An Automobile With Feelings
"Eyebrows and eyelids would be created by lights appearing above the headlights, and a 'tear' would be displayed by another light installed below the headlights. The patent says any of the lights can remain on for a period of time, blink on and off, or fade from bright to faint. The eyelids can close in any direction - top to bottom, bottom to top and diagonally. The eyebrow shape can change, and the brows, lids and tears can be featured in different colors, the patent says."
So basically you're behind the wheel of a two-ton petroleum-fueled emoticon.
I can see it:
BMWs with vain, condescending smiles; fickle Minis with eager grins; slit-eyed Hummers chewing chrome cigars; disdainful Porsches . . .
At this rate, the 22nd century will resemble an episode of "The Teletubbies" (sans greenery).
Saturday, July 31, 2004
I'm reading Jim Keith's "Saucers of the Illuminati." I haven't finished it yet, but so far his "revelations" seem blindingly obvious.
The creepiest element is probably the inevitable mind-control stuff. The declassified, published papers on government experimentation with radiological control of human subjects is frightening enough; I can scarcely imagine where such research has led in recent times, assisted by "black ops" blank checks.
(No, I take that back; I think I actually can imagine it. Oh, my.)
I have this vague theory that human consciousness is being somehow altered by the proliferation of wireless technology. UFOs might be part of it; perceived aliens might be another aspect. Remember that the modern UFO era began shortly after the widespread use of radar. If we inhabit a "superspectrum" of co-existing terrestrial intelligences, as suggested by John Keel, then our EM leakage may have disturbed the pecking order. (When "aliens" warn us of the dangers of nuclear weapons they may be quite sincerely concerned, although for purely selfish reasons.)
Meanwhile, we're busily -- heedlessly -- wrapping our planet in a veritable fog of EM pollution. Cellphone towers, for example. How much do we really know about the long-term effects of cellphone transmissions? In any case, it's probably too late; we're marinated in a flickering stew of pointless dialogue. (Victorian factory workers obliviously breathing lungfuls of soot . . .)
We could be hastening a new ecology -- call it the "electrosphere," although surely someone's beaten me to the term -- that interacts with the conventional biosphere in potentially strange -- even psychedelic -- ways. Albert Budden ("UFOs: Psychic Close Encounters -- The Electromagnetic Indictment") has made similar cautionary remarks . . . and seems to have been carefully ignored.
And all of this is excluding outright malicious intent. We hear more and more about microelectronics and "nonlethal weapons"; I think we're at the threshold of an age in which effective lobotomization of "the enemy" is deemed preferable to actual killing.
The creepiest element is probably the inevitable mind-control stuff. The declassified, published papers on government experimentation with radiological control of human subjects is frightening enough; I can scarcely imagine where such research has led in recent times, assisted by "black ops" blank checks.
(No, I take that back; I think I actually can imagine it. Oh, my.)
I have this vague theory that human consciousness is being somehow altered by the proliferation of wireless technology. UFOs might be part of it; perceived aliens might be another aspect. Remember that the modern UFO era began shortly after the widespread use of radar. If we inhabit a "superspectrum" of co-existing terrestrial intelligences, as suggested by John Keel, then our EM leakage may have disturbed the pecking order. (When "aliens" warn us of the dangers of nuclear weapons they may be quite sincerely concerned, although for purely selfish reasons.)
Meanwhile, we're busily -- heedlessly -- wrapping our planet in a veritable fog of EM pollution. Cellphone towers, for example. How much do we really know about the long-term effects of cellphone transmissions? In any case, it's probably too late; we're marinated in a flickering stew of pointless dialogue. (Victorian factory workers obliviously breathing lungfuls of soot . . .)
We could be hastening a new ecology -- call it the "electrosphere," although surely someone's beaten me to the term -- that interacts with the conventional biosphere in potentially strange -- even psychedelic -- ways. Albert Budden ("UFOs: Psychic Close Encounters -- The Electromagnetic Indictment") has made similar cautionary remarks . . . and seems to have been carefully ignored.
And all of this is excluding outright malicious intent. We hear more and more about microelectronics and "nonlethal weapons"; I think we're at the threshold of an age in which effective lobotomization of "the enemy" is deemed preferable to actual killing.
