MANUAL KIT SON LEE ET AL MANUAL (SHIFT CTRL) MANUAL (SHIFT CTRL)

KIT SON LEE et al. TABLE OF CONTENTS

7 FOREWORD Kit Son Lee

9 GLOSSARY 159 REFERENCES 163 Readings 221 Arts 257 Websites 269 Softwares & Hardwares 283 Games 305 LEXICONS

322 SIGNATURES 324 COLOPHON FOREWORD Kit Son Lee

Manual accompanies CTRL SHIFT as its user manual. Collected here are the inputs that led to the output presented in the other book, the way computers receive inputs to generate outputs. The inputs in this volume together provide insight into CTRL SHIFT’s operations, thereby fulfilling Manual’s role as a user

You are here manual. These conceits are extensions of CTRL SHIFT’s endeavor to model a computer (see CTRL SHIFT, pg 11). Manual is itself a model; it functions as a user manual but is not in actuality a user manual. User manuals typically instruct the reader on using the device in the box, but Manual is not meant to be prescriptive. Where other books relegate termi­­- nology, references, and lexicons to back matter, Manual instead presents them as main body content. This distinction is exaggerated further through the use of large type and illustrative imagery. Manual declares itself to be a book in its own right. A reader can therefore choose to read only this book. The inputs need not be tied to the outputs in CTRL SHIFT. This decoupling is an affordance of

7 a book that models a user manual alongside a book that models a computer. Their relationship can be reconfigured to break the directives of its referrants. GLOSSARY Additionally, the inputs need not be tied to the author of the outputs: me. The works in CTRL SHIFT are the results of my processing; the inputs are mediated by my understanding or lack thereof. Manual was compiled with the hope that its readers will approach the content with their own frameworks, perspectives, and ways of knowing, without the threat of my interpellation. To this end, all of the images and the vast majority of the words in Manual are not mine. They are offered as I initially encoun- tered them—in Wikipedia articles, Google searches, dictionaries, and source materials. That is why this section is a foreword and not a preface—a preface is written by the author of a book, while a foreword is algorithm closed system DMZ written by someone else. I concede authorship to the armistice code doxx above amalgamation and to the reader, whose ouput Arnold’s Cat Map cognitive easter egg I eagerly await. Auterism estrangment The Eye of Of course, I recognize that total concession is attention command line Providence impossible. Beyond the fact of my curation, this book economy computer Fibonacci is designed, meaning my mediation remains a threat. backend computer vision sequence My concession is therefore a gesture to argue that development console feedback partialness, whether of knowledge or success, can bouba/kiki corpus foley still move towards. As for reaching the destination, effect cybernetics forcing that remains to be seen. All I know is that I cannot Big data cyberpunk frame rate get there alone. The alternate title for Manual is SHIFT black box cyborg framework CTRL; though the shift might be incremental, incre­- caesar cipher cypherpunk frontend ments together approach a total. My partial yielding chaos magic decentralized development of control is an increment as such, in anticipation of chaos theory decision tree furry readers to come and shifts with each, until the way chaotic map direct fursona is cleared. chimera manipulation GamerGate cli-fi div GUI

8 10 hack neg substitution hard science nerf cipher fiction nootropic surveillance ALGORITHM horror vacui novum capitalism hostile object-oriented tech bubble hot take ontology technē hyperlink OCR technoliberalism hypermedia one-time pad technology hypertext open source tofu information open system torus innovation orientalism transparency economy ouroboros UAV interface outopos UI elements Internet own unicorn IP address P2P user IP tracking panopticon user-friendly kettling PrEP user-hostile keylogging procedural warchalking leet generation will-to-power lexicon program WYSIWYG library programming machine learning language malware roguelike Markov chain role-playing meme game (RPG) metaphor sabotage A process or set of instructions microworld Sacred Geometry to be followed in calculations or mobile-first Ship it model shitpost other problem-solving operations. mutual aid sigil Algorithms differ from computer mystification snake myth software programs in that 1) they must natural language speculative solve something, and 2) they Natural Language biology Processing steganography must have an end.

10 Glossary 11 ARMISTICE

An agreement made by opposing sides in a war to stop fighting for a certain time; a truce.

12 Glossary 13 ARNOLD’S

CAT MAP

(mathematics) A chaotic map from the torus into itself, named after Vladimir Arnold, who demonstrated its effects in the 1960s using an image of a cat, hence the name. A feature of a discrete cat map is that an image is apparently randomized into noise by the transformation but returns to its original state after a number of steps.

14 Glossary ATTENTION AUTERISM ECONOMY

An economic approach to infor- mation that treats human atten- (film theory) tion as a scarce commodity. The In film criticism, the theory accord- term was coined by psychologist, ing to which the primary creator economist, and Nobel Laureate of a film is the director, all of whose Herbert A. Simon, who posited works are said to reflect to a cer- that attention was the “bottleneck tain degree the characteristics of of human thought.” a personal style.

16 Glossary 17 BACKEND BIG DATA DEVELOP- MENT

A field that treats ways to analyze, systematically extract information from, or otherwise deal with data (computing) sets that are too large or complex The writing of code to be exe- to be dealt with by traditional cuted on the server side of a web data-processing application soft- application and everything that ware. An example of big data in communicates between the data- use is the tailoring of ads on social base and the browser. media and search platforms.

18 Glossary 19 BLACK BOX BOUBA/KIKI EFFECT

(psychology) A non-arbitrary mapping between speech sounds and the visual shape of objects, first docu- mented by Wolfgang Köhler in 1929 using nonsense words. Köhler showed two forms to particpants and asked them (computing) which shape was called “takete” In machine learning, a black box and which was called “baluba.” is a system whose inputs and There was a strong preference operations are completely hidden. to pair the jagged shape with Black box models are created “takete” and the rounded shape directly from data by an algorithm. with “baluba.”

20 Glossary 21 CAESAR

CIPHER

(cryptography) An encryption technique in which each letter is replaced by a letter some fixed number of positions down the alphabet, e.g. “A” becomes “B,” “B” becomes “C,” etc. The Caesar cipher is named for Julius Caesar, who used an alphabet where decrypting would shift three letters to the left.

22 Glossary CHAOS

MAGIC

A contemporary magical practice developed in the 1960s that emphasizes the attainment of specific results over the symbolic, ritualistic, or otherwise ornamen- tal aspects of other occult tradi- tions. Chaos magic holds a post- modernist skepticism concerning the existence or knowability of objective truth. Chaos magicians subsequently treat belief as a tool, often creating their own idiosyncratic magical systems and frequently borrowing from other magical traditions, religious movements, popular culture and various strands of philosophy.

24 Glossary 25 CHAOS CHAOTIC

THEORY MAP

(mathematics) A branch of mathematics focusing on the study of chaos—dynami- cal systems whose apparently random states of disorder and irregularities are actually gov- (mathematics) erned by underlying patterns and A map (evolution function) that deterministic laws that are highly exhibits some sort of chaotic sensitive to initial conditions. behavior.

26 Glossary 27 CHIMERA

(in Greek mythology) A fire-breathing female monster with a lion’s head, a goat’s body, and a serpent’s tail.

A thing that is hoped or wished for but in fact is illusory or impossible to achieve.

(biology) An organism containing a mixture of genetically different tissues, formed by processes such as fusion of early embryos, grafting, or mutation.

28 Glossary 29 CLI-FI CLOSED SYSTEM

(systems theory) A physical system that does not exchange any matter with its A portmanteau of “climate” and surroundings, and is not subject “science fiction,” climate fiction to any net force whose source (Cli-Fi) refers to works that deal is external to the system. Closed with climate change and global systems are often used to limit the warming as a primary component factors that can affect the results of speculative worldbuilding. of specific problem or experiment.

30 Glossary 31 CODE COGNITIVE ESTRANGE- MENT

(cryptography) A system of words, letters, figures, or other symbols substituted for other words, letters, etc., espe- cially for the purposes of secrecy.

(computing) (literature) Instructions for a computer A narrative logic, characteristic written in a human-legible alpha- of science fiction, whereby numeric system. devices used in the story are lent plausibility by their being placed (verb) in the context of the fictional To put in or into the form or sym- universe, which is imagined to be bols of a code; to create or edit scientifically consistent. The term computer code. was coined by Darko Suvin.

32 Glossary 33 COMMAND COMPUTER LINE

(computing) A text-based user interface navi- An electronic device for storing gated by typing commands at and processing data, typically prompts, instead of using a mouse. in binary form, according to Unlike a GUI, a command line only instructions given to it in a vari- uses a keyboard to navigate by able program. entering commands and does not utilize a mouse for navigating. A person who makes calculations.

34 Glossary 35 COMPUTER CONSOLE VISION

(web) A web-based application that allows the execution of shell (command line) commands on a server directly from a browser. The Web console also logs infor- mation associated with a web page: network requests, security errors and warnings, as well as (computing) error, warning, and informational A field of artificial intelligence that messages explicitly logged by trains computers to interpret and JavaScript code running in the understand digital images. page context.

36 Glossary 37 CORPUS CYBER- NETICS

A transdisciplinary approach to automatic control systems—their structures, constraints, and possi- bilities. These control systems A collection of written texts, espe- can be those found in machines cially the entire works of a partic- (e.g. computers), biology (e.g. ular author or a body of writing on the nervous system), or society a particular subject. (e.g. governments).

38 Glossary 39 CYBERPUNK

A subgenre of science fiction that deals in dystopian futuristic settings with a particular focus on the juxtaposition of “lowlife”, i.e. drug culture, and high tech, i.e. artificial intelligence.

41 CYBORG CYPHERPUNK

A portmanteau of “cipher” and A portmanteau of cybernetic and “cyberpunk,” cypherpunk describes organism, a cyborg is a being with a movement advocating for the both organic and biomechatronic use of cryptography and privacy- body parts. The term was coined enhancing technologies as in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and a route to social and political Nathan S. Kline. change.

42 Glossary 43 DECENTRAL- DECISION IZED TREE

(adjective) Controlled by several local offices A decision tree is a decision or authorities rather than one. support tool that uses a tree-like model of decisions and their (web) possible consequences, including An abstract concept that proposes chance event outcomes, resource the reorganization of the Internet costs, and utility. It is one way in order to remove centralized data to display an algorithm that only hosting services, using instead contains conditional control a peer-to-peer infrastructure. statements.

44 Glossary 45 DESKTOP METAPHOR

(computing) A standardized system of analogi- cal terms used to describe the visual elements in interfaces, corresponding to components of a physical desktop.

46 Glossary 47 DIRECT DIV MANIPULA- TION

(computing) A human-computer interaction style focused on designing actions that correspond at least loosely to manipulation of physi- cal objects. The familiarity of the visualized objects provide users with instant knowledge of how to use a software. An example (computing) of direct manipulation is resizing A generic container element for a graphical shape, such as a HTML content. It has no effect on rectangle, by dragging its corners the content or layout until styled or edges with a mouse. in some way using CSS.

