​Because Critical Path is one of Bucky Fuller's last major works (1981), it draws together many of his deepest ideas in a format where disparate projects developed over his life are juxtaposed and contextualized. The book demonstrates an inspiring scope of thought (for example: all of history, the generalized physics of the action-outcome nexus, the role of humans on Spaceship Earth). The entire pragmatic and paradigmatic notion of the book -- CRITICAL PATH -- is that the path we are on, is CRITICAL (in the sense of essential, important, phase-transitioning, skeptical, perilous, life-and-death, required....). Critical Path was written with a collaborator (Kiyoshi Kuromiya, on the book cover listed as an "Adjuvant"), so it is comprehensible despite its comprehensiveness. 

I find Critical Path to be a relatively accessible and endlessly re-readable on-ramp to Fuller's body of work. It is a book that first introduced me to many ideas which continue to be influential in my thinking many years after first exposure (Synergetics, Tensegrity, Dymaxion, Geodesics, World Game, etc.). When reading the book, both at first & now, there are cases where I rankle at Fuller's claims, or can't decipher what is being conveyed by a sentence, or think a word is being used imprecisely, or have an alternative way of thinking about some topic. In all these cases, by observing my own psychological & conceptual responses to Fuller's singular body of work, I develop as a person and as a scientist. This type of influence between the reader and Fuller (perhaps as is the case for any writer read with the appropriate respect) is the kind that transcends all description, so Fuller's impact on a particular reader or the world cannot be stated. 

Whether we like it or not, Spaceship Earth set sail long, long ago. What we are left to do now as individuals/Scientists, according to Fuller, is perform omnidirectional sense-making and be the small change that steers Spaceship Earth along the Critical Path, toward an ever-better vision for the future. Steering us all along that Critical Path, and being humble along the way, is what Bucky Fuller did with his unconventionally-experimental syntax and life ("Guinea Pig B" was what he called himself). It is why the gravesite distillation of his life is not a list of ideas, patents, books, frameworks, students, or service to America and the World -- it is the simple ask:  “Call me Trimtab”. 

In 2019 I did 105 drawing livestreams (video #105 below). I am looking forward to 105 or more livestreams in 2020. 

​www.youtube.com/channel/UC_Yx_kyzXBdp1zT8bYFmbhQ/sub_confirmation=1
​Click this link to subscribe to the channel on youtube.

A few days ago my collaborator Eirik Søvik and I published an article in the Philosophy journal Synthese, entitled "The ant colony as a test for scientific theories of consciousness". In the paper we discuss the confusing heterogeneity of "theories of consciousness", and reflect on how empirical behavioral ecological work on Ant colonies brings a new perspective to the question about consciousness in the universe. The abstract is below: 

The appearance of consciousness in the universe remains one of the major mysteries unsolved by science or philosophy. Absent an agreed-upon definition of consciousness or even a convenient system to test theories of consciousness, a confusing heterogeneity of theories proliferate. In pursuit of clarifying this complicated discourse, we here interpret various frameworks for the scientific and philosophical study of consciousness through the lens of social insect evolutionary biology. To do so, we first discuss the notion of a forward test versus a reverse test, analogous to the normal and revolutionary phases of the scientific process. Contemporary theories of consciousness are forward tests for consciousness, in that they strive to become a means to classify the level of consciousness of arbitrary states and systems. Yet no such theory of consciousness has earned sufficient confidence such that it might be actually used as a forward test in ambiguous settings. What is needed now is thus a legitimate reverse test for theories of consciousness, to provide internal and external calibration of different frameworks. A reverse test for consciousness would ideally look like a method for referencing theories of consciousness to a tractable (and non-human) model system. We introduce the Ant Colony Test (ACT) as a rigorous reverse test for consciousness. We show that social insect colonies, though disaggregated collectives, fulfill many of the prerequisites for conscious awareness met by humans and honey bee workers. A long lineage of philosophically-neutral neurobehavioral, evolutionary, and ecological studies on social insect colonies can thus be redeployed for the study of consciousness in general. We suggest that the ACT can provide insight into the nature of consciousness, and highlight the ant colony as a model system for ethically performing clarifying experiments about consciousness.

