Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream

A fucked up gonzo journey in the midst of a spectral drug haze defiling all which is believed to be well in the materialistic culture of America in the early 70s. Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo: felonious acid casualties, chase the American Dream in the decedent hub known as Las Vegas. Maniacal drug addicts terrorize the land in a red convertible and a suitcase full of drugs. In a snarled etheromanicale confusion, they strike terror into the corrupt hearts and souls of the inhabitants of this freakish, fucked up realm. “No, this is not a good town for psychedelic drugs. Reality itself is too twisted.” In a messed-up drug cloud they seek to abuse and destroy symbols of Americas mainstream cult of consumerism and excess.

They were in search of the American Dream, what they found was a burnt psychiatric office.

Brain Parasite

Toxoplasma Gondii is a microscopic parasite which can be found living within an oocyst of cat feces. When the oocyst breaks open the entities are released into the open air and wafted away by wind currents. They fly onward, on a quest to find a new home and to spawn a new generation. Many will not survive because they land upon concrete and nonporous dirt, unable to find a suitable host. Death will occur within 5 days. But many will find intermediate homes within plants and mammals, a few will find their way into the only place where sexual reproduction can occur, a cat.

It is an inevitability that a Toxoplasma Gondii parasite will eventually float into the ear of a rat and implant itself into his brain. It will travel past the hair and through the ear, moving into the central muscle, the porous tissue of the rat’s brain. The parasite will find an abode within the warm-blooded animal. It will invade a single cell and begin the first phase of its ultimate goal, to get into the intestinal lining of a cat.

Within the infiltrated cell and within the intruder’s body, two daughter cells will form inside of the mother cell. The miniature daughters of biological information will consume the mother parasite before their separation, leading to their subsequent asexual replication. Within the brain tissue a cyst will begin to emerge. Inside of the host’s own cell a distinct membrane will verge. Unfortunately for the rat this infection will be undetected by his immune system. The parasite is disguised within the host’s own cell. The parasites’ slow and continual replication will eventually cause this cell to burst, releasing the parasitic offspring into the surrounding brain tissue.

The rat’s immune system will then move into action after noticing the explosion of nefarious activity. It will eradicate many of the parasite pilgrims before their new homes are reached. But some of them will make it to fertile ground. Some will survive, creating new cells of infiltration and replication, maintaining the brain’s infectation. This process repeats many times.

The parasite is going about its ordinary day, continuing its lineage by creating copies. The replicators are there to fulfill a purpose. With surgical precision they program the rat, knowing they must cut short his life. His purpose is now that of a tool, implemented towards the purpose of the parasite.

The rat will travel onwards, avoiding open spaces and the scent of unfamiliar food, sniffing and squeaking as he moves, just about an ordinary day. The rat eats, drinks, and excretes as is normally done. His brain tells him that it is good.

But suddenly a sense will enter into his mind, and an excitement will overcome, a sensation greater than that of found food. He will rush towards the lovely scent. A mind has been programmed; it is now perfectly rational to seek the greatest prize a rat can pursue. Cat urine is now his preferred delicacy.

The surgical precision of the parasite changed the rat’s behavior. While most of his ordinary survival tendencies remained unaffected, the infection rewrote a vital program. Rather than being fearful towards the scent of a cat, he is now drawn towards it.

As a result of being around cat scents, the rat will eventually be devoured. Within the slaughtered pieces of the rat’s body are the parasitic offspring of the original Toxoplasma Gondii. Sensing the new conditions of their environment, they begin to infect the cat’s small intestine. The parasites enter the white blood cells within the intestinal lining. Through the blood stream the invaders are distributed, grabbing on to the white cells and taking the express lane, infiltrating throughout the entire body. They will mature into gametes and sexually reproduce. Oocysts filled with the offspring are birthed into the world through the cat’s feces.

The purpose of that original T. gondii’s life was to get the rat inside of the cat. It had succeeded and its ancestors live on. Its purpose has been accomplished.

