Be More Chill
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Be More Chill is a book by American author Ned Vizzini. It features a fictional pill named the "squip".
Contents |
[edit] Background
The story in Be More Chill involves a young man named Jeremy Heere, who buys a pill that will supposedly tell him how to be cool.
[edit] What the Pill Does
The pill's CPU navigates itself to the brain of the user, where it communicates with them as a voice in their head. It is programmed to give the user advice on how to be "cool", or "chill". A few celebrity voices are utilized by the squip, with the user able to choose the one that suits their individual preferences. The default voice utilized by Jeremy Heere's squip in Be More Chill is that of Keanu Reeves, who became famous in such roles as Neo in The Matrix movie trilogy.
In the story, the squip gives Jeremy advice on how to behave in a manner that is socially acceptable to his "cool" high school peers. The advice ranges from how to gain the attention of the female gender to how to maintain an attractive appearance.
[edit] Activation/Deactivation of the Pill
In a nod to pop culture during the book's time period (the early years of the twenty-first century), the squip is activated by being ingested together with Mountain Dew. To terminate use of the pill, the user must deactivate the computer by drinking Mountain Dew Code Red, the cherry-flavored Mountain Dew spinoff.
[edit] Existence of the Squip
There is no current known technology that can effectively detect thoughts as words, and turn them into commands, (ex:ON/OFF) but that doesn't stop diehard fans of Be More Chill and the squip from hoping that it will appear soon.
At one point, a number of fan sites dedicated to the squip existed, but they have since been dismantled. There was also a grassroots publicity campaign where fans were encouraged to place free stickers saying "Squip? Google It." in interesting places. This campaign has since been terminated as well.
[edit] Ned Vizzini's Comments on the Squip
In regards to the fan sites and numerous requests about the validity of the squip, author Ned Vizzini has said, "To promote the book and expand on it, I and my former business partner built a universe of websites that presented a world where the squip was real... Squips aren't real. The squip could be real, though; I know this from my studies in computer science. The technology is coming." [1]
[edit] Future Possibility of the Squip
There is evidence that it may in fact be coming. The squip contains a quantum computer, which actually exists today, although it has not quite been adapted for use as a machine of social ascension. [citation needed]
