The next war will be fought by computers.

Yeah, IKR.

These are the same monumental idiots, a section within the same department of them no less, that owe me 14 kilomoolah and wont go on record to avoid paying up.

Now here's the thing, its probably automatic, issued by computer. You should have seen the size of the shitty-graphic initials on the bottom lol, only celebrities have autographs like that. On Ebay. XD
It turned up yesterday, having missed the Friday post where it could annoy me over the weekend like usual, cant be that important then.

CGI, or, Council Generated Interference.

Luckily, because if that was a genuine threat I'd probably wet myself laughing at them. I literally cannot wait to stand in front of a magistrate and tell him why I didnt pay for the services they didnt provide, that I provided for them and havent been paid for, never mind the rest.

One thing Igor was at pains to establish, was what I wanted to do with myself.

-_-

I mean, its not as if its obvious or anything.

This is AIMOS2 - Autonomous Interactive Machine OS, now being rewritten entirely in C++. Doubled resolution and framerate, or 8x the data. Its taken a good deal of thought but the bulk of this has been written over Friday night and the weekend after I took the testbed apart and rebuilt it as a series of threads to squeeze everything into a single frame.

Like original AIMOS, its Gaussian. Difference of Differences Over Time... It looks at how different from its neighbours each pixel is and uses that information to decide if its an edge or not, then compares it to the same pixel from other frames to see if its always an edge. That in itself is regenerative, an average of several attempts to parse detail from a shitty webcam under CFL light. The histograph shows how many pixels of any one hue are present from the total, and that feeds back into an amplifier that boosts and cuts the input signal so the bandwidth is always saturated.

Now here's the fun part.

While I was writing an advanced image processor off the top of my head on my rebuilt rig...

5 processors, 14GHz, 12GB RAM, 6TB HDD with VNC/SSH and my own virtual deskop software, controlled from one terminal. 'spock@science-station' is a Pi Zero W physically mounted on a robot complete with camera that will explore the workshop and garden using AIMOS2...

I was also doing Igor's job.

I found a carer, phoned them up and negotiated a care package. The supervisor's coming out on Tuesday at 10, just before the agent and the social at 12, where the agent will meet Bea and Igor receive the bad news that the carer has already done her assessment and will want paying later in the week.

There's fuck-all Igor can do about this, now he has incriminated himself in the council's ruse and displayed a total lack of decency himself, I'll now wipe the floor with the lot of them.

At least it wasnt all a complete waste of time then.

And there's fuck-all the agent can do but sputter, while Igor tells him he's not throwing anyone out, with a frown on his face as he tastes his own words.

Delicious, IMO.

Perhaps it will enrage the agent enough to take me to court. Or maybe the council. Or maybe Igor.

You know what. @Dr. Cockroach is right. He usually is...

Telling me to sit on my arse and try not to think about something is about the worst thing you can do, right?

Predictably, I got to thinking about it, and I dont like where this is going. The advocacy is backed up for 10 weeks, which Igor probably didnt anticipate because he wanted that in place on the 23rd. Oh dear...

So I emailed him, and warned him I couldnt negotiate unrepresented and furthermore as I'm representing Bea as her advocate and as the discussion was about her tenancy then she'd better be here both to occupy it, and discuss her future. And so I'll pick her up from the care home on Monday because I wasnt about to be railroaded while they attempt to gain control of her affairs again.

And there was me about to get back into building an artificial intelligence. Why should IBM have all the fun.

Yeah buddy, you are so right about that. IMO, this is a thinly veiled attempt to take control, then leave me high and dry, which is precisely why I gave the social a weapon.

Nemesis, Igor... Invulnerable to our own and each others weapons.

No, Bea comes home and I'll break the socials rules rather than civil laws, which are both currently being broken. They can use that to intervene, so I'll put a stop to it before that.

As to the social's rules being broken, its for them to mitigate Bea's rights by providing a service, which they are failing to do.

So, on Monday if there's any trouble I'll be going with the police to pick Bea and all her stuff up from the care home. Surprise, mutha *er... ;-)

If all her stuff isnt present [and I already know it isnt, they lost two of the new bra's I bought already] there will be some explaining to do, because law enforcement already had words with the social about the loss of her property before.

