Rather, this is a congratulatory email wishing FoRK another
four years of infosponging off the bit buckets and clue pipes
of the world, moving ever closer to the Vision, Goals, Objectives,
and Plans needed to change the World As We Know It.
According to the Nietzschian concept of "Eternal Recurrence",
matter is finite while time is infinite. Therefore if we
consider them placed over each other, every event, action,
and life will repeat again within an infinite cycle of time
and history.
According to the FoRKian concept of "Eventual Recurrence",
bits and clue are finite while vision is infinite. Therefore
if we consider them placed over each other, every event and
subsequent action will repeat again within an infinite cycle
of time and history.
What is mind? No matter. What is matter? Nevermind.
So let's flash back four years, long before FoRK had a FiLoSoPHY:
http://xent.com/FoRK-archive/may97/0311.html
Four years ago, just after Microsoft's Pearl Harbor day
announcement that it was planning on killing Netscape,
FoRK emerged like a phoenix out of the ashes of the FWF list:
http://xent.com/FoRK-archive/may97/0606.html
[Memo to myself: it was SERENDIPITY that helped Rohit and me to
find Gordon more than four years ago. Therefore, events and
messages are NOT isomorphic. Because events allow serendipity
whereas messages do not. Okay, end of memo to myself. Time to
touch the puppet head.]
Where was I? Oh yeah. Four years ago. Four years ago:
- Jerry Garcia had a heart attack when Netscape doubled on IPO day
- Pearl Harbor Day, Microsoft set its sights on killing Netscape
- Sun was trying to build an empire around Java
- The World Wide Web Consortium started on its winding road
- AOL was trying to avoid being bought by CompuServe,
and Paul Allen sold his 25% stake in AOL (doh!!!)
- MCI and Sprint were fighting to be the #2 long distance provider
- Cisco was just one of many networking companies (Bay? Ascend?
Lucent? 3Com?) battling for control of Internet space
- "Amazon" was an idea in Jeff Bezos' head that led him to leave DE Shaw
- CMGi was a direct marketing mailing list company that had lucked
its way into an AOL/Microsoft bidding war over its Booklink browser
- Yahoo and Excite were scrappy Stanford startups
- Linux was emerging in the hacker underground
- eBay, Infospace, Priceline, DoubleClick, RealNetworks, Exodus,
VeriSign, Inktomi, Lycos, GeoCities, and Broadcast were just beginning
- AltaVista had JUST lauched;
in 1996, it would become the #1 search engine on the Web
- Y2K hysteria was kicking into overdrive
Four years later, there are many changes:
- Jerry Garcia is still dead but no longer grateful
- Microsoft has killed Netscape
- Java has become the POS mess we all assumed it would become
- The W3C continues along its winding road
- AOL has bought CompuServe, ICQ, Netscape, Nullsoft, MovieFone, MapQuest
- Paul Allen continues to be one of the world's richest men despite
investing blunder after investing blunder (lucky bastard!)
- MCI Worldcom is in the process of acquiring Sprint
- If Cisco has competitors, no one knows who they are
- Jeff Bezos is Time's Man Of The Year in 1999 despite no profits
- CMGi is a $33 billion Internet juggernaut
- Yahoo is a $110 billion media giant, and Excite is part of @Home
- Linux is emerging as a viable alternative to Windows
- Nearly 300 Internet companies came public this year alone
- AltaVista is on track to return to its place as the Web's #1 search engine
- What's this "Y2K" you speak of?
Meanwhile, FoRK continues to gain momentum. I noticed that it's not too
often that the first mover is the "winner" because the "winner" can
learn from the first mover's mistakes... for example...
Winner: First Mover:
----------------------------------------
MS-DOS CP/M
Windows Macintosh
Excel Lotus, VisiCalc
AOL Genie, Prodigy, Compuserve
120v AC DC current
Ford Duryea
VHS Betamax
Sprite 7-UP
Home Depot Tru-Value
Wal-Mart Sears, Penney's
Sears Montgomery Ward
McDonald's White Castle
Apple Altair
Starbucks Peet's
Mickey Mouse Betty Boop
IE Netscrape Navigator
FoRK FWF
Events Messages
In rattling off this list, one thing becomes increasingly clear to me.
We do, we do, we do believe in the interconnectedness of all things.
That's a warning that we will now ramble from topic to topic as part
of the glory that is FoRK -- a post told by an idiot, full of sound
and fury, signifying nothing. Fitting, isn't it?
...
fork bomb n.
[Unix] A particular species of wabbit that can be written in one line of
C (main() {for(;;)fork();}) or shell ($0 & $0 &) on any Unix system, or
occasionally created by an egregious coding bug. A fork bomb process
`explodes' by recursively spawning copies of itself (using the Unix
system call fork(2)). Eventually it eats all the process table entries
and effectively wedges the system. Fortunately, fork bombs are
relatively easy to spot and kill, so creating one deliberately seldom
accomplishes more than to bring the just wrath of the gods down upon the
perpetrator. See also logic bomb.