48 Glossary 49 DMZ DOXX

(in Korea) A strip of land halving the Korean peninsula. It is established by the provisions of the Korean Armistice Agreement to serve as a buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea.

(computing) A physical or logical subnetwork that contains and exposes an organization’s external-facing To search for and publish private services to an untrusted, usually or identifying information about larger, network such as the someone on the Internet, typically Internet. with malicious intent.

50 Glossary 51 EASTER EGG

A message, image, or feature hidden in a video game, film, or other, usually electronic, medium. In computer software, Easter eggs are secret responses that occur as a result of an undocumented set of commands.

52 Glossary 53 THE EYE OF FEEDBACK PROVIDENCE

A symbol that depicts an eye, (interaction design) often enclosed in a triangle and Feedback communicates the surrounded by rays of light or results of any interaction, making Glory, meant to represent divine it both visible and understandable. providence, whereby the eye Its job is to give the user a signal of God watches over humanity. that they (or the product) have It is also known as “the all-seeing succeeded or failed at performing eye of God.” a task.

54 Glossary 55 FIBONACCI SEQUENCE

(mathematics) In mathematics, the Fibonacci numbers, commonly denoted Fn, form a sequence, called the Fibonacci sequence, such that each number is the sum of the two preceding ones, starting from 0 and 1. Commonly visualized as a spiral, the sequence is found in nature in the formation of flower petals, the curvature of ocean waves, the whirls of nautilus shells, and the arms of spiral galaxies.

56 Glossary 57 FOLEY FORCING

(filmmaking) The reproduction of everyday sound effects that are added to films, videos, and other media in post-production to enhance (magic) audio quality. Foley can be used A technique in stage magic used to cover up unwanted sounds to create the illusion of a free captured on the set of a movie decision in a situation where all during filming. choices lead to the same outcome.

58 Glossary 59 FRAME RATE FRAMEWORK

A basic conceptional structure, The frequency at which consecu- as of ideas. tive images (frames) appear on a display. The term applies equally (computing) to film and video cameras, com- A reusable skeleton for a software puter graphics, and motion cap- system, designed by collating ture systems. In videos and in various dependencies (other browsers, frame rate is measured programs or collections of code in frames-per-second (fps). required to run the system).

60 Glossary 61 FRONTEND FURRY DEVELOP- MENT

A subculture that—in the broad- (computing) est sense—is interested in The writing of code to be executed anthropomorphized animals with on the browser side (client-side) typically human characteristics, of a web application. e.g. talking or walking on two legs.

62 Glossary 63 FURSONA GAMERGATE

A 2014 online harassment campaign, primarily conducted through the use of the hashtag #GamerGate, that centered on A portmanteau derived from issues of sexism and anti-progres- “furry” and “persona” that refers sivism in video game culture. to a character, alter ego, or iden- Gamergate is used as a blanket tity assumed by a person to act term for the controversy as well as as their avatar in both physical for the harassment campaign and and online spaces. actions of those participating in it.

64 Glossary 65 GUI

(computing) Pronounced “gooey,” GUI is the acronym for “graphical user inter- face,” which describes a form of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices through graphical icons such as “windows,” “folders,” and “trash bins.”

66 Glossary 67 HACK HARD SCI-FI

(computing) The use of a computer to gain unauthorized access to data in a system.

(noun) Science fiction characterized An unqualified or untalented by commitment to scientific professional. accuracy and logic.

68 Glossary 69 HORROR VACUI

A fear or dislike of leaving empty spaces, especially in an artistic composition.

70 Glossary 71 HOSTILE HOT TAKE

A piece of commentary, typically produced quickly in response Marked by malevolence; antago- to a recent event, whose primary nistic; of or relating to an enemy. purpose is to attract attention.

72 Glossary 73 HYPERLINK HYPERMEDIA

(computing) An extension of the term hyper- text, hypermedia is a nonlinear medium of information that (computing) includes graphics, audio, and A reference to data that the user video. This designation contrasts can follow by clicking or tapping. with the broader term multimedia, A hyperlink points to a whole which may include non-interactive document or to a specific element linear presentations as well as within a document. hypermedia.

74 Glossary 75 HYPERTEXT INFORMA- TION

Knowledge obtained from investi- gation, study, or instruction.

(computing) A signal or character (as in a com- Text displayed on a computer munication system or computer) display or other electronic devices representing data. with references (hyperlinks) to other text that the reader can The act of informing against immediately access. a person.

76 Glossary 77 INNOVATION ECONOMY

The idea that individual entrepre- neurs and their novel ideas are the drivers of change through the invention of new products and services to replace existing ones.

78 Glossary 79 INTERFACE INTERNET

A point where two systems, sub- jects, organizations, etc. meet and interact.

A point at which something is made perceivable to the sense faculties of something else.

(computing) A global system of interconnected A device or program enabling computer networks using stan- a user to communicate with dardized communication a computer. protocols.

80 Glossary 81 IP ADDRESS IP TRACKING

(computing) A unique address that identifies a device on the Internet or a local network. IP stands for “Internet (computing) Protocol,” which is the set of rules The practice of discerning a user’s governing the format of data sent IP address, which contains infor- via the internet or local network. mation such as the user’s location.

82 Glossary 83 KETTLING KEYLOGGING

(policing) Kettling (also known as contain- ment or corralling) is a police tactic for controlling large crowds during demonstrations or protests. It involves the formation of large (computing) cordons of police officers who The action of recording (logging) then move to contain a crowd the keys struck on a keyboard, within a limited area. Protesters typically covertly, so that the either leave through an exit con- person using the keyboard is trolled by the police, leave through unaware that their actions are an uncontrolled gap in the cor- being monitored. Data can then dons, or are contained, prevented be retrieved by the person oper- from leaving, and arrested. ating the logging program.

84 Glossary 85 LEET LEXICON

(gaming) A system of modified spellings that substitute letters with homoglyphs constructed using numbers, punctuation, and other letters to visually represent them. Leet The vocabulary of a person, originated in 1980s hacker bulletin language, or branch of knowledge. board systems, where it first served a cryptographic function (linguistics) by making it difficult to text-search The complete set of meaningful for indicators of illegal practices. units in a language.

86 Glossary 87 LIBRARY MACHINE LEARNING

(computing) Colloquially known as “artificial intelligence (AI),” machine learning is the use and development of (computing) computer systems that are able to A collection of prewritten code, learn and adapt without following programs, or software packages explicit instructions, by using with certain functions that is algorithms and statistical models made generally available for use to analyze and draw inferences in other programs or softwares. from patterns in data.

88 Glossary 89 MALWARE MARKOV CHAIN

(mathematics) A randomly determined model describing a sequence of possi- ble events in which the probabil- ity of each event depends only on the state attained in the previous event. In text generators, the (computing) Markov chain analyzes the words Software that is specifically in a corpus and the probability of designed to disrupt, damage, occurrence of two consecutive or gain unauthorized access to words. It then generates chains a computer system. of words that are probably related.

90 Glossary 91 MEME

Coined by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins in 1976, the term “meme” describes a unit for carry- ing cultural ideas, symbols, or practices that can be transmitted from one mind to another through imitable channels such as speech, writing, or gestures. Memes are regarded as cultural analogues to genes in that they self-repli- cate, mutate, and evolve. Internet memes describe memes specifi- cally transmitted through online channels (e.g. social media).

92 Glossary 93 METAPHOR MICRO- WORLD

A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable; a thing regarded A simulated world entirely within as representative or symbolic of the machine itself, that does not something else, especially some- depend on instrumental effective- thing abstract. ness (Paul N. Edwards).

94 Glossary 95 MOBILE- MODEL FIRST

A three-dimensional representa- tion of a person or thing or of a proposed structure, typically on a smaller scale than the original.

(mathematics, computing) A simplified description, espe- cially a mathematical one, of a system or process, to assist calculations and predictions.

(computing) (CTRL SHIFT) A philosophy of web design and A representation or depiction development that states products of a system that is not the system should be designed for mobile itself, but rather presents the devices (phones) first, with more system’s structure, functions, advanced features for tablets and/or logics through an analogiz- or desktops added later. ing process.

96 Glossary 97 MUTUAL AID MYSTIFICA- TION

The process of making mysterious or obscure. An organizing practice in which people voluntarily exchange An obscuring especially of resources and services for mutual capitalist or social dynamics benefit. Mutual aid projects are (as by making them equivalent a form of political participation in to natural laws) that is seen in which people take responsibility Marxist thought as an impediment for caring for one another. to critical consciousness.

98 Glossary 99 MYTH

A traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typi- cally involving supernatural beings or events.

A widely held but false belief or idea.

101 NATURAL NATURAL LANGUAGE LANGUAGE PROCESSING

(linguistics) Describing human languages that evolved naturally through use, without premeditation. The term (computing) differentiates natural language A computational subfield dedi- from programming languages (i.e. cated to the development of code) or constructed languages programs that would allow com- such as Klingon from the Star Trek puters to process, analyze, and franchise. manipulate natural languages.

102 Glossary 103 NEG NERF

To emotionally manipulate another person by giving a deliberately backhanded compliment to undermine their confidence and increase their need of the manip- ulator’s approval. The term is To make something weak or derived from “negative feedback.” ineffective.

104 Glossary 105 NOOTROPIC

A drug or supplement claimed to enhance cognitive function.

106 Glossary 107 NOVUM OBJECT- ORIENTED ONTOLOGY

(literature) An entirely novel device or machine that is nevertheless A school of thought that rejects made plausible by a scientifically- the privileging of humans over sound narrative logic. The term nonhuman objects, positing that is associated with Darko Suvin’s objects have their own being “cognitive estrangement.” outside of human perception.

108 Glossary 109 OCR ONE-TIME PAD

(cryptography) An uncrackable substitution cipher technique patented in 1919 that requires the use of a one-time pre-shared key the same size as, or longer than, the message being sent. Each char- acter of the message is encrypted by combining it with the corre- sponding character from the pad using modular addition. The (computing) strength of a one-time pad relies An acronym for “optical character on randomizing the key for each recognition,” OCR is the elec- individual letter (an “A” will not tronic conversion of images of always be a “B” in the message typed, handwritten, or printed but will be shifted a random num- text into machine-encoded text. ber of steps for each instance).

110 Glossary 111 OPEN OPEN SOURCE SYSTEM

(systems theory) (computing) A system that has external inter- Referring to softwares released actions. Such interactions can under an open source license, take the form of information, wherein the software’s code is energy, or material transfers into made freely available for personal or out of the system boundary. and commercial use, modification, An open systems is permeable and/or redistribution. to change by outside input.

