You have recently started working at Snarfblat Public Library. As the only employee who has been to library school in the last ten years, you expect you will have to take care of all of this new technology stuff. You are very happy you took Digital Tools, Trends, and Debates to prepare you for this!
[[Start your first day.->Beginning of the Day]]
[[Seriously? Digital Tools, Trends, and Debates? This is going to be one of those painfully obvious, boring walkthroughs of stuff learned in class, isn't it.->Sass (1)]]
You walk into the library on your first day. Your boss, Kenneth Mars, briskly walks up to you. He is tall and broad-shouldered with a flowing white beard and long hair in a ponytail. His face is bright with a smile.
Ken greets you. "Hey! What a wonderful kind of day, eh?"
[[You nod, despite this being possibly the most Northern thing you've heard in your life.->Beginning 2]]
(set: $pword to "easy")(set: $encryption to "no")You recognize that the passwords are easy to remember for all the librarians, so you leave them alone. There's no point in coming up with some string of numbers and letters that no one will remember. If the passwords aren't easy enough to remember, the librarians will write them down near the computers and possibly lose the sheets.
That would be terrible for security.
Still, you wonder if you should keep the sheet of passwords for reference.
[[Destroy the list. Shred it to bits!->Password Choice A (2)]]
[[Put the list in a locked cabinet and let the other librarians know where it is.->Password Choice A (3)]]
(set: $sass to "visited")Only a little bit. Yeah there's going to be class stuff, but don't worry; there will probably be ninjas or unicorns or something.
[[Okay fine I'll play along but you better deliver.->Beginning of the Day]]
Your co-worker is an average height, stout, with short, grey-white hair. She's wearing a black cardigan and bright red lipstick. "Hey, I'm Pat." She introduces herself. "You must be the new hire. I've been in charge of the social media accounts and passwords and things for the library."
You politely introduce yourself. And engage in mindless small talk about the weather. Pat gets around to the tasks she's handing over.
"I'm glad you're going to be taking over the facebook and these things; I've never been a big fan of keeping track of passwords and I'm getting really busy." Pat hands you a sheet of paper. "I'll pass these over to you. If you do change any of them, you've got to let us know."
You thank Pat and she walks off.
(set: $ChoiceD to "false")
[[Look at the sheet.->Password Sheet]]
(set: $pat to 0)(set: $patron to 0)Now that you've taken care of the passwords, what will you do next?
[[Go talk to Pat about the passwords.->Pat Convo Start]]
[[Start to learn all of the labels on the drawers and cabinets at the front desk.->Labels]]
[[Start your bitcoin mining empire on the computers in the computer lab.->Bitcoins]]
That is such a terrible idea. Why would you do that??? Not only is this the type of thing that can get you fired, but your library's computers aren't powerful enough to mine bitcoins on their own, so you would have to join a bitcoin mining pool and possibly wouldn't even get the bitcoins you're helping to mine (depending on the person who owns the pool).
That's it. I'm firing you myself. Start over.
[[Start over->Start]]
Don't you just know how to have fun!
Fine. You can read the labels. What a boring afternoon. You start at the far left of the circulation desk counter. The first drawer is labeled "Staples, Tape."
[[Pull open the drawer.->Open Staples, Tape Drawer]]
[[Read other labels.->Read other labels]]
You see staples for both the hand-operated and electric staplers. You see refills for the tape dispensers. I'm not sure what else you were expecting.
[[Proceed to read label of cabinet under "Staples, Tape" drawer.->Read cabinet label]]
[[Maybe you'll start mining bitcoins after all...->Bitcoins]]
You read the cabinet label under the "Staples, Tape" drawer. It says "Printer Paper". Before you can open the cabinet to see if it does, indeed, contain printer paper, movement out of the corner of your eye alerts you to the approach of a patron.
[[Greet the patron.->Greet patron]]
The cabinet under "Staples, Tape" is labeled "Printer Paper". Before you can read the next labels, you catch movement out of the corner of your eye as a patron approaches the desk.
