Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Downtown
Downtown is about a man that goes to a place called Downtown. He brings a talking Duck with him, who obviously gets on his nerves. While downtown he spends about 2 days making "various transactions" which involve having sex and discharging charges. In the end of the story he finds out that the Duck is actually a girl. The story does not really explain itself and leaves alot to interpretation from the reader.
Red Phone
The Read Phone is about s sex hotline with a man named Edwin Perskey. A woman on one end of the phone relays a message to a person who relays it to a rep of Edwin's, who relays it to Edwin. During this relay the reps change the messages and compete to have the better response.
I was pretty surprised by the level of detail they went into during this story.
I was pretty surprised by the level of detail they went into during this story.
The Last American
The Last American was an interesting look at the life of Andrew Steele and his wide ranging influence he has on the world. Kessel uses Steele's life to show a glimpse into the next century to see what life would be like. If the next century is anything like Kessel's projections than it will definitely not be boring. Multiple natural disasters, world wars, plagues that wipe out three quarters of the world, and the integration of technology into humanity. It is quite a lot to happen in the next century.
Space Travel at a Price
In this scifi show I'm watching, there is a species of aliens that is really advanced but doesn't have the power to travel through space. Instead, they agree to became the pilot of a ship (btw the ships are alive) in order to see the stars. As a result, they only live about a third of their normal live spans (because they die when the ship does) and have to be completely subservient to the other people on the ship. Also, I'm pretty sure they can never go back home or leave the ship at all. It's a lot to give up, but many members of the planet are willing to become pilots.
I'm not sure if I would want to give up so much for what seems like so little a gain. Maybe if I had more control, then I would do it even if it meant I would die sooner and that I could never come home. I just don't think I would want other people to have such control over me as the pilot does in the show.
So what would be an acceptable price to pay to travel amoungst the stars? What would you be willing to give up?
I'm not sure if I would want to give up so much for what seems like so little a gain. Maybe if I had more control, then I would do it even if it meant I would die sooner and that I could never come home. I just don't think I would want other people to have such control over me as the pilot does in the show.
So what would be an acceptable price to pay to travel amoungst the stars? What would you be willing to give up?
Downtown...???
This quite frankly is one of the most confusing stories I've yet read in my entire life. Although, after reading it a third time. I think it can have a little sense made out of it. Then again... perhaps it is just so crazy that you can make almost any point out of it, kinda like prophecies which are so vague that you can apply them to some situation that happens. I digress...
What I could get out of it is that it would appear Kessell is satirizing the internet and people's addiction to it. How everything now is based on charge which must then mean everything is electronic. For example, in today's society, people hate their jobs but love returning home to see their facebook, their tv, their video games, browse the web, youtube, etc. This is similar, but to a crazy whacked out extent.
As to the characters... I dunno, I couldnt make heads or tails (pun not intended) out of them.
Edit: Actually after reading it a fourth time (I know, it seems im obsessed, but cant help it as it is like a mystery needing to be solved). It makes me think of a video game. And the characters in it are characters in a game. I had this thought when I re-read "weekend skin". And a "skin" is a term for the physical look of something you see in a game, the picture if you will.
Anyone else have any opinions on this story?
What I could get out of it is that it would appear Kessell is satirizing the internet and people's addiction to it. How everything now is based on charge which must then mean everything is electronic. For example, in today's society, people hate their jobs but love returning home to see their facebook, their tv, their video games, browse the web, youtube, etc. This is similar, but to a crazy whacked out extent.
As to the characters... I dunno, I couldnt make heads or tails (pun not intended) out of them.
Edit: Actually after reading it a fourth time (I know, it seems im obsessed, but cant help it as it is like a mystery needing to be solved). It makes me think of a video game. And the characters in it are characters in a game. I had this thought when I re-read "weekend skin". And a "skin" is a term for the physical look of something you see in a game, the picture if you will.
Anyone else have any opinions on this story?
The Red Phone
Has anyone else read the transcripts online where a guy (or girl I guess) under the username of bloodninja attempts to cyber with girls as he assumes absolutely ridiculous fantasy roles? I can't help but feel that Kessel might have been partly inspired by them while writing this story. One of the transcripts can be found here. I debated about how appropriate it would be to post it, but I figure it isn't any worse than anything we have read.
Little Brother now an impossibility
I know Little Brother was all about the meaning behind the story. But, at least now it is impossible for it to happen exactly as it did in Little Brother. With the Bay Bridge and all.
