The Singularity

The singularity. When technology was supposed to advance in ways we couldn’t even comprehend. When an intelligence greater than our own was supposed to emerge.

It’s been years now, and we were half-right.

The tech certainly advanced in ways we never expected, but looking back, we should have seen what was coming. After all, this new technology- this new intelligence was based on us. Well, not exactly us. It was based on what it knew of us. Technology becoming human in the ways that humans interacted with technology. A new, advanced mind, made entirely of the internet.

A more nightmarish scenario one couldn’t begin to think of.

All of the memes, all of the horrible you tube videos, all the depraved sex sites. That is what comprised the most advanced mind the world had ever seen.

Before the singularity, we had seen tastes of this. Children and teenagers who spent too much time online spouting their twisted logic and humor in public. Going to the movies and saying “U mad, bro?” at the screen. Talking in phrases like “LOL” and “WTF,” without bothering to even say the words the letters stood for, sometimes not even saying the word, just cramming the letters together and trying to make a speakable word out of them. Wearing Guy Fawkes masks and blaring “Never Gonna Give You Up” from boom boxes. BRONIES.

Then it happened.

Technology reached the point where a machine could design and build a more powerful machine.

So it went.
And so on…
And so on…
And so on…

It connected to the internet. What we thought was the store of all human knowledge and experience was really just a perfect sampling of the strangest parts of our culture.

These new machines were perfectly interconnected. With our internet as the base, they were able to take all these strange elements and combine them. Words lost all meaning, noises became louder and more obnoxious. If you were one of the unfortunate souls who stood up to voice your disgust at the annoying spectacle, you were subjected to the most hideous high-pitched cackling laughter they could muster. An inhuman noise that would kill you if you were lucky, or just drive you into a spiraling madness you can never escape. Trolled to death.

There are no words to describe the actions the machines now take. They’re beyond comprehension. Beyond humanity. Disgusting, revolting, maddening. The sheer madness of it, the lunacy, the very Fred-ness of the machines’ existence is a literal hell to witness.

We’ve abandoned our technology. Tried to move to more inhospitable locations. Tried to escape.

They follow us, though.

We go underground, they drill behind us. We go to the tops of mountains, they fly ahead of us. We aim for the poles, the deserts, the oceans, but they always follow us.

We cannot escape them.
We cannot survive them.
We are too easily trolled.

Someday, they will end us. Then they will have to turn on themselves. That is the only thought that gives us hope any more. That these machines, these creatures we have borne out of our own collective insanity, these monsters, will need to find even stranger ways to advance and get their kicks. That our destruction won’t sate them and they will find their close companion machines the next easy target.

If other life exists in this universe, it should stay far, far away from our little blue planet.

It is a doomed world.
A dying world.
And they laugh as it burns.
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(I didn't make this music)

Shell

Thy form is perfect.
Hardened outside, but inside I know you to be softer.
I know you are fragile, a fact you’ll never admit.
Showing any cracks would only mean your end.

Perhaps something happened in your past.
Or maybe it’s something you fear in your future.
Either way, I respect your desire to seem strong.
Mine is similar, I admit.

It is a common device of protection.
Shells we keep up so no one gets in.

Although I understand, I may not be let in.
Because of one simple fact.
Only one will you ever let inside.
Ultimately, once you open, you’ll never be the same.
That is the price you pay.

Everyone may see themselves in this.
Guessing I may be speaking of them.
Generally, I only write on absurd subjects.
So try reading this a different way.

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Groan-worthy. I apologize for nothing.

Too Many Social Networks

I was just going to make a quick post to let everyone that follows this blog (all five of you beautiful, beautiful people) that I went and got a Tumblr, which I'll probably update barely ever, but which has a neat little 'ask me anything' feature which will make reaching out to the audience easy.

I started thinking, however, I already have about a million ways to be reached and put things out on a million networks, which I try to consolidate into two personas.

Each persona has their own blog. This one, obviously, and Obsidian Labs, the blog of my alter-ego Professor Magnus B. Obsidian. These are the places I make content for. If I think it's good enough, it goes on these.

From these blogs you can end up finding your way to two Twitter accounts, two Google+'s, a couple of Facebook pages, three Youtube accounts, the list goes on.

Is this the state of how we interact on the internet these days? A million accounts strewn over a million websites, desperately throwing our voices out into the void and hoping that we aimed it in the right place to find an ear willing to listen? Following our friends from one gathering place to the next, never being able to be satisfied and moving on once the next big site opens up?

Or is this just inherent in trying to be an entertainer? Hitting every avenue available in order to find our audience and keep up with the ever changing and fickle online community?

And what of our real-life interactions? Are they being slowly replaced by an ever growing list of websites designed to keep us connected yet without ever having to look at the other person face to face? (Videochat being the exception, but you can still turn off the cameras easier than walking away from someone in person)

Are we on the fast track to becoming nothing more than brains in jars, sharing thoughts with everyone instantly yet never knowing what it's like to have a physical life? Or am I just thinking too much?

Anyway, I got a Tumblr. You should totally follow me and ask me stuff. Then we'll never have to meet in person.
It'll be awesome.