For the most part I also found Greg's post accurate. However, I do take
exception to his statement about observers analysing a work of art, that
"some are more qualified than others". With such subjective desciplines
as art, "expertise" is a chimera, and quite susceptible to corruption by
the so called expert's subjective feelings, which can be quite damaging
to progress if too much weight is given to the opinions of "experts". I
give as an example the ongoing literary scandals in AUstralia, where
anglo-saxon writers write under pseudonyms that are of aborigninal or
other ethic descent in order to get published, as well as the scandal
that destroyed the _Angry Penguins_, a modernist poetry rag down under.
Too much "expert" opinion is merely pretension.
>
> Also, some of Sarah's questions are answered, briefly yet cogently, in the
> Transhumanist and Extropic Art FAQ which can be read at my URL. Here I have
> stated by degrees how art can be considered extropic by the creative author
> as well as the audience.
>
> Further, (and just a brief backtrack) Johnny had a problem with silicon and
> I think that has been dealt with quite efficiently. We learned that there is
> a difference between silicon and silicone, etc-; I wouldn't say the
> suggestion was inept: it was not appropriate for flexible skin, but was
> appropriate for a stiff armour.
After seeing the whole debate, I'd like to throw another bomb on the
fire by stating that I have a freind up here in NH who owns a company
that produces flexible circuit boards. While they are not chips, when I
visualized Natasha's first description, I imagined a black body suit
with metallic circuitry embedded in the suit, to help with augmentation
devices.
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Website: http://www.tpk.net/~retroman/ Now Featuring: Mikey's Animatronic Factory http://www.tpk.net/~retroman/animations.htm My Own Nuclear Espionage Agency (MONEA) MIKEYMAS(tm): The New Internet Holiday Transhumans of New Hampshire (>HNH) ------------------------------------------------------------ Transhumanist, Inventor, Webmaster, Ski Guide, Entrepreneur, Artist, Outdoorsman, Libertarian, Arms Exporter-see below. ------------------------------------------------------------ #!/usr/local/bin/perl-0777---export-a-crypto-system-sig-RC4-3-lines-PERL @k=unpack('C*',pack('H*',shift));for(@t=@s=0..255){$y=($k[$_%@k]+$s[$x=$_ ]+$y)%256;&S}$x=$y=0;for(unpack('C*',<>)){$x++;$y=($s[$x%=256]+$y)%256; &S;print pack(C,$_^=$s[($s[$x]+$s[$y])%256])}sub S{@s[$x,$y]=@s[$y,$x]}