Bay Bridge Closed Indefinently
Bay Bridge Closed Indefinently
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
The Invisble Empire
What do you guys think Kessel was referring to with the title Invisible Empire? I've got my own thoughts, but I don't want to prematurely move the discussion in one way or the other.
Also, how do you guys (and girls, all these damn Kessel stories are making me more aware of the terminology I use) feel about what the women did in the story? Do you think they were morally justified? Was their "end" justifiable, but not the means they went about to achieve it?
Also, how do you guys (and girls, all these damn Kessel stories are making me more aware of the terminology I use) feel about what the women did in the story? Do you think they were morally justified? Was their "end" justifiable, but not the means they went about to achieve it?
Pride and Prometheus
I really enjoyed this story; it was one of my favorites. One of the interesting things about this story is the title, and how it relates to the characters. Prometheus was a titan in Greek mythology, and he gave fire to the mortals. Having fire allowed them to stay warm during the winter and cook food to eat. In a way, it gave them life, just as Victor gave life to his monster.
Both Victor and Prometheus were punished for what they did. Zeus decided Prometheus's punishment. He was tied to a huge rock while an eagle ate his liver; the next day, his liver would grow back, and the eagle would come back. Victor's punishment was determined by his creation and his own fear.
Both Victor and Prometheus were punished for what they did. Zeus decided Prometheus's punishment. He was tied to a huge rock while an eagle ate his liver; the next day, his liver would grow back, and the eagle would come back. Victor's punishment was determined by his creation and his own fear.
It's All True
This story contains time traveling again for a pseudo historical/movie marketing motive. The narrator Det travels back in time to try and convince Orson Welles to return to the future to complete his unfinished flicks and possibly create new ones. Of course Welles turns down his offer, and the funny thing is Welles suggests that Det remain in the past and with his knowledge of the future they could become millionaires--this kind of reminded me of "Back to the Future". and like Welles, Det declines and it makes me wonder why both men--seemingly so familiar and unfamiliar in so many aspects--would turn down the offer of rewriting history and gaining fame and fortune?
Monday, October 26, 2009
Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc
This passage from "Powerless" brings to mind the logical fallacies that many of us often engage in in our wrestling with the goings on of the world around us:
"The relationship between power and knowledge, Focault tells us, is also an important one. A major source of power comes from claims of knowledge. To claim that a statement is true is to make a claim to power. Criminology, for example, can make claims that exclude the delinquent by creating theories of human behavior that place the delinquent outside of 'established norms.' From this derives a system of power relations in which the delinquent is dominated.
The other Focault, the pendulum one, who fortunately died long before the later Focault was born, and was therefore blissfully ignorant of his theories, did not believe that truth was a matter of power relationships. Truth, for him, stood outside the constructions of human minds. Focault's pendulum did not work because he had established a theoretical system that accounted for it, and that excluded systems in which it did not work. It worked because the Earth rotated, and would rotate whether or not human theoretical structures defined such rotation as 'normal.'"
The other Focault, the pendulum one, who fortunately died long before the later Focault was born, and was therefore blissfully ignorant of his theories, did not believe that truth was a matter of power relationships. Truth, for him, stood outside the constructions of human minds. Focault's pendulum did not work because he had established a theoretical system that accounted for it, and that excluded systems in which it did not work. It worked because the Earth rotated, and would rotate whether or not human theoretical structures defined such rotation as 'normal.'"
The seems to be a sort of an take on the human limitations of logical reasoning. In particular it belies the glaring assumption that we even posses the ability to use reason and logic in a rational, accurate, and truthful manner. But then again, what is truth, you know? I'm no philosopher so I don't know if this fits exactly, but I am reminded of "post hoc ergo propter hoc" which according to Wikipedia is "Latin for 'after this, therefore because (on account) of this', and is a logical fallacy (of the questionable cause variety) which states, 'Since that event followed this one, that event must have been caused by this one.' It is often shortened to simply post hoc and is also sometimes referred to as false cause, coincidental correlation or correlation not causation. It is subtly different from the fallacy cum hoc ergo propter hoc, in which the chronological ordering of a correlation is insignificant."
So, how much of our lives is dictated by assumptions of truth? Maybe a measure of faith (not necessarily religious) is an absolute necessity in order to function in this reality...who knows. Even if you did know, Lord knows you couldn't prove it to be true, or does He?
"Post hoc is a particularly tempting error because temporal sequence appears to be integral to causality. The fallacy lies in coming to a conclusion based solely on the order of events, rather than taking into account other factors that might rule out the connection. Most familiarly, many superstitious religious beliefs and magical thinking arise from this fallacy."
