March 5, 201x. Weather: Clear, Sunny
It's a Sunday and the start of Spring, and it's still cold as tits here in Delmarva. Far cry from my days in Angel City, am I right? Now, I know I sound a little informal here, but it's Spring! I have to stay positive! Sun came out and the snow started melting, which means there are deep-ass puddles everywhere, plus I have to go buy a bulk thing of antihistamine pills just so I can breath properly! Hay fever's a bitch. Yeah, positive's not a strong suit, and such talk is not for a research journal.
But of course, that's not what I'm here for. The Boardwalk is finally going open for the Spring season in just a few days, and that means I will finally be able to see these Gems at work in more than just a pizza joint. More importantly, they are supposed to be planning renovations for the area. My time there last Winter also revealed that there are massive chunks of Funland that are in severe disrepair or have been otherwise destroyed. According to its proprietor, there is a special Gem contractor who will be providing the funding, planning, and tools necessary for repairs. This will be my chance.
Why, you may ask, is that the case? I have, after all, observed these Gems at work, noting their machine-like attitude towards performing monotonous tasks such as food service. However, these are jobs that (I would argue) REQUIRE that sort of attitude for one to survive and excel at the task, psychologically speaking. The Gems clearly do not think like us, and (more importantly) go about monotonous tasks a lot more easily and happily. The point of divergence, therefore, is the contractor. Her job requires a lot more variable cognitive effort and, more importantly, requires negotiation with other people, as opposed to that "service with a smile" process of "may I take your order, how many, for here or to go".
For the sake of that task (since I can't just interview the contractor), I have restocked the Big Donut for increased service over the course of the spring (Bill was really happy about that). Because a lot of nine-to-five workers come in here, I'll be able to strike up enough conversation to glean information about their cognition. Gems seemed to be relatively welcoming about my interactions, since they wouldn't guess that small talk is exactly what I'm after. Since I'm primarily occupied by my shift at the Wash after that, my only other chance to see the contractor work is on the weekends. Guess it's a few full weeks for old Jason.
March 11, 201x. Weather: Clear, Sunny.
I think it was the legendary Bernice Taupin who once sung that Saturday night's alright for fighting. Well, it's midday, and fighting seems to be off the table. I'm not disappointed, obviously, since I'm doing what I… think I love. Introspection for another time. Funland's open, and the contractor's there right now. Gonna pick up some fries and observe. Long as I'm not too conspicuous, I think I'll be just fine.
Well, the amusement park was nice. Reminded me of my time growing up at Angel City. Now, Funland's no Saint Maurice Pier, but it has charms of its own. Air and water's a lot cleaner here, for one thing. Spring break can be an opportunity for relaxation, if I can find the time.
Oh right, research. That's what I was supposed to write about (I don't regret writing that little tangent though). I saw the contractor (an unknown light blue Gem with one eye and what appeared to be scarring over her right arm that seems to have removed her elbow joint) observing the roller coaster. Now, I was expecting her to tell the proprietor how exactly to fix the coaster as well as a ballpark budget or something similar, but she didn't do that. She instead asked me to move from the bench I was sitting on and drew up highly complex plans for repairs, including needed parts and calculations, on the spot (in a span of about 10.5 seconds). And this wasn't any normal drawing or calculation either. These were full-blown printed schematics, with every single inch of the coaster (not just the broken bits) drawn out showing exactly what mechanism would function where, with no use of a calculator and her one good arm moving at blinding speed. I don't even think she looked at the track for more than a few seconds. It was incredible to watch, and it at least confirmed for me that Gems seem to have a highly optimized cognitive function. More to follow later.
I couldn't see the Gem meeting with the proprietor. It seems that those negotiations were done earlier or in private. Makes sense, I wouldn't expect a business exec to hold a meeting out on a boardwalk. Ordered another thing of fries, because why not. Needed the calories. Currently trying to make sense of that contractor's mental process.
March 12, 201x. Weather: Clear, Sunny
I… don't think I need to observe Gem cognition to figure this out anymore. I think I know the answer already. Gems seem to run on a machine-like or computational thought process, similar in fashion to your stereotypical computationally integrated alien species. They likely have a harder time imitating human behavior, though it could be done. On top of that, their processing skill allows them to essentially print highly advanced and details drawings and mental images, given the right materials and friction nullification tools, almost exactly like a fax machine or printer. Though, the question then becomes, how. How is this possible? These Gems are alive, are they not? Humans do not seem to have that computational ability, yet they are certainly much better at pattern recognition and adaptation than Gems.
This opens up the possibility of Gems being computer-like beings that are capable of acting as people. Still not sure about counterpoints (not sure how intimate social relations factor into Gem cognition), but I think I'm getting close to the answer. For now, I think I should wait for the Maheswaran interview. Think that's my best bet on this.