Sun, 19 May 2013 10:29:27 -0700 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/ Lussumo Vanilla 1.1.4 & Feed Publisher http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264446#Comment_264446 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264446#Comment_264446 Tue, 12 Oct 2010 00:03:44 -0700 Romeo
I'm trying to throw together a Biopunk web comic, and I'm just looking for resources on both real life genetic science and theory and biopunk literature/comics/films ext... I just read Paulo Bacigalupis' book The Windup Girl, which was excellent, but outside that, and movies like Spliced, and of course half the comics written by Mr' Ellis, I'm having a hard time finding source material. ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264450#Comment_264450 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264450#Comment_264450 Tue, 12 Oct 2010 01:27:21 -0700 oddbill Visionary in Residence, which has a story in it Bruce identifies as "ribofunk", the bio-genetic take on the cyberpunk aesthetic.

or Paul Di Filippo's short story collection actually titled Ribofunk.

There's even a wikipedia article with a few valuable references to follow.

Also, read this thread and track down other posts here on Whitechapel by John Skylar.

There is a lot out there to find! ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264452#Comment_264452 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264452#Comment_264452 Tue, 12 Oct 2010 02:09:56 -0700 eightser http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264454#Comment_264454 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264454#Comment_264454 Tue, 12 Oct 2010 02:25:53 -0700 Romeo http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264468#Comment_264468 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264468#Comment_264468 Tue, 12 Oct 2010 06:42:40 -0700 John Skylar
Natural Selection is absolutely the most important natural law that we've discovered in biology. I recommend reading Stephen Jay Gould as a source on evolutionary biology. I don't think there is anything that man couldn't turn into a baseball metaphor.

Worth checking out is also the Weird Biology infodump thread here. Little flattered that I was recommended as a source by oddbill...there are also some other first-rate amateur and professional biologists on Whitechapel, and I hope they'll weigh in too. ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264600#Comment_264600 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264600#Comment_264600 Tue, 12 Oct 2010 20:22:33 -0700 Romeo http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264635#Comment_264635 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264635#Comment_264635 Wed, 13 Oct 2010 02:43:45 -0700 Nygaard http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264668#Comment_264668 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264668#Comment_264668 Wed, 13 Oct 2010 06:47:49 -0700 Erisah
Also, anime. Ghost in the Shell being my personal favourite, but there are plenty of others. Even Neon Evangelion at a stretch. ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264672#Comment_264672 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264672#Comment_264672 Wed, 13 Oct 2010 07:15:51 -0700 TacoHugsPHD http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264677#Comment_264677 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264677#Comment_264677 Wed, 13 Oct 2010 07:59:49 -0700 Internaut Ghost Rider 2099 and the videogame Bioshock. ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264708#Comment_264708 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264708#Comment_264708 Wed, 13 Oct 2010 11:10:34 -0700 256 I recommend reading Stephen Jay Gould as a source on evolutionary biology.
This.

Also, for very interesting (also provocative, sometimes crazy - quite punk, actually...) ideas, read Stephen Pinker and Dan Dennett. Both of them have done several talks at TED, which is also really worth browsing around. ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264793#Comment_264793 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264793#Comment_264793 Wed, 13 Oct 2010 22:24:13 -0700 Romeo
My computer is curently with out a Sound Card... so I have no audio. But I fucking love TED soooo much.

How about reading on how one might effect the DNA of developed creatures. A lot of the whole premise I am running with hinges on the idea that I can go to a doctor, and have my DNA altered, even as a developed life form. ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264799#Comment_264799 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264799#Comment_264799 Thu, 14 Oct 2010 00:26:43 -0700 Nygaard
I'm not sure I've got the feel for biopunk. Is there some sort of iconic, single image, paragraph or similar thing that might make my brain go click? ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264804#Comment_264804 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264804#Comment_264804 Thu, 14 Oct 2010 02:04:19 -0700 callisto23 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264904#Comment_264904 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264904#Comment_264904 Thu, 14 Oct 2010 18:33:00 -0700 Romeo http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264906#Comment_264906 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264906#Comment_264906 Thu, 14 Oct 2010 20:06:17 -0700 John Skylar Definitely Doktor Skylar's thread

Not quite a (PhD) doctor yet, but I appreciate the vote of confidence. Give me a year or two. :) My expertise is Masters-level, at this point.

Oh, though, N.B., I do adopt a character with a PhD in the made-up field of "anachronism" over on my fiction blog, which may have resulted in the confusion. ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264911#Comment_264911 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264911#Comment_264911 Thu, 14 Oct 2010 20:26:29 -0700 Romeo http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264913#Comment_264913 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264913#Comment_264913 Thu, 14 Oct 2010 20:35:47 -0700 robb http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264914#Comment_264914 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264914#Comment_264914 Thu, 14 Oct 2010 20:59:55 -0700 StefanJ
http://www.streettech.com/bcp/BCPtext/Manifestos/CPInThe90s.html ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264915#Comment_264915 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264915#Comment_264915 Thu, 14 Oct 2010 21:40:22 -0700 stsparky
I believe "The Artificial Kid" and "Islands in the Net" are precursors ... ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264918#Comment_264918 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264918#Comment_264918 Thu, 14 Oct 2010 23:31:11 -0700 nigredo http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264931#Comment_264931 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264931#Comment_264931 Fri, 15 Oct 2010 04:08:16 -0700 smileyfish
Seriously, what's not to love about these guys?


