Connecting the Bubbles
Archive - This is a story from a previous version of fakepop.ca
For many years, I have been collecting, in a secret pouch, all sorts of interesting thingamajigs and whatchamacallits... I thought now might be a good time to share these special somethings with visitors to this site.
Welcome...
Yes, it's another blog. No, I won't be discussing the juicy details of my life here. Go back to Paris Hilton's show, you sneaker! This is an output for what has fallen into my hands, having arrived from places where arts, technologies and philosophies intersect.
A Shell in the Eggs
The interesting and inspiring animation movie Kokaku Kidotai (Ghost in the Shell), by Masamune Shirow, takes a poke at the theme of artificial intelligence and the ever-narrowing distance between humanity and technology. The plot revolves around the chase of a cyber-hacker, the "The Puppet Master." The Puppet Master is an autonomous artificial intelligence undertaking a justified quest, some may say, for a human identity.
Immersion. I like this word. Immersion allows for learning, finding meaning and understanding with little or no explanation. It reminds me that the dictionary contains the definition of dictionary. The Puppet Master was born out of the flow of information it was immersed in. Learning by example and becoming conscious through observation and practice of its uses.
Aliens and Painting
Now onto aliens. Two of the most commons themes I have observed in sci-fi stories involving aliens are: (1) that selected special human(s) will be the bridge between aliens and earthlings, and (2) that alien menaces will cause humans to unite in a common effort to be saved from the horrible threat of extinction.
The first element is the catalyst. There is an individual, or a group of individuals, on whom the masses focus their energies, who are able to attain insights on a perspective the masses do not easily understand. Think about Bin Laden. The terrorist catalyst-icon. Or think Dalai Lama. The compassion catalyst-icon.
The second element is the unification of humans based on fear of the scary, unknown alien organism. There is a suggestion that only in extreme crises or under deep external menace, will humans unite. To me it sounds like "if I cut your arm, you will become a great toe painter"... But in many cases, this situation appears to be true. Confinement and restriction often bring humans the courage to surpass the barriers which limit them.
A Perspective
What if instead of an alien arriving from outer space, humans were to be the creators of the alien (i.e. some sort of Frankenstein)? What if, down the road, the Internet became the rebelious child of the human race? Just like the Puppet Master, it could find meaning in the ever-growing flow of information and rise as an autonomous being. I hear talks about digital immortality by 2070...
Most, if not all, human beauties and perversions are expressed in thousands of ways on the Internet. Having lost our inhibitions through semi-anonymity, we open ourselves and unleash into the world our most intimate secrets. Our child-alien would learn/is learning from this. Immersion.
This is my contribution to the Flow. I wish for a positive and nurturing environment for the children of tomorrow - be them human, machine or whatever. May this blog bring good news and interesting stories, ideas, tips, tricks, laughs and interrogations to the world.
And hey, don't forget to recycle the can!
External links related to this post
- Ghost in the Shell:
- Article on Wikipedia
- The definition of dictionary:
- Dictionary on Cambridge.org
- Note that the definition of an online dictionary specify that a dictionary is a book... The plot thickens.
