Today on Quantum Vibe: Self-less machine as totalitarian overlord Strip 1319 - Click strip above to goto the next strip.
First Seen: Tue 2016-04-12
Story & Art: Scott Bieser - Colors: Lea Jean Badelles Sci-Fi Adventure Monday & Thursday.
Hu Iz Alyss Roaz?
Quantum Vibe
A thousand years in the future, humanity has colonized worlds in nearly
100 galaxies, thanks to Quantum Vibremonic technologies developed five
centuries earlier. Other new technologies have created various
off-shoots of humanity and extended life expectancies five-fold. The
story begins with how a mad scientist and his plucky assistant, along
with their robot friend, brought humanity to the stars, and continues
with the adventures of some unique people in fantastic places.
Kickstarter successful and closed [ May 19, 2026 ]
The Kickstarter campaign for Not-Safe.Space Chapter 3 concluded successfully on April 21, and Scott extended the time allowed for late pledges until May 19.
Books have been ordered from the printer and Scott will be spending the next week or so setting up and sending the PDF files to those who asked for them.
(There are still six of you who have not responded to the survey asking for e-mail and snail-mail addresses, he'll do the best he can.)
Panel 1
Sargon, Alyss and Bok. Alyss and Bok are both taking a sip of their drinks.
Sargon: So, one thing I've been wondering ...
Sargon: Those 19 Venus worlds that failed within 100 years … and the six still going ...
Sargon: What made the difference between those that failed and those that linger?
Panel 2
Alyss.
Alyss: Well, some would say this is my bias speaking, but ...
Alyss: The first 19 worlds were governed by humans. The super-computers were only used as tools to prescribe capital and consumer production and distribution goals.
Alyss: But when you take money out of society, it gets replaced by power-politics.
Alyss: Political goals super-ceded economic ones, and those worlds' material wealth suffered accordingly. The wrong goods were produced, distribution channels broke down, and so forth.
Alyss: The six remaining Venus worlds are run like Zytemonde.
Panel 3
Sargon, Alyss and Bok, who is looking thoughtful as he listens.
Sargon: So the only way a money-less economy can work at all is with a self-less machine as totalitarian overlord?
Alyss: Pretty much, it appears.
Bok: Woah, that's more or less what my father told me, before he was taken away.