Thursday, March 08, 2007
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Book: Synergist
I'm working on a cyberpunk novel called Synergist. It's the first in the Infocalypse series, which documents four different informational collapses.
This first book takes place in the near future, and is written in a style resembling what Gibson would sound like, were he entirely insane. It has a tendency to allude to things that are never explained, foreshadow things that never happen, and have extremely odd, Radiohead-esque descriptions of relatively normal things.
The story revolves around a young man named Eric Turing, who has a unique attentional disorder that gives him extremely powerful intuition. He is the key to the victory or loss of a war that has been going on for millenia, and that factors in every infocalypse in mankind's history. It also surrounds Reika, an albino biorobot created by a shapeshifting lizardman, and Rebecca, a renegade cyborg samurai.
This book is to be published by GehirnGeist Productions, the same people who are publishing the Weavers series, a group of light novels contributed to by the author.
If you would like to be a prereader for this book, contact John Ohno at GMail. The prereading is done using Google Docs.
This first book takes place in the near future, and is written in a style resembling what Gibson would sound like, were he entirely insane. It has a tendency to allude to things that are never explained, foreshadow things that never happen, and have extremely odd, Radiohead-esque descriptions of relatively normal things.
The story revolves around a young man named Eric Turing, who has a unique attentional disorder that gives him extremely powerful intuition. He is the key to the victory or loss of a war that has been going on for millenia, and that factors in every infocalypse in mankind's history. It also surrounds Reika, an albino biorobot created by a shapeshifting lizardman, and Rebecca, a renegade cyborg samurai.
This book is to be published by GehirnGeist Productions, the same people who are publishing the Weavers series, a group of light novels contributed to by the author.
If you would like to be a prereader for this book, contact John Ohno at GMail. The prereading is done using Google Docs.
Labels: John Ohno Novel Cyberpunk Gibson Synergist Infocalypse Book
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Sumerian tablet with complete solar system
Before making any comments as to the validity of some of the arguments presented, I would suggest reading the **official** translations of the sumerian texts, as archived by global inter-university projects. http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/ is a good place to start.
I will leave you to make your own opinions, but in my opinion there is a certain level of viability to the idea that the Sumerians believed Nibiru to be a planet, and that the Anunaki came from there. For example, the Anunaki were explicitly said to have come from a place called Nibiru, and were alternately spoken of as coming from the sky, or an earth in the sky. The word Anunaki is a compound of Anu (sky) + na (and) + ki (earth), which in Sumerian can mean many things, including those who come from the sky to the earth.
Also, the Anunaki were referred to as "goatfish", and represented in the earlier picture engravings as being reptillian -- a statement supported by the (albeit weak and often discredited, though still viable as a psychological statement) "observations" of those who have claimed to have been abducted by UFOs.
The house of Enki (the most beloved of the gods, and the one who was the primary go-between for the humans and the Anunaki) was said to "roar like a bull" and "give advice", and it was made of "silver and lapis lazuli". This seems very much like how an ancient human would describe a spacecraft. It also had a retractable staircase and a landing platform, if one buys into this assumption.
The Sumerians in fact had more advanced astronomy and mathematics than many of the civilizations whose achievements are more credited (for example, the Egyptians). The Sumerians were also the first civilization to be documented as having a writing system, which they believed was taught to them by Enki. Enki, who was considered the "troubleshooter god", has also made statements in various documents that hint towards a knowledge that the average Sumerian (from our modern-day, western, non-Sumerian perspective) likely could not have known. He demonstrates the qualities of present day hackers and engineers, valued elegance and functionality, and often solved problems in profound ways. There is one document I have a translation of (though I have never seen the original Sumerian text, transliterated or otherwise, so it may be a fake -- if someone can find the Sumerian for me I shall be eternally greatful) in which he seems to be describing object orientation, including multiple inheritence, polymorphism, encapsulation, and typecasting -- although he uses terms that are understandable in Sumerian, and thusly his explanation is restricted to metaphor in the language of the ancient every-day. Ergo, it is possible that even if it is not a fake, it may not have originally intended to refer to anything remotely like OO paradigms (after all, OO is based upon the percieved structure of "real life").
Additionally, the nam-shub (a sort of incantation) that are attributed to Enki have a hypnotic quality, even when translated into English. This only seems to work when read aloud, so I'm not entirely sure if it's just an artifact of certain literary devices that works only in English. I tried reading the Sumerian out loud, and it had some of that quality but not enough to be truly disorienting. It may be the fact that the meaning has to come through naturally, or it may be, as I said above, and artifact of the translation from Sumerian to English.
Now, all of this has alternate explanations, but Occam's Razor doesn't account too well for such a coincidence in my opinion. There could be another theory that explains it all away and makes more sense -- if someone can come up with a good one that takes into consideration the fact that all this coincides, it would be appriciated (this may involve the recent hypothesis that the ancestors of Homo Sapiens had an evolutionary battle with snakes and lizards which advanced then significantly, something I believe was also posted here on Digg).
Well, enough of my babeling (pun intended ;-). Great discussion here; Digg on!
