Re: Why memeoids?

From: John Wilkins (wilkins@wehi.edu.au)
Date: Tue Feb 12 2002 - 01:34:53 GMT

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    Subject: Re: Why memeoids?
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    From: John Wilkins <wilkins@wehi.edu.au>
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    On Tuesday, February 12, 2002, at 12:11 PM, Wade T.Smith wrote:

    > Hi John Wilkins -
    >
    >> Memeite is something you spread on toast in the UK. Or is it a meme
    >> that
    >> never hits anything but just burns up in the noosphere?
    >
    > What _don't_ you brits spread on toast, anyways...?

    We *Australians* eat Vegemite, which is what Marmite is a weak attempt
    to copy.
    >
    > _Meteoroid_ is what is out in space. (As 'memeoid' would be in the
    > brain-
    > not because there is so much space between our ears, but because of the
    > unreachable quality of it....) A _meteor_ is what we see hurtling
    > through
    > the sky. (Thus 'meme', that behavior-only entity, needs must be seen,
    > apprehended, and attended, to be replicated.) And finally, the
    > _meteorite_ is what might reach the earth, and be picked up and handled,
    > and which, upon examination, yield some data. (Thus 'memeite'- an
    > artefact produced by memetic activity.)

    Nope, I'm going to make a slightly more serious suggestion here:

    Meteor Meme <the entity that is the cause of the following>
    Meteorite Memeite <the end result of the cause>
    Meteroid Memoid <the observable phenomenon>
    Atmosphere Noosphere <the medium in which the entity and its effects
    are observed>

    >
    > As for burning up in the noosphere, I think that's what happened to this
    > girl I used to date in college....
    >

    We used to refer to it as the nowayjosé.

    --
    John S Wilkins
    Head, Communication Services
    The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
    Parkville, Victoria, Australia
    

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