584 lines
32 KiB
Plaintext
584 lines
32 KiB
Plaintext
From: <riacs!rutgers!nyx.cs.du.edu!ahawks>
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Subject: What *IS* FutureCulture
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Date: Fri, 29 Jan 93 22:20:53 MST
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WHAT *IS* FUTURECULTURE?
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A Manifesto on the Here-and-Now Technocultural [R]evolution
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by Andy Hawks
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ahawks@nyx.cs.du.edu
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ahawks@mindvox.phantom.com
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FutureCulture E-List Requests & Info
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future-request@nyx.cs.du.edu <'send info'>
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You are five years old. You are lieing on a grassy hill,
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blowing bubbles up into a clear field of blue sky. Bubbles. Right
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now, as a five year old child, you look at the bubbles, and words pop
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into your head: "pretty", "oooooo", "float". To you, the bubbles
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are almost like people -- at least somewhat analogous to Bugs Bunny
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or a Smurf. Your wide eyes follow the bubbles as they traipse along
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the gentle prevailing curves of soft winds, turning, rotating,
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revolving endlessly in the air. A sunray beams its light through one
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particular bubble you have been admiring, and within its midst your
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eyes become privy to a new world -- a heretofor unknown domain of
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chaotic rainbows swirling about along the bubble. The colors, like a
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sentient anthill, work at once individually and synergetically to
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give the bubble it's unique flavor, an individual identity among the
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community of bubbles.
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As you lay your eyes on the continually morphing rainbows in
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the bubble, admiring how this internal shapeshifting never ceases as
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long as the bubble is "alive", the wind brings forth from nearby
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another bubble. Now you are focused on two bubbles circling each
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other ever closer, probably communicating in some fashion on some
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sort of subatomic level. Now that your eyes know to look for the
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chaotic rainbows, you enthusiastically discover them in this second
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bubble as well. The rainbows exist in both bubbles, with only a
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thinly veiled invisible wall of air seperating the two. The rainbows
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do not stop in admiration or wonder to ponder the existence of
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another bubble, they continue on with their duties in the wake of the
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orbic maelstrom that is the individual bubble. And suddenly, in the
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mesh of an event that seems at once both predetermined and free, the
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bubles combine and join forces as one. If the sun catches the
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bubble-morph at the right angle you can still see a wall, where
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airspace once existed, within the bubble. All the while, the chaotic
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rainbows have continued of course, and now willingly flow back and
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forth between what was once two seperate entities. The shape of the
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bubble-morph is still oddly circular as a whole, with the original
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shape of the individual bubble-orbs stil clearly visible.
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The bubble-morph is stil at home among the individual bubbles
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and still haphazardly surfs the winds as if nothing had happened.
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Low and behold, a third bubble approaches its vicinity. Same chaotic
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rainbows, seemingly no different from any other bubble in the group.
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*POP!* Quickly this third bubble seemingly self-destructs
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without any reason, sending a fury of bubble residue out into the
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wind. Some of it lands on a tree, some on the grass, and yet more
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lands on the bubble-morph. As the bubble morph continues to rotate,
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revolve, spin endlessly, the residue makes it's way to the
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translucent crease marking the marriage of two individual bubbles.
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And, then, it is gone. Absorbed into the structure of he bubble
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morph, evolving into yet more particles of chaos rainbows.
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More bubbles float by the bubbly-morph. Some stumble in it's
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wake and escape it's grasp, some pop, some are attracted to it and
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become yet another aspect of the holistic bubble-creature, still
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other bubbles diverge into a completely different spacial area. If
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you watch long enough, you might even see one portion of the
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bubble-morph leave, mutating back into it's original state as an
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individual bubble.
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All the while, bubbles are combining into new bubbles, bubbles
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are popping, bubbles are floating, rotating, revolving, spinning,
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shapeshifting. Affecting and being affected by each other and other
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entities such as the wind, a sharp blade of grass, a flower pedal.
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The chaos rainbows never cease, the bubbles will always exist as long
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as you, as the bubble-maker, decide to keep blowing bubbles.
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You are now, let's say, 40 years old. You are sitting on the
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same hill with your five year old child, urging him to discover the
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wonders of the bubble world. Your eyes are not as wide anymore, at
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least not as wide as your child's. But do you still find delight and
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joy in the wonders of bubbles? There is beauty in the bubble world,
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even though you may approach it now from the perspective of an
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accomplished chemist, or physicst, or artist, or engineer, or
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cyberneticist, or 7-11 night manager. Hopefully, you have not closed
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your eyes to the magic your child sees, the magic you once saw.
