Orionsarm has a nice list of top science fiction pieces that utilize memetic engineering or memetic manipulation…I have picked out my favorites from both a science fiction quality standpoint and from a purely memetic one. My personal favorite on this short list is Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card…here are a few others on a deeper level.

“Brave New World”, by Aldous Huxley. Shows memetic manipulation through distraction, subliminals, language, information control, and pleasure, and contains elements that are very easy to recognize in all Information Age cultures.

“1984″, by George Orwell. Demonstrates memetic manipulation through language, information control, and fear. Elements are easy to recognize in 20th & 21st century Information Age cultures.

“The Space Merchants” by Frederic Pohl and C.M. Kornbluth. Memetic manipulation through advertising methods and other information management. Elements are easy to recognize in commercial societies of the Information Age. This book provides good insight into probable NoCoZo cultures in OA.

Other good science fiction classics that utilize memetic engineering to some degree:

“Fahrenheit 451″ Ray Bradbury. This novel illustrates memetic control by destruction of information, distraction, and the use of mass media.

“Illuminatus” trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson. Conflicting and confusing secret organizations manipulate governments, populations, and individuals of for the purpose of .

“The Book of the New Sun” by Gene Wolfe. Memetic control of a population (the Ascians) through language. A fascinating and ultimate case. Also, memetic manipulation of human polities by aliens who are acting on behalf of beings comparable to OA’s Archai.

“Enders Game” by Orson Scott Card. Memetics in training super-intelligent children to be future generals.

“Dune” by Frank Herbert. An interstellar society (the Bene Gesserit) provides planetside cultures with myths and legends for their own purposes.

The “Foundation” series by Isaac Asimov. Presumes a limited ability to make memetic predictions and thereby interfere to produce desired results. (Hari Seldon)

Short Story

“Adrift on the Policy Level” by Chandler Davis. Short story. It presumes a world in which Darwinian competition among memes governs corporate/government policy. Humor.

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GoodReads.com is taking off as a social reading and recommendation platform.

This seems like a good opportunity to remind the thinkers and Hive Minds at QuizAxeHatRack they might want to check into the novel, Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson (Life isn’t all Snowcrash). Not only will the Hive get exposed to neat topics like Van Eck phreaking but a really neat chapter going on about RIST.

“RIST is a bit-pattern designator is a random series of bits used to uniquely identify a RIST. For example, the organism traditionally designed as Earth (Terra, Gaia)has been assigned the designator 0577. This Web site is maintained by 11A4 which is a hive mind. RIST 11A4 assigns bit-pattern designators with a pseudo-random number generator. This departs from the practice used by that so-disant ”hive mind” known to itself as the East Bay Area Hive Mind Project but designated (in the system of RIST 11A4) as RIST E772. This ”hive mind” resulted from the division of ”Hive Mind One” (designated in the system of RIST 11A4 as RIST 4032) into several smaller ”hive minds” (the East Bay Area Hive Mind Project, the San Francisco Hive Mind, Hive Mind 1A, the Reorganized San Francisco Hive Mind, and the Universal Hive Mind) as the result of irreconcilable contradiction between several different semantic memes that competed for mind-share. One of these semantic memes asserted that bit-pattern designators should be assigned in numerical order, so that (for example) Hive Mind One would be designated RIST 0001 and so on. Another meme asserted that numbers should be organized in order of importance, so that (for example) the RIST conventionally known as the planet Earth would be RIST 0001. Another semantic meme agreed with this one but disagreed as to whether the counting should begin with 0000 or 0001.Within both the 0000 and 0001 camps, there was disagreement about what RIST should be assigned the first number : some asserted that Earth was the first and most important RIST, others that some larger system (the solar system, the Universe, God) was in some sense more inclusive and fundamental.

A hive mind is a social organization of RISTs that are capable of processing semantic memes (”thinking”). These could be either carbon-based or silicon-based. RISTs who enter a hive mind surrender their independent identities (which are mere illusions anyway). For purposes of convenience, the constituents of the hive mind are assigned bit-pattern designators. The genetic part of the memomes share 99% of it’s contents with the data set produced by the Human Genome Project. This should not be construed as endorsing the concept of of speciation (i.e., that the continuum of carbon-based life forms can or should be arbitrarily partitioned into paradigmatic species) in general, or the theory that there is a species called ”homo spaiens” in particular. Also, The semantic part of the memomes are still unavoidably contaminated with many primitive viral memes, but these are being gradually and steadily supplanted by new semantic memes generated ab initiao by rational processes. ”

Good read…

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Kwisatz Haderach, Jay Cross on social networks, semantic web and learning as a process..