[[Greet the patron.->Greet patron]]
(set: $patron to 1)You greet the patron. The patron is a young woman, clearly a little nervous. She says, "Hey, so, I have a problem with my computer... can you help?"
You say yes.
"So my computer is really slow and I keep getting all these weird pop-ups."
[[You ask what kind of computer she has and if she has it with her.->Patron (2)]]
Circulation computer
Username: Admin
Password: adminpassword
Patron computers (Admin)
Username: Admin
Password: snarfblatlib
LibraryThing
Username: SnarfblatLibrary
Password: snarfblat
Facebook
Username: snarfblatlibrary@spl.org
Password: snarfblatfacebook
[[These passwords are easy to remember and everyone already knows them. Perfect. You don't need to make any changes.->Password Choice A (1)]]
[[Password is a terrible password! You must change those immediately! You decide to change the passwords to an unguessable string of letters, numbers, and symbols.)->Password Choice B (1)]]
[[All of these passwords are terrible. How has the library remained unhacked?? You decide to change the passwords to a long string of words and numbers.->Password Choice C (1)]]
(if: $ChoiceD is "false")[[[This security is inferior! You download a password manager. Now everyone only needs to remember ''one'' password!->Password Choice D (1)]]]
(set: $pwordlist to "destroyed")You destroy that list. You destroy it well. You don't know where the shredder is, so you grab a pair of scissors and cut it to smithereens. You dispose of the evidence.
Now that your library's password secrets are safe, you return to other matters.
[[Go forth!->Rest of the afternoon]]
(set: $pwordlist to "secure")You decide to put the list in a secure location, for the reference of the other librarians. The circulation desk makes the most sense to put it so that everyone can find it, so you select one of the couple of locked cabinets and stash it there. You lock the cabinet, secure in your decision to keep the list secure but accessible to your fellow librarians.
Afterwards, you send out an email to everyone to let them know what you've done with the list.
[[Return to your other tasks.->Rest of the afternoon]]
"Welcome to the crew! Today, unfortunately, we don't have a lot of time to show you the hoops, so I hope you can learn on the fly today and start more formal training tomorrow."
You assure Ken that this is no problem.
"Great! Pat has something for you, I think, as you'll be taking over some of her duties. Got to dash!" Ken turns and walks briskly away.
You look around the library, wondering where to look first to find Pat.
[[You catch sight of a co-worker walking towards you.->Password Sheet Challenge]]
(set: $pword to "hard")You generate more secure passwords for all the library accounts and users you can. The admin password becomes dI9ne))wm3jl.FkWOjd900jw@x and the Facebook password becomes 5Lk0D,vm9I03l.fio,&de02kMM3in2qi. You dreamt of creating the world's strongest password, and you succeeded (for the most part).
To remember them, you write the passwords down on a list.
[[Write the username/password combinations in a code that only you can read, so only you know what accounts the passwords are for.->Password Choice B (2)]]
[[Write the username/password combinations on a list like Pat's.->Password Choice B (3)]]
"It's a Dell," she says, opening her bag and pulling a bulky silver laptop out of it. You notice it has a mermaid sticker on the cover. She sets it on the counter and opens it up. She wakes the computer up and you notice she's running Windows 7. You also notice that her laptop has a square screen, not rectangular. You find it strange, but ignore it in favor of fixing the problem.
Before you do anything, a window with an ad for an iPhone appears. You close the window.
[[Open the task manager.->Task Manager]]
[[See what internet browser she has installed and open it to see how slow it is.->Browser]]
[[Tell her the first step is to get rid of her Dell and get a Mac.->Mac]]
[[Ask her if she's restarted the computer since she started having problems.->Restart]]
(if: $browser is "checked")[After closing the browser, you open the task manager. There are no programs open except for the Task Manager. You open the processes and see the file Adserverplus.exe running, using up a lot of the CPU.]
(else:)[You suspect that there is adware installed, bringing up these pop-ups. You open the task manager. There are no programs open except for the Task Manager. You open the processes and see the file Adserverplus.exe running, using up a lot of the CPU.]
[[End that process!->Task Manager (2)]]
(set: $browser to "checked")You check what browser she's using. Internet Explorer. Your favorite.
