The Internet, as such, is limited to planets. Oh, it could be constructed for each Lagrange point, but that adds a LOT of excess radio transmission.

Earth, Luna, and Mars each have their own World Wide Webs. The name says it all: World, not System. Each ship and satellite will have a central computer, and it can be used to form a network for that ship/satellite.

For our purposes, Satellite is enough, and all inhabited ones are SM+5 at this point. Belters may still be limited to ships, however.

This means Wikipedia and it's heirs have been replaced by the return of Encyclopedias. Really BIG encyclopedias. Assume every SM+15 satellite has something equivalent to a digital Library of Congress.

Queries can be made to the closest planet based WWW hub, of course, but long distance charges apply, as may usage charges.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:39, Sat 15 Apr 2023.

Technology advances, but not every improvement is as useful as it could be.

For instance: Antimatter is very expensive to make, and would price most ships out of the market. Sure it provides a lot of power for a very long time, but only the military needs that much power output (miners have laser drills, of course, but they aren't in flight when they use them, so power is available).

A fusion reactor is cheaper, and cheap and easy to refill (free if you're a miner near an ice asteroid). Not that either reactor will need refilled. Military ships will be replaced long before the 200 year life of an antimatter reactor, and fusion reactors will outlast the current civilization.

Fusion reaction engines are about as good as it gets, and have been for a very long time. Fission reactors are too messy and dangerous. And fuel is as cheap as mining the nearest water asteroid, if you're able, or a bit more if not. Atomic bombs are pricey.

Long distance travel as a passenger is usually done in Hibernation/Cold Sleep. It staves off boredom and reduces life support needs. Earth to Saturn can take almost a year. If Mars is in the wrong position relative to Saturn, it can take even longer for that trip.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:40, Sat 15 Apr 2023.

While there are the occasional exceptions, such as the Science Sats in the Sun-Earth L1 and L2 clusters and the SCP training and Shipyard sats around Saturn, clusters follow a pattern:

-Every Cluster has a Ranch Sat for animal protein for the cluster

-Every cluster has a Recreation Cluster for vacations and stress relief. "Native" inhabitants are minimal. Enough to run the satellite, along with their children and spouses otherwise employed. This includes staff for the Recreation Sections.

-Every Cluster has a Shipyard Sat with 3 nanofacs and 3 Hangers in the center section. allowing for the manufacture of SM 10 ships at the rate of $30B per day. SM 13 at the rate of $3B per day then assemble it in about 3 months. To build a new Housing Sat, would take $3B a day to make the parts and about 9 years to assemble. Of course, assembly in both cases can start as soon as the parts start coming out of the factory.

-And, finally, the Housing Sats. Each is capable of housing about 50,000 people with schools, shops, etc.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:42, Sat 15 Apr 2023.

Nanofacs make recycling easy. They can function as refineries and mining units. In fact, they double as the satellite Dump, breaking down any local refuse into feedstock for later re-use.

As food is exported from Ranch to all other Sats, those other Sats will tend to have excess feedstock, which is taken by tanker back to the Cluster Ranch Sat for use as fertilizer to grow animal feed. Inevitable losses can be easily replaced by Ringers for the Saturn Clusters, and Belters can get their own, of course. Luna, Mars and the Earth clusters need to import replacement material, which is about the only real source of Belter income, anymore.

Earth, of course, has a living ecosystem and is fine for this sort of thing. Mars is getting there and hasn't needed to worry for years. Atmosphere leaking out of a dome, for instance, can be replaced easily from the current atmosphere with a little effort.

Luna, however, is a bit closer to the edge of critical resource loss, and may also import replacement water which can also be used to replace oxygen, and ammonia for replacing carbon and nitrogen
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:44, Sat 15 Apr 2023.

It's the age of the network. World wide webs on two worlds and a moon, and every Ship and Satellite has it's own network.

But wait, there's more: every organization with it's own building has a local network.

Every home has it's own network. The good news is: your local Smart Speaker works off your home computer's AI, not a private company's. Which doesn't mean someone hasn't hacked it and is listening in.

And, finally, you have your own network. You have a pocket comp with some level of AI, from a mere voice operated UI to a friend in your pocket. You also have an ear bud of some sort to listen to callers or the AI, and to talk to the Ai. And don't forget your Shades so you can use Augmented Reality. And that's just the minimum everyone has.

Software is opt-out enabled auto updaters that download maps when you enter public buildings and shopping malls, adware and salesware from the malls and advertisers elsewhere, and all the joys of information overload that has replaced spam in the Network Age.

GPS units work everywhere. Inertia Guidance works on Earth, Luna, and Mars, but not on ships or satellites flying through space or spinning for gravity.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 17:45, Sat 15 Apr 2023.

Your AI may well be running Facial recognition software of varying degrees to identify acquaintances and celebrities. Lesser programs give you names, better programs give you common details, and can have such details added in verbally as a memory enhancer. Add a Current Event (People) program and it will access the local high level network for information about that person.

There are other recognition programs, often based on Current Events skill or Connoisseur skill. Collectors and "experts" generally run  top of the line program for their area of expertise.

GPS on Earth or Luna will tell you were you are outside (terraforming by asteroid strike is still making Mars too dangerous for navigation, communication, and weather sats, but the moons help).

GPS also works indoors. Originally meant for Domes, Sats and ships, most public buildings on Earth now use this system, as well. RFID chips are used for AR address labels, and the map of the building that was automatically downloaded when you entered the building (it's opt out, but no one bothers) has the location of each RFID, and can triangulate them for exact positioning.

The downside to wearing your smart glasses for AR is the Adware. Virtual holograms are everywhere advertising a whole lot of things you just don't care about. Invest in some blocking software. (Or don't. you won't be around it long enough to matter)

AR is ubiquitous. It's handy for everything from model making to repair work to navigation, to memory enhancement. And the gear you use for AR is just a pair of gloves away from a basic VR rig.

The most common VR set up is a Virtual Holographic crew station for computer use on the fly, although at home or work you might want a VR Suit for long work sessions.

But still, some folks prefer a keyboard.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:48, Sat 15 Apr 2023.