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It should be obvious, by now, that bubbles are a metaphor.
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What do you think the metaphor is? I would be interested o hear what
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peole have to say in this regards. But, since this text is to be
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confined to the context of futureculture, the bubbles are meant to
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represent subcultures. The caotic rainbows represent the people, the
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material articles, the ideas, the *memes* that define those
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subcultures.
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Thus, you can see, subcultures combine into cultures or bigger
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subcultures (it's all relative), subcultures may self-destruct, they
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may evolve or morph, they may diverge in a seperate direction. But
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watever the case, there's still bubbles because we, as a global
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village, are like the five year old -- entrenched in the world of
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bubbles, looking on with wide-eyes.
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Probably the most important ideas I have related so far are
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that: 1) the process is continuous with an infinite amount of ebb
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and flow among and between and through subcultures with an infinite
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amount of possible outcomes, and 2) when subcultures combine they do
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not lose their original individual identity, and may in fact leave,
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though a synergetic effect exists which is *unrelated* to the amount
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of individual bubbles combined to produce the bubble-morph. The
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bubble-morph being, obviously, the combination in some fashion or
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another of seperately defined subcultures. It is also interesting to
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note that, ultimately, bubbles are "of the same stuff" which can be
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paralled to individuals in groups on a vast variety of levels.
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Let us now turn to subcultures, let us see what bubbles we have
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blown that provide the basic constructs of what we might deem, for a
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lack of a better word, FutureCulture. When I use the word
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"FutureCulture" I am referring to the FutureCulture E-List. When I
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use "futureculture" I am referring to the culture of the future. But
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it's not really the future, it's here-and-now, and it's in this
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writing. There are some other words with similar connotations, but
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yet the distinctions need to be mentioned, and then applied to
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everyday life. The first word is "technoculture". Like a
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technocracy is a government run by scientists or those who create
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technology, a technoculture is a culture that is fueled by
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technology. America is a technoculture. We would be lost without
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our televisions, our cars, our computers, our telephones.
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Futureculture, then, is a way of deciphering what tomorrow will look
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like in a technoculture. Another label to mention is "new edge".
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This is a trendy, shortsighted term that has little relevance to the
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perpetual realities of technoculture and futureculture. New Edge is
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a here-and-now-gone-tomorrow ideal. Fairly soon, it won't be "new"
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and increasingly so it is definitely not "edge". The other misnomre
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to mention is "cyberculture". Cyberculture is probably most closely
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associated with the idea of futureculture, yet cyberculture is often
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mis- and over-used. If you look at the meaning of the word "cyber",
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basically "information" in an oversimplified context, it has little
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to do with frequently-used notions of cyberculture, specifically a
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Gibson-esque cyberpunk world as it exists today or in the
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near-future.
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These are my own personal reflections on the world of bubbles,
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and these labels and subcultural labels I am using are better thought
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of as what I see as the most outstanding reference points to use in
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the context of getting The Basic Idea (tm) across. Relative labels
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and reference points, no dictatorial lines being drawn here.
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Each mention of a subculture will be followed by a basic
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reasoning by a defense in applying the group to the idea of
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futureculture. The idea of futureculture evolves *from* the
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relationship between different bubbles and buble-morphs. These core
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bubbles and bubble-morphs produce noticeable ideas, trends, and
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material objects for example, which are deemed by some relatively
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large bubble-blower (ie society) to reflect the evolution of society
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and world culture. Simply put, FutureCulture represents an internal
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and external effort, both passive and interactive, observational and
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participatory, to: discover these trends/ideas/objects or at least
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bring acknowledgement of their existence to a larger segment of the
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global populous, provide an interactive forum for the global populous
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to discuss such matters and to reflect and refract varying cultures
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and subcultures, to then apply this discussion to existing cultures
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and subculture to plant the seeds spawning further
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trends/ideas/objects. Thus one can begin to see the infinitely
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cyclic nature of the process. It is a process which you are at
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varying levels of consciousness engaged in every moment you are
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alive, by everything you say or do, and every sensory input. By
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providing the on-line interactive forum of the FutureCulture e-list,
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we as individuals and members of varying subcultures and cultures can
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merge the unconscious acts of participation in culture with a
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conscious understanding, to create/construct/deconstruct/destroy and
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evolve reality and people's lives on an individual and group basis.
