Be More Chill

Be More Chill is a science fiction novel by American author Ned Vizzini. It features a fictional pill named the "squip".

Plot introduction

Be More Chill is written in the first person, from the perspective of high school student Jeremy Heere. Jeremy buys a pill that contains a "squip" -- a supercomputer which directly interfaces with his brain -- and begins to hear a voice in his mind which instructs him on how to achieve acceptance and social status in his school. Trusting in the squip's advice after some initial success, Jeremy has his squip write an account of what happened (which ends up being the book itself)after a horendous mistake is made and the squip tells Jeremy to destroy the squip by drinking some moutnain dew code red which is the failsafe "07:05, 24 July 2007 (UTC)07:05, 24 July 2007 (UTC)~~to kill" the chip.

Plot summary

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 advice on how to achieve what the user desires most. 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.

The squip's formidable computing power confers extraordinary abilities on its user. 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. It helps him with homework, helps him memorize lines for a play, and also helps motivate him to get into bed with several hot chicks.

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 dissolve the computer by drinking Mountain Dew Code Red.

Allusions/references to actual history, geography and current science

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.

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 are real by the way." [1]

External links

• Ned Vizzini's Website