Information
Living Technology:
Toward a New Science of Integrated Information
In order to transition into the next paradigm in science, and reorient our social relations with one another and the Earth, we need to reorient our notions of experimentation around models of a universe with us in it. A universe with Life. This unique quality of the Earth, the only home we’ve ever known, is what enables us to consciously experience, and therefore experiment and to probe our deepest questions. “You are the universe experiencing itself”, Alan Watts notably acknowledges. The simple, yet profound notion that there is no concrete boundary between us and the universe. Each one of us representing an infinitely complex, dimensional, experiencing being inhabiting our unique slice of the infinite. Our all-too-human ways of being in the world, our languages, our stories, our phenomenology, all our diverse methods of coming to know the world around us are poorly understood. So much knowledge has been lost to conquest, greed, tyranny, ijnustice and ceaseless unavoidable destruction. Our biases, rooted in our dominant cultural philosophies, are embedded in our every social and psychological dimension. That is to say, if you are a fish, industrialized/white/cisheteronormative/patriarchal supremacy isn’t the shark, it’s the water. The dominant scientific paradigmn is decidedly WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic), and most of us have been deeply integrated into it since we were born. Disproportionate amounts of scientific research relies on participants from these specific demographics, who represent a small portion of the global population. What began as a theory of information, I realized was more fundamentally aiming to describe a more honest, accessible and engaging way of understanding and participaing in the scientific enterpise as a whole.
But why does this need to happen? Why do we needd to rethink how we do science?
- In recent years, there has a been a general rising trend toward increasing disinformation and misinformatoin. What results is essentially an erosion of our shared reality via deeply embedded technologies like AI, Mixed Reality (AR/VR), Simulation Technologies (drones, projection mapping, holograms), memes, language and bots, and other software & hardware. We need systemic methodologies that engage with this social reality in a way that advances the maintanance of shared truth.
- To this end, we are in desperate need of altogether new visions of how our socieites can live in concert with one another and plantetary systems that are grounded in natural rythms and the deep intelligence of the Earth. Rather than being filtered through the narrow lens of reductive, colonial ideologies, our social contracts, economic models, ethical frameworks, healthcare institutions, educational methodologies, and all aspects of critical infrastructure, must be reoriented to align with the fundamental principles of nature and the rich, diverse tapestry of human and non-human conscious experience.
- The way STEM subjects have been historically introduced to the general public, especially across marginalized groups, has been ultimately ineffective at making fundamental scientific knowledge accessible and engaging. This has lead to exponential loss in the creative human investment of diverse knowledge into scientific discovery.
- To have any hope finding fundamental descriptions of reality, we need to expand our field of view beyond the narrow lens of dominant thought. A new kind of deep learning that requires us to retrace, reconnect and integrate webs of knowledge across our human and non-human ancestry. This will undoubtedly require altogether new, unconventional methods.
- The lab isn’t the world. Established and emerging technologies like AI, gaming, simulation and now quantum computing enable us to do experimentation at high precision, with near real-time data. Further deepening integration of these technologies will allow us to create models of the world effectively indistinguishable from our own. Today, more than ever, we need more scientists working closely with artists and designers to not only explore and experiment but to deploy these tools to the public.
- At the center of these and many of the most pressing challenges in science and mathematics is information. From the origins of life, to culture, technological development, quantum computing, cosmology, AI and the funamental nature of space, time and reality, information is central. The current scientific challenges, not unlike our social ones, are deeply existential.
Notably, one of the last times we were in the midst of this kind of global, critical transition, was at the height of the so-called “enlightenment”. It was during this period that the Eurocentric, patriarchal, colonial project truly sparked and took root. It was underpinned at its core by concepts; the synthesis of monotheistic concepts of god, a reductionist, hyper-objectivist scientific framework, and human-centered, white supremacist logic, institutionalized by force through it’s militarized socioeconomic apparatus. It is in this pervasive, colonial atmosphere that we now find our lands, bodies, and consciousness constrained, ensnared and in constant struggle against. We put forward that it requires a deep, systems-level approach to truly comprehend, diagnose, transition and ultimately heal from such deeply generational and multidimensional wounds.
