Buttressing

Artificial Butter IV: 'Ankara' is a substance which in general appearance resembles a good article of butter, being rather firmer at ordinary temperatures than that substance, approaching the consistency of cocoa butter. It is quite odorless, but in taste it resembles that of a fair article of butter and, what is more, its behavior under heat is very similar to that of butter—it browns and forms a sort of spume like that of fat. Ankara consists of a base of cocoa butter, carrying about 10 per cent of milk, colored with yolk of egg.

— Henley's 20th Century Formulas &c, 142 (1914 edition)

Cheesy Fake

Roquefort, Imitation: The gluten of wheat is kneaded with a little salt and a small portion of a solution of starch, and made up into cheeses. It is said that this mixture soon acquires the taste, smell, and unctuosity of cheese, and when kept a certain time is not to be distinguished from the celebrated Roquefort cheese, of which it possesses all the peculiar pungency. By slightly varying the process other kinds of cheese may be imitated.

— Henley's 20th Century Formulas &c, 177 (1914 edition)

Simulacra

Even before the advent of The Sims, there were games purporting to simulate the complexities of a person's life. This one, for example, was first designed in 1860 – and there are other more venerable and ancient traditional games. For the idea of a person's life, lived vicariously and without real risk, has always captivated us. Hence, novels. Hence, movies. Hence, every kind of 'reality' show which places our chosen proxies at risk and in danger.

Here you will find one of the more recent incarnations. Having watched my virtual house fill with virtual files (or flies) and my virtual friends get slightly unhappy at my virtually perpetual virtual penury, I can say with some authority that if you like living the life of a virtual British bum (no, not what some of you are thinking), you will find this little gem intriguing. The demo is free; the upgrade is US$19.95.

But back to the idea of life-simulation. 'Simulism' is the slightly unwieldy word which handles the concept of life in simulation. Two divergent trees result: one path is through solipsism – the first-person personal approach; the other is through immersion - the Second Life option beloved of online gamers.

My intent was originally to explore the history of life-simulation from the perspective of one who has experimented with a lot of games of this kind. Upon further consideration, this isn't feasible; the fault is not so much in the medium, which is ubiquitous and varied, but in myself – I have had bouts of gaming obsession in my youth, followed by long periods of complete disinterest – and I have no desire to repeat that kind of cycle again.

Instead, let's explore just one line of thought: what does it mean for us as humans that we are getting so much better at simulating ourselves? Do we bring these skills, this arcane knowledge, to our real-life interactions? Do we play our own roles so well that we cannot distinguish self from persona? Or is self but the sum of personae? Yes, perhaps we are all sum people, easily divided in our duplicity.

"Kansas, I've a feeling we're not in toto any more!" said Dorothy.