Solar Lottery Review

The Solar Lottery is a classic science fiction novel that was published in 1955 by the author Philip K. Dick, his first full length novel. While obviously Dick is still developing his style in this work, it contains many themes that are present in his later books. Such as a cynical view of the future, his portrayal of government and corporations, the loss of individuality and achieving self empowerment, and of course there is an android which humans are able to control. He had written 70 short SF stories in several pulp magazines such as Astounding and Amazing by the end of 1955 and was known throughout the community. Indeed a significant point in his career. Sadly, like most of his work during his time alive, few people outside of the community and his cult like following paid much attention to his first full length story when it was published in May of 1955 by the low paying publisher Ace Books. After his death, and the many film adaptations of his books, more people interested in science fiction are looking back to these early works. Elements of the zeitgeist are apparent in the novel. Written during the beginning of the Cold War the book was influenced by the fears of society. With large corporations, the public distrust of each other, and the loss of power at the hands of the huge governments, the Solar Lottery is still strikingly relevant to the world of today.

The Solar Lottery takes place in the year 2203. The planet is run by the random forces of nature and the people are compelled by the socialized instrument of chance called “the bottle”. This instrument, and as a result the whole society, is based on the number logic of game theory called minimax in which the player either tries to maximize the minimum possible gain or to minimize the maximum possible loss. Telepaths known as teeps serve as omniscient players on one side of the game. These beings are in a position to make the best decision, achieving the maximum gain or minimum loss for the person they work for. The teep networks will watch the thought signatures of whoever they need to watch, and make advisements in accordance to the information they have gained. This makes it difficult to assassinate the globalist leader or to break the not always just laws. Doing things that will disrupt the maximum gain or minimum loss for the corporations are illegal.

The minimax theorem was developed by mathematician John von Neumann in 1928 and it was his first significant contribution to the social science of economics. This system was employed by both Soviet and American intelligences. The roles of society are decided by entering into a complex lottery system determined by twitches of subatomic particles. Every member has an equal chance of becoming the leader of the world government (known as the Quizmaster), or becoming a slave worker on mars. This randomization of society serves as a vehicle for social control and as an expansion of nature’s forces. During the happenings of this multi-planet spanning culture, the individuals in the giant lottery are distracted and engrossed by a game where a player is selected for an assassination on the Quizmaster. When an assassin is countered a new one is selected, the more assassins that are thwarted, the greater the respect of the people. If the assassin succeeds a new Quizmaster is randomly chosen in the lottery, and as a result, a new assassin.

Every citizen has a power card which allows them to get a job as a serf with one of the major corporations. The citizen, if accepted, now belongs to them. In exchange they are given a house to live in, food to eat, and a woman to sleep with. They must obey their oath until released of their duty, or face the consequences.

The society has colonized the nine planets (Pluto was still a planet back then) and have many slaves performing arduous work on all of the worlds. Groups of fringe crackpots believe there is a tenth planet called the Flame Disk. They are following the works of the presumably long dead prophet John Preston who is believed by the cultists to still be alive. They set out to find the mythical tenth planet in an interesting subplot that is marginally connected to main story.

While the Solar Lottery is not Philip K. Dick’s greatest novel, or even in the top ten, it is the work which put him on the map and debuted some themes which would be further developed in later novels. It was an enjoyable read and an interesting look at some quality science fiction from more than 50 years ago.

3.6 / 5

Alone

Last night I had a dream within a dream.