Remember zines -- those innumberable, cheap, joyously eclectic Xerox indie magazines that predated the Web? I do. I miss them. My first full-length story ("Pulling Strings," about a neurosurgeon who suffers a psychotic breakdown while in the OR) appeared in "Meshuggah," where I shared page space with the likes of Simeon Stylites (editor of FEH! Press) and "Blaster" Al Ackerman -- whose legendary "mail art" has since appeared in galleries.
Drawing by Al Ackerman.
I discovered zines in high school. No email, no websites . . . just a far-flung network of similarly minded anti-establishment types who reveled in oddball humor, literary esoterica and comix. This was before Googling, so you never knew where your memes were taking root. I remember receiving a cassette tape from England; it turned out to be a spoken-word small-press review (Andrew Savage's "Super Trouper") containing, among many other things, a musical rendition of my poem "Elvis In My Pants," which had originally appeared in "FEH!: A Journal of Odious Poetry."
The last I knew, "Meshuggah" had changed editorship and had moved from New York City to Athens, GA. This was in the early 90s, and I had hopes that some member of R.E.M. would chance across it at a local bookshop.
I haven't exactly checked lately, but I imagine zines are still a thriving industry. But the Web has stripped them of their once subversive status; I suspect they're less "samizdat" than badly penned self-indulgence.
Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe all the hip blogs I monitor are missing out on some fundamental vibe; maybe electronic publishing can never precisely outgun the sheer memetic impact of a cheaply stapled zine, with its shoddy typography and anarchic leanings . . .
Strangely, the names I remember from the zine era (of which I caught only the tail end) don't seem to produce too many Google results. Did "Super Trouper" take its act online? Is Blaster Al still furiously grinding out pen-and-ink mail art or has he traded in his arsenal of envelopes for a wi-fi enabled laptop?
Drawing by Al Ackerman.
I discovered zines in high school. No email, no websites . . . just a far-flung network of similarly minded anti-establishment types who reveled in oddball humor, literary esoterica and comix. This was before Googling, so you never knew where your memes were taking root. I remember receiving a cassette tape from England; it turned out to be a spoken-word small-press review (Andrew Savage's "Super Trouper") containing, among many other things, a musical rendition of my poem "Elvis In My Pants," which had originally appeared in "FEH!: A Journal of Odious Poetry."
The last I knew, "Meshuggah" had changed editorship and had moved from New York City to Athens, GA. This was in the early 90s, and I had hopes that some member of R.E.M. would chance across it at a local bookshop.
I haven't exactly checked lately, but I imagine zines are still a thriving industry. But the Web has stripped them of their once subversive status; I suspect they're less "samizdat" than badly penned self-indulgence.
Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe all the hip blogs I monitor are missing out on some fundamental vibe; maybe electronic publishing can never precisely outgun the sheer memetic impact of a cheaply stapled zine, with its shoddy typography and anarchic leanings . . .
Strangely, the names I remember from the zine era (of which I caught only the tail end) don't seem to produce too many Google results. Did "Super Trouper" take its act online? Is Blaster Al still furiously grinding out pen-and-ink mail art or has he traded in his arsenal of envelopes for a wi-fi enabled laptop?
Friday, July 30, 2004
Cosimo has upgraded its website. The page on Charles Fort's "Lo!" features my introduction:
"Charles Fort was an intellectual adventurer, a deep-dyed scholar of the weird whose work paved the way for generations of researchers. Writing in the early 20th century, Fort pursued unexplained phenomena with feverish intensity and a rare sense of humility.
"Fort's Lo! is a classic work of studied iconoclasm, a restless ensemble of anecdotes that produces a singular sense of unease mingled with awe, gape-jawed amazement -- and a pang of existential fright. Fort's parade of scientific anomalies frames the larger anomaly that is human existence. Lo! is a book with the capacity to rewire brains and sculpt new lenses for seeing the unexpected, the unexplained -- and perhaps for glimpsing our own role in Fort's mystifying cosmic scheme.
"This book is a singularity, a focal point so rich with heretical memes that it's infected an entire century with its bizarre implications and sense of the inexplicable. Perhaps if Charles Fort had never existed, we would have been forced to invent him, or someone like him. But it's doubtful we could have improved on him. Lo! is something new and correspondingly startling: a crack in the veneer of orthodoxy and an impassioned plunge into the deep black waters of a most enigmatic planet."
--Mac Tonnies, author of After the Martian Apocalypse and Illumined Black
And it looks like they're going to republish Donald Keyhoe's "The Flying Saucers Are Real." Looking forward to it.
