This is an brilliant story that touches upon some issues that we might be confronted with in the future, if this technology is ever developed. An advanced technology like this one is not only going to affect the person but everyone else around him/her. Families, friends, lovers, and so on. Some people may object for moral or religious reasons. There are many practical matters, as the wife indicates when she asks her husband for a divorce. Would she even want to come back if her friends and family have passed on? If this ever comes to pass, then we'll need a long list of "bring me back if...but don't bring me back if..."
As the Beatles sang,
And the time will come when you see we're all one, and life flows on within you and without you
Hello @litguru, fountain of all inspiration! After reading your story and selecting the words it was inevitable that I come up with such a theme. The original (yours, was brilliant) and this was just something that was tweaked after I read yours. Mine was more on the ground perhaps, but still highly speculative. The thing about science fiction that some writers loss track of is, it's still about people. You don't lose track of that. No matter how fantastic the scene or plot, there is always motivation. There is always character (though not necessarily human character😄.)
Thanks for stopping by. Good luck with the stories. In a way, I collaborated with you, and I don't collaborate with anyone. Still, it was fun.
This was a fun read because you did approach the idea from a different and perhaps more realistic perspective. We're now experiencing big changes in technology, and I think we'll be asking ourselves some big questions about their impact on us and those around us. Sci-fi authors have to balance the flashy aspects of the plot with the humane aspects, and this is tricky because there's also need to entertain the intended audience. This is why I enjoy when writers, who are not overly familiar with the sci-fi genre, tackle some of those futuristic ideas using the writing tools they're familiar with.
This story does feel like a great collaboration, and I'm happy you took on the Hive Book Club challenge!
It's interesting how your story worked on me. I'm a human inkblot--soak things up. When I was in high school, oh those many years ago, I was notorious for not doing homework, for studying only when it suited me. But when I had to take one of those important standardized tests that would help determine our future course of study, I'd pull out a Dostoyevsky, or Tolstoy and bury myself in the books. I didn't study--I absorbed.
I think that's how your story worked on me. I read it a couple of times and then just went forward comfortably.
I have the feeling your learning style may also be a bit through osmosis.
I also like to absorb information because I never really know what tidbit is going to be useful for stories or other creative pursuits. They say reality is stranger than fiction, and in many ways it is. I'm very glad that the story inspired you to pen down your ideas into this story while experimenting with the translation tools (unless it's your own language knowledge). As far writing and publishing is concerned, what you've done is indeed stranger than fiction, when you think about it. That is, you used a global communication network along with computational tools to create and publish a story in a decentralized financial social blockchain. Very sci-fi!