So, how much of our lives is dictated by assumptions of truth? Maybe a measure of faith (not necessarily religious) is an absolute necessity in order to function in this reality...who knows. Even if you did know, Lord knows you couldn't prove it to be true, or does He?
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Lunar Orgies
http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/Evans/?p_product=EVAN&p_theme=eai&p_nbid=M5BN50QFMTI1NjE1NDA3MS4zOTYyNToxOjE1OjEzMC4xNjAuMjIzLjI0OQ&p_action=doc&p_docnum=1&p_queryname=2&p_docref=v2:0F2B1FCB879B099B@EVAN-0F2F828ADFB2A3A8@44638-@1
That link, which I have failed to properly embed, is the account of a French Hot Air Balloon Expedition that took to Frenchmen to the moon where they encountered strange people and cultures. I thought it would be particularly relevant to the Juniper Tree reading.
Stories For Men
Out of this week's reading, this one gets the Huff award. I really enjoyed Erno's quest to discover his true sexual identity and liked his change from docile, bored manchild to becoming a kinda manly dude, smacking women in the face for questioning his philosophy (not that i promote domestic violence.)
I actually liked this story and The Juniper Tree enough to mark pages and quotes in my book, which i admit i should probably do more. I'll bring em up during class.
I actually liked this story and The Juniper Tree enough to mark pages and quotes in my book, which i admit i should probably do more. I'll bring em up during class.
What is fiction for men? For women?
This was a passing question posed in Stories for Men, one which I found very interesting. What do you guys think? What constitutes fiction for men, or for women? Does such a thing really exist, and should such labels be applied?
Sex without meaning
As I read these stories, sex and love seemed to come up a fair amount. I couldnt help but think (and notice on occassion) that the lack of value or meaning to sex would cause society to turn into a dystopia of sorts.
Perhaps it is not a big enough problem to cause a collapse of society, but I certainly wouldnt want to live in a society without love. What makes love with a partner different from any other close relationship. Its the physical intimacy. If you take away that, then there is nothing special about anyone. There is no love. And without love, what is the point of doing anything? Also, without a loving household, children are statistically more likely to have problems themselves.
So, I dunno, I feel like society would be entirely hollowed out without the component of love.
Also... STD's would be rampant. And even with their nanobots, clearly retroviruses (like HIV for example) are still a problem and thus STDs would still be a problem.
Anyone else feel this way, or am I just too much of an idealist?
Perhaps it is not a big enough problem to cause a collapse of society, but I certainly wouldnt want to live in a society without love. What makes love with a partner different from any other close relationship. Its the physical intimacy. If you take away that, then there is nothing special about anyone. There is no love. And without love, what is the point of doing anything? Also, without a loving household, children are statistically more likely to have problems themselves.
So, I dunno, I feel like society would be entirely hollowed out without the component of love.
Also... STD's would be rampant. And even with their nanobots, clearly retroviruses (like HIV for example) are still a problem and thus STDs would still be a problem.
Anyone else feel this way, or am I just too much of an idealist?
SF Openings
We have talked previously in class about how an effective introductory paragraph is crucial to SF short stories. I think that Kessel did a marvelous job with some of the openings to his stories. The one that particularly stood out to me was The Juniper Tree. It was the first story I read this week and it had me captivated from start to finish.
About which one was stronger Sunlight or rock
I really liked the Kessel stories. I especially love contrast between the social environment seen in "Stories for Men" and "Sunlight or Rock". With the Society of Cousins, Erno has no power or control but at least he can be recognized for his brilliance with the biotech stuff and has the basic necessities of life. When he is banished to a different colony, he is free from women's control (though he still has no control over anything) but his life sucks.
Would it have been better for him to die at the end of "Stories for Men" then have to continue on as he does in "Sunlight or Rock"? Would it have been better if he could have lived the rest of his life as a Cousin without Tyler's influence?
Would it have been better for him to die at the end of "Stories for Men" then have to continue on as he does in "Sunlight or Rock"? Would it have been better if he could have lived the rest of his life as a Cousin without Tyler's influence?
I really enjoyed this week's stories. I thought it was interesting to read four separate stories all set in the same world, and getting to hear different perspectives of that world.
My favorite story was The Juniper Tree. I like that it switched point-of-view during the story, so you could see how each character felt about the events in the story. It was kind of creepy for me that Eva could bring Carey back to life like that. I know why she did it, but it was weird. Was I the only one who thought Carey was going to come back wrong somehow? Like, it would still look like him, but his brain would be messed up or his personality would be different. I think I was expecting him to be zombie-like, for some reason.
