Kirby The Prophet

The great secret: programmable matter! I can't stop smiling. I never thought OMAC would be this good! Years ago I realised that "unstable molecules" are the key to understanding all of Kirby's future technology. And here we have it, in OMAC 7, the penultimate book! Even better, it shows how all of Kirby's characters are linked: they are the same person, Kirby himself, under different circumstances: alternate futures. It's all the same story with the same technology and the same dangers, the same message: this is our future!! The idea in OMAC 7, that an ocean might fit inside a room, is simply the fact that most of an atom is empty space. And of course its mass can be reduced by changing some of the mass into energy and broadcasting it to some holding place where, if desired, the process might be reversed. But let's get to the point: how can atoms be manipulated like that? We are beginning to see. Today I learned about  programmable matter , and in pa...

As Kirby says, people will do anything to live forever. We should be grateful that personal immortality is still impossible. It's our only guarantee that bad guys will fall and that a new generation can start again. Once people can live forever, some will amass more and more resources and the rest of us won't have a chance.

OMAC 5 is about shortening the lives of the poor in order to lengthen the lives of the rich. It is already true that the rich have longer lifespans. If their / our riches are completely and objectively fair then the longer lifespans are just their natural reward for their moral superiority. But if there is any unfairness at all in a our economic system then the strong must be living longer at the expense of the weak. That is, one life is shortened so the other may extend. That has always been the case of course. But Kirby is warning that, when the technology allows it, this transfer of life from one to the other will become clearer. Note how, once again, the peace corps emphasise equality, fair laws and nonviolence. The story is about the need for equal rights.

I was just reading about Elon Musk's proposed hyperlink: more efficient transport based on magnetic levitation. Then I closed the web page and started reading OMAC 5. Guess what: . "Spawned by the energy crisis, magnetic travel has replaced combustible fuel. New emissionless vehicles glide on waves of polarized force." It's happening now.

Kirby fought on the front lines in the war, and it dominated his thinking for the rest of his life. So his battles, such as in OMAC 4, are grounded. Compare them to mainstream superhero books. Kirby is simpler in his tasks, slower moving, so you can experience the decision making process, the military organization, the individual choices,  and the feeling of the ground under your feet and the wind in your hair. Kirby also understood that possibilities are infinite. Literally anything is possible: the only limiting factor is imagination. For imagination to become real it has to be based on understanding. Kirby understood people. For example, Kafka's attitude reminded me of Slobodan Milosovic's trial: a man from the same region (20 years later) with the same goals: to build a nation through force, with himself at the top. And of course that name, Kafka! Every detail is mind expanding. There is so much in this one book. My favourite part is the location, how it feels like you ...

How does mankind survive when machines double their intelligence every few years? If you can't beat them, join them. OMAC's every atom is dependent on the machine. So he makes himself useful to it. And they evolve together. Today we are becoming dependent on mobile phones. They replace parts of our memory, connect us to others for wider experiences, and help our decision making. And what is consciousness other than memory, experiences and choices?

OMAC 3 was released in 1975 (dated 1974), when the hottest game around was Pong. But Kirby foresaw totally immersive first person 3D shooters. He also foresaw that for a massively more advanced army, war is almost like a game: OMAC faced no serious opposition. This is like modern drone warfare against less advanced nations, where drones are controlled from a distance, as if in a video game. It's happening now.