Alternate Realities

I am a fan of good science fiction. I don't read it as much as I used to, simply because I am too busy with other things, and my pile of books-to-read is already high enough without adding any to it. But in my youth, which wasn't that long ago really, I used to escape into other worlds on a regular basis. Listening to Shoutcast radio last night, to Larry Niven's The Integral Trees story about the Smoke Ring reminded me of this.

It strikes me that our favorite SF writers, and many scientists too, have long pondered the idea of multiple universes and alternate realities. As a writer, I can create a new world any time I want by applying fingers to keyboard to manifest my thoughts. Artists, potters, musicians, architects, programmers, all have the ability to create and bring their inner vision into outer being.

Real estate developers can look at a parcel of land -- beyond the price tag -- and envision a new neighborhood, an office building, or a mall.

Now look at the Internet. If that is not another universe and an alternate reality, I don't know what is. There is real estate being developed there all the time. Billions of web pages currently exist and more are being established every minute.

In effect, we, those of us who are involved in creating on the Internet, have fashioned our own universe, and make our own worlds.

As I ramp up my online businesses I think about this vast territory in which I am a digital pioneer.

So it's all true. When we run out of room on our beloved Earth, we look for new worlds to inhabit. They just don't have to be millions of miles away.