Regardless, you open the browser and find that the laptop is indeed running slow, Yahoo! taking a full 45 seconds to load. A couple of ads pop open in new windows. One is for a unicorn wallpaper site. (if: $sass is "visited")[(I told you there'd be unicorns.)] One is for a porn website.
[[Find out what version of Internet Explorer she's running, if it needs to be updated.->Browser Version]]
[[Close out of the browser and open the task manager.->Task Manager]]
[[Restart the computer->Restart]]
(set: $patronhappiness to 0)You tell the patron to get a Mac instead, as if that will solve her problem here, now. As if that will solve all her problems.
The patron huffs and snatches her laptop away.
"Mac's don't have square screens! Squares are cool! It's hip to be square!" The patron shoves the laptop into her bag and storms out.
That was a bit rude of you, wasn't it?
(if: $pat is 1)[[[The rest of the day progresses.->Game End]]](if: $pat is 0)[[[You decide you should really go talk to your co-worker about the passwords.->Pat Convo Start]]]
(if: $browser is "checked")[You restart the computer; your mouse moves very slowly across the screen. The computer takes a while to shut down and reboot. You shoot the breeze with the patron while you wait, both a little awkward.
When the computer is on and logged back in, you notice the mouse moves at a more normal speed across the screen - you've saved some of the lag. However, another pop-up shows up. This one, instead, an ad for "male enhancement". You sigh.]
(else:)["No, I haven't," the patron says. You restart the computer; your mouse moves very slowly across the screen. The computer takes a while to shut down and reboot. You shoot the breeze with the patron while you wait, both a little awkward.
When the computer is on and logged back in, you notice the mouse moves at a more normal speed across the screen - you've saved some of the lag. However, another pop-up shows up. This one, instead, an ad for "male enhancement". You sigh.]
(set: $browser to "restarted")
[[Open the Task Manager.->Task Manager]]
You check the version of Internet Explorer. It is up-to-date.
[[Restart the computer.->Restart]]
[[Open the Task Manager.->Task Manager]]
You end that process! It ends with very little fight. You tell the patron she has a virus on her computer.
"Figures," she replies.
You tell her you're working on getting rid of it.
[[Go to the control panel and try uninstalling it.->Task Manager (3)]]
You try uninstalling the program. It seems to work. There aren't any similarly named other programs installed either.
(set: $patronhappiness to 1)
[[Your job is done - give the computer back to the patron.->Patron (3)]]
[[Restart the computer to make sure the process won't start up again on reboot.->Second Restart]]
[[Check if the computer has antivirus software.->Antivirus]]
You explain that you've gotten rid of the software, so her problems with ads and slowness are done.
"Thank goodness!" she cries. "I wasn't even able to play solitaire in peace!"
[[Ask her if she plays any other computer games.->Patron (4)]]
[[Bid her goodbye.->Patron (5)]]
You restart the computer. (if: $browser is "restarted")[The reboot is faster than last time.](else:)[The reboot takes a while.]You take advantage of the time to ask the patron when the pop-ups started. You discover that the patron clicked on an email attachment from a strange email that purported to have deals on clothes. You tell the patron to be careful with emails from senders she doesn't recognize and from emails with mispellings in the subject line.
Once the computer is rebooted, you open the task manager. There are no strange processes running! You open Internet Explorer and no ads appear there, either. Hoorah!
(set: $patronhappiness to it + 1)
[[Check to see if the patron has antivirus software.->Antivirus]]
[[Call it quits and give the patron her laptop back.->Patron (3)]]
(set: $patronhappiness to it + 1)You check to see if the patron has antivirus software installed. She has the default Microsoft antivirus. You open it up and discover that it's been disabled. You ask the patron about it.
"Oh! I didn't realize it wasn't working. Can you re-install it?"
You say yes, it's already installed, it just needs to be turned on.
"Thank you so much!"
You accept the patron's thanks and mention that there are other free antivirus programs if she's interested.
"Thanks," she says, "but I want to use this one."
You tell her if she changes her mind in the future or has any other questions you'll be happy to help her.
