Chu was made for the all connectedness of the orphid world. Before it he could barely function in society. His tantrums and hate for disorder made people uncomfortable to be around him. His own mother questioned whether the trouble to take care of him outweighed her love for him. Then with the introduction of the nants Chu's abilities proved vital to returning Earth to what it was before.
After the nants came the orphids. They have so far proven themselves to be a much safer version on nanites. Instead of breaking down all of earth's material and replacing life with virtual life the orphids connect all life with life. Its like the earth has it's own consciousness now that can see all and that everyone is linked up to.
The world of the orphids is much more suited for Chu. Instead of trying to fit into society, the world has changed to fit society to him. Chu has no problems getting used to the change. He even discovered the "angels" that where taking the cuttlefish.
I guess it just fascinates me to think of all the people we prescribe drugs to and feel sorry for could actually be evolutions first steps toward singularity. In the future it could be the people without autism that are pitied.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
Ribofunk: Splices
Little Worker seems very human. Her obsession over Mister Micheal could be likened to that of a stalker. She does her best to find her own solutions to what she believes his problems to be. She dispenses of the andromorph and gynomorph very cleverly. The destruction of the gynomorph seemed to be more for her benefit though. Then there was the death of Mister Micheal's wife. Little Worker clearly planned that out. The intruders could have been killed at anytime, but she waited for her ideal moment. Jealousy and devotion. Qualities any human could have. What makes a person a person if not emotions?
Hamster and the PI have an amusing relationship. The splice's mellow attitude and literal interpretations of what his partner says are very entertaining. The PI doesn't seem to care for Hamster, but his death obviously hits him hard. I think the PI was as surprised as anyone to find that it affected him so much.
These two splices have likes and dislikes and different personalities. They can react to situations in ways that serve themselves. What more do you need to be human and not property. Has humanity really been reduced to numbers and percentages? If you are 51% human then why are you not also 49% property. Kat didn't value all life, but I think he made an important point about splice life. They should have equality. They shouldn't have to rely on humans to keep them alive.
Hamster and the PI have an amusing relationship. The splice's mellow attitude and literal interpretations of what his partner says are very entertaining. The PI doesn't seem to care for Hamster, but his death obviously hits him hard. I think the PI was as surprised as anyone to find that it affected him so much.
These two splices have likes and dislikes and different personalities. They can react to situations in ways that serve themselves. What more do you need to be human and not property. Has humanity really been reduced to numbers and percentages? If you are 51% human then why are you not also 49% property. Kat didn't value all life, but I think he made an important point about splice life. They should have equality. They shouldn't have to rely on humans to keep them alive.
The Filth chaps 8-11
Tony's death was rather upsetting, but not surprising. The comic was definitely building towards it. I was glad for the death of the Greg para persona, he was a real douche. Every time he mistreated Tony I hoped the cat would become feral and pull a Cujo on him.
Just as upsetting as Tony's death was the revelation that Tony was merely a copy. Who am I to mourn? The real... no, original Tony or the Tony that I have an actual connection too? The original's death is felt with nothing more than second-hand-sadness, something akin to how I feel when reading about a murder in a newspaper. The death of the copy I feel with more remorse though. Does that make the copy the 'real' Tony? Is it possible to have two 'real Tony's? I guess the situation is not unlike that of parallel universes. Should someone from a neighboring universe be thrown into ours they would be considered the unreal double of their copy here. In the parallel universe though, they would see the situation as one of their own being thrown into an 'unreal' universe.
I think this problem of 'real' and 'unreal' is very important to our future. With cloning technology, laws should be made for the rights of clones. Being a copy doesn't make you lesser then the original. At least it shouldn't. It would be silly to say that a clone is the same as the original in every way except in worth, that actually defeats the purpose of calling them a clone.
I'm really interested in talking about this book in class and hashing out the themes in it. I have a lot of curiosity regarding the book's mentionings of love and the twist where Slade is the one who holds the pen that The Hand harvests ink from.
Just as upsetting as Tony's death was the revelation that Tony was merely a copy. Who am I to mourn? The real... no, original Tony or the Tony that I have an actual connection too? The original's death is felt with nothing more than second-hand-sadness, something akin to how I feel when reading about a murder in a newspaper. The death of the copy I feel with more remorse though. Does that make the copy the 'real' Tony? Is it possible to have two 'real Tony's? I guess the situation is not unlike that of parallel universes. Should someone from a neighboring universe be thrown into ours they would be considered the unreal double of their copy here. In the parallel universe though, they would see the situation as one of their own being thrown into an 'unreal' universe.
I think this problem of 'real' and 'unreal' is very important to our future. With cloning technology, laws should be made for the rights of clones. Being a copy doesn't make you lesser then the original. At least it shouldn't. It would be silly to say that a clone is the same as the original in every way except in worth, that actually defeats the purpose of calling them a clone.
