[NetBehaviour] Leo and the Knight: Down to big J

[Max Herman]

La scienza è l'osservazione delle cose possibili, presenti o passate; la prescienza è la conoscenza di cose che possono accadere, anche se ma lentamente.


"Research in biology and medicine is now engaged in a tremendous effort to 'reverse engineer' the human organism at all levels -- from the basic DNA code that generates a person from a fertilized egg, to the encoded proteins, to their immensely rich chemical interactions within cells and between them, to the brain, which oversees the whole project.  The idea behind reverse engineering is that by discovering every detail, one will understand the whole -- and then copy or repair it.  The stated goal in 'network medicine' is 'to control these systems, that is, to drive a cell from a diseased state to a healthy state.'
"Such a goal is plausible for a manufactured device whose purpose is clearly understood--a car, an airplane, or a computer.  In these cases each part generally has a single function, and the 'why' of its existence is generally manifest.  But reverse engineering in biology is far trickier.  The parts are more numerous by many orders of magnitude, and many parts remain unidentified.  Also, each part may serve multiple functions and interact with many other parts that also serve multiple functions whose whys are unknown.  The broad answer to the why of any part or connection is likely to be 'because it is most efficient in time, space, and energy.'  Efficiency considerations are now beginning to appear in current models of network medicine.
"Network medicine will need to include the uniquely human aspects of our design -- those governed by our obligatory and intense sociality.  Jimmy, after all, represents a natural experiment in reverse engineering.  His mamillary bodies were 'knocked out' and, with them, his capacity to connect with other humans.  What remained were his capacities for sacred practice: music, prayer, and contact with nature.  No useful model of human design can omit these capacities because they affect all of our behavior down to the single-cell level.  Now, let us consider what cells managed over the first three billion years."  (Peter Sterling, 2020.  What is Health? Allostasis and the Evolution of Human Design, pp. xxxi-xxxii)


________________________________
From: NetBehaviour <netbehaviour-bounces at lists.netbehaviour.org> on behalf of Simon Mclennan via NetBehaviour <netbehaviour at lists.netbehaviour.org>
Sent: Wednesday, September 2, 2020 4:01 AM
To: netbehaviour at lists.netbehaviour.org <netbehaviour at lists.netbehaviour.org>
Cc: Simon Mclennan <mclennanfilm at gmail.com>
Subject: [NetBehaviour] Leo and the Knight: Down to big J


So this machine, a prototype Leonardo had designed, was inspired by his friendship with B.; B. arriving on the scene had stirred things up. New ideas and a fresh outlook— there was a definite buzz in the air down at the studios and workshop since Coeur and B. and their retinues had pulled up in Italy, their brief sojourn in spaghetti country was proving a worthwhile sideshow to the main event, which was of course the troll down to Big J— Holy Land. At any rate so far they were happy to be in holiday mode.


But I digress. This machine was an engine for looking down the time corridor. On entering, groups of up to twenty adults could get a glimpse at some possible futures or possible pasts.. The concept was based on a trick from the folk down in that big antipodean island— Ozztralia.


With a series of sharpened bones, smooth stones of many varieties and colours, bundles of leaves, part of an ant colony and an involved ritual with body paint, dancing, stamping and the drinking of a concoction of mouldy grass, lemon juice, beetle blood and good Verona wine, and by acting out this ritual, the voyagers could actually see their lives as if seen from afar- that is- very far, like from actually outside of the known universe. This produced an alienation so powerful that most couldn’t really stand to bear it and had to leave the craft, quite a few bottling it unfortunately- but the sturdy crew that did stick with it - well, boy, they got one hell of a ride and saw their lives and their possible/probable futures, which weren’t pretty in many cases — mmm suffice to say scimitars were involved... Anyway to cut a long story short, the machine was deemed too ‘unstable’ and was shelved for a rainy day. And actually proved to be pretty useful as a place for L’s stoats to hang out.


The exception had been B, she’d embraced the whole ritual element and had been in her element, travelling through the back passages of the cosmos and gaining great strength of character ie esp after meeting the monks and that bit where she had to fight off the blind fire worms from The Crab Nebula. Plus she got a nice tan and learned how to hypnotise herself and do 200 press-ups while singing - and with her feet on a chair!

Sent from my spyphone
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