Comments on: Chaos Patch (#44)

By: Lucian

Lucian — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 00:44:10 +0000

SWEDEN
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E
D
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http://nypost.com/2015/01/11/sorry-liberals-scandinavian-countries-arent-utopias/

By: R.

R. — Tue, 13 Jan 2015 14:51:40 +0000

>>They could develop virtual reality technology and choose to spend their future in a simulated reality. …”<<

There'd still be a couple of nuts who'd love to escape. After all, very few people walked out of Africa..

By: Mark Warburton

Mark Warburton — Tue, 13 Jan 2015 14:07:07 +0000

Hi Nick,

Just to say I saw Universal’s press screening of Ex-Machina – it’s better than Her, Transcendence or any other recent film on AI. It sticks to the mind games and the Turing Test, never over reaching its grasp. I’ll link my review once it’s up.

Oh – and this book might interest yourself and Chris B?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dimensions-war-Understanding-Complex-Adaptive/dp/229699721X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1421158004&sr=8-3&keywords=dimensions+of+war

By: Kgaard

Kgaard — Mon, 12 Jan 2015 16:39:15 +0000

Here’s another theme that strikes me as related to the virtual-reality theme in various ways: the revival of hallucinogenics, this time as a healing aid. Ancient civilizations were all very focused on alternative modes of perceiving reality. That’s why both the Jewish yarmulke and the pope’s beanie cap both look like mushrooms — they ARE symbolic mushrooms.

http://www.amazon.com/Acid-Test-Ecstasy-Power-Heal/dp/0399162798

There is also a newer, non-drug way to achieve the same hallucinatory effects of acid and shrooms: Holotropic Breathing.

What this all has in common with VR is that both are non-resource-intensive ways of existing in the world and achieving the sorts of high-consciousness states that Madison Avenue has been promising can be achieved only by buying stuff. Drugs get outlawed as soon as they demonstrate spiritual properties, because that’s a threat to capitalism. But they haven’t figured out how to outlaw virtual reality or Holotropic Breathing.

By: Hurlock

Hurlock — Mon, 12 Jan 2015 12:08:29 +0000

The masses are revolting.

By: Aeroguy

Aeroguy — Mon, 12 Jan 2015 10:18:01 +0000

I thought this was interesting
https://archive.today/X9LNo

By: Kgaard

Kgaard — Mon, 12 Jan 2015 04:14:49 +0000

Yeah good points. Still I can’t escape the idea that more and more of human experience is gonna be in virtual reality. I mean … look how much time we spend hunched over computer screens and staring at televisions, and those actions aren’t half as compelling as VR should prove to be — especially when combined with AI …

By: Aeroguy

Aeroguy — Sun, 11 Jan 2015 23:35:30 +0000

Oculus rift + walking is great but you’re making it sound like it comes with a 10/10 hotness sexbot that feels better than the real thing with a turing test passable customizable waifu AI personality. It replaces 1st person shooters, some RPG games, and basically time spent gaming. If you pair it with remote robots it can enable virtual vacations (potentially complete with green screen like selfie picture technology). But corporations still haven’t got on board with telecommuting and how are guys going to jack off let alone bring a lady friend over if they’re living 10 men to a room. If VR meant virtual sex that feels as good or better than the real thing, then you’ll have a point, but they are a long way off from that.

This is a market where people still suffer as console plebs because they supposedly can’t afford to be PC master race. This is an awesome toy that will be enjoyed by a select market but it doesn’t involve productivity (until corporations enable telecommuting) or sex so killer app it is not.

By: John Hannon

John Hannon — Sun, 11 Jan 2015 17:00:14 +0000

Thanks for the Sarah Perry link – some interesting thoughts there, especially concerning “Hiving and Rhythmic Entrainment” (sounds like a top night out).

“The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is our enemy and must be stopped with rhythmic rituals.”

T-shirt slogan perhaps?

By: Brett Stevens

Brett Stevens — Sun, 11 Jan 2015 15:58:18 +0000

Good to see society getting the shock it deserves. As usual in an empty time, there are not really any good guys in public because difficult truths get filtered long before they reach the herd. At the same time, seeing the lie decay is the first step to any truth.