repetition as mechanisms well understood to entice the mind into a state of ecstasy; ecstasy then being the foundation within the mind for the concept of trust that forms the subsuming infrastructure for the social ecosystems that we, humans, have sought to achieve through the ages at progressively larger scales. Other interactions, as incantations at the beginning of team sports matches, or anthems preceding political rallies, may be studied through this prism.

At a considerably more mechanical level, within the model that we have evolved through the course of this book, prayer is a term we can apply to a transaction protocol. More specifically, it is an application layer protocol within the context of the network reference model that we presented in Chapter 3. Of course, prayer is about much more than simple communication; it embodies the very essence of complex interaction. As such, it is an application protocol that derives stimulus from the hierarchy of needs. It is an appeal that bumps at the boundaries of policy mechanisms by potentially seeking a modification of policy to address or redress our most profound needs. The boundary condition cases are generally the most telling about interactions, whether physical or social.

Throughout the course of this book, we have made a number of allusions to the concept of complex interaction. In this chapter we seek to explore the integration of an emergent species of computers, the transcendent personal device, into a social ecosystem infrastructure as fully capable as religious orders in establishing a framework for complex interaction. In essence, we’re expecting the creation of an electronic, cyberspace analogue to the prevalent historical human interaction mechanism, religion. In this realm, the transcendent personal device will be the person. Through the establishment of identity, it will effect trust and policy considerations on behalf of the person, thereby allowing more effective control of the environment.

The Domain of Trust

The transcendent personal device is emerging from a mutation of a personal electronic device that is based on a standard, highly mobile appliance such as a cellular telephone plus a secure core, an evolution of today’s mobile phone plus its Subscriber Identity Module. Its function is the establishment and conveyance of trust coupled to active participation in the application of policy on behalf of its bearer. As we suggested in Chapter 9, the mechanisms that it uses for these purposes are a powerful connection to the sensori-motor environment of the bearer formed through a reliable processor connected to a user interface that engages all of the human senses along with a trusted container in which to store information and a trusted computer platform on which to perform sensitive computations. As we’ve discussed throughout the book, we view trust as a measure of the probability of predicting specific outcomes of interactions or various aspects of interactions. To be effective in this role, the transcendent personal device must serve to determine that trust is well understood prior to engaging in the interaction. It is indeed important to emphasize that trust implies a probability, not a certainty. We trust the authentication process used to establish the identities of the parties, subsequent to trusting the process used to establish and convey that identity. We recognize that the authentication may be false, but with there being a well understood path to that happening. Accordingly, we expect that within a well structured social ecosystem, this probability of failure can be anticipated properly and subsequent consequences appropriately applied.

The boundaries of a general identification system within a particular social ecosystem are defined by the mechanisms used to establish and project trust to the various components of the system. This essentially defines the scope of the reference model that we’re outlining. A variety of

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