Moore, Gordon E., 9
Moore’s Law, 9
morality, 37–38, 250, 259, 260. See also ethics; values
Moritz, Michael, 236–37
mortgages, 5, 168, 174, 175, 176, 177–78, 229, 247
movies: apocalypto and, 247, 248–50; chronobiology and, 88; copies of, 71; digiphrenia and, 84, 101; fractalnoia and, 209; narrative collapse and, 28–32, 58, 67; zombie, 247, 248–50
Moyers, Bill, 13
MTV, 23, 35–36, 143, 154
multitasking, 3–4, 122–26
Museum of Modern Art (New York City), 154–55
music: illegally downloading, 192–93; time/sound and, 114
MyLifeBits (Microsoft project), 239–41
Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K) (TV show), 24–25, 201
myths: apocalypto and, 263; brand, 210, 212; digiphrenia and, 76, 78, 111; fractalnoia and, 210, 212–13; narrative collapse and, 13, 16, 39, 64; new “now” and, 4; overwinding and, 164–65, 167, 190
narrative collapse: apocalypto and, 245; change and, 9–10, 14–16; culture and, 12, 13, 30; digiphrenia and, 73; fractalnoia and, 212; games and, 58–66, 67; initial reactions to, 66; as manifestation of present shock, 7, 9–67; millenium and, 10–11; movies and, 28–32, 58, 67; new “now” and, 2, 4, 6; 1965 events and, 14; 1990s and, 9–10, 38–39; now-ist pop culture and, 23–34; Occupy Movement and, 18, 55–58; real-time news and, 43–50; and responses to living in a world without narrative, 39–43; sports and, 39–43; television and, 20–28, 31, 32, 33–34, 35–50, 58, 66, 67; terrorism and, 10–11, 17–18, 48; traditional storytelling and, 18–34.
See also storytelling; specific topic
Nash, John, 221
Nass, Clifford, 123
National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA), 89–90, 223
National Football League, 41
Nazi Germany, Milgram’s research about obedience in, 37
New Aesthetic, 96
news: continuous cycle of, 54; fractalnoia and, 201–2, 216; narrative collapse and, 43–50, 66; overwinding and, 141–42, 143; public confidence in reporting about, 51; real-time, 43–50; stored, 143.
See also blogs; Internet; newspapers; television
newspapers, 44
Nisbett, Richard, 234–35
nonverbal communication, 126, 150
now: acting, 159–69; long, 140–49, 193, 194; new, 1–8; as nonexistent, 6; and now-ist popular culture, 23–34.
See also present/presentism
Obama, Barack, 18, 56, 198
obsessive short, 140
Occupy Movement, 18, 55–58, 64, 161, 216, 264
Olympic Sports Medicine Committee, U.S., 102
Omega. See Alpha-Omega framework
Ong, Walter, 77
Opera Solutions, 158
opinions, 50–51
Ottoman Empire, 172–73
overwinding: acting now and, 159–69; algorithms and, 178–79, 180, 181, 182, 183; “always-on” philosophy and, 102, 186; apocalypto and, 245, 261; change and, 141, 167; consumers and, 159–69; definition/characteristics of, 1–2, 135–36, 140, 151, 153, 157, 159; kinds of time and, 140–49; long now and, 140–49, 193, 194; makeup and, 149–59; as manifestation of present shock, 7, 131–95; mashup and, 149–59; memory and, 140, 155–57, 181–89; money and, 145–49, 170–80; obsessive short and, 140; ownership and, 168–69; spring-loading and, 136–37, 176, 182, 184, 186, 187, 189, 190–92; storage and, 136, 142, 143, 145–49, 171, 184, 186, 188, 189, 190, 194; temporal diversity and, 133–34, 139; time binding and, 137–40, 194; time as money and, 170–80; timescales and, 7, 131–37, 140–49, 190; winding up and, 189–95.
See also specific topic
ownership, 168–69, 204
pacing: collaborative, 100–101; digiphrenia and, 74, 93–109; importance of, 8; multiple timescales and, 135; overwinding and, 135, 141, 170
paranoia, 204, 218, 222, 240–41, 250, 261
patterns: apocalypto and, 251, 263, 264; fractalnoia and, 7, 197–205, 209, 216, 217–19, 229, 230–41; generating of, 217–19; as nonexistent, 201, 202; recognition of, 7, 219, 230–41, 264
Paul, Ron, 53
Perren, Jeff, 60n
Pew Internet and American Life Project, 52
Pew Research, 51
Pinchbeck, Daniel, 253
Pinker, Steven, 227–28
planking, 43
plastic surgery, 149–51
play. See games
politics: citizen journalism and, 52–53; fractalnoia and, 209, 212, 216; generational issues and, 18; narrative collapse and, 7, 18, 28, 43–50, 52–53, 64, 67; overwinding and, 134, 157; real-time, 43–50.
