Attack of the Drones

Choice Blog Post #1

A reoccurring theme that I have noticed since we began this class is the underlying fear that technologies, which we as a species created, will one day turn against us and ultimately lead to our downfall. I have been aware of this theory for quite some time, but I came to notice that the more I thought about it, the more I saw examples of it in everyday media. This doomsday theory first appeared as a topic in this class when we were reading the book Electric Dreams: Computers in American Culture, by Ted Friedman. In the book there is an entire chapter dedicated to this dystopian theory citing two very relevant, but rather dated examples of where it can be seen.

The first example used by Friedman is the movie Desk Set. While on the surface this film may seem like a romantic comedy involving computers, there is the ongoing topic that computers will replace humans in the work force thereby rendering us useless. A more sinister example which alludes to the machines eradicating us, which is mentioned in the book as well, can be seen at the end of the movie in the scene where the main character, Bunny Watson, asks the super computer, EMERAC, what the weight of the world is. The computer responds to her question with a query of its own. “With or without people?” it asks. None of the characters in the movie seem to take notice of the dark implications of this question, but when applied to the topic of this post one can quickly sense the machines impending takeover.

The next example is the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. This is a more blatant view of this theory in which the plot of them film involves the supercomputer AI, named HAL, developing emotions and essentially taking over a space shuttle and killing most of its astronauts. HAL embodies some of the greatest fears that humans harbor when it comes to this theory, the self-awareness and free thought of machines and computers. Other more recent films this can be seen in are I, Robot, a 2004 film starring Will Smith which is based on a series of sci-fi novels by Isaac Asimov, and The Matrix, a 1999 film by the Wachowski brothers which by now should need no introduction or explaining. Both of these films are solely based on what would happen if and or when machines finally rise up and take over. Examples of this topic can be seen in television as well. The other day I was watching an episode of The Simpsons in which the family took a vacation to Itchy & Scratchy Land. The episode, which has the same name as their destination, told a brief tale of what happens when the robotic representations of the characters Itchy and Scratchy malfunction and try to kill the park visitors. There are many more examples of this which I have not mentioned and are very relevant, but for times sake I will just say that this theory can be seen in many medium.

Seeing all of these examples lead me to think that this was a common belief shared, but not spoken as much, by everyone. Was this really what the future holds for us? Are we to be replaced by computerized and mechanical representations of ourselves who, like man, wish to be free while at the same time control everything. For that matter what is man? We are in essence the ultimate computer. Our parts may be biological, but we are artificial intelligence, made by each other and programmed with what we should do and believe. The only difference that we have from computers, as of right now anyway, is that we have emotions and don’t know who our initial creator is or was. What if we were made, in the sense of how machines are made, and placed here in order to evolve while being examined? While my theory may seem foreign and very much sci-fi, it is not beyond the realm of possibility. In fact the book we are currently reading, Neuromancer, by William Gibson, has these types of theories toward the ending. Overall, I don’t think that we will one day be replaced or made extinct by machines. Machines and computers are supposed to be tools designed to make life easier and aid in everyday tasks. They will only become as powerful as we allow them to be. In fact, I think the human race has a much better chance of destroying ourselves than machines will ever have.

New Media Lecture 2

This week we had a man by the name of Torsten Zenas Burns come to share his digital artwork with us for the New Media lecture. Torsten is a filmmaker who has spent time all over the country and world attending residency programs and teaching. During his travels he has done much experimentation with film using digital effects. Some examples of his work can be seen at http://mysite.verizon.net/holyokeresearcher/. He started off by showing us a PowerPoint of selected images from some of his works. He had these images separated by project so he could show us different examples of things he had done over time. At the end of the lecture he put on a DVD that contained some of his movies that he had made. This way we got to experience some of his artwork in motion, rather than just looking at still images of it.