112 Glossary 113 ORIENTALISM

The representation of Asia, espe- cially the Middle East, in a stereo- typed way that is regarded as embodying a colonialist attitude. The term was established by Edward Said in his 1973 book, Orientalism.

114 Glossary 115 OUROBOROS OUTOPOS

An ancient symbol depicting a serpent eating its own tail. Originating in ancient Egyptian iconography, the ouroboros A combination of the Ancient entered Western tradition via Greek ou (“not, no”) and tópos Greek magical tradition and is (“place, region”) coined by often interpreted as a symbol for Thomas More and from which he eternal cyclic renewal or a cycle derived the title of his 1516 work, of life, death, and rebirth. Utopia.

116 Glossary 117 OWN P2P

(gaming) (computing) Gamer slang for the utter domina- P2P (peer-to-peer) describes tion of a player, rather than simply computer networks in which each winning. Own (sometimes “pwn”) computer can act as a server for is used more generally on Internet the others, allowing shared access forums to refer to the sound defeat to files without the need for of the other party in an argument. a central server.

118 Glossary 119 PANOPTICON

A prison layout and control system designed by Jeremy Bentham in the 18th century. The concept takes form in a central watchtower placed within a circle of cells, allowing all prisoners of an institu- tion to be observed by a single security guard, without the inmates being able to tell whether they are being watched. The fact that the inmates cannot know when they are being watched means that they are motivated to act as though they are being watched at all times. Thus, the inmates are effectively compelled to regulate their own behaviour.

120 Glossary 121 PrEP PROCEDURAL GENERATION

(computing) A method of creating data algorith- mically as opposed to manually, typically through a combination PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) of human-generated assets and describes medications that— algorithms, coupled with computer- when taken regularly by HIV- generated randomness and negative individuals—can prevent processing power. It is commonly the contraction of HIV from sex used to create textures, 3D or drug injections. models, and levels in roguelikes.

122 Glossary 123 PROGRAM ROGUELIKE

(gaming) A subgenre of role-playing video games characterized by a dungeon crawl through procedur- (computing) ally generated levels, turn-based A set of instructions that can gameplay, grid-based movement, be executed by the computer and permanent death of the to perform a certain task. player character.

124 Glossary 125 RPG SABOTAGE

(gaming) An acronym for “role-playing game,” RPG is a game genre where the player controls the actions of a character immersed in some well-defined world, usually (verb) involving some form of character To deliberately destroy, damage, development by way of recording or obstruct (something), especially statistics. RPGs are characterized for political or military advantage. by developed story-telling and narrative elements, player charac- (noun) ter development, and complexity. A deliberate action aimed at They can be videogames or table- weakening a polity, effort, or top games, where in the latter, the organization through subversion, characters’ actions are described obstruction, disruption, through speech. or destruction.

126 Glossary 127 SACRED GEOMETRY

Sacred Geometry is a worldview and cosmology that ascribes symbolic and sacred meanings to certain geometric shapes and proportions. It is associated with the belief that a god created the universe according to a geometric plan and that mathematical pat- terns found in nature are proof of the natural significance of geometric forms.

128 Glossary 129 SHIP IT SHITPOST

(computing) Slang for delivering a software product to the customer (user). It can also refer to sending code An aggressive, ironic, or of trollishly- to the next step in the develop- poor quality post uploaded to ment process. an online forum or social media.

130 Glossary 131 SIGIL SNAKE

(gaming) A video game genre in which the player maneuvers a line (snake) that grows in length, with the loss condition defined as running into the line itself. The most common variant of the genre has the player attempt to “eat” items by running A seal or signet. into them with the head of the snake; the snake grows longer for (magic) each item eaten, making it pro- A sign, word, or device considered gressively more difficult to avoid to have occult power. collision with the body.

132 Glossary 133 SOFTWARE SPECULATIVE BIOLOGY

(literature, art) Speculative biology (also known as speculative evolution) is a genre of speculative fiction and art focused on hypothetical scenarios in the evolution of life. Works incorporating speculative evolution may have entirely conceptual species that evolve (computing) on a planet other than Earth, or A set of instructions, data, or pro- they may be an alternate history grams used to operate computers focused on an alternate evolution and execute specific tasks. of terrestrial life.

134 Glossary 135 STEGANO- GRAPHY

(cryptography) The practice of concealing a message within another message or a physical object. In computing and other electronic contexts, a file, message, image, or video is concealed within another file, message, image, or video.

136 Glossary 137 SUBSTITU- SURVEIL- TION CIPHER LANCE CAPITALISM

(cryptography) A method of encrypting in which units of plaintext are replaced with An economic system centered the ciphertext, in a defined manner, around the commodification of with the help of a key. The Caesar personal data with the core pur- cipher and one-time pads are pose of profit-making (Shoshana examples of substitution ciphers. Zuboff).

138 Glossary 139 TECH BUBBLE TECHNĒ

(Greek) Craft, or art. More specifically, the knowledge of the craftsman or artist.

(philosophy) Referring to making or doing. The term resembles the concept of epistēmē in that both words are names for knowledge in the wid- A pronounced and unsustainable est sense, but technē is distinct market rise due to increased for its emphasis on the practical speculation in technology stocks. application of knowledge.

140 Glossary 141 TECHNOLIB- TECHNOLOGY ERALISM

A political philosophy character- ized by an overriding faith in technology, a suspicion of tradi- tional top-down institutions, and a conviction that the aggregate effects of individual engagement with technology will generate social good. It is the technologically- inflected and -accelerated version of neoliberalism, which advocates for free market competition with Referring to methods, systems, minimal state intervention as the and devices which are the result best means to achieve human of scientific knowledge being progress. used for practical purposes.

142 Glossary 143 TOFU

(computing) Slang for the empty boxes shown in place of undisplayable code points in computer character encoding; the empty box dis- played in lieu of a missing glyph within a font.

144 Glossary 145 TORUS TRANS- PARENCY

(science, engineering, business, the humanities) Operating in such a way that (mathematics) it is easy for others to see what A shape generated by revolving a actions are being performed. circle in three-dimensional space Transparency implies open com- around an axis. munication and accountability.

146 Glossary 147 UAV

An acronym for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and colloquially called a drone, a UAV is an aircraft with no pilot on board. They can be remote controlled aircraft or can fly autonomously based on pre-programmed flight plans or more complex dynamic automa- tion systems. UAVs are currently used for a number of military purposes, including reconnais- sance and attack roles.

148 Glossary 149 UNICORN USER

(finance) Coined in 2013 by venture capital- ist Aileen Lee, the term “unicorn” refers to a privately held startup company valued at over $1 billion. (computing) Lee selected the magical animal A person who utilizes a computer to represent the statistical rarity or computer program without fully of such success. understanding how it works.

150 Glossary 151 USER- USER- FRIENDLY HOSTILE

(computing, interaction design) (computing interaction design) Describing machines, systems, Describing machines, systems, or interfaces that are easy to or interfaces that are difficult use or understand, especially to use or understand, especially for someone untrained. for someone untrained.

152 Glossary 153 WARCHALK- ING

A practice invented in 2002 of drawing chalk symbols on walls, pavements, lamp posts, etc. to denote open wireless networks in public spaces.

154 Glossary 155 WILL-TO- WYSIWYG POWER

A concept coined by Friedrich Nietzsche. It is best understood as an irrational force, found in all individuals, that can be chan- neled toward different ends (e.g. scientists direct their will to power into a will to truth, artists channel it into a will to create). Nietzsche’s explanation of human behavior in terms of a desire for domination (computing) or mastery over others, oneself, or An acronym for “What You See the environment has led to fascist is What You Get,” which describes appropriation of the will-to-power interfaces that represent on screen as to justify the sublimation of a form exactly corresponding to lesser subjects. its appearance on a printout.

156 Glossary 157 REFERENCES

READINGS Don’t Make Me Think All Possible Futures The Enigma of Amigara Archaeologies of the Fault Future Exile Waiting Black Gooey Universe The Face of Another The Box Man Fahrenheit 451 Communicative Capitalism Hopscotch Cultural Software House of Leaves The Cybernetic Hypothesis I Could Tell You but Then Cypherpunks You Would Have to Be Dark Matter and Trojan Destroyed by Me Horses In Submission Data is the New “___” In the Beginning Was the Decoding Dictatorial Command Line Statues Inter Ice Age 4 Dispute Plan to Prevent Jargon File Future Luxury Lives and Opinions of Constitution Eminent Philosophers

158 Glossary 159 Making Sense of the ARTS SOFTWARES & HARDWARES Unknown Coastline Hypercard Metamorphoses of Science CV Dazzle Beaker Browser Fiction Elowan Siri Metaphors We live By Horse in Motion Alexa Myth and Meaning keepalive Structure Sensor New Dark Age The Matrix bindery.js On Software, or the National Treasure ELIZA Persistence of Visual Nicolas Cage memes Signal Knowledge Spomenik Tor Browser The Open: Man and Animal Star Trek Oculus Medium Satires The Treachery of Images Jitsi Snow Crash The Virtual State Software for Artists Book of Jefferson GAMES Speculative Everything The Vitruvian Man Among Us Surrogate Humanity Windows 95 Tips, Tricks, Apples to Apples Symptoms of Interference, and Tweaks Baba is You Conditions of Possibility Xefirotarch Chess TechGnosis ZXX Depression Quest The Theft of Destiny Dungeons & Dragons Through the Looking Glass WEBSITES Final Fantasy X The Tyranny of Geocities Find Your Pornstar Name Structurelessness Lady Esmerelda’s Crystal Go Utopia Ball Hades Vertical MDN Web Docs Kingdom Hearts Ways of Seeing NewHive Pong White Night Before Online Etymology Snake A Manifesto Dictionary Trouble Why Hasn’t Everything Snopes Already Disappeared? Stack Overflow Woman in the Dunes User Inyerface The Work of Art in the Wikipedia Age of Mechanical Reproduction

160 References 161 READINGS

162 References ALL POSSIBLE ARCHAEOLOGIES OF FUTURES THE FUTURE John Sueda Fredric Jameson

In an age of globalization characterized by the dizzying technologies of the First World, and the social disintegra- tion of the Third, is the concept of All Possible Futures accompanies utopia still meaningful? Archaeologies an exhibition that explores speculative of the Future investigates the develop- work created by contemporary ment of this form since Thomas More, graphic designers. The scope of and interrogates the functions of work encompasses everything from utopian thinking in a post-Communist self-generated provocations, to age. The relationship between utopia experimental work created in parallel and science fiction is explored through with client-based projects, to unique representations of otherness in the practices where commissions have works of Philip K. Dick, Ursula LeGuin, been tackled with a high level of William Gibson, Brian Aldiss, Kim autonomy and critical investigation. Stanley Robinson.

