Editing 1223: Dwarf Fortress
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | This comic is a reaction to the recent reveal of a U.S. electronic | + | {{incomplete}} |
+ | This comic is a reaction to the recent reveal of a U.S. electronic surveillance program called {{w|PRISM (surveillance program)|PRISM}}, run by the NSA. (You can read a [http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/06/us-tech-giants-nsa-data Guardian article] about it.) PRISM, leaked by a former NSA official, incited some controversy since it collects private data (e-mails, chats, file transfers, etc.). <!-- please expand/correct this ~Alpha --> | ||
− | ''{{w|Dwarf Fortress}}'' is a freeware strategy game in which the player builds a civilization by giving orders to | + | ''{{w|Dwarf Fortress}}'' is a freeware strategy game in which the player builds a civilization by giving orders to a group of dwarves. Cueball compares the omniscience of a ''Dwarf Fortress'' player to government surveillance. |
− | "Big Brother" means "a tyrannical government body that constantly monitors all its citizens." The term comes from the classic dystopian novel ''{{w|Nineteen Eighty-Four}}'' by George Orwell | + | "Big Brother" means "a tyrannical government body that constantly monitors all its citizens." The term comes from the classic dystopian novel ''{{w|Nineteen Eighty-Four}}'' by George Orwell. |
− | + | ''{{w|Turing Machine}}'' is a hypothetical device that manipulates symbols on a strip of tape according to a table of rules. Despite its simplicity, a Turing machine can be adapted to simulate the logic of any computer algorithm, and is particularly useful in explaining the functions of a CPU inside a computer. '''Turing-complete machine''' is any machine which can be proven to be able to simulate a Turing machine and therefore any computer algorithm - doing the proving this way is much easier than proving it can run anything directly. (Note: A PC is not a Turing-complete machine because its memory is limited. Any machine built in Dwarf Fortress would still run inside that PC and therefore be even more limited. But you CAN build a proof-of-concept machine by building a limited one and showing how to extend its memory.) | |
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==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
− | :[Cueball | + | :[Cueball at a computer.] |
:Cueball: If the corporate surveillance state monitors and controls every aspect of my life... | :Cueball: If the corporate surveillance state monitors and controls every aspect of my life... | ||
:Big Brother: We do. | :Big Brother: We do. | ||
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:Big Brother: You do. | :Big Brother: You do. | ||
:Cueball: Then you're effectively Dwarf Fortress players watching your dwarves play Dwarf Fortress. | :Cueball: Then you're effectively Dwarf Fortress players watching your dwarves play Dwarf Fortress. | ||
− | :Big Brother: ... Oh | + | :Big Brother: ...Oh god. |
− | + | :Big Brother realizes he's trapped in the most tedious possible hell. | |
− | :Big Brother realizes he's trapped in the most tedious possible | ||
{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
− | [[Category: | + | [[Category:Computers]] |
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] | [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] | ||
[[Category:Video games]] | [[Category:Video games]] | ||
[[Category:Politics]] | [[Category:Politics]] | ||
[[Category:Comics with color]] | [[Category:Comics with color]] | ||
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