George Orwell Lives On In Political Buzzwords
"'If this trend continues,' Schmidt fears, 'our language will ultimately be useless to express the ideas that form the basis of rational political discourse in a healthy republic.'"
(Which is, of course, the whole point . . .)
"'If this trend continues,' Schmidt fears, 'our language will ultimately be useless to express the ideas that form the basis of rational political discourse in a healthy republic.'"
(Which is, of course, the whole point . . .)
Thursday, July 29, 2004
Definitely at the top of my nonfiction stack: "The Trickster and the Paranormal" by George P. Hansen.
Voronezh Scientists Turn Blood into Coffee, Milk, Chocolate
"Scientists at the Voronezh State Technological Academy have developed a method for processing blood and turning it into food products such as milk, yogurt, chocolate, and coffee, Interfax quotes the academy's administration as saying." (Via Technoccult.)
Jesus! Can't a vegetarian get a fucking break? (Coffee, of all things!)
"Scientists at the Voronezh State Technological Academy have developed a method for processing blood and turning it into food products such as milk, yogurt, chocolate, and coffee, Interfax quotes the academy's administration as saying." (Via Technoccult.)
Jesus! Can't a vegetarian get a fucking break? (Coffee, of all things!)
Short reviews of Robert Charles Wilson's "Blind Lake" and Robert A. Heinlein's "Farnham's Freehold" posted.
Wednesday, July 28, 2004
The exact significance of this photo eludes me. Either the reader took it in the process of falling asleep -- heaven forbid -- or else reading "After the Martian Apocalypse" induced a state of lucidity so pronounced she was obliged to capture it with her digital camera.
Or maybe she just wanted to show off her legs.
I had an interesting hallucination last night. I had just woken up and was lying in bed. I felt fully awake -- but of course when you're sufficiently tired your mind can make you feel or think just about anything. For what seemed to be about three seconds, two massive, soundless, forking bolts of blue lightning appeared outside my window -- absolutely archetypal lightning bolts that lasted much longer than the real thing, defying the relatively clear night sky.
At first there was no doubt in my mind that I was observing some weird meteorological phenomenon. I wasn't scared, precisely, but I was shaken -- those brilliant blue stalks looked close, and they were unlike any normal lightning I've seen. They looked more like special effects than real lightning, and the lack of thunder made them doubly surreal.
Within moments I was questioning if I'd actually seen them; a few seconds later I'd comfortably filed the "sighting" away as a brief waking dream. But for all of three seconds they'd seemed menacing and all-too-real . . .
I remember once, years ago, waking up to a particularly red dawn sky and, for a paralyzed moment, absolutely believing there had been a nuclear explosion.
At first there was no doubt in my mind that I was observing some weird meteorological phenomenon. I wasn't scared, precisely, but I was shaken -- those brilliant blue stalks looked close, and they were unlike any normal lightning I've seen. They looked more like special effects than real lightning, and the lack of thunder made them doubly surreal.
Within moments I was questioning if I'd actually seen them; a few seconds later I'd comfortably filed the "sighting" away as a brief waking dream. But for all of three seconds they'd seemed menacing and all-too-real . . .
I remember once, years ago, waking up to a particularly red dawn sky and, for a paralyzed moment, absolutely believing there had been a nuclear explosion.
Hot new blurb!
"Mac Tonnies goes where NASA fears to tread and he goes first class. This Mac-martian knows how to write. Do yourself a favor and buy his book -- you won't be disappointed."
--Peter A. Gersten, Citizens Against UFO Secrecy
"Mac Tonnies goes where NASA fears to tread and he goes first class. This Mac-martian knows how to write. Do yourself a favor and buy his book -- you won't be disappointed."
--Peter A. Gersten, Citizens Against UFO Secrecy
The Virtual Multiverse Theory of Free Will
"Some aspects of consciousness can be understood by thinking about the virtual multiverse models that parts of the brain construct, in order to model the brain as a whole. These virtual multiverse models are used to help guide the dynamics of the whole brain (on a slow time scale), and they are also continually updated to reflect the actual dynamics of the brain (on a faster time scale, occurring within a single subjective moment). The feeling of consciousness is in part the feeling of events in the whole brain being rapidly reflected in the changes in the virtual multiverse models maintained in parts of the brain . . . and these changes then causing further virtual-multiverse-model changes which then feed back to change the state of the whole brain again . . . etc."