So this is what a MorningStar does when you let one off.

It gives you a friggin holiday...

Yep. Basically I've been given the rest of the summer off. Departmental holidays mean that although things are now in hand getting the various backsides round the same table is not going to happen fast.

However, I can confirm that it will happen, eventually, and there will be restitution for me and Bea.

Its taken a lot from me my friends. Robbed me of my humanity to a degree. Lost me some friends. Made me some new ones. Made me some enemies. Nasty reputation just for standing my ground.

This Is Sparta, however there's just one of me, and bugger me if I didnt make it out alive.

For the record, thats one of our two councils [behind] social services, law enforcement, national mental health services, social care service management, general practitioners, civil advice services, government ombudsman, and anyone still interested enough to read this [I thank you from the bottom of my heart] All rocked up on Arun District Council's doorstep asking why Bea is classed as 'Non-Dependent' so they can get away with robbing her carer of £14,000.

There's probably others, and if I havent recognised you I'm sorry.

Give me a wave, I'm not good with crowds. ;-)

They all agree its disgusting, but, well, when their ultimate lords and masters decide to repeal legal aid to prevent recriminations as the vulnerable are trodden underfoot thats kind of what happens.

I didnt vote for those dicks, thats all I'll say.

Igor was most forthcoming in an interim meeting to discuss strategy on the errant council, and some options for Bea's future. He practically begged me as to the nature of what I wanted out of this on a personal level - what did I  want to do with myself if I were, say, no longer responsible solely for Bea, if I didnt have to worry about being cast aside as reward and had a future?

Interesting, I hadnt thought about that much, not the mechanics of it. I've looked for work, sure, and I've had some offers too. Headhunted, before I enabled Gnarly and went batshit on local authority... Yeah actually I dont want to think about that much... I told him when this was resolved, I would again look to the future...

It seems the consensus is that [besides me getting my moolah and dignity back] there's really only one way I'm ever going to have a life of my own. Someone else is going to have to care for Bea. I repeated that there already was an expert carer available, but they wouldnt pay him, and they shuffled and looked at the floor.

No, thats not going to happen unless I change the law. When I have £14000 in my bank account I can easily employ a solicitor and fuck the living daylights out of the entire authority for such rights abuses so I dont blame Igor and Hench for being nervous... I tried not to dwell on that point any, but I did point out that my remit was to help others and I wasnt keen on the repercussions of this round.

Its hard not to make even veiled threats accidentally. I mean, its been a total pounding on all fronts - but that is what you get from a man with resources as wide as mine when you piss him off. I'm not unreasonable about this, in fact I make a point of preaching equality. Igor is struggling with the concept still, I can see, but he knows I have a point.

And so we wait. But now perhaps I can get back to hacking and calm the fuck down.

I really am sorry about the mess, my big green friend can be a little clumsy. Next though, we have the meeting on the 23rd July to begin resolving the tenancy issue.

As it stands, if the council refuse to budge eventually the agent has the right to repossess the property, but, having negotiated a secure tenancy through the councils remit they have the right to ask them to rehouse us before it is handed back - instead of applying for a bailiff to change the locks. It will take legal action to extract the rent from me, and jurisprudence is the last thing the entire local authority want, hence them all now ganging up on the council behind me.

I may have mentioned this before, but if this were a game of chess by now I've taken just about every [worthwhile] piece on the damn board. Except the King, who continues to dodge about and somehow impudently evade capture.

This is childish, an opponent with any honour or even decency would at least surrender. Its not like I gave them a choice though. Queen and Rook, all other pieces expendable except the pawns. Its a strategy they dont understand because to them the pawns are but pawns.

You cant play chess without all the pieces, they are just as important as each other.

Well, its been an interesting week if nothing else. I know its been a while since I posted, but to be honest what has happened has happened too fast and has been rather too dirty for me to soil this with.

So, I managed to convince Igor that I wasnt screwing around and actually meant business. He has an effective tentacle shield, some kind of repellant that has so far evaded every attempt to maintain a purchase on his neck for more than a moment. Nightmare... Anyway I finally managed to get him to organise a meeting with the various players in our little game - a historic moment as never before has a member of the public managed to convene with this many departments at once to resolve an issue like this in or out of court.

