Review of Darwin's Paradox

Aaron Wilson, book and story reviewer at the Soulless Machine, recently did an in-depth review of my science fiction eco-thriller, Darwin's Paradox by Dragon Moon Press.

"Munteanu’s idea of how humanity will evolve to be able to communicate with machines is a deeply fascinating one," said Aaron. "Munteanu’s prose is tightly woven and written without apologies for the complex language and scientific terms that are bounced around, which is refreshing. She assumes a smart reader, a reader not afraid to pick up a dictionary, or at least flip to the back of the book to see she included it in her glossary of terms. I particularly enjoyed the in depth discussion of Chaos Theory and how it played out in the plot."

Aaron ends with, "if you are interested in the evolution of the Human and AI, then this is a must for your collection."

If you're interested, go here for his review in its entirety. And while you're at it, you might want to read his reviews of some of my short stories (Butterfly in Peking, Julia's Gift, and Virtually Yours) or check out his reviews of stories and books by other writers.

The Soulless Machine is a great site for reading well-written reviews of the story, whether long or short. As his mission statement attests, Aaron is dedicated ...to keep the short story alive. For instance, his latest post reviews a collection of short stories by William R. Potter called Lighting the Dark Side. Aaron also posts a good list of online short story sites (mostly science fiction) and websites of interest, as well as a good selection of what he calls "bookish blogs".

There aren't too many sites that devote themselves with such dedication to reviewing the short story form; partly because this form, sadly, isn't as popular with readers. The irony is that this form is often the most interesting, unique and sharply compelling ... skating the edge of mainstream with new ideas, sometimes outrageous, always diverting. I thank Aaron on behalf of all short story authors for his attention to this form.

This is what Aaron Wilson says about himself: "I live in Minneapolis with my loving wife, 9 to 5 Poet, two cats (one good and one bad)." I had to like him right away for that admission.

For a look at his publications, go here.

Nina Munteanu is an ecologist and internationally published author of novels, short stories and essays. She coaches writers and teaches writing at George Brown College and the University of Toronto. For more about Nina’s coaching & workshops visit www.ninamunteanu.me. Visit www.ninamunteanu.ca for more about her writing.

Happy New Year--2008

As 2007 drew to a close I found myself reviewing all the amazing things that have happened. 2007 was a spectacular year…a year of many incredible, wonderful and exciting firsts…I also found myself thankful for so many things I still have. Among them are:

• A body that still wants to run and jump (sometimes!) — well, it did last time I checked ...though I can’t remember when that was…


• The warmth of my purring male cat, Sammy, on my lap… when he was a kitten he hid things and drove us wild; he STILL hides things but these days I can’t remember what they are so it doesn’t matter…


• A husband who likes to snuggle with me by the fire and talk…


• A son who is wise, happy and funny…


• A safe and supportive community where I live and an environment that is relatively clean and well looked after…


• Family and friends like you who remind me that peace and love and hope exist everywhere on this beloved planet of ours…

I was blessed this year with a childhood dream-come-true: my book, “Darwin’s Paradox” by Dragon Moon Press (a science fiction eco-thriller set in Canada) is now on the shelves of every Chapters-Indigo-Coles bookstore in Canada (as well as at Amazon.com/ Amazon.ca, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Powell's Books, Target.com, Buy.com, Indigocafe, in the United States and bookstores throughout the world including the UK (Blackwell Online; Amazon.co.uk), New Zealand (Fishpond), Denmark (Saxo), Germany, Japan and France. I was pleased to see several independent Canadian bookstores pick up my book as well, including Bakka Books (Toronto), Blackbond Books, Albany Books & White Dwarf Books (Vancouver), The Sentry Box and McNally Robinson (Calgary). And—guess what?.. People are actually buying my book!!!

