So I'm putting one of the stories from Hydra, "The Day Of The Mule," on the web for all to see.
You can see it here: "The Day Of The Mule"
And, if you like it, you see the whole collection here: http://www.amazon.com/Hydra-ebook/dp/B0060MB2G8
Showing posts with label posthuman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label posthuman. Show all posts
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Halloween, the Masque, and the Transhuman
The great joy of holidays like Halloween and celebrations like the Carnival is that we can put on masks and experiment with being someone else. We play at taking on an alternative identity.
The transhuman, however, will actually have the option of being someone else; taking on a different body, a different personality, even different memories.
What would that mean for us? As individuals and a civilization?
The transhuman, however, will actually have the option of being someone else; taking on a different body, a different personality, even different memories.
What would that mean for us? As individuals and a civilization?
Sunday, October 16, 2011
on the current wave of protests...from Cairo to Wall Streets
One of the most interesting characteristics of the current wave of social unrest is that it would be much more difficult if it weren't for modern technology. Protestors use everything from facebook to twitter to cell phones to co-ordinate their actions and share wisdom.
That being the case, I wonder if you couldn't argue that we are seeing here the first stirrings of transhuman politics -- the merger of human and artificial intelligence in a social setting.
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005JT22MG
That being the case, I wonder if you couldn't argue that we are seeing here the first stirrings of transhuman politics -- the merger of human and artificial intelligence in a social setting.
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005JT22MG
Monday, October 10, 2011
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
two transhumans go into a bar...
...and then there's no punchline 'cause transhumans never do anything stupid, sexist, racist, self-destructive, or just d*mn dumb. Sigh. What's a comedian to do?
Monday, September 26, 2011
image from Blimp
here's an image from "Blimp" (a story in the Jellies collection) which I don't think I've posted before.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Transhumanist laughter
I am convinced that Transhumans would keep various parts of their human nature for their pleasure. For example, they would choose to laugh.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
"goodness"
A while back I ran across a fascinating question posed by J.F. 'Eldras' Ellis on kurzweilai.net. He asked "Do you believe 'Goodness' is relevant in the Universe?"
I've put my own small attempt at an answer below. But I don't believe I've really done the issue justice. But perhaps I'll spark a little more discussion of it.
I'm reminded of Voltaire's comment that if there were no God, it would be necessary to invent him. What I mean is that "goodness" is a fantastically useful concept. A learned or inborn (if mores are biological in origin) sense of "goodness" and "badness" provides a brake on behaviors that would otherwise be destructive of the community as a whole. If you think it is "bad" to slice up your neighbors and serve them as a meat pie on Christmas morning, well, it means that more neighbors will live to ripe old ages. Ergo, "goodness" is a good thing.
The question that occurs to me is how will Transhumans make use of the term "goodness?" If they are supremely rational, they may not need it. But, perhaps they would keep it around anyway, along with emotions like love and happiness, for old times sake.
I've put my own small attempt at an answer below. But I don't believe I've really done the issue justice. But perhaps I'll spark a little more discussion of it.
I'm reminded of Voltaire's comment that if there were no God, it would be necessary to invent him. What I mean is that "goodness" is a fantastically useful concept. A learned or inborn (if mores are biological in origin) sense of "goodness" and "badness" provides a brake on behaviors that would otherwise be destructive of the community as a whole. If you think it is "bad" to slice up your neighbors and serve them as a meat pie on Christmas morning, well, it means that more neighbors will live to ripe old ages. Ergo, "goodness" is a good thing.
The question that occurs to me is how will Transhumans make use of the term "goodness?" If they are supremely rational, they may not need it. But, perhaps they would keep it around anyway, along with emotions like love and happiness, for old times sake.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
how much human...?
I've been wondering how much humanity a transhuman would keep in its nature. Maybe quite a lot, if only for old times sake.
Maybe a transhuman would have two or more parts...a transhuman part on one level and a human part on another. Thus, he'd be "Fred" or "Jane" in one world, but superhuman on another.
Maybe a transhuman would have two or more parts...a transhuman part on one level and a human part on another. Thus, he'd be "Fred" or "Jane" in one world, but superhuman on another.
from Jellies
from Jellies...
A thousand years ago, humanity had split between the humans and the Others, the transhumans ...
The transhumans changed very, very quickly, the Ranger explained…. adding to themselves, expanding their intelligence, gaining additional abilities. In a single lifetime, they evolved more rapidly, and more completely, than humanity had done in the last million years. "In time, we might not even see them anymore."
