The Truth FM

/ Lucas E. Curd / 1 Comment

This is now available to read at www.fictioncrowd.com, along with lots of other incredible reads, check it out!

Short piece I wrote for a writing project, the idea behind it is that it’s a transcript from a radio broadcast, sent back through time by dissidents from a dystopic future. I might expand on it a little more, I have a lot of ideas for Huxley-inspired future settings. I hope you enjoy reading!

>EXECUTE_REVERSE_DATA_INITIATIVE

ATTEMPTING REMOTE SYSTEMS ACCESS

BYPASSING AUTHENTICATION

QUANTUM BLACKBOX INITIALIZED

/////….asdh¿¿..ｑ&^%%THE HOUR IS AT HAND

SCHRODINGER PROTOCOLS ACTIVATED

OPENING RELAYS…………..

STAND BY

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SECURE CONNECTION ESTABLISHED

………………….////BEGIN TRANSMISSION////

You’re listening to The Truth FM. The time is 5 new minutes past The Beginning, and as always, I am your host, DJ 675-A, bringing you the latest Ministry-approved facts, news and missives to get you through your day.

I have some fantastic news for all of you compliant citizens! The ratings are in, and we are now the #1 Ministry-approved radio show on the air! We’re also the only ministry-approved radio show on the air, but we won’t let technicalities get in the way of being your favourite and only source of news and entertainment. So from all of us here at The Truth, thanks. Without your support, conditioning and hourly mandates to stop whatever you’re doing and listen, we’d probably be losing to some rebel pirate station. Remember, if you see or suspect another citizen is listening to rebel propaganda, report it to your nearest Ministry Peacekeeper, and take any Complacency Capsules they may prescribe you.

I’m receiving reports of a pile-up on Mega Highway Seven, a Ministry Healthcare truck has jack-knifed and its container has ruptured, releasing a thick cloud of unidentified gas onto the highway. As a precautionary measure, the highway entrance/exit airlocks have been sealed and Healthcare agents have been dispatched. If you’re on highway seven, close your windows, lock your doors and do not panic. As the Ministry says: Panic is the herald of societal decay. Any citizen experiencing panic, stress, fear, or any negative emotion should head to their local Relaxation Chamber, and breathe deeply.

And now a word from our sponsors.

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Pepsi. The taste sensation you can’t escape.

Alright, you’ve been sending your questions in all through Solar phase one, now it’s time for The Great Inquisition!

Little Tommy in Sector Nine asks “Where has my mommy gone?” Well Tommy, the Ministry told me personally that your mommy has been selected! This means you won’t be seeing her again for a little while, but don’t be sad! They told me to let you know that she loves you very much, and that if you’re good, you’ll be able to join her soon.

Clive in the Undercity asks “What does the Sun look like?” Hi Clive! We haven’t had any contact with you guys, or whatever you’ve evolved into now, down below in over 50 cycles, it’s great to hear from you! As for the Sun, I couldn’t tell you. The thick clouds caused by The Eruption blocked out the sky a long time ago! But the Ministry Solar Globe is absolutely beautiful Clive, and provides us with all the warmth and light we’ll ever need. Imagine a giant glowing ball in the sk-Oh, I forgot! You don’t know what the sky is either. Well, just imagine a giant light bulb attached to the Undercity ceiling, illuminating everything under it. If you can still receive radio broadcasts, don’t worry Undercity. The Ministry have not forgotten about you. They have plans for you.

Update on the pile-up on Mega Highway Seven. The Ministry Healthcare Department has declared the highway a Code Black Hazard Site, and the unidentified gas has now been identified as a “Eugenic Enhancer” the Healthcare Department confirmed. It is, and I quote: “An experimental substance aimed at improving the human genome, and bettering the lives of all citizens.” Fortunately, there have been no injuries or fatalities so far, even better, we now have a brand new race of Lizard people! To all you new Lizardfolk tuned in and trying to claw your way out of your cars on Mega Highway Seven, hello! I’m positive the Ministry will do its absolute best to integrate you into society and provide you with a wonderful life here in our fair city. Like I said before, try to stay calm, and if you see a Healthcare agent, lay flat on the floor and let them administer any sedatives they try to give you.

Have you signed up for bi-monthly Thought Reassignment surgery yet? You should! Not only is it absolutely free, but any citizen who completes or survives a two month course will receive ten Food Tokens! All Healthcare professionals and Ministry officials recommend it, and I can vouch for it personally. I myself have had several Thought Reassignments, citizens, and let me tell you, I’ve never felt better! If you love the Ministry, and eating, visit your doctor and ask about Thought Reassignment surgery today.