This past May I started a little blog called “The Alien Next Door” and soon after joined two excellent blogging communities, MyBlogLog and BlogCatalog. This little act eight months ago has changed my life in ways I could never have imagined. Firstly, I was warmly welcomed by the blogging community. I met so many wonderful people from all around the world; some of whom I can count as being my very best friends... It is both amazing and wonderful to be able to say this. What I’m saying is that the community with whom I best connect is YOU: my international blogging community, made up of intelligent, sensitive, thoughtful and considerate people. You provide me with such a wonderful sense of connection to this planet Earth. I am so very grateful to you for making my experience here, on the blogosphere of Earth, such a fulfilling and rich journey. You made my year. I shall remember 2007 as my first blogging year, the year I found my international community and another “home”.

I want to repeat a quote from my good friend, Mel, at Monday Morning Power (see this previous post of mine), who said this about blogging friendships:

"There is something very special and unique about blogging friendships. In “real” life we all have to first get by the physical and superficial aspects of each other before we can get into who we are, really. In “real” life there is so much bull shit that we have to put up with, that sometimes developing true friends becomes very difficult. I feel that with blogging friendships there are no superficial aspects to it; the barriers do not exist. We open up in our writings as to who we really are. We bare ourselves and say “this is me.” For many of us this is the only way that we can truly express ourselves, our opinions, our strengths and our fears. I have also discovered a level of INTEGRITY amongst bloggers that I have not found in “real” life." Like Mel, I began my blog with the intention of showcasing my work; what I found was a community and friends with whom I could interact at a level I have not easily found among my physical community.

Here are some of the most incredible people (all passionate bloggers of excellence) that I have the pleasure and honor to call my very good friends (this list repeats and adds to my previous list posted here). These bloggers have given me their precious time by commenting on my posts with insightful and—at times—challenging remarks; they have invited me into their lives; shared their stories with me; provided me with kind advice; bestowed upon me awards and other acts of kindness; laughed at my bad jokes; loyally attended my blog and followed my journey; and even showed their concern when I faltered. These bloggers all embrace impeccable traits that I myself strive to achieve, including: honor; generosity; honesty; kindness; courage; compassion; intelligence; humility; and grace. You honor me with your friendship and I so cherish it:
Karen (Nameless Grace)...for your generous spirit, wisdom and impeccable grace (and for always correcting my spelling! But mostly for your love and faith in me) …you grace the Blogosphere with your beautiful soul, lighting it with your blazing passion and faith…
Jean-Luc (The Federation)...for your steadfast loyalty, humor and gentle spirit... (and being so SEXY)…you warm the Blogosphere with your kindness and make it a friendly place…
Tricia (Modern Matriarch)...for your justice, diligence and wise spirit (and clever mind...you make me think)… you inspire the Blogosphere… and me!
WalksFarWoman (Kissing the Dogwood)...for your compassion and kind wisdom (and wonderful sense of humor...you make me—and the Blogosphere—smile and feel good)…Please come back….we need you…
Bob (Somerset Bob's Place)...for your honor and integrity (and all those drinks and quirky vids you send me on Facebook. Keep ‘em coming!)…you make the Blogosphere a better place…
Deborah (Climate of our Future)...for your compassion and indomitable spirit (and ALL those MEMEs...geez! You know I love 'em! ... :) Your enduring efforts on behalf of our beloved planet Earth are commendable…you make the Blogosphere a just place…
Adria (In Cing)...for your joy and clarity and generous spirit (and endless enthusiasm)…you light up the Blogosphere…
Erik (AuthorsDen)...for your incredible sincerity and thoughtful mind (and stubbornness! I love our discussions! You keep me honest and I hope you keep doing so...) I so admire your honesty and genuine spirit…You make the Blogosphere an honest place…
Theresa Lucas (Fantasy and Sci-Fi Lovin' Blog)...for your impeccable mind and generous spirit (and warped sense of humor!)
Mel (Monday Morning Power)...for your positive attitude and wise compassion (and rather twisted sense of humor!)
Josh (Cubicle Denizon) ... for your compassionate and wonderful sense of humor (and even more twisted sense of humor...check out his animated blog! :)... and for being there from the beginning... Thanks!
Jennifer (Random Synaptic Transfers)...for your kind and loyal friendship (and warped sense of humor...wait...there's a weird trend happening here...WARP NINE, MR. SPOCK!)
Virginia (Sumptuosity)...for your selfless kindness and generosity (and all those beers we slugged back...and will slug back in the future! You slugger, you! Can’t wait until World Con in 2008! You, me and Boba Fett, Virginia!)
Lynda (Reality Skimming)...for your sincere and down-to-earth goodness (and your crazy wonderful laugh; be seeing you at the World Con bar too!)
Princess Haiku (Princess Haiku)...for your poetic wisdom, beautiful spirit (and astute calmness)
Melanie (A Quiet Symphony)...for your beautiful words and gentle thoughts (and REALLY twisted sense of humor!)
Jon (Chimeric Day Dreams)...for your gentle wisdom and beautiful mind (and beautiful everything.)
Heather (Footsteps)...for your kind spirit (and your incredible voice!...Hey, maybe we should do an audio book...oh, we ARE? GREAT!)
Manchild (When Least Expected) your compassion and wise spirit (and very cool quotes!)
Drowsey Monkey (Drowsey Monkey)…for your beautiful spirit, humor and humility (and your awesome pics!)

