Current Reading and Writing Goals

In my introduction(s), I was pretty vague, laying down justifications and lofty aims instead of, well, what I was meaning to say.

In terms of what I like to read and what I'd like to write, I'm interested in two different somewhat related ideas right now.

The first is how the big life questions and answers of more recent generations differ from the Q&A of previous generations. To establish something of a baseline, I'm reading books on comparative religion, mythology, and folk-lore (which have always interested me anyway). For the more modern view, I've been reading books on cults, conspiracy theories, and (as always) science fiction.

I'd like to realize this idea by writing about the shore-house, channeling through different guests and their counterparts at different points in time. The present colors these parties, but the past resonants through them. I thank everyone who filled out the shore-survey, as Your answers will greatly help me with this task.

The second idea is sort of the daughter of this first one, though it occurred to me before it. It's a science fiction story in which people have decided to answer the big life questions by linking everybody up to everybody else for one big collective consciousness. This post-human/trans-human non-sense has been done before; so, I'm trying to read as much as I can of the established genre to help foment my vision and of course, give hat-tips where hat-tips are due.

The current model for the global mind-meld is basically mental music that everyone can hear and play. This allows people to synch up via a sort of melodious biofeedback system.

If anyone has suggested readings for these areas, that'd be cool. Especially books on cults from a sociological view-point. So far the only book I've read on the topic was by an Evangelical Christian, Ronald Enroth, who was for the most-part un-biased, but fell into the occasional ejaculations of scripture.