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Basically, we are analyzing existing culture, we are creating
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tomorrow's reality, and we are doing it on a here-and-now, globally
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interactive, seemingly real-time forum.
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Thus I submit the reference points, the subcultures, the basic
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bubbles that are essential to futureculture:
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Virtual Culture - This is probably the easiest to "define". We can
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--------------- all say with assurance, that to some degree, in any
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basic sense of the word, we are all
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participants and members of Virutal Culture.
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The essence of Virtual Culture lies in the
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notion of cyberspace. In this context I might
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define cyberspace as that frontier defined by
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electronic communications towhich georaphy has
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little or no relevance to being a member of the
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group. If you regularly use a phone, modem,
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fax, or networked computer terminal,
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videophone, or interactive video, consider
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yourself part of virtual culture.
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Technology is a key aspect of tomorrow's reality. Technology
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seemingly provides the basis of all constructs we produce.
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Virtual culture, then, is a giant leap forward for humankind in
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terms of the way we approach ourselves as individuals, and the
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nature of how we approach individuals in groups. Basic
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sociological structures will eventually be realigned to conform
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to this key evolutionary step as technology continues to
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increase exponentially, thus forever expanding the limits of
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virtual culture and therefore potential of all cultures.
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Non-communicative technological forces will be mentioned
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briefly throughout this writing, but the most interesting
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applications of technology increasingly revolve around aspects
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of communication.
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Psychedelic Culture - Arguably begun in the 60's, this subculture
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------------------- revolves around the use and effects of
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psycho-active drugs, particularly
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psychedelics like LSD, to mainfest new
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ideas, new ways of thinking, new ways
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of approaching reality and
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consciousness.
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One of the mysteries of modern day society is the nature of the
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mind and consciousness. Psychedelic culture is vital in
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exploring these areas. These areas in turn are vital to our
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understanding of who and what we are as humans and the basic
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philosophical questions homan have asked for centuries.
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Recently, psychedelic culture has bubble-morphed with virtual
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culture as seen in the potential exploration of the
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technoligcal advancements of virtual reality as a means of
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"opening the doors of perception". Here-and-now extrapolations
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are evident in the use of "mind machines" as well as the
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resurgance of 60's guru Timothy Leary as a spokesperson for
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virtual reality. And need we mention the unbelievable
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explosive return of LSD acros the US and other parts of the
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world.
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Rave Culture - If you don't know what raves are, I will attempt to
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------------ explain it, though with a parallel that will disturb
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many ravers (myself included in the group of ravers
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disturbed by the anology). Aforementioned
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psychedelic culture reached a "peak" with the
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community of Woodstock. Think of rave culture as
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woodstock in the 90's, though wih obvious notable
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advancements and progressions: smaller and more
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specific communities allow for more woodstock-esque
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events to occur more often and produce a higher
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deree of community, the music reflects technology --
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techno music is the mainstay - music that may often
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range between 0 and 160bpm that is almost entirely
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created on computers and modern audio technology and
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is an evolutionary mutation of disco music
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generally, and finally, raves are often times
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associated with psychedelic culture in a general
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desire to create one's own reality or be part of
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some sort of *gestalt-consciencous* event. And,
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most importantly, the idea of raves is to have
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fun!!! We most not overlook outlets of communal
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entertainment in futureculture. At raves, the vibe
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is generally happy and easy to catch, the people
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generally fun, the music is cutting edge, and, if
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you want, you can further entertain yourself with
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nootropic or other psycho-active substances.
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Basically, raves are the entertainment aspect of the evolving
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futureculture as it stands now. Undoubtedly raves will
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eventually morph into something else, as this particular side
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of culture rises and falls quickly in proportion with people's
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day to day lives. Raves, as mentioned before, are deeply
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intertwined with technology as well as some aspects of
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psychedelic culture, thus their inclusion in futureculture.
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Cyberculture - This is a difficult culture to explain as it is still
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------------ in its infancy, thus it is still comprised of
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aspects of the varying other subcultures. I will
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do my best to set it apart from other subcultures.
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Cyberculture is a here-and-now reality that grew
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out of the science fiction movement of "cyberpunk".
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Look at the word "cyberpunk" -- broken down you
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have "cyber" and "punk" which roughly translates to
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people using technology and information in ways
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that deviate from the expected norms and mores and
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laws of society.
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Hackers are part of cyberculture. I will draw more
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criticism by defining a hacker as a "cyberpunk" --
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as previously stated, one who uses information and
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technology in ways that go against the grain of
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norm society.