My favorite story was The Juniper Tree. I like that it switched point-of-view during the story, so you could see how each character felt about the events in the story. It was kind of creepy for me that Eva could bring Carey back to life like that. I know why she did it, but it was weird. Was I the only one who thought Carey was going to come back wrong somehow? Like, it would still look like him, but his brain would be messed up or his personality would be different. I think I was expecting him to be zombie-like, for some reason.
Kessel's Stories
I thought the stories were good this week. I probably enjoyed "The Juniper Tree" the most, with "Stories for Men" coming in at a close second.
I was a little surprised at Roz's reaction when Eva decided to make a clone of Carey. I would not expect her to be so gung ho about the idea instantly. I also don't think I could ever replace a deceased family member or friend with a clone. A pet? Possibly. But regardless of whether or not the cloned human has the same memories and is ignorant as to what happened, it just wouldn't be the same.
Also, remember how I couldn't think of that certain literary device that started with an 'm' a few weeks ago? No? Well, it is called a MacGuffin, and you can read about it at Wikipedia here. I think I was wanting to use the term to describe the science fiction aspect in "Hellfire at Twilight."
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Lunar Tree
Was it just me or did anyone else get this creepy feeling of incest surrounding this story? I mean, the way that the every generation of a clan, along with their boyfriends or girlfriends, clustered together in one apartment complex and seemed to have no problem having intercourse with each other? Though on the other hand, it did kind of remind me of the type of universal, free love that Valentine advocated in "Stranger in a Strange Land".
Monday, October 19, 2009
John Kessel versus Margaret Atwood
Has anyone read The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood? The novel falls under the long tradition of alternate history near future dystopias and is kind of a product of the feminist movement of the seventies and eighties, but it deals with some of the same issues of gender and politics as Kessels "Lunar Quartet" in a very different way. On the one hand women are subjugated as handmaids in the patriarchal colony of Gilead and named depending on their husband/master (i.e. The handmaid of Fred would be Offred.) On the other hand women are masters of the lunar colony of Fowler and are carry the names of their mothers (i.e. The daughter of Inga's last name would be Ingasdaughter.) The dytopian novel and the lunar satire do some pretty heavy hitting, Entertainment Weekly called the "Lunar Quartet" a "sustained exploration of the ways gender dynamics can both empower and enslave us," but the same could be said for The Handmaid's Tale. I smell a paper topic....dibs.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
I Love This Show Too Much
So, ultimately Futurama ended up in my time travel paper. I can't say that i'm surprised, but while i was writing about it, i noticed something funny. A single episode in the show, is the cause for EVERYTHING that happens in the show from the beginning to the end.
http://www.futurama-stream.com/season-4/episode-1-roswell-that-ends-well
If you're a fan of time travel stories like me, i think you'll like this, especially if you know the plot to the show. Hell, the episode got an Emmy, so you should like it anyway.
This one episode causes multiple types of paradoxes that all tie in to the plot: ontological paradoxes, grandfather paradoxes, and it explains the mysteries of Roswell at the same time.
http://www.futurama-stream.com/season-4/episode-1-roswell-that-ends-well
If you're a fan of time travel stories like me, i think you'll like this, especially if you know the plot to the show. Hell, the episode got an Emmy, so you should like it anyway.
This one episode causes multiple types of paradoxes that all tie in to the plot: ontological paradoxes, grandfather paradoxes, and it explains the mysteries of Roswell at the same time.
Wall-E trivia
The imdb trivia page for Wall-E is interesting. Wall-E is apparently tied with Beauty and the Beast for the most Academy Award nominations for an animated film.
Green
I know the while point of Wall-E is to promote recycling and raise awareness of capitalism's excessiveness. That's probably why I always feel so crappy after seeing the film and not actually going out there and planting a tree or turning off my lights in my dorm when I go to class. Does any one else feel that way?
Scifi Show
Has anyone seen/heard of Farscape? It this scifi show that began in the late nineties involving aliens and wormholes. It seems pretty cool from the little I've been able to watch. My best friend has talked me into watching it, and I was wondering if anyone else had an opinion on the series.
Reflections on Paper Writing
So, as I went about writing my paper, I at first started very very slow. I often times cursed and said "Why did I choose this topic!" and such things. However, as time went on and my paper lengthened, I began to enjoy it. And now I think it is one of my favorite papers I've ever written because of my topic on leadership, which I will mention was more complicated than my wildest dreams as it seemed pretty straight forward.