The brain models itself in order to understand itself. OK. But could there be an infinite regress of internal simulations -- models of models of models, etc.? If so, then perhaps our brains have been obliged to evolve protein microtubules in order to tap the vast computing capacity of the multiverse.
Of course, other universes may not be governed by quantum mechanics, in which case any intelligent inhabitants would necessarily exist in a permanent state of Gurdjieffian autism.
Then again, what does consciousness truly "feel" like? How do we know we're conscious? We might be automatons lulled into a contrived sense of self in order to keep ourselves marginally sane . . .
"Some aspects of consciousness can be understood by thinking about the virtual multiverse models that parts of the brain construct, in order to model the brain as a whole. These virtual multiverse models are used to help guide the dynamics of the whole brain (on a slow time scale), and they are also continually updated to reflect the actual dynamics of the brain (on a faster time scale, occurring within a single subjective moment). The feeling of consciousness is in part the feeling of events in the whole brain being rapidly reflected in the changes in the virtual multiverse models maintained in parts of the brain . . . and these changes then causing further virtual-multiverse-model changes which then feed back to change the state of the whole brain again . . . etc."
The brain models itself in order to understand itself. OK. But could there be an infinite regress of internal simulations -- models of models of models, etc.? If so, then perhaps our brains have been obliged to evolve protein microtubules in order to tap the vast computing capacity of the multiverse.
Of course, other universes may not be governed by quantum mechanics, in which case any intelligent inhabitants would necessarily exist in a permanent state of Gurdjieffian autism.
Then again, what does consciousness truly "feel" like? How do we know we're conscious? We might be automatons lulled into a contrived sense of self in order to keep ourselves marginally sane . . .
Chapel Perilous' Bsti with signed lemon-yellow advance proof of "After the Martian Apocalypse." The envy you're feeling is perfectly natural.
Tuesday, July 27, 2004
This Alex Chiu is quite an accomplished fellow! And so modest!
And to think I've been considering having my brain frozen in liquid nitrogen when all I need is a magnet . . .
And to think I've been considering having my brain frozen in liquid nitrogen when all I need is a magnet . . .
Heating up a cold theory
"Virtually all of Hagelstein's problems stem from his study of cold fusion, a type of nuclear reaction that -- if it exists at all -- might have the power to create unlimited, clean energy, essentially on a tabletop. Fifteen years ago, two University of Utah chemists claimed they created such a reaction, an announcement quickly denounced as quackery. Today, cold fusion is as scientifically scorned as UFOs."
"Virtually all of Hagelstein's problems stem from his study of cold fusion, a type of nuclear reaction that -- if it exists at all -- might have the power to create unlimited, clean energy, essentially on a tabletop. Fifteen years ago, two University of Utah chemists claimed they created such a reaction, an announcement quickly denounced as quackery. Today, cold fusion is as scientifically scorned as UFOs."
I actually want this hooded Blogger sweatshirt. Especially with cooler weather coming.
Does this make me a geek? And do you actually think I care?
Does this make me a geek? And do you actually think I care?
Check out some of these anonymous "found photos." You'll find your brain obligingly providing characterization and commentary until you ultimately arrive at Sartre's inescapable conclusion: Hell is other people. (Via Chapel Perilous.)
The Cactus Project
"The cactus project is a transgenic artwork involving the fusion of human genetic material into the cactus genome resulting in the cactus expressing human hair."
Transgenic art is my favorite kind.
"The cactus project is a transgenic artwork involving the fusion of human genetic material into the cactus genome resulting in the cactus expressing human hair."
Transgenic art is my favorite kind.
Solar storm 'could spark catastrophe'
"Scientists are warning a 'perfect space storm' that occurred 144 years ago could happen again at any time with catastrophic consequences."
Something weird is going on below us
"This forthcoming revolution is a reversal in the Earth's magnetic field, an event that occurs every 500 000 years or so."
Birthday party, cheesecake, jellybean, boom!
"Scientists are warning a 'perfect space storm' that occurred 144 years ago could happen again at any time with catastrophic consequences."
Something weird is going on below us
"This forthcoming revolution is a reversal in the Earth's magnetic field, an event that occurs every 500 000 years or so."
Birthday party, cheesecake, jellybean, boom!
Monday, July 26, 2004
The Pentagon's Weather Nightmare
"Though triggered by warming, such change would probably cause cooling in the Northern Hemisphere, leading to longer, harsher winters in much of the U.S. and Europe. Worse, it would cause massive droughts, turning farmland to dust bowls and forests to ashes. Picture last fall's California wildfires as a regular thing. Or imagine similar disasters destabilizing nuclear powers such as Pakistan or Russia -- it's easy to see why the Pentagon has become interested in abrupt climate change."
