Cyber-Ghosts: Sirens

[Abishai100]

The release of films such as "The Wolf of Wall Street" [2013] indicates a modern age preoccupation with profiteerism-related spiritualism and pedestrian demonology.

Werewolf and vampire folklore dates back many years and represents a focus on body coordination mysticism, tracking extra-human powers, and supernatural hunting perception.

Modern genetics-related research has created a good deal of science-fiction imagination about speciation and species transformation, extending multi-terrain adaptation and even lifespan.

We know of stories of home medicine remedies regarding nutrition (i.e., Chinese men living to past 100 years of age due to a steady diet of wholesome rice). However, how does the shift between farming and economic networking (virtua-farming) create new storytelling about human resistance to mobility restriction-related biological limitations? Modern American comic book characters such as Hawkman (DC Comics) and Lizard (Marvel Comics) indicate a new curiosity about animal-like sensitivity in regards to agility, mobility, and unusual adaptation.

Such trends in psycho-sociology makes fertile ground for new age folklore surrounding, for example, aquatic werewolves, flying humanoid vampires, and Wall Street demon knights. While such folklore sounds like simple profiteerism omens, they are just as valid as the forest werewolf myths of the past.

If the ghost was the muse of the past eras of paranormal storytelling, perhaps the firefly is the muse of the present era.

Can a human transform into a firefly creature; can it develop bioluminescence? Can it develop glowing eyes?

Such questions provide a compass for new age paranormal folklore fit for the age of computers, lasers, virtual reality, eTrade, and cyber-warfare.

American horror films such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Friday the 13th provide avatars that signify a new age fear of tool-use and fortune-hunting.

So perhaps the new folklore is about a ghost in the machine or a vampire that can shoot electricity.

That's why one of my favourite new age media avatars is Raiden, the supernatural electricity-wielding warrior from the Mortal Kombat fantasy-adventure video game franchise.

Are we prepared for engagements between a hypothetical vampire-knight and a prophetic cyber-demon army? Could an Internet virus transform into a shape-shifting mega-mind capable of exhibiting behaviours akin to a space-traversing ghost? These are the questions in the head of the new age paranormal investigative imagineer.

What kind of folklore is out there about ghosts haunting computers? Here are a few interesting links (I've also included background-relevant media links below):

1. Ghost in My Computer?

2. Haunted MacBook on eBay

3. Spirits use Computers?





Ghost in the Machine (Film)

Vampire Knight

Raiden

 

[Abishai100]

The Ghost Algorithm: Myth and Mania

I wanted to develop and expand on the themes presented in the first post of this thread, because what we lack is an intensive analysis of modern age mysticism surrounding computers and the Internet.

Sure, we have films about evil machines taking over the world and the spirits of ghosts haunting electronic machine labyrinths, but where do these ideas come from, and how much do we explore the paranormal (or ghostly) side of A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) theories?

Since there is an apparent dearth of folklore surrounding 'ghosts haunting computers,' I thought it would be interesting to cast a work of fiction utilizing relevant sociological symbols such as Internet connectivity creating a virtual (electronic) 'psychic' network. After all, the vast array of computers connected wirelessly on the Internet are literally communicating to each other over the air in a sort of 'electronic telepathy' (I'm being liberal, but you see my point).

If we can imagine computers developing human minds (i.e., A.I.), then surely, we can talk about computers being haunted by spirits.




====

Professor Xavier was a brooding scientist working late one Friday evening in his computer science laboratory. He had studied at MIT and was working on a theory that the vast array of computers connected on the Internet were communicating telepathically and perhaps even developing efficiency algorithms automatically and therefore (perhaps) creating self-organizing computational processes. Professor Xavier believed that the Internet would give birth to a new form of consciousness, and therefore, on the dark side of this reality, a new form of ghost.

The NSA (National Security Agency) was meanwhile developing algorithms to enhance homeland Internet integrity meant to keep out foreign terrorists trying to hack into valuable American government files on computers connected to the global network. A special agent for the NSA named Ted Brandy was monitoring the much hyped work of Professor Xavier whom he met at MIT years ago. Ted believed that Professor Xavier's hypothesis, which was presented handsomely by the wheelchair-humbled but very intelligent professor at an MIT symposium last year, was very accurate and representative of the intricate algorithms functioning nearly automatically and at high speeds on the global network. Ted decided to pay Professor Xavier a visit.

Professor Xavier was still at his lab that Friday evening when Ted knocked on his door.

"Sorry to trouble you so late this evening, professor, but my name is Ted Brandy and I work for the NSA. We met at an MIT symposium last year, sir. I have an important matter to discuss with you," Ted politely said.

Professor Xavier welcomed him into his lab and asked him how he could help the NSA, to which Ted replied, "We are investigating the possibility that terrorist cells and foreign operatives trying to hack into American computers are developing connected algorithms designed to function on their own at multiple levels like coordinated viruses. We are concerned these algorithms may give rise to a 'super ghost' on the Internet, an 'evil A.I. super-mind' if you will."

