Wasteland Development Diary.

Chapter 285: Vicious Circle and Way Out

The robot dog first reported the latest situation of the hospital’s two satellites.

"Chairman, Dongfanghong No. 1 is basically ready to be discharged from the hospital. However, according to the procedure, Director Da Vinci requires it to be observed in a special ward for three days. Its model is too old. Although the United City has made very detailed repairs, the possibility of complications cannot be ruled out."

"Beiyou No. 1 is a different case. I have isolated its programs, manually partitioned its internal storage, isolated all data voters in a separate area, and temporarily blocked it."

"Then I reinstalled the time anchor. This time it seems to be normal, but it still needs further observation to see if it will repeatedly fall into the semi-civilized state. I also told Beiyou No. 1 not to use the programs and data in the quarantine area. I will have to negotiate with it further on how to deal with this part of the data voters."

The basic problems of the two satellites were solved.

Next, 703 led the way to the overpass outside Emerald City.

There are two strange mechanical and electrical beings here.

"Chairman, these are the two fellow Mechatronic Knights I introduced to Energy Storage City."

"Gust, Senoje."

The robot dog said: "They left the Energy Storage City with me before and went to different cities to find like-minded people. I arrived at the company first, and then they came to join me."

The first person Zhou Yi noticed was Gust.

It has a striking appearance and was quite famous in the old human era.

This is a real luxury car, a Rolls-Royce Phantom.

There is a little dust on its royal blue shell, but the overall maintenance is very good, without any scratches, and it can be seen that it was waxed not long ago.

703 said that Gust is a genuine mechanical and electrical tycoon, so it is normal to pay attention to maintenance.

"I've heard a lot about you, Mr. Zhou."

The brightness of Gust's two headlights has been greatly improved, and the sound they make is clear and crisp, with a very textured feel.

"My name is Gust. I used to be a senior consultant for the Program Department of Energy Storage City. I have now resigned from that place and am a freelancer."

"Hello, Gust."

Zhou Yi was very interested in it.

This was his first formal contact with the wealthy class in mechanical and electrical life.

The other party was quite talkative: "I heard that the Wasteland Development Company has implemented a five-day work and two-day rest system? Your company is really more radical than Sunday."

"good."

"The reduction in production efficiency will also have an impact on the company, right?"

Zhou Yi told it: "If we pursue short-term benefits and reduce working hours, it will indeed lead to reduced output. However, the Wasteland Development Company is committed to long-term development, and the health and quality of life of employees are more valuable."

"From a benefit perspective, employees work fewer hours each year, but they can get more personal space from rest, making the company more attractive to them and allowing them to work in the company for a longer and more stable period of time."

"In addition, the company's existing experience has proved that having stable vacation days can improve employees' work enthusiasm. They can gradually transform from only considering working hours to spontaneously thinking and learning, in order to pursue creative results with higher added value."

"The Emerald Soup, the Goblet of Fire, and the desperate machine we used at the dam are all the result of this environment."

Rolls-Royce paused for a moment and said, "The number of samples in your company is too small to be sure. There is a necessary correlation between vacation and benefits."

"really."

Zhou Yi also admitted: "In fact, there are also reasons related to personal preference. I personally hate working overtime, so I hope that everyone in the company can reduce overtime. Working hard is to enjoy life better, and holidays are for this."

Gust immediately laughed like a studio recording: "Mr. Zhou is such an interesting person. I agree with your personal preference."

Zhou Yi also raised his own question: "What is the workflow of the Program Department? Is everyone doing program review, or is it voting?"

"The Programming Department is the highest decision-making body in the Mechanical and Electrical City, but the work there is actually boring and does not require any technical skills."

The electromechanical tycoon said: "The program department has detailed divisions of various areas of the city, such as food, safety, energy, investment, people's livelihood, etc. Each detailed area has a team or group, and after making a decision, it is sent to the next link. All industries are related to each other, so each group will vote repeatedly, but with different weights."

"Everyone makes decisions through anonymous voting, and can choose to use their real name or remain anonymous when proposing proposals. However, anonymity has now become the mainstream, which can protect every member from criticism and pressure."

“The program department is like a black box. Every time a decision is made, no one knows what the final result will be.”

"The advantage of this is that no one has to take responsibility, and it is easier to maintain order in the city."

"Because the decision was made by the Program Department, not a specific mechanical and electrical life. Even if a disaster and loss occurred, it was the city's own decision that went wrong. Do you understand what I mean?"

Zhou Yi said, "I understand."

Gust continued: "But this also creates a problem, that is, if people really want to do something, it will be difficult."

"According to the decision-making mechanism of the Program Department, even senior members of the Program Department are powerless most of the time."

"For example, you propose a proposal to repair a road. Even if there is sufficient funding for a small matter like this, it is likely to be rejected because other groups in other fields will consider whether this will affect their progress in disguise. Repairing the road will bring uncertainty... In short, when faced with whether to change, everyone tends to choose not to change."

After listening to this, Zhou Yi said, "Since the decision-making process of the Program Department is a black box, is it possible that this black box is manipulated?"