Actually, it wasnt so much him that organised it, I did, and then told him to do it in no uncertain terms. He thanked me for that, as he was having no luck with Arun District Council, the Black King. Well I phoned em up and gave em both barrels until they capitulated and agreed to meet with Social Services and discuss a way forward. These are the scheming shits who owe me 14 grand, and are still pursuing the ruse that I have to pay a shortfall by regulation. Everyone else says BS, but the council, well.

Unfortunately they slept on it, and then phoned up the housing agent and lied through their teeth to them off the record, and then refused to attend. Unbelievable bullshit... This leaves me in the position of owing the agency half a grand for, and having to pay the shortfall or be kicked into the ditch. I still cant get legal aid, so I'm a bit fucked really. They did that to avoid lying on record in front of social services, and covertly called the agency.

Nemesis

There's reasons for this particular class of being. One of them is a permanent invulnerability unlike any ordinary enemy. You know, when you get *really* tired of some pestilence who's annoyed you, you open the console and nuke the fucker from orbit.

Well, Igor is impervious to everything I have.

Except the Morning.Star itself, which thus far hasnt actually done anything vaguely weaponlike at all actually. You know, you build a superweapon, you expect it to go bang or something. Leave a crater. Send off a few sparks or a bit of SFX fog.

Perhaps its waiting for something. Dont blame me, I only built the damn thing. ;-)

Well another thing a Nemesis is known to do besides cheerful imperviousness, is team up with his Nemesis to thwart a more powerful foe, and then slip away during the celebrations to haunt your history as a shadowy figure evermore.

Igor finally got it, and when I informed him I had finally tired of this nonsense, he leaped to my defence. Well thats a turn-up for the books, he's decided of his own volition that this latest manoeuver by the council was rather uncalled for, and indeed unsporting even to him, as a manager of one of the most despised organisations in our land, thats actually quite an accolade.

A tip of the hat to you Sir.

And I mean that, old Igor actually got quite colourful about my rights, in a flip-floppy sort of way, and pledged to help me get my moolah back as a matter of honour.

It might also have something to do with my army, composed of angry nerds, local law enforcement, the social care sector management, doctors, psychiatric specialists - Just last night I scored a police psychiatrist who heard of me through her grapevine, after the dumbass council called the police to warn them I'm dangerously mentally unstable and a danger to myself and possibly others.

The attending officer remembered me from the early days on Hackaday, and was fascinated to learn of my record-breaking achievements. Like most of our force, they were both little more than kids, and typically in a male-female civil response role. He wished me well after a brief conversation as I'm STILL not in any trouble lol. She barely said a word. I could see her trying to figure out what my costume looks like, and whether it bulges anywhere. I wished her well... ;-)

So the psychiatrist then calls me just to make sure, because, well, those two poor bastards had to write this shit up in their notebooks, and they arent noted for hallucinating tentacles.

Well, this got back to Igor, as that is the purpose of having social and enforcement arms of law like we do, and enforcement are getting a bit tired of doing social work. And the next thing I know, Igor's offering me a sword. Yeah, whatever. I swapped him one of my weapons to use on the council and he seemed quite pleased actually.

I hope he doesnt cut himself on it, I really do.

The council however, are fucked now. Igors on the warpath waving a MorningStar on a stick, which bothers even me a little. XD

Well, Wednesday's meeting came and went.

Igor and his associate visited my home, expecting to see carnage. Mess everywhere, cramped by piles of boxes, tools.

Its never tidy, no, I'm an inveterate tinkerer by nature.

I didnt make an effort, deliberately, I wanted him to see how I lived. Most people nervously gather all evidence of living and stuff it into cupboards, hoover, dust, polish, put on their Sunday Best for a visit from the Social. A hair out of place and they'll blow that up to neglect.

He seemed amused, and his only comment on the subject was that I make good use of our living space.

Well, I decided not to mention the covenants on the tenancy that prevent me from even putting up pictures on the walls - posters, fine, its not the decor but the integrity of the plaster - so cable runs, hardware on the walls and ceilings for home automation, security, etc, were out.