164 References Readings 165 BLACK GOOEY UNIVERSE American Artist

The transition of the computer inter- face from a black screen, to the white screen of the 70s, is an apt metaphor for the theft and erasure of blackness, as well as a literal instance of a white ideological mechanism created with the intent of universal application.

Given this context, it can be said that whiteness is the core of the labs that exist in Silicon Valley, and inscribes all of the products borne out of it in a multitude of ways. I will address the way it informed and continues to inform the development of a GUI: an abstracted representation of a per- son’s relationship to a machine.

166 References Readings 167 THE BOX MAN COMMUNICATIVE Kobo Abe CAPITALISM Jodi Dean

What is the political impact of net- worked communications technologies? Dean argues that they are animated A nameless protagonist gives up his by a series of fantasies that result in identity and the trappings of a normal profound depoliticization. The fantasy life to live in a large cardboard box he of abundance shifts communication wears over his head. Wandering the from the message to the contribution. streets of Tokyo and scribbling madly The fantasy of participation is material- on the interior walls of his box, he ized through technology fetishism. describes the world outside as he The fantasy of wholeness relies on and sees— or perhaps imagines—it, a produces a global both imaginary and tenuous reality that seems to include Real, figuring the amorphous other as a mysterious rifleman determined to a threat to be destroyed. Communica- shoot him, a seductive young nurse, tive capitalism explains why in an and a doctor who wants to become age celebrated for its communications a box man himself. there is no response.

168 References Readings 169 CULTURAL THE CYBERNETIC SOFTWARE HYPOTHESIS Lev Manovich Tiqqun

I think of software as a layer that permeates all areas of contemporary societies. Therefore, if we want to under­- stand contemporary techniques of control, communication, representation, A text that views cybernetics as a simulation, analysis, decision-making, fable of late capitalism and offers tools memory, vision, writing, and interaction, for the resistance. Cybernetics in this our analysis can’t be complete until context is the techne of threat reduc- we consider this software layer. Which tion, which necessitates the reduction means that all disciplines which deal of humanity to packets of manageable with contemporary society and cul- information. Tiqqun here imagines ture­—architecture, design, art criticism, an unbearable disturbance to a sociology, political science, humanities, System that can take only so much: science and technology studies, and only so much desertion, only so so on—need­ to account for the role much destituent gesture, only so much of software and its effects in whatever guerilla attack, only so much wicked- subjects they investigate. ness and joy.

170 References Readings 171 CYPHERPUNKS DARK MATTER AND Julian Assange TROJAN HORSES Dan Hill

Strategic design is about applying the principles of traditional design to “big This book is not a manifesto. There is picture” systemic challenges such as not time for that. This book is a warning. healthcare, education and the environ- ment. It redefines how problems are The world is not sliding, but galloping approached and aims to deliver more into a new transnational dystopia. This resilient solutions. In this short book, development has not been properly Dan Hill outlines a new vocabulary of recognized outside of national security design, one that needs to be smuggled circles. It has been hidden by secrecy, into the upper echelons of power. complexity and scale. The internet, our He asserts that, increasingly, effective greatest tool of emancipation, has design means engaging with the been transformed into the most dan- messy politics—the “dark matter”— gerous facilitator of totalitarianism we taking place above the designer’s have ever seen. The internet is a threat head. And that may mean redesigning to human civilization. the organisation that hires you.

172 References Readings 173 DECODING DICTATORIAL STATUES Ted Hyunhak Yoon

How can we decode statues and their visual languages, their objecthood and materiality, their role as media icons and their voice in political debates?

The book responds to urgent concerns about the representation of our heri- tage by not only asking us to examine what history to put on a pedestal, but to also consider the visual language of the statue itself. Decoding Dictatorial Statues offers opportunity to level with the actual affairs the statues promote.

174 References Readings 175 DISPUTE PLAN TO PREVENT FUTURE LUXURY CONSTITU- TION Benjamin Bratton

This theory-fiction links the utopian campaigns to realize their propagan- fantasies of political violence with the das of the deed, threat, and image. equally utopian programs of security Blurring reality and delusion, they and control. Both rely on all manner collaborate on a literally psychotic of doubles, models, gimmicks, ruses, politics of architecture. prototypes, and shock-and-awe

176 References Readings 177 DON’T MAKE ME THINK Steve Krug

On human-computer interaction, web usability, and (un)thinking users. The premise is that a good software program or website should let users accomplish their intended tasks as easily and directly as possible. Krug points out that people are good at satisficing (taking the first available solution to their problem), so design should take advantage of their uncriticality.

178 References Readings 179 THE ENIGMA OF AMIGARA FAULT Junji Ito

Following an earthquake in an unnamed prefecture of Japan, a strange sight is discovered on Amigara Mountain: countless human-shaped holes in a rock face. Scientists deter- mine that the holes are not natural and must have been dug from the inside out but have no way of knowing why the holes were made or who would have had the technology to do it. Most of all, no-one knows why one by one, the spectators are overcome by a irresistable compulsion to enter the holes, convinced that each was made for them, with no knowledge of how deep they go.

180 References Readings 181 EXILE WAITING THE FACE OF Vonda N. McIntyre ANOTHER Kobo Abe

An industrial accident burned the The time is the distant future. Earth face a plastics scientist. In an effort has been rendered uninhabitable to regain the affection of his wife (who by terrible storms during which its is disgusted by his disfigurment) the only city, Center, constructed around scientist creates a prosthetic mask. a natural cave system, is sealed from With a new ‘face,’ he sees the world the outside. Mischa, a young thief in a new way and started to have a with a telepathy mutation, is trying clandestine affair with his estranged to escape with her drug-addicted wife. Although, the new face gives brother from the dominance of her him newfound freedom, it becomes uncle. The only route out will lead increasingly difficult to determine if them deeper into the caves, to places the mask has taken ownership of the only known by those exiled from man or the man has taken ownership their precipitously-stratified society. of the face.

182 References Readings 183 FAHRENHEIT 451 Ray Bradbury

Set in a future American society where books are outlawed and “firemen” burn any that are found, Fahrenheit 451’s title refers to the temperature at which book paper catches fire and burns. The lead character, Guy Montag, is a fireman who becomes disillusioned with his role of censoring literature and destroying knowledge, eventually quitting his job and committing himself to the preservation of literary and cultural writings.

184 References Readings 185 HOPSCOTCH HOUSE OF LEAVES Julio Cortázar Mark Z. Daneilewski

Years ago, when House of Leaves was first being passed around, it was nothing more than a badly bundled heap of paper, parts of which would occasionally surface on the Internet. No one could have anticipated the small but devoted following this A stream-of-consciousness novel terrifying story would soon command. which can be read according to two different sequences of chapters. This Now, for the first time, this astonishing novel is often referred to as a count- novel is made available in book form, er-novel—an exploration with multiple complete with the original colored endings, a neverending search through words, vertical footnotes, and newly unanswerable questions. added second and third appendices.

186 References Readings 187 I COULD TELL YOU BUT THEN YOU WOULD HAVE TO BE DESTROYED BY ME Trevor Paglen

They’re on the shoulder of all military personnel: patches that symbolize what their unit does. But what if that’s top secret?

Paglen investigates classified weapons projects and intelligence operations by examining their own imagery and jargon. The patches—worn by military personnel working on classified mis- sions, such as those at the legendary Area 51—reveal much about a strange and eerie world about which little was previously known.

188 References Readings 189 IN SUBMISSION IN THE BEGINNING Ryan Kuo WAS THE COMMAND LINE Neal Stephenson

We might take refuge in content, which is compressed and converted precisely because it takes up space. Content opens an unaccountable void in white space: the material difference between raw and optimized data marks a failure of the internet to A commentary on why the proprietary accept the given terms of the content. operating systems business is unlikely The machine that works to project to remain profitable in the future a universal image can only frame this because of competition from free material incorrectly. software, and an exploration of the GUI as a metaphor in terms of the To submit means to uphold a fiction increasing interposition of abstrac- that is believable as long as it is tions between humans and the actual incoherent. workings of devices.

190 References Readings 191 INTER ICE AGE 4 JARGON FILE Kobo Abe Many, published by Guy Steele as The Hacker’s Dictionary

Set in a near-future Japan threatened by melting polar ice caps, Inter Ice Age 4 follows a professor who has devel- oped a computer system capable of predicting human behavior. Fatally for him, this system predicts his refusal to go along with his associates and his government in the creation of geneti- cally engineered children, adapted for life in the rising seas. The novel deals A dictionary of slang used by com- with a philosophical confrontation puter programmers. It was originally between the professor’s deeply alien- compiled at Stanford in 1975, collect- ated refusal of the future and the ing terms from MIT AI Lab and the computer’s knowing representations Stanford AI Lab (SAIL), among other of that refusal and the alternatives to it. technical cultures.

192 References Readings 193 LIVES AND OPINIONS MAKING SENSE OF EMINENT OF THE UNKNOWN PHILOSOPHERS Maya Indira Ganesh Diogenes Laërtius

Outside Silicon Valley and Hollywood, writers, artists, and policy-makers use different metaphors to describe what AI does and means. How will A biography of the Greek philosophers, this vivid imagery shape the ways the oldest extant manuscripts of which that human moving parts in AI orient date from the late 11th to early 12th themselves toward this emerging set centuries. of technologies?

194 References Readings 195 METAMORPHOSES METAPHORS WE OF SCIENCE LIVE BY FICTION George Lakoff & Mark Johnson Darko Suvin

Metamorphoses of Science Fiction presents a century-spanning history of the science fiction genre and links it to a long tradition of utopian and satirical literatures. Within, Suvin defines science fiction as “the literature of Published in 1980, the book suggests cognitive estrangement,” and the metaphor is a tool that enables people text’s publication in 1976 established a to use what they know about their robust theory of the genre that contin- direct physical and social experiences ues to spark fierce debate. to understand more abstract concepts.

196 References Readings 197 MYTH & MEANING NEW DARK AGE Claude Lévi-Strauss James Bridle

In this book, we are going to do some The greatness and superiority of plumbing, but we must bear in mind scientific explanation lies not only in the needs of the non-plumbers at the practical and intellectual achieve- every stage: the need to understand, ment of science, but in the fact, which and the need to live even when we we are witnessing more and more, that don’t always understand. We often science is becoming able to explain struggle to conceive of and describe not only its own validity but also what the scope and scale of new technolo- was to some extend valid in mythologi- gies, meaning that we have trouble cal thinking. … This undoubtedly will even thinking of them. What is needed enable us to understand a great many is not new technology, but new meta- things present in mythological thinking phors: a metalanguage for describing which we were in the past prone to the world that complex systems dismiss as meaningless and absurd. have wrought.