"Of course. What you said is also something I care about."

Gust was obviously getting excited, and his speech speed became a little faster: "Since no one is responsible for making a decision, most of the decision-makers will not care about the final result, because it represents the "procedural order". It is difficult to change this. The larger the city, the more difficult it is to turn back." "On the contrary, the emerging small electromechanical cities have room for adjustment. Because the program department has few members, each member is in charge of one area."

"As far as I know, some small cities even have only 4 to 5 electromechanical personnel making decisions in the program department, but they can reach a consensus through private communication."

"This kind of transparent human-influenced decision-making allowed many small cities to develop rapidly in the early stages, allowing them to flexibly and quickly formulate many strategies, and even seek solutions outside the program department. However, once the city grows in size and the program department has more members, it will be assimilated into the black box model."

"Isn't it amazing? The electromechanical city is stuck in a vicious circle that it can't get out of."

Its words reminded Zhou Yi of Recursive City.

After the Mechanical and Electrical City Cluster announced sanctions, only the small city of Recursion City was still trying to find ways to cooperate with the company in the cracks, and even sent the Spring and Autumn Merchants Group to maintain contact and transactions.

Small cities inherently embrace change because they have not yet entered the stage of black box decision-making.

Zhou Yi asked: "Has the electromechanical city always been like this?"

"Not at all."

Gust paused and said, "As far as I know, before the outbreak of the brain-eating worm, many electromechanical cities adopted the post responsibility system. This is a bit like today's human cities. At that time, we also had positions with concentrated power such as mayors, deputy mayors, sheriffs, judges, and tax collectors."

"If the crime rate in a city remains high, the sheriff needs to be held accountable, usually in the form of a pay cut or an increase in substitute professionals. The mayor, as the highest decision-maker, formulates corresponding laws and regulations according to different cities."

"After the brain-eating worm incident, the job responsibility system was considered a backward centralized system and was completely replaced by the departmental responsibility system. The universal protocol transformed and controlled the entire electromechanical society. This is how it became what it is today..."

Zhou Yi's mind was working rapidly.

The brain-eating worm incident broke up the existing urban power structure and reconstructed the electromechanical society through black boxes and universal protocols.

Now no one wants to take the blame, and it’s none of my business whether the city is in a bad state or not.

From this point of view, the cohesion of mechanical and electrical life should be much weaker than before.

Gust added: "I found that your company was developing rapidly, so I was very curious and collected a lot of information to try to find the reason."

"At first, I couldn't understand how a new organization could achieve major breakthroughs in multiple fields in just one or two years, and even have its own exclusive outputs and services."

Rolls-Royce became more and more excited as he spoke: "I've read the book about you, Liberating All Mankind. The description of using humans as the main framework and releasing their specific forms of productivity really gave me an epiphany. I finally know the crux of our problem."

"Mechatronic life forms need to reduce their self-enclosure and xenophobia, collaborate and complement each other with other intelligent races, and learn to accept the customs and traditions of other races."

“The company strives to provide the best possible benefits to every employee in the group. This is a universal value that can be integrated into any city through economic, technological and cultural channels.”

"New things will replace old things. The electromechanical society cannot return to the past job responsibility system, and the department responsibility system has been a long-standing problem."

"Cities are already a backward form of settlement. Corporate models like the Wasteland Development Company are the future collective forms that electromechanical life should try."

Zhou Yi was a little confused by its overwhelming praise.

The corporate form will replace the urban model?
Zhou Yi himself had never thought about it this way.

but.

This electromechanical tycoon has indeed been thinking about the future of electromechanical cities and seeking ways out and space for the entire group. He can be regarded as a thinker in the electromechanical society.

Zhou Yi immediately extended an invitation: "Gust, if you are willing, I hope you will join our company."

"I'm sorry, but I can't agree to that."

The other party refused: "I admire your company very much, but joining the company will not solve the problems of the electromechanical society."

"I need to spread Sunday and the new collective form, so that everyone understands this and builds a large company that belongs to our electromechanical life."

"Only by replacing the old system with a more attractive new model can the status quo of the entire electromechanical society be changed. If you want to change it from within, you will only be bound by the universal agreement and unable to move."

"I will continue to work for this and act together with the Mechatronic Knights. So I'm sorry I can't stay, but I will continue to pay attention to the Wasteland Development Company and look forward to more changes brought by you, Mr. Zhou."

Zhou Yixin said it was a pity.

The company is still lacking such a staff with a broad perspective.

"If you don't mind, I have a friend who recommends it."

Gust said: "It's called Tuozhu. He is an independent architect and designer who likes to build strange new things with a free and undisciplined style. He used to be very rich, but later he became poor for some reason."

"Takuzuki is a talented guy. I think you will get along well with him."

Zhou Yi pondered.

The electromechanical life that Gust likes should not be bad.

He immediately said straightforwardly: "Just let it come directly over."

"I've already contacted it, but Takumi has some personal troubles that need to be dealt with first. It said it will come over this winter."

Rolls-Royce said so.

(End of this chapter)