I was playing with ideas of where things could evolve….

We had some talk about avatars that carry with them lots of information about our preferences and other aspects of that virtual world identity and history… we talked about the Kurzweil observation of how change is happening at an exponential rate, so we can imaging huge amounts of computing, memory, and bandwidth at our disposal…

so in that context I hatched an idea (while flipping through the programs on my Tivo’s now playing list and seeing ‘My Name is Earl’):

Virtual Karma

See, with real karma, we rely on comeuppance being meted out some mechanical aspects of the Universe that are not currently measurable with our science, however, with sufficient technology, karma can be automated. Avatar Karma can be just the start. The karma of every entity can be quantified and monitored.

Massive amounts of computing resources would collect and analyze data in a neutral and sanctified cloud computing complex, fact checking and making available what is needed to be known while maintaining scrupulous adherence to privacy.

We could fairly and exhaustively monitor if google really is holding up its promise to “not be evil”, we can instantly see any taint improper corporate influence in our governments, we can see the provenance of our food as it is being served, see the true colors of a policeman’s conduct on his sleeve, hold cell phone companies accountable for treating customers like scum… you get the idea.