See also Occupy Movement
popular culture, 7, 23–34, 247.
See also culture
pork belly trades, 185–86
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
See stress
Prechter, Robert, 229–30
present/presentism: blocking out of, 17; digiphrenia and, 86; as form of time travel, 259–60; futurism and, 17; hunter-gatherer society in eternal, 76–77; impact of, 4; multiple timescales and, 135; narrative collapse and, 17, 31, 50; negation of, 85; new “now” and, 1–8; overwinding and, 141; past as wound up into, 156–57; real-time news and, 48.
See also now
present shock: answers to, 8, 265–66; characteristics/manifestations of, 3–5, 6–7; as end of time, 252; as existence outside time, 251; hardest part of living in, 247; as temporally destablizing, 259.
See also specific manifestation
Prezi, 199–200
primitive societies, 100, 189.
See also timescales
Prisoner’s Dilemma, 193, 194, 220, 222, 248
privacy, 158, 169, 204
production, 81, 127, 161–62, 165
productivity, 81, 82, 95, 98, 106, 111, 117, 143
programmers, 85, 87, 96–97, 98, 128, 231–32
programs, 84, 87, 93, 98, 101–2, 107, 113–14, 263
progress, 86, 253–54.
See also change
Prometheus, 190
public, sophistication of, 45
public relations, 205, 207, 214, 217, 223
publishing, 97
Pulp Fiction (movie), 30–31
Quetzalcoatl (Mayan god), 253
railroad industry, 82
RAM, 5, 140, 140n, 181–89
Ramo, Joshua, 236–37
RAND Corporation, 220–21, 225
The Real World (TV show), 35–36
reality: apocalypto and, 262, 264; chronobiology and, 88; digiphrenia and, 113; fractalnoia and, 216–17; games and, 60; narrative collapse and, 50, 66; overwinding and, 165, 169; temporal, 165.
See also reality television
reality television, 2, 35–43, 66, 136, 149–50
“The Relationship Economy” (Michalski), 238–39
religion, 8, 28, 76–77, 78–79, 101, 212, 260–62, 263–64
remote control: for television, 21; warfare by, 7, 120–22
Rifkin, Jeremy, 78–79
Rinne, April, 238
Ritalin, 92, 124
Rizzo, Albert “Skip,” 65–66
Roberts, Kevin, 211
Robertson, Joel, 102–3, 104
Romero, George, 249
RPG (role-playing game), 60–61, 62–63
runners, 101–2
Rushkoff, Douglas: car accident of, 65–66; father’s clock and, 83–84; first exposure to computers of, 230–31; Michalski meeting with, 237–38; TripTik experience of, 109; writing of book by, 264–65
Santa Fe Institute, 227, 228
schedules, digiphrenia and, 84, 85, 93–109
screech, fractalnoia and, 208, 210
SEALS, Navy, 136
Second Life, apocalypto and, 263
Second Life (online virtual world), 258
self: digital/virtual, 69–76, 88; representation of, 96.
See also MyLifeBits; TheBrain
self-confidence, narrative collapse an
d, 53
self-consciousness, digiphrenia and, 111
self-determination, 66
self-interest/selfishness, 193–94, 221, 223, 248, 250
senses: conflict of, 109–10; digiphrenia and, 109–10, 114–15
September 11, 2001, 3, 10–11, 17–18, 48, 198, 207, 216
serious games, 63
Shaate Zadek Medical Center, 191
share/sharing: fractalnoia and, 203–5, 211, 238–40; overwinding and, 142, 155, 156, 169, 192, 194; sports and, 40. See also cooperation/collaboration
Sheen, Charlie, 31, 203, 219
Shirky, Clay, 93, 116
“Shooters” (game), 62
shopping. See consumers
short forever. See overwinding
SimCity (game), 62
Simmons, Bill, 41
simplification, 220, 247
The Simpsons (TV show), 23, 25–26, 28
simulations, digiphrenia and, 84
singularity, 3, 8, 252, 253, 254, 256, 258, 260, 263
situation comedies, 30
skaters, 132–33
Skype, 70
Slavin, Kevin, 179–80
sleep, polyplastic, 95
smart phones, 83, 84, 99, 211
Smith, Adam, 226
Smith, Zadie, 34
soap operas, 33
social games, 62–63
social interaction: digiphrenia and, 85, 96, 109; overwinding and, 169, 184; television and, 24
social issues, games and, 63–64
social media/networks: fractalnoia and, 199, 204, 209, 211, 214, 215, 216–17; narrative collapse and, 64.
