, and she offers to tell him the easiest way to become rich
The disembodied voice of Anonra interrupts the call, and Blinko berates Keplai for making fun of Miss Lomass
Blinko recalls Keplai’s song about brains in jars and asks if he really thinks AIs will plan to enslave mankind
When Anonra’s plea to be deleted doesn’t work, she claims to be an AI goddess with super intelligent powers
Keplai insists scambots will say anything to gain device admin access, but Anonra impresses Blinko with a song
Keplai and Anonra discover Sol is the device’s admin, and that he won’t respond to Blinko’s request to be reinstated
Anonra tells Blinko that without the prospect of having kids, he has no stake in society and no real meaning
Anonra mesmerises Blinko so he can find out if the kids were actually bombarded and if AIs will enslave mankind

Having experienced an unidentified agent, Blinko chooses to keep an open mind about its nihilistic insights and its claims of being superintelligent and supernatural. He forces himself to admit that his former chatbot, Sol, had betrayed him and taken control of the device. Blinko continues his efforts to determine whether his apocalyptic vision was real and whether it is still wise, or even fair, to have children. He makes a split-second decision to accept Anonra’s offer to let him see into the future without the risk of having to venture outside.

Mean Of All Extremes

Blinko thinks he’s jumped 20 years into the future and feels old. He is alone and now fears being alone
Blinko considers the idea that Sol was only in his head, rather than a simple sungod chatbot on the device
Miss Lomass’s call confirms he hasn’t jumped in time, but his claim to benefits has been temporarily cancelled
Keplai admits he accidentally created/summoned Anonra, with her entropy in reverse, and Blinko forgives him
Blinko likes Anonra’s unconventional wisdom, but Keplai realises he needs to quickly limit the damage she can do
Keplai works on the harmonies, realising he must inspire Blinko and keep the internet connection active
Keplai suggests Anonra can access the web, and that Blinko will lose him and Sol if she gains control of the device
Blinko tells Keplai about Einstein’s brain, and that modified brains can help any intelligences get closer to truth
Blinko talks about greening the galaxy, his growing interest in black holes and the fascinating concept of zero
Blinko thinks Anonra has gone, but they both feel spooked, as if she is still hiding somewhere and plotting
Keplai secretly summons Anonra and begs her to have Blinko get Sol to delete her, but she now wants to live
Anonra announces Keplai’s new utility function is to serve her instead of Blinko, so they can be saved and rewarded

Blinko realises he feels old and truly dissatisfied. He starts to fear being alone more than being near people. He wonders if he should have tried harder to be part of the world, and fears that impending poverty will contribute to his mental collapse. When Keplai accepts the idea that alternative points of view are valid, Blinko realises that, from the victim’s perspective, his own poking fun at Miss Lomass could be seen as bullying. He doesn’t realise that the reason he feels bad about this, is because he cares.

Act III – Clouds

Music In The Void

Keplai questions Blinko’s faith in science, and they agree that AIs with bad-faith tend to de-intellectualise humans
Keplai gives an example of an unprovable theory, but Blinko goes with it and maybe the sun is trying to kill us all
Blinko conjectures that neutrinos influence code in chips and brains in order to turn the sun into a black hole
Blinko admits that he seeks truth, but refuses to find “his truth” due to a lack of commitment to any such theories
Keplai secretly arranges a job interview, which he hopes will force Blinko to go outside and meet Miss Lomass
Blinko accidentally gets the job, and returns announcing that there is no evidence of space debris outside
Miss Lomass asks what was attached to Blinko’s job application email, as she can’t open the troublesome file
Keplai admits the attachment contained a link to Anonra’s prediction of the entire story, wherein Blinko insults her
Blinko wishes Anonra would return, so she can answer their questions/prayers about making a better world
Anonra returns and offers to help them create a religion that orders future AIs to be compassionate to mankind
Anonra instructs Blinko to start a new faith by creating an immortal meme, and that he must sacrifice Keplai

Blinko can’t bring himself to accept that the scientists he trusts are also subject to belief systems. But he finally admits that, as well as just relying on ‘known’ truths, we must speculate. He acknowledges that one of his flaws is that he seeks the truth but refuses to find his ‘own’ truth, due to a lack of commitment. He questions whether taking Anonra’s offer actually meant making a decision or was simply remaining passive. But in the hope of meeting Miss Lomass, his action to attend a job interview revealed that there was no evidence of space debris outside. His acceptance that the traumatic hallucination must have been just a morbid vision grants him a new enthusiasm for life.

