Those who subdue the environment are also the same who subdue society

Nemo - The name of oppression

Check out the intro page fro the rest of the story..

• repeated themes is the heart of the program - interrelationships
• design philosophy - must restrict scope to make highest quality graphics and interaction - but have a large enough scope for containing the fantastical and exotic and to retain future expandability
• in copyright terms this page covers the ideas to be expounded on - and the expression of the ideas is what is preserved somewhat here but more fully explored in the terrain pages as in the Contents
• rampant with themes/symbolism: for example the underground rivers of life and death - one flowing and the other non-flowing - one going to a defunct nuclear laboratory - one going to a giver of life, the condensation sphere - the idea is the rivers of life and death - the expression of the idea is underground and non-flowing for one river and the opposite for the other, and both origins of the bodies of water are at nuclear plants

• "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea"  theme lends its self to the anti-war/humanistic/art theme
• Further examples: an area with the remnants of a slave camp and dock, the enslaved statues juxtaposed against the "free" statues in the lagoon, the monarch of the seas at the "Observatory" and the Nemo voice-overs in a few select areas of the virtual world and each time the explorer signs onto the program.  Through these explorations the user will find conversations like Nemo's misgivings for his methods of fighting oppression.

• Everything in this virtual world is pre 1900
• Nemo is Latin for "no one"
• Nemo spelled backward is Omen - which has  the same meaning in  French and English
• Nemo=Nemesis (from Greek myth) - one who inflicts retribution or vengeance - retributive justice in its execution or outcome - a source of harm or destruction - these definitions of Nemesis are a great way to describe Nemo as self destructive also
• "Nemo’s Mind" - even the title is possessive
• you are in a mental construct of the famous Captain Nemo of Jules Verne’s 20,000 leagues under the sea
• Voice Overs from Nemo's character will enhance the social awareness theme of the conflicted struggle over oppression
• ambiguous nature of Nemo and all cultures - humanities contradictory natures: science versus nature/art, peace through aggression - Nemo was ambivalent - abhorred slavery yet imprisoned his passengers to protect his submarine - pacifist/murderer
• access to the ocean wrecks gave Nemo unlimited riches which he used in the book to give to the poor - but he also kept some in his lounge (where the big round window is in the book and movie - although book has the opening/closing round window on both sides of the hull) - if the world was a better place he would have expressed himself in a manner like on Nemo’s Mind - he held him self high as a captain, an Indian prince, and as a judge of death -  reading the book it was obvious there were stations in life where some serve and some master - Nemo just didn’t like it when it crossed the lines of torture, death, etc. -  the Nemo attitude is that the environment is his to do as he pleased and making enclosed environments such as the Bonsai Enclosure has more than just one theme in common with his Nautilus dominion - as an example of how certain knowledge and power was reserved to the masters... Nemo and the professor (who had his own servant calling him master) were the only ones to explore Atlantis and the professor did not share the experience in any way with his fellow prisoners - they both held science above all else - and the extravagance of Nemo’s Mind expresses this - extravagance versus pride in the harsh discipline of a soldier - and so Nemo had many quirks that would appear to be hypocrisies - the theme: his extreme character is a reflection of our own nature and its conflict with the environment, the need to control other’s lives while knowing we should leave them be
• how is Nemo reflected? enclosed - contained - formal arrangements - functional - disciplined/harsh living - conditions, scientific experiments and excess electrical/nuclear power - stylistic structures that reflect his technology - reminders of historic slavery - everything is from his age or earlier - the Nautilus and INMO island and entrance
• everything that is built in his mind (this program) fits - true physics and connected systems reflect the scientific mind - such as the bottom of the sphere is correctly at sea level and the system to get fresh water from there to the observatory - the island is basically waterless - volcanic - to have fresh water and electricity he has a nuclear powered steam generator in a huge condensation sphere underground where it is most efficient and of course hidden from the rest of the world - all little details make sense - little pulse of the cliff pool matches the rhythm of the steam plant pressure - tides are reflected in the fog horn effect of the vent - overflow of water from fire fountain is used for sustaining garden and bonsai enclosure - all details from a scientific mind
• Nemo was socially conscious but socially isolated - just one of his ambiguities - in one way he can represent the isolation inherent by the separateness of our minds - in another way he shows us the victim of slavery and suppression who has lost his inner human self
• Nemo theme mirrors the ambivalence for violence and subjugation which is something the world still deals with
• isolation - another theme of Nemo and this feeling is cool in its own right and jives with mystery of Nemo's Mind
• Nemo was the first to appreciate and become an underwater explorer (as a fictional character within the book's setting) - so there is a beauty into making him the water theme in this program
• Nemo pacifist theme - island certainly explores Nemo’s dual nature theme
• themes - like the enclosed bonsai is a theme right there - its enclosed which is anal and it comes across like nature can survive against man only by Nemo’s nurturing - very arrogant
• what is Nemo’s mentality? So far (do you have input?) he is unbalanced, he has a strong scientific mind with out humanistic guidance - his only humanistic guide is his mistrust and his anger/pain from family loss (suppression and slavery theme). He is a protector of human rights and puts him self as the judge of who must die - he loves and has faith in the beauty of nature, yet rejects anything above water (in the first book, but not so much in Mysterious isalnd) simply because it is the domain of "Man". While others wish to destroy nature and the world - he only wishes to know its every secret, to emulate and control it. He has a lot of ambiguity in the nature and humanity themes
• Nemo’s Mind explores the extremes of humanity good and bad and the hidden unconscious in all of us
• Nemo lives within us all - the design of this program emerged first and then the realization the art, island, and surreal elements were only cohesive as a construct of Nemo’s mind. See the very abstract very informal page - the whole island stays true to explorations of that theme and the subconscious theme
• underwater is more beautiful than the land in Nemo’s eyes

