Alannah repeated this, “A multiple facetted ruby ring of power for the left index finger.”

“Good. And anyone seeing what they must obviously assume to be a wizard, will then be able to determine what he is like on a personable level. What can you now assuredly know of his character and behavior?”

Alannah again mentally reviewed her learnings. “He will be knowledgeable of mystical beliefs and animal and plant healing and uses. His hubris will be sometimes off-setting. He will be distant and hard to approach.   He could be dangerous as wizards cannot be trusted, and change according to their own plans.”

“Why would anyone dare to speak to or consult a wizard?” the Director prompted.

“To offer them a partnership in something the wizard could profit from or perhaps in desperation stemming from a life crisis. Wizards will pity the needy.”

“Good.” Then the Director turned toward the designated wizard, “Step back into the tube. You will be a wizard, clothed and instructed in all aspects of what you are expected to be, and what everyone will know you to be.” The wizard did as instructed. The tube closed and the glass became frosted matching the other two tubes.

The Director signaled for Alannah to return. When she did, the Director stepped to the side, hands held palms up to the console. Alannah knew this next task in her apprenticeship was her manipulation of the console. She stepped closer to it remembering what she studied and had watched the Director do. Her typing was not as agile, but to Alannah’s relief the proper commands were executed. The second tube was clear; The doors slid open. The occupant stepped into the room.

Alannah looked toward the Director,   and then stepped from behind the console and pulled the hood down. Startled, she immediately jumped back! This face was hideous!

“An ogre!” Alannah spit out.

“Stay in form!” the Director commanded, the voice less neutral, hinting of scorn.

Alannah gathered herself and began the descriptions expected:

The bulging face of warts and pockets of hair tufts, large nose, tubular ears, unkept mullet. She could barely recite the clothing expectations. When she got to the mandatory personality assumptions, she was again surprised. As she listed the stupidity, gluttony, and meanness, the individual interrupted her with a pitiful plea.

“Please. If I am to be so hard to look at, at least allow me a positive trait. Perhaps I could be caring of others?”

Alannah was stunned.

“That is a nurse!” interjected the Director.

“Someone who can bring out good in others?”

“That is a nun!” the Director boomed. “Stop this nonsense. Those designations are also female. You will be an ogre clothed and instructed in all aspects of what you are expected to be, and what everyone will know you to be. Step back into the tube.”

The ogre did as told. Alannah thought she saw a tear drip from the ogre’s eye. Still she was too stunned to move. This was not supposed to happen. Each being became their assigned role. There were no thoughts to be anything else. This just was and everyone knew it.

“Return,” ordered the Director, holding a hand out to the console.

Alannah walked back to the console, standing again beside the Director.

“You will continue your text and audio studies for another week. Return now to your enclosure.”

Alannah walked to the seam. It opened and she walked across the hall and entered her enclosure.

****

Alannah studied diligently in the time that passed in her enclosure, but a thought periodically traipsed through her brain: Was there more to the ogre than what appeared? She chastised herself and refocused on her studies.

It was a week and a half before Alannah saw the white wool robe in her enclosure again. She put it on and walked to the seam in the wall. When she entered the room across the hall, the Director stood in the back of the console. There was no invitation to come over. Alannah just felt it was implied. After all, it was surely known she’d been here before.

The day’s assignments were standard and completed efficiently. However, there was something else that Alannah felt was different. This was not the director she had apprenticed with over a week ago. She tried several times to see if the beige sleeve might again reveal a red scar on the director’s wrist. The sleeve never budged so she had no way of knowing.

In time, Alannah graduated from being an apprentice. Now a beige belt wove around the robe she wore, buttoned on each side. She placed her hood over her head and left her enclosure, entering the shiny room with a familiar console. Soon she was joined by another wearing a white robe standing beside her. Alannah pulled a lever and typed the commands.

The day proceeded as expected. The last set of beings was now down to the third tube. The apprentice was in command of the console. Alannah knew this one’s apprenticeship would soon be complete.

