Reading 3 - Khoi

The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins provides an interesting explanation of human behavior and of the fundamental ideas of Darwin's Evolution theory.  It turns out that gene - the smallest genetic unit - preserves the patterns of information over time and is potentially, albeit with intention or nit, the answer to most questions concerning the current world's orders.  In chapter 11, Dawkins introduces a new idea of meme, which, he argues, bears quite substantial resemblance to gene.  Meme however is a more advanced edition and although possessing similar fundamental characters of gene such as fecundity, longevity, exactness in copying and so on, not necessarily "subservient" to gene's behavior.

The most interesting argument about gene and meme from the chapter is the power of these elements to orchestrate a world full of selfish individuals.  If gene achieves such order by natural selection that allows only selfish individuals to reappear in the gene pools, meme is argued to deploy the same method.  In a limited time and space of human brains, only those meme who is capable of capturing human attention continues to flourish in the future.  This opens an interesting implication about arts.  Most of artworks, in order to be successful, need not only innovation and aesthetic pleasing quality but also the ability to be remembered and referred to over an as long as possible time period.  This ability is achieved either via presentation or the idea inherited in the art or some other means.  

However, as human always possess certain qualities that lying beyond the rules of the selfishness such as the "foreseeability", arts should also seek for some other meanings and qualities beyond those that aim for everlasting popularity.  In fact, it is usually the case that artworks that strive for popularity fall into mediocrity while those idiosyncratic ones flourish in a much unexpected pattern

Interactive media changing advertising

I just stumble across this new and very cool way to advertise in public.