A Hub is the central facility housing the AI, almost always a Mind, responsible for the governance and control of virtually all functions of a Culture Orbital. In addition to the physical location, the Mind itself is also referred to as Hub.
Location[]
A Hub is located in the center of the main circumferential structure of an Orbital, equally equidistant from all parts of the Orbital.[1] However, the Hub is usually an independent structure that is not joined to the Orbital.[1]
Name[]
The Mind acting as an Orbital's Hub is not identified by an individual name; instead, they are typically referred by itself and addressed by others simply as "Hub" or the name of the Orbital. If a Hub chooses to use subsections, it may identify which subsection a person is speaking to, such as "Makil Stra-bey Mind subsection," or refer to itself using the geographical location of the subsection, such as simply calling itself "Makil Stra-bey."[2] It may, in exceptional circumstances, choose to devote its full attention when speaking to a single person; in such a circumstance it may identify itself as Hub Entire.[2]
Functions and capabilities[]
The Hub houses an Orbital's controlling AI, which is almost always Mind. A Hub is the very essence of an Orbital starting from its existence, as a Hub will normally control the construction phase of a Plate-pair.[1] In some sense, the Hub is the Orbital, as it is the sentient overseer of every aspect of the Orbital; the Hub has access to every capability that the Orbital has and no capability on the Orbital runs independently of the Hub. The Hub directs all of its systems, including weapons, manufacturing, maintenance, transport, and air/space traffic control.[1] It typically delegates more routine tasks to subsidiary routines, although it is capable of assuming direct control at any time.
It also acts as a central hub for Orbital-wide communications and is generally the Orbital's principal link with the rest of the Culture.[1] It also has access to vast information stores, especially if it is a Mind, and thus acts as a library and general information point, able to instantly provide any citizen or resident on its Orbital with any information requested.
Among some of the Hub's capabilities are untold numbers of cameras and speakers monitoring areas of the Orbital and its citizens, roving slaved drones monitoring the Orbital, the ability to view hyperspace, tracking and manipulating millions of space objects in the Orbital's system, communicating with hundreds of other Minds at the same time, creation and re-integration of Roving Personality Constructs, housing other Personality Constructs of other Minds within itself, and communicating with millions of people simultaneously through its avatars and drones.[3]
Relationship with residents[]
Virtually every citizen and resident on an Orbital will engage in one-on-one communications with Hub, typically through an external terminal device or an implanted neural lace. An Orbital's Hub Mind is theoretically capable of engaging with every single one of its residents simultaneously, though in practice, it will delegate routine tasks to non-sentient computer programs or subsections of its Mind.[2][3][4]
In addition to speaking and interacting with people abstractly, a Hub will also interact with its citizens through avatars and drones. A Hub will normally create semi-autonomous avatars as a physical representative capable of interaction directly with people.[4] A Hub of 50 billion people may have several million avatars.[4] Slaved (non-sentient) drones are more typically used as roving camera platforms and couriers, though a Hub may assume direct control of a drone to speak to a person.
The population on an Orbital will also elect a General Board to officially represent the interests of all of an Orbital's citizens to the Hub at the highest levels, presumably to Hub Entire.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 A Few Notes on the Culture
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Player of Games, Part 1, "Culture Plate"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Look to Windward, Chapter 11
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Look to Windward, Chapter 12