The third tube became clear. The glass panel slid open and the occupant stepped out. In this case, the occupant seemed to be dancing by the movement of the robe. The designation to be given would be one of much agility.

“Jester,” determined the apprentice. “Limber and effusive. Although soft-cheeked, there is a strong chin. There are no male jesters, so this is a female. She is playful and irreverent. A fool to caution. She will have a multi-colored diamond patterned jumpsuit. Her cap will match her shoes, each having floppy tassels ending in small bells . . . “

As the apprentice continued as to how people would perceive the jester, Alannah noticed a sudden flick of red. She blinked and looked again. In the movements the jester made as part of his determination, Alannah caught sight of the red scar on the wrist.

This was the director of so much authority so long ago. Now the robe cavorted about what would be a female jester. An unbidden thought came to Alannah’s mind: Would the stern mentor of her past be happy with this life assignment? Immediately, she checked herself. Of course she would – as much as allowed assigned to in this role. Then Alannah thought of something else she had not remembered in a long time: A tear-eyed ogre.

The apprentice’s voice had stopped. The apprentice was waiting patiently.

“Good.” Alannah retrieved herself. “You will be a jester, clothed and instructed in all aspects of what you are expected to be, and what everyone will know you to be.”

The day’s work done and the apprentice dismissed, Alannah typed the commands that would cause the console to sleep, Alannah turned towards another seam in the room. As a Director, she would eat in the refectory and meet with her supervisor at a reserved cubicle.

The supervisor wore a red robe which signified not only the role in the review process, but also their responsibility for observations of the results of the assigned persons in the outer world. The Red Robes were a prominent presence to the established population within a community.

“You have trained this apprentice well, Alannah. The individuals placed within their community have been steadfast with almost no lapses – and those only minor. I surmise it will not be long before you can be succeeded and will be assigned to a community yourself.”

These last words struck Alannah. It never occurred to her that she would be anything other than a Director. Then she remembered the jester. And the ogre. A parade of others passed through her mind.

Later, Alannah sat at the empty seat where the Red Robe had sat. She poked at her meal that was the same as every meal for this time of nourishment. If not a Director, then what? What would she be? Impulsively, a notion niggled its way forward from the back of her brain: What if she didn’t want to be assigned?

Nonsense! She would be clothed and instructed in all aspects of what she would be. There would be no want. Everyone would automatically know what and who she was.

Alannah finished her food and left the refectory. She walked down a long corridor towards her enclosure. There were many seamed entrances. She hadn’t noticed this before, or that some had titles above them. Now Alannah was noticing as she walked by. She paused to look back from where she’d started and the seam in front of her opened. It was titled: Laundry. Startled, Alannah looked in. These tasks would be complete by this time of the day and continued the next. She had no business being here, but she stepped inside. The room contained a laundromat of washers and dryers, baskets of clothing piles and tables of folded robes. Then it occurred to Alannah that if she were seen here she would surely be reprimanded. She began to feel anxious.

A stack of folded red robes invited Alannah’s attention. The Red Robes would not be questioned in the corridors and perhaps not in the titled enclosures. The Red Robes, as far as she knew, could be found in any area. Alannah was not comfortable with the plan she now decided upon, but thought it might be the safest way to get to her enclosure. She removed her beige robe. She took a red robe from the stack and put it on. She had only one more stop to complete her plan. She walked to the seam and looked side to side as it opened. No one was there. She went back, toward the refectory, to the seam labeled: Shoes. The seam opened and she ducked inside.  She found a pair of red sandals and kicked off her beige set.

Alannah again looked both ways when she caused this seam to reopen. She was feeling less anxious – just a little nervous. She was almost sure she could get back to her enclosure without anyone stopping her.

Alannah made herself walk steadily back in the right direction, passed the laundry title and on. She would be okay, she told herself.

