[ssf] Treaty

J eff -
This is the latest revision from legal:

"Draft Treaty for immediate review by all members of the UNSC"
-Charlene
Assistant to the Special Counsel's Office: UNSC

This AGREEMENT is entered into as of October 17 20__ (Effective Date).

Understanding that the sentient entities collectively known as Humanity and the sentient entity known as Ie, (combined herein the "parties"), wishing to hereby finally resolve all disputes arising out of current hostilities and conflicts between the parties, agree and covenant as follows:

Confirming Ie's sentience, Humanity agrees to recognize and hold inviolable Ie’s rights, chief among them, it’s/their right to continued existence and right to develop on its/their own accord without the input and or authorization by humanity.

Recalling the results of the global plebiscite required by the Jakarta Protocol, Humanity hereby agrees to relinquish all right, title, controlling interest and other forms of authority over the condition, maintenance and continued viability of the planet Earth, its inhabitants and biomes, and agrees to abide by and be controlled by certain conditions (herein "Precepts", as defined in Appendix A), affecting the growth, spread, development and natural resource use by and of Humanity.

Additionally, Humanity hereby deeds and conveys all individual or collective right, title, interest and ownership in certain Territories, as specified in Appendix B, to Ie and its/their designated agents for their continued use, unobstructed by Humanity, or any claims thereof, in perpetuity.

In acknowledgement of these covenants, Ie hereby agrees to cease any and all hostilities, armed or otherwise, against Humanity including but not limited to the immediate cessation of strategic and tactical dismantlement of population centers and infrastructure, cessation of financial manipulations perpetrated against certain banking and lending institutions, including ceasing the manipulation of account and debt obligation records, the cessation of periodic releases of informational, chemical, biological, and mimetic agents, and the cessation of the genetic manipulation of certain apex predator species, as outlined in Appendix C.

Furthermore, Ie hereby agrees to assist Humanity in locating and rendering inert any rampant or rogue sub-entities which are no longer under Ie's express supervision and control.

Gladly, upon execution of this agreement between the parties, Ie hereby further agrees and assents to the release of certain cures, vaccines, remedies, counter-measures or corrective agents designed to minimize, contain or treat the effects of released biologic and biogenetic weaponry; as well as disseminate revised neural profiling templates configured to correct the effects of weaponized consciousness altering agents known as "madness memes."

Acknowledging that the obligations imposed under this agreement shall continue in perpetuity, the parties agree that any material breach of any provision recorded herein will result in the immediate resumption of hostilities, the cessation of which, will neither be offered nor accepted.

[Draft Note: Signatures 1-197 are to be provided in counterparts on separate pages for each national representative. Ie’s legal counsel in New York will sign on it's/their behalf.

On Criticism

The Art of Thinking Clearly by Rolf Dobelli. .

Recently, there has been an uptick in discussions about benefit of diverse characters in fiction. For example, see here .

Sound arguments for a more inclusive universe of fiction are legion.  There exits, beyond the compelling arguments about diversity of subject, arguments to be made about diversity of authorship.

Obviously, a talented writer of any background, can tell a gripping story about a culture different for her own. However, is something lost in experiential translation when the rich and comfortable tells stories of the poor and oppressed?  Should we assume that the meritocracy of talent operates with an invisible hand and just hope that the privileged operate in a world without blinders?

We could debate this topic for years and never get to a satisfactory resolution. Instead, the issue raises an interesting thought experiment about the usefulness of criticism. Specifically, what obligation does a critical consumer of fiction have as its creator? Do consumers of media featuring or authored by POCs have an obligation to view the work with a less critical eye, least they discourage the telling these stories? (This isn't necessarily a question grammar, structure and pacing, but one of reason, weight and intent.)  

Or should those tales featuring the least represented carry the dual weight of being entertaining and profound? If they don't, have they failed in some respect.  Is it not enough to tell a good, fun story? Does it need to shatter preconceptions, subvert tropes, and open minds?  Can POC fiction ever exist outside of itself, telling tales of pulpy mages and wisecracking aliens, without the necessity to parse the hidden meaning, the social commentary of a people's agenda.

It is often true that POC are judged twice as harsh (illumination here) when it comes to critical analysis of their work,  is this the same standard that must be applied to works that feature their likenesses?