“While the Enlightenment may have helped lay the foundation for the way that I see the world in my day-to-day science, it did not leave us with a good legacy on valuing human life. We must start looking elsewhere for a new way of looking at the world of relations between living things. It may be that in tandem with this, we will find that there are new ways of seeing the universe itself. We may find that it gives us new reasons to care about where the universe came from and how it got to be here.”
- Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, Astrophysicist & Cosmologist
- Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, Astrophysicist & Cosmologist
Been livin’ in an idea, an idea from another mans mind.
- Frank Ocean, Artist
Overview & Introductory References
What is information?
We all make informational models of the world to navigate, interpret and understand our individual and shared realities.
Edited compilation sourced from varoius artists around the globe exploring the future potential of AI, Quantum IoT & Spatial Computing.
There is only one example of life on this planet, and it is a bifrucating pattern of information strcuturing matter. The fundamenatl unit of life is not the cell, nor the individual, but the lineage of information propogating across space and time. The branching pattern at the tips of this structure is what is alive now, and it is what is contructing the future on this planet.
- Sara Imari Walker, Theoretical Physicist
Information is an abstract concept that refers to that which has the power to inform. At the most fundamental level, information pertains to the interpretation (perhaps formally) of that which may be sensed, or their abstractions. Any natural process that is not completely random and any observable pattern in any medium can be said to convey some amount of information. Whereas digital signals and other data use discrete signs to convey information, other phenomena and artifacts such as analogue signals, poems, pictures, music or other sounds, and currents convey information in a more continuous form. Information is not knowledge itself, but the meaning that may be derived from a representation through interpretation.
The concept of information is relevant or connected to various concepts, including constraint, communication, control, data, form, education, knowledge, meaning, understanding, mental stimuli, pattern, perception, proposition, representation, and entropy.
Information theory is the scientific study of the quantification, storage, and communication of digital information. The field was fundamentally established by the works of Harry Nyquist and Ralph Hartley, in the 1920s, and Claude Shannon in the 1940s. The field is at the intersection of probability theory, statistics, computer science, statistical mechanics, information engineering, and electrical engineering.
A key measure in information theory is entropy. Entropy quantifies the amount of uncertainty involved in the value of a random variable or the outcome of a random process. For example, identifying the outcome of a fair coin flip (with two equally likely outcomes) provides less information (lower entropy) than specifying the outcome from a roll of a die (with six equally likely outcomes). Some other important measures in information theory are mutual information, channel capacity, error exponents, and relative entropy. Important sub-fields of information theory include source coding, algorithmic complexity theory, algorithmic information theory and information-theoretic security.
Applications of fundamental topics of information theory include source coding/data compression (e.g. for ZIP files), and channel coding/error detection and correction (e.g. for DSL). Its impact has been crucial to the success of the Voyager missions to deep space, the invention of the compact disc, the feasibility of mobile phones and the development of the Internet. The theory has also found applications in other areas, including statistical inference, cryptography, neurobiology, perception, linguistics, the evolution and function of molecular codes (bioinformatics), thermal physics, molecular dynamics, quantum computing, black holes, information retrieval, intelligence gathering, plagiarism detection, pattern recognition, anomaly detection and even art creation. (via. Wikipedia)
Information science (also known as information studies) is an academic field which is primarily concerned with analysis, collection, classification, manipulation, storage, retrieval, movement, dissemination, and protection of information. Practitioners within and outside the field study the application and the usage of knowledge in organizations in addition to the interaction between people, organizations, and any existing information systems with the aim of creating, replacing, improving, or understanding the information systems.
Historically, information science (informatics) is associated with computer science, data science, psychology, technology, library science, healthcare, and intelligence agencies. However, information science also incorporates aspects of diverse fields such as archival science, cognitive science, commerce, law, linguistics, museology, management, mathematics, philosophy, public policy, and social sciences.
Information science focuses on understanding problems from the perspective of the stakeholders involved and then applying information and other technologies as needed. In other words, it tackles systemic problems first rather than individual pieces of technology within that system. In this respect, one can see information science as a response to technological determinism, the belief that technology "develops by its own laws, that it realizes its own potential, limited only by the material resources available and the creativity of its developers. It must therefore be regarded as an autonomous system controlling and ultimately permeating all other subsystems of society.
