Posthuman Blues

The "blog bash" went well. We ate at a labyrinthine Italian joint plastered with kitschy iconography (Vatican City tourist paraphernalia, Frank Sinatra records, ad nasuem). Servings arrived in industrial quantity, and I discovered the wonder of the cannoli, a brittle but deceptively filling delicacy served in a shallow bath of cold chocolate. I showed everyone my animorphic wristwatch and was assured it was indeed cool.

After Jason and Maggie left Steve and I walked down the street to Barnes & Noble, where I discovered a new book called "Our Posthuman Future." I promptly bought it before we walked back up 47th Street to LatteLand, my daily hangout. (The baristas sometimes give me extra punches on my frequent drink cards, which make very good bookmarks.)

I've noticed that we're experiencing an outbreak of futurism. A British astrophysicist thinks the human race may have reached its final century. The author of "Our Posthuman Future" anticipates humans becoming something substantially different. Meanwhile, the likes of Billy Graham and Tim LaHaye believe we have entered the dreaded "End Times" of biblical revelation. Maybe both camps are somehow touching on a central truth, even if the latter relies on psychological terrorism to spread its memes.

"Apocalypse" means "to unveil." This isn't a bad thing; there is no shortage of veils that need to be lifted. Perhaps when we finally do, we will have become avatars of the posthuman future.

In case you're wondering, the large metallic fellow in the photo above is Electro, a prototype domestic robot exhibited at a long-ago World's Fair. He's accompanied by his dog Sparko, an early ancestor of Sony's cybercanine companion. Electro himself is a crude precursor to Honda's humanoid "Asimo."

I have a strange obsession with simulacra. Given the means, I can see myself collecting animatronics and mannequins of various eras in the same way that William Gibson hoardes antique watches. (Speaking of androids, Zakas has provided artwork to accompany my short-story "The Symbiosis.")

"Never want to come down, never want to put my feet back down on the ground."

--Depeche Mode, "Never Let Me Down Again"