"Why not?"
"Consider the insect." How does a bug see us? Probably, as a big rumbling something or other. Something warm and fleshy. No different from any other large mammal in its environment. A mosquito or a tick might recognize us as a potential source of blood. But would they recognize us as an entity? A being like themselves? Surely not.
And, so, if there were creatures as far beyond us as we are beyond ticks and mosquitoes…
"We might not realize they were here," Valter said.
And, the older man continued, "Think about the things we build or grow. How does a fly or an ant perceive our houses and buildings? Probably just as big hard objects, no different from mountains and cliff walls. Or how does a locust see a cornfield? Just as a source of plant matter. Something to be eaten like any tree or leaf."
"The idea that someone, somewhere, might object…"
"Would never occur to it,"
"Right. And what do we do when we find locusts in our fields?"
Valter felt terror clawing at his soul. "We poison them."
A thousand years ago, humanity had split between the humans and the Others, the transhumans ...
The transhumans changed very, very quickly, the Ranger explained…. adding to themselves, expanding their intelligence, gaining additional abilities. In a single lifetime, they evolved more rapidly, and more completely, than humanity had done in the last million years. "In time, we might not even see them anymore."
"Why not?"
"Consider the insect." How does a bug see us? Probably, as a big rumbling something or other. Something warm and fleshy. No different from any other large mammal in its environment. A mosquito or a tick might recognize us as a potential source of blood. But would they recognize us as an entity? A being like themselves? Surely not.
And, so, if there were creatures as far beyond us as we are beyond ticks and mosquitoes…
"We might not realize they were here," Valter said.
And, the older man continued, "Think about the things we build or grow. How does a fly or an ant perceive our houses and buildings? Probably just as big hard objects, no different from mountains and cliff walls. Or how does a locust see a cornfield? Just as a source of plant matter. Something to be eaten like any tree or leaf."
"The idea that someone, somewhere, might object…"
"Would never occur to it,"
"Right. And what do we do when we find locusts in our fields?"
Valter felt terror clawing at his soul. "We poison them."
Saturday, September 17, 2011
from the inside flap of Tower
From the inside flap of Tower
There are wonders beyond the Singularity...
"These nanotechnical devices... the nanotechnical devices... will enter your body and brain. It will link you to us. To the network. To artificial and natural intelligences. You will have powers beyond anything you can imagine."
"Powers?" Now she was interested.
"Unbelievable things. Super intelligence, and everything that comes with it. You'll be able to reshape yourself. Have multiple bodies. Be in many places at once. Travel to the stars and stay home at the same time. It's unimaginable."
Deal Breaker
But there are also terrors...
Odd. There was a faint sound coming from the monitor of her computer. It was almost like a scratching. As if a cat or something were inside and wanted to be let out.
She bent down to examine it more closely. She had shut down the computer and the screen was black. Yet, as she watched, it grew white...a pearly, confused white, like the static of a TV between channels. What?
Then ...there was something taking shape in the static! She leaned closer and closer, until her nose was almost pressed to the glass. What could it be?
Tentacles. Fangs. Claws...
The Hate Buyer
Once more, Victor Storiguard gives us a glance at the Transhuman future...in both its promise, and its perils.
"These nanotechnical devices... the nanotechnical devices... will enter your body and brain. It will link you to us. To the network. To artificial and natural intelligences. You will have powers beyond anything you can imagine."
"Powers?" Now she was interested.
"Unbelievable things. Super intelligence, and everything that comes with it. You'll be able to reshape yourself. Have multiple bodies. Be in many places at once. Travel to the stars and stay home at the same time. It's unimaginable."
Deal Breaker
But there are also terrors...
Odd. There was a faint sound coming from the monitor of her computer. It was almost like a scratching. As if a cat or something were inside and wanted to be let out.
She bent down to examine it more closely. She had shut down the computer and the screen was black. Yet, as she watched, it grew white...a pearly, confused white, like the static of a TV between channels. What?
Then ...there was something taking shape in the static! She leaned closer and closer, until her nose was almost pressed to the glass. What could it be?
Tentacles. Fangs. Claws...
The Hate Buyer
Once more, Victor Storiguard gives us a glance at the Transhuman future...in both its promise, and its perils.
Friday, September 16, 2011
and yet another addition to my amazon.com page...Tower
Just put another work on my Amazon page—Tower.
I'm playing around with some horror elements in these tales.