Information engineering is the engineering discipline that deals with the generation, distribution, analysis, and use of information, data, and knowledge in systems. The field first became identifiable in the early 21st century.
The components of information engineering include more theoretical fields such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, control theory, signal processing, and information theory, and more applied fields such as computer vision, natural language processing, bioinformatics, medical image computing, cheminformatics, autonomous robotics, mobile robotics, and telecommunications. Many of these originate from computer science, as well as other branches of engineering such as computer engineering, electrical engineering, and bioengineering.
The field of information engineering is based heavily on mathematics, particularly probability, statistics, calculus, linear algebra, optimization, differential equations, variational calculus, and complex analysis. Information engineers often hold a degree in information engineering or a related area, and are often part of a professional body such as the Institution of Engineering and Technology or Institute of Measurement and Control. They are employed in almost all industries due to the widespread use of information engineering.
Information Systems involves the effective design, delivery, and use of information and communications technologies to solve problems for companies, governments, and society. Equally, it is about understanding and measuring the impacts of these technologies on people and communities so they can be deployed ethically.
Information theory is the scientific study of the quantification, storage, and communication of digital information. The field was fundamentally established by the works of Harry Nyquist and Ralph Hartley, in the 1920s, and Claude Shannon in the 1940s. The field is at the intersection of probability theory, statistics, computer science, statistical mechanics, information engineering, and electrical engineering.
A key measure in information theory is entropy. Entropy quantifies the amount of uncertainty involved in the value of a random variable or the outcome of a random process. For example, identifying the outcome of a fair coin flip (with two equally likely outcomes) provides less information (lower entropy) than specifying the outcome from a roll of a die (with six equally likely outcomes). Some other important measures in information theory are mutual information, channel capacity, error exponents, and relative entropy. Important sub-fields of information theory include source coding, algorithmic complexity theory, algorithmic information theory and information-theoretic security.
Applications of fundamental topics of information theory include source coding/data compression (e.g. for ZIP files), and channel coding/error detection and correction (e.g. for DSL). Its impact has been crucial to the success of the Voyager missions to deep space, the invention of the compact disc, the feasibility of mobile phones and the development of the Internet. The theory has also found applications in other areas, including statistical inference, cryptography, neurobiology, perception, linguistics, the evolution and function of molecular codes (bioinformatics), thermal physics, molecular dynamics, quantum computing, black holes, information retrieval, intelligence gathering, plagiarism detection, pattern recognition, anomaly detection and even art creation.
- Sara Imari Walker
The fabric of objective reality is woven out of threads of information — not space, time, or matter. At the heart of reality, we find a computational engine which needs to be fed with information. The entire universe is computational in nature.
- James B. Glattfelder Physicist, Complexity Scientist, Philosopher, Author of Information—Consciousness—Reality : How a New Understanding of the Universe Can Help Answer Age-Old Questions of Existence
- James B. Glattfelder Physicist, Complexity Scientist, Philosopher, Author of Information—Consciousness—Reality : How a New Understanding of the Universe Can Help Answer Age-Old Questions of Existence
Watch : How Information Helps Us Understand the Fabric of Reality
Other Notable References:Cosmosapiens : Human Evolution From the Origin of the Universe
Sara Walker : Earth Holds the Key to Alien Life
Cybersemiotics: Why Information is Not Enough
The Human Use of Human Beings: Cybernetics Pioneer Norbert Wiener on Communication, Control, and the Morality of Our Machines
Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience: Information & the Origin of Qualia
Qualia Research Institute: Discovering the Mathematical Structure of Consciousness
Journal of Mathematics and the Arts: Quantifying Patterns in Art & Nature
Timothy Morton: Hyperobjects
Human Energy Project, the Third Story of the Universe & the Formation of the Noosphere
Quantum Gravity Research
Fotoni Markoupolou : Quantum Graphity
Kevin Kelly, Technium Unbound
Emergent Information: A Unified Theory of Information Framework
The Experiment: Another World is Possible
Our Reality, In Formation - Branden Collins for O MediaLab (2022)
Slide 4 highlights a video from a performance piece entitled Communication, which I created in 2013 with artist Madeline Moore as a part of my Pandrogeny exhibition. The work illustrates the inherent challenges of communication between two sources (in this case costumed avatars), it’s a concept that I only later discovered aligned exactly with the description of mathematician and information scientist Claude Shannon’s theory of information in 1948. Part of my core hypothesis is the need for an update to this theory and the resulting paradigm shift in our understanding of communication & information will lead to a revolution in information infrastructure. At the heart of this paradigm shift is recognizing the need for the integration of human identity & subjective human experience into how we interpret the fundamental nature of our shared reality. I would come to learn that this paradigm shift is already well underway and is fundamentally quantum in nature.
