Caddywampus: The Blog

Everyone is running wild. There is so much we need to confirm with our native host, and everyone is looking to me for the best way to present our information and receive clear responses. Flink is being presented data manually every second from the team. Things are coming together.

It was my idea initially to create a group journal of our experience here. A narrative of our discoveries. Once it is translated to a native language, we will begin sharing it not only among the team, but with the people of this world. There are hints that a worldwide network capable of sharing information (at the very least, textual), and the more input we can receive, the better we can understand this world.

Some will no doubt see this as a clever story. Others may wonder if there is any truth behind it. Either way, it doesn't really matter. We're all here to learn, to share, to explore, to understand, and to create. That is our way, and hopefully, the people of this world have a similar goal... at least some of them. of you.

Nudnik: I See the Light

What is there to say that everyone else hasn't said? We're on a new world, with a million new sights to see. We arrived at night locally, and things were fairly dark. Our host uses internal light sources to illuminate the dwelling, and similar lights are posted along the streets outside. I feel I may have to wait until morning to make a full report.

I've been taking pictures of everything since we've arrived, but most of it is just machinery and signs for others to refer to. Scrump and I are setting up an oneironment for Flink using this space, so we aren't always in the way when we want to explore inside.

I took some pictures of our host as well. At first I was planning on posting these photos to this blog, but I don't want to give away any incriminating information just yet. Best to lay low for now.

The stars are beautiful. I can see where the planet must rotate -- one of the poles. We appear to be on an outer edge of a galaxy, as there are still stars in all direction, but a clear stream of them across the sky in one spot. The galactic core is in that direction.

There is a single bright moon in the sky, reflecting light from what I assume is the local star,

The sky is changing now, lightening, filled with colors.

...

Wow.

...

Words can't really describe it. For the first time, I actually forgot to take a photo. Sunrise on an alien world. It's beautiful.

Polliwog: What's the Frequency?

I'm part of Alpha Squad. Usually, I'm one of the first to make a report. But we've never had to deal with intelligence before. Almost instantly, it was clear Vindaloo was going to have his hands full in the speech department, and in a dwelling, we weren't immediately threatened by wildlife. So I've had to be more subtle to begin with.

It's quiet. There are the usual sounds of machines running, of various sounds that come from an urban area. But overall, not much is going on. The fact that it is dark outside, and from the looks of our new host, we've arrived in the middle of a sleep cycle.

I did stumble upon one device that looks interesting. I was absent-mindedly pushing buttons on a small electronic device connected to a large box. As I did, a loud noise of speech and other sounds burst forth. I quickly deactivated the device. It's some sort of broadcasting device using audio playback. I don't want to cause another disturbance right now, so I'll wait until it seems like there is more sounds outside.

I've resigned myself to playing a soft tune on my lute in the corner, to help lower anxiety and remind us of home. Hopefully our host won't mind.

Treacle: Countdown

It seems pointless to record the time of events using our home system. The fact that we have an intelligent civilization here indicates to me they more than likely have a number system. The others have found some sequences I think can be useful:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

The first symbol is repeated on the [tenth] symbol group, then twice on the [eleventh], and once again after that.

The input device uses the symbols again, in various places: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,0. That round symbol, 0, is used in the other sequence, when a single symbol becomes a pair. 1 to 12 show up again, with an F in front of each of them. There's another set of them to the side:

7 8 9
4 5 6
1 2 3
0

Moog clued me in on the anatomy of the native: five fingers on each hand, ten in all. The sequence increases to two symbols on the tenth space. I'd bet my last coin that these guys use a base-ten system. Other signs use the ten symbols similarly: 15%, $39.95, 256GB.

There's a display using lights to make crude shapes that are similar to the numbers. When the space to the far right reaches 9, and increased once again, it becomes a 0, and the space to the left fills with a 1.

I will need to confirm this with our host, but here's my primary analysis:

0 - none. A placeholder to indicate an absence.
1 - single. A lone item.
2 - pair
3
4
5 - a single hand. Like us, it looks like they use both hands together and have a different sybol to represent each finger they are counting
6
7
8 - we're going to have to modify our minds on this one. We use a base-eight system, so to us, this number is a full set place. Not to them. We should start using local number systems for everything, so as not to confuse ourselves.
9
10 - here is the kicker. They don't have a single symbol to represent a set of all the fingers. Instead, they mark 1 again, but to the left, to indicate ONE FULL SET. And the 0 comes up again as the placeholder in the individual space.
11 - a single set AS WELL AS a single item.
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20 - a pair of full sets, and no standalone individuals.

