Week 2
Notes from class during group discussions
- Identity - Human Identity & Technology, trans-humanism.
- Organic vs. inorganic - What is exchanged for new technology.
- Money & Power - Access to technology is hindered by the amount of money & power.
- Logical vs. empathy - we as humans fear the idea of logical decisions i.e saving a child. Empathy vs. Logical decision making.
Interesting Discussions:
why is everything blue and orange.
As humans who see in colour, certain colour combinations are attractive to our eyes, and this is most often the case when two colours sit opposite each other on the colour spectrum. Since human skin tones are generally in the orange spectrum, it can be aesthetically pleasing to compliment this with the colour that sits opposite that, which is, well…
It’s blue. Just in case you didn’t. It’s blue.
Cite:
Why give cyborgs human faces.
How you communicate emotion to each other.
Humans being able to feel empathy, cyborgs are designed to look like they are apart of a community and use logic to control and alter their own decision making?
Ex Machina -
Movies to watch:
- Forbidden planet (1956)
- Moon
- Oblivion
- The Iron Giant
- Akira
- Priest
Your group will be allocated 2 short stories (at random). Read them both. Ask the same questions above about your 2 stories.
Two random short stories:
The greatest one star restaurant - Jones
http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/greatest-one-star-restaurant-whole-quadrant/
The Scar - Mieville
The scar
Cons:
The Greatest One-Star Restaurant in the Whole Quadrant
pros:
Preferred story : The Greatest One-Star Restaurant in the Whole Quadrant
How are you going to treat the source material?
The overall narrative is very strong and the characters itself, adding additional scenes i.e flashbacks. Make people attached to the characters, so its more upsetting when Engineer starts picking them off.
Come to the factory and escape!! Find a leaflet and start plotting their escape.
Is this a real future or an alternative future?
Alternative in a sense the characters aren't very feasible. Why make cyborgs instead of robots/androids. No benefits.
Additionally, what are the themes relevant to the now and how do you work with them (or not)?
Its a metaphor for the lower working class/ customer service industry.
Expanding on Engineers backstory, and how being in that environment shaped him as a character. Having to be grateful for being used.
"I have a soft spot in my heart for Engineer because I see her as the logical end product of customer service culture: the abused servant who, in trying to escape her servitude, falls right back into those same patterns of service. Everything about her was created to wait upon humans, and despite herself she cannot stop from answering their call, falling for the paltry rewards they offer her. Anyone who has ever worked in customer service will understand what it feels like to offer yourself up for consumption while thanking the consumer for the privilege." - Rachael K Jones ( Lightspeed Interview)
The greatest one star restaurant - Jones
http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/greatest-one-star-restaurant-whole-quadrant/
The Scar - Mieville
The scar
Cons:
- A lot of adjectives
- Hard to read without getting lost
- Didn't care about the characters, no depth.
- Sets the scene
- heaps of opportunity to create wonderful illustrations
- Underwater city of human cray people (i think)
- Interesting setting
- Room to build a story
The Greatest One-Star Restaurant in the Whole Quadrant
pros:
- Dark and hilarious
- Really strong visual characteristics
- Interesting and varied Characters
- kinda gross
Interesting fact:
- All the cyborgs are female.
Read this interview guys!
How are you going to treat the source material?
The overall narrative is very strong and the characters itself, adding additional scenes i.e flashbacks. Make people attached to the characters, so its more upsetting when Engineer starts picking them off.
Come to the factory and escape!! Find a leaflet and start plotting their escape.
Is this a real future or an alternative future?
Alternative in a sense the characters aren't very feasible. Why make cyborgs instead of robots/androids. No benefits.
Additionally, what are the themes relevant to the now and how do you work with them (or not)?
Its a metaphor for the lower working class/ customer service industry.
Expanding on Engineers backstory, and how being in that environment shaped him as a character. Having to be grateful for being used.
"I have a soft spot in my heart for Engineer because I see her as the logical end product of customer service culture: the abused servant who, in trying to escape her servitude, falls right back into those same patterns of service. Everything about her was created to wait upon humans, and despite herself she cannot stop from answering their call, falling for the paltry rewards they offer her. Anyone who has ever worked in customer service will understand what it feels like to offer yourself up for consumption while thanking the consumer for the privilege." - Rachael K Jones ( Lightspeed Interview)
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