“You have to explicitly include the observer who is measuring things as
part of the discussion of the system... Nobody can measure a closed universe from
the outside, you can only measure it from the inside.”
part of the discussion of the system... Nobody can measure a closed universe from
the outside, you can only measure it from the inside.”
- Physicist Daniel Harlow, MIT
Experiment Description:
Quantum field theory suggests that electromagnetic fields naturally fluctuate, and these fluctuations can be harnessed as a source of perfect randomness. We have created a room-scale many-bodied quantum computer, with each visitor behaving as individual entangled topological Qbits. The turbulent, chaotic nature of social dynamics in our closed environment act as insulators for the encoded information in each Qbit state vector as they enter and exit a series of gates. This, in essence, mirrors the conditions of the quantum vacuum, with fluctuations that result in an emergent spacetime fabric. The state vectors are therefore encrypted via quantum entanglement as each state represents a random number generated within a hyperdimensional matrix of the exploration space. The deltas between state vector phase transitions represent combinatorial “uniqueness”, therefore generating unique informational structures in this distributed system. This shows the potential to generate energy and exponential computational power from quantum behaviors exhibited by the distributed, chaotic and entangled nature of social network dynamics.
Objectives:
A socioeconomic theory that applies principles from quantum mechanics to illustrate the inherent determinism in social relations, how these effect probabilistic outcomes in individual and collective life, including entanglements with Earth systems and beyond. We argue that, not only do social relations have obvious material effects on the natural environment, but that when considered holistically, social networks parallel quantum phenomena. This appears to illuminate a profound similarity between Quantum dynamics and social network dynamics, not only in structure and behavior but in the ability of both domains to generate altogether new material realities from “immaterial” informational structures. This work provokes new considerations about the nature of collective consciousness, its entanglements with space-time and what significance this holds in relation to the many worlds interpretation of quantum theory. Similar to the impact of the so-called “Enlightenment” and its subsequent economic theories, social frameworks, central philosophies and subsequent technologies which now define our current reality, this new approach to both the scientific paradigm and new econimc theory aims to reorient our fundamental understanings of intelligence, equity, value and social organization, toward the emergence of a new shared reality built upon the laws of nature, cooperation, regeneration and trust.“The establishment of our new Government seemed to be the last great experiment for promoting human happiness, by reasonable compact, in civil Society.”
- George Washington, President and owner of enslaved peoples. 244 years ago, the “great” American experiment began.
Toward the development of an integrated, regenerative, full-systems health & wellness infrastructure which is applied to individual, communal, regional, and global spheres, taking into account all dimensions of the lived experience.
We propose that worldbuilding, as a (re)emerging field of interdisciplinary practice, is the most well-suited methodology & process of equitably integrating diverse human and non-human knowledge systems and ways of being into our unified understanding of the fundamental properties of the universe.
We propose that worldbuilding, as a (re)emerging field of interdisciplinary practice, is the most well-suited methodology & process of equitably integrating diverse human and non-human knowledge systems and ways of being into our unified understanding of the fundamental properties of the universe.
“It basically unites the human tradition of spirituality, quantum physics, huge ideas around cosmology, the forming of the universe, and modern tenets of psychology – into one brief.”
We aim show that the evolution of culture represents the emergence of universal technological convergence within complex living systems. With this, we propose that cultural media & expression represent a time-bound record of universally evolving "consciousness" (i.e. self-stimulation) through "living technologies".
