November 12, 2007
Evolutionary Primacy
Numb3rs, artificial reality, and playing with emergence

100,000,000 AVATARS
6 BILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY
54 ALTERNATE REALITIES
2 TECHNOUTOPIAN VISIONARIES

How do we escape the emerging pervasiveness of virtual worlds? While theater appears safe (for now), television may not be the answer, popular culture cross over multiplying by the hour. I made a trip home this weekend to be greeted by the question, "You see Numbers on Friday?" Well, no. I had made a temporary escape to the Barclay Theatre to see a modern adaptation of Guy Bolton's Anything Goes. Meanwhile, it turns out the CBS Television series, Numb3rs aired an episode on evolutionary algorithms and the present future of alternate reality gaming. I was happy to know my brother taped it. So late last night I fired up the DVR and will share my response here. Hopefully the analysis will draw you past its spoiler effect, a playful world that awaits beyond the psychological effects of plot.

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