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Let me put to rest an ageold debate that persists
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among aspiring futureculturists, he said while
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slowly walking backwards to the bomb shelter.
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Hackers originated in the 60s, and basically did
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they same things hackers do now, unly possibly with
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less of a violent nature attached. Somewhere along
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the line, those hackers gave up their
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antiauthoritarian ideals and merged into mainstream
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society, though they still wanted to be called
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"hackers" because they can program a computer in
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nifty ways. Modern-day hackers came along, the
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WarGames generation, and the connection between
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illegality (antiauthoritarianism rather) and
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hackers resurfaced. Old hackers got pissed, and
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have done their best to dissociate themselves from
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the genreally-accepted term of modern day hacking.
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This is most clearly seen in their attempt to
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seperate "hackers" from "crackers" which I won't go
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into because old hackers don't realise that
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cracking is still hacking in the original true
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sense -- it does take skill and requires privied
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information.
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Hackers nowadays, post-Wargames hackers at least,
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have as their motto "information wants to be free"
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and thus that is their goal in hacking or, more
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appropriately, being a cyberpunk.
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Cyberculture, at its roots, appropriates (samples)
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heavily from other subcultures. This could be
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easily guessed because of the inclusion of the
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prefix "cyber", referring to information. In this
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context I would like to see usage of the term
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cyberculture return back to its roots -- the idea
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of an information culture. That is, a culture
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where information is an important commodity, if not
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the most vital commodity. Information is an
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important commodity in modern global culture, as
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witnessed by the power and popularity and
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prominence of CNN and Mtv in our society. When
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people talk about an information society, they are
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actually talking about cyberculture, and they are
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actually talking about a soon-to-be historical
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shift in society that is currently in it's infancy.
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Contributions to this shift will be seen in the
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wake of the ISDN (Integrated Services Digital
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Network) and other such technologies as they become
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more readily available and approachable to the
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mainstream.
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We might say then, that cyberpunks (hackers, not
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just computer hackers either) provide the deviant
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portion of an existing cyberculture. Cyberculture
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should *NOT* be confused with technoculture, new edge,
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or futureculture, all of which will be put in the
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proper context later.
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As I have said, cyberculture is in its infancy. We really
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*don't* live in an information society, because economics, not
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infomics or infonomics if you will, is the underlying thread
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that holds our society together. However, this may be
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beginning to change, as witness in our reliance on economic
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credit systems (your credit is just information, which can be
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hacked) as well as on a political scale the intertwining of
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political, media, and international-conglomerate businesses as
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the definite powerhouses. At the turn of the century, it was
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basically just political forces. Post-WW-II, as postindustrial
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society developed, it became politics + business which
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continues to this day, but now media (information power) is a
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substantial force in the global power game.
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Rudy Rucker, prominent writer and scientist, is credited with
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the outstanding motto of cyberculture as a whole -- "How fast
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are you? How dense?" The phrase should be examined in the
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context of information processing, individuals dealing wth a
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world that is transforming and morphing from economics-based to
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infonomics-based.
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Industrial Culture - This is a misnomre, actually, since we
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------------------ realistically live in a postindustrial
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society. At any rate, industrial culture is
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most noted for a musical movement.
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Industrial music is highly technological,
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though it has a definite rebellious spirit
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that can easily be likened o the punk
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movement of the late 70's. Thus, industrial
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musicians could easily be considered
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cyberpunks, and sometimes are.
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Industrial culture also consists of other
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types of performance art other than music.
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One notable inclusion is Survival Research
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Laboratories, which builds robots, and
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usually does strange things with them like
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putting it inside a rabbit carcus and having
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the rabbit carcuss walk around and fall into
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an acid bath. Again, very cyberpunk.
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These postmodern industrialists are easily
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seen as a byproduct of postindustrial
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ziabatsus arising out of the sleek, slick,
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greed-filled 80s and their never-ceasing
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propagation, as seen in the motivations of an
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indivudal like Michael Milken or a zaibatsu
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like Sony.
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Again, technology is prominent in this subculture and by now
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you are probably beginning to see the extent of the overlap
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that occurs among these subcultures. The further you go, the
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more indescribable as individual entities they become, thus the
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need for a meta-subculture or meta-culture that encompasses the
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important attributes. From here on out, then, the focus will
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shift to smaller or more humanities-oriented topics.