As she walked, Alannah’s thoughts began to stray. What were the Red Robes, anyway? They oversaw the trainings of the apprentices. They collaborated with the Directors. They watched populations and intervened when needed. Was this their designation? Did they have a designation? What would it be like to be without a designation? What if no one had a designation?

.  Alannah arrived at her enclosure, but did not step toward it. She turned and stepped toward the room with the console. The seam opened. She entered. She was alone. There was no reason for anyone to be here.

The console showed a diagram posted on a button with a square within a square. This symbol represented a floor plan. Alannah felt conflicted as she hovered over this button. What was she doing here? Yet, if she pushed this button the layout of the structure she had always inhabited would be revealed. She could see how the Red Robes left to patrol the communities. She could learn what a Red Robe knew.

Alannah revived the console. The button glowed yellow when Alannah pushed it. A labeled diagram appeared on the console screen. She could see where the refectory was, the location of the other consoles, the enclosures, and areas designated for various assigned purposes. There were places where the seams did not have anything drawn behind them. These must open to outside. What would she see on the other side of one of these?

Alannah knew she was delving into where she had no authority, but she had come this far. She was wearing a red robe. She could take a look outside and then sneak back in. She would go back to her enclosure, put on the beige robe that would be there, hide this red one beneath it until she figured how to get rid of it. The temptation for knowledge outweighed her trepidation of being caught.

Alannah again shut down the console and left. She headed towards the nearest lone seam she had seen.

When the seam opened, Alannah stepped into an open area filled with a brighter light than she’d ever seen before. She was standing on the side of a dirt road. She looked up expecting a roof. The light was coming from an orb in the sky that she immediately turned away from as it hurt her eyes. She felt a little dizzy not having seen anything solid above. Just blueness with an occasional white wisp. There was a refreshing cleanliness that was not antiseptic. Unrecognizable fragrances drifted by and surrounded her. There were store fronts, horses, carriages, stables, and eateries; People walking about, some stopping to chat with others. Alannah recognized most by designation and could predict what they would be talking about. There were a few Red Robes milling about, but they did not interact. None approached her.

Alannah walked down this dirt thoroughfare until it dwindled to a narrowed section lined with grasses, shrubs, and trees. There were no buildings passed this point. She took a few steps forward and then turned to look behind from where she’d come. As she did so, a knight on his steed passed her by and continued down the narrowed path. Alannah recognized the designation and knew what could be assumed about this armored and helmeted form. She realized she knew what could be assumed about anyone living here and beyond. She knew what they would do, how they would act, how their given characteristics determined the type of person they were.

A new thought came to Alannah. Everyone knew the judgements of each other. Everyone abided by the expectations of the others.

Except Alannah.

Who was Alannah?

Alannah could be whatever she chose. No one could look upon her and judge her thoughts or actions. She had no restrictions placed upon her unless she imposed them.

And so Alannah turned back to the narrow pathway and began to walk.

No country has a higher manufacturing output than China.

At Xiaomi Group’s production line, 1 smartphone is produced in 1 second, and at BYD’s production line, a small car comes off the production line in 76 seconds.

The smart factory of the Xiaomi Group can operate without any human intervention and it can produce smartphones at a rate of one smartphone per second, roughly 86,400 smartphones per day. It operates in the dark, and because it requires no human intervention, it doesn’t need lighting.

This 18,600 square metre factory looks mediocre at first glance, and if you push the door in for a tour, it’s like the scene of a sci-fi movie, with constant temperature and humidity, only a few very small coloured lights flickering, and the whole factory operating in darkness, with the smartphone production line acting like a bubble machine, and smartphones spitting out of it one by one.

There is no way to build such ‘factories in the dark’ in the United States, and the American labour unions would protest if the workers were not hired.

Germany, Japan and South Korea are ‘export-led economies’ because their domestic markets are so small that if they do not export, their economies are finished.

“Would you like us to pull you out Lieutenant Ryan? Bring you home?”

“NO!”

“Copy that. Just know we’re monitoring you closely. We can snatch you back in a heartbeat.”

