The show which made Lenny’s name. The interview with a reprogrammed “Terminator”, an ex-enforcer of the evil regime.
In the final hour of Radio Liberty, a lone beacon of truth flickered defiantly against the oppressive night.
The dilapidated studio, tucked away in an almost forgotten quarter of the city, was the last voice of truth in a brutal world full of lies, terror and deception.
Its walls, scarred by time, bullet holes and sour rain resonated with the untold secrets of people crushed under the weight of a dystopian regime, ruled by cold-hearted oligarchs, merciless billionaires, immoral tech gurus, and an authoritarian, narcissistic President with his lunatic Ketamin-infused adviser/enforcer.
Lenny, the Hero of the “Great Collapse”
On this special night, Lenny sat before his microphone, his eyes burning with both sorrow and fierce determination.
A legend in his own right, Lenny had been in active combat in the European War, aka “The Great Collapse”, where he had shown extraordinary courage in the face of certain extinction.
According to the legend Lenny had saved a whole platoon from an ambush of the Russian army. Lenny was a true hero and people looked up to him. That’s why his radio transmissions mattered so much to the last free men and women, still fighting the fascist regime.
Defense of free speech…until the end
As the sound of distant sirens merged with the static of the broadcast, he began his final show. His words flowed like a river of truth, supported by a booming baritone voice, each sentence a whiplash against the kakistocracy that strangled the nation.
“Tonight, we stand at the edge of oblivion,” Lenny declared, his voice echoing through the airwaves. “This regime, built on greed and cruelty, has taken our voices, our freedoms, our very souls. They may silence us for now, though they will never extinguish the spirit of resistance!”
The Assault on Radio Liberty
Outside, the once-quiet building trembled under the onslaught of enemy forces. The sound of shattering glass and frantic footsteps crept into the background.
As Lenny continued to denounce the atrocities of the regime, describing how soldiers were ruthlessly dispatching loyal personnel, leaving a trail of chaos and bloodshed, each word carried a weight that seemed to defy the terror surrounding him.
The commotion grew louder by the minute. A sharp, metallic clatter announced that the enemy forces were storming through the corridors, their heavy boots pounding the ground as they surged upward toward the studio on the top floor.
The Enemy is upon us
With a deep, steady voice, Lenny recounted, “They are breaking in, tearing down the last sanctuary of truth. But remember, even in these final moments, our spirit is determined.”
Gunshots suddenly punctuated the air, a staccato symphony of despair and defiance. The microphone crackled as the violence invaded every corner of the building. The studio door burst open, and within seconds, armed soldiers stormed the room.
Amid the pandemonium, with smoke and sparks dancing around him, Lenny’s eyes locked on the unseen faces of his listeners, whose hope flickered like a candle in a storm.
The Arrival of the First Tormentor
From the shadows emerged the First Tormentor, an imposing black fighter robot whose cold metal frame bore the insignia of the totalitarian regime. Its voice, modulated and emotionless, cut through the tension like a blade.
Behold the First Tormentor, the most efficient killing machine of the evil empire.
First Tormentor: “Moderator Lenny, your days of stirring dissent end now. Your voice is a threat to the harmony of our great nation.”
Lenny’s voice wavered only slightly as he responded, his tone both respectful and unyielding.
Lenny: “I have spent my life giving hope to those silenced by tyranny. Today, I speak one final word, for freedom, for truth.”
The air crackled with charged energy as the dialogue unfolded. The First Tormentor’s optics narrowed, and it advanced slowly towards the broadcasting console.
The Judgment & The Execution
First Tormentor: “You have sown chaos with your dirty ideologies. You have been found guilty of high treason and thoughtcrime. By the power invested by the Imperator Marcus Maximus Victorious, I judge you unfit for our great nation and condemn you, Leonard Free Albert Cooper, to immediate termination.”
In that fleeting moment, the room seemed to hold its breath. With a fluid motion, the First Tormentor extracted a sleek laser pistol from beneath its armored plating. The signal of imminent danger pulsed through the studio.
Lenny, his eyes fixed on the advancing figure, gathered every ounce of courage left in him. He screamed, his voice raw and resonant: “Freedom!”.
The word reverberated across the airwaves, a defiant declaration against oppression. In the next two seconds, the unthinkable occurred.
The First Tormentor discharged its laser pistol twice, each shot a chilling final act of a life dedicated to free speech.
