Noosphere

The material basis [of science] has directed attention

to things as opposed to values.

We look for the creation of a nonhuman type

Unhindered by morality, tenderness, or internal volition—

It is the perfect slave and the perfect soldier.

Artificial systems of perception and cognition are melded together

In this meeting and conjoining of minds and machines,

the distinction between them offers a starting point for developing

a more subtle understanding of the profound implications-

“You could almost feel the pulse of the other person …

it was uncannily human-like—the sensation of sinews and muscle—

not at all like feeling a machine.”

Telerobotics employs the terminology of “master” and “slave”

to describe the relationship between

The artist,

the active human agent who issues instructions,

and Galatea,

the passive mechanical apparatus that executes them.

The emotional and intellectual impact of this

is difficult to grasp without experiencing it directly.

The affective power of such virtual exchanges

was conceived to create a “planetary fairytale”,

questioning therefore our premises in conceiving.

One participant reported feeling rejected.



The user’s remote location can protect her

from dangerous environmental conditions

like the Surrealists’ game poetically revealed.

Aspects of traditional narrative structure may remain,

civilization [may] never recover.


The following is a response to some of the recent course readings,
including the Ascott article, the Keep article, the Hayles article, and
others. This poem was created using the “cut-up method” and the
Shanken article, "NeMe: Tele-Agency: Telematics, Telerobotics, and
the Art of Meaning".