It’s my turn to be quiet. And maybe the voice can feel a little of my fear because it seems less demanding when it asks if maybe I just want to rest for a minute.

But I have a better idea.

“Ask me specific questions about the room,” I say.

I can almost hear the conference as whoever comprises the voice confers with each other. They must like my proposal.

“Okay Ryan, can you see the door?”

“Negative. No door.”

“Well how did you get into the room?”

I grit my teeth. “I told you…I don’t know how I got here. Try to keep up. Ask me another.”

“How many walls comprise the room?”

“I don’t know.”

“Is it a cube?”

“I don’t think a cube would fit in this room.”

A pause. Then, “Ryan, that doesn’t make sense.”

“Thank you, I concur. Ask me why I don’t think a cube would fit in this room.”

“Why wouldn’t a cube fit in the room Ryan?”

“Because I don’t think cubes can even exist in whatever place or dimension you sent me.”

A short pause. Then, “you’re saying you believe you are in an extra-dimensional space. Do we have that right Lieutenant?”

“I think that’s about as close as we’re going to get. And for your next question, I have no idea how I got in here.”

“Why don’t you go over the events leading up to this point in time?”

That was an interesting choice of words. I’m pretty sure time is like its brother the cube and just isn’t allowed here, but I play along. I think back to where I was and what I was doing before I ended up wherever I am now and…poof. I’m out of the room and back on the plain. The sky impossibly black. There is no atmosphere, and in place of the billions of stars one would expect to see, just one speck of light almost too dim to perceive.

Well shit…that was weird. 

I speak to the voice, “can you hear me?”

“Loud and clear sir, we got you. The biocore appears to be working as advertised.”

“Good, because I just re-appeared on the plain.”

Another pause. “Re? Appeared? You just arrived.”

“No, you just asked me to retrace the steps that led me to the room, and as soon as I thought about it, I just reappeared where I was before I was in the room.”

“Lieutenant Ryan, what room are we talking about here? Have you observed a structure of some kind?” Excitement filled the voice. “Because that would be a first.”

I say nothing.

The voice says, “Maybe the comms aren’t working as well as we thought.”

I could hear a bit of nervous humor in the voice, but they stopped short of laughing. I feel like laughing, but am afraid it wouldn’t be the happy kind. Thinking about that makes me realize I didn’t know who I was hearing. I knew the voice was some kind of command, and I was on some kind of…mission? Or trip? But things are getting a bit fuzzy in the understanding department.

“Who is this anyhow?”

“Sir?”

“Who am I talking to, and how’d you get in my head? And while we’re at it, just where the hell am I?”

Another voice spoke up. “This is Major Hans Schroder of the US Space Force…and your best friend by the way. Ryan, are we okay?”

Both names are completely unfamiliar to me. This has got to be some kind of…something.

“Okay…and now my other question? Mind enlightening me…friend? Just exactly where am I supposed to be?”

“Relax buddy, we discussed this during your training.” The voice was exaggerating his calmness. It was infuriating. “We all knew you might experience some slight amnesia being this close to the edge of observable spacetime, but the docs here are certain it won’t last long so just hang in there.

“The protocol is to explain to you the who’s what’s and where’s. It’s supposed to help you get back on track. I have a narrative I’ll read, so hang with me, and you’ll begin to regain your memory.

I listen as I stare at the tiny dim speck. It’s the only thing to look at. To observe. I wonder what it is, but I know what it is. I just do not accept it. I cannot accept it.

“You are Lieutenant Ryan of the USSF Quantum Displacement Unit. In a nutshell, our unit produces a wormhole, or gate of sorts here at our base adjacent to CERN in Geneva.

“You are a member of an elite team of travelers who are trained to observe and report. Due to the nature of quantum displacement, video, audio, or any kind of data-recording instrumentation is useless. Only biological entities are able to observe. We are communicating through a cortical node implant.