Alien beings have invaded our planet in a giant ship, leaving mass destruction in their wake. Some of us got on board in a way unknown to me. I engaged in an epic battle with the ships commander. After defeating him I went onward to rescue the woman. One of my comrades looked as if he was trying to get with her even though he already has a girl friend and in spite of the fact that I had just defeated the ships commander. Eventually I communicated with her and we were getting along well. We all traveled back to the planet, much of it desert, and began to rebuild and repopulate. The dream was much longer in experience and I wish that I could remember the details. I woke up and began recording my dream when my friend Nick calls me. I tell him about the dream and he asks me if I’ve seen the series “V”. “Yes, but the new version has been disappointing so Far.”, I inform him. So he picks me up and we drive around and pick up some pot. We get back to his house and he wants to make a movie out of my dream. I’m interested but I don’t think we have the supplies and skills to make it work. In the room with us are Nick’s girlfriend (not the one he has in real life) and a pretty blonde woman who reminds me of a girl I knew in high school. The girlfriend asks the other girl if she would ever be in a relationship with me. She pauses and I shyly look away. “Why?” she asks. “I don’t know, why you don’t ask him?” says the girlfriend. Her blue eyes look into mine, “Why?” I wake up in my bed, “Because we don’t have to be alone.”

This dream occurred before my final REM cycle so it was very vivid and long. The final REM dream was very intense, I was shot three times and I nearly killed a man. I may talk about it later.

Why don’t I have a girlfriend?

Maybe I need one. A Yin to my Yang.

Introduction

Who am I?

I am a 20 year old wannabe science fiction writer. I go to school for electronic engineering technology and I take some writing classes for the fun of it. Once I complete my certificate, I may go all out and get a writing degree. I realize a degree is not necessary, but it will surely make me a better writer. In the meantime I will continue to write stories, outlines, character sketches, and dreams. Eventually I may have enough material to write a book and several stories may be of a quality required for a scifi magazine publication. My style is not really science fiction, I just use that term for lack of a better one. Someday I’ll create the proper label for my aberrant fiction. Hmm, is that it? Probably not.

I will be putting up articles here from time to time about strange subjects I have been thinking of. My goal is to publish at least three per month. This will increase my writing skills, expand my understanding of the subject, provide material for use at a later date, and debut interesting papers for others to read. This webpage will also serve as something I can show to potential publishers. It is better than just giving a story alone.

Now I must consider a name, here are some ideas off the top of mine head:

Ideazone

Outlet for a caged mind

Aberrant perplexities

Perplexing Ripples of Estranged Personalities

Peculiar Ponderings

This is all I can think of for the moment, I think I’ll go with Perplexing Ripples of Estranged Personalities. It was used in a poem I wrote many moons past, based on a true story. It has some high points which flow nicely, but also some low points of convolution and haste. Still do I enjoy it, and I shall post it here for you:

5/12/09 am

Arcane Mask so Fine

 

My travels have brought me again to this place.

Papers, books, electricity, and wood. Beings,

Faces, and Knowledge abound in this homely

Destination I have reached. Which my nature

Impels me to seek . . .

 

Sitting down in my cushiony chair, to my side

I see her, dark dress and black hair. Her cloths

Are of liquid, water elemental shows through,

Her damp scent waves into me, and I perceive

The sensitivity of her being.

 

Her dark eyes scan paper of pictures, yet my

Presence is known. With the quiet nature she

Holds, how can interest be shown? Sympathy

I have, yet a recluse I am still. A word will not

Be spoken., only a shadow will be known. . .

 

Alas her book is closed, and a glance I catch her

Steal, yet naught will I inquire to her what is it

That you feel? Within those watery eyes, within

The land of soul, through the patterns of your being,

Beyond thou arcane mask so fine.

 

She arises from her stay, and begins to take her leave

My eyes return to the symbols, as she passes before me.

Towards the exit she travels, Priestess of dark liquid

Blue, float away through that open door. As I ponder

The Perplexing Ripples of estranged personalities.

_____

This will serve as an outlet for my mind since I’m such a recluse in the material world. While pondering such perplexities they will no longer be contained within only my mind, but instead they will be available to all throughout the world, for good or ill. I shall edit this poem in the future, elating up to the precipice of my future standards. These articles of which I shall present will not be of professional quality, because I am not a professional. They do it for the money; amateurs do it for the love.