The Hacker’s Tale.

Jason had always been a wiz at computers from his love of logic and mathematics. People used to call him a binary poet for his ability to create new meanings out of code and data. Though he could hack any system he only used it to get information, he had no malicious intent. He worked on the flocking of birds, how by a few simple rules held by each individual he could predict the movements of a thousand allowing them to fly with less effort and safe from predators. As a result he predicted the gusting of wind as each atom of air ‘flew’ by similar rules. From there he began to work on human conflict as a similar complex system. He noted the parameters, their interrelationships and feedback systems and wrote a program to model their progress from the first aggressive act to the last. He tested it out on historical battles and wars and its prediction always tallied with the well documented results. He could predict their length, numbers killed, the effect on each side on their economy, standard of living, even residual attitudes. Historians not normally interested in esoteric mathematics declared it an amazing achievement. Governments and the military welcomed it as a means of predicting the armaments and men needed to win future battles. Industry could use it to organise production. Everyone welcomed it in their own way. Welcomed it that is until a new conflict appeared on the horizon. Jason gathered the information and let the program run. The results appeared and there on the printout were the years, the deaths, the cost and the winner. Attitudes began to change. ‘It would be different this time. How could software predict the result? It was a just fight that needed to be won.’After three conflicts had been accurately predicted the nay Sayers lost all credibility. As the forth loomed and the years, the deaths, the cost and the winner were printed out, what to do? The losers didn’t want to fight just so they could lose and the winners didn’t want to fight at such a cost when they would inevitably win anyway. The game of winners and losers had been broken and a compromise was found to the mutual benefit of both. Jason was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, which, as it happens, was the very last one.