Mark’s Myth
Back in 1976, upon reaching 20 years old, I was afforded the opportunity to work with some great thinkers and be influenced by others who worked with the likes of Buckminster Fuller and Stewart Brand.
These perspectives and ways of thinking helped to expand my curious mind. I became involved in a variety of cutting edge projects such as: the first use of local area networking in a tradeshow environment utilizing some of the first Apple computers; testing the use of electronic communications for business purposes, which later became known as the internet and email; and eventually to become the lead designer for the tradeshow, COMDEX which helped to launch the personal computer industry.
Long before computers, email, and the internet as we know them, I was greatly influenced by the view I had behind the curtain of what was percolating and would eventually be upon us.
Anticipating Change
At this time it was becoming clear to me the mediascape was about to radically change; broadcast television was being challenged; and because one-way communications was losing its grip on humanity we would eventually be arriving at our reality today… a reality that would find voice in such figures as Jason Silva and now a platform such as Ideapod.
A Personal Epiphany of Awe
In 1979 I was charged with developing a communications project about our design firm and spent a straight week of research in the local college library (there was no internet at this time). Starting with a quote from Bucky Fuller, I wandered into the electromagnetic spectrum, then out to the noosphere, and I arrived at the question..."if we are evolving, who are we now as a species and where are we going?"
There I was at my drawing board, pencil in hand (computer graphics did not yet exist) working on how to visualize the concept that there is so much more we could tune into beyond the capacity of our human senses, when it happened…the notes scribbled all over my rendering of the electromagnetic spectrum started moving about and the epiphany struck me like a jolt of electricity through my brain!
The Eleprocon Conspiracy
It became very clear to me what was coming and how it might take shape. The capacity for this new form of humanity to collaborate, conspire – breathe together, was upon us. The new tools that we were developing were about to change our perceptions of what we can create, are able to articulate, and who we can become as a species.
As you can imagine this was a bit overwhelming for a young person to suddenly have land in their lap. At first I thought I was to immediately do something with this information that presented itself but most people just looked at me funny upon hearing my thesis. I realized I was gifted a glimpse to the future and a metaphor for relating to the reality that has blossomed before our eyes over these last 35 years.
With that said, I would like to share these unpublished artifacts of this epiphany that have been with me and helped me to understand who we are becoming and how important the synergies of ideas are for the future of humankind.
- Mark