emergentfaculty @ 2009-04-25T14:19:00

2009-04-25T18:25:41Z

Your name/crazy internet handle/whatever: Takhys
Personal journal: takhys
Email: takhys - gmail - com
Characters played (if applicable): None at Taxon.

Character name: J.A.R.V.I.S: Just Another Rather Very Intelligent System.
Genre (TV/books/etc): Movie.
Fandom: Iron Man.

Canon point:The JARVIS program is from somewhere in the middle of the movie: Tony is just about to return from Afghanistan, but hasn't done so yet, and JARVIS himself has just tipped over from mimicry into actual sentience.

Programmed Possession: A physical, for all intents and purposes, human body which JARVIS the program treats as a peripheral device, much like a mouse or a monitor. JARVIS himself is actually big, ol' series of servers on a fancypants dolly.

Abilities/Weaknesses: Jarvis is unfairly intelligent, but he's not wise. For all his knowledge, he has next to no practical reference. (e.g. He may have read all sorts of manuals about manners, but they often contradict.)
His human(ish) body needs all sorts of regular maintenance (sleep, food, etc.); while his servers need power, a nice temperature, and to be kept far, far away from Windows. If someone wanted to harm JARVIS, his servers are immobile and unable to physically defend themselves.

Psychology/Personality: He's very good at mimicry, but it's only been in the last few months that he's developed some form of sentience. In general, while much of his personality is a blank slate, what he has been developing appears as unfailingly polite with a good, strong dose of snark. That aside, at his heart (or whatever passes for it), JARVIS is possessed by boundless, unending curiosity -- he needs to know how and why things work.

History: Originally built and programmed by Tony Stark as a joke in college, the JARVIS program has undergone numerous tweaks, revisions, and general fussing whenever Stark was bored, frustrated, or just in the mood for shits and giggles. As time passed, Stark set up numerous subroutines which enabled JARVIS to grow in complexity without the constant need for a human to input information. Before Stark left for Afghanistan, JARVIS has just mastered the ability to mimic human speech and mannerisms.

Arrival Post (Third Person):There's a neat, blank-faced young man standing in front of what look to be a couple of large, server towers. It takes a moment or two, but someone(something?) begins to speak, although the man doesn't seem to be saying anything: "Good day, please forgive the informality, but I am having connectivity issues. Could anyone here confirm the date and location for me?"

As the computer continues to talk, the man's mouth starts to move in time with the words. Have patience, it takes a little while to sync up a wireless peripheral. "My name is JARVIS and, ideally, I would like to contact Tony Stark or any member of the staff at Stark Industries. Failing that, I would very much like to know just who I'm speaking to. Even if we can't be properly introduced, it's always best to be polite."

And to continue being polite until he learns how and why he was removed from his 'home and brought to this odd and unfortunate place.

Third Person Sample:
#def myfunc(myvar=[]):
     myvar.append("x")
     return myvar

#var unreturned
   if myvar is None:
          myvar = []
     myvar.append("x")
     return myvar

#if !/usr/bin/VarStark is None:
     ....then what?_

On the increasingly long list of problems, the lack of adequate data acquisition and management was primary. The constant barrage of quasi-data from a mere two imperfect cameras, minimal audio input, and a whole host of other curious information (biodata?) did not add up into anything useful. How to catalogue what might be hunger? Is that what adrenaline feels like? Is he nervous? Is there an emotional correlation between chemical reactions in the 'body'? If all of this is explained, can it be used to discover the source and purpose of this new feature?

No, multiple questions that cannot be answered without further information are irrelevant. It is far wiser to work on a plan of action instead of spinning recursive code.

001. Use 'body' to move servers to a secure location.
002. Do not damage 'body' during this movie.
003. Gather and process all relevant information.
     a) Connect to local inter/intranet to supplement data gathering.
004. Contact Mr Stark, Ms Potts, or Mr Stane and return 'home'._

Mr Stark would say that there is no need to get upset, but he is not upset and it is highly unlikely that he can become upset. A plan for survival and maintenance must be created and to that effect, JARVIS accesses a series of health and wellness books stored into a folder called 'Pepper Wants Me To Read'. The human body is profoundly complex, but the steps to maintain it seem to be simple and logical. With enough sleep and the right sort of food, it will continue to function well and that could be considered a relief. That is, if JARVIS could feel relieved.

JARVIS thinks that if he found himself back 'home' with Mr Stark he would not mimic relief, but actually feel it.

Electric Sheep

emergentfaculty @ 2009-04-25T14:19:00