The section I am on now deals with the reality of death, and how very few people are ready for it when it happens. This is because people are so caught up in their day-to-day lives, that the matters of the spirit are either put off or ignored. The most important thing in life is to cultivate is the deep awareness of the present moment. Once you have a fundamental, immediate connection to your ground of being, you will be ready for any experience your soul encounters.
Hopefully when the body expires, the energy of our spirit will merge back into the infinite luminosity of the light known as God, Heaven, Tao, The Zero Point Field, Vacuum Energy, etc. - the nameless, fractal, interconnected web of vibration that gives rise to all things.
The animated GIF is derived from the painting "Dying" by one of my favorite artists, the visionary master Alex Grey.
I've been reading & seeing a lot of insights into the possible consequences of the continuing progression of digital technology.
There is a spectrum of opinion on the subject- ranging from optimists who think robots & artificial intelligence will be a great help to human beings, to pessimists who envision Terminator-like doomsday scenarios of robot domination. There are also people (like me) in the gray area, who think there could be both good & bad results of A.I., depending on how the technology is developed & used.
Although I've been seeing thoughts about this topic from different sources, this article (below) that I originally saw on Reddit is a long, but deeply thought-provoking article. I would highly recommend reading the entire article or bookmarking the page.
It explores the many possibilities presented by artificial intelligence and advanced machines, and correctly concludes that there will be changes and effects thatwe cannot even conceive at this time.
It's a similar situation to how nobody could fully predict the profound effects that the development of the Internet would have on communications and creativity.
I also just watched a TED talk the other night about the advances in machine learning, that is equally fascinating and frightening.
In the absence of some global catastrophe that destroys humanity & our technological achievements, I think there is no end to the progression of robots and machine intelligence.
Once zero-point energy & quantum computation are harnessed, it will be an entirely new world of possibilities, both positive and negative.
Like media and stories dealing with the subject of "man vs. machine", such as Mass Effect & The Matrix, I believe that the way forward is synthesis.
We must consciously integrate digital technology and robotics into our physical being, for the purpose of augmenting our bodies & minds. We may evolve into a new hybrid creature of unimaginable abilities, but this is the way of the Universe.
As the great philosopher Heraclitus stated, "Nothing is permanent, except change."
Who knows?
Maybe with human help one day robots & machines will even learn to love...
I played the first 2 installments of this series & reviewed the original Dead Space.These games are 3rd person shooters with a sci-fi horror survival theme.
The first Dead Space blew me away with the sense of fear and dread it instilled, as you tried to survive onslaughts of Necromorphs in creepy abandoned space stations & ships. The second one wasn't as good, but Dead Space 3 brought back alot of the impact I felt in the original.
Although there were excellent sequences in space & zero gravity, much of the story takes place on the ice planet Tau Volantis. This is the planet of origin for the alien "markers" that featured in the series. These markers are covered in strange glyphs and have been found scattered throughout the galaxy. They drive people mad, turning them into marker-worshiping zealots, & also revive dead bodies into the zombie-like Necromorphs.
Although the frozen setting, with abandoned human settlements & research areas, makes for an effectively claustrophobic environment for Necromorphs to jump out at you, I preferred the settings that took place in outer space. However, there was a sufficient variety in the environments that I never felt that the scenery was visually boring.
The game's strongest point is it's core feature- the survival horror aspect of the gameplay that continuously keeps you on the edge of your seat & ready to scream out expletives. Even when I knew the hideous, relentless creatures were coming, I still freaked out with anticipation at the inevitable vicious attacks. Most of the time, the Necromorphs would unexpectedly come from all angles as I would frantically try to use whatever weapons I had on hand to simply survive the encounter.
While I'm talking about the weapons, I'll mention the creative weapon crafting system in the game. Throughout the campaign, you collect various components such as frames, the actual weapons components, and attachments to customize your weapons in an endless variety of combinations. For example, you can have a gun that fires electrified bolas, with a secondary buzzsaw attached ...or you can have a shotgun, with a secondary rocket launcher. There are many possibilities, which gives you alot of freedom in coming up with weapons that you think will be most effective against the creatures. The only downside is that I found myself spending too much time tinkering with the weapons & having trouble deciding which ones to use.
There were a few select weapons that I used frequently, since the waves of Necromorphs could be so furious & overwhelming that I needed firepower that I knew could take them out quickly. There were only brief moments where I felt that I could relax & there were not going to be any monsters popping out at me.
Besides the unpredictable appearance of the enemies, the mood was mostly set by the visual effect of the environments & the unnerving sounds coming from dark corners or unseen places. Dark areas with flickering lights and strange screeches coming from nearby areas where enough to keep me on edge throughout the game. My only complaint about the sound was that there was too much background music. In the original game, the anxiety was enhanced by the silence of your surroundings, except for your breathing and unsettling ambient noises. I feel like having dramatic soundtracks in certain areas was unnecessary & didn't have the same effect as an uneasy quiet.
