2nd Life; Connected or Isolated?

Its almost overwhelming to think of what technology has allowed us to do, however, its scary to think of its adverse effects. The virtual world Second Life has given the user a controlled "second chance" on their own existence. It gives people a chance to be viewed as they wish to both physically and mentally. People who are normally shy and sheltered can be completely change their persona and become adventurous chatter boxes.

Honestly, I wasn't that amused with the virtual world; I was rather disappointed if anything. I didn't find it to be anything more than an interactive version of The SIMS. You can argue that the Second Life is a way of communicating/socializing, but I would rather meet and talk to real people. Sure there are real people that are interacting with you on the other end of the computer screen, but you have no idea whether or not they're showing you the "real" them. Second Life allows you to mask all you're personal traits and qualities. People are given the ability to hide who they really are, and that bothers me.

Half Man/Half Robot?

I very rarely find myself pondering the questions and uncertainties of "whats next?" Not that I live in a box or live as a follower, I just like to react and roll with the punches as they come. There are too many variables and possibilities to call any long term shots in the world today. What does the future hold for us? Hopefully a 2010 Celtics NBA championship, but I digress. The best sports analysts in the nation could places bets all day, but the bottom line is that their insights are all just assumptions.

For Marvin Minsky to say that one day machines will replace the human brain and eventually rule the earth is absurd. I understand how competitive nature can drive individuals to take extreme actions for the upper hand, but lets not forget that a machine is only as good as the human who designed/programmed it! There are no possible further advancements to be made in the absence of humans. I was shocked that some were willing to defend this as an accepted "fact" of the future of mankind. While Minski's foretelling chewed my mind for the remainder of the week, I was intrigued to find several quotes throughout my readings that seem as if their were written in response. However, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein caught my attention best: "In other studies you go as far as other have gone before you, and there is nothing more to know. But in a scientific pursuit there is continual food for discovery and wonder." Machines do not have this ability to adjust their reasoning; their are simply series of circuits that have a predetermined response for a given circumstance.

Using a machine to replace a human mind will bring an end any further advancements in knowledge; not to mention the issue of immortality that accompanies Minski's cyborg future. If for every action there is a direct and opposite reaction, then what happens when you eliminate the reaction? My argument is when you eliminate death from the equation can you still have life?

So what is next? CEO's with a Pentium chip in their noggin????.... Lets hope not.

Head of Mummy Djehutynakht

After seeing the head of the mummy of Djehutynakht, I began reading the information on the walls. My mind began to fill with curiosity and intrigue. I couldn’t help but to wonder if it was the head of Governor Djehutynakht or Lady Djehutynakht. It is a fascinating idea that some of the bones in the cheek and sinus areas were removed. In Egyptian history they believed that doing this would allow the deceased to open their mouth, eat, drink, and to breathe in the afterlife. Research showed that the brain was taken out through the nose. The mummy head of Djehutynakht was said to be one of the first in history to have the brain taken out through the nose! This process has shown to be quiet common in Egyptian History but until now, no one was aware it was done that early in time.


Something that jumbled my thoughts was how the tomb robbers destroyed everything in the tomb and attempted to light the tomb on fire. Why is it that they felt the need to disturb the bodies? Weren’t they just there to steal the items buried with mummies? It makes one wonder, what was going on in the minds of these tomb robbers? Was it a coincidence that the fire didn’t spread throughout the tomb? Or could it have been Governor Djehutynakht and Lady Djehutynakht spirits stopping the fire? It was mesmerizing to actually have a real mummy head right in front of me. What was this person like? Who was this person? Was it Governor Djehutynakht or Lady Djehutynakht? Does their spirit still live on? One can’t help but to feel wrapped up in the mystery of all the details and events that took place in Tomb 10A.