I'm playing around with some horror elements in these tales.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
and from A Singular Encounter
And this is from "A Singular Encounter"
She saw it all. It unfolded before her like a vision. Machines would become smaller, and smaller, and yet ever more powerful. They'd link together. Communicate. Become one intelligence.
And humans would be part of that intelligence! Organic brains would link to artificial ones. The distinction between one and the other vanishing. She saw humans becoming more than human.
"My… my God," she said.
And, of course, it explained the Catastrophe, too. When the day came when such technology was available, people would face a choice. Did they wish to become superhuman or didn't they?
And, strangely, many would choose not to. Why? A hundred reasons. Religion, philosophy, ideology.
As a result, the world would divide between those who changed and those who didn't. And while that division was underway…
"Chaos…" she said, at last. Society would dissolve.
"The Catastrophe," he agreed, softly. "Or what came to be called such."
She saw it all. It unfolded before her like a vision. Machines would become smaller, and smaller, and yet ever more powerful. They'd link together. Communicate. Become one intelligence.
And humans would be part of that intelligence! Organic brains would link to artificial ones. The distinction between one and the other vanishing. She saw humans becoming more than human.
"My… my God," she said.
And, of course, it explained the Catastrophe, too. When the day came when such technology was available, people would face a choice. Did they wish to become superhuman or didn't they?
And, strangely, many would choose not to. Why? A hundred reasons. Religion, philosophy, ideology.
As a result, the world would divide between those who changed and those who didn't. And while that division was underway…
"Chaos…" she said, at last. Society would dissolve.
"The Catastrophe," he agreed, softly. "Or what came to be called such."
from Jellies
This is from "Jellies." I don't suppose I'm posting any spoilers ;-)
Full book is here: Jellies
Just then, the phone rang. For a moment, he hesitated. Did he really want to talk to anyone? No. But, he supposed he should. He wished someone would invent some sort of machine that would answer phones for you and take a message so that you didn't have to speak to people you didn't like.
He sighed and picked up the receiver. "Hello?"
"Valter,"
He recognized her voice with a start. "Judice Hargon?"
"Yes,"
"Uh, what can I do for you?"
"I'd like to talk to you again."
"Ah, sure." He fumbled for his calendar. "Someday this week?"
"No. Not like that. Now."
"Now?"
He heard her laugh. "Yes. This very evening. Can you come?"
"I…I guess so. Where should I come? At the Palace of Justice again?"
"No," …another soft chuckle…"I'll send a car." And then the line went dead.
What in the world? He thought. But a few minutes later, he heard a landcar come to a stop outside his apartment building. He glanced out a window. It was the same limo. And the same driver was standing at the door.
He went outside. This time the driver didn't speak but only held the door open for him. Valter sat in the back and they headed off into the evening. The driver weaved in and out of traffic. Soon, a mammoth building appeared before them…one of the exclusive flat complexes down near the financial district…and the car stopped. Once again, the silent driver opened his door, and Valter stumbled out onto the sidewalk.
He turned to the driver. "But where…?"
"Penthouse," the man said, simply.
Mystified, Valter entered the building's lobby. The doorman inside glanced at him, then looked away again, carefully avoiding his eyes.
He crossed the tile floor to the elevator. The door swung open and the operator, a woman in a gray "house" uniform, smiled at him. He entered it uneasily. Before he could say what floor he wanted, she had pulled a handle on a wheel and they were upward bound. When the little arrow over the door came to "P," they halted and she silently opened the cage for him.
He stepped out and found himself in a kind of little entryway, almost a small room in itself. There was a mirror on the wall and a place to hang his coat. Beyond it was an ornate door. Before he could knock, it swung open silently and he found himself confronting a maid. "She's expecting you," the woman said.
She held the door for him and, once he was past, stepped outside and closed it behind her. He heard her footsteps as she walked toward the elevator. She said something he couldn't quite make out to the elevator operator, there was a burst of disconcerting giggles, and the lift descended again.
He edged into the room behind the door. It was luxuriously furnished, even crowded. There were paintings on all the walls, fresh flowers on tables, chairs, a massive glass hookah, a chaise lounge…
And then he saw her. Or, rather, he realized what he was seeing. She was in the lounge. Reclining and watching him with a slight smile on her face.
She was nude.
He gasped.
She laughed at him now. "I thought this would be the easiest way," she explained. "Eliminate all uncertainty, as it were."