You can be instructed, but you cannot be “learned”.

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Well only for a few perhaps, and we are far from it, but let’s look to the future through the eye’s of a futurist…

Virtual reality and reality to merge says Ray Kurzweil.

“Computers the size of blood cells will create fully immersive virtual realities by 2033,” leading inventor Ray Kurzweil has predicted. If so this sucks for me. I am to late. Death = phail.

“Today you can put a pea-sized computer inside your brain, if you have Parkinson’s disease and want to replace the biological neurons that were destroyed by the disease.”

He said a billion-fold increase in computing performance and capability over the next 25 years coupled with the 100,000 fold shrinking, would lead to “blood cell-size devices… that can go inside our bodies and keep us healthy and inside our brain and expand our intelligence”.

He said the blood cell computers would be able to “produce full immersion virtual reality from inside the nervous system”. People have more freedom in virtual worlds. He said the games industry had to be thinking about the future development of computing now.

“The games industry fits in well with the acceleration of progress; in no other industry do you feel that more than games.” Mr Kurzweil, who invented the flat bed scanner and text-to-speech synthesis, said the virtual world was a misnomer.

“In virtual worlds we do real romance, real learning, real business. Virtual reality is real reality.”

He added: “Games are the cutting edge of what is happening - we are going to spend more of our time in virtual reality environments. “Fully emergent games is really where we want to go. We will do most of our learning through these massively parallel interactions.”
“Play is how we principally learn and principally create,” he said.

Mergers Take Time

The merger is already occurring…in very small steps. Here we get a glimpse of conversation on discordant issues. Avatar to Avatar or human to avatar- anyway you want to slice it.

…often cannot be measured, let alone seen. We can only measure some of the after images.

Many messages are never heard because they do not rebound back or recurse to the media in a plain or readable format…nor can the impact be measured accurately due to hidden impediments. No other commentary from me. This is a hidden conversation made open. Anonymity assured. Tiny alterations made. You normally would never hear any of it. You would only see the after images… I am not going to make any comment on what it means. e.g. FIC.

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Time to fly out and Scoble is up Twittering already which means…it is his move and I am out of energy.

Let me call your “attention” to a few tidbits about “attention” before my flight.

The long scrabble game in Facebook between myself and Robert are important aspects of attention. Because conversations on what is relevant are what you should be paying attention too- like opening up silos, are meetings chance or socialization, and new worlds.

I penned an article a year ago about Second Life (they should pay attention) for Revenue Magazine (blog)…(I think I was on vacation then.). Don’t worry about the Second Life material- pay attention to what I am asking you to pay attention too (in bold). I even say “attention”.

From the now old piece- in Internet time.

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card (Tor Books): Ender Wiggin battles it out with the Formics in this Hugo-Award-winning novel that is perhaps the quintessential guide for the new blogging metaphor. Pay special attention to Peter and Valentine as they control the nets through alternate personas. Make special note of the protagonist’s psychological development and monitoring by the “Mind Fantasy Game.”

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson (Bantam Spectra Book): Snow Crash is a fast-paced romp through cyberspace laced with satire and dark humor. The novel weaves everything from Sumerian mythos to visions of a postmodern civilization ready to fall. Readers should pay close attention to the Sumerian elements and how the culture of Sumer used a primordial language for control. In addition, the novel explores themes of reality, imagination and thought, all in the context of a virtual world experiencing a state of rapid decay. This has useful applications when studying the groups and behavior of citizens in a purely digital world like Second Life.

Pattern Recognition by William Gibson (Putnam Adult): The science of pattern recognition aims to classify data based on previous experience and through statistical mining of patterns. In this contemporary novel, the readers explore the concept of “cool spotting,” which has been in use in marketing for many years, through the eyes of Cayce Pollard. Pollard is an incredibly intuitive market-research consultant. Marketers should get an idea for new metrics and perhaps new ways to measure the efficacy of campaigns as well as the importance of looking ahead for future trends.

Yes- reading old books (and note I didn’t outright say say pay attention to Pattern Recognition- we aren’t there yet) and there are more books not yet listed here. The most common complaint is “I don’t have time”. You will have time if you pay attention and keep communications / information - compressed, efficient, fast and accessible and in tandem try to earn attention so the right information comes to you. That is how you have time to do research- digging back into time and old books that had some very spot on observations. This will mean unlearning some habits which is not easy.

How did the authors figure out what they did when they did?

