h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The philosopher Karl Popper pointed out (among other things) that man was the only creature to pass down information exogenetically (i.e. other than through genes). This world of information he called 'World III' - I think because it exists neither purely subjectively nor purely objectively but is 'out there' in its own right. The internet (and of course hence h2g2)is a new manifestation/incarnation of world III and takes on an evolutionary course of its own. The interesting question - is the internet part of the universe or is the universe part of the internet?..........As time goes by, the latter interpretation seems to be gaining on the former.....

I think i'll stick with thinking of the universe as still part of the interet. In getting my guide entry accepted it lost its reference to memes. Memes appear on other entrys in h2g2 but it can give a short definition. In the same way that successful genes dominate organisms sucessful memes dominate human brains. You are probably aware that memes where defined by Richard Dawkins in 1976. Since then the idea of memes itself has spread throughout humanity. I feel relatively priveledged to be one of the first get invloved with the process on h2g2.

Internet is really evolution, which leads to revolution. It is like a creation of neural network system, on which all the human-race knowledge will be stored. We are just experiencing the beginning of this process.
Have a very Happy New Millennium, 007

Happy New Millenium 007,
The internet will be an important locus for human knowledge. There is nothing that says that it will be THE locus. For a start there is internet 2 a higher bandwidth version that's growing amongst univesities in America. h2g2 is an important locus but answer me this, Why am I the only person who uses their real name?

There are various answers to this question, depending on your philosophy on life, and your general degree of cynicism:

a) Everyone else chooses bizarre and often colourful names to compensate for their real life faults and the fact that they are really not as cool as they appear to be on the net, leading me to:

b) You are perfectly happy within yourself and do not feel the need to hide behind petty pseudonyms, or

c) You are sooooooo uncool that you haven't even reached the point where you are insecure enough to need to use a strange nickname..(surely not)

d) Your name creates an aura of etheral peace and tranquility which requires no more to be said

e) You couldn't think of anything that hadn't been used already

f) You thought that once you'd run out of conversation, you could just stick in "..and why am i the only one who uses their real name?", eliciting some reply

g) You're lying. You're not called Mark Rest at all. You are one of the 58 people in the UK whose name is "William Hague" and you are too ashamed to admit it (useless fact given out on local radio this morning)

h) You're lying. You're not called Mark Rest at all. You are Gary Glitter

It occurs to me that h2g2 is becoming a collecting vessel for humourous anecdotes. If humour is the objective then why not have humourous name. Mark Rest seems a humourous enough one to me. Have we a guide entry for humour yet?

I'm sure there is an entry on it, in several different forms....but that is not all that "The Guide" is. It is an encyclopedia, written by the common man, on whatever subject he, or she, may know something about.

Some may be humorous, some are not. Some are entirely accurate and deep, some are not........it is up to the reader to decide what info he/she wishes to find, or will accept as reality.

In my humble opinion, "The Guide" is a better representation of the minds of the masses than anything published on paper. Here, there is no dissolution of original thought. It makes for some very refreshing reading.

NM

Oh yeah, and I agree with what Slartabartfast said(haven't seen you around for a while, "S"....you either, Mark!) Some give their real names(myself, for example).....but some are afraid the "hackers" will get them! Therefore they give psudonymns, in hopes of keeping their personal info safe.


Me....I figure if the hackers want me....they'll get me no matter what I try to do stop them! You'll find my actuall home phone # on my profiles. If I'm gonna get got, at least they can't say it was a challenge!LOL

Using the psudonym "Fairly Strange"? It's for fun. It's how I see myself. That's what most "Nicks" around here are......that's how they see themselves, not how they wish to be seen. It becomes a "self fullfilling prophecy".

NM

I still look forward to that day when everyone has changed their nickname to their birthname. As for humour I look forward to the day when "racial" jokes can be shared, "sexist" jokes enjoyed equally by both sexes. This is my utopia. I can dream.

I agree with you, Mark. One day everyone will be able to look at themselves and laugh at their own idiosyncracies.(sp.) 'Till then, we will just have to do those things around the more "enlightened" folks we encounter.

Oddly enough, I have given some thought to changing my "Nick" to my birth name. I have been Fairly Strange for so long now, I wonder if anyone would know who I am? It's not as if that info is not already very much avalable on the net!

HHHmmm....food for thought!

Keep using yours....it's refreshing!

NM

I've a yahoo id of mark_rest for use at work. Most of my colleagues use their real names. There has to be an exception bald_trader. There must come a time when some balance is reached

In some sites I do use my real name.....most I don't. Most places, my real name is already well known....I make no secret of it. I use Fairly Strange, or FSNM, simply because I remember them so well......and it helps avoid confusion on my end. If I attempt to change my alias, it could get confusing as to what I registered as, and where.

I suppose that is my pennance for being too paranoid when I first began playing on the web!

NM

You could be J bloggs(formerly Fairly Strange) for 6 months.

Nah......I would still get too confused!.....With as many different sites that I'm in now...it's easier to remember that I used FS/NM.....especially if I go into an old site.

I'd never be able to remember if I used "Mark Wallace" or the "FS/NM" moniker...then I'd get to do that e-mail thingy, which always confuses me!

NM

Talking of names have you checked out DNA's thankyou on page U42.

Haven't seen that...I'll have to check it out!...Thanks!


NM

Oh, I seem to be under some sort of illusion that this forum was about evolution. Interesting discussion on names, I cannot help it if I happen to have the same name as a Douglas Adams character.

Evolution of names, perhaps?!

'ello Dirk!

NM