[[Give the computer back to the patron.->Patron (3)]]
(set: $patronhappiness to it + 1)"Oh yes," she replies, "my computer also has mahjong and that's fun."
You bond over computer puzzle games and suggest she try sudoku. You mention a few sites like websudoku and jigsawdoku.
The patron thanks you as she leaves.
(if: $pat is 1)[[[The rest of the day progresses.->Game End]]](if: $pat is 0)[[[You decide you should really go talk to your co-worker about the passwords.->Pat Convo Start]]]
You farewell the patron.
(if: $pat is 1)[[[The rest of the day progresses.->Game End]]](if: $pat is 0)[[[You decide you should really go talk to your co-worker about the passwords.->Pat Convo Start]]]
(set: $encryption to "list")You devise a code to hide the true utility of the passwords. Now, if someone broke into the library and found the list, they would have no idea what this document was. You're proud of yourself, and thankful for your middle school obsession with encryption. If only you hadn't also read Dan Brown's //Deception Point//, maybe then you would be able to keep real encryption information separate from popular fiction ...
[[As an extra step, why not keep your list both secret //and// safe?->Password Choice A (3)]]
(set: $encryption to "no")You make up a new list for yours and everyone else's reference.
[[Store the list in a locked, but accessible place.->Password Choice A (3)]]
(set: $pword to "middle")You recognize that the passwords should be easy to remember, but hard to guess. The passwords don't need to be the Fort Knox of security, but none of them should probably contain the word "password" or the username in them.
You generate a few long passwords that mix words and numbers. You change the patron computer admin password to "bookfr13nddance" and the circ desk admin password to "thescottishplaymacbeth".
[[You decide to make a list of your passwords so that the other librarians can refer to them.->Password Choice B (3)]]
(set: $ChoiceD to "true")That's a good thought, but that's not how password managers work, silly! Password managers are for keeping log-ins primarily for internet accounts. They work through a program on the desktop, so having one store the password to get onto the computer is impossible. Also, installing password managers on all of the computers is impractical, especially as all of the librarians would have to use them and you'd have to keep all of the up-to-date with password information ... no. No one would let you do this.
[[You should go back and pick another option.->Password Sheet]]
(set: $pat to 1)You go to Pat's office. It's decorated on every free surface - desk, bookshelves, window sill - with seashells and seashell knickknacks. You greet Pat.
"Hey, what's up?" She says.
(if: $pword is "easy")[[[Tell her what you did with the password situation.->Pat (2)]]](if: $pword is "middle")[[[Tell her what you did with the password situation.->Pat (3)]]](if: $pword is "hard")[[[Tell her what you did with the password situation.->Pat (4)]]]
[[Ask her about the seashells.->Seashells (1)]]
(set: $pathappiness to 5)"Oh, I'm glad you thought I'd chosen good passwords! Easy to remember is always best, I say," Pat replies. She looks very cheery.
You tell her that you also thought it would make things easy for everyone to not change around the passwords all the time.
(if: $pwordlist is "secure")[[[Tell her where you stored the list.->Secure List]]](if: $pwordlist is "destroyed")[[[Tell her you destroyed the list.->Destroyed List]]]
(set: $seashells to 1)Pat smiles a little too wide for your taste, her white teeth gleaming sharply.
"Oh, I do love a stroll on the beach and you find so many different kinds. Poor, unfortunate souls - I rescue them and bring them here."
(if: $pword is "easy")[[[Tell her that's nice and talk to her about the passwords instead.->Pat (2)]]](if: $pword is "middle")[[[Tell her that's nice and talk to her about the passwords instead.->Pat (3)]]](if: $pword is "hard")[[[Tell her that's nice and talk to her about the passwords instead.->Pat (4)]]]
[[Ask her about the dioramas.->Seashells (2)]]
(set: $seashells to 2)You think you might regret it, but you ask about the knickknacks.
"Those? I make them myself!" She gestures to to a conical shell on her desk, with googly eyes, a small dark doll wig, and a magenta dress suit. "This one is my newest one - Mishell Obama."
You groan a bit at the pun and then ask her why she makes dioramas.
