From American Internet Celebrity to God Among Men

This question was more like a mind game, testing the boundaries of imagination.

Alex thought for a moment, not immediately throwing out a grand technological art proposal, but instead saying: ”I might want to create a series of ’Urban Memory Patches.’”

Seeing the slightly puzzled looks from the group, he explained, ”Choose some small, overlooked locations that carry collective memory but are disappearing or forgotten—like the old traces of hopscotch grids drawn by children in an alley, the original site of a newspaper stand that vanished from an old neighborhood, or a street corner where an old tree once grew. Use ’subtle’ methods—like special light projections (visible only at specific times and angles), tiny sound installations (where one can only hear ambient samples of the past by getting close), or memorial inlays that blend into the ground—to mark and ’repair’ these fractures in memory. It wouldn’t be spectacular; it might even be ignored by many, but for those who remember, or for passersby who happen to discover it, it could be a small, warm ’echo.’”

This idea wasn’t about showing off, but was full of human warmth and a unique observational perspective. The writer was the first to express appreciation: ”Very poetic, and very tender. It’s a bit like writing a city diary using visual means.”

Mr. Watson finally revealed a more obvious smile and raised his glass to Alex: ”A very unique perspective, Alex. Remember this idea; perhaps one day, we will truly see your ’Memory Patches’ in some corner.”

The dinner party ended in a friendly atmosphere. Mr. Watson personally saw Alex to the door, his handshake firm: ”I’m very glad you could come tonight, Alex. Keep up your creative rhythm and thinking. My assistant, Emma, will stay in touch with you; perhaps there are some small projects in the future we can discuss together.”

”Thank you for the invitation and hospitality, Mr. Watson. I’ve benefited greatly from tonight.” Alex’s attitude was respectful and sincere.

Driving down the mountain back to Santa Monica, the evening breeze was cool. This dinner party, rather than expanding his network (those big shots wouldn’t have direct cooperation with him in the short term), was more like passing an important ”stress test” and ”impression management exam.” He left an impression in that circle of being ”thoughtful, grounded, balanced, and full of potential,” and that was enough. Mr. Watson’s final comment, ”stay in touch,” was the real gain.

Back home, it was nearly midnight. He took off his suit and changed into comfortable clothes. The system interface appeared automatically; his popularity had seen another solid increase due to the continued viral success of ’Public Facilities Can’t Think Straight’ and the potential high-level attention from the dinner party. However, the dark gold Core Influence value remained steadily at 43, unmoving. It seemed that recognition in such social settings was not enough to trigger deeper mechanisms of the system.

He wasn’t disappointed. Real Core Influence had to be earned through hardcore works like ’echo gallery.’

While showering, the hot water washed away his fatigue. The architect’s question at the dinner party about ”Urban Memory Patches” lingered in his mind. A spark of inspiration suddenly burst forth—not to use it for serious public art, but to turn it into a lighthearted and interesting YouTube video series!

It could be called ’Los Angeles Lost and Found.’ For each video, he would find a small, storied place in Los Angeles that was disappearing or already gone (like a closed old record store, the former site of an iconic street basketball hoop that had been demolished, or a street that had been renamed), and by interviewing old residents and digging up old video footage, he would recreate its story and atmosphere. Then, he could use his signature visual means (like conducting a small, fitting AR display at that location, or filming an emotional visual short) to create an ”online memorial,” finally calling on viewers to share their own memories of this place or other vanished locations in the comments section.

This both continued his interest in the city and memory (sharing the same core as ’echo gallery’) and was more grounded and interactive than pure art shorts, capable of triggering strong resonance among local viewers. It could be done lightly and movingly, or interestingly and nostalgically, with high flexibility.