Technology – The Bane of Our Lives

by L.M. Brown

Technology is great, when it’s working properly, but when it goes wrong it can be a frustrating nightmare.  We’ve all been there.  An operating system update that stops our favourite program working correctly, a frozen screen when you haven’t yet saved that amazing scene you just wrote, or even worse the Blue Screen of Death that appears in a flash and signals that your computer has some serious problem that, if you’re like me, you have no clue how to fix.

Technology today does things that most people couldn’t even imagine thirty or so years ago.  So imagine what it might be able to do in another hundred years.

That is part of the concept behind Holographic Havoc.  The story is set in the near future where inventions are becoming more and more complex and are able to do even more than they do now.  I set the story 2102, though considering how quickly our technology evolves, it may be that the invention that the story revolves around is something that is not only around, but already obsolete by the time that year arrives.  Not that I am going to be around to see it any event.

So, what is this invention I am talking about?   

Well, it is a holographic personal assistant that is designed to help the user in all aspects of their life. Whether it is organising meetings, booking a restaurant, doing your shopping, or maintaining a good relationship with the mother-in-law, this fictional invention is there to help.

Amazing right?  

But what about when that piece of technology decides to go wrong?   After all, the more complicated the program, the more likely it is to have bugs that are designed to drive a person completely insane.

I hope you enjoy reading about what happens when Hayden’s holographic assistant develops an unexpected bug.  

Feel free to share your own techie horror stories here – we all have them and it sure is nice to know we are not alone when we’re screaming at our computers to just work!

About Holographic Havoc

Hayden Knight’s job is simple. All he has to do is sell his father’s latest invention to Tate South, the Acquisitions Manager of the biggest supplier of the best in cutting-edge technology. The virtual assistant is designed to help the user in all aspects of their life, but Hayden views the holographic helper as nothing but a nuisance. Keeping his annoyance to himself is relatively easy until a major technical glitch causes Tate to see and hear Hayden’s assistant.

Hayden and Tate are thrown together while they try to figure out what has happened, and the chemistry between them is electric. Hayden soon finds that convincing Tate that he needs a Holo-Assistant isn’t as important to him as persuading him he needs Hayden in his life.

The attraction is mutual and the sparks fly. If only they could get rid of their holographic third wheel.

Available at: Amazon

An Exclusive Excerpt from Holographic Havoc

After picking up Hayden’s car, a self-driving sporty model that was as comfortable as it was sleek, they settled in for the journey, with Randy hovering in the back seat.

“What sort of information can the assistant access about individuals? About me?”

“Anything that’s public knowledge.”

“Care to demonstrate?”

“Randy, please tell me everything you know about Tate.”

“Tate South, aged twenty seven, date of birth 6th May 2075. Owner of ED Electronics and Head of Acquisitions.”

“What about personal stuff?” Tate interrupted.

“Personal?” Hayden asked.

“My name, age, job, and stuff like that is all public record. What else can it find out?”

“Randy, personal profile of Tate please.”

“Tate South, single, currently ranked as number ninety in the top one hundred most eligible bachelors in England. Sexual orientation—gay. Sexual health status—clean. Last long term relationship was between February 2097 and October 2100. Infrequent user of gay hook-up app—” Continue reading →