"It's fun! I take the shells of these dead creatures and give them new life! And they do liven up the office."
(if: $pword is "easy")[[[You think about edging away, but you better tell her about the passwords now so you don't have to come back.->Pat (2)]]](if: $pword is "middle")[[[You think about edging away, but you better tell her about the passwords now so you don't have to come back.->Pat (3)]]](if: $pword is "hard")[[[You think about edging away, but you better tell her about the passwords now so you don't have to come back.->Pat (4)]]]
(set: $pathappiness to 3)"Oh, I suppose we should change the passwords every once in a while," Pat replies gamely, looking a little put out but still pleasant.
You explain that another reason is the passwords are easy for patrons to guess, so they might be able to log onto things they shouldn't.
"Oh, I didn't even think of that. Are you sure? Why would they want to do that???"
[[Answer, "Some people are just born to mischief. They feel its call deep in their bones."->Medium Mischief]]
[[Answer, "This millennium is the age of the hackers. They have changed the world and brought forth chaos, breaking locks that were previously unbreakable. We can't leave anything easy for them to break through. They see it as a challenge."->Medium Dark]]
(if: $seashells is 1)[[[Answer, "Like seashells, digital security can be fragile."->Medium Mischief]]](if: $seashells is 2)[[[Answer, "Like seashells, digital security can be fragile."->Medium Mischief]]
[[Answer, "From the empty, unfortunate shells of our password security, the hackers shall build a new era of darkness."->Medium Dark]]]
(set: $pathappiness to 1)Pat frowns. "Why are the passwords gibberish? Who's going to remember them?"
(if: $encryption is "list")[[[Tell her that you also encrypted the password list and where the list is.->Encrypted]]](if: $encryption is "no")[[[Tell her that you put the passwords on a list and put it behind the circulation desk, so that everyone can refer to it as needed.->Not Encrypted]]]
"The things people do to destroy what we've created!" (if: $seashells is 2)[Pat pats Mishell Obama lovingly.]
You agree that it's heinous.
(if: $pwordlist is "secure")[[[Tell her where you stored the list.->Secure List]]](if: $pwordlist is "destroyed")[[[Tell her you destroyed the list.->Destroyed List]]]
(set: $pathappiness to 1)"Oh dear!" Pat cries. (if: $seashells is 2)[She scoops up Mishell Obama and cradles the diorama protectively to her chest.](if: $seashells is 1)[She looks, alarmed, around at the seashells in her office.](else:)[She looks alarmed.]
You tell her it will probably be alright (maybe).
(if: $pwordlist is "secure")[[[Tell her where you stored the list.->Secure List]]](if: $pwordlist is "destroyed")[[[Tell her you destroyed the list.->Destroyed List]]]
(set: $pathappiness to it + 1)"I'm glad we can access the password list that way! That's very helpful - thanks!" Pat replies.
[[Pat continues to speak]].
(set: $pathappiness to it - 1)(if: $pword is "middle")[Pat looks worried about the destruction of the list, but brushes it off.](if: $pword is "easy")[Pat seems unconcerned about the list.]
[[Pat continues to speak]]
(set: $pathappiness to 0)You explain about password security and how her passwords were not secure at all.
"I can understand not having "password" in the password, but why make everything so ridiculously hard? And why can't we read the list?"
You explain again about the security, Pat remains unconvinced.
[[Pat continues to speak]]
"Well at least we have a list," Pat says, doubtfully.
You explain about password security and how her passwords were not secure at all.
"I can understand not having "password" in the password, but why make everything so ridiculously hard?"
You explain that longer passwords with letters and numbers are harder to crack.
[[Pat speaks->Pat continues to speak]]
(if: $pathappiness is 6)[Pat tells you about her son, who just started working for the NSA. The way Pat talks about him, you imagine he must be a nice guy.](if: $pathappiness is 5)[Pat tells you about her son, who just started working for the NSA. The way Pat talks about him, you imagine he must be a nice guy.](if: $pathappiness is 4)[Pat tells you about her son, who just started working for the NSA. The way Pat talks about him, you imagine he must be a nice guy.](if: $pathappiness is 3)[You and Pat make awkward smalltalk about the weather. Pat mentions something about going for more shells. You duck out as soon as you can.](if: $pathappiness is 2)[You and Pat make awkward smalltalk about the weather. Pat mentions something about going for more shells. You duck out as soon as you can.](if: $pathappiness is 1)[The conversation stutters to a halt and you let yourself out as Pat scowls.](if: $pathappiness is 0)[The conversation stutters to a halt and you let yourself out as Pat scowls.]