198 References Readings 199 ON SOFTWARE, OR THE PERSISTENCE OF VISUAL KNOWLEDGE Wendy Hui Kyong Chun

People may deny ideology, but they don’t deny software—and they attribute to software, metaphorically greater powers than have been attributed to ideology. … By interrogat- ing software and the visual knowledge it perpetuates, we can move beyond the so-called crisis in indexicality toward understanding the new ways in which visual knowledge is being transformed and perpetuated, not simply displaced or rendered obsolete.

200 References Readings 201 THE OPEN: MAN THE SATIRES AND ANIMAL Juvenal Giorgio Agamben

Throughout history, the “human” has been thought of as either a distinct and superior type of animal, or a kind A collection of satirical poems by of being that is essentially different written in the early 2nd century. from animal altogether. Agamben Roman Satura was a formal literary examines the ways in which the genre rather than being simply clever, distinction between man and animal humorous critique in no particular has been manufactured by the logical format. In a tone and manner ranging presuppositions of Western thought from irony to apparent rage, Juvenal and investigates the implications that criticizes the actions and beliefs of the man/animal distinction has had many of his contemporaries, providing for disciplines as seemingly disparate insight more into value systems and as philosophy, law, anthropology, questions of morality and less into medicine, and politics. the realities of Roman life.

202 References Readings 203 SNOW CRASH SOFTWARE FOR Neal Stephenson ARTISTS BOOK Many

How can we co-opt digital tools to Published in 1992, this science fiction build a more beautiful future? In novel presents the Sumerian language the spring of 2020—amidst a global as the firmware programming language pandemic, economic depression, and for the brainstem, which is supposedly transformational movement for racial functioning as the BIOS for the human equity—we talked to artists and activ- brain. According to characters in the ists about tech’s potential to help book, the goddess Asherah is the reinvent our shared realities. … Software personification of a linguistic virus, for Artists Book: Building Better similar to a computer virus. Like many Realities features contributions from of Stephenson’s novels, the book Salome Asega, Stephanie Dinkins, covers history, linguistics, anthropol- Grayson Earle, ann haeyoung, ogy, archaeology, religion, computer Rindon Johnson, Ryan Kuo, and Tsige science, politics, cryptography, Tafesse—plus 47 Digital Diary entries memetics, and philosophy. from our community.

204 References Readings 205 SPECULATIVE SURROGATE EVERYTHING HUMANITY Anthony Dunne & Fiona Raby Neda Atanoski & Kalindi Vora

Today designers often focus on making technology easy to use, sexy, and consumable. In Speculative Everything, Dunne and Raby propose Atanasoski and Vora trace the ways a kind of design that is used as a tool in which robots, artificial intelligence, to create not only things but ideas: and other technologies serve as design as a means of speculating surrogates for human workers within about how things could be—to imagine a labor system entrenched in racial possible futures. This is not the usual capitalism and patriarchy. Analyzing sort of predicting or forecasting, spot- myriad technologies, from sex robots ting trends and extrapolating; these and military drones to sharing-econ- kinds of predictions have been proven omy platforms, Atanasoski and Vora wrong, again and again. Instead, show how liberal structures of anti- Dunne and Raby pose “what if” ques- blackness, settler colonialism, and tions that are intended to open debate patriarchy are fundamental to human- and discussion about the kind of machine interactions, as well as future people want (and do not want). the very definition of the human.

206 References Readings 207 SYMPTOMS OF TECHGNOSIS INTERFERENCE, Erik Davis CONDITIONS OF POSSIBILITY Felix González-Torres, Joseph Kosuth, Ad Reinhardt Common sense tells us that mysticism has [nothing] in common with technol- ogy … Historians and sociologists inform us that the West’s mystical heritage of occult dreamings, spiritual transformations, and apocalyptic visions crashed on the scientific shores of the modern age. According Published on the occasion of the to this narrative, technology has exhibition Symptoms of Interference, helped disenchant the world. … But Conditions of Possibility at Camden the old phantasms and metaphysical Arts Centre in London, 1994. The longings did not exactly disappear. exhibition presented the work of In many cases, they disgusied them- three American artists—Ad Reinhardt, selves…, worming their way into the Joseph Kosuth, Felix Gonzalez-Torres— cultural, psychological, and mythologi- of different generations, for whom cal motivations that form the founda- art criticism is an “internal affair.” tions of the modern world.

208 References Readings 209 THE THEFT OF DESTINY Unknown

In Mesopotamian mythology, the Tablet of Destinies was envisaged as a clay tablet inscribed with cuneiform writing, also impressed with cylinder seals, which, as a permanent legal document, conferred upon the god Enlil his supreme authority as ruler of the universe. The lesser divinity Anzû ingratiates himself to Enlil as the tablet’s guardian before stealing it. Enlil orders the other gods to retrieve the tablet, in the process of which Anzû is killed.

210 References Readings 211 THROUGH THE THE TYRANNY OF LOOKING GLASS STRUCTURELESS- Lewis Carroll NESS Jo Freeman

The sequel to Alice’s Adventures in An essay concerning power relations Wonderland in which Alice again within radical feminist collectives. enters a fantastical world, this time by It reflects on the experiments of the climbing through a mirror into the feminist movement in resisting the world that she can see beyond it. idea of leaders and even discarding There she finds that, just like a reflec- any structure or division of labor. tion, everything is reversed, including Freeman describes “this apparent logic (for example, running helps one lack of structure too often disguised remain stationary, walking away from an informal, unacknowledged and something brings one towards it, unaccountable leadership that was all chessmen are alive, nursery rhyme the more pernicious because its very characters exist, and so on). existence was denied.”

212 References Readings 213 UTOPIA VERTICAL: THE CITY Thomas More FROM SATELLITES TO BUNKERS Stephen Graham

Today we live in a world that can no longer be read as a two-dimensional map, but must now be understood as a Utopia imagines a complex, self-con- series of vertical strata that reach from tained community set on an island, in the satellites that encircle our planet which people share a common culture to the tunnels deep within the ground. and way of life. More coined the word In Vertical, Graham examines how the “utopia’” from the Greek outópos geography of inequality, politics, and meaning “no place” or “nowhere.” identity is determined in terms of At the very heart of the word is a vital above and below. Starting at the edge question: can a perfect world ever be of earth’s atmosphere and descending realised? It is unclear as to whether through each layer, the book explores the book is a serious projection of a the world of drones, the city from the better way of life, or a satire that gave viewpoint of an aerial bomber, the More a platform from which to discuss design of sidewalks, and the hidden the chaos of European politics. depths of underground bunkers.

214 References Readings 215 WAYS OF SEEING WHITE NIGHT John Berger BEFORE A MANIFESTO Metahaven

White Night Before A Manifesto discusses contemporary conditions of design practice, and some of their political consequences. The first two essays are written from the perspec- tive of the design practitioner engaged in an almost automatic and unques- tioned alliance with the virtual, addressing large scale incoherence in the conception and existence of Based on a BBC television series by design objects. The third text com- Berger broadcast in 1972, Ways of prises an analysis of the manifesto Seeing proposes methods of looking form and its adherence to non-profes- at paintings without reliance on the sional, passion-driven definitions mystification of professional art critics. of labour.

216 References Readings 217 WHY HASN’T EVERY- WOMAN IN THE THING ALREADY DUNES DISAPPEARED? Kobo Abe Jean Baudrillard

Let us speak, then, of the world from In 1955, a schoolteacher from Tokyo which human beings have disappeared. visits a fishing village to collect insects. After missing the last bus, he is led by For Baudrillard, human beings began the villagers, in an act of apparent to disappear when they began to hospitality, to a house in the dunes analyze the world scientifically. His that can be reached only by rope observation is that to analyze or cate- ladder. The next morning the ladder is gorize anything is to push away the gone and he finds he is expected to very thing one intends to capture keep the house clear of sand with the by bringing such precision to bear. woman living there.

218 References Readings 219 THE WORK OF ART ARTS IN THE AGE OF MECHANICAL REPRODUCTION Walter Benjamin

An essay of cultural criticism which proposes and explains that mechani- cal reproduction devalues the aura (uniqueness) of an art object, allowing the production of art to be based upon the praxis of politics. The text presents a theory of art that is “useful for the formulation of revolutionary demands in the politics of art” in a mass-culture society.

220 References COASTLINE Johan Elmehag

This typeface is based on different coastal regions as they would appear if all the ice in the world melted. Each letter carries regional information, from the Bay of North Italy (A) to Malawi Bay (Z).

Arts 223 CV DAZZLE Adam Harvey

CV Dazzle explores how fashion can be used as camouflage from face- detection technology, the first step in automated face recognition. It is a concept and strategy, not a pattern or product, and it is always designed relative to a specific algorithm and unique to each face.

The name CV Dazzle was inspired by a type of WWI naval camouflage called Dazzle, which used cubist-inspired designs to break apart the visual continuity of a battleship and conceal its orientation and size. Since facial- recognition algorithms rely on the identification and spatial relationship of key facial features, one can block detection by creating an “anti-face.”

224 References Arts 225 ELOWAN MIT Media Lab

Elowan is a cybernetic lifeform, a plant in direct dialogue with a machine. Using its own internal electrical signals, the plant is interfaced with a robotic extension that drives it toward light.

Plants are sensitive to their environ- ments. They can sense changes in light, gravity, temperature, and more. These changes prompt the organisms to send electrochemical signals between their tissues and organs.

When Elowan senses light, it produces some of these signals. Electrodes connected to the plant’s stems and leaves detect the signals, and that triggers Elowan’s robotic base to drive in the direction of the light.

226 References Arts 227 F.A.T. LAB Free Art and Technology Lab

The Free Art and Technology Lab is an organization dedicated to enriching the public domain through the research and development of creative technologies and media. The entire FAT network of artists, engineers, scientists, lawyers, and musicians are committed to supporting open values and the public domain through the use of emerging open licenses, support for open entrepreneurship and the admonishment of secrecy, copyright monopolies and patents.

228 References Arts 229 THE HORSE IN MOTION Eadweard Muybridge

When a horse trots or gallops, does it ever become fully airborne? Muybridge developed a way to take photos with an exposure lasting a fraction of a second and arranged 12 cameras along a track. As a horse sped by, it tripped wires connected to the cameras, which took 12 photos in rapid succession. Muybridge devel- oped the images on site and, in the frames, revealed that a horse is com- pletely aloft for a brief moment during a stride. The revelation, imperceptible to the naked eye but apparent through photography, marked a new purpose for the medium. It could capture truth through technology.

230 References Arts 231 KEEPALIVE Aram Bartholl

The boulder contains a thermoelectric generator which converts heat directly into electricity. Visitors are invited to make a fire next to the boulder to power up the wifi router in the stone which then reveals a large collection of PDF survival guides. The piratebox.cc inspired router, which is not connected to the Internet, allows users to down- load the guides and upload any con- tent they like to the stone database. As long as the fire produces enough heat the router will stay switched on. The title Keepalive refers to a technical network condition where two network endpoints send each other ’empty’ keepalive messages to maintain the connection.

