Noam writes<p>“No computers.” the guard said harshly, holding out a metal box.</p><p>I put my phone in the box. He didn’t budge. I took off my smart watch and added it in.</p><p>“Are you sure you have no more computers? The detector sends out a brief EMP. It would be a shame to destroy any gadgets. Or injure you." He was staring at the side of my face.</p><p>Ah. I removed the Connex from my temple. I’d forgotten it was there.</p><p>He ushered me into what looked like an old electronic doorway, then pressed a button. A light flashed.</p><p>"You're free to enter. Enjoy." No smile.</p><p>I passed through a corridor to desk where a receptionist smiled. "First time?"</p><p>"Yes, is it obvious?"</p><p>"Don't worry. It's simple. Through the double doors there you'll find the main selection of books, by era and topic. It's colour-coded and easy to follow. You'll need these if you want to touch anything." She put a paper mask and thin laboratory gloves on the desk.</p><p>"Behind you is the iffy section, as we call it. Books printed after 2015."</p><p>"2015?! I thought AI printed books only appeared in the mid 2020s."</p><p>"That's probably true, but we can't be sure. Preserving authentic pre-AI knowledge is our raison d'être. We can't be too safe."</p><p>Her look turned serious and I saw the devotion to the cause in her eyes. Since the Big Corruption of '32, no digital files could be trusted to replicate original human knowledge. This library was a time capsule.</p><p>"Can books be taken out?"</p><p>"No, I'm afraid not. We couldn't let them back in, as they could be fakes."</p><p>"So, can I copy things? My phone and Connex were taken away. Do you have a camera to message me chapters?"</p><p>"No, we're strictly machine-free. but we have several scribes. They're very good." She was enjoying my puzzled look.</p><p>"They can copy down whole pages for you. With pen and paper," she answered my unspoken question.</p><p>"Pen and paper?" these were words of tales and myths.</p><p>"Come, I'll show."</p><p><a href="https://libranet.de/search?tag=devotion" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>devotion</span></a> <a href="https://libranet.de/search?tag=MastoPrompt" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>MastoPrompt</span></a> <a href="https://libranet.de/search?tag=microfiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>microfiction</span></a> <a href="https://libranet.de/search?tag=AI" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>AI</span></a> <a href="https://libranet.de/search?tag=ArtificialIntelligence" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ArtificialIntelligence</span></a></p>