Basically, they had a cuppa, looked around for something to criticise and then buggered off when all they got was an extremely unapologetic MorningStar. I wasnt unpleasant, and I managed to keep my cool. But their position is the same, and they arent going budge an inch from it without jurisdiction, no further comment.

He didnt even apologise for being a dick to me himself over the last couple of years trying to stop me from finding out about the money, just reiterated that he wasnt going to help me get it back.

I just shrugged; I wasnt going to waste any more energy on the idiots.

In the meantime, I contacted the Citizens Advice Bureau, which took a few days to get through as the lines are jammed. Finally, I explained my situation and asked for the Law Clinic, and the clerk wrote up what I told her and took my details. Well yesterday I had a phonecall to tell me there was a massive backlog, and I'd be better off going to another office and waiting to be seen and interviewed in person - otherwise it would be three weeks before I even get the ear of a solicitor for half hour, and be advised to find someone else to represent me in court.

I have to do this, or the Law Society will make me do it before helping me anyway.

Wouldnt you prefer a nice game of chess?

They literally asked for this. I shall give it to them.

Bear in mind that you guys are used to me by now, these poor fuckers live in a world of order where information flow is tightly controlled. They've probably never heard of me like most average people, and why would they?

I'm such a nerd... XD

In my experience most suffer disbelief when confronted by me in my lair, where I can prove my claims at the touch of a button, flick of a string, stroke of a brush, scratch of a whiteboard, demonstration of any of my skills, the list has grown extensive and impressive enough even I fear my capabilities.

One day I will write about this properly, I promise.

But for now I have our social care system literally in the coil of a tentacle [and its lord and master, Social Services, in a double armlock with the rest].

I even have one spare to rifle their pocketses with. I'm getting my Moolah back, all of it, and compensation. And Bea some, and proper one-one care without me doing it or having to micromanage it on benefits.

Which frankly is just insulting of course, never mind who I am and what I can do.

Speaking of which, anyone with mortal tendencies might want to pay attention to the Safety Radius of which my friends are aware and my neighbours are finding out about.

Its not like I dont wear warning colours.

I havent changed much in the last 20 years. Superficially or internally come to that. Same person wanders around in my skull today as was born here, I've just picked up a lot of experience not many get the opportunity to ever witness. Thats a privilege.

I've also been given the opportunity to effect change in our geopolitical systems. Thats a duty. My whole life has been leading up to something big, and it looks like my destiny has caught up with me at last.

Social Services, County and District Councils... SoH Hutlh batlh.

You have disgraced yourselves. Stand before your masters and be judged.

LOL.

I had to pop out for supplies, and found this on my doorstep.

I hate to disappoint, but thats clearly not made for a Leviathon. There's no-where near enough tentacle holes...

But thanks all the same. XD

Dim emergency lighting flashes redly, and in the darkness something is scuttering. Its everywhere, and it bites.

The Defense Grid went out days ago and the nightmare the agency kept locked away found a weak point in its prison and got loose.

Huddled with their backs to the paper shredder, the agents can only wait with rising paranoia for reinforcements that may never come.

Its going to be a long night.

Well, Hench was assigned to negotiate, but he's got an annoying habit of taking time off work and doesnt return his calls for a week or more.

I kind of expected this.

But as usual I'm not having any of it..

Not that it makes any difference with these people.

Right then, we'll play it your way. Just so you know I dont believe a word of it. Quit stalling...

On Stratagem, Sun Tzu wrote that the best strategy was to take the enemy whole and intact; to shatter and destroy him leaves you no victory. So, it is better to capture an entire army, an entire regiment, detachment or company than slaughter it.

Yeah. I've taken a County Council, a District Council, two Parish Councils, Social Services, National Health Service, local Law Enforcement and a gnarly population of townsfolk who thought I was going to hack them. Or something.

Hence, absolute victory in all battles is not excellence, supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy without fighting.

Several world records, a slew of awards and distinctions, outstanding performance and a sense of humour trumps bullshit every time. The enemy is careless and bloated...