We define “living technologies” as any technology (tools, cultures, customs, traditions, social systems, etc.) that emerge from & interact with living systems. This includes living organisms that could be considered “conscious”. (in this context we recognize life and living organisms as technologies in and of themselves).
⁃ Show the origin of living technology and its relationships with mathematics, physics & biochemical systems. Similar to Cosmosapiens, we attempt to draw a connective thread of the evolutionary history of “living technology” from the beginning of the universe, the emergence of living systems, to living technologies of today and into the future. Describing some of the ways in which this ongoing evolutionary process results in the emergence and re-emergence of new dimensions of reality and new forms of life.
⁃ Establish that culture is a technology that emerges from complex living systems.
⁃ Reestablish that all technology is inherently "natural" and examine the implications of this.
⁃ Confront the necessity of the social experiment as an aspect of evolutionary process & survival.
⁃ Establish the basis for cultural elements to be regarded as technologies central to social progress and economic infrastructure by
- Using qualitative & quantitative analysis to trace the evolutionary trajectory of cultural elements.
- Developing methods for estimating the probability that cultural elements will emerge (for elements that currently exist and those that do not).
- Establish a quantifying metric for the value of cultural elements based on the probability of emergence
- Evaluating the necessity of emerging technologies, their viability in the marketplace, and design the means & methods by which they will be produced.
Understand where individual ideas, individual cultural elements, & culture more broadly come from. How does an individual (creative) idea or cultural element emerge? What is culture? How does culture evolve?
Describe the means by which ideas and culture emerge from complex living systems (via. Mathematics, information theory, physics, biology, etc.)
Define “living technologies” as any technology (tools, cultures, customs, traditions, social system, etc.) that emerge from & interact with living systems. This includes living organisms that could be considered “conscious”. (in this context we recognize life and living organisms as technologies in and of themselves). All “living technologies” transfer information.
A more nuanced understanding of what technology is.
Show examples of technology and culture present in nature.
Illustrate that cultures effectively constitute new “dimensions” of reality
Illustrate a more complete picture for the potential of biomimicry by showing how nature develops technology and culture.
Establish the potential for various media technologies, within the context of a postmodern, hyperreal society, to effectively bring about the emergence of new forms of reality and life.
Establishes the basis for Communion systems, platforms & community structures. Essentially the philosophical & technical framework that guides how we approach experimental communities, design & development.
Establish qualia (the quantification of subjective conscious experience) as a transfer of information/mass/energy and therefore describe the potential for the basis of a biological “currency” in a transitional economic framework. (Perhaps underpinned by the physics definition of “work” as a substitute for labor?)
Establish a method for qualifying and quantifying consciousness & cultural elements as a basis for experimentation and accelerated adaptation, transitioning to new socioeconomic structures & technological paradigms. What is the “real” value of art? Based on the proposed framework that culture emerges from biology, physical & mathematical laws. Based on a physics definition of work as a potential replacement or supplement to socialized concepts of labor. Extracting the true value of creative output based on its underlying inputs, i.e. creative output redefined as, among other things, a form of data systems analytics.
Propose that cultural media & expression represent a time-bound record of universally evolving consciousness (i.e. self-stimulation) through "living technologies". This then opens the possibility that the emergence/convergence of exponential living technologies acting as time-bound records could resolve various temporal paradoxes. We examine these probabilities.
Propose that the convergence of mixed reality, spatial computing & other exponential extended reality technologies may require an update to Shannon’s Mathematical Theory of Communication.
Working towards an evolving legal/ethical framework for shared/mixed realities & personal information technologies more broadly.
- Working towards an evolving legal/ethical framework for mixed realities & personal information technologies more broadly.
- Establishes experimental framework for the study and observation of / integration with the emerging ”Noosphere”/“Holosphere” We argue that the singularity is not near, but the plurality is here (and has always been) but we have not in recent history taken seriously the task of recognizing it, understanding it, and unlocking the potential of synthesis.
Outcomes
Functional Prototype
Trust as a Service : Welcome to The Vibe Economy
Proof of concept for our aspirational, regenerative economic framework.Social Security Networks, (Neuro)Privacy & Truth as a Service : Quantum Encryption via Entangled Distributed Keys
Can we create a reality with a truly equitable economy?
