Well, so I like to think. At the least I recognize that the human mind is more than just data, but also meat.

For me it isn't just a problem of stability but also what I call the Continuity of First Person problem. In short, if I upload my mind into a computer at the expense of my body, how do I know my first person perspective will continue instead of me just dying and some computer programmed to think it's me hums along,…

I like the quote. I'm something of a Singularity skeptic and nothing so far has convinced me that the notion of "uploaded mind states" is anything more than a fancy term for "simulation of you, not actually you."

Exactly. It's hard to call it a dystopia when every one who lives in it seems genuinely happy. Yes, there's the "It's all built on a lie! It's a prison!" angle that is perfect fodder for philosophy classes, but in an everyday sense, it was much more a Garden of Eden than a Brave New World (much less a 1984).

I'll add it to The List!

It is… that the Gems are AIs.

DOPE! I'm so in.

Just gonna throw this out there: If you ever read Iain M. Bank's Culture novels, you'll probably look at a lot of these "managed utopias" a bit less harshly, especially when compared to the world we live in.

Yeah. Still, I wish The Taco Bell Bell would make an appearance once in a while. I kind of miss them.

Could be a rumor? COULD be a rumor? Must I make a crack about the current president? Because, man, you're leaving that one out there for the taking…

"I have never seen anyone work so hard to get out of an orgy."

That's pretty much what I figured. Basically, I envision some low-level AI overseeing the management of the humans on a genetic level…

The "twist" or "other shoe to drop" is actually right up front: Greg is the one who screws up utopia. There is no dark side to it other than lack of Knowledge. These are people who have never known want or distress, but by Greg's introduction of the simple knowledge of the concept of self-determination, they are also…

In that case, it's the haircut.

Obligatory "check out Le Butcherettes" post.

If you like punk/alternative at all, check out Teri's other band, Le Butcherettes. Think Kathleen Hannah but more theatrical, with a Mexican cultural bent.

Check out what the U.K. is putting out. They have some great rock bands at the moment. Drenge. Savages. Wolf Alice. Slaves. Du Blonde. Vukovi. Dinosaur Pile-Up. Also Royal Blood, who I find a tad, eh, conventional, but are generally well loved.

Awaiting Crystal Fairy with baited breath. I've loved all the tracks released so far. What else would I expect with that pedigree, though? Teri Gender-Bender is a bona fide rockstar, but the wider world hasn't taken notice yet. Really hope that changes soon, if not with this album, then with Le Butcherettes next one.

Good lord… Some folks really WILL be offended by anything. I don't even know where to begin with this logic.

Kirk would tap that, no doubt.