Breaking news on the pile-up; The truck driver, now dubbed “Patient Zero” has escaped the highway quarantine, and is on the loose in the city. To avoid any further containment breaches, Ministry Healthcare agents have begun using lethal force on anyone possessing scales, a tail, or any other lizard-like qualities. This is of course, unfortunate for anybody who isn’t a Lizard-human hybrid, and just simply has a mild case of Scaleskin, although honestly, those people really should have submitted themselves for voluntary Recycling a long time ago. Scaleskin is just another lingering reminder of The Mistake, that we really don’t need in our new society.

A Ministry City Development official announced today that plans for a brand new Community Wellness and Enrichment center are underway. This new structure is going to have all of the amenities we’re already used to, such as multiple Relaxation Chambers, and a Positive Coercion Zone, to replace that old one that was destroyed in the Great Purging of Sector Five. Plus the very first Organ Donation Clinic! This is a great place for those special citizens who want to go the extra mile, and offer themselves to The Cause in a more physical and tangible way. Those who submit themselves mentally to the Ministry are, as you know, well rewarded. Now, you can give a little extra, and get even greater benefits.

For more information on this fantastic new building, visit www.ministry.org.gov, the only website.

I’m receiving information that the incident on Mega Highway Seven is over. Patient Zero was terminated inside a Magrail station in Zone Four. According to eyewitness reports, he was last seen cowering in a corner, mumbling “I can barely remember their faces, tell Martha I love her” before Ministry Peacekeepers successfully initiated Protocol Five. I suppose we’ll have to continue onwards without our new lizard brethren, there’s no place for them in this shining future. But perhaps that’s for the best, as the Ministry says, change is a “revolting concept” that should be avoided at all costs. Remember: Hope through Purity, Purity through Conformity.

That’s all I have time for in this DayCycle. As always, I am DJ 675-A, and you’ve been listening to the Truth FM. Stay tuned for approved advertisements, and inexorable static.

………………….////TRANSMISSION END////

DISCONNECTING

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SUCCESSFULLY DISCONNECTED FROM NETWORK

SCRUBBING DRIVES

PURGING METADATA

THE HOUR IS AT HAND.

Triangular Subversion, De Stijl, and why the Colour Wheel is wrong.

/ Lucas E. Curd / 1 Comment
Triangular Subversion

Also available in 1920×1080, click for full size view. Works great as a desktop background!

I designed this while thinking about the fundamentals of Colour Theory, and why we almost always choose to present them as a circle. Most design schools teach that red, yellow, green and blue are the best colours for mixing, as they produce the widest range of colours. The reality is however, that the colour range they offer is actually quite limited and desaturated. The problem comes from the fact that when you mix two different colours, the result will always have less saturation than the original colours used. This is especially noticeable when mixing colours from opposite sides of the colour circle. I started to think of better alternatives to the colour wheel, and I thought a triangle would work much better. I’m not the first person to think about this though, colour triangles are already widely used as an alternative to circles to great effect. And at the end of the day, they’re all just guidelines, not rules.

Composition II in Red, Blue, and Yellow, 1930. By Piet Mondrian.

"The Grid. A Digital Frontier."

“The Grid. A Digital Frontier.”

I was also very inspired by the De Stijl movement (Dutch for “The style”), started in 1917 by Theo van Doseburg. De Stijl was about abstraction through minimalism, expressing form through clearly defined lines, shapes and primary colours. The principles weren’t just applied to art, but also to architecture, design, and cinematography.

The concept was as simple as the art itself; eliminate the lines between different types of art, be it architecture, photography, applied art, graphic design, fashion design, etc. The message was clear, and to put it simply: “Art is Art”.

Okay, maybe not everyone's favourite example.

Okay, maybe not everyone’s favourite example.

Echoes of De Stijl can be found everywhere, with its emphasis on grid-like patterns and bold, striking colours, it’s hard not to spot its use in modern design. It would eventually pave the way for the Bauhaus movement, something I spoke about in my previous post, and the similarities between both styles are very noticeable, they both embrace a philosophy of minimalism, and a combination of form and function. But if we look further back, and go straight to the foundations of those styles, we find Cubism, Futurism, and Surrealism, but this post is already getting quite long, so I think I’ll talk about those another time.