Bertrand Media Categories
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Bertrand Media Categories |
The BMC is a set of categories, used to basically group various kinds
of media, as diverse as holovision, virch, smellscapes and artistic
massage. The BMC is used by a wide range of multimedia critics in the Sophic
League, NoCoZo,
the Inner
Sphere, and to a lesser degree most other major empires and
many smaller.
The BMC is named after Bertrand Madden Sirius, an intellectual and
media critic from the Sophic League, who first established the basic
categories in 8992 AT. Since Bertrand retired from public view in
10321, to go on the Grand Tour, the BMC has been maintained by the
Bertrand Media Categories Maintenance Fund. Since the BMCMF's
chairbeingship was taken over by the bioborg 6rgo in 10454, an average
of 3021 subcategories, subclauses, exceptions and expansions has been
added each year, seriously bloating the BMC. As such critics often
distinguish between the Original BMC and the Expanded BMC, often
preferring the Original BMC for its simplicity and ease of use and
understanding. The Original BMC can be found on many mirror servers on
the known net, while the Expanded BMC can be found in full length only
on the BMCMF's official server, and on the "Save the BMC from 6rgo"
site, physically located in the Altair system.
At its most basic, the BMC groups the media into one of six groups
depending on the primary sense used to perceive the media; Sound,
Picture, Aroma, Touch, Internal, and Virch. As such the BMC is also
known as the SPATIV categories.
Sound media
include all media which are perceived primarily by the ears or other
sound sensors. Examples could be music, static, nerve soothers or
speeches.
Picture media
include all media which are perceived primarily by the eyes or other
radiation sensors. Examples could be paintings, holographic images,
movies and auroras.
Aroma media
include all media which are perceived primarily by taste or smell or
other chemical sensors. Examples could be smellscapes, sweets, Sirian
olfactory stimulants, or tastetales
Touch media
include all media which are perceived primarily by the sense of touch,
both pressure sensors and heat sensors being included. Examples could
be massage, three-point wave treatments, solaria, and recreative
acupuncture.
Internal media
include all media which are perceived primarily by the brain, most
often in the form of imagination or inner visualisation. Examples could
be written fiction, roleplaying, lucid dreaming, or lucid awakening.
Virch media
include all digital media which interact directly with the brain
through the use of DNI or similar devices, with the focus being on
interactivity. Examples could be virchworlds, digital dreams, digital
overlays, or interactive fiction.
Many types of media combine several of the categories, but in most
cases it is still possible to find the primary category. The primary
conveyor of entertainment in most holomovies is picture, just as the
primary conveyor of entertainment in written fiction is internal. As
such the categories are broken down into subcategories, with the
primary category followed by the secondary and tertiary categories.
Examples:
Massage - T (Touch primary)
Sirian olfactory stimulants - AI (Aroma primary, Internal secondary)
Doomlight concert - PS-A (Picture primary, Sound secondary, Aroma
tertiary)
Blackroom sensage - TSA (Touch primary, Sound, Aroma secondary)
Manaran virchtale - VI-SPAT (Virch primary, Internal secondary, Sound,
Picture, Aroma, Touch tertiary)
