Long before there were computers there was pantheism and Hinduism.
Forgive me for all of these references to false deities but this is where the word "avatar" originally comes from.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AvatarThe Sanskrit noun avatāra is derived from the verbal root "to cross over", combined with the prefix ava "off , away , down". The word does not occur in the Vedas, but is recorded in Pāini (3.3.120). Avatāra was initially used to describe different deities, then around the 6th century CE it began to be used primarily to describe the manifestations of Vishnu.[6] While earlier texts mention deities taking on different forms, the Bhagavad Gita (4.5-9) is the first text to discuss the doctrine associated with the term even though the word avatāra itself is not mentioned.
The common translation "incarnation" due to its christological implications is somewhat misleading as the concept of avatar corresponds more closely to the view of Docetism in Christian theology, as distinct from the idea of God 'in the flesh' in mainstream Christology.
Related to the concept of avatar is that of vibhūti, that is, the idea of manifestations of the divine in various aspects of human life and the natural world.
The concept of avatar within Hinduism is most often associated with Vishnu, the preserver or sustainer aspect of God within the Hindu Trinity or Trimurti. The descents of Vishnu are also integral to his teaching and tradition, whereas the accounts of other deities are not so strictly dependent on their avatar stories. Although it is usual to speak of Vishnu as the source of the avatars, within the Vaishnavism branch of Hinduism Narayana, Vasudeva, and Krishna are also seen as names denoting divine aspects which descend as avatars.
The god Visnu assumes various earthly forms in Hindu mythology (see Hinduism entries) in order to restore cosmic order. The first avatar was the great horned fish who saved Manu, the first human, from the deluge that occurred at the beginning of this world (see Manu). The second avatar was the great horned boar, who saved the goddess Prthivi (“Earth”) from the demon Hiranyākś (see the Boar, see Prthivi). As the Tortoise, Visnu is the cosmic foundation on which rests the churning stick used by the gods and demons in their act of creation in the ocean of milk (see Ananta). As the man-lion (see Narasimha), Visnu was able to defeat the demon Hiranyakaśipu, brother of Hiranyāksa, who was invulnerable to humans and animals but, apparently, not to a combination of the two. Hirayakaśipu, also known as Hiraya, was no favorite of Vishnu since the demon persecuted his own son Prahlādā, a devotee of the god. When the asura (see asuras) Bali took over the world from the gods, he agreed that Visnu, who had taken the form of a dwarf, could own whatever he could cover in three strides. The dwarf, Vãmana, immediately took on his real being as Visnu and in three steps encompassed the whole world for the gods. When the ktriya (warrior) class persecuted the brahman (see Brahmans) class, Visnu became axe-wielding Paraśurāma and defeated them, thus establishing the theological and social dominance of the brahmans. The two most famous avatars of Visnu are Rāma (Rāmancandra), the hero of the Hindu epic the Rāmāyana (see Rāmāyana and Rāma) and Ka (see Ka), who appears in, among many other places, the epic Mahābhārata (see Mahābhārata) as a supporter of Arjuna (see Arjuna) and his Pāndava brothers against their Kaurava cousins. Krsna is particularly known for his preaching to Arjuna as his charioteer in the Bhagavadgītā (see Bhagavadgītā). Ka and Rāma have become, in effect, popular Hindu deities. It is said that the Buddha (see Gautama Buddha) is also an avatar of Visnu, coming to preach gentleness. And finally, Visnu will appear at the end of this age as a human, Kalki, riding on a white horse.
OK, I thought this was interesting: And finally, Visnu will appear at the end of this age as a human, Kalki, riding on a white horse. Sound familiar?
Rev 6:2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
In Hinduism, Kalki (Devanagari: also rendered by some as Kalkin and Kalaki) is the tenth and final Maha Avatara (great incarnation) of Vishnu who will come to end the present age of darkness and destruction known as Kali Yuga. The name Kalki is often a metaphor for eternity or time. The origins of the name probably lie in the Sanskrit word "kalka" which refers to dirt, filth, or foulness and hence denotes the "destroyer of foulness," "destroyer of confusion," "destroyer of darkness," or "annihilator of ignorance."[1] Other similar and divergent interpretations based on varying etymological derivations from Sanskrit - including one simply meaning "White Horse" - have been made.