Then there are the bloggers who welcomed me so long ago, when I first began blogging. Bloggers who offered me kind advice as my blog clunked along on its new wobbly legs eight months ago. Bloggers who have provided—and still do—comments and words of encouragement, challenges and amazing humor on my posts. People like:
Josh
Dave
Kathleen Mather
Spacer guy
TekSavvy
delmer
Alan
Marjie
Nick
dcr
Rino
Kitem
Francis S
David Hodges
David Bradley
Theresa Hall
Jimbono
W for Wonder
Orbitgal
Steven Tennant
Peggy Kolm
Adam
Markk
Zia
Mark Dykeman
sjsuarez
Aaron
Lozster
Bob Johnson
Your Translator
Speed Cat
Ric Vil Hori
Mimi
Charlotte
TheX
Truthdancer
Ilker
Camille
Christopher
Joanne
Jos
Greg
Shawn
Milton
If you aren’t on this list and think you should be here, then know that in my heart you are…and it’s just my mind failing me (as it is wont to do from time to time—just to remind me that I’m human—er—a human-like alien, that is…). I'm so looking forward to meeting more bloggers out there in 2008, making friends with you and having my life enriched by my interactions with you.
HAPPY NEW YEAR! May it be a great one. I wish you health, incredible moments of happiness, genuine contentedness and a passionate 2008.

Late Christmas Present

Your Merry Christmas may depend on what others do for you. But your Happy New Year depends on what you do for others—anonymous (originally posted on NoDirectOn)

On December 25, I got a Christmas present I didn’t realize I’d gotten until today, when I checked Technorati for news…So, here I am thanking Jos at NoDirectOn for a lovely award, the “You Rock My Socks, Mr. Present”

Here’s how Jos explains it: “Jon of El Gigante Verdoso presented me with the "You Rock My Socks Award", and Ann of A Nice Place In The Sun invited me over to pick a Christmas Tree Gift from her page. From Ann's selection, I have chosen "Mr. Present", as he seems to be crammed with lots of nice little gift-wrapped items, and can be used all year through, not just for Christmas… In the past year I have come across, and have started to enjoy, your blogs. I have met most of you also in blogging communities, or at occasions were awards were passed on, or were some serious LinkLOve was shared. Thank you all for sharing what you did, on your blogs, in comments, in community messages. Your blogs do encourage, year round, the same energetic and imaginative sense of wonder that is apparent throughout the Christmas season. Make Blogs – Not War! Thank you all! You Rock My Socks!”

His instructions are simply this: "If it's your turn to choose one, two, or all three of these gifts to adopt, and decide to pass them on, please pass them to the most magical and imaginative blogs on the internet. Blogs that encourage, year round, the same energetic and imaginative sense of wonder that is apparent throughout the Christmas season." (Mr. Present idea from Ann of A Nice Place in the Sun).

