A hypertext
OMEGACENE
OMEGACENE describes an epoch that had no name when it began. The work is not offered here as a file but as a hypertext: every chapter its own page, every term a possible crossing.
Begin with the introduction, or jump to whatever interests you. The glossary is reachable from anywhere, and cross references bind the chapters to one another.
The beginning
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Introduction
Why this book did not remain a book – and what a hypertext does to an argument.
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I
The Long Present
On the suspicion that the present lasts longer than the terms we describe it with.
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II
Thresholds
Systems that do nothing for a long time and then everything at once.
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II.1
Tipping Points
On the history of a word that lost its edge in use.
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III
The Omegacene
A proposed name, and reasons not to read it triumphantly.
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IV
After the Acceleration
On institutions that must last longer than they were designed to.
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Excursus: On Time Scales
A methodological aside on comparing unequal durations.
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Glossary
The recurring terms of the work, briefly explained.