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ACRONYM x ASUS ROG Flow Z13-ACRNM RMT02 launch event report loading…

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Report loaded.

Panic sets in as my CPU overheats.

I've been tapped into augmented reality for a while now, accessing global servers at random and solving ever-more-complex puzzles on my AV interface in order to turn the tumbler on this phenomenal phygital lock.

I'm something like a human bitcoin-mining server and I've been walking in circles in the street – in the dark – for over 2 hours, getting closer and closer to accessing the impending portal. I knew I had to make this jump.

However, my system gave out, no way around that. The code was dense and there's no amount of liquid coolant that could help me now. I rationalize: "Whatever... I'm not gonna make it," I thought. "I guess I just won't teleport."

To be honest, I had given up and started my recharging / update processes when my comms pinged at 22:00 PST – a beacon had just arrived and it required immediate attention. WRKGRP has a funny timing with these sorts of things, eh? I went through the process of minting my access NFT and confirming its authenticity through Tokenproof, verifying not only my identity, but my trust level within the group and the various accesses granted.

Only then was I sent coordinates and a time-frame in which to work. Only 90 miles away… I can do this.

Not every underpass in downtown Los Angeles is built the same. I knew I'd have to circle the block to find somewhere to park my truck and, as I passed an industrial warehouse, I saw a handful of freelancers standing outside a black building, like union workers waiting for the hall to open up. The only markings on the door were a series of ultramodern runes, indecipherable to most, but ominous and foreshadowing nonetheless.

"This is it," I said to the dog. "This is the place."

By the time I got to the door, all the other players had entered the access point and were already waiting to spawn. I presented my digital token at the concierge desk and my camera was deactivated, in order to abide with the media moratorium.

A door materializes to my left. Fog obscured the depth of the building while spotlights illuminated informational videos on freestanding scaffolds. Finally, an idea of what's going on… maybe there's more here than just a wormhole.

I was approached by a docent named Andrean, who had been responsible for the industrial design and product development of the hardware on the table. I chose the option to learn more – straight from the horse's mouth.

Apparently Berlin-based apparel brand ACRONYM has spent the last few years collaborating in private with Taiwanese computer manufacturer ASUS. The handful of us that made it this far have been given a curated hands-on experience and a glimpse into the future of wearable tech.

The ACRONYM x ASUS ROG Flow Z13-ACRNM RMT02 is designed to allow for on-the-fly mobile access and is built in such a way that demands your trust. The billet aluminum outer shell features the CNC machine's milling marks as artwork, rather than an industrial by-product to be buffed out – transparency. The corner bumpers feature such robust locking mechanisms that I can't imagine it coming undone inadvertently – security. The keys feature glyphs if not characters, although something about them is intuitive – familiarity.

And that DISPLAY. Oh my god… I felt like I'd need an upgrade to my ocular implants in order to enjoy it fully. My personal model number IS from the 1980's, after all. We're in an entirely new millennium now, and this is the fastest GPU in the smallest body currently on the market. Yikes!

Then came the panel discussion. The roster in the warehouse had filled out a bit now, and there was quite literally one seat for every player in the audience – no more, no less.

Avatars of the creative team behind the event materialized on stage, joined by the MC for the event – luminary director Chris Do. Introductions were made for the crowd's sake, but none were really needed. Next to Chris sat Phil Saunders – the man responsible for designing the Iron Man suit, among countless other achievements. Phil was flanked by Rod Chong of Race Service fame, who had been brought on to keep order & taste levels at the forefront of the project. Next to Rod was Acronym founder Errolson Hugh. I'd already seen several versions of his avatar floating around the space, but something about this one was a little higher resolution.

Some new tech, I'm sure.

The panel discussed the highs and lows of this multi-year project without pomp or ego. They all seemed a bit shell-shocked at the moment, in that the culmination of these efforts were presented here for the first time and they got to bask in it, like lizards on a hot rock. It was obvious from the space, the presentation and the product that militaria had influenced this laptop wildly, but confirmation of my suspicions is always welcome. In one particular combination, the RMT02 hangs hands-free on your chest, allowing you to type freely while standing just about anywhere. Very ATAK. Very savvy. Very calculated.

ACRONYM is known for many things – a sling-like modular jacket system, intricate messenger bags, and a history of movement-based design choices being just a few. ASUS is known for existing on the cutting edge of high-fidelity processing power and wicked gaming computers.

Might not seem like a lot of overlap there, but thought-leaders think differently. You can see that from the screen grabs and scans I took. Come on, I wasn't about to leave empty handed… not after all of that data processing, travel and literal hoops I jumped through to get there.

Mr. Do's avatar welcomed a round of questions from the audience, and my hand went up. "This is my chance to create a glitch," I thought.

I asked the panel how they felt about laying such formidable groundwork for the next generation to work with, and if they had given any thought to the fact that a designer somewhere on Earth will be using this as a springboard in order to make the next big jump in tech wearables. And there it was – I felt the ripple.

"Perfect," said Mr. Do. He had felt it too.

The designers, 3 legendary creators, whose names are going down in history as we speak, all glitched. They had not yet had the time to process that their work was finally done, before they were being reminded of the inevitable fact that their work had just begun. No rest for the wicked, or so they say.

And this is the nature of the technological industrial complex we exist in – as soon as these photos were uploaded to the cloud, somebody somewhere (earthling or otherwise) was already redesigning, remixing, altering & improving upon the team's countless years of work and every single facet of every single process is now the property of the greater hive mind.

Sorry - I don't make the rules. Hell, I don't even abide by them!

After the questions subsided, guests were invited to explore the space: to engage the speakers' avatars for more precise rounds of questioning, to mingle with the other players or to cool our processors with a chemical infusion. You could even plug directly into a data bath, courtesy of Ryoji Ikeda (if your system specs were good enough), which feels like the digital equivalent of a car being detailed – you're squeaky clean from the inside out. Trust me.

High-ranking WRKGRP members were given commemorative tokens known as "tee-shirts" to advertise their affiliation in public at a later date, and VIP members were invited to the inner circle's after-after-party. Far out.

As I wandered around, one NPC I noticed had facial tattoos that could only be described as characteristic of advanced heavy metal-based blood poisoning. I commented on the realism and aesthetic and the NPC nodded ever-so-slightly, passing me a small package in a gestureless manner.

I accepted and kept moving, glancing down at my palm only after taking 20 steps into the shadows, so as not to blow cover.

#GLASSHAMMER - I'd been waiting for this part too.

With my cold wallet retrieved I made my way to the portal - this window was about to close and I had to get out of there. Had I really been plugged in for 9 hours? All my currency was on the drive as was my boarding pass, and as I approached the jump I saw the tattooed NPC again - this time standing a little too close to one of the big monitors and clearly frying its sensors in the radioactive glow.

"Perfect," I said to the dog. "Everything is as it should be."

ACRONYM x ASUS ROG Flow Z13-ACRNM RMT02 launch event report archived.

Session terminated.

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