I really responded well to Lanier's extended example of cephalopods as a contrast to our own technological neoteny. Part of this is because I really, really, REALLY like oceanography and aquatic invertebrates, but I also enjoy how he turned the idea of morphing into a natural occurence to explain our own fascination with it, then began to explore the concept further. His idea that we could create a system of communication that involves becoming the symbols of meaning rather than expressing them through sound is a very interesting one to anyone who has studied semiotics, as I believe many people reading this blog have. I have heard it argued that much of sign language is in fact a better and more direct way to communicate than speaking words aloud. It is possible that animals such as cuttlefish do in fact have a semiotic system in place already using morphs and symbols; some species are said to have intelligence higher than crows (who are pretty bright).
The idea that we could integrate a whole new system of communication into virtual reality is something that I had never considered before. I had assumed that we would communicate in such a space much as we did in our current space, with the added benefit of being able to send text messages or restrict messages to private. Being able to communicate with our own shapes beyond using body language is a very deep idea. Would there be limits? How could we be sure that the system was interpreting our desires correctly? So many possibilities have opened up with this idea.
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