AUTOMATED RITES OF THE OBSOLETE FUTURE?
“. . . a triumph of the squares — meaning the guys with crewcuts and slide rules who read the Bible and get things done.”
Dr. Thomas Paine, director of NASA, moonflight of Apollo 8
Abandon FLESHWORKS, abandon NATURESHAPE, abandon EARTH!
Inside the machine! Untouched views of Never. Frozen Heaven.
Planet as a transient mechanical hotel. Future? Future is obsolete. Where are we going? Off, get in.
STAGE 1
GLOBE FINISH
CITIES ENCLOSED AS HUMAN
TERRARIUMS.
Oxygen and climate control, mobile
living modules, food and waste tubes,
reality programs.
COUNTRY UMBILICUSVILLES.
City modules plug into rural installations,
specimen preserves.
BIOSPHERE SECTORS.
Mineral masses, air and water supplies
fully accounted and allocated, non-human
life regulated.
Corny Arkship talk. Two centuries
of industrial smoke, fifty years of burnt
petroleum, unnumbered inert dumps and
unknown strangling species linger
aboard. Mother Earth is a disposable
womb.
STAGE 2
MYTHOLOGY OF EARTH LOST
ORIGINAL DESTRUCTION
man/machine breaks down environments
in order to preserve itself
inevitable pollution
FALL OF THE STRANGERS
random function destroys original
ecological balance
pre-determination of human genetic
models is the basis of law and order
IMMORTALITY OR SUICIDE
eternal life is normal
death is a sacrifice to man machine
research
PROGRAMMING FLOWS
direction comes through successive
man/machine feedings
human vision is irrelevant
No alternative to leaving Earth, huddling in smogdomes with
life-ensuring tickets off the pestilential 3rd planet?
Machines don’t explain themselves.
Men create roles, characters and destinies for machines.
For IT.
IT remains IT.
Why should men re-create their own roles, characters and
destinies around IT? Why IT?
Extensors, flesh electric wrists. Whose brain in my face?
Gunwonder power switch you? Answer.
Memorites. Computers sum experience of species ours.
IT says nothing, can tell us nothing.
DO WE OR DON’T!
Peter Berg
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