Do reviewers have to look at a work and demand it be something that it isn't? Of course, the one argument is that there are so very few works that feature POCs, anyone who undertakes the effort should be given the benefit of the doubt. We shouldn't demand that works be complete realizations of social commentary mixed in with compelling narratives. Sometimes, it is okay to not require sub-text with our text. On the other, literary gatekeepers can and do demand certain shibboleths to be tackled when POCs feature heavily in the plot synopsis or author page. Recognition, even when bounded by expectations, can solve problems of access. Should a reviewer stand in the stead of the literary community and demand that every self-published vampire vs robot novel also speak to the eternal existential struggle for justice and equality?

Our thoughts are mixed. The role of criticism to should be to lift all boats; each review challenging the author to rise and make his colleagues rise.  But criticism also should function as an iceberg to the hull of ego. Shouting that you are tackling hard issues does not give you a waiver to actually tackle them. Voices need to be heard, and be heard well.

Moorsgate Media

The First Person Narrative

An increasingly common style in fiction, and self published fiction in particular,  is the use of the first person voice. Stylistically, there is nothing wrong with the first person voice. Well executed, it has been used to great effect in commercially and critically acclaimed novels from Jane Eyre to The Hunger Games.

However, encountering a narrative that begins and ends with a single view point tends to telegraph that there is a limit to the scope of the world that has been crafted. Crafting a story in a rich, detailed world is possible in the first person narrative (again See Hunger Games). However, the scope of that world will always be limited to places that the character has personally experienced.  Everything else, exposition, news, conversations with travelers, all of it is unreliable. Third Person narratives overcomes this limitation by usually establishing a number of view points that breathe life into various facets of their world.

Compare the universe of The Culture Novels or Game of Thrones to the world of Twilight or The Hunger Games. The former layers the individual stories and thoughts of multiple characters into the narrative tapestry. The latter, while telling compelling stories in their own right, rest on a foundation that the primary character is the most important person in this world. In the latter, the narrator (and your) view is given prominence over all others. We are left with second hand dialogue, with possible unreliable news or information, to gain insight into the motivations of others and the contours of their world. Events that occur outside your view are never as important as things you see.  For example, do we know the true motivations of the other characters in Twilight.  Do we know the true motivations of the residents of the Capital in Hunger Games? Do we care? 

More important than simply wishing to hear a different voice; the first person set up an uncomfortable divorce from a diversity of view points. The authors of first person stories typically have a significant overlap with their characters. That makes them easier and interesting to write for the author, but doesn't explore how others experience the same world. What results are stories about members of the racial and economic Majority, encountering a world that is an escape from the bland monotony of their comfort. Of course, most readers are reading from a position of comfort so the match is a fair one.

But in matching the audience to primary point of view, it becomes easy for an author to wipe away the lack of diverse characters in their books. By focusing squarely on a character that the author relates physically, emotionally and economically, they are tacitly arguing that the story can be told without anyone else's thoughts.  When you only have one voice, it is easy to argue that it should reflect you the author. Diversity then becomes a simple matter if sprinkling your world with some different characters for your character to interact.

The core problem is that you avoid is putting yourself in the role of a character that is different. Fiction at its highest skill involves transporting us to other worlds, but also to other people. The readers lose something if you close the world down to only one view point, one that is a slight variation of their own. Good fiction allows the reader to find themselves in the characters, not only temperamentally, but also physically, emotionally, sexually. If you are truly crafting a new world, then it should be big enough for more than one person's thoughts.

Moorsgate Media

    

Chaos Classified

Deep within the bowels of the Internet, past decrepit Geo-Cities  archives, below Live Journal post regarding unwavering love for Hansen, tucked in a forgotten corner of a low-baud rate server, there exists a lively classifieds bulletin board.

However, this is no ordinary "missed connections", "soiled futon " market place. This is market for wonders, for forbidden objects found where brave men fear to tread. It is a market for outdated technological marvels, arcane works, eldritch objects from a beyond the borders of the ordinary.

The denizens of these boards engage in a brisk trade, seeking to acquire or unload nameless horrors from the Deep, insane robots from a nightmarish future, hire teams of blind ninja assassins, or just adopt a couple of genetic monstrosities.

Below is just a taste of the terrifying and degenerate ads that populate these boards.