232 References Arts 233 THE MATRIX The Wachowskis

The Matrix series features a cyberpunk story of the technological fall of man- kind, in which the creation of artificial intelligence led the way to a race of self-aware machines that imprisoned mankind in a virtual reality system— the Matrix—to be farmed as a power source. Occasionally, some of the prisoners manage to break free from the system and, considered a threat, become pursued by the artificial intelligence both inside and outside of it. The story incorporates references to numerous philosophical, religious, or spiritual ideas, among others the dilemma of choice v. control, the brain in a vat thought experiment, messian- ism, and the concepts of inter-depen- dency and love.

234 References Arts 235 NATIONAL TREASURE John Turteltraub

Benjamin “Ben” Franklin Gates is a member of a family of treasure hunters. At a young age, his grandfather tells him the legend of the hidden treasures of the Founding Fathers of the USA, locatable by following cryptic clues scattered throughout various lands within the nation’s borders.

Years later, the Gates family has pub- licly acquired a reputation of conspir- acy theorists who profess myth. Ben however, believes a map is on the back of the Declaration of Independence. He decides to steal the file himself in order to preserve it, as well as the national treasure.

236 References Arts 237 NICHOLAS CAGE MEMES Many

Nicolas Cage has expressed his frustration with “Cage rage” internet memes, saying they are “frustrating” and unfair to him and the directors of his films.

In an interview with Indiewire, Cage said: “I’m sure it’s frustrating for [the director], who has made what I con- sider a very lyrical, internal, and poetic work of art, to have this ‘Cage rage’ thing slammed all over his movie … the internet has kind of done the movie a disservice.”

Cage rage is the name given to images and compilations of the actor’s over- the-top, eye-bulging performances, for which he has become notorious.

238 References Arts 239 SPOMENIK Many

For many years, Yugoslavia’s futuristic “Spomenik” monuments were hidden from the majority of the world in remote locations within the mountains and forests of Eastern Europe. That is, until the late 2000s, when Belgian photographer Jan Kempenaers began capturing the abstract sculptures and pavilions and posting his photographs to the Internet, describing the struc- tures as monuments to World War II commissioned by former Yugoslavian dictator Josip Broz Tito in the 1960s and 70s.

This accepted narrative, however, may not be entirely accurate, misrep- reseting the way we view the struc- tures and the legacies of the events they memorialize.

240 References Arts 241 STAR TREK Gene Roddenberry

The original series, created in 1966, follows the voyages of the starship USS Enterprise, a space exploration vessel built by the United Federation of Planets in the 23rd century, on a mission “to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.” Star Trek is noted for its cultural influence beyond works of science fiction, such as the use of constructed language (Klingon) and the inclusion of one of television’s first multiracial casts.

242 References Arts 243 THE TREACHERY OF IMAGES René Magritte

The famous pipe. How people reproached me for it! And yet, could you stuff my pipe? No, it’s just a representation, is it not? So if I had written on my picture “This is a pipe,” I’d have been lying!

Also known as This Is Not a Pipe and The Wind and the Song, The Treachery of Images is a 1929 painting by Belgian surrealist painter René Magritte.

244 References Arts 245 THE VIRTUAL STATE OF JEFFERSON Ethan Ham

The State of Jefferson is a proposed 51st state that would be carved out of Southern Oregon and Northern California. The Virtual State of Jefferson is a wireless router, through which users can browse the web. Whenever a webpage displays the address of a town that is in the proposed borders of the State of Jefferson, the router changes the state name to be “Jefferson.”

The work explores how the internet has become one of our primary windows for viewing the world and how the realities it presents can be fictive, authoritative, self-deluding, and enlightening.

246 References Arts 247 THE VITRUVIAN MAN Leonardo Da Vinci

The Vitruvian Man is a drawing made around 1490, representing da Vinci’s concept of the ideal human body proportions. Its inscription in a square and a circle comes from a description by the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius in Book III of his treatise De architectura. Yet, as it has been demonstrated, da Vinci did not repre- sent Vitruvius’s proportions of the limbs but rather included those he found himself after measuring male models in Milan.

248 References Arts 249 WINDOWS 95 TIPS, TRICKS, AND TWEAKS Neil Cicierega

Made by an American comedian, actor, filmmaker, singer, youtuber, musician, songwriter, puppeteer, artist, and animator Neil Cicierega of Potter Puppet Pals fame, this series depicts Windows 95 as a brooding, evil pres- ence bent on dominating humanity. Most of the posts are faked error messages, with disturbing messages like “Windows needs a lock of your hair to continue,” but presented in the exact graphical style of Windows 95.

Arts 251 XEFIROTARCH Hernan Diaz Alonso

The design practice of architect Hernan Diaz Alonso, Xefirotarch (now known as HDA-X), is described as “an appreciation for the perversity of mutant form. HDA’s architecture is itself ‘mutant/genetic’ … perhaps it is the emergent condition—horrific. Perhaps when the projected figure is frozen in a sufficiently dense, opulent articulation, it does achieve a resonant state of topological affect. But if so that achievement is derived as much from the act of designing that figure as it is from the intensity of the extant form. It is produced in the act of design, less through special techniques or processes than in the focused sensa- tion of pointing and clicking.”

252 References Arts 253 ZXX Sang Mun

ZXX is a call to action, both practically and symbolically, to raise questions about privacy. But it represents a broader urgency: How can design be used politically and socially for the codification and de-codification of people’s thoughts?

The project focuses on the growing problem of privacy on the Internet and personal data protection from intelli- gence agencies and programs, such as the much-talked-of PRISM, as well as from groups of intruders and loner hackers. The font works after CAPTCHA method, creating distorted letters, so it is very difficult to read it without human analytical thinking.

254 References Arts 255 WEBSITES

256 References GEOCITIES

GeoCities was a web hosting service that allowed users to create and publish websites for free and to browse user-created websites by their theme or interest. GeoCities was started in November 1994, and was named Beverly Hills Internet briefly before being renamed GeoCities. On January 28, 1999, it was acquired by Yahoo!, at which time it was allegedly the third-most visited website on the World Wide Web. Site users selected a “city” in which to list the hyperlinks to their web pages. The “cities” were named after real cities or regions according to their content; for example, computer-related sites were placed in “SiliconValley” and those dealing with entertainment were assigned to “Hollywood,” hence the name of the site.

Websites 259 LADY ESMERELDA’S MDN WEB DOCS CRYSTAL BALL

Lady Esmerelda’s Crystal Ball has been befuddling countless netizens who have been left mystified by its MDN Web Docs is a documentation uncanny ability to always identify repository and learning resource for which one symbol they have chosen web developers used by Mozilla, from a list of many different symbols. Microsoft, Google, and Samsung. The Some members of the online commu- project was started by Mozilla in 2005 nity have felt unsettled by the appar- as a unified place for documentation ent proof that something lurking on the about open web standards, Mozilla’s Internet could access their thoughts own projects, and developer guides. or that through some form of magic or In 2017, Microsoft, Google, and witchcraft, evil-intentioned folks were Samsung announced that they would capable of using their systems against shut down their own documentation them. Magic seemed to be afoot, and projects and move all their documen- that deeply troubled many. tation to MDN Web Docs.

260 References Websites 261 NEWHIVE

NewHive was both a social network and a creation engine for Web 2.0 content. It was a web platform that encouraged users to develop their own creative content that had been coined by NewHive as “expressions.” Many members of the NewHive com- munity were productive artists with established practices, creating, “A critical framework around post-internet art practices by engaging with the art world and contemporary society”. NewHive allowed text, links, photos, videos, drawings, music, GIFs, and more to be composed into website collages. The site was hosted by Amazon’s cloud services.

262 References Websites 263 ONLINE ETYMOLOGY SNOPES DICTIONARY

A free online dictionary, written and compiled by American Civil War historian Douglas Harper that describes the origins of English- language words. Harper compiled the dictionary to record the history and evolution of more than 50,000 words, including slang and technical terms. The core body of its information stems from The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology, The Middle English Snopes, formerly known as the Urban Compendium, Comprehensive Legends Reference Pages, is a Etymology Dictionary of the English fact-checking website. It has been Language, The Oxford English described as a “well-regarded refer- Dictionary, the 1889-1902 Century ence for sorting out myths and rumors” Dictionary and web archives. Harper on the Internet. It has also been seen considers himself “essentially and for as a source for both validating and the most part” a compiler of etymology debunking urban legends and similar research made by others. stories in American popular culture.

264 References Websites 265 STACK OVERFLOW USER INYERFACE

Great user interface design is invisible. But when bad designs pop up, it can complicate an otherwise simple pro- cess. User Inyerface, a short web game created by Bagaar, is an exam- ple of what happens when every frustrating element of user interface design is jammed together. Buttons that should be clickable aren’t, drop- down menus are sorted incorrectly, Stack Overflow is a question and and there’s even a devilish pop-up answer site for professional and window that can shut down the entire enthusiast programmers. It was site if you read its instructions wrong. created to be a more open alternative User Inyerface takes all the design to earlier question and answer sites patterns we’re used to and manipu- such as Experts-Exchange. lates them to mess with us.

266 References Websites 267 WIKIPEDIA SOFTWARES & HARDWARES

Wikipedia is a free online encyclope- dia, created and edited by volunteers around the world and hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation.

268 References ALEXA BEAKER BROWSER

Alexa is a virtual assistant AI technol- ogy developed by Amazon. It is capa- Beaker is a free and open-source web ble of voice interaction, music browse. It uses peer-to-peer technol- playback, making to-do lists, setting ogy to allow users to self-publish alarms, streaming podcasts, playing websites and web apps directly from audiobooks, and providing weather, the browser, without the need to set traffic, sports, and other real-time up and administrate a separate web information, such as news. Alexa can server or host their content on a also control several smart devices third-party server. All files and web- using itself as a home automation sites are transferred using Dat, a system. Users are able to extend the hypermedia peer-to-peer protocol Alexa capabilities by installing “skills” which allows files to be shared and (additional functionality developed by hosted by several users. The browser third-party vendors) such as weather also supports the HTTP protocol to programs and audio features. connect to traditional servers.