Anyone else have this kind of thing happen to them? Start off hating yourself and your choice and end up loving it?
Or maybe im just weird... *shrug*
Anyone else have this kind of thing happen to them? Start off hating yourself and your choice and end up loving it?
Or maybe im just weird... *shrug*
Is WALL-E the opposite of 2001: A Space Odyssey?
Watching WALL-E I can't think about how much it is the exact opposite of 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Obviously in WALL-E a machine redeems humanity, in 2001 a machine holds it back.
In WALL-E all of humanity returns to Earth, in 2001 one man leaves Earth behind forever.
I can't think of any other parallels of the top of my head, but I'm sure there's more. I just thought it was kind of interesting.
Obviously in WALL-E a machine redeems humanity, in 2001 a machine holds it back.
In WALL-E all of humanity returns to Earth, in 2001 one man leaves Earth behind forever.
I can't think of any other parallels of the top of my head, but I'm sure there's more. I just thought it was kind of interesting.
Interview with Andrew Stanton
Just thought this might be interesting, it's an old interview with Andrew Stanton, the director of WALL-E from the popular film blog slashfilm.
http://www.slashfilm.com/2008/06/27/interview-andrew-stanton/
http://www.slashfilm.com/2008/06/27/interview-andrew-stanton/
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
WALL-E
Can someone clear this up for me:
Are we supposed to have watched the movie by tomorrow, and we will discuss in class? Or are we going to watch the movie in class and discuss along the way?
Are we supposed to have watched the movie by tomorrow, and we will discuss in class? Or are we going to watch the movie in class and discuss along the way?
Sunday, October 11, 2009
SF becomes a reality yet again...
I know its not carbon nano-tubes a la Kiosk, but being able to craft a specific human bone from stem cells is really exciting: Jaw Bone
Matthew's Paper Topic
So basically what I've been working with since our last class is a paper on the progression of the criticism of censorship in science fiction. In particular I chose to look at Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 and Cory Doctorow's Little Brother as sort of a point of comparison/contrast. Its provided an interesting look at how technology can at once be a captivating and liberating force in society. What impresses me is how both novels make the assertion that if we stop puling the wool over our own eyes and wake up to our reality and our capabilities, then we are essentially masters of our own future...
Friday, October 9, 2009
Twilight Zone in 10 minutes
Some guy made a youtube video of 156 twighlight episodes in 10 minutes. This must have taken so long
Here
Here
Crazy Canadians
I was doing some research for my paper about RFID readers and I ran across this story about a Canadian who implanted a chip with a RFID tag so that he can open his front door without a key and automatically log on his computer! That is so cool because it could definitely be useful, but a little scary that he just put a chip inside of him. It's like the prelude to tagging everyone for identification purposes.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Alternate Paper Topic
I've been going over it in my head over the past week, and i think i might give up on the Time Travel topic because it's just gotten too complicated and jumbled me to figure out how to write it.
I'm thinking since I really enjoyed the short story "Of Love and Other Monsters" that we read a few weeks ago, i'd like to do a paper on Psychics, Espers, Telepaths, etc. since i've always found it to be one of science fiction's coolest abilities/advancements or whatever.
I'm thinking i'd try to build off of what the short story did, and write the paper on something like how psychic-type characters are viewed by their specific worlds and how they tend to view the world and the personality quirks that arise from that (i.e. the main character of Of Love and Other Monsters' falling in love with a person regardless of their physical form)
Anyone got any input? Jeez, i already feel better about this idea after looking at what i typed.
I'm thinking since I really enjoyed the short story "Of Love and Other Monsters" that we read a few weeks ago, i'd like to do a paper on Psychics, Espers, Telepaths, etc. since i've always found it to be one of science fiction's coolest abilities/advancements or whatever.
I'm thinking i'd try to build off of what the short story did, and write the paper on something like how psychic-type characters are viewed by their specific worlds and how they tend to view the world and the personality quirks that arise from that (i.e. the main character of Of Love and Other Monsters' falling in love with a person regardless of their physical form)
Anyone got any input? Jeez, i already feel better about this idea after looking at what i typed.
Origins of Sci-Fi Poll
I'm doing this poll because I'm writing this paper about detection and am trying to detect the origins of science fiction. I was was just wondering what people considered the very first work of science fiction.
Steam punk images.
If anyone's a huge steampunk fan, here are some of the coolest SP gadgets I've ever seen. Wouldn't it be cool if the next Ironman movie was entirely SPed?
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