• Highlighted on terrain pages in yellow

• Crucial to get the Social Aware theme and Surreal into place

• Voice overs from the character Captain Nemo

• Spare voiceovers are crucial to make Nemo's Mind as safe to express beauty and wonder as the other genres such as books and movies.  Without a voice over then it appears the makers of NM put their blessing on nuclear energy etc.  Another example of needed steering is the use of terms such as Genesis Beach - the user can see the term as they please.  But some users will find a way to take offense such as thinking the makers of NM imply an evolution stance in having users crawl up on to the beach.  See the example quote below

• Voiceovers by a quality actor with Indian accent

• Every time the user signs on and enters the Nemo's Mind environment a voice over is given to keep some focus on Jules Verne's and Nemo's sentiment

• Voiceovers could be placed strategically around the island such as at the remnants of the slave camp and dock

• Countless lines of dialogue from the 2 books: "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea" and "Mysterious Island". 
  

• This theme is all about the burial of humanities history
• Voice Overs through out the virtual world bring home the memories and his dubious struggle against oppression
• The Ship Wreck off the East of the island and the Lighthouse off the West coast are 2 examples of structures in place as memory devices and appropriately all of Nemo's Mind that resides on the surface is physically encompassed within the bounds of his memories

• Its time Jules Verne takes his place among the literary greats.  His work has often been slighted as purely children's stories.  The public bys into this when they seen "adapted works of his 3 most famous works.
• As a "Geographical Author" he is perfect for the physical environs representing the world, that Nemo's Mind is all about.

• an island automatically transports the participant into mystery, survival, and adventure
• an island = adventure in our minds = exploration - ideally the explorer wouldn’t know it was an island until they are at or near the top - nature is beauty is art
• the island is Nemo's Mind.  The surface is consciousness.  Underwater and Underground is subconscious.  Being airborne in the a dirigible (last mode of transportation to come by) is super consciousness.
• Just as in life.  The island starts as a physical presence on the surface of existence and then becomes more introspective.  So it develops from surface to underground
  

• most of the details pertaining to surreal elements are in the terrain descriptions
  
• why surreal? - for the art - for the mental aspect - for the theme
• this adds the interactive elements to the art and architecture
• pure dream elements in the dream structures and the dream sphere
  
