Datastream

The datastream is the total quantum of data being generated across the foam at any give time. Siddhas conceive of it as an actual river, and most of the metaphors for both data and karma are taken from river vocabs. For example, karma mill, karma pour, karma soak, data float, etc. Babaylans are said to be able to 'swim in the datastream', that is, they visualise it as a concrete place which they can inhabit in virtual reality. When they look at data sims, they see pieces of karma as waves or stones, people's roops as weed clusters, avatars as fish, etc. They see patterns in karma as eddies in the stream. From these they are able to predict shortages, or famine, or disease, or exceptional growth. They can monitor the return of earth's soul as the journey of an actual being who is growing in reach and depth. This datasight is greatly prized and honoured.