I'm really interested in talking about this book in class and hashing out the themes in it. I have a lot of curiosity regarding the book's mentionings of love and the twist where Slade is the one who holds the pen that The Hand harvests ink from.
Friday, February 20, 2009
The Filth up to Chap 7
In the beginning I was a little lost what with the leaking parapersonality, afros, toupees, and The Hand. As his adventures continue though I find it easier to read if I just accept that there are gigantic killing sperm and the like. It's nothing worse then what I read in The Ticket anyways. In comparison, The Filth isn't that bad at all.
When the I-Life where introduced I started thinking of how it related to humans. They are helpful to their host as long as there is a supply of energy, but as modeled by Doctor Soon's death, when this supply runs out they consume what is available. The majority of humans on Earth are consuming its resources without a second thought. There are no sentimental feelings for that which makes it possible for us to even exist.
Speaking of sentimental feelings, I have found myself hoping the Tony the cat gets better. Every time Slade returns from a trip Tony looks worse. He has to make a choice between cleaning up the filth of the world and protecting the reality most people live in or let the filth fester and take care of Tony. That cat is Slade's only attachment to the 'real' world. When I say 'real' I mean 'the world that is most familiar to the reader'. This distinction has to be made because the definition of 'real' is 'actual rather than imaginary'. For The Hand to exist and for the world of Greg to exist one must be false. Up to chapter 6 The Hand is believed to be the real 'real'. In chapter 7 this is questioned though. Could he be imaging it all? Is The Hand only in his imagination? If so then the deteriorating health of Tony is because of his neglect while he acts out these fanciful adventures in his mind.
Other things that caught my attention while reading were The Crab and the people altering the story line of a comic book by free falling into it. Comic book characters altering the world of other comic book characters, hilarious. I wonder if they would be so quick to alter the events in the other comic book if they realized they were a comic book as well. What would happen to the comic book inside a comic book if it realized what was going on? My hopes for the chapters to come are that the characters in the comic inside a comic rebel and have war on the characters outside the comic.
When the I-Life where introduced I started thinking of how it related to humans. They are helpful to their host as long as there is a supply of energy, but as modeled by Doctor Soon's death, when this supply runs out they consume what is available. The majority of humans on Earth are consuming its resources without a second thought. There are no sentimental feelings for that which makes it possible for us to even exist.
Speaking of sentimental feelings, I have found myself hoping the Tony the cat gets better. Every time Slade returns from a trip Tony looks worse. He has to make a choice between cleaning up the filth of the world and protecting the reality most people live in or let the filth fester and take care of Tony. That cat is Slade's only attachment to the 'real' world. When I say 'real' I mean 'the world that is most familiar to the reader'. This distinction has to be made because the definition of 'real' is 'actual rather than imaginary'. For The Hand to exist and for the world of Greg to exist one must be false. Up to chapter 6 The Hand is believed to be the real 'real'. In chapter 7 this is questioned though. Could he be imaging it all? Is The Hand only in his imagination? If so then the deteriorating health of Tony is because of his neglect while he acts out these fanciful adventures in his mind.
Other things that caught my attention while reading were The Crab and the people altering the story line of a comic book by free falling into it. Comic book characters altering the world of other comic book characters, hilarious. I wonder if they would be so quick to alter the events in the other comic book if they realized they were a comic book as well. What would happen to the comic book inside a comic book if it realized what was going on? My hopes for the chapters to come are that the characters in the comic inside a comic rebel and have war on the characters outside the comic.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Media Control and Culture
Why control of movies and music by big media corporations harm society and culture:
In my opinion the big media corporation’s domination of music and movies is harmful. People are bombarded by one view point of perfection. They are only shown one version of the perfect woman, man, family, and lifestyle. Women are supposed to be docile, innocent, and skinny. From childhood they grow up watching movies showing happiness as finding a man to take care of them. Disney movies like “Snow White” and “Ariel” continually suggest that the way to get the perfect man is by being beautiful and helpless. Men are taught that they need to be a provider. They are shown that emotions are a weakness. In music videos such as “Candy Shop” by 50 Cent or “Boss’ Life” by Snoop Dog, men see women as seductresses and completely objectified; lips, legs, breasts. They are told that in the perfect nuclear lifestyle the men need to take care of their wife and be able to buy them expensive material things.
In my opinion the big media corporation’s domination of music and movies is harmful. People are bombarded by one view point of perfection. They are only shown one version of the perfect woman, man, family, and lifestyle. Women are supposed to be docile, innocent, and skinny. From childhood they grow up watching movies showing happiness as finding a man to take care of them. Disney movies like “Snow White” and “Ariel” continually suggest that the way to get the perfect man is by being beautiful and helpless. Men are taught that they need to be a provider. They are shown that emotions are a weakness. In music videos such as “Candy Shop” by 50 Cent or “Boss’ Life” by Snoop Dog, men see women as seductresses and completely objectified; lips, legs, breasts. They are told that in the perfect nuclear lifestyle the men need to take care of their wife and be able to buy them expensive material things.