And I feel fine.
"Though triggered by warming, such change would probably cause cooling in the Northern Hemisphere, leading to longer, harsher winters in much of the U.S. and Europe. Worse, it would cause massive droughts, turning farmland to dust bowls and forests to ashes. Picture last fall's California wildfires as a regular thing. Or imagine similar disasters destabilizing nuclear powers such as Pakistan or Russia -- it's easy to see why the Pentagon has become interested in abrupt climate change."
And I feel fine.
Sunday, July 25, 2004
Two (almost certainly related) science news items, courtesy of Posthuman Blues UK correspondent Bill Eatock:
High-altitude light show in focus
"Fresh data on sprites, jets and elves - strange flashes of coloured light in the Earth's upper atmosphere - is being returned to Earth by a new satellite."
Spacecraft views Earth's outer gas shell
"The first pictures from Nasa's Imager for Magnetopause to Aurora Global Exploration (Image) spacecraft are showing for the first time the global ebb and flow of hot, electrified gas (plasma) around the Earth as it is wafted by the solar wind."
What if atmospheric "sprites" and "elves" are a form of electromagnetic intelligence or components of an elusive planetary "brain" . . . ?
Notorious 'outsider' has his say
"His crime, in case you were wondering, was to have a shattering success with his first book, The Outsider, published in 1956 when he was 24. A tour de force tracing a tradition of artistic savants from Rabelais (his original hero) to van Gogh and by implication himself, it sensationalized literary London. Like Byron, he woke up to find himself famous, but unlike Byron, he then blew it, even though on paper he seemed to have everything required to make it in the swinging sixties."
I think I might have to spring for this one in hardback.
"His crime, in case you were wondering, was to have a shattering success with his first book, The Outsider, published in 1956 when he was 24. A tour de force tracing a tradition of artistic savants from Rabelais (his original hero) to van Gogh and by implication himself, it sensationalized literary London. Like Byron, he woke up to find himself famous, but unlike Byron, he then blew it, even though on paper he seemed to have everything required to make it in the swinging sixties."
I think I might have to spring for this one in hardback.
BIBLE PREDICTS ALIEN ATTACK
"And so because of the alien threat from outer space the nations of the world unite and through the UN elect the first president of the newly formed one-world government. The world president, now having dictatorial powers, gives the order that all alien saucers that violate the earth's air space be shot down using the newly developed, multi-megawatt SBL ALPHA LASER DEATH RAY. Sixty-six saucers are shot down and crash to earth because of this new technology. The alien commander is surprised and filled with awe and respect because of his adversary, the UN President (antichrist)."
You know, there's a market here. I, for one, would love to see a translation of the Bible with "Alpha Laser Death Ray" included.
"And so because of the alien threat from outer space the nations of the world unite and through the UN elect the first president of the newly formed one-world government. The world president, now having dictatorial powers, gives the order that all alien saucers that violate the earth's air space be shot down using the newly developed, multi-megawatt SBL ALPHA LASER DEATH RAY. Sixty-six saucers are shot down and crash to earth because of this new technology. The alien commander is surprised and filled with awe and respect because of his adversary, the UN President (antichrist)."
You know, there's a market here. I, for one, would love to see a translation of the Bible with "Alpha Laser Death Ray" included.
Saturday, July 24, 2004
I just saw "I, Robot," which was essentially what I expected from a near-future suspense-thriller starring Will Smith. Not that it's a bad movie; it's just that I spent most of it roaming over the CGI scenery and taking only peripheral interest in the actual goings-on.
The successes in "I Robot" are minor triumphs in post-"Blade Runner" visual futurism: the artful decrepitude of antique 'bots going about servile tasks; the subtly arresting motion of clockwork behind the robots' translucent skulls; the consummately ergonomic contours of futuristic cars (Smith drives a fetchingly believable self-driving Audi).
At least one reviewer has stupidly commented that the future society depicted in the film is "dystopian" -- far from it. Slender color-coordinated robots do humankind's dirty work with perpetual hardwired smiles; the Chicago skyline, unlike the smoke-clotted industrial hell of "Blade Runner's" cyberpunk Los Angeles, is as bright, sunny, and fundamentally optimistic as "Futurama." We can only hope 2035 is really like this.