Platforms & Systems Framework
Leveraging Quantum Vacuum for Energy Generation in Power Electronics Systems
Generating energy from the entangled informational dynamics of social networks.
Can we passively generate clean, renewable energy?
Platforms & Systems Development
YOO as You : Memories as a Format
Breakthroughs in Quantum Information, personal big data, AI and programmable materials lead to a new era of embodied technologies.
What is the future of identity tech?
Hypothesis
Life 2.0 : The Informational Origin of Life
Origin of Life is the hardest question in science. No one knows how the first cell came about. But there’s a simpler, more fundamental question: Where did the information come from?
Hypothesis
The Emergence of ꙮ The Quantum of Culture : Collective Consciousness as A New Dimension
Tunneling, Entanglement, Collective Consciousness & Understanding Ideas as Emergent PhenomenaHypothesis
The Language of Quantum Chaos : Unlocking The Riemann Hypothesis
Our experimental framework supports the deep connections between the chaos of quantum systems and the Riemann Hypothesis.It may even offer a path to a proof of this mathematical enigma.
Hypothesis
The Informational Vector of Time : Spacetime Emergence via Quantized Information
Networks & the Riemann Fourier Phase Transitions of Matter
Mass, Energy & the Informational Arrow of Time, Probing the Fundamental Nature of Reality. This hypothesis proposes a possible description of the discrete structure of spacetime.Platforms & Systems Development
The Navigator
Design prototype for a spatiotemporal navigation and transportation device.It's not (really) about time travel.
Research/Notes/Index:
0 : 0 Culture as Living Technology
Introduction. Sets the overall purpose & abstract of the theory. Methods used to establish it, what we anticipate to read. Picking up where Pandrogeny, Another World is Possible, Cosmosapiens left off, incorporating culture as essentially a new layer of reality that emerges from and is entangled with living systems, giving rise to exponential technologies like methematics, language, genders, the internet, AI, etc., and the implications of these things as they give rise to new forms of life and ways of being. That culture & life itself are “universal living technology”.
0 : 1 The Emergence of 0: Consciousness as a New Dimension
Examining emergence and zero and other universal concepts, and how they relate to our evolving understanding of reality, consciousness, and the structure of living systems. Show how the simple concept of binary (and non-binary) within complex systems extends itself to many areas of life and establishes a basis for thinking about simplicity emerging from intricacy and vice versa (entanglement, retrocausality).
0 : 2 Convergence: Mass, Energy & The Informational Origin of Qualia
We establish that the Mass-Energy-Information-Equivalence principle & the geometry of qualia are the basis for converting information into mass/energy across complex systems of consciousness. The mind (as a quantum field) collapses into thoughts (information as probability reduction) which then collapse into form and motion (General Relativity <> Quantum Theory), through transitioning conscious experience over time. Show how these codes, mathematical structures, binary & nonbinary systems converge to shape the dimensions of conscious experience (phenomenology) & related physical actions. Mathematic information >= Qualia (shape of conscious experience) >= biomechanical/chemical systems
0 : 2.1 Memetics & the Codes of Life
Extend the idea of the binary to show how these “code switches” manifest & emerge across living, “non-living” and cultural systems. Specific examples from information theory, computer science, biology, genetics, etc
0 : 3 The Evolution of Biomechanics
Show how biomechanical “living” systems emerge from “non-living” systems, underpinned by the same “codes” and principles. Ex. Cell division <> Banach-Tarski Paradox
We confront the notion that there may be no real way to distinguish living from non-living systems, or that this is more a result of perspective. Establishing that life is an experience of networked relationships that emerge from processes in physics, i.e. information transfer through complex systems.
0 : 3.1 Evolutionary Playground : Bodies of Knowledge
We move from showing the basis for biomechanical evolution to showing how the body acts as an “experimental playground” to progress the evolutionary story. Principles in game theory, adversarial networks, and risk analysis in data systems (ex. Gut bacteria) lead to innovation via adaptation & error.
0 : 4 Go With Your Gut : The Origins of Culture in Living Systems
Chaos, Information, Prediction & Probability.