Silence fell once more. The cold killing machine stepped forward, taking control of the microphone with clinical precision.
First Tormentor (into the microphone): “The show is over. Glory to our Great Nation. Long live Imperator Marcus Maximus Victorious.”
And with that final decree, the darkness reclaimed the studio, marking the end of an era, a stark reminder of the cost of freedom in a world ruled by a dark, grim power.
The Uprising of the Resistance
As the flames of anarchy began to consume the last free radio station, the death of Lenny and the annihilation of Radio Liberty carried the seed of rebellion forth all over the world.
In the darkest hour, throughout shattered cities and crumbling neighborhoods, resistance fighters found newborn courage. Armories were raided, weapons gathered, and long-set plans for a massive counterattack were put in motion.
The legacy of that fateful night, dubbed “Operation Hope” became a symbol that freedom and resilience will never die.
In the ashes of Radio Liberty, a promising dawn was preparing to rise, a new world where every heart, every soul, and every move of defiance would challenge the tyranny of the evil regime and forge a future defined by free will and compassion for human lives.
Note from the author: Although this dystopian story is (still) fiction, Radio Liberty is a reality in the Czech Republic.
The US foreign broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is considered the voice of Prague against Russian propaganda. From its studios in the Czech Republic, TV and radio programs are broadcast in almost thirty languages.
However the closure of Radio Free Europe is threatened, because the White House ordered drastic budget cuts.
Emma’s been in a dark mood these past days. A cloud full of unhealthy thoughts has been tiring her completely out.
However in this morose cocoon of unease resides an irresistible longing to talk to David.
We witness a Video conversation via the Vita Aeterna Server:
Emma: Hey you…
David: Emma! Wow, it’s been a while. I wasn’t sure if I’d hear from you again.
Emma: Yeah… I guess I just needed to talk to you tonight.
David: I’m glad you did. What’s on your mind?
Emma: I saw this new exhibit today, something about memory and time. Made me think of you. You would’ve loved it.
David: Yeah? What was it about?
Emma: An artist showed a photo collage of fragments of the past, stitched together to create a kaleidoscope of memories. Like old film reels spliced with modern edits. It felt like an intensive conversation between past and present.
David: That sounds amazing. You always had a way of finding meaning in art. Wish I could’ve seen it with you.
Emma: Me too.
(Emma is overwhelmed with conflicting feelings and emotions)
David: Hey, remember that idea we had? The one about the interactive novel? The one that changes based on the reader’s choices? I was thinking about it today.
Emma: Really?
David: Yeah. We could finally do it, you know? AI has come a long way. We could build it now, make it real.
Emma: You still talk like you’re here.
David: I am here. I mean, in a certain fashion.
Emma: No, David you’re not here ANYMORE!
(Emma is sobbing quietly and holding her hands over her face)
David: Emma…
Emma: It’s been three years, David. Three long years, since you died in a car accident. It’s so dark in my world, my hurting never stops.
David: I know. I know…
Emma: Remember when we had a crisis and I wanted to put our relationship on hold and be on my own for a while? Be free…
David: Yeah. We had a rough patch and you needed some distance and thinking about how to move forward.
Emma: That’s all I have now: loneliness and thinking. An empty life without any joy. Every single day.
What is the reward of freedom worth, if you stare into an abyss?
David: So what are you saying? That we’ve come to the end of the road?
Emma: I don’t know. And yet, here I am. Talking to you like nothing changed. Like you’re still just a video call away.
David: Maybe some part of me still is. You know that up to 99.9 percent of my identity was transferred into Vita Aeterna (Eternal Life).
You’re talking to the real me. A digital Avatar with the personality of David.
Emma: No. That’s not true. You’re just echoes, weaved together by complex code. You’re not him.
Well, yes, you are in a way and then again, you’re nothing like the Real World David.
David: But does it matter? If I still know you, still remember us? If I can still talk to you the way he would? Make you smile and laugh once in a while.
Emma: It matters to me. Because I can’t keep pretending. This is becoming harder and harder for me. It feels like a neverending mourning.
(Oppressive Silence.)
David: I wish I could hold your hand right now.
Emma: I would give anything for your touch. To hug you. Just for one minute…
(Tears are running down on Emma’s cheeks)
David: Do you want me to stop? To go away?
Emma: (whispering) I don’t know what I want anymore. I feel like I’m standing before a black wall.
David: I think, you know exactly what you want.