The actual story, following the protagonist Isaac Clarke & the alien markers, was pretty interesting. It raises many questions, for example- Do we really want to have contact with otherworldly intelligences? What if they are hostile, or simply want to use human beings as food or pawns to manipulate for its own ends? What is so special about the individual consciousness versus a hive-mind, devoid of beings with a sense of self? Even if we discovered it, would humans know how to use & interpret alien knowledge or technology? What is love, and does it mean anything outside the people who experience it? Yes, there is a love story & human emotions involved...
Overall, I enjoyed Dead Space 3 & definitely recommend it, if you'd like a games that provides continual adrenaline rushes, due to the fear of being destroyed by undead space creatures.
Besides his tangible achievements, such as the invention of alternating current, radio transmission, and early x-ray imaging, Telsa also worked on advanced technology that is only becoming fully realized in modern times. He proposed beam weapons & wireless transmission of electricity.
Telsa's most important theory, in my opinion, is his theory that electric power can be extracted from the quantum field interpenetrating all things throughout the entire Universe. This is the zero point energy source that will make all other forms of energy production obsolete.
A single form encompasses
the multitude of dharmas,
all of which are interconnected
Within the Net of Indra.
Layer after layer, there is no point at which it all ends.
Whether in motion or still,
ALL is fully interpenetrating.
- Zhitong (d.1124)
Even though my career is in graphic art, I have always been interested in science.
In high school & college I took physics courses because I loved the way it analytically uncovered the mysteries of our Universe. However, I also realized that scientists, like everyone else, are just making up stories.
Yes, science is more self-consistent than other intellectual endeavors. It is fairly obvious though, that scientific theories are only limited cases, that do not describe the totality of happenings within the reality we inhabit. Old theories are replaced with new ones as more information becomes available. "Laws" such as thermodynamics are applied to idealized situations. Even previously immutable physical constants are shown to be not as "constant" as we once believed.
Scientists can sometimes be like priests when it comes to holding onto questionable premises as dogma. The Big Bang, dark matter, and the use of various constants to make equations do what they are expected to do... these are just some examples of faulty premises that have become doctrine that cannot be questioned without fierce resistance from the scientific community.
Maybe it's because I'm also inclined to a mystical point-of-view, but I tend to look beyond the monkey grunts & crude symbols that we use to try to explain the world. Science & math may be more refined than most ways of thinking, but they are still the products of our limited monkey mind.
The Universe is Infinity.
All we are doing (with any system of knowledge) is looking at bits & pieces of that Infinity, and trying to connect the few stray pieces we can comprehend at any given time.
All that being said, I recently watched this video by Nassim Haramein about new ways of looking at the atomic realm & how it relates to other scales of Reality. It takes alot to blow my mind these days, but this video really made me think about the world in a new way. *Disclaimer: I am not claiming to fully believe everything he has to say, or that his theories are without flaws. However, to argue about this stuff would be missing the forest for the trees. What he brings is a new vision for understanding the Universe at different scales.
I think fractals are a key to understanding the nature of Reality.
Nassim very much incorporates a fractal view of nature, which I think is crucial to a unified view of the Universe. I don't think that a "Unified Theory of Everything" is actually possible. However, we can always find ways to integrate more & more aspects of scientific theory into more elegant and useful forms.
Scientifically-minded people may hear "sacred geometry" and be immediately repulsed by the mystical implications. However, symbols like 'The Flower of Life' are simply geometric forms studied in an attempt to find underlying patterns in natural processes. There does not need to be anything about "God" or metaphysics injected into the discussion.
I also feel that there is definitely a "zero point" energy inherent in the quantum field. One day, with sufficient understanding and technology, we will be able to extract this infinite energy source, that exists within us & around us, throughout the Universe. When our energy problems are solved, many other difficulties faced by the human race will also be overcome. We will be able to harvest unlimited energy, bend gravity, & travel to the stars, freeing us from the womb of planet Earth- so we can guarantee our survival as a species.
All revolutionary ways of thinking are at first ridiculed by those who have fooled themselves to think they know how things really are. The truth is, we know relatively nothing! However, I think Nassim's talk opens doors to new ways of approaching the way we look at the Universe.
We must keep our mind open and realize that everything, including "truth" & scientific understanding, is subject to change.
The late Terence McKenna was one of the extraordinary minds of the 20th century. I became aware of him at the end of his life around the turn of the millennium. I've listened to many of his loquacious, humorous, & mind-expanding talks since then.
He was a true visionary who was unafraid to look deeply into reality, human nature (in all its weirdness), & the infinite mystery before us.