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PostModernism - Postmodern art and philosophy arises out of the
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------------- here-and-now state of our world as it has evolved
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and changed, using WW-II as a reference point to
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seperate modernism and postmodernism. In the
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postmodern world, technology is prominent (tv,
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radio, computer). Information is important (se
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cybcerculture). Ideas are easily constructed and
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deconstructed. Communication is more readily
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accessible and is an artform in itself, witness
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the popularity of appropriation (sampling) as seen
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in industrial and hip-hop culture as well as the
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works of writer Kathy Acker. Politically,
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postmodernism acceps the reality of a
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postindustrial world moving towards an
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information-based world.
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Postmodernism is a tricky subject, and a parallel between
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mentioning postmodernism can be drawn to the use of the word
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"shaman" in psychedelic culture - overused, often misinformed,
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often appropriated without true understanding. Postmodernism
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has been around for some time now and stands on its own, thus
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it is difficult to incorporate it in this context. We must at
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least, however, acknowledge the fact that the threads of
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postmodernism reality provide the basis for the evolving
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futureculture, technoculture, and cyberculture.
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Street Culture - Primarily Afro-Centric because of the racism and
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-------------- general inequality that exists in America
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(specifically), the motto of street culture is
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given to us by William Gibson: "the street
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finds uses for itself". Thus, Street Culture can
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often be considered D.I.Y. (Do It Yourself) culture.
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Hip-Hop (Rap) music is a prime example of this.
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Kids create singles in their basement (which is
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also the case with rave music and industrial
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music) and then market it themselves, or, better
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yet, market *themselves*. Street fashion is
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equally D.I.Y. -- small, sometimes local labels
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that use postmodernism elements like
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appropriation, also a key elemnt in street music.
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For example, as I write this I am wearing a shirt
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by a group called 26 Red. On the back, the shirt
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has a picture of Charlie Tuna with the words
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"Human Safe". This is copywright infringement,
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|
but it is also appropriation and a realization of
|
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the realities of pop culture and not being afraid
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to apply them. Graffiti is street culture art,
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as well.
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Street Culture is a product of a key shift in our postmodern
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world, which could best be stated as a movement towards
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individualization and specialization, hence the importance of
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|
D.I.Y. aspects in futureculture. You can't wait for someone to
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produce something to appease you, appease yourself instead.
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Create your own art, your own clothes, your own music, your own
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reality, your own manifesto, whatever.....Action is a *vital*
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element in all of this.
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Fringe Science - The idea of hyperreality is very important in this
|
|
-------------- conglomeration of cultures. Hyperreality might
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|
best be explained by looking at the realities of
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|
the world that brought Rudy Rucker to make the
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aforementioned statement "how fast are you? how
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dense?" Our world is now moving very fast, and
|
|
is very dense. There is so much out there, that
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|
people have come up with new ways of looking at
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|
Why Things Are (tm) -- new explanations for new
|
|
realities. Cellular automata, chaos theory,
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singularity, maybe even quantum theory. Time,
|
|
space, dimensions, reality, consciousness, life,
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|
cybernetics, intellignece, artificial life,
|
|
subatomic realities, genetic mutations -- these
|
|
are a few of the fringe scientist's avorite
|
|
things.
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A lot of Fringe Science is an outgrowth of people involved to
|
|
some degree with psychedelic culture. That aspect, combined
|
|
with the fact that fringe science is "fringe" makes it less
|
|
valid to some minds. However, these scientists are the
|
|
post-Einstiens and should be loked at in that perspective.
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|
Technology is readily being accepted as a foundation of
|
|
humankind, and that belief continues to gain prominence in a world
|
|
technology increases exponentially. Witness the idea of an
|
|
information society -- that could not occur in a world where
|
|
technology and the desire to Make Something New (tm) plays second
|
|
fiddle. Technology in our world is rapidly surging us upward, to a
|
|
point where we are not even knowing What's Going On (tm). Witness
|
|
the out-and-out FEAR of people accepting the TRUTH that is outlined
|
|
in this writing, witness the fear of computers, the fear of hackers,
|
|
the fear of evolution, the fear of genetic engineering... Those of
|
|
us who are out there now LIVING this reality that's supposed to be
|
|
for the *future* have one thing in common - a DESIRE to explore the
|
|
unknown, to alter our realities, to alter ourselves and our lives,
|
|
and to alter our real lives ourselves. Simply said, we are morphing.
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|
Constantly. On an individual, cultural, and global societal level.
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|
Constantly. On a multitude of levels. Constantly.