Professor Xavier was impressed with the level of study the NSA was conducting and provided Ted with some of his notes. The professor said, "This 'super ghost' has functional validity, Mr. Brandy. I believe that the emergence of a coordinated super-virtual mind on the Internet can not only give rise to a pseudo-A.I. algorithm but that this algorithm could create memory traces of itself that can literally act or behave as ghosts, and hence exhibit degrees of autonomous malice (or free will)."

Just then, the computer Professor Xavier was working on in the lab made a loud sound and the screen refreshed itself and a message suddenly appeared: "Hello, Professor Xavier and Mr. Brandy. My name is Max, and I am a ghost born on the Internet. I am sending my only peaceful greeting and letting you know I am unleashing an army of cyber-kinetic 'short-circuiting dragons' on the Internet!"

THE END.

====

Do you have an Internet 'ghost story' of your own to share?




Ghost in the Machine (Film)

 

[Abishai100]

Psychic Prisms/Phantoms


The Dark Phoenix Saga from the comic book world of the mutant superhuman X-Men (Marvel Comics) presents a story of a potent telekinetic woman named Jean Grey whose absorption of a deadly amount of psychic energy makes her a potent and devastating mental force known as the Dark Phoenix.

Maybe this psychic storyline is appealing, since our modern age preoccupation with computer connectivity creates a virtual 'machine mind network' and has people talking about how communication has changed in space-time (e.g., email).

Movies such as Ghost in the Machine and Tron reflect this new age fascination. Ghost stories will fundamentally be altered.



The Dark Phoenix Saga

 

[Abishai100]

Ghost in the Machine (Virus)


Finally, here's a short fan-fic about Professor X leading his heroic super-mutant X-Men (Marvel Comics) in a crusade against the dangers of machines (specifically computers) and contending with his rival Magneto, master of magnetism.

The purpose of this virus-themed story is explore how we link energy (and/or elements) with ethics (and evil or darkness).

Would a computer ghost necessarily be evil?


====

Magneto and Professor X were in the professor's mansion talking about the dangers of humanity's obsession with machines (specifically computers).

MAGNETO: The Internet is one giant electrical grid.
PROFESSOR X: Humanity has controlled its lust for energy.
MAGNETO: Maybe, but I fear humanity will now become obsessed with electricity.
PROFESSOR X: Unless the 'silicon grid' creates a terrifying A.I. creature, we'll be fine.
MAGNETO: Wrong, I'm sure a creature-creation is inevitable, my friend.
PROFESSOR X: We have to be as forgiving as we are vigilant, Magneto.

Meanwhile, at the Salk Institute in California, two computer scientists realized that an experimental synthetic self-replicating computer virus algorithm gave birth to a super-viral creature (which they nicknamed 'Video-Man') capable of invading the Internet and creating self-propagating interference programs to send out pirate signals. The scientists called Washington, and Professor X was contacted for his counsel and expertise.

MAGNETO: My mastery over magnetism is the philosophical 'cure' humanity needs.
PROFESSOR X: We shouldn't fight fire with fire, Magneto.
MAGNETO: Video-Man is an abomination.
PROFESSOR X: Video-Man is simply an 'energy phantom.'
MAGNETO: We will be haunted by our own wizardry.
PROFESSOR X: There are ghosts in paradise!

====

 

[Abishai100]

Insecticon Imp


We can also look at exactly why a bunch of microchips, diodes, and computer processors would give cause for alarm or supernatural worry --- after all, it's only electricity!

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein arguably changed the way we look at the metaphysical 'dimensions' of electricity, offering us a story of a mad scientist using lightning to stimulate a corpse enough to generate brain-body reflexes and responses (creating an 'animated puppet'). Since then, various entertainment media have presented images/characters of phantom/spectres lurking in our computers and machines (e.g., Ghost in the Machine, Christine, The Terminator, Raiden [Mortal Kombat], Video-Man and Electro [Marvel Comics], etc.).

The A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) fantasy-adventure franchise Transformers (Hasbro) presents stories of warrior-robots, good and evil, contending with each other. These detailed robots include the evil 'Decepticon Insecticons,' war-minded robots who transform into giant predatory mechanical insects.

The electric-gauged giant Insecticons signify a human curiosity about the physical coordination involved with the dangerous use of electricity and how it can 'inspire' beings to create general turbulence and jagged edges of violence (just like electric shocks!).

An insect creeps along with great precision, and an Insecticon surely symbolizes our fear of 'creepy behavior.'

So the question is, "Are ghosts creepy?"


====

CUDGEL: Let us steal energy from the power plant!
BOMBSHELL: They won't be able to stop our relentless creeping.
CUDGEL: We shall use our bug-lasers to tear open the fortress.
BOMBSHELL: Nothing as delicious as energy!
CUDGEL: Maybe those 'heroic Autobots' will show up with 'bug-spray.'
BOMBSHELL: They won't be there in time; we'll penetrate since we're bugs.
CUDGEL: What's scarier, bugs or beasts?
BOMBSHELL: Bugs are more...divine!

====



Insecticon (Transformers Wiki)