270 References Softwares & Hardwares 271 BINDERY.JS ELIZA

Bindery.js is a javascript library to create printable books with HTML ELIZA is an early natural language and CSS. processing computer program created from 1964 to 1966 at the MIT Artificial First, content is divided across multi- Intelligence Laboratory by Joseph ple pages. From there, you can set up Weizenbaum. Created to demonstrate rules to generate running headers, the superficiality of communication spreads, and footnotes, based on the between humans and machines, ELIZA content that fits on each page. Turn simulated conversation by using a links into page numbers to create a “pattern matching” and substitution table of contents or index. When methodology that gave users an you’re ready to print, configure bleed, illusion of understanding on the part of crop marks, and booklet ordering. the program, but had no built in frame- work for contextualizing events. If you’re a web designer, you can Directives on how to interact were think about books as an extension provided by “scripts,” which allowed of responsive design. If you’re a print ELIZA to process user inputs and designer, you can express layouts engage in discourse following the rules programmatically, without the need and directions of the script. ELIZA was for InDesign. one of the first chatbots.

272 References Softwares & Hardwares 273 HYPERCARD

HyperCard is a software application and development kit for Apple Macintosh. It is among the first suc- cessful hypermedia systems, predat- ing the World Wide Web. HyperCard is based on the concept of a “stack” of virtual “cards.” Cards hold data, just as they would in a Rolodex card-filing device. Each card contains a set of interactive objects, including text fields, check boxes, buttons, and similar common GUI elements. Users browse the stack by navigating from card to card, using built-in navigation features, a powerful search mecha- nism, or through user-created scripts. Users build or modify stacks by adding new cards. They place GUI objects on the cards using an interac- tive layout engine based on a simple drag-and-drop interface.

274 References Softwares & Hardwares 275 JITSI OCULUS MEDIUM

Jitsi is a an open-source video confer- encing software. A key feature is encrypted communication; 1-1 calls use the P2P mode, which is end-to- end encrypted via DTLS-SRTP between the two participants. Group calls also use DTLS-SRTP encryption, but rely on the Jitsi Videobridge (JVB) as video router, where packets are decrypted temporarily.The Jitsi team emphasizes that “they are never stored to any persistent storage and Oculus Medium is a digital sculpting only live in memory while being routed software that works with virtual reality to other participants in the meeting”, headsets and 6DoF motion controllers. and that this measure is necessary It is used to create and paint digital due to current limitations of the under- sculptures. Medium works only on lying WebRTC technology. Oculus Rift.

276 References Softwares & Hardwares 277 SIGNAL SIRI

Siri is a virtual assistant that is part of Apple operating systems. The assis- tant uses voice queries, gesture based control, focus-tracking and a natural- language user interface to answer questions, make recommendations, and perform actions by delegating Signal is an open-source cross-plat- requests to a set of Internet services. form centralized encrypted messaging The software adapts to users’ individ- service. It uses standard cellular ual language usages, searches, and telephone numbers as identifiers and preferences, with continuing use. secures all communications to other Signal users with end-to-end encryp- Siri is a spin-off from a project tion. The apps include mechanisms by originally developed by the SRI which users can independently verify International Artificial Intelligence the identity of their contacts and the Center and uses advanced machine integrity of the data channel. learning technologies to function.

278 References Softwares & Hardwares 279 STRUCTURE SENSOR

A device that turns an iPad into a portable 3D scanner.

280 References Softwares & Hardwares 281 TOR BROWSER GAMES

Tor is an open-source browser for enabling anonymous communication by directing Internet traffic through a free, worldwide, volunteer overlay network consisting of more than seven thousand relays in order to conceal a user’s location and usage from anyone conducting network surveillance or traffic analysis. Using Tor makes it more difficult to trace the Internet acti- vity to the user; this includes “visits to Web sites, online posts, instant mes- sages, and other communication forms.” Tor’s intended use is to protect the personal privacy of its users, as well as their freedom and ability to conduct confidential communication by keep- ing their Internet activities unmonitored.

282 References AMONG US APPLES TO APPLES

Among Us is a 2018 online multiplayer social deduction game. It takes place in a space-themed setting, in which players each take on one of two roles, most being Crewmates, and a prede- Apples to Apples is a party game in termined number being Impostors. which players start with a hand of The goal of the Crewmates is to identify seven “red apple” cards featuring the Impostors, eliminate them, and nouns. A player is selected to be the complete tasks around the map; the first judge, and that judge plays a Impostors’ goal is to covertly sabotage “green apple” card, which features an and kill the Crewmates before they adjective. The round is won by playing complete all of their tasks. Crewmates the “red apple” card that the judge win if all Impostors are ejected or determines to be the best match for all tasks are completed, whereas the “green apple” card. The role of Impostors win if there is an equal the judge rotates, and the number of number of Impostors and Crewmates, rounds is determined by the number or if a critical sabotage goes unresolved. of players.

284 References Games 285 BABA IS YOU

Baba Is You is a puzzle video game centered around the manipulation of “rules” in order to allow the player character to reach a specified goal. Each level contains various movable word tiles, corresponding to specific types of objects and obstacles on the field, linking operators such as “is” and “and”, and verb tiles reflecting the properties of these objects (such as “you”, which makes the object become controlled by the player, “push” to make them movable, “stop” to make them impassable, “win” to specify the goal, “sink” to make items drown in it, and so on). The objective of each level is for the player to reach the goal by manipulating these tiles to create or modify “rules” by which they behave.

286 References Games 287 CHESS DEPRESSION QUEST

Chess is an abstract strategy game Depression Quest is a 2013 interactive and involves no hidden information. It fiction game dealing with the subject is played on a square chessboard with of depressionm developed by Zoë 64 squares arranged in an eight-by- Quinn using the Twine engine. Players eight grid. The object of the game is to assume the role of a person suffering checkmate the opponent’s king, from depression, and the story centers whereby the king is under immediate on their daily life, including encounters attack (in “check”) and there is no way at work and their relationship with their for it to escape. girlfriend. Players are periodically faced with choices that alter the One of the goals of early computer course of the story. To make a choice, scientists was to create a chess- the player must click on the corre- playing machine. In 1997, Deep Blue sponding hyperlink. However, choices became the first computer to beat are often crossed out and cannot the reigning World Champion. be clicked on, a mechanism that Today’s chess engines are significantly Depression Quest uses to portray the stronger than even the best human character’s mental state and the fact players, and have deeply influenced that logical decisions may not be the development of chess theory. available to them.

288 References Games 289 DUNGEONS & DRAGONS

Dungeons & Dragons (commonly abbreviated D&D) is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game first published in 1974. D&D’s publication is commonly recognized as the beginning of modern role-playing games. D&D departs from traditional wargaming by allowing each player to create their own character to play instead of a military formation. These characters embark upon imaginary adventures within a fantasy setting. A Dungeon Master (DM) serves as the game’s referee and storyteller, while maintain- ing the setting in which the adventures occur. The characters form a party and together solve dilemmas, engage in battles, explore, and gather treasure and knowledge.

290 References Games 291 FINAL FANTASY X

Final Fantasy X is a 2001 role-playing video game developed and published by Square as the tenth main entry in the Final Fantasy series. Set in the fantasy world of Spira, a setting influ- enced by the South Pacific, Thailand and Japan, the game’s story revolves around a group of adventurers and their quest to defeat a rampaging monster known as Sin. FFX features innovations in the rendering of charac- ters’ facial expressions, achieved through motion capture and skeletal animation technology. This technology allowed animators to create realistic lip movements, which were then programmed to match the speech of the game’s voice actors. FFX was the first Final Fantasy game to feature voice acting.

292 References Games 293 FIND YOUR GO PORNSTAR NAME

Go is an abstract strategy board game for two players in which the aim is to surround more territory than the opponent. The game was invented in China more than 2,500 years ago and is believed to be the oldest board game continuously played to the present day. Despite its relatively simple rules, Go is extremely complex. Compared to chess, Go has both a larger board with more scope for play and, on average, many more alterna- tives to consider per move. The number of legal board positions in Go has been calculated to be approxi- mately 2.1 × 10170, which is vastly greater than the number of atoms in the known, observable universe, esti- mated to be about 1 × 1080.

294 References Games 295 HADES

Hades is a 2020 roguelike action dungeon crawler video game devel- oped by Supergiant Games. Players control Zagreus, the son of Hades, as he attempts to escape from the Underworld to reach Mount Olympus, at times aided by gifts bestowed on him from the other Olympians. Each run challenges the player through a random series of rooms populated with enemies and rewards. While Zagreus will often die, the player can use gained treasure to improve certain attributes or unlock new weapons and abilities to improve chances of escap- ing on subsequent runs. The roguelike structure of Hades allowed Supergiant to explore procedural storytelling, where branching narratives are told over the course of multiple runs.

296 References Games 297 KINGDOM HEARTS

Kingdom Hearts is a series of action role-playing games developed as a collaboration between Square Enix and Disney. The series centers on the main character, Sora, and his journey with various Disney and Pixar charac- ters, as well as some Final Fantasy and The World Ends With You characters, and many original characters from this game series. The universe of Kingdom Hearts is a collection of various levels, referred to as “worlds,” with most based on various Disney films.

298 References Games 299 PONG SNAKE

Pong is a table tennis–themed arcade sports video game, featuring simple two-dimensional graphics, manufac- tured by Atari and originally released in 1972. It was one of the earliest Snake is the common name for a arcade video games and the first video game concept where the player commercially-successful video game. maneuvers a line which grows in Pong is a two-dimensional simulation length, with the line itself being a of table tennis, in which the player primary obstacle. The concept origi- controls an in-game paddle by moving nated in the 1976 arcade game it vertically across the left or right side Blockade, and the ease of implement- of the screen. They can compete ing Snake has led to hundreds of against another player controlling a versions for many platforms. After a second paddle on the opposing side. variant was preloaded on Nokia mobile Players use the paddles to hit a ball phones in 1998, there was a resur- back and forth. The goal is for each gence of interest in the snake concept player to reach eleven points before as it found a larger audience. There the opponent; points are earned when are over 420 Snake-like games for one fails to return the ball to the other. iOS alone.

300 References Games 301 TROUBLE

Trouble is a board game in which players compete to be the first to send four pieces all the way around a board. Pieces are moved according to the roll of a die. The most notable feature of Trouble is the “Pop-O-Matic” die container. This device is a clear plastic hemisphere containing the die, placed over a flexible sheet. Players roll the die by pressing down quickly on the bubble, which flexes the sheet and causes the die to tumble upon its rebound. The Pop-O-Matic container produces a popping sound when it is used, and prevents the die from being lost (and players from cheating by improper rolling).