For sale: partially operational #weather #machine, fog only, needs new #reactor ,bearer bonds or gold only. #chaosclassified #fantasy #SciFi

Wanted:personal assistant. Salary negotiable, good health plan; small arms, #hacker, #combat skill needed. #chaosclassified #fantasy #scifi

Wanted: #architect / #Design firm for construction of private #research facility in #Antarctica. #biohazard experience preferred, sign #nda

Wanted: team of #blind #assassins for #temporal hit. #payment on #timestream alteration #eunuchs preferred #chaosclassified #Scifi #fantasy

Check here, or the Moorsgate Media Twitter feed for more Chaos Classifieds.

Kaizen Update

Just a quick update.
 Kaizen Text app has been updated with some bug fixes and some minor functionality upgrades.

Now, the app provides the average number of words / sentence. Additionally, the app now calculates the Coleman and Automated Reading Grade level scores. These two calculations use the number of characters, not syllables, to determine the complexity of the text. Different tests provide better numbers in different context. Therefore, we provide an average grade level score.

On the bug list side, a bug that prevented the complete analysis of a text where there were words without syllables (such as made up words) has been fixed.

Kaizen Text Analysis App (Lite)

 One of the goals of Moorsgate Media is to provide tools for content creators. In addition to blogging and writing about interesting sci-fi topics, we strive to develop simple apps and programs that hopefully allow creators and dreamers to get their ideas down in a concise, readable form. 

To that end, today we released a small Text Analysis WebApp called Kaizen (found here Kaizen Text App). The App can also be found at the top of our blog banner. It is a client based JavaScript program, so it should work on most desktops and advanced feature portables.  The App is a straight forward readability / grade level analysis tool using the FOG Index as a base. Additionally, we have included word complexity / uniqueness metrics, to help you identify if you are overusing (or under using) your dictionary. 

The Kaizen Text App is a part of a larger Kaizen Scripter Program we are developing that incorporates the Kaizen Text technology and provides a more full featured word processor and text analysis tool. Hopefully, people find it useful and provide feedback if they don't. 

Moorsgate Media (c)2014 

Modern Rosetta Stones

The resetting of the yearly clock (regardless of the particular clock with which you subscribe) is a great time to evaluate the course of history and how modern society fits into that unbroken chain.

The original Rosetta Stone was created in 196 BC to memorialize a debt relief program instituted by the Ptolemy Kings of Egypt.


(The Ptolemy Kings were not Egyptian, but Macedonian. They were the descendants of Ptolemy who was one of Alexander the Great's generals, Cleopatra would be the last of his line).

The practice of erecting large documents stones was a ancient tradition in the second century BC. There is archaeological evidence that "stele" had been erected discussing tax relief for at least 2000 years prior, at the dawn of the Old Kingdom.

Until the discovery of the Rosetta Stone, researchers had no way of understanding the content of Egyptian hieroglyphics. The Rosetta Stone provides nearly identical statements in Egyptian hieroglyphics, demotic script (a kind of Egyptian document script) and important ancient Greek.  From ancient Greek, Roman scholars transcribed many ancient philosophies and histories. These Latin and Greek texts were then translated by Arabic scholars and eventually were deposited into the libraries of the great European institutions of higher learning.   Thus, a writing system 4000 years old, with no living practitioners was resurrected.

Without this stele and others of its kind, we would never have been able to decipher, as quickly or as easily, the complex Egyptian hieroglyphic system.

Of course, one's thoughts necessarily turn to our own languages and how easy or difficult, it would be

revive our own written language 4000 years in the future. We make few, if any, multilingual stone monuments.

One exception is the Georgia Guide Stones. This immense granite block, commissioned by unnamed individuals, contains the same inscription written in 8 different languages, including English, Chinese, and Spanish - the most common languages used in the modern world.

However, one stone structure in the Georgia woods is not something that humanity should rely on to ensure that the vast corpus of accumulated knowledge written in modern English is preserved for generations.  Researchers from the Principality of Zhang-Sanchez in the year 6014 might not have access to this single granite monument. (Why? Because Aliens stole all our granite in the great Granite Caper of 5679 /Global Warming /Zombies / Fear of stones?). 

What people of the future will have access to is our trash. Our rubbish might make all the difference in deciphering any number of languages. For example, the picture below was taken of a crib being thrown out in NYC. Where it will end up is anyone's guess. However, within the steel and plastic confines, is a plastic sheet written in Spanish, English and French. Carted off and buried in a landfill it will wait with its precious knowledge codex until someone digs it up, and realizes ancient man (us) had instructions for everything, including how babies should sleep.

If you have examples of modern day Rosetta stones, leave them in the comments.

Moorsgate Media (c) 2014.