Neurotypographical. [Neuro-typo-graphical], Adjective:
Describing a person who has Neurotypographia.
(in contrast with "Neurotypical" people). 

Classical Diagnostic Symptoms:
- Bibliomania (love of reading & collecting books) and Graphomania (love of obsessive writing & drawing). 
- Frequent production of automatic speech and automatic writing with distinctive style. 
- Time dilation or contraction while producing and interpreting language. 
- Strong sensitivity to certain sensory stimuli. 
- Tendency to interpret meanings broadly (pan-semantica?) and produce artifacts with multiple interpretations. 
- Choice of pen (or other media) alters thought dynamics. 
- Manias and "conspiratorial thinking" are essentially always present, but can be productively channeled via discipline and education. 
- Consistent cycling between introverted and extroverted phases. 
- Acknowledgement, but not belief, of "New Age" ideation.  
- Drive for integrative "big" ideas with universal scope.
- Individuals may be classified incorrectly under other DSM labels such as AD(H)D or otherwise. 

Classical Prodromal Symptoms:
- Childhood fascination with stationary and office supplies, especially pen/pencil collecting. Sometimes excessive tape/glue/post-it use is also present.
- Delayed or poor handwriting as a child. 
- Very early or late reading ability. 
- Obsessions with Esoteric topics during childhood, such as: Alchemy, Egyptology, UFO's, alternative histories, famous mystics, the Occult, sex magick, NLP/persuasion, mind control, etc. 
- Inexplicable Spiritual and/or Religious leanings.
- Passive roles in childhood trauma. 

Note: the onset of Neurotypography can be catalyzed by consuming fontplays by other Neurotypographical thinkers such as: Marshall McLuhan, Rene Magritte, MC Escher, Buckminister Fuller, Ram Dass, etc. 

If you or your child appear to be Neurotypographical, write on!

In the image, "Diversity of Thought" and "Diversity of Identity" are two complex vectors passing through a general "Diversity Space". We know from bio-social studies that each of these vectors are influenced by many factors and  can be defined many ways. Ultimately all forms of diversity are manifested in a unique, embodied individual - an insight shared between Intersectionality and Liberalism (Individualism). 

"Uni-versity" is the organizational structure that aims to prepare the naive, educate the ignorant, and research the barely-known. There is only one University - otherwise they would have called it something different. 

"Di-versity" is the idea that differences exist among groups of objects that are similar enough to call a group, but dissimilar enough where differences can be seen. The "Di-" prefix reminds us that defining differences is always an act of bifurcation. The sooner we can realize that ideas and definitions exist as a consequence of opposition to one another, a more productive political discussion might emerge. 

"Tri-versity" is a made-up word (aren't they all....), and seemed like the next logical step in the sequence. Perhaps a "tri-versity" is the group of people who are "tri-ing" to make things "better" (implying coordinated action that also includes a collective consensus on what "better" should be). 

The first thought bubble emerging from the figure's mind is a loopy ring. A human child's first categories of the world are topological, not geometric (Jean Piaget *). This phase of evolutionary (species-level) and developmental (child-level) complexity is characterized by the inability to formalize topology beyond the immediate geometric forms found in nature. 

The second thought bubble emerging from the figure's mind is the idea of a point. Defining a point implies defining the space the point exists within. Thus the innovation of the infinitesimal "point" relies upon the shadow-concept of a vast, or even infinite, "space". Think about it from the point of view of a RAM-limited verbally-combative chat bot: Without the "space" to make an argument (e.g. pass values into functions), how could it "make a point"? 

The third thought bubble emerging from the figure's mind is a question: "Is the set of All points equidistant from some specified Point equivalent to a continuous 'Circle'?".