Full book is here: Jellies
Just then, the phone rang. For a moment, he hesitated. Did he really want to talk to anyone? No. But, he supposed he should. He wished someone would invent some sort of machine that would answer phones for you and take a message so that you didn't have to speak to people you didn't like.
He sighed and picked up the receiver. "Hello?"
"Valter,"
He recognized her voice with a start. "Judice Hargon?"
"Yes,"
"Uh, what can I do for you?"
"I'd like to talk to you again."
"Ah, sure." He fumbled for his calendar. "Someday this week?"
"No. Not like that. Now."
"Now?"
He heard her laugh. "Yes. This very evening. Can you come?"
"I…I guess so. Where should I come? At the Palace of Justice again?"
"No," …another soft chuckle…"I'll send a car." And then the line went dead.
What in the world? He thought. But a few minutes later, he heard a landcar come to a stop outside his apartment building. He glanced out a window. It was the same limo. And the same driver was standing at the door.
He went outside. This time the driver didn't speak but only held the door open for him. Valter sat in the back and they headed off into the evening. The driver weaved in and out of traffic. Soon, a mammoth building appeared before them…one of the exclusive flat complexes down near the financial district…and the car stopped. Once again, the silent driver opened his door, and Valter stumbled out onto the sidewalk.
He turned to the driver. "But where…?"
"Penthouse," the man said, simply.
Mystified, Valter entered the building's lobby. The doorman inside glanced at him, then looked away again, carefully avoiding his eyes.
He crossed the tile floor to the elevator. The door swung open and the operator, a woman in a gray "house" uniform, smiled at him. He entered it uneasily. Before he could say what floor he wanted, she had pulled a handle on a wheel and they were upward bound. When the little arrow over the door came to "P," they halted and she silently opened the cage for him.
He stepped out and found himself in a kind of little entryway, almost a small room in itself. There was a mirror on the wall and a place to hang his coat. Beyond it was an ornate door. Before he could knock, it swung open silently and he found himself confronting a maid. "She's expecting you," the woman said.
She held the door for him and, once he was past, stepped outside and closed it behind her. He heard her footsteps as she walked toward the elevator. She said something he couldn't quite make out to the elevator operator, there was a burst of disconcerting giggles, and the lift descended again.
He edged into the room behind the door. It was luxuriously furnished, even crowded. There were paintings on all the walls, fresh flowers on tables, chairs, a massive glass hookah, a chaise lounge…
And then he saw her. Or, rather, he realized what he was seeing. She was in the lounge. Reclining and watching him with a slight smile on her face.
She was nude.
He gasped.
She laughed at him now. "I thought this would be the easiest way," she explained. "Eliminate all uncertainty, as it were."
and yet another addition to my amazon.com page
I've just posted another piece to my Amazon page -- Tower, and other transhuman tales.
It's not up and running, yet, but I'll post a notice when it is.
It's not up and running, yet, but I'll post a notice when it is.
Monday, September 5, 2011
bugs and brains
Saw the following article at K'weil: Tiny Bugs Are Controlling Your Mind
The idea is that certain bacteria may actually improve your mental health.
Wouldn't it be fascinating if turned out we were, in fact, composite beings…the product of many combinations of different independent entities over the passage of millions (as Endosymbiotic theory has long suggested). And, further, that many things we thought were separate from us were, in fact, part of us?
And so, then bacteria like Lactobacillus rhamnosus are not just benign but vital. Meaning that overuse of antibiotics is literally suicidal.
Victor Storiguard
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005JT22MG
The idea is that certain bacteria may actually improve your mental health.
Wouldn't it be fascinating if turned out we were, in fact, composite beings…the product of many combinations of different independent entities over the passage of millions (as Endosymbiotic theory has long suggested). And, further, that many things we thought were separate from us were, in fact, part of us?
And so, then bacteria like Lactobacillus rhamnosus are not just benign but vital. Meaning that overuse of antibiotics is literally suicidal.
Victor Storiguard
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005JT22MG
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Singular Encounters
Having a grand time seeing my stuff appear on Amazon. Here's the most recent lins:
Singular Encounters: Three Tales of Transhumanity [Kindle Edition] at
http://www.amazon.com/Singular-Encounters-Three-Transhumanity-ebook/dp/B005JPT8BS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315176770&sr=8-1
Singular Encounters: Three Tales of Transhumanity [Kindle Edition] at
http://www.amazon.com/Singular-Encounters-Three-Transhumanity-ebook/dp/B005JPT8BS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315176770&sr=8-1
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