BYTR is a Scratch project I created for “Beginning Interactive Multimedia Ritual Design,” that demonstrates a simple (trivial, really) interactive magical servitor embodied within a computer program, that invites many non-trivial questions about robotic and virtual servitors in general, such as:
- How does virtual — as distinct from actual, as simulation of the real — relate to magical in this context? When are we simulating magic or magical activity, and when are we doing (“real”) magic within a simulation, or in interaction with a simulation? When is an act of magic genuine, and when is it just an act — and what qualifies the difference?
- Can actual magic be algorithmic? Can a magical act be expressed algorithmically?
- What is automated in this context? What is autonomous? What is the role of the (human) magician, and how necessary is it? The role of ritual?
- Apropos of Carroll’s equations of magic (see below), what are effective means of transferring (G)nosis, (A)wareness, and (R)esistance to the servitor, and why? What are means of establishing an effective (L)ink with the servitor, and why?
- Is BYTR’s divination function, which generates a pseudorandom bit, fundamentally non-magical for its pseudorandomness?
I am working on a detailed treatise of the subject, so will not go into much detail here, but please feel free to leave comments or ask your own questions, below.
The overall functional design is based on Carroll’s Fourth Equation of Magic (Eidolonics) from PsyberMagick [1]: Pe = P + (1 − P)L1/P. The aesthetic design is (obviously) minimalist and inspired by Bit and Pac-Man.
Click the above image to interact with BYTR (requires Java and JavaScript), or click here to download the project to run locally (requires Scratch). The on-screen instructions will tell you what to do, and below are more detailed instructions.
Project Notes
BYTR Joshua Madara oneirodynesystems.com BYTR is a magical servitor embodied in a computer program. BYTR's functions are as follows: 1. CONJURATION -- The conjure function establishes a psychic link between BYTR and its operator. It is important to conjure at least one time before using BYTR for divination or enchantment. You may also conjure any time you want to strengthen your psychic connection with BYTR. To conjure, simply select (1) from the functions menu, and follow the on-screen instructions. 2. DIVINATION -- BYTR can answer your questions about the future and other hidden knowledge. However, BYTR can only respond in binary, i.e., yes or no, and will respond to every question as appropriately as possible with that constraint. To ensure maximum effectiveness of BYTR's divination, do not ask BYTR to divine answers to trivial questions. 3. ENCHANTMENT -- When you call for BYTR to enchant for you, you must draw a sigil [1] that represents your desire or intended result. BYTR will then consume the sigil, and output the result as part of its normal processing. BYTR's ability to digest a sigil and output its result, and the amount of time required to realize the result, will vary from one enchantment to another, and some desires may be too improbable for BYTR to process. To ensure maximum effectiveness of BYTR's enchantment, do not command BYTR to enchant for trivial desires. === ADDITIONAL OPTIONS === You can press the T key on your keyboard at any time to 't'oggle the on-screen instructions on/off. To stop the program at any time, click the red stop sign in the upper-right corner. To restart the program at any time, click the green flag. === NOTES & REFERENCES === 1. For more information about constructing sigils, see http://www.google.com/search?q=sigil+magic === CREDITS === All graphics were composed in Inkscape: http://www.inkscape.org/ or GIMP: http://www.gimp.org/ The font for the on-screen instructions is MiniFonts Nano Sans LC: http://www.minifonts.com/nanosans.html BYTR's divination function uses two sound clips created with AnalogX SayIt: http://www.analogx.com/contents/download/Audio/sayit/Freeware.htm
Notes & References
- Peter J. Carroll, PsyberMagick: Advanced Ideas in Chaos Magick (Tempe: New Falcon, 2000) 24–25
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