(if: $patron is 0)[[[End conversation with Pat.->Pat End]]](if: $patron is 1)[[[Go on with the rest of the day.->Game End]]]
Now that you're done talking to Pat, you head over to the circulation desk to familiarize yourself with it and work a bit. You're only there for a little while when a patron approaches the desk.
[[Greet patron]]
(if: $patronhappiness is 0)[The rest of your day goes alright, but Ken yells at you for your poor attitude.](else:)[The rest of your first day goes well.] You learn the ropes with ease and the days turn into weeks turn into months.
[[Proceed.->Ending 2]]
(if: $pword is "easy")[Your fellow librarians welcome you with open arms. You are quite popular. Unfortunately, a couple of weeks into the job, one of your patrons hacks into the administrator accounts on the computer lab computers and downloads a million games and viruses without discrimination. This creates many headaches for you and your fellow librarians.](if: $pword is "middle")[Your fellow librarians welcome you with open arms. You are quite popular. Some of the patrons try to install suspicious games onto the lab computers, but are unable to do so.](if: $pword is "hard")[Your fellow librarians take a near universal dislike for you and your dictatorial ways. They copy down the passwords for computers and accounts onto slips of paper and one of them loses theirs. One of your patrons finds it and uses the passwords to get into the administrator accounts on the computer lab computers and downloads a million games and viruses without discrimination. This creates many headaches for you and your fellow librarians.]
[[Proceed.->Ending 3]]
(if: $pathappiness is 5)[Pat becomes your best work friend. You find out that despite what you consider her odd shell hobby, she's a really cool person. She invites you to spend the 4th of July at her cottage by the sea, and it is easily the most fun you've had in months.](if: $pathappiness is 6)[Pat becomes your best work friend. You find out that despite what you consider her odd shell hobby, she's a really cool person. She invites you to spend the 4th of July at her cottage by the sea, and it is easily the most fun you've had in months.](if: $pathappiness is 3)[You and Pat become good work friends and occasionally get coffee, although you do everything in your power to avoid talking about shells. When she gets started on them, she really gets going!](if: $pathappiness is 4)[You and Pat become good work friends and occasionally get coffee, although you do everything in your power to avoid talking about shells. When she gets started on them, she really gets going!](if: $pathappiness is 0)[Pat becomes your work pseudo enemy. She dislikes you the most of your coworkers by a land slide, and lets you know it by leaving broken shells on your desk chair, on your office floor.](if: $pathappiness is 1)[Pat becomes your work pseudo enemy. She dislikes you the most of your coworkers by a land slide, and lets you know it by leaving broken shells on your desk chair, on your office floor.](if: $pathappiness is 2)[Pat becomes your work pseudo enemy. She dislikes you the most of your coworkers by a land slide, and lets you know it by leaving broken shells on your desk chair, on your office floor.]
[[Proceed.->Ending 4]]
You finished the game! Here are some of your stats. Play again and see what kind of different ending you can get.
Patron Service: (print: $patronhappiness)/3
Pat Happiness: (print: $pathappiness)/6
Password Security: (if: $encryption is "list")[Very ](if: $pword is "easy")[Low](if: $pword is "middle")[High](if: $pword is "hard")[Low]
Unicorns Spotted: (if: $browser is "checked")[1](else:)[0]/1
(if: $seashells is 1)[Silliness Level: Very Silly](if: $seashells is 2)[Silliness Level: Off the Charts!](if: $seashells is 0)[Silliness Level: Not Very Silly]
[[Play Again?->Start]]
//This game was created by Andrea Parmentier. Much of its information comes from lectures from David McHugh.//