The fourth thought bubble is the following trilema: What is a Point? What is a Circle? What is a continuous line?

The fifth thought bubble is the obvious (to some) and esoteric (to most) next developmental stage of Geometry: Progressively more extreme abstractions to divine hypothesized or even merely possible types of relations among, for example, sets, categories, types, numbers, fields, networks, algebras, and grammars, and sentences and run on sentences and so on. 

In the final panel, a compass traces out a circle (n.b. not a "Circle"). Experiments can reveal patterns that exist comfortably beyond the reach of theory. Seafarers we are, in this ocean of possible Geometries - the Compass is where we must find Direction. Each individual's compass is crafted by Evolution and tuned by local experience, leading to predictable temporal and spatial patterns of self-similarity of outcomes across idiosyncrasies. Chaotic systems, such as children, are apt to strongly diverge in their final logical stances when their axioms diverge only slightly (See: ZFC axiom of choice, or the Catholic "Great Schisms"). So how do we reconcile your compass and my compass, with your thought bubble and my thought bubbles? -- That so many humans can live together somewhat peacefully, is nothing short of a miracle. 

*; www.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/news/features/features-feature11
​
Also see: Fuller, RB & Applewhite, EJ (1975). Synergetics; Explorations in the Geometry of Thinking. 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/daniel_friedman/39695970244/

VORTEX.
Def. 1, noun: A flow dynamic characterized by intense spirals, eddies, and turbulence.
Def. 2, verb: To agitate or chaotically mix a contained fluid, as a means to stir. 

COMPLEX.
Def. 1, noun: An aggregate, often complicated or with multiple parts. 
Def. 2,: adj., Difficult to understand. 
Def. 3, verb: To combine, amalgamate, or bring together multiple entities, especially when the new structure has new properties. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It is hardly a quirk of language that some words are used as multiple parts of speech. Actually, I think that this linguistic fluidity speaks directly to the core cognitive processes that underlie our use of language. Perhaps syntax-level fluidity in speech ("word-part play") reflects a deeper and more fundamental sort of creativity than the mere rearragement of socially-acceptable word-modules. In the above Figure, two polysemous words ("Vortex" and "Complex") are juxtaposed to explore this idea. In the space between the two words, there is an emergent combination.....Vorplex.....

The task of the semantic innovator is coercive, fitting words together into a long linear jig-saw puzzle called "this sentence". The semantic innovator is like a parent trying to corral a group of unruly children into a very well-structured minivan. Whereas the syntactic innovator, at the risk of incomprehensibility, delves into the subconscious basement of language, emerging from the dark with glittering new speech forms and word-relations. The task of the syntactic innovator is similar to the work of a basic scientist - their work is obvious to the point of being esoteric, so crucial that lay people hardly understand its relevance. Why is the Government not funding theoretical adverb research like they used to? Won't someone speak up for hyphenated-adjectives and the civil rights of conjunctions and grammatical strange loops and run-on sentences?!?

Over longer timescales, this syntax-semantics bifurcation is a perfect example of "plus ça change, the more they stay the same". Imperceptible syntactic "mutations" within a language accumulate, and eventually produce new languages that can be partially translated into one another or even admixed together (as in the previous sentence). This is contrasted by semantic "mutations", which can apparently coexist perfectly as long as the basic structure of their language remains common and unchanged. If you believe such a thing as "meaning" exists, then maybe we only divine the "content" of a text when we understand it from multiple perspectives, or in multiple languages (though do see Boris Buden for a dissenting opinion).  

Using new combination of words to convey semantic content is like changing the picture on your desktop background to reflect your current state. Using new syntactic forms is like modifying your operating system to both reflect your current state, as well as allow new classes of future modifications. In closing, if you find yourself needing to express some idea soon, you might want to:
Think outside of the. sentence

​See on flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/daniel_friedman/37000701326/in/dateposted/