Soon after, I received another wonderful award from Drowsey Monkey, one I could really relate to: the Mad Skillz Award! Drowsey Monkey got the award from Olga, the Traveling Bra. It was originated at Mommified Me who designed it "to honour those who are really good at some crazy things." This is why Drowsey Monkey gave me this award: "for her MAD SKILLZ at sci-fi. Her blog is always an excellent and thought-provoking read!" Gee.... (embarrassed but beaming smile)...

And, then on Sunday, December 30, I had the honor of being included in a list of very impressive bloggers by Jos again at Blue Ribbon Bloggers! for the blogging buddies award. Thank you so much, Jos, for this wonderful award and what it represents!

Jos ended with these inspiring words, which I will aspire to: “I hope the new year will bring just as many fun, interesting, thought-provoking, warm and inspirational blog posts, to and from each of you, and just as many nice comments, tips and suggestions, as we all have seen in the past year.”

So, here are my choices for the blogging buddy award:

Mel

Jean-Luc Picard

Erik

Shawn

Bob

I could name so many more...But it's getting late and I must stop. There are so many of you! Not to worry... there are more coming... :)

I’ll end with the same comment I made to Jos’s wonderful post:

…The very best to you and yours in the new year. May it be full of the magic and wonder and surprise that makes us so very much alive.

Bloggers with Integrity -- meme

One day away from "Darwin's Paradox" Launch at Amazon (and other bookstores around the world)...I'm kind of beside myself, looking on and whispering: "Hey! Comb your hair, girl!"... Oh, in honor of the book, Karen Mason, created the really neat widget of "Darwin's Paradox" over to the right there. If you like the book, or what I write here, or just plain like "me" (embarrassed grin) ... and want to support/advertize the book, please go ahead and put the widget on your site. I thank you so much for your support, dear reader.

Well, speaking of recognition, that impeccable woman over at Climate of Our Future has done it again; waged MEME! This time, she's awarded me with an incredible award, "Bloggers with Integrity" with an added tag of "Keeping it Real":

Deborah, you have no idea what this award means to me. I humbly thank you. Deborah received the bloggers with integrity award for "social conscience". Here's what she had to say about it, quoting Edward Abbey: "It is not enough to understand the natural world; the point is to defend and preserve it." And Deborah is doing an impeccable job of raising awareness and providing solutions with her excellent blog, Climate of Our Future.

The Oxford Dictionary defines integrity as: wholeness, entirety, soundness, uprightness, honesty. These are all traits that I strive to achieve in my daily life. And keeping it real is perhaps my calling, particularly here on the blogosphere, considered by many non-internet users and non-bloggers as a vacuum or nonsensical black hole (which it couldn't be further from). As both scientist and artist, I interpret my world through my unique filter, integrating disparate-looking items and weaving them into a tapestry of meaning.

This integrity award came originally from Shinade at the Painted Veil, another cool lady who practices integrity. Here's her mantra: I am interested in everything that God has created within this universe. And I have an almost unquenchable thirst for knowledge. And my grandest dream and prayer is for peace in the world and that no-one lack for any need.

I nominate the following bloggers with integrity:

WalksFarWoman for bringing so much "Love and Understanding" to the blogosphere

Princess Haiku for bestowing us with "Beauty and Refinement"

Somerset Bob for tirelessly and cheerfully sharing his "Humble Wisdom"

Jean-Luc for warming the blogosphere with his "Kind Heart"

Tricia Ares for teaching us with her "Impeccable Words"

Karen Mason for bestowing her "Selfless Devotion and Gift of Knowledge" to so many members of our community

Ilker Yoldas for firing us with her "Passion for Blogging and our Community"

Adria for providing us with a "Mirror of Ourselves"

Jon for astutely providing us with a "Sense of Place"

Melanie Faith for bringing her "Quiet Symphony of Hope" to the blogosphere

Joel Gruber for lighting our Community with his "Faith and Inspiration"

There are so many more bloggers with integrity out there ... Go find them, guys! Off you go!

Kissing the Dogwood--Friday Feature

Today’s Friday Feature belongs to an inspirational woman, a selfless, kindhearted and incredibly insightful lady I am proud to call a friend as well as a fellow blogger. And her wonderful blog. The tag line to her impressive and popular blog reads: being the best you can be.

