I've never been good about deleting old emails, files, pictures, bookmarks or anything until it gets to some kind of unholy critical mass, then I purge like crazy. It's getting to be that time with my bookmarks, so I've been going through things clicking on things I haven't seen in years. I've deleted a lot, but rediscovered some things that I put aside to read later, and found some real gems; many are esoteric related, so I thought I'd share some of my favorites.

Below is an eclectic selection of recommended reading and viewing from my forgotten and neglected bookmarks.

The Conscious Media Network When I first discovered this site a couple years ago, it was a free service; reading through it now, it seems they have implemented a subscription fee—at a very nominal cost of $5 a month. Believe me; if you are looking for a seemingly unlimited source of in depth, esoteric-related video interviews, it is well worth the price. The list of interviewees includes: Dean Radin, Stanislov Grof, David Icke, Graham Hancock, Robert Bauval, Drunvalo Melchizedek, Gregg Braden, and Dannion Brinkley, among many others. If you want to take it for a test run to see if it's up your alley, CMN is offering a one-time-only 5 day free pass that allows access to the videos and other features.

The Law of Accelerating Returns—Ray Kurzweil

This longer article is a great primer for Kurzweil's assertions about the so-called Singularity that should be comin' round the mountain any time now. It couldn't be more titillating. Below is the abstract:

An analysis of the history of technology shows that technological change is exponential, contrary to the common-sense "intuitive linear" view. So we won't experience 100 years of progress in the 21st century — it will be more like 20,000 years of progress (at today's rate). The "returns," such as chip speed and cost-effectiveness, also increase exponentially. There's even exponential growth in the rate of exponential growth. Within a few decades, machine intelligence will surpass human intelligence, leading to The Singularity — technological change so rapid and profound it represents a rupture in the fabric of human history. The implications include the merger of biological and nonbiological intelligence, immortal software-based humans, and ultra-high levels of intelligence that expand outward in the universe at the speed of light.

Sampling and folding: The digital and the baroque

I went through a phase of Google Books obsession, and have a ton of bookmarks I'd totally forgotten. This is a great chapter (in its entirety) from a book entitled Materializing New Media: Embodiment in Information Aesthetics. Its not exactly light reading, but if you're interested in posthumanism or the semiotics of biotechnological ideas, then it may interest you.

Body Parts that Matter: Frankenstein, or The Modern Cyborg? An essay that explores the ideas of gender/sexuality, the cyborg/monster and liminality through the gothic classic Frankenstein. Christopher Lee: His Italian Journey into Perversion If you like Italian gothic cinema and postmodernist stances, you'll love this essay. Christopher Lee meets Gilles Deleuze.

Male Spirituality: A Feminist Evaluation

This is an older essay (1993) that considers gender in the modern "path to God." While it could be considered "dated," I actually found that angle most interesting because it was written during a limbo-like and critical time of the New Age, before the internet explosion but during the mass scale, connecting movements of Celestine Prophecy and Conversations with God.

The Measure of a Man: The Star Trek Mythos and Identity

Horror critic John Kenneth Muir's take on the pervasive notion of identity in Star Trek.

The Ghost Polaroids

The first time I ever heard about this case, I was completely spellbound. For some reason I had missed the episode of Sightings, and my friend told me all about these guys who would take Polaroid photos, onto which writing would appear—answers to questions, messages, etc. I was so mad I'd missed it, and I was determined to somehow see the segment; alas, it was before the instant gratification the internet provides, and I never did see that episode on TV.

I forgot about it for years, and then stumbled upon a mention of it somewhere, and was able to watch the Sightings segment finally. A while ago, I came across this website. The photos have been the subject of an art installation, and there's even a book available with the photos. The site has the entire narrative about the case and story, video footage, and the photos.