Forward thinking is valuable. My theory?

Probably because they were paying attention.

ADDENDUM: Almost missed a comment from Adam Wentz on books I cited to read (mostly vintage science-fiction) - this great podcast on sci-fiction narrative and business.

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Biz Partner and business visionary Vinny Lingham has launched Synthasite into alpha. I know Vinny, I know he is damn smart (Yeah ok… Kwisatz Haderach smart), and I have high hopes for Synthasite…and while this news is a bit late on my blog- I am looking forward to the beta version.

Synthasite, an AJAX based Web Publishing Platform, emerged today from stealth mode. The 6-person startup based in Cape Town, South Africa was recently spun out from the incuBeta group as a separate stand-alone company that will focus on delivering a world class web based software platform for web publishing, focusing specifically on Widgets & Mashups. Synthasite looks and feels like desktop software, but remains firmly rooted in the browser with no reliance on client side technology.

Facebook Tangent Alert

I wonder if Vinny will tap into Facebook?…of course one might read the TOS behind Facebook, because it really is just that- your face, your life, your friends- like a book. Not that Web 2.0 hasn’t made it one already- think of it is more a Bible. But funds setup and earmarked to monetize Facebook? The value is in the data if you ask me. Time to go see I guess.

I mean imagine Google’s Grand Central fused with Facebook, caramelized with Google Analytics…uber social network. Ripe for engineers like Brian Clark and ripe for others…

Things are changing from widgetry to Nielson sobering up over pageviews (think engagement), and while some call it insanity…these dozens of fast-tracked, micro-investments are a pittance compared to what really sits in the value of Facebook- it is not insanity too me.

Check out this Video from Google and a talk from Fred from UNC Chapel Hill and his research into “The Facebook”. Yes according to Fred- Facebook owns your campus. Zoho has tapped in, LinkedIn and StumbleUpon (ebay) has tapped in, even colleague Steve Rosenbaum has tapped Magnify into FaceBook. (Steve- yes people taking JPGs of JPGs!)….

One takeaway from the research talk Fred finds that friends in Facebook “are not real”, they are not quite like the friendships we form off line. I see the SAME type of behaviors in Second Life- friendship formation is not the same as face-to-face friendship formation- even with an avatar as proxy. People are hanging out and learning about each other. Second Life is different though, in the Facebook you are identity sharing, in Second Life the identity you share is not quite the same…

Also pay close attention to the concept of situational relevance. IN particular freshman who must renegotiate their “social network” and identity formulation and reformulation. This is the hinge pin of Facebook’s success. Again similar principles with Second Life where people can “try on” different identities…in a “walled garden”…

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A conversation with a talented creator (I would call her a Kwisatz Haderach) lead me to this book- Aristoi. I haven’t read it it yet, and was warned it was not for neophytes. It makes Neuromancer and Ender’s Game pale in comparison with regard to discussions about the “The Grid” or upcoming Grids if you will…if you have read it, please chime in. I am wondering if “control of their daimones” is related to the Alexandrian, Greecian, concept of the daimone and the possible rise of post-humanism or the digital self becoming more important than the physical? In her view our current status in the 3D is hardly nascent, and barely infantile. Where does this leave our influencer networks?

From Publishers Weekly
In this complex and rewarding novel, Williams (Days of Atonement) has created a future which features many of the wonders SF has been promising us for years: virtual reality, genetic engineering, faster-than-light travel, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, telepathic links with computers, and more. Perhaps most interesting is that people have control of their daimones, different aspects of personality that are given specific names. The class system remains: the aristoi are the seemingly perfect humans who wield power and influence; in fact, some worship them as gods. An aristos named Gabriel discovers a conspiracy among three others of his class, who have created several worlds that are barbaric, with little technology and rampant disease and sickness. They have also killed other aristoi to cover their tracks and violated the sanctity of the Logarchy, the massive, open computer network that links all humans. In a nice touch, Williams renders several scenes in two columns of text on the page, the left describing the action, the right Gabriel’s internal dialogue with his daimones. And in one delicious scene Gabriel has sex with two different women at the same time–one in virtual reality, one in real space.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
In the far future, an elite class of individuals–called aristoi–rules an interstellar empire through the benign, disciplined mastery of advanced technologies. Beneath the facade of universal prosperity, however, lurks a tide of dissension and madness that can only be fought from within. Williams ( Voice of the Whirlwind , LJ 5/15/87; Days of Atonement , LJ 3/15/91) tests the borders of imagination in a novel that combines brilliant hard science and speculative vision with a firm grip on the central humanity of his characters. A priority purchase for sf collections.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Recently deceased, and one of my famous authors, Kurt Vonnegut lives on- at least for me- and damn is he funny! Odd to think of his recent death happening while i was unaware and pondering Asimov, Robotics, Nanontechnology and Engines of Creation. They were both humanists too- he and Isaac Asimov.

