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Knol

identification number entries. Typically, a card would mute itself after three invalid attempts, at which stage a new identification number, called an unblocking identification number, could be used to recover. If that unblocking number itself would be invalid, then the card would shut off for good. So we find in usage cards with different states of answers to a particular threat, that of an invalid entry. That variability added to service levels is a source of asymmetry, itself offering a rich environment for threats and counter-measures.

Threat modeling allows computers to assess with great finesse approaches to known asymmetries. The domain of the unknown is today beyond the capabilities of secure computers; however, we will now see how answering the known unknown is already in the purview of today’s technology, and how we can study humans’ approach to unknown unknowns and anticipate future computer responses to ever evolving asymmetries. That, we will see, is where myths and religions will bring us to the brink of seeing computers self-actualize.

Deus ex Machina

Among the highest order needs revealed by the person is that of aesthetics as reflected by an appetite for beauty rendered through sensation and emotion. As is often said, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” The various genres of expression that we know as the arts form a collection of manifestations of the sating of such appetites. As a reflection of these needs, within most endeavors we tend to seek to identify and hopefully understand, at least to some degree, the artistic aspects of them. One can construct a building with the expectation that the building will satisfy the functional requirements for which it was constructed. However, we tend to separate the function of design from that of architecture. A building designer is to a large extent an engineer while an architect is to an even larger extent an artist. The artist is able to illuminate that altered state of consciousness that is often the basis of our internal trust mechanism. This is not to denigrate the need for the designer, but rather to emphasize the role of the artist in enabling us to fully appreciate an endeavor.

The arts comprise a broad range of mechanisms through which a state of ecstasy might be evoked within the minds of the observers. Among these various mechanisms, that of theatre provides a most interesting reflection of the trust and policy infrastructures that we have described as the basis for social systems. Indeed, theatrical performances offer dynamic simulations of the very social systems in which we all actually live our lives. It is essentially an art form directed at the interaction process itself. Among all the branches of theatre, a significant aspect of the impact of performance is realized through altered states of consciousness created by and resulting from the acting, establishing an alternate version of reality, symbolized by artifacts and practices specific to the art. As with all such endeavors, the degree of ecstasy derives as a product of the performance and of the receptivity of the persons involved. With this basis in mind, we will attempt to illustrate our observations about the evolutionary progression of the interrelation of computer systems and social ecosystems through metaphorical allusion to three distinct forms of theatre: the scripted play, commedia dell’arte, and repertory improvisation.

Correspondingly, we want to explore three distinct phases of the use or participation of computer systems, particularly secure core based platforms and ultimately transcendent personal devices, in the conduct of complex policy based interactions. These phases constitute our perception of the progression of computer systems as social ecosystems expand into the realm of the Internet. As we’ve attempted to illustrate, the function of social ecosystems is to moderate the extremes of the physical ecosystem; to add an element of mediated conduct of interactions in place of the direct impact of the physical ecosystem. A significant aspect of social ecosystems is the amelioration of

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