Thus the highest form of generalship is to balk the enemy's plans

Every time XD

Next is to prevent the junction of the enemy's forces

Divide and Conquer. Bait and Switch. They never knew what hit them until it was too late.

After this is to attack the enemy in the field

Hey Igor did you like #Bite My Shiny Metal Trash and #Light Relief . Some of my lesser-known but favourite pieces.

And the worst policy is to beseige a walled city

Not much I can do about an Ivory Tower I have to say.

Therefore a skillful leader knows to subdue enemy troops without fighting, captures cities without siege, overthrows kingdoms without lengthy and expensive operations in the field;

There are 5 essentials for victory

He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight

He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces.

He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks.

He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.

He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign.

Well, one thing I did discover today, after calling the department attempting to defraud me, is this. The regulations were changed two years ago so that everybody contributes to Council Tax irrespectively which reduces the burden on those who pay.

This is fair enough I suppose, and it is regulation, so they are within their rights to chase me.

So, I've set up instalments to repay this small debt even though that same department owes me a *lot* more. Compromise is victory when one is losing... ;-)

It was an interesting discussion all the same, and the guy I spoke to inadvertently confirmed the regulations re rent and didnt lie to me about them. This is a win; internally they now recognise that the game is up.

Hence the saying:

If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.

If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.

If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.

They have never known me very well it has to be said. :-D

Sun Tzu also said

Never engage an enemy more powerful than yourself. If you must engage an enemy more powerful, engage him on your own terms.

Wise words indeed, still true over two thousand years later, dealing with an administration.

And, finally this morning, I had a phonecall from Social Services who have arranged a meeting on Thursday at my home to resolve these issues out of court.

Mother of Pearl what is wrong with these people?

Typically they sent me this in the Friday post so I got it Saturday morning. Its a habit of theirs, being the antisocial bastards they are. I have had many run-ins with this department over the last few years over benefits and rights, and they have stuck to their guns sacrificing their desk staff to the weight of logic and evidence.

And me of course.

I can get quite truculent with self-important officials, especially those who simply stick to the party line even when presented with their own ass on a plate:

Why is my daughter classed as non-dependent when clearly she is dependent?

Even Igor ruminated this was strange, but regulations are what they are. I remember clearly, its doubtful he does. One of many lies...

14 again. These events kicked off in 2014. What is it with that number? It devolves numerically to 5 (1+4), the same number of years now I've been fighting this, after 14 years raising my children alone.

Yep. Yesterday was the 25th May, the anniversary of the day I signed the tenancy of the house the kids grew up in. Where I learned to hack, where I built AIME and where I discovered myself. Its kind of a birthday - not that I observe it because it upsets me - and I could have done without the fucking council choosing that day of all to land it on me.

Cheers Arun District Council; you're off my Christmas Card List too, you dirty counts.

Its now also the anniversary of my enslavement, and worse, I've been charged 14 grand for the privilege. And now they wish to drag me in front of a magistrate and tax me against regulations in a futile attempt to disguise it.

No human language can render the emotion. I literally do not have any coherent words that come close. I do have a few that emit smoke and sparks and make mortals crap themselves and call the authorities tho.

"Haelp, Haelp! There's a Monstar!"

"Yes Love, try not to piss it off. Really."

I grow weary of this...

Even if I do manage to get what I am owed, and especially if I get compensation too, benefits rules mean that with capital in the bank I am not entitled to benefits.

In other words, I will have to live on the money as income, and care for Bea using it until it is gone, when I reapply for benefits. The entire time I will be unable to work, still enslaved as a carer. The faster I spend it, the faster I reapply.

I am placed under covenants with my tenancy that prevent me from running a business, keeping business vehicles or resources on the property so I cannot even work my way out fairly through self-employment.

Logic dictates I take as much money as I can and get the hack out of Dodge, begin a new life where I'll never have to give it back to the Counts.

Apparently I'm a celebrity now. I'm not keen on it as it means I dont belong to me or Bea any more, I belong to my adoring fans. Except for my ass, which belongs to my critics.

Lucky devils.

Anyway, the Counts arent having it. Like the rest of me its in great condition. ;-p