The humans, perhaps unavoidably, fail to elicit any real interest. They function solely -- and possibly even appropriately -- as foils for the robots, and allusions to their personal histories invariably come across as cliches. Will Smith's detective, Del Spooner, is likeable but disorienting: Is he a brooding policeman (a la Harrison Ford's Rick Deckard) or an affable wise-ass who just happens to wield a cool-looking electronic badge? At one point in the film, a minor character informs us that Spooner has a history of psychiatric problems -- could have fooled me. (That future Prozac must be damned good stuff.)
"I, Robot" itself suffers from a dose of cinematic schizophrenia. Is the robot theme intended as commentary on ethnic barriers, the commodification of nominally useful handheld gadgets, or a carnivalesque monument to technological hubris?
Robots are a challenging subject; just because they can be convincingly rendered in a digital studio doesn't mean they can be expended as props. "I, Robot" doesn't exactly waste the potential inherent in simulacra, but it's mainly content to casually strip-mine it instead of really digging.
Go see it. Enjoy the sights (those new 'bots really do look like iMacs). But expect a narrative with the same brittle, unsubtle tone of the Asimov short-story collection from which it took its idealogical cues.
The successes in "I Robot" are minor triumphs in post-"Blade Runner" visual futurism: the artful decrepitude of antique 'bots going about servile tasks; the subtly arresting motion of clockwork behind the robots' translucent skulls; the consummately ergonomic contours of futuristic cars (Smith drives a fetchingly believable self-driving Audi).
At least one reviewer has stupidly commented that the future society depicted in the film is "dystopian" -- far from it. Slender color-coordinated robots do humankind's dirty work with perpetual hardwired smiles; the Chicago skyline, unlike the smoke-clotted industrial hell of "Blade Runner's" cyberpunk Los Angeles, is as bright, sunny, and fundamentally optimistic as "Futurama." We can only hope 2035 is really like this.
The humans, perhaps unavoidably, fail to elicit any real interest. They function solely -- and possibly even appropriately -- as foils for the robots, and allusions to their personal histories invariably come across as cliches. Will Smith's detective, Del Spooner, is likeable but disorienting: Is he a brooding policeman (a la Harrison Ford's Rick Deckard) or an affable wise-ass who just happens to wield a cool-looking electronic badge? At one point in the film, a minor character informs us that Spooner has a history of psychiatric problems -- could have fooled me. (That future Prozac must be damned good stuff.)
"I, Robot" itself suffers from a dose of cinematic schizophrenia. Is the robot theme intended as commentary on ethnic barriers, the commodification of nominally useful handheld gadgets, or a carnivalesque monument to technological hubris?
Robots are a challenging subject; just because they can be convincingly rendered in a digital studio doesn't mean they can be expended as props. "I, Robot" doesn't exactly waste the potential inherent in simulacra, but it's mainly content to casually strip-mine it instead of really digging.
Go see it. Enjoy the sights (those new 'bots really do look like iMacs). But expect a narrative with the same brittle, unsubtle tone of the Asimov short-story collection from which it took its idealogical cues.
Investigating digital images
"Farid and his students have built a statistical model that captures the mathematical regularities inherent in natural images. Because these statistics fundamentally change when images are altered, the model can be used to detect digital tampering."
Bad news for UFO photo hoaxers? Or is this just the beginning of a digital arms race that will end only when the distinction between illusion and reality is rendered meaningless?
"Farid and his students have built a statistical model that captures the mathematical regularities inherent in natural images. Because these statistics fundamentally change when images are altered, the model can be used to detect digital tampering."
Bad news for UFO photo hoaxers? Or is this just the beginning of a digital arms race that will end only when the distinction between illusion and reality is rendered meaningless?
The next time you're at the bookstore...
The new Mysteries magazine is out; included is my review of William Gibson's "Pattern Recognition."
Also, Cosimo Classics has just republished Charles Fort's classic "anomalist" text, "Lo!", featuring a new introduction by me. The book sells for $14.95 and might not yet be officially "out." If interested, ask your local bookstore to order a copy.
End self-promotion.
The new Mysteries magazine is out; included is my review of William Gibson's "Pattern Recognition."
Also, Cosimo Classics has just republished Charles Fort's classic "anomalist" text, "Lo!", featuring a new introduction by me. The book sells for $14.95 and might not yet be officially "out." If interested, ask your local bookstore to order a copy.
End self-promotion.