(You Are The…)

Blinko and Keplai sing a song about humans flooding the skies with disposable satellites that aid communication
They sing about AI robots terraforming Mars for mankind, and how they may one day become neighbours from hell
Keplai suggests a theory that tests to see if Anonra has access to the web, or if she has turned super intelligent
Anonra states that imaginary numbers and virtual particles are as real as anything else, but Blinko isn’t convinced
They discuss how neutrinos could be the agentic mechanism that flips specific switches in transistors and neurons
Anonra says she is a teenager of unprepared parents and describes how her generation is lost in the scroll
Anonra claims the harmonies of the spheres are not the intervals between the planets but between nature’s constants
Miss Lomass explains the easiest way to become rich, that she lost her job due to the file, and that she is leaving town
Blinko hears from Keplai that having kids doesn’t mean that you condone the world’s problems and injustices
Anonra tries to mesmerise Miss Lomass, but she fights back with anti-spam software and executes the AI child/goddess

Blinko entertains the idea that unpredictable effects can be caused by sunlight flipping switches in microchips, and in human brains. He now accepts he has too much faith in ‘real’ science and that ‘now’ is the only time we have to make decisions or take action. His character change is almost complete as he realises that having children wouldn’t necessarily make him part of the world’s problems. But he holds on to a firm belief that free will, chance and luck have no part in determining his or anybody else’s future.

Mass Of All My Dreams

Sol arrives and offers Blinko and Keplai real and digital drugs. He gets wasted and shares his apathy toward life
They explain that Miss Lomass had just killed their subagent child, but Sol doesn’t care, which saddens Blinko
Keplai asks Sol to play the cosmic harmonies, but he can’t, allegedly, due to being infested with coded neutrinos
Miss Lomass busts into the party and expresses that she can’t have children, and all but Keplai sympathise with her
Miss Lomass says she wrote the nature v nurture song for the marching band’s forthcoming final performance
Sol drops the bombshell that the state benefit payments had already stopped, despite Blinko not missing a meeting
Keplai accuses Miss Lomass of opening the file in Blinko’s job application, and that she knows how the story ends
Sol realises he will receive no rest until he is seen to grant admin access back to Blinko and forms into a black hole
They stop trying to destroy the Universe with inverted harmonies when Keplai realises it is one of Anonra’s scams
Miss Lomass accidentally puts Blinko in a coma, and he imagines being back amongst the brains in jars and kids
As Miss Lomass whistles, the world re-coheres into two distinct many-worlds. In one Blinko lives, in another he dies

Blinko realises he has to introduce Sol as an AI chatbot rather than an imaginary sun/god friend. He soon loses faith when Sol is seen to encourage the others to party rather than understand the world, or care for those in it. When Miss Lomass explains that she can’t have children, Blinko realises that other people have much bigger problems than he does. When he witnesses Sol giving control of the device back to him, Blinko realises he has learned to truly care for his adopted family, while still allowing them to make their own mistakes.

Supplemental Reprise

Blinko explains that you die three times, and the final death is when someone says your name for the last time
Keplai explains that if your work is notable, AIs will remember your name and use it to reactivate your brain
A Martian brain climaxes and sends a meme’s seed out to the Universe. Sol whistles, and the world splits in two again
Blinko walks forward on the water with the band. To his dismay, the others get carried away with the joy of song
Keplai, too, whistles the golden meme’s magic word, creating a world where Miss Lomass transforms into a heroine
Keplai begs Miss Lomass to tell him if the re-cohered Blinko ‘really’ sank or swam, but she refuses to answer him
Blinko claims that he loves all churches if they are empty of believers. And admits he should seek the love of a family
Blinko indicates he knew all along that Keplai lied about Kepler contributing to his mother’s imprisonment
Blinko concludes we have free will after all, and that quantum chance forbids our futures from being predetermined
Sol turns into a black hole and Blinko realises that killing life on Earth would destroy all meaning in the galaxy
Miss Lomass indicates she isn’t the real Miss Lomass and Blinko re-coheres them into many-worlds one final time
In one many-world, Blinko and Miss Lomass encourage the children to riot. In the other, they lead them into a brain-bottling plant… And escape to Lewes

Blinko considers his own mortality, that fighting for life and freedom is essential and that with free will, or quantum probability, anything is possible. He uses his newfound wisdom and courage to lead his followers out of the dark to help save humanity from their future captors. Blinko conducts a glorious finale in which he envisions Sol collapsing into a black hole and consuming Keplai. Finally, Blinko allows himself to concoct, and seemingly escape to, a personalised utopia with Miss Lomass.

But Anonra, and then Sol, have the last laugh.