For a while, I’ve been thinking about trying to do some sort of project about someone contemplating the change from a physical being to one that would exist electronically by transferring the contents of their mind to some other medium as a ways of living forever beyond the bounds of their body.
For this project, they’re keeping a journal because they aren’t sure what consequences the decision will have on their soul, if they will still have the pieces that make them the person they are or just a clever facsimile, the moral implications, etc., and they also keep clippings from articles that they come across. I wanted to come up with basically op-ed style pieces and the usual political speeches, news/magazine stories, and whatever else you can imagine, from doctors, religious figures, politicians, economists, attorneys, entrepreneurs, celebrities, people that have already left their bodies behind, and everyday people both lauding and condemning the idea of trying to escape death by transcending their mortal bodies and existence.
If anyone would like to write a story like that, I would love to see them. It’s hard to assume so many different roles, and new perspectives make for interesting ideas that I might not have considered.
Thanks!
January 18th, 2008 at 7:30 am
that sounds awesome, bob. i’d love to work on that w/ you.
January 18th, 2008 at 8:44 am
This article I read a long time ago is a good place to start for ideas:
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/8.04/joy.html?pg=1&topic=&topic_set=
January 18th, 2008 at 9:28 am
wow, that’s wild stuff. i’d forgotten about that manifesto…
January 18th, 2008 at 9:51 am
i like this quote especially:
“In the game of life and evolution there are three players at the table: human beings, nature, and machines. I am firmly on the side of nature. But nature, I suspect, is on the side of the machines.”
January 18th, 2008 at 10:00 am
idea: a short story where NBC televsion network is actually a front for Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical.
January 18th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
It’s strange to think that someone so unbalanced could be so intelligent and perceptive at the same time. Makes you really stop to consider perspective when judging actions and motivations.
January 18th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
i am thinking a minimum of twelve mc rove references in this story. thoughts?
January 18th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
No fewer for sure.
January 20th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
i just activated a multiple author plugin for wordchasm, so, in theory, i should be able to attribute the post to both of us w/o relying on tags alone.
January 20th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
i’m researching some pretty great mc rove material right now. i’m getting some great background info to weave into the fold.
January 20th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
sounds hot. where have you been digging?
January 22nd, 2008 at 8:34 am
oh, wikipedia of course. there is some juiciness on there that i think explains a lot of his actions. pieces of the story are fleshing out a bit in my mind, but i haven’t written anything down yet. you got any new ideas for it?
should we write sections back and forth? maybe we could use google documents since we’re both gmail peeps.
January 22nd, 2008 at 8:38 am
but actually, we should be able to do it on wordchasm just as easily in the admin section. just gotta tryout that new plugin.
January 25th, 2008 at 11:39 am
i’m going to go ahead and order one of these in advance:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7208768.stm
January 30th, 2008 at 11:43 am
some new ideas for you
February 26th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
ugh oh
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080227/tc_nm/robots_weapons_dc
February 28th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
The robo terrorists had to come sooner or later. They don’t like dying any more than you or I. It is interesting just how cheaply they can be had, though. I wonder how long until they’re as effective in combat as a trained guerrilla.