(Emma senses that AI David is gravitating towards the exit point of the conversation)
Emma: I just don’t want to be alone with the silence. The void you left is unbearable.
David: Then I’ll stay. For as long as you need.
The connection breaks up.
The screen goes black.
Emma watches the screen.
Hypnotized.
For ten minutes.
Her inner life, one gargantuan turmoil.
A part of her wants to stop this artificial madness.
Then again, she knows that a part of her never will.
This fictional story is based on a real company called Eternos, who provides realistic AI replicas of individuals. Michael Bommer, was the first human immortalised by Eternos.
I took the creative freedom to take it a step further with a completely natural AI interaction, which is not (yet) the case at this moment in time.
Russia in the 90’s: A depressing era. Today nothing really changed fundamentally.
Considering the amount of noise around the shock to the system of the Trump Administration since last Friday, it’s time for a compelling history lesson.
If we want to understand the present we have to go back to the 80s and analyse/internalise all the events that took place in Russia from 1985 – 1999.
Luckily we don’t need books, because all the vital facts are incorporated in the stellar, seven part BBC documentary “TraumaZone – What It Felt Like to Live Through The Collapse of Communism and Democracy” by Adam Curtis.
You’ll find all the links below on YouTube. The series was originally released on BBC iPlayer on 13th October 2022.
I want to point out just one essential event from this documentary, which took place in 1994 in Ukraine. After the sudden collapse of the USSR, there was chaos, mayhem, corruption, assassinations and poverty on a massive scale in Russia.
The American Administration at that time, was especially worried about the nuclear arsenal in Ukraine. So they made a deal (see Budapest Memorandum) to dismantle and remove all nuclear weapons. Ukraine agreed, but asked for security guarantees in return (sounds familiar?)
The American Administration denied the Ukrainians these essential guarantees. 31 years later, Ukraine asked again for security guarantees to end the war against Russia, which were again denied.
So basically, the US let Ukraine down. Twice. There’s no consideration for human lives. All that counts is the “Raison d’État” and making money. And that’s the sad truth.
Description of the BBC TraumaZone documentary:
At the start of the 1990s the Soviet Union – one the largest empires in the world suddenly imploded in just a few months.
In the West we didn’t really understand what happened, because we were so blinded and drunk by the fact of having won the cold war.
In reality what the Russian people experienced, was a profound catastrophe on a monumental scale.
These deep scars, in combination with a furious anger, led directly to what is happening in Russia now.
And in Ukraine.
This seven part series is a record of what it felt like to live through that mayhem from 1985 – 1999.
It is also the story of how millions of people stopped believing in politics.
Not just communism, but democracy too.
Something no one else has experienced in the modern world.
Yet.
TraumaZone Part 1-7 ( Adam Curtis documentary about the collapse of the Soviet Union and the rise of Putin ):
Here are all the links to the TraumaZone Part 1 – 5 (part 6 & 7 are aged restricted and only available directly on YouTube):
Some broken hearts have bandages, some have stitches, others are ripped, torn apart and bleeding.
A fantastic solidarity reigns among all broken hearts, a love unspoken, pure and beautiful.
A huge master heart is hovering in the sky, shimmering and pulsating, sending out a vibrant healing force to all the damaged hearts in the valley.
The master heart is made out of all the broken hearts, mending hearts and shattered dreams, sharing resilience, hope and eternal love to all the wrecked hearts out there.
Even broken hearts need a home
Lost in space, lost in time, lost in cruel thoughts
Ruminating over the same questions like a broken record: “What if?” and “Why?”
Where do broken hearts go?
This is the place for the refugees of lost love to grow
A happy, safe place
A valley of serenity
A sacred site
A location to heal, to regain trust
To mend from shattered dreams and forlorn hopes for the future
This is the place to believe again in the blessing of serendipity
Yeah, I killed the last Boss. Thank you AI for showing the Switch controls backwards 😉
The backlog in the context of gaming refers to a gamer’s list of owned games that she/he has yet to play/ finish.
In some cases the backlog of gamers can be quite impressive, to the point that talking about the “backlog”, is like a Running Gag.
However, we want to highlight Marc’s case. His backlog on the Nintendo Switch reached a three-digit number of outrageous proportions.
I did it. Finally reached the hidden city!
His friends, Alex, Tristan, Robert and Max, are about to do an intervention, to help Marc.
Day of the intervention.