...
forked adj.
[Unix; prob. influenced by a mainstream expletive] Terminally slow, or
dead. Originated when one system was slowed to a snail's pace by an
inadvertent fork bomb.
...
Belief in reincarnation and the fatalistic acceptance of present
situation as a consequence of actions performed in the past life (karma)
...
Ki is the energy that flows through all living things. In an un-trained
individual, the energy is contained and unused. When the individual is
trained, she can channel this energy to enhance her normal physical and
mental attributes. The mastery of Ki is taught to the initiates when
they are still human - it is part of their long, arduous training
schedule. While they are being initiated, they must meditate and remain
in full control of their bodies. The transformation is long and painful
(taking anything up to fourteen days).
...
Mana is a Polynesian word for the energy that flows through all living
things. It is this energy that mages harness and use to empower
talismans and other magickal objects. Certain materials conduct magickal
energy better than others. Interestingly, these are usually the same
materials that conduct electrical energy well. Copper is one of the best
conductors. Silver and gold are also good. Quartz crystal (silicon
dioxide) is also a great conductor, and is used in making computer
chips. (Other materials such as glass & lead, which is fortunately no
longer used in pewter, tend to insulate energy.)
...
Reiki (pronounced ray - key) -- Rei means "Universal" and refers to
the spiritual dimension of the soul. Ki means "The vital life force
energy that flows through all living things." When combined, it's
meaning is "Universal Life Force Energy." A laying-on of hands healing
technique thousands of years old, it is thought to have originated as a
Tibetan Buddhist practice that was rediscovered in the late 1800's by
Dr. Mikao Usui, a Japanese Buddhist. It is a very simple yet powerful
technique that can be easily learned by anyone. Reiki is powerful
healing energy and is one of the few forms of healing that can be used
for oneself or others.
The Universe, the space around us, is filled with endless and
inexhaustible energy. It is this universal, pristine and productive
source of power and energy that also keeps us alive. Reiki is this
natural healing energy, and it flows through the hands of the Reiki
channel in a powerful and concentrated form. The energy is channeled
through the hands of a practitioner into the body of a receiver. Because
it is a Universal, God-given power, Reiki belongs to anyone who is ready
to receive the gift of healing hands. Reiki is effective wherever hands
touch, because Reiki hands radiate healing energy at any time, in any
place.
A man called Mikao Usui (1865-1926) developed Reiki in the 1920s. Though
the exact details are hazy, it seems that Reiki is based on a unique
combination of traditional Chinese medicine, energy cultivation
techniques like Chi Kung, symbolism derived from mystical Buddhism, and
Shintoism. Usui carried out exhaustive research, and after a period of
fasting and meditation on Mount Kurama in Japan he experienced a
sartori, undergoing a spiritual transformation that enabled him to heal,
and to pass on this gift to others. He called the system 'Reiki'.
The energy that is channelled in Reiki is called 'chi' in Chinese, 'ki'
in Japanese and 'prana' in Sanskrit. It is a universal energy that flows
through all living things. Chi is the energy that is manipulated by
Acupuncturists and practitioners of Shiatsu, the same energy that is
cultivated through techniques like Tai Chi, Chi Kung and Yoga. In fact,
the practice of Chi Kung at an advanced level produces abilities quite
similar to those of Reiki practitioners: Chi Kung Masters are able to
build up their personal reserves of chi to such an extent that they can
direct this energy externally to treat disease. The Reiki attunements
appear to give this same ability without having to practice Chi Kung for
many years, and without depleting the personal energy of the
practitioner.
...
To the Navajo, sandpaintings are sacred, living entities that reflect
the interconnectedness of all living beings -- humans, plants, stars,
animals, and mountains. Sacred sandpaintings have the ability to heal
the one-sung-over (patient) through their indwelling power. They summon
their power through the ability of ritual symbols to help the patient
focus inwardly as he or she is surrounded by the coexistent forces of
the mythic past and the everyday present, which interpenetrate the
ritual. As the one-sung-over experiences first hand the mythic chantway
odyssey undertaken by the hero of the myth, the patient also experiences
the same restoration to a state of harmony and health. Basic to an
understanding of how the sandpainting heals is the concept of time as
cyclic and circular, a principle fundamental to Navajo thought. This
embracing, surrounding quality of time leads to an emphasis on dynamic
process over static product. Furthermore, every-day and spiritual
realities are fused: the spiritual informs not only ceremonial
experience but also everyday experience.
...
"I'm very glad you asked me that, Mrs Rawlinson. The term `holistic'
refers to my conviction that what we are concerned with here is the
fundamental interconnectedness of all things. I do not concern myself
with such petty things as fingerprint powder, telltale pieces of pocket
fluff and inane footprints. I see the solution to each problem as being
detectable in the pattern and web of the whole. The connections between
causes and effects are often much more subtle and complex than we with
our rough and ready understanding of the physical world might naturally
suppose, Mrs Rawlinson. Let me give you an example. If you go to an
acupuncturist with toothache he sticks a needle instead into your thigh.