I will leave you to make your own opinions, but in my opinion there is a certain level of viability to the idea that the Sumerians believed Nibiru to be a planet, and that the Anunaki came from there. For example, the Anunaki were explicitly said to have come from a place called Nibiru, and were alternately spoken of as coming from the sky, or an earth in the sky. The word Anunaki is a compound of Anu (sky) + na (and) + ki (earth), which in Sumerian can mean many things, including those who come from the sky to the earth.
Also, the Anunaki were referred to as "goatfish", and represented in the earlier picture engravings as being reptillian -- a statement supported by the (albeit weak and often discredited, though still viable as a psychological statement) "observations" of those who have claimed to have been abducted by UFOs.
The house of Enki (the most beloved of the gods, and the one who was the primary go-between for the humans and the Anunaki) was said to "roar like a bull" and "give advice", and it was made of "silver and lapis lazuli". This seems very much like how an ancient human would describe a spacecraft. It also had a retractable staircase and a landing platform, if one buys into this assumption.
The Sumerians in fact had more advanced astronomy and mathematics than many of the civilizations whose achievements are more credited (for example, the Egyptians). The Sumerians were also the first civilization to be documented as having a writing system, which they believed was taught to them by Enki. Enki, who was considered the "troubleshooter god", has also made statements in various documents that hint towards a knowledge that the average Sumerian (from our modern-day, western, non-Sumerian perspective) likely could not have known. He demonstrates the qualities of present day hackers and engineers, valued elegance and functionality, and often solved problems in profound ways. There is one document I have a translation of (though I have never seen the original Sumerian text, transliterated or otherwise, so it may be a fake -- if someone can find the Sumerian for me I shall be eternally greatful) in which he seems to be describing object orientation, including multiple inheritence, polymorphism, encapsulation, and typecasting -- although he uses terms that are understandable in Sumerian, and thusly his explanation is restricted to metaphor in the language of the ancient every-day. Ergo, it is possible that even if it is not a fake, it may not have originally intended to refer to anything remotely like OO paradigms (after all, OO is based upon the percieved structure of "real life").
Additionally, the nam-shub (a sort of incantation) that are attributed to Enki have a hypnotic quality, even when translated into English. This only seems to work when read aloud, so I'm not entirely sure if it's just an artifact of certain literary devices that works only in English. I tried reading the Sumerian out loud, and it had some of that quality but not enough to be truly disorienting. It may be the fact that the meaning has to come through naturally, or it may be, as I said above, and artifact of the translation from Sumerian to English.
Now, all of this has alternate explanations, but Occam's Razor doesn't account too well for such a coincidence in my opinion. There could be another theory that explains it all away and makes more sense -- if someone can come up with a good one that takes into consideration the fact that all this coincides, it would be appriciated (this may involve the recent hypothesis that the ancestors of Homo Sapiens had an evolutionary battle with snakes and lizards which advanced then significantly, something I believe was also posted here on Digg).
Well, enough of my babeling (pun intended ;-). Great discussion here; Digg on!
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Enfilade (web show)
I'm working on a new web show called Enfilade. It's basically a ripoff of lain and BPS, with some extra details that make it more original. Nicole is playing the lead role.
Here is a link to the first episode script.
Here is a link to the first episode script.
Monday, April 17, 2006
Film, et al (part deux)
Jon and I filmed all day today, and finished filming his version of the movie all but two shots. I think both films will come out quite well. Tomorrow we shall shoot the remaining shots, then probably film a few DVD extras and record the GehirnGeist logo audio clip. We may also record audio clips for voiceovers for parts of the film as well (especially the diary scene, which both of us had trouble voicing while typing). Hopefully Nicole can come see us again soon so we can film her talking about her character (and so I can hug her... ^^).
The GehirnGeist site is being redone by a friend of mine, a professional web developer by the handle of Kerash. I met Kerash on EliteHackers.info (then EliteHackers.com) years and years ago, and didn't know until very recently that she was female. I enjoy her geekiness (she codes x86 ASM and runs FBSD and FluxBox, and we've had some long convos about IA32 architecture naming conventions), and am happy to talk to her. A few people in the IRC chan I see her in seem to think that there's a mutual attraction thing going on... It's common knowledge that geekiness in girls turns me on, but I've really seen no signs of her liking me that way aside from her lack of distain for me (which would usually mean a lot on that chan, but I'm not sure it means anything except that we're the two geekiest #deadworld regulars and therefore birds of a feather). She's 21, so she's only 3 years older than me... I might have a chance in some sense, and I would probably enjoy her company, had I it. She lives in Ontario Canada, which is only a day's car drive from where I am (though I don't drive... gotta remedy that sometime ^^), so it wouldn't be a huge job to go visit if I was so inclined (assuming I got a passport, and that Bush's goons didn't get me first). I dunno, though. I don't even know if she has a boyfriend already (or a girlfriend, for that matter... Remember Naomi? heh.) She is cute though. She says things like "8giggles8", and capitalizes all her "LOL"s, and she was really excited when I told her that I wanted the GehirnGeist site to be compatible with old browsers. And she's a girl who has immense geekiness that is very compatible with my own, and accepts my geekiness as a virtue. A rare thing. So, I'll withhold my judgement, methinks, as to whether to crush on her or not, until some later date. Though I might not be able to control it. I've gotten a bit rusty at the whole emotional doublethink thing lately.
