At 12:45 29-08-00 -0400, you wrote:
>"D. den Otter" wrote:
> >
> > The
> > Singularity is coming, and NO FLESH SHALL BE SPARED!
>
>You are, of course, factually incorrect, but we've already run those debates.
Correction, I *could* be incorrect. As a matter of fact, the above slogan
can be interpreted in at least two different ways, that's the beauty of it.
It can either mean extinction or that mankind moves beyond its highly
limited biological form and uploads (or whatever); "no *flesh* shall be
spared". Same with the slogan "technology will set you free"; it can be
interpreted cynically, as a variation on "arbeit macht frei", or
optimistically, meaning actual liberation by means of technology.
> > Actually, something like the above, maybe in
> > combination with Vinge's famous quote, a skull and
> > some 0110101001/CgACTCACTATAg stuff might make a nice
> > t-shirt...
>
>Ditch the skull. Primates, including us, have built-in fear reactions to
>skulls, because it's generally a bad idea to hang around places where others
>of your species have died - whatever killed them might still be around and
>able to hurt you.
Exactly, and that's what makes it such a potent symbol. There is IMO no
more appropriate symbol for the end of the human (biological) era than the
good old skull. It basically says: "one way or the other, biology is finished".
The digital sequence leaves little doubt as to who, or rather *what*, will
be its successor. The ones and zeros could be projected over the skull, for
example, and/or form the background. A version with just the DNA sequences
and the 0/1 would also be nice, as a more subtle approach, but would IMO
also be less powerful. It *would* be quite suitable for a website, though,
as a "flowing" animation (a la Matrix). Out of this flowing background you
can then make your actual logo and/or text slowly materialize. As a matter
of fact, I think I'll use this on my own website one of these days...One
slick animation can have a greater impact on us emotional, visually
oriented humans than a thousand words, after all.
>Besides which, a standard Galactic Shining Human Figure transcendence-shot
>does a better job of conveying the theory.
This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, Age of Aquarius...la, la! Well,
I think that we agreed that 50% either way is the most reasonable
compromise, so both the grim skull and the shiny happy starman are
legitimate symbols. Whatever you prefer. Selling t-shirts might be a good
idea, though.
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Mon Oct 02 2000 - 17:36:46 MDT