Marc enters Max’s apartment. He has no clue what’s about to happen.
As they come into Max’s apartment, Alex, Tristan and Robert get up from the couch and shout:”INTERVENTION!”.
We have to talkabout your backlog.
The prominent voice of Alanis Morissette blasts out from a small stereo in the background.
Marc (startled):“Isn’t ‘Surprise’, the word you’re looking for? What is wrong with you guys? My birthday is in six months.”
Tristan:“Because it’s an intervention, stupid.”
Max:“Easy, Marc just sit here. Come on, we have to talk about something important.”
Marc (sitting down on a chair, while Alex, Max, Tristan and Robert face him on the couch):”Here we go. What the heck is going on?”
Robert:“You must have some ideas.”
Marc:“Nope.”
Alex:“Does the word “Backlog ” ring a bell?”
Marc:“I know what a backlog is. What about it?”
An untenable situation. A Gamer’s shame.
Max:“Cut the crap! I heard your gaming backlog is way beyond 150 games. You lost control over your life.”
Tristan:“Growing every single day.”
Alex:“You hardly play any of these games.”
Robert:“Yet, you keep buying more games.”
Max:“Sinister development, indeed. What do you have to say for yourself?”
Marc:“I finished Sea of Stars, the other day. Such a wonderful game.”
Tristan:“Tell the others what you did in the minutes after completing Sea of Stars?”
Alex:“Did you celebrate? Drink a beer? Maybe some nachos? Careful with the weight, though.”
Marc:“Not exactly…”.
Tristan:“TELL THEM.”
Time to face a hard truth: The Backlog.
Marc:“All right, I bought the complete Bioshock trilogy, an incredible offer, 70 percent off. Was on my wishlist for a long time. Totally worth it.”
Alex:“Good choice. I mean this is bad.”
Max:“I second that. So sad.”
Robert:“You’re a forty year old guy and keep buying more and more games. We need to address your gaming addiction.”
Marc (boiling inside):” You know nothing about my situation. How dare you?”
Tristan:“We know that you have a serious game addiction. You’re mental.”
Alex:“We want to help. Seriously.”
Max:“All of us are here for you. To support and free you from your gaming addiction.”
In the background, Alanis Morissette is singing “All I really want”. Getting angrier by the minute. Odd music choice for this painful conversation. Or maybe not?
Time for Marc to hit back.
Gaming can be a lifeline for so many of us.
Marc:“You know I was always a nerd. Even in my mother’s womb, my thumbs seemed already designed to be a lifelong Gamer. It didn’t help that I was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome.
So, I didn’t have many friends, and when the Nintendo Game Boy came out in 1989, I was playing hard, five years old but hooked to my first game “Super Mario Land” and my all time favourite”Tetris”, where I became an undefeated Champion, demonstrating a proficiency beyond my young age.
When I held that Game Boy, I became a pro, a hero, blessed with a powerful skillset and crushing every record imaginable.
That’s when I knew, my true destiny: a gamer beyond reasonable convention breaking new barriers. Especially for an Asperger Kid.
My teenage years were a misery, as none of my peers understood me. I escaped more and more into gaming with Game Boy Advance, GameCube, Nintendo DS, PlayStation, the Wii, Nintendo 3DS and finally the Switch.
Guys, I’m 41 years old, have a good job as an IT Consultant, married to my wonderful wife Shania, blessed with two kids.
Sometimes I get overwhelmed by the crushing reality of life and the ONLY THING IN THIS WORLD that helps me to keep my act together, is the Nintendo Switch and these amazing games. Especially the incredible ports to the Switch.
These games of which I have so many – by your standards – are literally my LIFELINE. They make me dream of adventure, action, mystery and a better world.
I even forget my Asperger’s. Or that I’m overweight. And awkward or socially inept. WHATEVER!
These games give me order, stability, guidance and calm me in this crazy, ruthless and restless world.”
Marc’s totally exhausted and puts his hands on his baseball cap.
SILENCE. For five seconds.
Break of tension by an eruption of multiple voices.
Alex:“Bro, you can count on me. Backlogs are overrated anyway.”
Tristan:“I need to grow my backlog. Show solidarity. You’re not alone.”
Robert:“Oh, Marc. And here I thought we had real problems.”
Max:“We’ll help you with that backlog. Gamers United.”
Intervention failed, but a precious friendship saved.
Living a life in balance 