Do you know why he does that, Mrs Rawlinson? No, neither do I, Mrs
Rawlinson, but we intend to find out. A pleasure talking to you, Mrs
Rawlinson. Goodbye."
...
Feng Shui teaches us how to create harmony and balance around us. We say
"as goes our environment so goes us" and vice versa. This means that if
we pay attention to our environment then we will find ways of creating
different realities in our lives. Literally translated from Chinese ,
Feng Shui, means wind and water. This is actually an inadequate
interpretation due to the complexities of translating Chinese
calligraphy into English. A few symbols in Chinese can tell an entire
story. Upon further study we find that Feng Shui is an expression of the
oneness and interconnectedness of all things on all levels and all
dimensions. This is a key concept in understanding how our essence
relates to everything else around us including our environment. As one
begins to sense this oneness we then find that it is possible to gather
insight from looking at our environment with "larger eyes". We often say
that Feng Shui teaches us what we already know.
...
http://www.maui.net/~shaw/celes/aleph0.html
Fundamental Concepts of HoloDynamics
1. Everything is everything - there is a part of each objects "essence"
in every other object in the Universe.
2. Everything seeks to become one with everything else - the natural
order of things is to connect together in harmony. When this is seen in
a system from outside the system this is seen as increasing entropy or a
movement toward greater chaos (the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics). When this
is seen from inside a system this is seen as antientropic or a movement
to greater order.
3. Time is nonlocal - all moments are connected to every moment, past,
present and future.
4. The feeling in the human mind associated with (2) is the feeling
perceived as Universal Love.
5. The interconnectedness of all things occurs at many different levels
or resonances. The greater the number of things that are connected by a
resonance than the "higher" the resonance. The number of the types of
resonances is beyond human comprehension.
6. The human mind seeks to break down groups of patterns into their
resonances. The higher the resonance then the closer the perceived
feeling is to Universal Love.
7. The feeling of all things in resonance is perceived as spirit,
oneness, or God.
8. The universe and the mind are in harmony when the mind moves toward
Universal Love and resonance.
9. HoloDynamics is the study of quantifying higher levels of resonance
in the holographically structured(everything in everything) universe and
understanding how these resonances change and flow.
10. Since HoloDynamic research deals with the interconnectedness of all
things (including HoloDynamic research), normal deductive methods and
the scientific method are less favored as research methodology than
intuition and synchronicity.
The ideas and concepts linking mind and metaphysics in HoloDynamics and
HoloDynamic Compression have resulted in software with practical
applications. See Holoentropy and Multipass HoloDynamic Compression:
Steps to a Prototype.
...
So... four years into FoRK, remind me which phase we're in?
> THE NATURAL LIFE CYCLE OF MAILING LISTS
> Every list seems to go through the same cycle:
>
> 1. Initial enthusiasm (people introduce themselves, and gush alot about
> how wonderful it is to find kindred souls).
>
> 2. Evangelism (people moan about how few folks are posting to the list,
> and brainstorm recruitment strategies).
>
> 3. Growth (more and more people join, more and more lengthy threads
> develop, occasional off-topic threads pop up).
>
> 4. Community (lots of threads, some more relevant than others; lots of
> information and advice is exchanged; experts help other experts as well
> as less experienced colleagues; friendships develop; people tease each
> other; newcomers are welcomed with generosity and patience; everyone --
> newbie and expert alike -- feels comfortable asking questions,
> suggesting answers, and sharing opinions).
>
> 5. Discomfort with diversity (the number of messages increases
> dramatically; not every thread is fascinating to every reader; people
> start complaining about the signal-to-noise ratio; person 1 threatens to
> quit if *other* people don't limit discussion to person 1's pet topic;
> person 2 agrees with person 1; person 3 tells 1 & 2 to lighten up; more
> bandwidth is wasted complaining about off-topic threads than is used for
> the threads themselves; everyone gets annoyed).
>
> 6a. Smug complacency and stagnation (the purists flame everyone who asks
> an 'old' question or responds with humor to a serious post; newbies are
> rebuffed; traffic drops to a doze-producing level of a few minor issues;
> all interesting discussions happen by private email and are limited to a
> few participants; the purists spend lots of time self-righteously
> congratulating each other on keeping off-topic threads off the list).
>
> OR
>
> 6b. Maturity (a few people quit in a huff; the rest of the participants
> stay near stage 4, with stage 5 popping up briefly every few weeks; many
> people wear out their second or third 'delete' key, but the list lives
> contentedly ever after).
Will this week be the last time ever that 4K accepts $4K or less
as payment for a consulting gig? Stay tuned...