In the District where whispers hold as much power as regulations, Avery faces a crossroads: complete design of The Device which tracks movement to a very precise degree, or quietly resist? What happens when a simple traffic control device becomes a tool for surveillance—and survival? Avery confronts the ethical implications of their work in a city that’s always watching. 

• LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE:

Sponsored by:

Expedition Works

Hi. We’re a full–service design cooperative – let’s work together to make your journey with a purpose successful.

 Entry.

one fourteen four point seven eight.

This traffic control device shouldn’t be so hard to complete, thought Avery.

The request was to augment the previously designed and implemented traffic light and crosswalk devices. Both of these designs helped Avery advance to higher levels, granting more autonomy and better assignments.

This should be easy:

Take the existing design vocabulary and extend it to a new device to track moving objects. The device didn’t need to be that large since much of the compute would be offloaded to the district grid.

The problem wasn’t the design or the function.

Avery’s mind was preoccupied with the possibilities of new leadership.

The selection process for the Supervisor was almost complete.

The process was convoluted, and Avery wasn’t even sure what the options were for input.

Only Paulina knew Avery’s preference [00:01:00] between the two candidates, but in this part of the District, speaking out against the vocal minority had consequences.

Besides bodily autonomy, there were more insidious currents at play.

The whispers and side conversations ran rampant at the district office.

Questions kept coming up, without clear answers.

What if the new leadership asked us to work on something illegal?

What about something Unethical?

Were we even allowed to talk about it?

There are certain acts and regulations which barred staff from engaging in some forms of political activity.

Did talking about the Selection meet that criteria?

If we all had different red lines, how do we work together as professionals to service the district residents?

What if this Device was used to track certain people the Supervisor didn’t like, feeding that information into a centralized database in order to track and deport them?

[00:02:00] Avery wasn’t famous at all, so resignation would just mean no position and a need to explain a gap on the Codex.

So while the design of the device was elementary, the implication of the device put Avery in uncharted waters.

Avery asked Paulina to fill up the calendar for the next three days with enough design meetings for other teams and subordinates.

Avery could help others, if not herself. And sometimes ignorance is bliss.

End of Entry.

Vocalized by Audrey AI program one.

For more entries enter in your Control Panel

jwp.news/avery

end of control.

This post came from our weekly-ish newsletter. Feel free to signup below.