Thoughtcrime in the making
or
Observations, year 25

The advance of technology does not, ultimately, make us any freer. Perhaps that's the Great Fallacy of the Information Age. We think, we assume technology gives us more freedom, allows us to work less, and gives us greater, easier access to information... In short, it makes us happier than we were before. And maybe, for a short time, each new technological advance does indeed makes us happier. To me, the clearest example of this is the internet.

It's a major technological advance that has changed many facets of our lives, and unlike television or gunpowder or the wheel I've seen its development in my own time. And I'm glad to know something about it. I'll have stories to tell my children about the lawless days of software piracy, when you could download almost anything you wanted, if it was popular enough. It seemed like we were on the brink of making a really cool, needed advance in how we think of art in general and music in particular. What is music? How should we compensate artists? Should you be able to download music at will? What about copyright infringement? Do multi-billion dollar companies and platinum selling "artists" really need billions more? Do most struggling musicians care whether anyone dowloads their tunes? Is music or any other art a commodity to be bought and sold? Maybe it's just me wondering these things...wait, I know it's not. I try to avoid considering anything I do a commodity. To me this is acceptance of slave morality. I know I must work to earn money to buy food. That doesn't mean I'm going to accept someone else's price tag on my piece of shit concerto. Not realistic? "That sounds good...you could join a cover band. Write radio jingles." That to me is unrealistic. Art does not equal money.

This is the way the world was set up when I entered it. That doesn't mean it's the right way to do things. The idea of discussing figures is distasteful to me. And I don't think that has anything to do with the "market value" of anything I've done. I think most of my heros are of like mind. But how does one eat and still commit art?

Well, the rulers, elite, powermongers, what have you, have answered all of the above questions for us. They always seem to step in and take over new technology and use it for their own means, in whatever way they see fit. They always have. And why shouldn't they? They have the money to buy it, to pay for the research. And this is what I see happening to the internet. Two people used to be able to exchange their favorite songs online. Now that is illegal. Maybe it was always illegal, but it was never enforced. It's only gotten more illegal, and it's only going to get more illegal. Instead of a freeflowing exchange of ideas and art, the internet has become another shopping mall.

As computers begin to ressemble the human brain in both physical appearance and cognitive functioning, it will become necessary for the powers that be, the elite, etc., in order to maintain control and keep the royalties coming, to police our thoughts.

The only solution, as I see it, is the creation of an autonomous state out of reach of their reach. I don't know how to do this yet, so I'm going to go live in France. I have no hopes that things are going to be much better over there, but Europeans seem to have much better memories of social events, and they seem to get wise to the schemes of government a lot quicker than Americans do. I'm hoping to find an intelligent cynicism with the scent of roquefort.

A word on computers ressembling the human brain-

The human brain is the most powerful computing system yet known. I have a hunch/fantasy that one day programmers will look at the brain as a model to be emulated. As such, computers will become more "intelligent" than ever before. As the human brain is wet, squishy, and grey, I also have a hunch/fantasy that inorder to proceed with the development of the computer-as-modeled-after-the-human-brain, programmers will find it necessary to keep the computer moist, squishy and grey, for some reason...I don't fuckin' know.