There are genes, memes and now what? If there is a third replicator already among us, what should we call it?
In a lecture I gave at the in Monterey, California, I talked about 鈥渢echno-memes鈥�, but since I was claiming these are not just another kind of meme but are something new, I wanted a name without 鈥渕eme鈥� in. So I called them 鈥渢emes鈥�. 鈥淕enes, memes and temes鈥� trips off the tongue, and I like the resonance, but it鈥檚 too easy to confuse 鈥渢emes鈥� with 鈥渢eams鈥� or 鈥渢eems鈥�.
Can you come up with a better name? I put out a call on and have had about 30 suggestions. Two Spanish speakers pointed out that in Spanish 鈥渢eme鈥� means 鈥渉ave fear鈥�. They seemed to find that appropriate.
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Here are just some of the ideas. Which do you think works best, or have you any better ones? To take part, just leave a comment below the article. We鈥檒l keep you posted.
SYNTHEME for synthetic meme
MACHEME, CHEME or CHENE for machine meme
SOFTWEME for software memes
SYSTEME for the large systems involved
GEME, meaning God-like meme
SELE to rhyme with feel, and relate to silicon
TECHMEME, TECHEME or TMEMES abbreviations of technological memes
SHEEN from machine, and shiny
T-REP from technological replicator
ESEME for ex-silico meme
BYTEME, BYNE or BINE from bytes, bits and binary
TECPLICATOR from technical replicator
ARTEME, EME OR EEME artifical meme