I've seen they number 100 around the room. I guarantee that means a set of sets. The 256 I find probably means 2 sets of sets, 5 separate sets, and 6 individuals.

A system like this could, in theory, go on for infinity. A biological origin for counting, like us. I can't wait to see if they have a binary system for their machines like us.

Ipswitch: Writing on the Walls

Signs. This world is covered in signs. Well, this dwelling, at least. That's going to make my job easier -- I hope.

I'm sure the others have clued you in to the basics of our arrival here. I'm actually lucky we have an intelligent species here to work with, otherwise I'd be feeling rather ubiquitous about now.

The first thing I need to do is gather a list of symbols -- find repetitions, sort them, separate letters from numbers and so on. It's not necessarily as easy as it sounds -- I've written papers on dozens of unusual writing systems and how they could be complicated. It also appears that some symbols can be written in different styles -- by hand, using curved symbols, or clear straight symbols. Fonts, I'd bet. Well, can't fault them for being creative with their words, right?

A few common symbols I've found:

__% OFF

SALE!

$__.__

Hold on... I've just stumbled upon an input device covered in symbols...

Esc F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F6 F7 F8 F9 F10 F11 F12
` 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 - = Backspace
Tab Q W E R T Y U I O P [ ] \

Some of these have a sequence. The same symbols, minus the "F", are on the signs, before the % symbol, and after the $ symbol... and on the circular timer our host keeps looking at. I bet these are numbers...

Mother of Mud... STACKS of written pages! Bound together! Sorry, have to go!

Vindaloo: We Come in Peace

First Contact. It's what we've all dreamed of. And we've achieved it. Yonkers is our unofficial spokesperson, but it didn't take too long to reveal the natives of this new world communicate primarily with verbal speech patterns. It's my time to shine.

Our host's mouth structure is remarkably similar to our own, if less flexible. They inhale and exhale air, vibrating some inner organ it seems to generate their sounds. It is all very familiar, which I suppose is both good and bad. Good to make my job easier, but a little disappointing in that, of all possible methods of communication, ever aural, a species from galaxies away are still so similar. Still, they appear to have a complex writing system, so I think there will be plenty to keep Ipswitch and Borogove occupied as well.

Familiar phonics appear. It seems this native's language is similar to one of the older systems from Tulagwee. Perhaps they are capable of more sounds, but like us, have limited which ones they use in common parlance. I'm beginning to pick up a few patterns, and doing what I can with my handheld tools. I really wish I had the computer back in the facility. I'd be muddy if even Flink were fully functional... Regardless, I have no doubt I'll have it cracked soon!

Sorry I don't have more to say now (crazy, I know). But I'm really focused on making a connection here, for all our benefit!

Borogove: What Does It Mean?

One of our immediate priorities in this new world is establishing communication. Shortly after arriving, our new host rushed down the staircase, no doubt startled by the sound of intruders. Didge was ready to take him on then and there. Thankfully, one of the machines here kicked on and the sound startled us all. That probably keyed the native into realizing we were less of a threat and instead, vulnerable and defensive. He lowered his club and contact was made.

Vindaloo is clearly happy that the native uses a form of verbal speech patterns. There are a few hand, facial and body movements I'm cataloging, but speech seems to be primary. Despite not understanding a word from one another, we've established the habit of speaking out our actions. I think that helps lower the tensions, as well as providing each other with a set of words to work with.

The shelves of equipment are covered with various signs, each filled with its own unique symbols. It's hard to distinguish numbers, letters, punctuation, or whatever else these might be, so I'm deferring a basic comprehension to Ipswitch to provide us. There are a few obvious pictograms -- hands, figures, etc. But the rest seems fairly contemporary and ordered -- around 50 clear symbols pop up repeatedly.

There is a curious device here that catches our hosts attention from time to time -- a circular display marked with symbols and lines. It seems to be some sort of measuring device. It moves consistently so perhaps it is a timer of some sort -- a clock? He seems fixated on it so perhaps our arrival has upset a schedule he has. I hope we don't cause too much of a disturbance. It is best if we restrict our exposure to as few natives as possible at first, to limit our area of effect to as small as we can.