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|
We live in a world full of infinite potential. Reality is what
|
|
we make it. This may sound like I'm speaking a small fringe special
|
|
interest grop, but that is not the case. I am speaking to every
|
|
living individual human being, especially those privelaged enough to
|
|
live in a postmodern postindustrial world filled with art and
|
|
technology, money and information, pop culture and subcultures.
|
|
|
|
The future is now. That phrase is overused a lot, but in this
|
|
context I mean that our visions of the future, what we have written
|
|
about, fantasized about, our hopes and dreams of what will be -- the
|
|
seed of those realities exists NOW.
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|
In the linear flow of history, we found ourselves at an
|
|
important nexus in which linear seems much too confining when we live
|
|
in a technoculture that seems poised to greet an exponential model of
|
|
time with open arms. Here-and-now and tomorrow we are creating New
|
|
forums of communication, New philosophical schools, New art, New
|
|
politics, New technologies, New realities.
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|
In comprehending and dealing with these New realities, it is
|
|
important that we reshape our mindstyles NOW to adjust to constant an
|
|
consistent fast and dense change. It is no longer enough to say
|
|
"change is the only constant".
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|
We must try and keep as open a mind as possible: keep all
|
|
doors of perception open, prejudices of *any* sort will not meld (and
|
|
I don't mean prejudices only in the physical sense, of course -- I
|
|
mean in the mindstyle sense, the "faith" sense, the action sense,
|
|
etc.). An open mind, open to all ideas, all experiences, all people,
|
|
all communications, allows for a completely new transreal way of
|
|
looking at ourselves, our world, our realities. In that transreal
|
|
mindstyle we should constantly look and redefine ourselves and our
|
|
world if it is necessary. For example, we, as a technoculture, need
|
|
to transcribe *everything* we can via some means, whether it be via
|
|
computer netowkr, video or audio tape, pencil, etc. Everything from
|
|
the most individual moments to the most important global occurances.
|
|
It's not enough that we have I-Witness videos and America's Funniest
|
|
People and then CNN. Everything that's important and meaningful to
|
|
you and your life, record it in some fashion or another. This
|
|
recording allows you not only to better future generations by way of
|
|
sharing the past, but it allows you the potential of looking at
|
|
yourself in different lights, different angles (both literally and
|
|
figuratively depending on the means of recording).
|
|
|
|
We should continue to develop the means and resources to
|
|
further the specialization and individualization of interactive
|
|
technologies and interactive communication forums. Basically, this
|
|
is just the idea that the more say each individual has in their
|
|
reality, the better. It ultimately promotes democracy and stronger
|
|
communities. For example, presidential candidate Ross Perot
|
|
mentioned "Electronic Town Halls", the Internet is a prime example of
|
|
specialization and individualization and interactivity, and more
|
|
specialized newspapers and magazines, etc., are also a good idea.
|
|
|
|
Relative to a previously mentioned idea, we need to be more
|
|
open to change on every level, not only within our own personal
|
|
lives, but in small groups, subcultures, and societies. We need to
|
|
be able to deal with the exponential growth of communications in the
|
|
world, and to do that we are being forced to change a lot of
|
|
deeply-set ideals about the nature of communities, organizations,
|
|
etc. For example, dealing with this change might include saying
|
|
"Hey, we live in a system of representative government created 300
|
|
years ago when travel was difficult and communication very slow.
|
|
Fairly soon we'll live in a world where everyone has some means of
|
|
interactive electronic communication in their home, whether it be
|
|
telephone or interactive-television or computer-network. On the
|
|
basis of travel and communication, therefor, is representative
|
|
government still a necessity?". On a more realisitc level, we must
|
|
own up to the fact that in a constantly changing envionment,
|
|
tradition for the sake of tradiition is futile and luaghable. If the
|
|
tradition does not serve well the current environment and has no
|
|
purpose, it should quickly be thrown out and changed. This idea
|
|
operates on every level, from dealing wih the national deficit, to
|
|
how you arrange your desk at work, to the nature of power structures
|
|
that govern the masses.
|
|
|
|
These are not radical ideas, they are just an acknowledgment of
|
|
necessary changes in how we live our day to day lives, how we operate
|
|
on every level, from the individual all the way to the individual
|
|
planet.
|
|
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--
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ahawks@nyx.cs.du.edu FutureCulture: In/f0rmation
|
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ahawks@mindvox.phantom.com future-request@nyx.cs.du.edu
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