Difference between revisions of "Interpretation of the Diagnostic Metrics"

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The [[Diagnostic Metrics]] are 18 symbols that appear throughout the artwork on the content and promotional materials for the album ''[[Artificial Heart]]''. The artwork was created by the graphic designer [[Sam Potts]].
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== What Is Known ==
 
== What Is Known ==
  
There are 18 symbols in the [[Diagnostic Metrics]] and 18 songs on the album ''[[Artificial Heart]]''. In the track listing, each symbol appears exactly once in the Metric A and Metric B columns.
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The names of the [[Diagnostic Metrics]] symbols were given on the [[Tucson Diagnostics]] web site.
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There are 18 symbols in the [[Diagnostic Metrics]] and 18 songs on the album ''[[Artificial Heart]]''. They are:
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In the track listing, each symbol appears exactly once in the Metric A and Metric B columns.
  
 
The relationship between the Metric A and Metric B columns is symmetric. That is, if a song has a Metric A symbol of X and a Metric B symbol of Y, then the song with Metric A symbol of Y has a Metric B symbol of X.
 
The relationship between the Metric A and Metric B columns is symmetric. That is, if a song has a Metric A symbol of X and a Metric B symbol of Y, then the song with Metric A symbol of Y has a Metric B symbol of X.

Revision as of 02:10, 17 February 2012

The Diagnostic Metrics are 18 symbols that appear throughout the artwork on the content and promotional materials for the album Artificial Heart. The artwork was created by the graphic designer Sam Potts.

What Is Known

The names of the Diagnostic Metrics symbols were given on the Tucson Diagnostics web site.

There are 18 symbols in the Diagnostic Metrics and 18 songs on the album Artificial Heart. They are:


In the track listing, each symbol appears exactly once in the Metric A and Metric B columns.

The relationship between the Metric A and Metric B columns is symmetric. That is, if a song has a Metric A symbol of X and a Metric B symbol of Y, then the song with Metric A symbol of Y has a Metric B symbol of X.

Possible Interpretation

Using the names of the Diagnostic Metrics symbols, one possible interpretation is that Metric A represents the primary theme of the song, Metric B represesnts the opposite of the primary theme, and Metrics C, D, and E represent secondary themes.

For example, consider the symbols for the song Still Alive:

  • Its Metric A symbol, or primary theme, is Success
  • Its Metric B symbol, or opposite theme, is Ruin (which is the Metric A symbol for Dissolve)
  • Its Metric C, D, and E symbols, or secondary themes, are Betrayal, Rebirth, Confidence

This interpretation appears to be consistent with usage of the symbols in other contexts as well. Consider also the artwork on the front of the red Level Four Participant shirt, which shows arrows between several symbols:

The black Level Three Participant shirt shows a similar arrangement of symbols and arrows:

Consider also the Decision Mechanism in the Level Four Participant box. There are four symbols on each side, and the symbols on the same side seem to be either all positive or all negative: