Wow. A lot to digest here and I don't disagree with any of it. I am choosing to be "interested" in what unfolds in front of us, because any of the other work I come up with is going to end me in an asylum.
LOL! I swear, it's like you speak all the words in my heart. Love to you, my friend. If you end up in an asylum, I'll make sure mine is the room next to yours.
"There are an alarming number of reports from women who say they were propositioned, groped, or even ejaculated upon by other avatars."
I feel embarrassed to be a Penis-American. My compatriots are pigs and immature children who don't know how to treat women with even virtual respect. How pathetic is that? Mother must be SO fucking proud.
In the '60s, it was "Reality is for people who can't handle drugs." Today, the only thing that's changed is the drug of choice. And I fear today's drug of choice is far worse.
EXACTLY. And how is that even possible? Yes, today's drug of choice is far worse. We've become even less tethered to reality.
John and I were just discussing the TV heroes of yore. There was Ironsides (wheelchair), Cannon (a sizable character), Barnaby Jones (ancient), Mannox (alcoholic). Now we have CGI superheroes. What on earth is going on?
Agree with everything you say, but here's another possibility which, if I had my druthers, I'd rather see happen. I wrote a little book that I won't promote here, but it describes a future where the world we're in now (and the foreseeable future) just collapses. A friend of mine went the other way - his future raises the spectre of mankind falling under the thumb of AI devices, robots, machines, whatever.
Thing is, the so called metaverse, AI, quantum computing etc etc etc depend on massive server farms sucking up huge amounts of energy. If they go down, well, guess what? And they could go down because the hyper-corporations that dominate western life depend on capital markets. And the governments that fund energy development on their behalf depend on tax revenues. The interconnectedness is complex, intricate and vulnerable to disruption, and, well, under foreseeable circumstances, collapse.
PROMOTE YOUR BOOK. I am inviting you to promote it. That's a book I want to hear more about. What, are you kidding? Please include a link where we can buy it.
Ah, the book. Actually, the books. The first, The Summit of Us, is narrated by an autistic genius, Peter Benevolus, whose oligarchy builds a new empire on the rubble of America using a technology discovered by a messianic Jew (son of Brooklyn deli owners). They build this new world by various means and schemes, but the most important is the kidnapping of the President of the US and her husband and their confinement for precisely 30 days in a purpose-built bungalow in a vault way down below Leicester Square in London. The lives of these two lovelies are streamed round the world to an audience that grows to the billions, their elite lives reduced to the commonplaces of ordinary people caught in a failing marriage.
The second book, The Land of Is, is narrated by Wicla the Singer who married Benevolus, not knowing the extent of his perfidy. When, years later, she learns of his machinations, she murders him in their bed. The book is her letter to their twin children, Bened and Scola, as an explanation. It consists to a great extent of telling them how she came to be a Dylan-like troubadour in America's far west, and of her time driving the busted roads in the back of a self-driving bus with her mother, the legendary Trader Merry Weir. The Land of Is was their hard-edged reality, women once again put under the thumb of men.
The two books are on Amazon, Kobo, Barnes and Noble etc. But, I have copies in a couple of boxes gathering dust (even though they are newly minted) here in Gualdo Tadino where I now live with my good wife, Joan. We could try a meet up one day and I will palm copies off to you. I do not promote them or myself. I'm lazy and old.
I believe the recent episode of the television series The Good Fight had a segment on this very issue with women who wore the haptic vests and their respective avatars were groped or sexually assaulted. Then the judge was the one putting on the haptic vest and the trial broke down due to his reaction. Important article. Thanks for sharing.
"And high taxes on new creative ideas are stifling."
My cow died, Zucks, so I don't need your bull.
There was a short-lived TV show back in the 80's ('87) called "Max Headroom." Matt Frewer played a reporter in a dystopian future who seems to have died in an accident, and gets his (at the time) fragmented consciousness downloaded into an AI. But he then wakes up and continues (more or less) with his life, as the AI him ("Max") offers snarky commentary to the whole shit show. In one episode, the reporter is with police when they raid the home of this pirate transmitter. They stare in shock at something that's attached to his TV.
"That's an 'off' button," the cop exclaims. "He'll get twenty years for that!"
It's strange how cultural effluvia work. Take this Headroom thing, for instance. I never watched it, but I've heard of Max Headroom and had a basic understanding of the premise. Now, I actually want to watch it.
This was back when I bought my first VCR. I thought about recording the episodes, but then thought, "Nah! I'm just being paranoid." It was gone after half a season.
SO then Star Trek: The Next Generation came out, and I just KNEW it would never last, so I committed to recording every one. SEVEN GOD DAMNED SEASONS LATER, and I only missed something like three episodes. Once discs came out, I got rid of my tapes. The quality wasn't very good, and I had to manually pause on the commercials.
Is this the beginning of the Matrix?
Will you take the blue pill, or the red? (My thoughts exactly.)
To be honest, I never saw Matrix in its entirety...so I'll take the plaid pill
If only!
Wow. A lot to digest here and I don't disagree with any of it. I am choosing to be "interested" in what unfolds in front of us, because any of the other work I come up with is going to end me in an asylum.
LOL! I swear, it's like you speak all the words in my heart. Love to you, my friend. If you end up in an asylum, I'll make sure mine is the room next to yours.
"There are an alarming number of reports from women who say they were propositioned, groped, or even ejaculated upon by other avatars."
I feel embarrassed to be a Penis-American. My compatriots are pigs and immature children who don't know how to treat women with even virtual respect. How pathetic is that? Mother must be SO fucking proud.
In the '60s, it was "Reality is for people who can't handle drugs." Today, the only thing that's changed is the drug of choice. And I fear today's drug of choice is far worse.
EXACTLY. And how is that even possible? Yes, today's drug of choice is far worse. We've become even less tethered to reality.
John and I were just discussing the TV heroes of yore. There was Ironsides (wheelchair), Cannon (a sizable character), Barnaby Jones (ancient), Mannox (alcoholic). Now we have CGI superheroes. What on earth is going on?
I fear we’re heading for a reality which will resemble “Idiocracy.” Or “Mad Max.” I can never decide which. Either way, wir sind sehr gefickt.
Agree with everything you say, but here's another possibility which, if I had my druthers, I'd rather see happen. I wrote a little book that I won't promote here, but it describes a future where the world we're in now (and the foreseeable future) just collapses. A friend of mine went the other way - his future raises the spectre of mankind falling under the thumb of AI devices, robots, machines, whatever.
Thing is, the so called metaverse, AI, quantum computing etc etc etc depend on massive server farms sucking up huge amounts of energy. If they go down, well, guess what? And they could go down because the hyper-corporations that dominate western life depend on capital markets. And the governments that fund energy development on their behalf depend on tax revenues. The interconnectedness is complex, intricate and vulnerable to disruption, and, well, under foreseeable circumstances, collapse.
What then my lovelies?
PROMOTE YOUR BOOK. I am inviting you to promote it. That's a book I want to hear more about. What, are you kidding? Please include a link where we can buy it.
Ah, the book. Actually, the books. The first, The Summit of Us, is narrated by an autistic genius, Peter Benevolus, whose oligarchy builds a new empire on the rubble of America using a technology discovered by a messianic Jew (son of Brooklyn deli owners). They build this new world by various means and schemes, but the most important is the kidnapping of the President of the US and her husband and their confinement for precisely 30 days in a purpose-built bungalow in a vault way down below Leicester Square in London. The lives of these two lovelies are streamed round the world to an audience that grows to the billions, their elite lives reduced to the commonplaces of ordinary people caught in a failing marriage.
The second book, The Land of Is, is narrated by Wicla the Singer who married Benevolus, not knowing the extent of his perfidy. When, years later, she learns of his machinations, she murders him in their bed. The book is her letter to their twin children, Bened and Scola, as an explanation. It consists to a great extent of telling them how she came to be a Dylan-like troubadour in America's far west, and of her time driving the busted roads in the back of a self-driving bus with her mother, the legendary Trader Merry Weir. The Land of Is was their hard-edged reality, women once again put under the thumb of men.
The two books are on Amazon, Kobo, Barnes and Noble etc. But, I have copies in a couple of boxes gathering dust (even though they are newly minted) here in Gualdo Tadino where I now live with my good wife, Joan. We could try a meet up one day and I will palm copies off to you. I do not promote them or myself. I'm lazy and old.
I believe the recent episode of the television series The Good Fight had a segment on this very issue with women who wore the haptic vests and their respective avatars were groped or sexually assaulted. Then the judge was the one putting on the haptic vest and the trial broke down due to his reaction. Important article. Thanks for sharing.
Ooooooh! I'm not familiar with this series. Is it worth watching?
I think so. This series is a spin off of The Good Wife and both shows are very relevant. Check them out.
"And high taxes on new creative ideas are stifling."
My cow died, Zucks, so I don't need your bull.
There was a short-lived TV show back in the 80's ('87) called "Max Headroom." Matt Frewer played a reporter in a dystopian future who seems to have died in an accident, and gets his (at the time) fragmented consciousness downloaded into an AI. But he then wakes up and continues (more or less) with his life, as the AI him ("Max") offers snarky commentary to the whole shit show. In one episode, the reporter is with police when they raid the home of this pirate transmitter. They stare in shock at something that's attached to his TV.
"That's an 'off' button," the cop exclaims. "He'll get twenty years for that!"
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092402/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0
Ah Max! Where are you now?
It's strange how cultural effluvia work. Take this Headroom thing, for instance. I never watched it, but I've heard of Max Headroom and had a basic understanding of the premise. Now, I actually want to watch it.
This was back when I bought my first VCR. I thought about recording the episodes, but then thought, "Nah! I'm just being paranoid." It was gone after half a season.
SO then Star Trek: The Next Generation came out, and I just KNEW it would never last, so I committed to recording every one. SEVEN GOD DAMNED SEASONS LATER, and I only missed something like three episodes. Once discs came out, I got rid of my tapes. The quality wasn't very good, and I had to manually pause on the commercials.