The quote she chose as her moniker is one by George Eliot: "Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person; having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but to pour them all out, just as they are, chaff and grain together, knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then, with a breath of kindness, blow the rest away".

Yeah…you guessed it. I’m proudly featuring WalksFarWoman of Kissing the Dogwood.

Her posts flow like a rich brook, running from a prayer by Max Ehrmann to a touching personal story to her own inspirational photograph and tagline or poem or WalksFar’s own acrostic poetry. In all cases there is something to learn and contemplate and stir the heart. Delivered from a humble and caring heart, her lessons in moral integrity embrace the reader with such warmth one leaves with a lighter heart, a warm smile and the glow of having been touched by an angel. Which brings me to my personal favorite of her posts: Touched By Low Flying Angels. Here it is:

Many years ago my little son and I were sitting having breakfast and as was the norm we’d be trying to outdo one another with compliments, it was our booster session for the day ahead besides it also made us laugh.
“You’re a boy genius” I told him.
“You’re beautiful” he replied, his lovely smiling face pinned behind corrective specs which led to a hard time with bullies at school.
“Your cheeks are more delicious than rosy apples!” I scoffed - and then in all innocence he said …
“and you’re a low flying angel!”
It took my breath away because I couldn’t imagine why or how a 6 year old would think of this especially since it was a saying I’d never heard before and one I have never forgotten because it made me ponder that there really could be angels moving freely among us here on earth. So from pondering I went to believing, not only that I am claiming to have encountered many of them, here are just three.

After which she named three bloggers to whom she dedicated the post. WOW! Blew me away, WalksFar!

WalksFarWoman is an impeccable writer and teller of stories, parables and anecdotes. One thing you might not know about her (although it isn’t any stretch of the imagination from her blog) is that she is an accomplished and published writer of short stories. She recently published one in Karen Mason’s impeccable webzine, Nameless Grace. Here’s WalksFar’s post…quite revealing, don’t you think?

Hold the Front Page!

Okay, I admit the title is a bit over dramatic but I’m allowed to get carried away every now and then! If you like stories like “Careless Whispers” then you may enjoy my latest one “The Tapestry of Life” just published at Nameless Grace. It’s the tale of Dorothy and how a private dilemma became a personal triumph directly affecting complete strangers in the process. (Then, just like her, WalksFar does a plug for another writer…me!) While you’re there why not check out the exceptional talent of SF Girl, Nina Munteanu - you won’t be disappointed. Thanks to Editor Karen for her encouragement and support!

*****************************************

But who is this elegant incredible lady, WalksFarWoman? Who is she really? A woman who uses words like “gobsmacked”… A while ago, I tagged WalksFarWoman in a meme and here’s what she had to say:

“My friend Nina / SF Girl from The Alien Next Door tagged me with this enterprising meme originally started by Mel from Monday Morning Power. Everyone must realise by now I am hopeless at meme’s the intention is always there but the meme side burner becomes the back burner until they eventually fall down the behind the cooker! However since this meme is rather different and short AND also easy I ‘ve done it! Nina, you are not only encourageable but a gorgeous lady to boot!”

The intention of the meme was to answer the question: why do you blog? And I was so curious to find out why WalksFarWoman blogged (though I had a very good idea!). Here is her answer:

“My name is WalksFarWoman and I blog because…Kissing the Dogwood is my spiritual home. The idea evolved from an inspired moment as did the name and took me completely by surprise. It was like being given a map and a destination which I was compelled to follow - and in doing so have had the journey of a lifetime! Just like the elements of a successful life, blogging is all about good communication, learning through experience and also gathering hope, joy and a liberal dressing of laughter wherever we can. My favourite post is always my most recent so here it is - ‘Mermaids Cove’.”

Apparently I wasn’t the only one who wanted to see WalksFarWoman on this meme. Mel of Monday Morning Power, commented: “You finally gave into the pressure, and I am glad that you did. This list did not feel right without you on it.”

