Re: [HOE] Post Unity (Spoilers)

[Richard A Ranallo <toadpooka@juno.com>]

On Wed, 17 Apr 2002 20:15:02 -0500 "Nick Zachariasen"
<zacharin@pluto.dsu.edu> writes:
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> > But what about the prognostication???
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> I believe that it was based on current rates. If the current death 
> rate declines, then so too will the extinction of humanity. If it
happens 
> to stay the same, then humanity (assuming the projection was right)
will die 
> out as scheduled. It's the posse's job to make sure that doesn't
happen.

The Prognosticator uses more than birth and death rates.  It actually
examines a multitude of factors, and, in a weird mojo way, draws patterns
that predict the future.  It works like the computer from Pi, assembling
seemingly-unrelated facts and drawing conclusions in a metaphysical sort
of way.
So, the Prognosticator said the human race would be extinct in five
years.  But you have to think about what factors that decision was based
on.  The Reckoners going away is a pretty big plus for humanity in
general, but think about the loss of life in the Harvest.  I'd wager that
the Prognosticator saw that battle coming.  A big part of the five-year
projection was the number of people, on all sides, killed in that battle.
 Plus, think of the many battles to come, as now that everyone's on a
much lower power scale, they'll have to take more risks to get a footing.
Then, what if the computer is more reliable than we thought?  What if it
was somehow able to tell that the Reckoners would be gone, and still
figured on five years?  Remember that the Reckoners had a reason to keep
humanity around.  The most powerful supernatural entities now (Raven and
the worms) have no qualms about seeing mankind go bye-bye.
Of course, if the Library notices that the prediction doesn't decline,
they can take that as an indication that the computer is much more
powerful than they thought, and might be able to use it for more specific
applicatioins.

From Whom It May Concern,
Rich Ranallo

"Rock and Roll will be the new planetary culture, believe it or not."
-Prof. Michio Kaku