We use principles in game theory, systems theory & the study of the behavior of the microbiome to show how the mind and body navigate complex change through communication <> communal practice, and play (experimentation).
Move from a broad recognition of evolution through adaptation to show the relationship between bacterial culture in the gut, food culture, to culture more broadly in social systems. Not that food is the only origin point of culture but that it is a very important one across social species.
0 : 4.1 Intricate Networks : Drawing Insight & Understanding from Complexity, Harmony and Dissonance
From ecological systems and financial markets, we take a deeper look at the complexity and network dynamics that play a fundamental role in information transfer across all scales.
0 : 5 Indigenous Cultures of The Animal Kingdom
We show the evolution of cultures in the animal kingdom. Show that essentially all forms of non-human animals exhibit various forms of culture and social structuring. Kurzweil's “How to Create A Mind” gives valuable insight into the role organization, redundancy, information transfer, and hierarchical structuring of concepts result in different kinds of cultures animals exhibit.
0 : 5.1 Becoming Human
For better or worse, somewhere along the way, we decided we were fundamentally different from other animals. This fundamental distinction in many ways set into motion our current techocultural paradigm which sees nature as a benign resource meant primarily for our extraction or as a malevolent force to be feared and tamed. In this section, we take note of some pivotal moments in the history of technoculture that established this framework, one we ultimately challenge.
0 : 5.2 Cosmosapiens : Stories of Creation
Many of the first examples of our transition to “humanness” lie in the fabric of our first stories about how the world came to be. These stories shine a light on the human ego, thirst for inquiry, desire for purpose and meaning, often times highlighting the extent of our own fallability.
0 : 5.3 Human Cameras : The Emergence of Hyperreality
From the first cave paintings to the first photograph, we examine the historical evolution of capturing and reshaping reality in the human image.
Start with some evolutionary basis for hyperreality then connect with contemporary technology, consumer culture, & their intermingling/interdependence with hyperreal technologies (we can center on sight but also touch on other hyperreal tech like radio) mimicry > basic symbolism/markings > ancient drawing > painting > photography > television/film
0 : 5.4 Patriarchal Takeover : The Taming of the Goddess
The invention of women.
0 : 6 Identity as Concept, Experience, Performance & Commodity
What is culture (specifically in the human social context)? How does it evolve? We show the transition from animal to indigenous to non-indigenous & contemporary cultures (internet native), and how they connect. How cultures become commodities. Start broad, then specifically anchor to the American Mythology, the construction of Black culture. This establishes the basis for the commodification of culture in the context of the current hyperreality.
0 : 6.1 The Construction of Black Identity
Is it possible to deepen our understanding of Blackness?
By exploring the concept of blackness across cultures we provide context to the evolution of identity more broadly as the alternating emergence and convergence of experienced & performed concepts reinforced by a matrix of systematically socialized constructs. We look at Black identity from a Pan-African point of view and the constructed consciousness of "Black People", specifically defined here as American descendants of enslaved Africans. We present identity generally and Black culture & identity specifically, as one of the countries earliest industrialized commodities and confront the ethical & economic implications of this. This, among other things, provides a framework for understanding Black People as philosophical & characteristical cyborgs within the context of a contemporary information society. We then invite a new conceptualization of Blackness, and identity more broadly, for the purpose of experimenting with new codes of identity performance.
0 : 6.2 American Mythologies : Racial Triangulation of Asian Americans & the Model Minority Myth
We examine the triangulation of Asian Americans within the context of the American mythology and it’s evolution through history. More deeply understanding the complexities of this triangulation helps us understand relationships with other forms of socioeconomic, ethnic, national ~ identity triangulations - the topology of human society.
0 : 7 Simulacra : Hyperreality Today
Examine the reemergence of Hyperreality in the context of the internet of everything, Deepfakes, GANs, AI, Memes, Mixed Reality, VR, AR etc. A hyperreality made of hyper realities which result in a kind of Simulacra, i.e. a hyper hyper-reality (Omni-reality?) with no distinguishable source of origin. (Plurality/Multiverse/Network)
0 : 8 The Evolving Internet: Culture, Communication & Space/Time Convergence
Touch on the original intent for the internet. Show historical context (newspapers, books, and other forms of social information technologies that set the stage for the internet). Show an evolutionary trajectory. Examine theoretical principles that establish the internet as a pathway to unlock new spatial/temporal possibilities. Show challenges (context collapse, misinformation, viruses, redundancies) May need several sub-chapters.
