I've now been using "Hello Worlds!" in my code. I guess it's time to redefine the classic "Hello World!" in programming. I have adopted that practice to remind myself of the "Plurality of Worlds" that is upon us. In my opinion, the new generation will suddenly wake up to the continued proliferation of Worlds - in the real, virtual, imaginary and theoretical domains.With the growing number of new exoplanet discoveries, we are uncovering new worlds that have now begun to enter the thought-sphere of humanity. Our Earth is one among billions and billions of other worlds in outer space, and that's a fact.
On another realm, we have Virtual Worlds that may yet still seem crude and "artificial" at this point in time, but nevertheless can be considered as "Worlds" in their own right. We have the Metaverse, as best represented by Second Life. And we have Massive Multiplayer Online Games (MMORPG) best exemplified by World of Warcraft and Eve-Online. And there's Spore, a new genre, that is between an MMO and a single-player networked game.
We have the so-called "Parallel Worlds" in theoretical physics that seems far-fetched and inaccessible. They are a favorite in Sci-Fi, but who knows what a few decades could have in store for us? Our future progenitors may be crossing them to visit other worlds not only in space, but in time as well.
And last but not the least, I recognize the infinite worlds that are powered by the human imagination. Not to mention the wondrous Worlds that privately exist within each human mind, it is time to recognize these beautiful "Worlds" of fiction - as produced by the mind and the collective consciousness of the human race.
Truly we are in the "Era of New Worlds". And I recognize it as such to introduce "Hello Worlds!" in my programming practice (at least whimsically in my own little world of coding) as a web developer.
Today, we are not merely speculating the existence of other worlds, they are scientifically proven as a fact. The list of exoplanets is growing at an exponential rate to the point where we are on the verge of discovering earth-like worlds. Thus it will have an even greater impact on human culture and society.
I will track the exciting transition of the human psyche as it absorbs the ramifications of the plurality of worlds. I will then share the recoil it will bring in some aspects of the arts and humanities: in culture, media, religion, literature, spirituality, gaming, and other interesting fields.
It could be a lot of hard work, but the joy of discovery is what inspires me. This is a wonderful period in the history of humanity and I am grateful to live in such an era.
I will be your emissary, join me as I say "Hello Worlds"!
Note: This post is a spin-off or reblog from an earlier post in 2008 that I wrote at my other blog Archetyper. The original "Hello Worlds" can be found here: http://archetyper.blogspot.com/2008/04/hello-worlds.html