It is a bit surreal in the world of Second Life- he is hysterical- the quotes and quips are fantastic. Slaughterhouse Five is a must read…among others. This makes me so sad….he is gone, but he is so alive (verbally) and expressive in the metaverse.

So now I have to ask- what will be the effect on humanity if we interact in “avatar form” for long periods? After we die we leave “almost spectral” after images of ourselves? Think about that…for a moment…and reflect.

Back to Kurt Vonnegut. He even graded his own books…(Kwisatz Haderach Award)

In Chapter 18 of his book Palm Sunday “The Sexual Revolution,” Vonnegut states that the grades “do not place me in literary history” and that he is comparing “myself with myself.” The grades:

Player Piano: B
The Sirens of Titan: A
Mother Night: A
Cat’s Cradle: A-plus
God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater: A
Slaughterhouse-Five: A-plus
Welcome to the Monkey House: B-minus
Happy Birthday, Wanda June: D
Breakfast of Champions: C
Slapstick: D
Jailbird: A
Palm Sunday: C

About Clip: the national, weekly public radio program The Infinite Mind made broadcast history as it aired a four-part special taped inside the three-dimensional virtual on-line community Second Life. Among those interviewed in front of a live virtual audience were author Kurt Vonnegut. This is a machinema video of Vonnegut’s interview taped inside Second Life, on the 16-acre virtual broadcast center built by Lichtenstein Creative Media, which produces the program. The host is John Hockenberry.

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Ubuntu, the Linux distro led by Canonical Ltd., a private company founded by South African entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth- a South African entrepreneur who was the second self-funded space tourist and first African national in space- has launched a community magazine called Full Circle. (Mark also gets my Kwisatz Haderach seal.)

The current issue of the magazine is available as a seventeen page PDF [Click to Download Issue#0 of Full Circle PDF]. Full Circle is easy to read, chock full of color (really) and a great introduction to Ubuntu newbies. e.g. myself

Issue#0 covers the history of Ubuntu’s various releases running all the way up to Ubuntu 7.04, a.k.a. “Feisty Fawn”. There is also an installation guide and an invite to contribute section.

The name of the distribution comes from the Zulu and Xhosa concept of ubuntu, which means “I am what I am because of who we all are”.

Ubuntu’s slogan – “Linux for Human Beings”, encapsulates one of its main goals – making Linux more available and easy to use.

Yes even Waynebuntu can do it. So can you. Have an ailing box? Try Ubuntu. It is like a B12 injection for your PC.

I want my hat Sam…wait- three converts and then a hat. heh- my kids are in for a treat.

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Guru is an over used word and I always cringe when I hear it- all I can think of is “make money fast” books- not fair as there are legitimate gurus, just feels over-done. Jedi is also sort of over-done and reserved for those of a bit more technical bend. I think we need a new title for futurists, forward thinkers and risk taking, cross-discipline-knot-tiers.

I thought hard on this and then it hit me- Kwisatz Haderach! Hail to Paul Atreides and the genetic work of the Bene Gesserit witches, plus understanding this fiction is a good acid test anyway. Naturally the “shortening of the way” makes sense and Spice for a twist- perfect! So I am now reserving it for my own internal use when I encounter forward thinkers or great posts, writers, etc.

Naturally it will mean alot more if you have read the Dune Series or at least book one in the series by Robert Herbert, or go ahead and cheat and watch the movie…but you will miss out on all the subtle greatness that makes this a mind blowing classic.

Tip: If you must “cheat” I would say skip the Dune version cut in 1984 and hit the Dune made for TV Miniseries.

Source: Wikipedia.org

The Kwisatz Haderach is a fictional name of a prophesied messiah figure in the Dune universe, created by Frank Herbert, and later extended by his son, Brian Herbert, alongside science fiction author Kevin J. Anderson.

In Terminology of the Imperium, the glossary of the novel Dune, Frank Herbert provides the following definition:

KWISATZ HADERACH: “Shortening of the Way.” This is the label applied by the Bene Gesserit to the unknown for which they sought a genetic solution: a male Bene Gesserit whose organic mental powers would bridge space and time.

The Kwisatz Haderach is also known as “the one who can be many places at once.”

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