Thesis

They say "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts" (Aristotle). As a scientist, I used to find this saying perplexing. Almost everything in the perceivable universe can be broken down into definable parts, whose combination yields predictable outcomes. However, it turns out that there are exceptions. Observation, introspection, and intelligence have ways of complicating simple categorizations. An object is easy to classify until it has intent. In this same manner, my rudimentary understanding of morality has also been forced into question. I thought evil was a human invention. I was wrong.

Over the course of this study, I hope to showcase that this object, which will hereafter be referred to as "the radio", not only has the ability to affect human minds, but, perhaps more puzzling, appears to have "intent". While anomalous, this intent is observable and implies that the radio has some form of sentience, if not sapience. It is an object which exhibits cunning strategy and a desire to kill. The purpose of this drive is unclear. However, within the scope of this study, it is provable. While second-hand accounts and quantifiable data can be disregarded as coincidental or circumstantial, the qualities described have now been observed in a sterile environment, allowing me the privilege of verifying these phenomena. Further suggested research and the potential application of my findings will be included in their corresponding sections.

Production History and Component Breakdown

On a component level, the radio is nothing special. It is identical to any other in its line: a Luxury Edition, two-band, Euphoriovox radio. It was built in 1993 and was sold as an enthusiast-level throwback product. It was sold for roughly three times the price of the average consumer market corded radio and styled after popular radios from the 1980s. Part of the line's marketing was that it was an "all-American construction and made with high-quality materials". It has a full metal frame, high-quality wiring, and a polished steel exterior casing with ornate leather work at its base. Other than the antenna, which no longer retracts completely, it is in excellent condition.

It was only after the circumstances of its creation were closely examined that its uniqueness could be fully appreciated. To my knowledge, it is the only surviving model of its batch. 100 such items were created in the same week, during a time of great financial strain for Euphoriovox. Because of the financial pressures of the company, this line has parts and materials sourced from different vendors for cheaper prices: the steel was sourced from abroad, the leather from a local company, and the wiring was harvested from returned or defective radios. To the untrained eye, these radios were the same as any other from the line, but they cost the company 40% less to produce. They planned on continuing this practice with the line going forward, but quality testing proved that it would be untenable.

Only 12 of the radios were fully functioning, and workplace accidents, blamed on the lower quality parts and worker negligence, went up 300%. It was deemed these radios were inferior and would only dilute the market value of the brand. The surviving radios were distributed to staff members as Christmas bonuses. Of the units I managed to trace, none have survived, save for this one unit. None of the others were reported to have any unique or concerning properties.

While hunting down the radio's siblings, the dubious nature of its components came into full view. The industrial company that produced the steel went under after it was discovered that they were using immigrant labor sent to them from a known dictatorship. The workers were little more than slaves. The leather was from a company that would later be known as a sort of local boogeyman. It was home to numerous scandals, which included workplace violence towards employees and horrific tales of animal cruelty. The internal components were harder to trace because of their refurbished nature, but, in the case of the surviving radio, there was only one donor. It is unclear how or why a radio involved in an owner's suicide was returned to the company or even how the water and electrical damage didn't render the parts unusable, but the parts now reside in this radio. There are further parts that remain unaccounted for, but every component of the radio has likely seen suffering in one form or another. This leads to another tired saying: misery loves company.