302 References LEXICONS

Aristotelian Categories Cuneiform Electronic Symbols Leet Principles in Speculative Biology Ten Categories of Magic Effect Utility Markings

304 References ARISTOTELIAN CATEGORIES

SUBSTANCE POSITION RELATION That which cannot be predicated of Position in relation to the surrounding The examples Aristotle gives indicate anything or be said to be in anything. environment. Examples: at home, in the that he meant a condition of rest Hence, this particular man or that par- marketplace, in the Lyceum. resulting from an action: ‘Lying,’ ‘sit- ticular tree are substances. Later in ting,’ ‘standing.’ Thus position may be the text, Aristotle calls these particu- STATE taken as the end point for the corre- lars “primary substances,” to distin- The examples Aristotle gives indicate sponding action. The term is, however, guish from secondary substances, that he meant a condition of rest frequently taken to mean the relative which are universals and can be pred- resulting from an affection (i.e. being position of the parts of an object (usu- icated. Hence, “man” is the secondary acted on): “shod,” “armed.” The term is, ally a living object), given that the posi- substance to Socrates’ primary sub- however, frequently taken to mean the tion of the parts is inseparable from stance. Man is predicated of Socrates, determination arising from the physi- the state of rest implied. and therefore all that is predicated of cal accoutrements of an object: one’s man is predicated of Socrates. shoes, one’s arms, etc. Traditionally, TIME this category is also called a habitus Position in relation to the course of QUANTITY (from Latin habere, to have). events. Examples: yesterday, last year. The extension of an object, and may be either discrete or continuous. All AFFECTION ACTION medieval discussions about the nature The reception of change from some The production of change in some of the continuum, of the infinite and the other object (or from the affected other object (or in the agent itself). infinitely divisible, are a long footnote object itself qua other). Aristotle’s to this text. Examples: two cubits long, name paschein for this category has number, space, (length of) time. traditionally been translated as “affec- tion” and “passion” (also “passivity”), QUALITY easily misinterpreted to refer only or This determination characterizes the mainly to affection as an emotion or to nature of an object. Examples: white, emotional passion. For action he gave black, grammatical, hot, sweet, straight. the example, “to lance,” “to cauterize”; for affection, “to be lanced,” “to be RELATIVE cauterized.” His examples make clear The way one object may be related to that action is to affection as the active another. Examples: double, half, large, voice is to the passive voice — as knowledge, master. acting is to being acted on.

306 Lexicons Aristotelian Categories 307 CUNEIFORM

a á e é i í u ú mè mi mí mì mu mú na

ba bá bà be bé bè bi bí ná nà na₄ ne né ni ní nu

bì bu bú bù da dá de dè nú pa pá pe pé pi pí pì

di dí du dú dù du₄ ga gá pu pú pù ra rá re ré ri

ge gé gè gi gí gì gi₄ gi₅ rí ru rú rù sa sá sà sa₄

gu gú gù gu₄ gu₅ gu₆ gu₇ ha se sé si sí su sú sù su₄

há hà ha₄ he hé hi hí hu ša šá šà še šé ši ší šu

ka ká kà ke ké ki kí ku šú šù šu4 ta tá te ti tì

kú kù ku₄ la lá là le lé ti4 tu tú tù za zá ze zé

li lí lu lú ma má me dè zi zí zì zu zú

308 Lexicons Cuneiform 309 ELECTRONIC SYMBOLS

BASIC SYMBOLS SOURCES

Diode Capacitor Inductor Resistor Battery, Battery, Voltage source Controlled single-cell multi-cell voltage source

LOGIC GATES CAPACITORS

AND Gate NAND Gate OR Gate NOR Gate Polarized Variable Trimmer capacitor

DIODES

XOR Gate NOT Gate

TRACES Tunnel diode Varicap

SWITCHES AND ANTENNAS

IEC-style Trace crossing trace junction

Single-throw Single-throw Pushbutton, IEC-style antenna switch locking switch mometary, break TRANSISTORS

GROUNDS

NPN bipolar PNP bipolar NPN Darlington PNP Darlington junction junction transistor transistor IEC-style Signal/low-noise Chassis ground ground symbol ground symbol symbol

310 Lexicons Electronic Symbols 311 LEET

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N

4 8 ( |) 3 |= 6 |-| ! _| X 1 44 |\| @ |3 < [) £ ]= 9 # 1 _/ |< 7 /\/\ /\/ /-\ 6 ¢ ∂ & } & ]-[ | ] |x |_ |\/| [\] /\ 13 { ]) [- ph (_+ [-] eye ¿ |{ £ em <\> ^ ]3 © I> ε (= C- )-( 3y3 ∫ gee (-) ai _) |_ IYI // ∂ see cl jee :-: ¡ lJ IVI ]\[ (Y, }{ [V] ~ }-{ ^^ aych nn

O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

0 |* 0_ |2 5 7 |_| \/ \/\/ % j 2 () |o 0, 2 $ + (_) √ vv >< `/ ≥ oh |O (,) /2 z -|- y3w \\// ‘// }{ `( ~/_ [] |> <| I2 § 1 [_] \\/ ecks % ¤ |" cue |^ es \_/ \^/ * 3 ? 9 |~ uu )( 7_ 9 [z ex |7 12 ¶

312 Lexicons Leet 313 PRINCIPLES IN SPECULATIVE BIOLOGY

BERGMANN’S RULE INSULAR DWARFISM This rule states that the colder an envi- Creatures whose range is limited to a ronment is, the larger the creature will small area will eventually grow smaller. be. The inverse is also true; the warmer This is prevalent in environments like it is the smaller the creature. Hesse’s caves, small islands, etc. rule, an expansion on Bergmann’s rule, states that creatures in colder envi- GIGANTOTHERMY ronments have a larger heart in pro- In short, “large creatures can regulate portion to their body size. their temperature better than small ones.” This observation is likely due to ALLEN’S RULE Allen’s rule. This states that creatures from warmer environments traditionally have a FOSTER’S RULE higher surface area to volume ratio, The essence of this rule is, “things get which allows them to bleed off heat bigger (or smaller) based on the avail- more efficiently, while the opposite ability of resources in their environ- allows stocky creatures to retain ment.” Another component of Foster’s warmth better. Creatures from colder rule is that small creatures will evolve regions have thicker cores and shorter to be larger when there are fewer limbs while those found in warmer predators. regions are often thinner and possess longer limbs (this principle can be COPE’S RULE found in human populations). The longer a species has been around the larger it grows (“evolution tends to GLOGER’S RULE want to make things larger”). This may In the simplest terms, “things in humid be a result of the fittest things growing places are darker.” This observation larger or it may be that all evolution relates mostly to birds but also applies tends towards an increase in size in to other creatures with less consis- the absence of external pressures. tency. In specific, it refers to creatures Left unchecked, this growth can lead found in equatorial or tropical regions. to the downfall of a species.

314 Lexicons Principles in Speculative Biollogy 315 TEN CATEGORIES OF MAGIC EFFECT

PRODUCTION LEVITATION TRANSPOSITION The magician produces something The magician defies gravity, either by A transposition involves two or more from nothing — a rabbit from an empty making something float in the air, or objects. The magician will cause these hat, a fan of cards from thin air, a with the aid of another object (suspen- objects to change places, as many shower of coins from an empty bucket, sion) — a silver ball floats around a times as they please. a dove from a pan, or the magician cloth, an assistant floats in mid-air, himself or herself, appearing in a puff another is suspended from a broom, a TELEPORTATION of smoke on an empty stage — all of scarf dances in a sealed bottle, the The magician causes something to these effects are productions. magician levitates his own body in move from one place to another — a midair. There are many popular ways borrowed ring is found inside a ball of VANISHING to create this illusion, including Asrah wool, a canary inside a light bulb, an The magician makes something disap- levitation, Balducci levitation, invisible assistant from a cabinet to the back of pear — a coin, a cage of doves, milk thread, and King levitation. the theatre, or a coin from one hand to from a newspaper, an assistant from a the other. When two objects exchange cabinet, or even the Statue of Liberty. PENETRATION places, it is called a transposition: a A vanish, being the reverse of a pro- The magician makes a solid object simultaneous, double transportation. duction, may use a similar technique pass through another — a set of steel A transportation can be seen as a in reverse. rings link and unlink, a candle pene- combination of a vanish and a produc- trates an arm, swords pass through an tion. When performed by a mentalist TRANSFORMATION assistant in a basket, a salt shaker it might be called teleportation. The magician transforms something penetrates a tabletop, or a man walks from one state into another — a silk through a mirror. Sometimes referred ESCAPE handkerchief changes color, a lady to as “solid-through-solid.” The magician (or less often, an assis- turns into a tiger, a card changes to the tant) is placed in a restraining device spectator’s chosen card. PREDICTION (i.e., handcuffs or a straitjacket) or a The magician accurately predicts the death trap, and escapes to safety. RESTORATION choice of a spectator or the outcome Examples include being put in a strait- The magician destroys an object — a of an event — a newspaper headline, jacket and into an overflowing tank of rope is cut, a newspaper is torn, a the total amount of loose change in water, and being tied up and placed in woman is cut in half, a borrowed watch the spectator’s pocket, an image that is a car being sent through a car crusher. is smashed to pieces — then restores drawn somewhere out of sight — under it to its original state. seemingly impossible circumstances.

316 Lexicons Ten Categories of Magic Effect 317 UTILITY MARKINGS

LINE MARKINGS MARKING GAS LINES—HIGH PRESSURE

SBC SWG 8" HP STL

MARKING TERMINATION POINT, DEAD END, STUB OUTS CORRIDOR MARKINGS MF 4" IHP SRP

MARKING OFFSETS

SBC 12'

OVERSIZED UTILITY MARKINGS

W 42" NO CONFLICT

NO MCI NO EPG

CONDUIT MARKINGS MARKING BURIED SPLICES, VALVES, MANHOLES USW DUCT

318 Lexicons Utility Markings 319 320 A thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree Master of Fine Arts in Graphic Design in the Department of Graphic Design of the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhode Island, 2021. Minkyoung Kim Assistant Professor, Graphic Design Primary Advisor

Bethany Johns Nora Khan Professor, Graphic Design Critic, Digital + Media Graduate Program Director Secondary Advisor

Alicia Cheng Mindy Seu Head of Design, CCS, Co-Founder Metropolitan Museum of Art Assistant Professor, Art + Design, Partner, MGMT. design Mason Gross School of Art and Design, External Thesis Critic Rutgers University Critic, Graphic Design, Yale University Tertiary Advisor

322 Signatures 323 COLOPHON

Manual (SHIFT CTRL) Design and Foreword Master’s Thesis Kit Son Lee Rhode Island School of Design Type 2021 Kit Son Lee Input Mono (David Jonathan Ross, Font Bureau, 2014) kitsonlee.xyz Sole Serif (Luciano Perondi, kitsonlee.xyz/ctrl-shift CAST Foundry, 2016) Universal Sans (Briton Smith, This work is licensed under the Family Type, 2019) Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Paper International License. To view 70lb Text Uncoated a copy of this license, visit http:// 100lb Cover Satin creativecommons.org/licenses/ Matte Lamination by-nc-sa/4.0/. Printing and Binding All images are for educational Mixam, Inc. purposes only and reproduced without permission, unless otherwise noted. If there are objections to the use of any images, they will be removed from further editions.

324