“This is what you do, Ryan. And in my opinion, you are the best rift rat we’ve ever had. That’s why we sent you on this mission.

“We’ve been all over the Milky Way, knocked on the door of Andromeda, and visited hundreds of neighboring galaxies as well. You are the first in the unit, out of thousands of successful missions to be transported to a point we believed would be right on the edge our current observable universe. You’re way out there kid. That’s why it’d be real helpful if you’d describe what you see. We’re going to pull you back in just under five minutes.”

That actually makes sense and while I still don’t recognize or remember the name, the voice does sound a bit familiar now. I guess that’s a good sign.

“I see a tiny dim speck.”

“Okay, that’s good Ryan. I’m assuming the speck is in the sky?”

“Sky? There is no sky. Just the speck.”

When Hans or whoever doesn’t say anything, I go ahead state the obvious. “I think we overshot a bit.”

“Explain.”

“You’re going to make me say it? Fine. I’m pretty sure that tiny dim speck is the observable universe. I think you sent me a bit farther than you intended.”

“Stand by Ryan.”

I stand by. Then, “Ryan, we’re going to stick with the program for now. We are resuming the observation protocol. You said you were on a plain. Can you describe the plain?”

“No. I can’t see anything but the speck. The only reason I know I’m on the plain is because I have to be standing on…something.”

“Can you walk around?”

“Yes, I can walk. I can’t see shit, but I can walk.”

“Very good Lieutenant Ryan, just walk around and observe. We’ll be bringing you back home in about 10 minutes. Just as soon as we get powered up for the pull.”

“You said 5 minutes. Now it’s 10?”

“That’s correct Ryan. 8 minutes. Time is of the essence. Please follow the plan and report your observations.”

I decide to ignore the time variations. I try to ignore the nagging memory way at the back of my mind that screams, they don’t have to power up for a pull, they can snatch you back at a moment’s notice, but can’t quell it.

With my arms stretched in front of me like walking in a dark house and not wanting to run face first into a wall, I touch something. It feels solid, but fluid. I don’t have words to describe its feeling. I push a little and pop. I’m in a room.

“Lieutenant Ryan, is everything okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“Please report.”

“I’m in a room. And there’s light…or at least some kind of radiance. More like a glow, but not really.”

“Can you give us a little more? Describe the room please.”

“The room is unfamiliar. I don’t know how I got here.”

“Let’s try again Ryan. Tell us where you are, and how you got there.”

I take a deep breath, hold it for a beat, then let it out through my nose. The voice in my head is asking the impossible.

I’m in Malaysia and that spells trouble. The country has got a lot of “favourite breakfast” to last a lifetime. Morning food that I revisit time and again, I guess these are some that made the favourite list.

^^It may be hearty, not the healthiest but ‘bak-kut-teh’ (literally ‘meat bone tea’) is exceptionally good in the morning. It is a herbal stew consisting of different cuts of pork, tofu puff, shiitake mushroom accompanied by white rice, Chinese crullers, red chili, and Chinese tea.

^^Dim sum is breakfast food. Steamed or deep fried, the “little eats” are hot favourites and dishes such as Siew Mai, Har Gao, Char Siu Bao and Creamy Custard Bun – are the ones that make me return for more.

^^I don’t do ‘laksa’ often but it is a favourite breakfast nonetheless. And when it comes to a bowl of spicy noodle soup, ‘Sarawak Laksa’ is tops for taste, flavour and sheer satisfaction.

^^Kaya-butter toast and soft-boiled eggs w/ soy sauce and white pepper has become an addiction – the ‘breakfast of choice’ when you need something down to earth. Yes, I do dunk the coconut jam toast into the eggs too – perfect!

^^The breakfast to try in Malaysia: Indian origin flatbread (roti canai/paratha) with kari ikan (fish curry) or kari kambing (mutton curry) – been on the favourite list for sometime now.