Go have a look at her favorite post. It is truly inspirational and says so much about our lady, WalksFarWoman. In her philosophy tab, she says: "Who am I? Just a traveller journeying with an open ticket between life and death, always learning, always smiling, always happy to greet a fellow traveller."

Thanks for travelling this way, WalksFarWoman...good friend...fellow traveller...

A Quiet Symphony—Friday Feature + meme

For today’s Friday Feature, I present Melanie Faith’s charming blog, A Quiet Symphony… If you quiet your mind for a moment, you can just hear it too…

Quotes Melanie on her opening page, “Many silent years are spent searching for the right notes—the right conductor to illustrate the song inside our hearts… A quiet symphony is of’t overheard; overpowered by the loudness of life and the busyness of stillborn ears.”

If you check out her site on MyBlogLog, she describes her blog like this: random stuff, life, writing, marriage, spirituality, friendship, food, animals--and everything in between. That's quite a lot when you think about it... Her tags are equally eclectic, quirky and humorous. Among some meaningful ones like “spirituality”, “writing”, “friends”, “kids” and “animé” (something she betrays a strong interest in—dare I whisper, obsession for?), she adds “funny” and “stuff”.

Upon alighting on her site, you are first embraced with classical music—quiet, elegant and unassuming like the author. Treating her sidebar like a fireplace mantle, Mel unabashedly displays what she holds dear: like her rather fat cats (well, they are, Mel!), her son, husband, family and close friends. So, what kind of “stuff” does this lady, who admits that one of her main interests is daydreaming, put on there? Well, a random visit and scroll down her blog might provide you with a delightfully varied sprinkling of eclectic topics that include:

• reviews of movies, books and, of course, animé (good animé, I might add);


• some quirky tidbit of information, puzzles, quotes and silly photos;


• news clippings, often with some strange twisted truth or humor in it;


• issues that resonate with the author’s sensibilities and philosophy; and,


• always something both personal and tender.
  

On her “esnips” site, Melanie displayed a kind of creedo and it went like this: “the three most essential ingredients to a successful life are Love, Faith, and Passion.” WOW! That is a remarkably wonderful tenet to live by.

A Quiet Symphony, was a truly delightful find for me and when I “stumbled” it, I was thanked by fellow stumblers for bringing this charming site to their attention. So, keep on writing and blogging, Mel! And the rest of you, go check it out. ‘Nuff said.

I should just add that Melanie also authors another blog, devoted to writing and poetry, called Amberwood Ambrosia. As with Quiet Symphony, the tag line of Amberwood Ambrosia resonates with deeper tones of poetic truth: Amberwood: the place where every emotional gamut comes to surface—the roulette game of a chanced heart singing out its own distinct voice. Here, time is still, allowing the sun to break the dawn. Here we are ourselves, and in such honesty, give allowance to be broken so that we can become who we are meant to be. That says it all, as far as I’m concerned.

Recently, Melanie, having been tagged by miss Marjie, tagged me with what she called the “Desktop Analysis Meme”: What's the look of your computer personality? Her response was, “I have no idea what this means about me... but it's probably a lot of embarrassing, nerdy things. Oh, well!” then went on to post her desktop, which was—you guessed—some animé scene. Well, here’s mine:

So, what does it say about me? Well, that I’m Canadian and proud of all matters Canadian, including our spectacular and mysterious Aurora Borealis, that I’m a naturalist and scientist fascinated and inquisitively asking questions about how our planet works, but also an artist and spiritualist who’s also content not to know it all… Or is it simply that I am fascinated by swirly things and love the colour green?...

I pass on the screen-capture meme to the following: Princess Haiku; David, sjsuarez, Zia, wforwonder, Joshua, and Deborah.

Publish Your Blog!...Blog2Print

Some of you might have spotted this neat little widget that appeared on my sidebar a short while ago. Gwen, my publisher at Dragon Moon Press put me onto it and I think it's a blast! It's one of Blogger's newest--and neatest--toys: a way to turn blog posts into a printed book with a single click (oh, and for a little fee, of course!). It's pretty new and Blogger says that additional compatability with other platforms will become available later this year. Check it out on your own blog. Tell your friends or readers.