Well, Jon will be gone after tomorrow. Off to Illinois, back sunday perhaps. College visits. So, I suppose I'll probably spend my time online, coding, and working with bandmates. Maybe watching anime. I've been doing a bit of that lately, more than I have been in the immediate past. Hell, perhaps I'll be able to get some work done on NetHead... Hey, it's possible ^^;. Or maybe I'll just sit at home, bored out of my mind, and code random stupid things. Like a complete implementation of Lua written inside Tcl. Or maybe I'll port all the Longenis code over to the new LnString that Jon hasn't committed yet. That might be fun ^^;. But I'll probably do nothing with my life and sulk about how there's nothing to do. What's the real lesson here? Don't leave things in the fridge... Oops, wrong quote. It's actually, in the immortal words of Mark Grey, "Life sucks and then you die. Get used to it!" There's actually a longer version: "So you spend your pre-school days preparing for kindergarten, right? And kindergarten teaches you all the things you need to know for elementary school. Grammar school prepares you for middle school, which gets you ready for high school. That prepares you for college, which gives you the skills necessary for the 'real world'. If by 'real world', you mean a job, then that prepares you for retirement. And in a sense, retirement prepares you for death. So, in a way, your entire life from preschool on is in preparation for your death. Think about that for a minute." Ah, the true Metal Poet of our time. Manowar! Myopia, his band, is really the best local band I've ever seen. But anyway.
I'll be posting now. This entry is way longer than I expected, and it will probably take forever to publish, so if I need to I'll post a suppliment later.
Jyaa ne,
~John
The GehirnGeist site is being redone by a friend of mine, a professional web developer by the handle of Kerash. I met Kerash on EliteHackers.info (then EliteHackers.com) years and years ago, and didn't know until very recently that she was female. I enjoy her geekiness (she codes x86 ASM and runs FBSD and FluxBox, and we've had some long convos about IA32 architecture naming conventions), and am happy to talk to her. A few people in the IRC chan I see her in seem to think that there's a mutual attraction thing going on... It's common knowledge that geekiness in girls turns me on, but I've really seen no signs of her liking me that way aside from her lack of distain for me (which would usually mean a lot on that chan, but I'm not sure it means anything except that we're the two geekiest #deadworld regulars and therefore birds of a feather). She's 21, so she's only 3 years older than me... I might have a chance in some sense, and I would probably enjoy her company, had I it. She lives in Ontario Canada, which is only a day's car drive from where I am (though I don't drive... gotta remedy that sometime ^^), so it wouldn't be a huge job to go visit if I was so inclined (assuming I got a passport, and that Bush's goons didn't get me first). I dunno, though. I don't even know if she has a boyfriend already (or a girlfriend, for that matter... Remember Naomi? heh.) She is cute though. She says things like "8giggles8", and capitalizes all her "LOL"s, and she was really excited when I told her that I wanted the GehirnGeist site to be compatible with old browsers. And she's a girl who has immense geekiness that is very compatible with my own, and accepts my geekiness as a virtue. A rare thing. So, I'll withhold my judgement, methinks, as to whether to crush on her or not, until some later date. Though I might not be able to control it. I've gotten a bit rusty at the whole emotional doublethink thing lately.
Well, Jon will be gone after tomorrow. Off to Illinois, back sunday perhaps. College visits. So, I suppose I'll probably spend my time online, coding, and working with bandmates. Maybe watching anime. I've been doing a bit of that lately, more than I have been in the immediate past. Hell, perhaps I'll be able to get some work done on NetHead... Hey, it's possible ^^;. Or maybe I'll just sit at home, bored out of my mind, and code random stupid things. Like a complete implementation of Lua written inside Tcl. Or maybe I'll port all the Longenis code over to the new LnString that Jon hasn't committed yet. That might be fun ^^;. But I'll probably do nothing with my life and sulk about how there's nothing to do. What's the real lesson here? Don't leave things in the fridge... Oops, wrong quote. It's actually, in the immortal words of Mark Grey, "Life sucks and then you die. Get used to it!" There's actually a longer version: "So you spend your pre-school days preparing for kindergarten, right? And kindergarten teaches you all the things you need to know for elementary school. Grammar school prepares you for middle school, which gets you ready for high school. That prepares you for college, which gives you the skills necessary for the 'real world'. If by 'real world', you mean a job, then that prepares you for retirement. And in a sense, retirement prepares you for death. So, in a way, your entire life from preschool on is in preparation for your death. Think about that for a minute." Ah, the true Metal Poet of our time. Manowar! Myopia, his band, is really the best local band I've ever seen. But anyway.
I'll be posting now. This entry is way longer than I expected, and it will probably take forever to publish, so if I need to I'll post a suppliment later.
Jyaa ne,
~John