• explores a new "surREALity" - overdone weather and colors and environments lends to surreal dream nature of program - a new theme in surreality is dream and ...
• dream components of any culture explored
• participant is in a construct of Nemo's Mind - human art/human condition meaning surreal events
• underground/caves have always been an exploration of the subconscious
• being a construct of a specific mind with fixed attitudes is ideal base for surreal and themes - Nemo was one of the first global cause fictional characters and certainly one of the best known
• land and objects shift over time, so nothing stays the same.  The lay of the land could literally be a conveyor belt with uneven terrain running over an understructure of uneven terrain and the flora and fauna stays within certain geographic bounds.  so the ancient road would end up shifting and straightening etc. according to the changes
• any structure could be packed with more detail and art with interactive elements - textures could move on walls to tell stories - columns could rotate with scenes panning by that are wider than the surface of the architecture - structures could transform from one architecture to another - one structure could show the evolving design of its architecture as it did over hundreds of years
• surreal elements are concentrated around dusk - the magical time of day especially to dream cultures and dream researchers
• not being able to see own body adds to the surreal and concentrates interaction out of self - no use for hands in Nemo’s Mind
• some lighting effects like sun reflecting off ocean or sun could be overdone in the surreal - notice me realm
• some surreal specifically for the morning like the haiku with boy crossing bridge with the sun - haiku given audibly for a scene in a painting that is animated - or by shadow on real terrain
• maybe all surreal is either underground or at dusk dawn - consistent - just another detail that I already overlook but gives huge character to the setting - another aspect is this accidentally becomes a cheap hook - participants are conditioned to get on line when the most is happening in early evening - when most are done with the day
• morphing terrain for the surreal - like rocks that suddenly change into something recognizable and then back again - specially with the help of moon shadows as part of the shaping - morph structures etc. - this would be great juxtaposition for nature and man similarities - but no matter what - keep it beautiful and consistent in themes - morph stained glass as a video show - influenced by the participant
• look over a valley at dusk/dawn/night and suddenly a zoom in to a scene playing out below - a scene from something Nemo read etc. or even a scene from the novel!! - cool The books in Nemo’s library all have the surreal scenes within them - find the old books and use them for the scenes and poetry that turns tanks into scarabs etc. - layers within layers - environments within environments
• once you have seen a surreal or an art object then it starts popping up elsewhere?  like after seeing the surface of the moon in the binary area maybe seeing full moon when in the volcano transports you into the moon and when you look over the rim its nothing but sun and shadowed moon surface - eventually the environment morphs so much that the sun disappears and all is permanent twilight?
• surreal star sequence - stars become figures like the constellations
• the more the environment is in sync with your real environment like day/night/moon/tides/weather then the more surreal it is - because virtual links more with reality
• speed up the cloud movement and behavior noticeably for the surreal and for the watching and for obvious movement of cloud shadow across the terrain
• suddenly the screen goes to white and then your view is looking from above and diagonal - suddenly quiet - or a sense of wind - then the screen tilts and slides and hear wings flapping - when vision goes back to normal you can look up and see the crow - perhaps every creature does this to you - it would be very surreal and an environmental theme and a way to find something as small as a snail or at least a special one like a golden snail - the spooky Tomb Raider effect
• squid or dolphins do flash transformations into mermaids etc.
• moon rotates with discernible shapes across a surface that must be at least 50 moons wide during an hour - a scene transforms on the moon face or on a full moon or it rotates faster with a scene of something like running wild horses
• could add stories in an alternate universe surreal way by doing all extra computer controlled characters by shadows on the ground - could have clouds wipe out any violent scenes - would be extremely easy to add this cheap but other world animation and story - extinct animals like saber toothed and woolly mammoths etc. - dinosaur
• only the shadows from moon or other light source show people or animals that aren't there - moving around - very surreal and very easy to do versus animating the source of the shadows - this could be a lot of fun - what should we have our shadows doing? - maybe also our own avatar shadows starting to do their own thing - in the first stages of the program they would be pre-rendered shadows but later on real source from invisible animations and maybe interactive
• make invisible portals transporting to another place or time - seasons of year - kind of like secret of the program the participants can tell each other about - where to find
• adds a space that doesn’t really exist in the "real" world of the island - this would be great surreal surprise perhaps related to where last at - perhaps a parallel event from Nemo’s past that made him construct the area just in before transported - such as a place from child hood where he met a young girl - so there is an animated/video of her - - perhaps a triggered ephemeral blue shimmer near where the transporter is - like a beckoning or an interference from another consciousness
• if a contributor wishes to stage a surreal event with lighting in a night environment - do it with portals - such as walking into the carousel area suddenly changes all to night like the change in terrain when you step into the snow version of the 3 Sisters
• surreal previews or flashes - and deja vu - symbolism to use through out the participants exploration - previews and flashbacks to areas that are linked to where at - or moving toward at the moment
• Atlantean writing and graffiti carved into the ceiling of the Observatory Alcove.  Anything like this should be changed on a daily basis like all petroglyphs rearranged etc. thru out the island.  Nothing is static.  All is fresh

• Perfect representative of the subconscious.  Supposedly the only mammal that never completely sleeps - 2 halves of brain take turns with conscious and unconscious states - possibly lives in a semi dream state at all times - the dolphin is also one of those re-entrants - all mammals are originally from land
• When ever the explorer is near water or in their personal mini-sub "Dolphin" (or Nautilus) they will have a companion dolphin.  The Dolphin has always been seen as living in a half sleep and is the explorer's escort into the dream state.  All the qualities that give our affinity to the dolphin will be admired here in its physical movement and grace.  Its power and playfulness is what draw us to its fluidity.  Whenever one or more explorers are in proximity to other explorers and the sea then local dolphins play and create visions in the water and splashes.  If all in this virtual world is the psyche then all below the surface and in the water is the subconscious.
• first appearance is when you arrive at Genesis Beach and anytime you come back to the beach or get into your personal mini-sub Dolphin - Always calling the explorer into the water
• blur the line between dream and wake state (like the dolphin maybe does - they have always been looked at as
• messengers of another world
• perhaps use specific dolphin or other sea mammal that is extinct
• dolphin is used as model for the personal mini-sub Dolphins
• dolphin is used as art motif on dream structures from all cultures and as a Captain Nemo theme
• dolphin is used as the caster of dream animations in the Dream Sphere