'Multiverse Theory' Holds That the Universe is a Virtual Reality Matrix
"He even suggests that a glitch in our simulated cosmic history may have already been discovered, by John Webb at the University of NSW. Webb has analysed the light from distant quasars, and found that something funny happened about 6 billion years ago - a minute shift in the speed of light. Could this be the simulators taking their eye off the ball?"
Maybe inexplicable disappearances, "time warps" and other Fortean anomalies are also "glitches" in our ontosphere. Encounters with apparent aliens might be "processing errors" . . . or they could be leading the way to the "source code" by which we can ultimately storm the reality studio.
"He even suggests that a glitch in our simulated cosmic history may have already been discovered, by John Webb at the University of NSW. Webb has analysed the light from distant quasars, and found that something funny happened about 6 billion years ago - a minute shift in the speed of light. Could this be the simulators taking their eye off the ball?"
Maybe inexplicable disappearances, "time warps" and other Fortean anomalies are also "glitches" in our ontosphere. Encounters with apparent aliens might be "processing errors" . . . or they could be leading the way to the "source code" by which we can ultimately storm the reality studio.
New musical purchase:
So far the first and last songs are my favorite. Robert Smith has proclaimed that if you don't like "The Cure" then you don't like The Cure, or something to that effect. (Robert Smith also detests Morrissey, so as bright as he is, he's obviously capable of misjudgment.)
My preliminary take is that "The Cure" is a far cry from "Disintegration," but quite possibly an improvement on "Bloodflowers" (which I think is excellent).
A few defining Cure songs:
1.) Charlotte Sometimes
2.) Lovesong
3.) A Letter to Elise
4.) 100 Years
5.) Close to Me (both versions)
6.) Siamese Twins
7.) A Chain of Flowers (if you can find it...)
So far the first and last songs are my favorite. Robert Smith has proclaimed that if you don't like "The Cure" then you don't like The Cure, or something to that effect. (Robert Smith also detests Morrissey, so as bright as he is, he's obviously capable of misjudgment.)
My preliminary take is that "The Cure" is a far cry from "Disintegration," but quite possibly an improvement on "Bloodflowers" (which I think is excellent).
A few defining Cure songs:
1.) Charlotte Sometimes
2.) Lovesong
3.) A Letter to Elise
4.) 100 Years
5.) Close to Me (both versions)
6.) Siamese Twins
7.) A Chain of Flowers (if you can find it...)
Friday, July 23, 2004
Well, I'm addicted. The digital collages above were produced using typoGenerator, a fascinating program that trawls Google for source imagery, which it subjects to heavy randomizing.
I think of the final products (which take several seconds to generate) as snapshots of the Web's collective unconscious, secret windows into a fitful embryonic mind of unseen circuits: raw data suddenly crystallized into tangible form. TypoGenerator's images are distinctly Gibsonian, with a definite nod to Burroughs.
(Discovered at Chapel Perilous.)
Bush Administration "Guidelines" for Postponing or Canceling the November Presidential Elections
"Secretary Tom Ridge has said that he is 'against the guidelines.' What he does not say is that various procedures have already been carefully worked out by Homeland Security analysts, who have simulated precise red code alert scenarios including situations, implying the cancellation or postponement of elections."
Yeah, I know -- another political post. I said I wouldn't do it. I'm appalled, yet can't look away.
It's a lot like gaping at a particularly bloody car accident.
"Secretary Tom Ridge has said that he is 'against the guidelines.' What he does not say is that various procedures have already been carefully worked out by Homeland Security analysts, who have simulated precise red code alert scenarios including situations, implying the cancellation or postponement of elections."
Yeah, I know -- another political post. I said I wouldn't do it. I'm appalled, yet can't look away.
It's a lot like gaping at a particularly bloody car accident.
1,500 Homing Pigeons Get Lost During Race
"Organizers of a race for homing pigeons were still scratching their heads in wonder Thursday after about 1,500 of the birds, famous for their ability to find their way home, went missing during the contest."
First those worryingly absent pelicans; now this . . .
"Organizers of a race for homing pigeons were still scratching their heads in wonder Thursday after about 1,500 of the birds, famous for their ability to find their way home, went missing during the contest."
First those worryingly absent pelicans; now this . . .
KISS YOUR INTERNET GOOD-BYE
"One of these days, out of the blue, the Internet will be used for launching a devastating terrorist attack on the United States. Somehow, this cyberattack will cost the lives of scores of American citizens. In order to avoid more damage, the government, putting to good use the recently approved anti-terrorist laws, will shut the Internet down and ban the use of the Internet as we know it."
