I don't think there /is/ a quantifiable difference that's namable as
`infection;' the biological implications of infection are active, while
we're simply refering to knowledge of a thing.
I find it more useful to think of all memes as `active data' in the
Object Oriented sense; a person that has the accumulated Objects that
denote Christianity may not find that the Objects have methods (hooks,
slots) that are protocol-compatible with the ones on the Objects that
make up the rest of their memesphere. They can access the methods that
get information from the Object, but the ones that operate on other
Objects do not `mesh' for one reason or another.
--
Alexander Williams{thantos@alf.dec.com/zander@photobooks.com}
The Mekton is a powerful tool, both physically and emotionally.
There is something that happens to an enemy when he sees his home
and family stepped on by a hundred ton metal man. -- Arkon Verian
====================================================================
Of all the weapons of the Empire, the greatest and most respected
were the Metal Knights. These Knights had served the leaders of the
Bendar for Generations, righting wrongs and bringing fear to the
Empire's Enemies. It is said that these metal giants were shaped
like men so that the alien servants of Evil would know that it was
Man who defeated them.
-- Scribings from the Murian Archives