Life in 2188

Life in 2188 is not vastly different from life now. People still have to worry about families, illness, rent, jobs, etc. The technology is just slightly more advanced.

The Internet is alive and well, and considered a public utility. Earth has global wifi, which everyone can use, for free. The only dead spots are usually surrounding government buildings and the like.

The Internet also exists on Luna and Mars, though it is not as fast as the connections on Earth. Living on Luna, your internet is about the speed of a cable connection, and on Mars, it's about as fast as dial-up. Both colonies do have wifi access throughout the colony, and intra-colony communication is just as fast on Luna and Mars as it is on Earth.

2D holograms are extremely common, and used for almost any technology that uses a screen. Mechanical keyboards have been phased out, replaced with projected light keyboards, and most holograms are controlled via touch interface.

Current trends in fashion and electronics tend towards lots of clean lines and glass, both transparent and opaque, and playful uses of light.

By this point, most countries on Earth have settled the debates on civil liberties, with the general attitude of "so long as you don't cause harm to others, be who you are."

There are exceptions, however. A number of people are vehemently against severe modifications to the human form, via genetic engineering or Body Modification. Getting your bones contoured to change your face shape is fine. Having your ears turned into cat ears is controversial.

The most popular news channel on Earth, and the only one broadcast out to the colonies, is UNCN, the United Nations Central Network. It runs a 24-hour news cycle of both Terran and Colonial news.

## Life in the Colonies

### Living Quarters

Everyone who lives in the colonies lives in an apartment. Some have luxurious apartments that are the entire floor of a building, some have tiny studios with only a curtain sectioning off their bathroom, and no kitchen. Regardless, all apartments have some things in common:

* **No Windows:** In the event of a dome breach, each building and apartment can be sealed, with the only access to other buildings being the underground tunnels. Windows would interfere with the sealing process, so they do not exist. It is very common for people to buy special "LED windows" which are basically a window frame with a screen in it, that you can upload landscapes, scenes, and sounds to from any internet-enabled device. There's always at least one article on your social media feed dissecting someone's choice of scenery.
* **Puncture and Tear Resistant Plastic:** Between the insulation and the drywall is a thick layer of plastic sheeting, that is heat sealed to the layers below your floors and above your sealing. In the event that the seal on your building fails, your door will heat seal itself to this plastic as well, keeping you inside until emergency services can arrive.
* **Emergency Space Suit:** Each apartment also holds enough space suits for the maximum number of residents, and one additional space suit to account for a guest. In the event of a breach, you are to don one of the space suits, which will keep you alive and allow you to successfully navigate your way to a safe area.
* **Hand Rails:** Gravity on Luna is approximately 1/8th that of Earth, and gravity on Mars is a little less than half. Hand rails are provided inside every structure to assist with navigation, often on the outside of buildings as well, and every 100 yards along the inner surface of the dome. A good sign someone grew up on the colonies is if they have a tendency to climb up to higher levels and use the hand rails there.
* **Exercise Equipment:** Residents of the colonies are required to exercise regularly, to meet certain target goals of lifting and endurance, in order to assure that they will not need immediate hospitalization if they go to Earth. These requirements are usually waived for those with disabilities.
* **Emergency Broadcast Speakers:** Every room of every building contains speakers that notify inhabitants of an emergency. In space, a few seconds can be the difference between life and death.

### Food

Food comes in two categories: things shipped from Earth, and things grown locally. The items grown in the colonies are usually things that are extremely fast growing, and all of them are genetically modified in some way. Lettuce is the most common crop, as it grows quickly and uses few resources, leading to salads being one of the cheapest meals to be found in the colonies.

As far as food shipped from Earth, as both colonies use a taxation-then-distribution system, you receive deliveries that you must sign for once every two weeks on Luna, and once a month on Mars. These contain enough food, and a variety of food, to last you until the next delivery, often with a few treats. You can easily update your food preferences, and allergy information, on your colony's web portal, to ensure you get a delivery that best reflects your needs.

Beyond the deliveries, extras can be purchased often, and restaurants do exist in the colonies. Luna has an extremely popular restaurant, Estrella, that is famous for it's delicate confections, only possible in a location with such low gravity. It is the only colonial restaurant to have received a Michelin Star.