For some great fantasty bio-tech, Dresden Codak has awesome ideas, well worth a look.

Genetics-wise, there's so much we're on the cusp of now, it's really just extrapolating current emerging science to being common-place. Stem cell medicine, engineered bacteria, immune enhancement, etc. are all ideas that are already becoming reality, with some interesting (& gruesome) potential (organ farming, anyone?). It's also worth considering the ecological implications of extrapolated bio-tech (GM agriculture, algae farming for bio-fuels, bacterial energy plants, nano-tech, etc.).

Have fun, and if you need an ecological advisor, shout! ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264962#Comment_264962 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264962#Comment_264962 Fri, 15 Oct 2010 09:36:16 -0700 Internaut Biopunk.org

DiyBio

Garage Biotech: Lifehackers

OpenWetWare ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264984#Comment_264984 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=264984#Comment_264984 Fri, 15 Oct 2010 12:07:11 -0700 StefanJ
I used to name my test servers after Burgess Shale fauna. There are still a few around: Opabinia, Anomalocaris, and Pikaia. ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=265021#Comment_265021 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=265021#Comment_265021 Fri, 15 Oct 2010 20:22:17 -0700 Romeo
re:Smellyfish

Those guys are frighteningly awesome. Also, I fucking love Dresden Codak, it's really one of the best drawn web comics out there, more people need to read it.

re: Internaut

You know, it never even occurred to me that there would be a Biopunk.org, seems kind of obvious in retrospect Thanks, these are extremely useful. ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=265042#Comment_265042 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=265042#Comment_265042 Fri, 15 Oct 2010 23:23:30 -0700 John Skylar he actually argues against natural selection as the sole determining factor in evolution. (sexual preference of females for one) And challenges the idea that Evolution has some sort of ideal guiding principle.

I'm generally not a big fan of emphasizing sex selection, because I think it's an endgame thing that starts to matter after natural selection has shaped a species into its niche. Thing is, in trying to respond with that statement I wrote this whole long thing that I think might turn into a blog post and maybe a story. Thanks for the inspiration.

One thing, though: I think one of our species's greatest advantages is that it can tend to look beyond sex, put it off for a little while even, in order to make something truly and inherently awesome. That ends up paying off with more sex and better survival, usually, and it's that interplay that I think is pretty cool about us. I also think it's something that a person could write some pretty thematic fiction about. ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=265122#Comment_265122 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=265122#Comment_265122 Sat, 16 Oct 2010 12:41:42 -0700 Romeo http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=265128#Comment_265128 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=265128#Comment_265128 Sat, 16 Oct 2010 13:24:02 -0700 John Skylar
I think the clearer example of sex selection is birdsong, actually. Elk antlers have a defensive purpose and could be used against predators, whereas birdsong is pretty much inherently detrimental to the survival of the singing bird. The females notice you, but this is the equivalent of getting noticed by wrestling alligators. You're going and painting a big sign on yourself that says "hey I'm really tasty and I'm RIGHT HERE," just to reproduce.

For people the social-ecosystem equivalence is strong because we can use social prowess to get others to help us survive, making social traits part of our natural selection fitness. Less so for sparrows, so to start singing their hearts out is pretty much deleterious from the get-go, but they evolved the trait anyway, just to show off how awesome they are to their potential mates. I think that drives a clear spike between sexual selection and natural selection. ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=265133#Comment_265133 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=265133#Comment_265133 Sat, 16 Oct 2010 13:50:26 -0700 Romeo http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=265141#Comment_265141 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=265141#Comment_265141 Sat, 16 Oct 2010 14:28:22 -0700 John Skylar but it was just there dumb luck

So is everything. That's why it's natural :). It becomes artificial when the hand guiding it is no longer invisible/nonexistent.

That's really the beauty of natural selection, isn't it? It says there's no such thing as luck. There's variation, there's adaptation, and there's your environment. If you've made yourself adaptable enough to survive anything, you're not lucky. You're a quantified badass, the "fittest." Maybe it looks like luck, but when you get down to it, the most adaptable creature beats the volcano. ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=265667#Comment_265667 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=265667#Comment_265667 Tue, 19 Oct 2010 14:47:06 -0700 Romeo http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=265727#Comment_265727 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=265727#Comment_265727 Tue, 19 Oct 2010 22:26:09 -0700 stsparky
Fitness should address adaptability and range for a group so we see the best traits expressed. If there is only one survivor - that's a big fail. ]]> http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=265766#Comment_265766 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9043&Focus=265766#Comment_265766 Wed, 20 Oct 2010 07:42:43 -0700 John Skylar