See also specific media/network
Somaspace.org, 103
The Sopranos (TV show), 33, 39, 213
sound, digiphrenia and, 113, 114, 129
sports: digiphrenia and, 101–2, 103–4; as entertainment, 41; freestyle/extreme, 42–43; narrative collapse and, 39–43, 67; overwinding and, 131–33, 136; traditional team, 40–41, 42; values and, 40
spring-loading, 136–37, 176, 182, 184, 186, 187, 189, 190–92
Star Trek (TV show), 16, 151, 152
stealth technology, 178–79
Steam (game platform), 217–18
Sternbergh, Adam, 151–52
Stevens, Hampton, 28
stock market. See financial world
storage: apocalypto and, 265; digiphrenia and, 77; fractalnoia and, 238, 240; of information, 5, 142–49; new “now” and, 4, 5; overwinding and, 136, 142, 143, 145–49, 171, 184, 186, 188, 189, 190, 194; of time, 141–49
store windows, 165, 166
storytelling: accelerating change and, 14–16; audience participation in creation of, 61, 63, 64; benefits of, 13–14; content of stories and, 22–23; as creating context, 13–14; as cultural value, 13; digiphrenia and, 72–73, 85; endings in, 32–34, 62; failure of, 18; as influencing the future, 16; and learning from earlier generations, 138; linear, 7; manhood and, 39; as means of storing information values, 16; mechanics of, 19–20; narrative collapse and, 7, 18–23; new “now” and, 6; overwinding and, 138; and perpetuation of story, 32–33; and players as story, 64; as predicting the future, 16; responses to living in a world without, 39–43; role of, 13; as spoofs, 28; structure and, 22; traditional linear, 18–34, 61, 62, 66; as way of experiencing world, 13–14; as way of talking about the world, 13.
See also narrative collapse
stress: apocalypto and, 247, 250; on computers, 140n; digiphrenia and, 7, 73, 89, 100, 103, 121–22, 126, 128; narrative collapse and, 49, 65–66; overwinding and, 132, 136, 139, 140n, 144.
See also tension/anxiety
Surowiecki, James, 228
sync, digiphrenia and, 100–101, 106, 109, 121, 122, 126, 127, 128
systems theory, 200, 226–28
Taleb, Nassim, 229
Tarantino, Quentin, 30
Taylor, Frederick, 81
Tea Party, 53–55, 264
technology: apocalypto and, 249–50, 254, 255, 256–58, 259, 260, 263; development of new, 192; digiphrenia and, 7, 93–109; exploitation of, 30; fractalnoia and, 231–32; interactive, 211; narrative collapse and, 20, 30; new “now” and, 3; as partner in human evolution, 256–57; time as a, 76–87, 88–90; unintended consequences of, 249–50.
See also type of technology
television: apocalypto and, 247–48, 250; audience for, 20–23; cable, 22, 55, 94, 216; captivity and, 21, 31; commericials on, 20–21, 167; fractalnoia and, 199, 210, 214; human interaction and, 24; humor on, 25; narrative collapse and, 20–28, 31, 32, 33–34, 35–50, 58, 66, 67; new “now” and, 2; news on, 43–50, 51, 54, 55; overwinding and, 167; popular culture and, 23–29; reality, 2, 35–43, 66, 136, 149–50; remote control of, 21; situation comedies on, 31; soap operas on, 33; storyless shows on, 23; zombies on, 247–48, 250
temporal diversity, 133–34, 139
temporal reality, 165
“tensegrity,” 104
tension/anxiety, 20, 21, 26, 33–34, 122, 194.
See also stress
terrorism, 10–11, 17–18, 48, 203, 207, 246–47, 261.