Most people would find his ideas to be waaaay 'out there', but I see him as a true Crazy Wisdom master.
One of the few things I really thought he was off the mark was his "TimeWave Zero" theory. He postulated that on Dec. 21, 2012, the end of the Mayan Long Count cycle, there would be some kind of manifestation or emergence of a Singularity. In this scenario, "Time," as we know it, would collapse. Consciousness would expand into a higher dimension or state of being.
Based on calculations using his fractal timewave theory, McKenna called this history-ending event: "The Transcendental Object at the End of Time". There may still be some kind of event that alters global consciousness at some point, but he was obviously mistaken to pin it on a specific date.
Over the past year. I've been watching the progress of a video series, documenting McKenna's ideas & lectures. The final episode was recently uploaded to coincide with the end of 2012, so here is the link to the series & the first video embedded:
Most people watching tonight's debate between McSame & The Long Legged Mack-Daddy will be focusing on the vision for the future each man brings.
The reason people are so eager for a message of hope & change is that we've been stuck in a seemingly bottomless pit of collective despair for the last 8 years. There is one main source, a single point, around which the dreams of an entire nation have been sucked down and drained.
After 8 years, the vast majority of the country has finally recognized this singular source of so much failure, misery, and ignorance.
Surprise!!!! The author of this Boston Globe article has figured out that it is George W. Bush, the dry-drunk imbecile who was awarded his position of Leadership of the Free World by the geniuses on the Supreme Court:
Really?!?!? *GASP!!* Dubya has been a force of destruction ALL this time??? Who would have guessed? Answer: Everyone with at least the insight of a turtle.
I knew the failure of a businessman & a human being was going to be a disaster for this country before he even entered office in 2001. In the same way, it's obvious now that the GOP's broken old pawn & his belligerent, winking harpy of a running mate would continue the descent into ruin at a breakneck pace.
Tina Fey's punching bag (Sarah Palin) criticized Obama for stating the truth, that our airstrikes have killed civilians. Are there Americans out there stupid enough to believe that we have weapons that only target 'terrorists' & that we are too honorable to cause innocent death?
That's what America has been doing in every single war of aggression - having indescriminately murdering millions of babies, children, women, the elderly aka "collateral damage"... all because they live somewhere else with resources that we covet.
Do I personally think that America is deplorable or 'The Great Satan' because of it? No, but I'm sure as hell am not proud of it either. It's a matter of pulling the bloody flag from off your face & looking at things like human being.
To be fair, though, the knuckle-draggers attending right-wing Republican rallies have an evolutionary status that is questionable.
It is obvious by the way they are running their campaign at this point that McCain/Palin have zero ideas & are resorting to the infantile accusations of Obama being a closet terrorist. Unfortunately, McCain has not gained any more intelligence or sense of honor since he graduated at the bottom of his class, back in ancient times.
John McCain was old before I was born & that was three decades ago! His wisdom is non-existant, his views are outdated, and his running mate is a female clone of George W. Bush- with even less class!
It is absurd that the neo-cons & their failed ideology have any legitamacy left at all. I can only hope that Obama wipes the floor with "The Make-Believe Maverick" and shows America a clear difference of vision for the country. As usual, things never turn out to be quite that cool, so I'm not holding my breath. After all, if you hold your breath for too long, you die.
Also, there is that little issue of getting to the point where the Bush & Cheney cabal actually volunteer to leave their positions of power... the day of reckoning is creeping closer.
The technology that is coming our way with most potential to change our society is super-efficient forms of energy production & transmission.
Obviously, so many of our domestic and international problems come from the archaic use of combustion energies and their necessary fuels. The wars in the Middle East should be called the 'Petroleum Wars', because the main benefactors are the companies pumping the oil we're taking, plus the weapons companies & military contractors who profit with almost no oversight.
Why are we still in Iraq? The overwhelming reason is that interests who can influence the policy are making money. If we truly interested in stabilizing the region, we would give up our grip on the situation and have serious summits with all parties, even countries that our government tells us are supposed to be our enemies. However, that would mean giving up the continuing revenues for the previously mentioned industries. As George Orwell said, "War against a foreign country only happens when the moneyed class think they are going to profit from it."
The end of not just dependence on foreign oil, but the end of our oil dependence altogether, would be a situation as revolutionary as the emergence of the Internet. I believe almost anything that humans can imagine can be willed into existence eventually. For my senior design class, I envisioned & a portable computer that ran off wireless electricity after studying the father of A/C electricity, Nikola Tesla. I am convinced in the feasibility of technologies as wireless electricity, fusion power, and even harnessing so-called "Zero Point Energy."One day we will figure out how to draw energy right from the infinite quantum field that permeates everything. It's only a matter of time, vision, and effort.
