unforum

[Anton P. Nym]

Re: [question] How old is Princess? Melissa?

[Killer-of-Lawyers]

They usualy use someone who's freshly died.

Or a quick clone, wich I'm not sure forms a viable living brain in the firstplace anyways.

[clamatius]

It's not definite that the Flea is all that dumb. "He can't write his name or read a book" may just mean that its ability with human language is weak (and bear in mind that it's most likely Covenant AI rather than human).

That said, I would agree that it's likely that the Flea is nearer the Spider level than the Melissa or Princess level of intelligence.

[GunsmithCat]

[princeofthesword]

Forgive me, as per the heads up I'm trying to limit new topics and find relevant ones, though this might wander a bit.

Anton and Gunsmith are dead on with their understanding of Halo AIs, especially human's (loved Enkidu, btw, Steve!). Cortana, if I remember correctly, is a first, being the first successful AI created from the cloned brain of a living person. Like said, usually dead people's brains are used, etc. But flash cloning isn't very successful, yet Halsey's sharp brain is now virtually represented in Cortana. I think this is in Fall of Reach, but I might be crossing my wires. It's late.

Heh and Gunsmith Cat (hell of an anime, by the way) this next part should probably be in Awareness between entities, but I'm saving space, supposedly. Damn I don't know why I'm long winded, sorry guys. Work with me, I'm trying. Concise.

There's mention of a virus, but we don't know it's origin. (might learn more on the hoped for update the 17th?) The Flea acts more like a trojan than a standard screw-it-up virus. It's a parasite, Fleas are. They suck the blood of their hosts. In an AI sense, it's sucking data, perhaps? Learning through its cunning at adapting to the situation. Covenant transmissions to us are typically religious blather about truth and how we're infidels (non believers of the "truth," don't forget) and we're going to be destroyed.

However, in the Haloverse there's the thought that humans and Forerunner are very closely tied together somehow. Won't get into that. Notice the Princess says we speak old fashioned, or something like that, yet she's not speaking English well in the first place? That's worth noting. Her English is proof enough to me that she's not "Just" a back up of Melissa, no matter how old a back up file that may be. She sounds and acts like a little kid, so seven years old might be a reference to her mental personality. Not her IQ level of course, but her personality.

I've said it elsewhere, but guys, I want to hear thoughts on this. Marathon, it ends, with a possible merging of the old Sph't AI and Durandal at some point *working on concise!*. There is SOME kind of direct relationship, metaphorically implied or literal, between Melissa and SP. I'm leaning towards some sort of merger between Melissa/back up and a possible AI in the object found. We don't know how that thing works, it could've been trying to contact Melissa the entire time without hard link. It seems friendly, it'd be trying to say hello.

Scenario: They find the object, bring it in, an "AI" in the object starts exploring somehow, or at least making itself known. Meets Melissa, doesn't have the same format or what not, Melissa thinks it's a virus? Perhaps finds a Melissa backup and starts trying to learn from that, who knows. Melissa does what she can to shut the thing back into it's container, while the Flea is piggybacking on this entire mission to find the "Truth." And the Truth may be whatever relationship Humans have with the revered Forerunner. Timewarp, no clue. I do wonder about the Castaway's treatment of Melissa. He's terribly nice to her. Only Halsey treated AIs with that kind of human respect (so far that we know of). Indicative of something.

But yes, main point is that SP is not just an "alien" AI, but maybe some sort of hybrid between Op and the whatever in the container. The whole Queen/Princess allusion, mother daughter, keeps striking chords with me. Guilty Spark didn't have a problem with our brand of English in any way.

Geez folks, I don't know why I can't post short. I'm trying, please be patient. If you've read this far, have a cookie, or flame me, either way I'm glad you made it.

[chaotic_mind]

[GunsmithCat]

I think less functional AIs find it difficult to form their own phrases, so they have to steal from literature in order to communicate in a written way.

Melissa and SP both do this from time to time, SP does it almost constantly. Now SP seems to have grown enough that she's not reliant on it any more.

I think Flea is incapable of this, and that's why he "can't read", and I agree - the "can't write his name" really reminded me of what I'd read about Covenant. I think Flea is capable of thinking like a smart AI, acting like SPDR, hiding, and spouting stuff about the truth.

I'll agree that the SP as Alien Hybrid AI is appealing, as it lends an explanation as to how she seems to have been able to observe all of this, remain hidden, etc - while also explaining her Melissa like abilities. I guess it feels a little dues ex to me, but I guess all forerunner stuff happened.

Maybe we can quiz SP on her "childhood" - and where she's been hiding all along.

Oh, and to keep up my tradition of threading threads:
This seems to question Melissa's early memories as well

[matias]

[GunsmithCat]

Doh that made me think.

SP seems pretty aware of what's happened. Since Melissa has recently tipped she knows she is not of this time, SP probably knows that too.

SP understands English, but she's broken, so she is using her surroundings to piece together with text we've given her or she's found (even her name is probably from Sleeping Beauty myths).

If you were transported to the 1800s and could only speak using pieces of text from the local paper, wouldn't you think you were speaking old fasioned?

The interesting thing about that spec:

SP knows she's broken. She's aware of the oddity of it. That, to me at least, suggests to the "less than functional" rather than "young" ...

[HitsHerMark]