I understand that artwork is a creative expression of its maker and that I may not like or understand all art that exists under the sun. That is why I try to have an open mind when viewing the works of others and try to understand what they are trying to express. That being said, I am going to have to say that not only did I not understand Torsten’s presentation of his work, I didn’t like it as well. I perceived his films to be very abstract strange and almost disturbing. I could not seem to find a point in any of it. Needless to say, sitting through the entire presentation was difficult. The constantly changing images and patterns mixed with the highly saturated colors made his films difficult for me to watch. Also, when trying to understand what was going on in the films I often found myself confused and lost. One work in particular made me rather uncomfortable. It was the film in which a naked man danced to strange country sounding music while holding his belly as if he were pregnant. This reminded me of a disturbing scene from the film The Silence of the Lambs in which the naked cross dressing serial killer character “Buffalo Bill” did a similar dance to the song Goodbye Horses by Q Lazzarus.

My intention is not to put down Torsten or his work, only to express my opinion of it. I do not always know what’s best and just because I don’t understand or like something doesn’t mean that it is not good. After leaving the lecture and having time to reflect on my experiences it occurred to me that Torsten has spent considerable time in Korea teaching film. This could explain a lot of his style. Its characteristics and randomness in a way reminded me of Asian anime. I respect Torsten even though I may not appreciate or understand his work. It takes a lot of courage for any artist to stand up and present their art to a group of strangers. I’m sure there are many who would like his style and what he is trying to portray, I just don’t happen to be one of those people.

Literalisim vs. Magic

Reading Response #1

There didn’t seem to be a common theme shared by the three articles assigned for reading this past week. The first one I read “Experiences with the Alternate Reality Kit, An Example of the Tension Between Literalism and Magic”, by Randall B. Smith, seemed to be more of a scientific study rather than a literary article. It focused on the experiences of users when presented with the Alternate Reality Kit or ARK for short. ARK is like a virtual interface that is supposed to imitate an environment similar to our own space. It has programs of simulation that imitate our world with features such as gravity and propulsion. The key point of the study is that the more the program follows concepts based on reality, the easier it is for the average user to figure out and understand, but than the program tends to become less helpful. On the flip side of that, the more the program follows concepts based on magic, actions not allowed within the realm of our physical world, the harder it is for the user to understand and therefore requires more of an explanation. These magical interactions tend to make the program more useful though.

The next article “Folkvine.org, Ethnographic Storytelling in Folk Art Web Design”, by Natalie M. Underberg and Kristin G. Congdon, is about the website www.folkvine.org. This website tries to emulate the experience of visiting local folk artists in Florida as well as the feel that tourists get from visiting the average local Florida roadside gift shop. The article discusses how the builders of the website work to create a feeling of actually being there and visiting the local artist or gift shop. The last article “WHAT IS DIGITAL CINEMA?” , by Les Manovich, tries to explain what digital cinema is, where it came from, how it differs from analog cinema, and what it has in common with the animation style that gave birth to cinema. I found this to be a very interesting read, but difficult to sum up in one or two sentences. If you are interested in film, arts, and the digital age, as I am; than I strongly recommend that you read this article.

As I write I realize that my first sentence was false. There is common theme shared by all three articles, even though the theme may not be mentioned word for word in all of them. Even though all three articles seem to be about different topics, they are all connected by two keywords, “Literalism” and “Magic”. We are all forced to face the literalism of the real world day in and day out. The monotony of life becomes all too real at a certain point and we, as humans, look for that magic as a way to escape the literalism. Whether it be a virtual simulated interface, a website about Florida attractions and artists that tries to recreate that local feel, or animation in any form, traditional, cinematic, or digital, we turn to it to help us forget about literalism. I feel that I need the magic aspect that digital age has made readily available, in order to continually face the literalism of real life. I’m not sure if that is necessarily a bad thing, but I know I’m ok with it and it has made me more aware of a world that is constantly digitizing. Literalism and magic, two very different ideas that compete to make a balance in life. I know that too much or either one can be a bad thing, but a little bit of both seems to make the world go round, at least from my experiences anyway.