Re: Why memeoids?

From: Keith Henson (hkhenson@cogeco.ca)
Date: Tue Feb 12 2002 - 02:07:47 GMT

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    Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 21:07:47 -0500
    To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
    From: Keith Henson <hkhenson@cogeco.ca>
    Subject: Re: Why memeoids?
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    At 06:43 PM 11/02/02 -0500, you wrote:

    >And it reminds me that at one time I was thinking about tossing out for
    >inspection the 'meteor, meteoroid, meteorite' terminology in memetics,
    >especially as far as the _where_ things might be- which would present a
    >case for 'memeoid', as well as 'memeite'. It would also, very nicely,
    >sync in with my behavior-only stance, as 'meme' would be the terminology
    >for the behavior, 'memeite' for an artefact of any sort with memetic
    >content, and 'memeoid' for the memory quantum in the brain.
    >
    >- Wade

    Sorry Wade, you came too late to the party. There are 5 pages of web links
    on google for memeoid and it looks like every one of them is in the mode of
    the meaning I suggested for the word 17 years ago.

    Little amusing history there, memeoid was coined in analogy to android, a
    robot, robotic behaviour. But I considered using the word for a minimal
    meme in analogy with viroid, a chunk of DNA (gene) too small to code for a
    single gene.

    Encyclopedia.com - Results for viroid
    Electric Library's Free Encyclopedia viroid viroid, microscopic infectious
    agent,
    much smaller than a virus, that infects higher plants such as potatoes ...
    Description: (Encyclopedia.com)
    Category: Reference > Encyclopedias > Encyclopedia.com > V
    www.encyclopedia.com/articles/13520.html - 16k - Cached - Similar pages

    Infective speech fillers people pick up of the "you know" and "fact of the
    matter" are these kind of minimal memes. I am not aware of a term for for
    such minimal memes. Suggest one if you wish.

    Keith

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