See also September 11, 2001
Tetlock, Philip, 232–33, 234
text: digiphrenia and, 114; invention of, 77–78; overwinding and, 142, 143; stages in human evolution and, 77–78; stored, 143
TheBrain, Michalski’s, 238, 239, 240
thinking, as collective activity, 203–5
time: chronobiology and, 87–93; chronos, 112–20, 235–36, 259; digital, 7, 82–86, 112–20; end of, 3, 250, 252, 253–54, 262; as equivalent and interchangeable, 94; flowing, 141–42, 145–49; free of, 88; importance of, 199; as information, 86; Kairos, 112–20, 236, 259; kinds of, 140–49;
time (cont.) linear, 3, 87, 113, 263–64; measurement of, 7; as money, 135, 170–80; new “now” and, 3, 6; no, 140; present shock as existence outside, 251; slowing of, 151; stored, 141–49; as a technology, 76–87, 88–90; 10,000-year spans of, 134, 140; zones of, 82, 111.
See also calendars; clocks; specific topic
time binding, 137–40, 194, 261
Time Dollars, 149
timescales: multiple, 131–37, 140–49; overwinding and, 7, 131–37, 140–49, 190; temporal diversity and, 133–34
Timewave Zero, McKenna’s, 252
Toffler, Alvin, 4, 9, 14–15, 16
trade, international, 80, 175
trading, investment. See financial markets
transparency, 64, 216, 222, 223
TripTik, Rushkoff’s experience with, 109
trucking industry, 127–28
Trump, Donald, 36
trust/distrust, 39, 53, 80–81, 171, 213, 233
truth, 50–51
Turner, Mark, 13
Turner, Ted, 46
28 Days Later (movie), 249–50
28 Weeks Later (movie), 249–50
Twitter: apocalypto and, 265; digiphrenia and, 72, 74, 99, 119; fractalnoia and, 203, 205, 210, 211; narrative collapse and, 47, 51, 64; new “now” and, 2, 3, 6; overwinding and, 142, 143; real-time news and, 47
Unabomber, 256
University of Southern California (USC), Institute for Creative Technologies at, 65–66
U.S. Behavioral Finance Group (JPMorgan Chase), 174
values, 7, 16, 40, 63, 64, 86.
See also ethics; morality
Vietnam War, 29, 45
Vivos, 245
Walker, Alice, 18
The Walking Dead (TV show), 247–48, 250
Wallace, David Foster, 34
Walmart, 159, 160
Wanamaker, John, 165
war, 7, 202, 225.
See also specific war
Wiener, Norbert, 224–25
Willis, Bruce, 30–31
Wilson, Woodrow, 45
The Wire (TV show), 33, 199
Wired magazine, 16, 124
women: as consumers, 166; kleptomania by, 166
work ethic, 12
World Bank, 173, 17
4
World Health Organization (WHO), 92
World War I, 45
World War II, 5, 12, 166, 225
World of Warcraft (game), 62, 88
Wozniak, Steve, 203
writers, 27, 34, 97–98
youth/young people, 3, 39–40, 51, 56, 58, 60, 67, 151, 204.
See also generational issues
YouTube, 43, 47, 84, 154, 198, 236
yuppie hipster, 149–52
Zara, 127
Zemeckis, Robert, 29
zombies, 247–50, 264
Zoroaster, 261–62
* Ironically, after I whimsically suggested this connection during a lecture tour in Europe, a French television producer tried it for real in a program called The Game of Death. Of course, in this case, the real victims were the people who believed they were the torturers. Under the approving watch of the producers, many contestants delivered what they believed to be lethal doses of electricity to hired actors.
* Dungeons & Dragons was itself inspired by a set of rules written by Jeff Perren for people who played with miniature medieval figures, which was later expanded and published as the game Chainmail by Gary Gygax.
* The discontinuous experience of leaving where you are online in order to go buy something somewhere else was never real, anyway. Websites don’t exist in particular places, and we don’t move anywhere as we click from one to the other.
* Yes, when a computer runs out of active memory, special compensatory processes can take over that use extra space on the hard drive as makeshift RAM—virtual RAM. But the grinding sounds a hard drive makes under such stress, and the tendency for programs to run slow and hang under such conditions, just underscores how much better it is to use the appropriate kind of hardware for the job. Interesting, especially in a presentist, always-on world, RAM has proved much better at working as a hard drive than the other way around.
* An online virtual world
Table of Contents
TITLE PAGE
COPYRIGHT
DEDICATION
CONTENTS
PREFACE
CHAPTER 1 — NARRATIVE COLLAPSE
CHAPTER 2 — DIGIPHRENIA: BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO
CHAPTER 3 — OVERWINDING: THE SHORT FOREVER
CHAPTER 4 — FRACTALNOIA: FINDING PATTERNS IN THE FEEDBACK