2076-01-28 Monorail

The monorail transformed life for the residents of the area it serves.

The more I study, the more insatiable do I feel my genius for it to be.—Ada Lovelace

Whenever I think of that final gleaming black test coupon, unmarked and unbroken, I think of the monorail I built across the Central African Republic, mostly from similar materials. The monorail is still the largest single thing I have ever built. It is visible from orbit, a shining black snake wending its way through the heart of Africa for hundreds of kilometers.

The monorail transformed life for the residents of the area it serves. It also transformed the economy of the CAR as a whole. Today, the country boasts a population of roughly eight million, and most of them live within walking distance of a monorail stop. A second generation has now grown up with the monorail. Only their grandparents remember a time without it.

The monorail provides reliable, accessible communications not only for travel but for voice and data as well. The solar canopy, optical fiber backbone, and peer-to-peer wireless network built into the monorail system serve the surrounding population. The pylons are rooted deep and bring up clean filtered water to public taps. Self-contained sanitation units are built into the pylons in populated areas. Together, clean water and public sanitation have significantly reduced the spread of communicable diseases. Reliable transportation has improved access to healthcare, education, and economic opportunities. Per capita daily income has surpassed that of many 'developed' countries of the twentieth century. More importantly, life expectancy and infant and maternal mortality are now in line with the majority of the world, when for so long the CAR had been in the horrifyingly worst percentiles.

This monorail would simply not have been possible without my materials and designs. The monorail was grown from fibers sustainably harvested and processed in the jungle, not built with expensive imported steel by exploited local workers. The heavy, dangerous work was done by automated machines, guided by advanced expert systems and artificial intelligences under my direction. The monorail pylons step across the land with the smallest possible footprints, leaving the ground clear for wildlife migration and for traditional hunting, gathering, and agriculture. Passengers and cargo glide quietly through the tree canopy, passing easily over rutted tracks, flood-prone rivers, and the myriad other natural hazards of the jungle.

I have significantly, inarguably improved the lives of millions of people in the Central African Republic. Most of them do not know who I am. That is fine with me; I know what I have done, and I do not expect either individual gratitude or public accolades.