huangpo's New Writeupshttp://everything2.com/?node=New%20Writeups%20Atom%20Feed&foruser=huangpo2001-01-12T21:07:20ZTree of Knowledge (thing)http://everything2.com/user/huangpo/writeups/Tree+of+Knowledgehuangpohttp://everything2.com/user/huangpo2001-01-12T21:07:20Z2001-01-12T21:07:20Z<p>A <a href="/title/ancient">ancient</a> metaphorical explanation for the <a href="/title/phenomenon+of+consciousness">phenomenon of consciousness</a> in pre-human <a href="/title/organisms">organisms</a>, forever separating <a href="/title/humans">humans</a> from their <a href="/title/animal">animal</a> (non-<a href="/title/sapient">sapient</a>) <a href="/title/ancestors">ancestors</a>.</p>
<p>Many mythologies in geographically separated cultures feature trees in a central role, such as <a href="/title/Yggdrasil">Yggdrasil</a>, the <a href="/title/Norse+World+Tree">Norse World Tree</a>, <a href="/title/Ahuehuete">Ahuehuete</a>, the <a href="/title/Aztec+Tree+of+Life">Aztec Tree of Life</a>, the <a href="/title/Buddhist+Bo+Tree">Buddhist Bo Tree</a>, and <a href="/title/Disneyland%2527s+Tree+of+Life">Disneyland's Tree of Life</a> in the <a href="/title/Animal+Kingdom">Animal Kingdom</a>.</p>
<p><a href="/title/Carl+Sagan">Carl Sagan</a> wrote an interesting treatment of this metaphor in <a href="/title/The+Dragons+of+Eden">The Dragons of Eden</a>, a book about the roots and <a href="/title/evolution">evolution</a> of <a href="/title/consciousness">consciousness</a>.</p>Reality Hackers (thing)http://everything2.com/user/huangpo/writeups/Reality+Hackershuangpohttp://everything2.com/user/huangpo2001-01-10T15:34:56Z2001-01-10T15:34:56Z<p>Reality Hackers was a magazine financed by <a href="/title/Queen+Mu">Queen Mu</a> and published in the San Francisco area by <a href="/title/R.U.+Sirius">R.U. Sirius</a> and others in 1988. It was actually the <a href="/title/red-headed+bastard+step+child">red-headed bastard step child</a> of a similar magazine called <a href="/title/High+Frontiers">High Frontiers</a>. It consisted of articles on exploring the <a href="/title/sensorium">sensorium</a>, reprogramming <a href="/title/human+consciousness">human consciousness</a> and early examples of cyberculture and transhumanism. And <a href="/title/drugs">drugs</a>. Lots of <a href="/title/drugs">drugs</a>. Especially those that caused <a href="/title/altered+states+of+consciousness">altered states of consciousness</a>. It evolved into <a href="/title/Mondo2000">Mondo2000</a>, which mixed in the previously mentioned content with future-oriented <a href="/title/fashion">fashion</a> pieces, which is obviously an example of <a href="/title/mutate+degeneration">mutate degeneration</a>.</p>
<p>The combination of the two is thought (by me, at least) to have influenced the creation of <a href="/title/Wired">Wired</a> magazine, now an insipid ad medium of <a href="/title/Conde+Nast">Conde Nast</a> publications. <a href="/title/High+Frontiers">High Frontiers</a>, <a href="/title/Reality+Hackers">Reality Hackers</a>, and <a href="/title/Mondo2000">Mondo2000</a> did influence early burgeoning <a href="/title/cyberculture">cyberculture</a>, such as popularizing the term <a href="/title/cyberpunk">cyberpunk</a> and influencing <a href="/title/geeks">geeks</a> to change their hairstyles from close-sha<!-- close unclosed tag --></p>…