• in most of Jules Verne’s books he details the natural wonders found on some kind of journey (in JV circles his books are known as the "Voyages Extraordinaire"- (as a kid I always wondered how deep is 20,000 leagues? silly me - the distance refers to the distance traveled through the book - which is around the world non - linear
• JV has also been described as a geographical author and the island that is Nemo's Mind reflect all the best of that 
• In this chat terrain we use the journey as just another symbol of the psychological environment - from the sea to high desert - symbolic? - like a walkabout or Native American or soul search - to induce a dream state - very little surreal until halfway across the island
• eventual journey brings you to the top of the island - the volcano - symbolic - and back to the sea -OMEN island
• further or deeper you have been on the island the more surreal elements you find
• the travel around island is non-linear except when trying to penetrate by sub then the last 2 areas are linear
• a journey through the island and mental transformation
• exploration and finding surprises is key
• uniqueness - nonlinear - no archaic level by level design
  

• Nemo’s Mind will boast creation by the global subconscious imagery as detailed by the earliest known art and architecture up to Nemo’s era - anything in our global history that is surreal or seemingly unexplained or dream based and the evidence used will stop with the latest at Nemo’s era. This really makes these artifacts universal when we realize these architectures associated with subconscious are still here - not just produced in the last century
• Nemo is worldly - reads all languages - 12,000 books in the Nautilus library - born in India - traveled in Europe
• global architecture
  

• "virtualized art" is interactive art - the best possible
• almost all art except the surreal art in the Nautilus is dream associated
  

• true natural rhythms such as moon phases - tidal considerations - timelessness will be captured if the patterns/cycles of nature are simulated - shadows - sun dials
• time is also reflected in transformations - such as the ageing of structures by 2,000 years through the day - the terrain could transform too in later engine updates
• reflected by water clocks and the historical feel of all being prior to Nemo - all mechanicals including sub locks need a pre-turn of the century look - 1866
• memory is a mental element of time that is played with - the most eastern and western surreal events and human evidence are from Nemo’s memory - memory is also linked with social memory/universal symbols/subconscious - anything at Nemo’s retreat is representative of memory and nostalgia - another symbolism by chance
• branching caves of humanity
• any architecture that was an instrument of art or time will be in the dream structures - such as the Stonehenge
  

• immersion = beauty = details, animation, living environment with effects and cycles (tides, day/night, weather, wind, lunar)- real vegetation and terrain will be a key to appeal
• non-linear exploration - searching - tracking/following - befriending, different terrains and biomes, beach, mountain, slopes of volcano, cliffs, tropical river, waterfalls, caves, ruins, beautiful under water lagoons
• huge open natural beautiful environment, several transitioning biomes
• virtual worlds will be drawn toward natures art - there will be a lot of park settings in each cities virtual world representation - spurring some actual regulation of real parks to match the online representative  - reverse that tide of disappearing parks - sorry starting to rant - but it will be interesting to see these influences
• recreation and re-creation (hard e) are the same - both are wow factor
• with graphics this good only curiosity is needed as the driving factor (ala Myst) - a constant horizon - not knowing if you have really seen it all - needs to be that big in size and openness - openness is a key to replayability terrain wise
• non-gaming world will be fascinated by casting shadows - fogging- wave action and water beauty - a huge audience wants the natural beauty that today’s engines are quickly becoming able to convey
• this kind of virtual world could become the highest form of art/interactive - its interactive with multi-participants and spurs discussion and evaluation with its solid consistent theme
• scenery - all of us appreciate a good picture and now we can start using it in interactive 3D
• amazing weather and stellar physics = beautiful art
• amazing graphics in a huge environment big enough to get lost in
• characterized by rich outdoor settings - views extraordinary and biome transitions
• everything is real - shadow clouds weather tide currents wind vegetation, ability to see forever - that should be their emotional reaction
• successful adventure games use natural environments with human architecture mixed in - we have found what the artist in all of us wants - Myst was proof for all the beauty of this mixture - wind, shadow, clouds, sunsets, day/night - people just love the fantastical settings using industrial (Nemo) age machinery!!
  

• The far out is an important feature to spur consciousness
• Nemo's Mind tries to contain some cohesive themes but not at the expense of the fantastical.  The Observatory and Bonsai Enclosure are a few examples of how a terrain could be argued as over the top.  It is the other advantages of making the fantastical and exotic that win out.
  

• an island surrounded by the symbol of subconscious
• river of life and river of death
• glass and water both can be a symbolic medium of transformation - more straight forward along this line is the popularity of crystals
  

• See the theme section of the Nautilus
• See the Condensation Sphere, Poison Lake, OMEN Island