Faithful Blogging

A new blog is born every minute or thereabouts...You know the statistics better than I. What does this blogging explosion really mean to us? What can it mean to this living planet, this breathing network of plants animals and minerals of which we are a part and upon which we depend?

“As a society, we have become obsessed with connectedness,” said Steven Strogatz, author of “Sync: The Emerging Science of Spontaneous Order”. He goes on to describe how we are making sense of complex networks that have recently infiltrated our lives. “Networks whose reach is immense, whose structure we can only dimly perceive, and whose functioning bewilders us.” In John Guare’s 1990 play, “Six Degrees of Separation”, one of his characters ponders the connectivity of life on the planet:

I read somewhere that everybody on this planet is separated by only six other people. Six degrees of separation. Between us and everybody else on this planet. The president of the United States. A gondolier in Venice…I am bound to everyone on this planet by a trail of six people…every person is a new door, opening up into other worlds.

Network theorists, when they study an abstract pattern of dots connected by lines are concerned with the pattern, the “architecture of relationships, not the identities of the dots themselves. One can draw a metaphor with information, what it is and how it is dispensed and shared among people. Laszlo Barabasi, a Transylvanian physicist showed that the distribution of links on the Web is skewed to the left with a very long and heavy tail to the right. A handful of sites on the Internet are much more connected than others, with many more incoming or outgoing links than average, with the billions of remaining pages languishing in obscurity with no incoming links at all.

What network theorists found was that the Internet, despite being an unregulated, unruly labyrinth where anyone can post anything and link it to any other page at will, is self-organizing and follows the same pattern that persists in the ‘small-world’ (e.g., with a tendency to ‘short-cut’ and cluster like the brain) and “scale-free” (wide range) patterns so prevalent in Nature (e.g., “the food-web of species preying on one another; the meshwork of metabolic reactions in a cell, the interlocking boards of directors of a large corporation, even the structure of the English language itself” says Strogatz). Laszlo Barabasi, a Transylvanian physicist, showed that the Internet was both fragile and robust, showing properties of resilience much like living cells (e.g., in protein interactions, the most highly connected proteins were the most important ones for the cell’s survival; not unlike CNN and Yahoo on the Web). The Web is also very fluid and those ‘nodes’ or clusters change (not unlike a low budget hit that starts out slowly and builds by word of mouth).

Is internet blogging a tool our global society can use to self-organize? And, if so, can this grassroots social movement influence humanity toward a better world?...As a good friend of mine would say, Let’s “Make it so!”

Recommended Reading:Barabási, Albert-László and Albert Réka. 1999. Emergence of scaling in random networks. Science 286: 509-512.
Jung, Carl G. 1973. Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principal. Princeton University Press, New Jersey
Strogatz, Steven. 2003. Sync: the Emerging Science of Spontaneous Order. Hyperion, New York, N.Y. 338pp.

Is Blogging Clogging the Internet?

Thanks to fellow SF writer, Crawford Kilian, I recently came across an interesting, though rather irksome excerpt in the Globe and Mail that featured a new book by Andrew Keen, a 47-year old Briton, entitled: "The Cult of the Amateur: how today's internet is killing our culture". Keen argues that basic notions of expertise are under assault amid a cultural shift in favour of the amateurism of blogs, MySpace and other popularity-driven sites, said the Globe and Mail.

"Millions and millions of exuberant monkeys...are creating an endless digital forest of mediocrity," wrote Keen. His polemic attacks the "cut and paste" ethic of Web users, who he claims are robbing professionals of their livelihoods by searching Google to copy other's work. Keen calls them "intellectual kleptomaniacs", "digital thieves of media content in a post-Napster era who spread gossip and scandal". The Globe and Mail went on to say "the Web allows anyone to post their most intimate thoughts, views or even outright lies, without any editing, under the assumption that the crowd will correct any mistakes. Keen calls for efforts to balance out the Web's powers of instant publishing against society's need for accountability."

I find Keen's position elitist and undemocratic. And dangerous.