"Jacques Ellul wrote about a perceived takeover of humanity by technology in The Technological Society way back in 1954. This book is still worth reading by anyone interested in the things that orthodox mass-media advertisements for progress don't tell us about technology, but you have to steel yourself for an uncompromising and bleak perspective. If you think of this book as a forecast of the late nineteen nineties, written by a visionary of the 1950s, it's more than enough to give you the willies."

More on Ellul, and yet more...

"The Unabomber borrowed heavily, says Foster, especially from the writings of Jacques Ellul. It was in February 1965 that American readers were first introduced to Ellul's Technological Society in that magazine. Kaczynski wrote his brother David that he was deeply impressed by Ellul's writings which closely mirrored his own beliefs. These ideas pop up all over Kaczynski's writings, letters and manifesto..."

Ellul is also referenced in the first memo of The Illuminatus Trilogy... hmmm....

Some of Ellul's writing is available online here

TechGnosis, by Erik Davis, "traces the secret mysticism that motivates our love affair with technology"
More... and yet more...
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Who's Who in the History of Mysticism

Looks like the link to my archive was broken again... it is fixed again! :)

"Kabir (1398-1518) ranks among the world's greatest poets. In India, he is perhaps the most quoted author, with the exception of Tulsidas. Kabir has criticized perhaps all existing sects in India, still he is mentioned with respect by even orthodox authors."

The Ordo Templi Orientis Phenomenon

Non-Christian Gnosticism

Sophia's Passion

"Three of the stormiest and most controversial early movements within Sufism were led by Husayn ibn Mansur Haflaj (crucified AD 922),'Ain al-QudAt Hamaddni (crucified AD 1131), and Shahâb al-Din Suhrawardi (crucified AD 1191)... Hallâj... claimed himself to be an avatar of the divinity, by which he proclaimed in his famous formula, al haqq, Arabic for "I am the Haq [the Spirit]," out of the belief in the unity of creation, and that all creatures are ultimately the manifestations of the same original Universal Spirit. He thus also declared Lucifer to have been redeemed and elevated to the highest universal station, as in Yezidism. He was subjected to exquisite tortures before being crucified in Baghdad." --Sufi Mystic Orders

Nag Hammadi Library

Alexandria: philosophy, cosmology, myth and culture

Miltonic Evil as Gnostic Cabala
"Which way I fly is Hell; myself am Hell
And in the lowest deep a lower deep
Still threat'ning to devour me opens wide,
To which the Hell I suffer seems a Heaven" --John Milton

GeekPAC needs bloodlust

Smart Mobs

The Assayer is site for user- contributed book reviews, with a special focus on reviewing free books.

ibiblio archive: one of the largest "collections of collections" on the Internet

Dr Fun

"NetLogo is a programmable modeling environment for simulating natural and social phenomena. It is particularly well suited for modeling complex systems developing over time. Modelers can give instructions to hundreds or thousands of independent "agents" all operating in parallel. This makes it possible to explore the connection between the micro-level behavior of individuals and the macro-level patterns that emerge from the interaction of many individuals."