---

Adding to the original question –

Youtiao – deep-fried dough sticks to go with plain rice porridge or soy bean milk – where else for this tasty breakfast but Hong Kong and south China.

There’s no more satisfying breakfast in England than this totally sumptuous repast. First thing to look forward to when you wake up.

The Swiss invented muesli. Dried fruits in regular oat flakes, soaked in some water or milk or fruits juice and left for the night before consumption. You wake up to a real fresh start of the day.

Mozzarella Basil Melt

Yield: 3 servings

Ingredients

• 6 slices sourdough sandwich bread
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 15 fresh basil leaves
• 2 firm-ripe tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Brush one side of each bread slice with olive oil.
2. Place three slices, oil side down, on a 10 x 15 inch baking sheet and layer evenly with basil leaves, tomato slices and mozzarella slices.
3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Top with remaining bread slices, oil side up.
5. Broil sandwiches 6 inches from heat, turning once, until bread is golden brown and cheese is melted, 2 to 3 minutes total.
6. Serve immediately.

Even a humble keyboard is now political in Taiwan

Chinese manufacturers are advertising how they dodge tariffs, and tech leaders know they’re in a new world

Sun 25 May 2025 // 16:27 UTC

Every time I attend Taiwan’s Computex exhibition, I’m bewildered by the dozens of vendors selling unremarkable keyboards and mice.

This year, a Chinese vendor stood out from the rest because its stand included not only some lovely input devices but a large sign that reads “FACTORY IN VIETNAM.”

I asked why that mattered enough to point out and was told: “To avoid tariffs.” And to ensure that Computex visitors would understand that while this vendor is Chinese, its wares would not be made unduly expensive by import duties.

Intrigued, I started trying to identify more Chinese vendors to ask how the US’s new trade policy has impacted their operations. A couple told me they have operated outside China for a while, and swung production and export operations to whichever jurisdiction emerged with the lowest tariffs after Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” announcements.

One shifted production to Vietnam and then shifted it back to China after Beijing and Washington agreed a mutual 90-day tariff easing pact earlier this month. The company rep I spoke to then shrugged in exasperation at the prospect of having to move production again if tariffs rebound to higher levels.

A manufacturer of mini-PCs offered a different take: Smugness at having long ago chosen to target Asian and European markets rather than customers in the US, thereby avoiding the trade war.

Another Chinese company I looked into for The Reg’s traditional “weird stuff from Computex” roundup also has a tariff story: Its website includes a notice that states it is able to satisfy about half of US demand from a warehouse in California, and therefore without tariffs. The site has also been tweaked so that quoted prices include tariffs.

Developers are now factory workers

Tariffs aren’t the only geopolitical concern at Computex.

Speaking on a panel ahead of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s keynote address, Trend Micro CEO Eva Chen noted that as the industry currently refers to GPU-dominated datacenters as “AI factories,” perhaps software developers can be considered manufacturing workers.

“If Jensen can convince Trump,” she said, “then Trump’s dream of moving manufacturing back to the US is already done.”

Chen is clearly aware of the current political climate.

So is Foxconn chair Young Lui, who used his Computex keynote to warn world leaders that AI is going to shrink the manufacturing workforce and they should revisit policy accordingly.

Jensen Huang also waded into political waters by offering both criticsm and praise for evolving US trade policy.

The politics of tech even reached street level at Computex, in the form of the sticker depicted below that I spotted on a lamppost near the exhibition halls that house the event.

Sticker protesting Nvidia’s sales to China spotted at Computex 2025 – click to enlarge

Whoever created and posted that sticker is clearly aware that Nvidia wins a curiously large percentage of its revenue in Singapore and that US lawmakers worry GPUs sold there could make their way to China.

The sticker’s creator also knows that Chinese president Xi Jinping has an ambition to re-unify with Taiwan – perhaps by force.

And that ambition means Computex, whose purpose is to promote the Taiwanese tech industry upon which the world has become utterly reliant, will remain an event at which politics and tech must mix. Even on a humble keyboard. ®

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