True story: While I was preparing this post my Internet connection inexplicably died. "Kiss Your Internet Good-Bye," indeed.
"One of these days, out of the blue, the Internet will be used for launching a devastating terrorist attack on the United States. Somehow, this cyberattack will cost the lives of scores of American citizens. In order to avoid more damage, the government, putting to good use the recently approved anti-terrorist laws, will shut the Internet down and ban the use of the Internet as we know it."
True story: While I was preparing this post my Internet connection inexplicably died. "Kiss Your Internet Good-Bye," indeed.
We'll All Wear Glasses Soon
"Does reading make you need glasses or is near-sightedness in your genes? Researchers say that watching TV, working on the computer and reading all cause changes in our eyes which make us near-sighted. If you know someone who doesn't wear glasses, they may be carrying a book, but they don't really like to read."
I've been wearing glasses since junior high -- and probably needed them before that. Strangely, neither of my parents wear glasses. I wonder if my near-sightedness and my life-long bibliophilia are related.
What's playing:
1.) Reveal (R.E.M.)
2.) Natalie Merchant Live In Concert
3.) Remain In Light (Talking Heads)
4.) Vauxhall and I (Morrissey)
5.) Tears Roll Down (Tears for Fears)
"Does reading make you need glasses or is near-sightedness in your genes? Researchers say that watching TV, working on the computer and reading all cause changes in our eyes which make us near-sighted. If you know someone who doesn't wear glasses, they may be carrying a book, but they don't really like to read."
I've been wearing glasses since junior high -- and probably needed them before that. Strangely, neither of my parents wear glasses. I wonder if my near-sightedness and my life-long bibliophilia are related.
What's playing:
1.) Reveal (R.E.M.)
2.) Natalie Merchant Live In Concert
3.) Remain In Light (Talking Heads)
4.) Vauxhall and I (Morrissey)
5.) Tears Roll Down (Tears for Fears)
Thursday, July 22, 2004
Science fiction author M.M. Buckner emailed today asking if I wanted to review her new novel, "Neurolink." I was quite flattered. And embarrassed that I haven't yet read her debut, "Hyperthought," despite having had it on my shelf for a year.
Meanwhile, "Blind Lake" has my full attention.
Meanwhile, "Blind Lake" has my full attention.
Breakthrough yields simple way to make microscopic electronics
"In a breakthrough that could lead to dramatically smaller memory chips and other electronic components, Princeton scientists have found a way to mass produce devices that are so small they are at the limit of what can be viewed by the most powerful microscopes."
Nanotech, quantum computing . . . steadily, the raw ingredients for no-kidding artificial intelligence are stacking up.
"In a breakthrough that could lead to dramatically smaller memory chips and other electronic components, Princeton scientists have found a way to mass produce devices that are so small they are at the limit of what can be viewed by the most powerful microscopes."
Nanotech, quantum computing . . . steadily, the raw ingredients for no-kidding artificial intelligence are stacking up.
ET will phone us 'within 20 years'
"Dr Shostak has long been a believer in finding alien life but once said: 'You're not going to see them in person. To go from here to the nearest star is a project requiring a 100,000-year trip.
'And that's longer than you're going to want to sit there eating airline food.'"
Good one, Dr. Shostak!
Is this guy really this dumb? He's taken anthropomorphic thought to positively comical extremes. This isn't to say we won't hear from ET civilizations within 20 years -- but I'm confident that if we do, it won't be because of the limitations Shostak has imposed on them.
Funny how you never hear a word about "SETI believers."
What I'm reading:
Man, this guy is good -- probably one of the top five science fiction writers alive today. Chilling, jaw-dropping stuff.
Of course, by proclaiming Robert Charles Wilson one of the top five working SF authors, I'm obligated to point out the other four (in no particular order):
1.) Michael Marshall Smith
2.) Greg Egan
3.) Ken MacLeod
4.) Peter Watts
More . . .
Man, this guy is good -- probably one of the top five science fiction writers alive today. Chilling, jaw-dropping stuff.
Of course, by proclaiming Robert Charles Wilson one of the top five working SF authors, I'm obligated to point out the other four (in no particular order):
1.) Michael Marshall Smith
2.) Greg Egan
3.) Ken MacLeod
4.) Peter Watts
More . . .
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