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--- lb:dune [2025-09-05 17:35:30] – created ninjasr
+++ lb:dune [2025-09-26 14:13:21] (current) – [DUNE] ninjasr
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 ====== DUNE ======
+{{template>r-banner|media=dune|caption=“Drugs are necessary for enlightenment!!!” Sure they are, Frank. Let's just sit down and talk, kay?}}
 **DUNE** is a book written by Frank Herbert which had a few sequels and got adapted a few times. It's considered by some to be the cornerstone of sci-fi.((:fn:>Which is quite puzzling because it is very far removed from sci-fi...like how //A Song of Ice and Fire// is far removed from Fantasy.))
-I've only seen the (new) films, so this article will be focused around that. Unfortunately, the only Dune book I own is God Emperor of Dune...which isn't really the first book.
+I've only seen the (new) films, so this article will be focused around that. Unfortunately, the only Dune book I own is //God Emperor of Dune//...which isn't really the first book.
 {{tag>films}}
+<WRAP centeralign>
+[[lb:dune:Jessica]]
+</WRAP>
 ===== Reviews =====
+==== Dune (1984) ====
+I have no idea what to say about this one. It's so weird that...
+Is it bad? Probably. But it's also more enjoyable than the new films at times.
+Also, Lady Jessica was not great, which is a far greater sin.
 ==== DUNE (Part 1) ====
 I think this film takes itself too seriously and comes off as boring/pretentious at times. Though this might actually make it match Frank Herbert's vision...as he //also// comes off as pretentious to me.
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 ==== Mentats ====
 I think the concept of the Mentat is stupid and practically stupid as well.
+Mentats are often described as human computers or human calculators...but that description isn't entirely accurate. They are more like a walking spreadsheet.\\
+This is because they can ‘hold’ a vast amount of data, make massive calculations and even do analysis of that data...which they can then calculate and so on.
+The problem is that they //aren't// a computer and, in fact, lack many of the advantages of a computer that actually make them useful. To be fair, when Frank Herbert wrote Dune, many of the advantages of microcomputers weren't visible because they didn't exist...but, in hindsight, it's pretty clear that the Mentat doesn't work.
+To explain why, let me direct you to the humble spreadsheet. The thing about a spreadsheet is that a human can totally make a spreadsheet in the real world. All you need is a whiteboard (or just a sufficiently large wall; or some paper), some chalk and then the data you're putting into it. Then you just have to manually draw the table, the values in each cell and you can even draw a nice graph to visualize the data.\\
+A Mentat could do all of this as well, but they have the advantage of being able to calculate all those values much faster than anyone else.\\
+Now let's change a single value in a single cell.\\
+The problem you face now is that, if you did it right, that one value is tied to many many other cells, so you have to manually recalculate all of it. In real life, this could take hours...or days...or weeks.\\
+But that was for normal humans. A Mentat can recalculate much faster. And, sure, they //can//...but they still have to manually re-write all the values and manually re-draw that graph, right? Even if we set aside the fact a Mentat has solved the //biggest// bottle-neck, the Mentat has //not// solved the //other// major bottle-neck.
+This is why I'm skeptical as to how useful a Mentat would actually prove to be in practice. Because, sure, an individual Mentat can do a lot of data analysis and whatever...but they still have to //share// that data with other people. They are humans who work for other humans, right? As far as I know, there is no such thing as a monitor that a Mentat can project their thoughts into in the Dune universe...so how do they actually go about sharing all that data?\\
+I think the assumption is that a Mentat is a bit like a simple calculator, in that you're only ever expected to get one value out at a time. But then the practical limitations of a Mentat become clear.
+This actually shows why some factions skirt around and ultimately ignore the Butlerian Jihad's traditions...because Mentats would be practically useless in a lot of scenarios.
+This also doesn't get into the other major issue of the Mentats, which is that they're effectively no different from a pocket calculator...except worse. How are humans supposed to become self-reliant if they become reliant upon a walking human to do their calculations for them?\\
+This wouldn't be an issue if the abilities of Mentats was something most humans could learn...but, as it is, it's identical to the outsourcing of human //things// to machines.
 ==== Sandworm ====
 Yeah, I find the Sandworm to be really interesting. Though I probably won't elaborate for a while.
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 Buddislam could not exist.
-What I mean by that is that Islam is a strict monotheistic religion. What that means is that it effectively rejects monotheism as a concept.\\
+What I mean by that is that Islam is a strict monotheistic religion. What that means is that it effectively rejects syncretism as a concept.\\
 Most religions – though mainly polytheistic ones – are fine with syncretizing with other faiths. However, Islam is allergic to basically all forms of [[lb:syncretism]].((:fn:>Read the syncretism article if you want more details on those forms of syncretism.))\\
 Keep in mind that while Christianity (for example) doesn't really care //what// you call God as long as you acknowledge he's supreme...Islam //cares a lot// about the fact he's called Allah. I mean “There Is No God but Allah.” Though the other part of Islam that prevents syncretism is the Quran. Muslims believe that the Quran is without fault and has all (or most of) the truth needed to understand...everything. So the idea of incorporating other beliefs is alien to Islam.\\
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 It's possible that Buddislam //could// exist if we assume that it merged with some completely distinct offshoot of Islam (but then it wouldn't be called ‘Islam’). Or if Islam adopted some Buddhist beliefs, which is still unlikely due to the Quran being absolute.
 ===== Trivilinks =====
+  * [[https://dune.fandom.com/wiki/Dune_Wiki|Dune Fandom Wiki]]
+    * My experience with it is...generally positive. It manages to avoid two big pitfalls of most fandom wikis:
+      - It only sticks to what is definitively ‘canon’: Frank Herbert's books.
+      - It doesn't got into too much details, so articles are relatively short and concise.
+    * Honestly, I love it.
   * Once I think of what to put here, I'll put it here.
+  * I don't really like the //desert// aesthetic. I would have called it Arab, but that would be inaccurate, since it //isn't// Arabic.