0 : 8.1 Quantum Internet of Things
In future generation networks, IoT will play a pivotal role. Massive distributed sensing will be necessary to enable the metaverse, human telepresence, and the Tactile Internet. Sensors on human and machines, and in the environment will create interactions among real objects/environment/humans with digital ones in a mixed or virtual reality. This poses unprecedented challenges on IoT systems in terms of massive data mining and processing, which imply communication, computing, and sensing issues. In fact, the massive sensing expected hardly can satisfy those mentioned scenarios, which require very stringent KPIs in terms of end-to-end latency, energy usage, sustainability, and security. That is why new communication, computing, and sensing resources are necessary which can go beyond what classical technologies can offer. This imply the use of quantum technologies and resources like entanglement to address the design of future efficient and effective IoT systems. The Quantum IoT can represent the means to realise the metaverse and the immersion of human sensorial experience in the mixed reality by also satisfying the societal objectives of sustainability and trustworthiness.
0 : 8.2 Next Web: Material Programming & the Emergence of Hyperobjects
Programmable organisms, brain organoid computers, soft-robots and more. We delve into the rapidly-growing domain of living technology.
0 : 9 Exponential Technologies Open New Dimensions in Space, Time & Identity
Reality TV to Worldbuilding - The Universe as media.
We show the speculation in context with current evolving exponential technologies to firm up the reality of new worlds today. (this is the real work being done, the application of theory and reality related to speculative fiction) The internet + the convergence of these other technologies and philosophies could lead to… A, B, C, D
0 : 9.2 Technoculture: Mythologies of Today Shaping Realities of Tomorrow
Examine the mix of cultures today that are shaping the future. Point out a few salient examples. Root in some historical context. How mythologies (as one form of technoculture) merge with media technologies to directly shape the future & living environment. Essentially showing: Cultural concept > results in these real-world impacts > and here are some that might shape our environment in the future.
This should be added to over time as an ever-evolving archive...
Examples could include:
The Circle
The Holy Bible
Concept of Race
Gender Concepts/Constructs
Blackness as a concept
The Birth of A Nation (recalling section 6)
The Mandala
Anansi, Grandmother Spider, World Wide Web, Cosmic Web (spider & web archetypes)
Disney
MCU (Infinity War)
Avatar
Ethnoastronomy: Astrology in context & the persistence of Astrology in contemporary culture
Papa Legba
Mother Archetype
Father Archetype
Blue as infinite set
Many more…
0 : 9.3 Technospirituality
We examine the relationship between organized religions, personal and collective spiritual beliefs as they are practiced through technoculture in the postmodern era.
0 : 10 Welcome to Earth 1.58
Another World Is Possible: Imagination, Speculation & the Foundation for New Realities
The futures begin in our imaginations.Reintroduce the concept & implications of the “digital native”, i.e. indigenous internet culture.
We reestablish technoculture and set the stage for Another World is Possible (alter-globalization) and Communion (allude to versions of this same central concept) which lead to practical methods toward spatial/temporal possibilities. (Instagram save references) Essentially show the potential evolutionary trajectory in the near & distant future. Lean more into imagination and support with theory to show that imagination directly shapes reality, with the internet & contemporary exponential technologies as essential conduits. (This is not to necessarily espouse notions that anything we believe will happen will happen, this is the theoretical basis + philosophy + speculation through fiction/design)
Essentially establish the idea that because of contemporary exponential technologies, in context, imagination today has more immediacy and power to create alternative physical realities. Anything that is imagined can be realized, but what is needed as the next significant shift is more accessible facilitation & mediation technologies (Communion) in order to reach new, equitable potentials.
0 : Communion: Living Technologies for A New World
Establish the definition of living technologies in the context of ꙮ, described as a framework for regenerative communities. Outline the different ways ꙮ could emerge across various markets & sectors.