This mindset ingrained into people from childhood causes women to go to great lengths in trying to improve their bodies. Time and money are spent in this search for perfection. Lives are lost because of it. Women starve themselves, let surgeons cut open their skin, and even endure spousal abuse hoping to one day appeal to their soft side. On the other hand men are finding an outlet for their bottled emotions through the only acceptable means media presents to them, violence. They have already been conditioned to view women as pieces, as things. If being a man means not being sensitive then is it any surprise that when upset these troubled boys see no wrong in taking it out on women, on objects.
A single-minded point of view crushes diversity. When there is only the nuclear family being shown, other lifestyles become invisible. Living as a queer becomes stigmatized as abnormal. Without this way of life in the media people have trouble understanding and accepting it. We have a tendency to fear what we can’t comprehend. The only outlooks about the queer way of life that viewers get a glimpse of are ones that the big media corporations deem tolerable. Things like Katy Perry’s song “I Kissed a Girl” and characters like Jack in “Will and Grace”. In Katy’s song, being queer is presented as ok if it is done to impress a boyfriend. In “Will and Grace” Jack is shown to be flamboyant and promiscuous. Both these personas completely undermine the gay identity. It confirms stereotypes of the queer phase, experiment, or bad copy of heterosexual norm. These beliefs devastate the gay image. In this dominated media a homosexual relationship can only exist if there is a feminine and masculine character. When this model isn’t deviated from then that is all the viewer will be familiar with.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
The Much Delayed Prichard Quote of the Week
No idea why this has taken me so long, but that is unimportant. On to the quote! Unfortunately I have completely forgotten the context, but regardless I'd like to share it:
"Wouldn't it be great if we had access to other people's dreams? No no, that would be the worst thing ever, that would be a nightmare."
What struck me about this quote is how much I really wouldn't want to know the thoughts of friends or strangers. The mind is a scary place where thoughts are best understood by those thinking them and even then it can be quite confusing. My internal comments are carefully censored or completely purged before they make it out of my mouth. I assure you that this is done with good reason. Speaking your mind is important, but speaking your entire mind is not always necessary. Nobody can ever truly know your reasoning, your intention, or your anything behind a thought.
This is the same for other people. Whatever they are thinking has a meaning behind it that I can't grasp due to our varying pasts and experiences. As far as I am concerned our minds are separate worlds. Language can links us though. It can be the bridge that connects our minds, but using language waters the message down. The ability to accurately explain myself is limited. The person I am speaking with is left with words that can be interpreted many ways, nothing as complete as the whole thought in my head.
Recently I had a dream that my roommates turned into werewolves and terrorized the city. In the dream I was distressed and the feeling stayed with me when I woke up. It was a silly dream, but it still greatly affected my mood. Imagine the lifetime of dreams you have had or will have. Many are pointless, ridiculous, and mean nothing. Now imagine if others were exposed to them. Those dreams would be looked at as a legitimate opening into your psyche. Silly things to you would be analyzed and pondered about by them. "What is the meaning behind your roommate's transformation? Why werewolves? "
Prichard is right, the realm of other's dreams is not to be shared. Scary things lurk under our skulls. I'd hate to accidently witness the thoughts of someone like Ted Bundy or *gasp* Britney Spears.
"Wouldn't it be great if we had access to other people's dreams? No no, that would be the worst thing ever, that would be a nightmare."
What struck me about this quote is how much I really wouldn't want to know the thoughts of friends or strangers. The mind is a scary place where thoughts are best understood by those thinking them and even then it can be quite confusing. My internal comments are carefully censored or completely purged before they make it out of my mouth. I assure you that this is done with good reason. Speaking your mind is important, but speaking your entire mind is not always necessary. Nobody can ever truly know your reasoning, your intention, or your anything behind a thought.
This is the same for other people. Whatever they are thinking has a meaning behind it that I can't grasp due to our varying pasts and experiences. As far as I am concerned our minds are separate worlds. Language can links us though. It can be the bridge that connects our minds, but using language waters the message down. The ability to accurately explain myself is limited. The person I am speaking with is left with words that can be interpreted many ways, nothing as complete as the whole thought in my head.
Recently I had a dream that my roommates turned into werewolves and terrorized the city. In the dream I was distressed and the feeling stayed with me when I woke up. It was a silly dream, but it still greatly affected my mood. Imagine the lifetime of dreams you have had or will have. Many are pointless, ridiculous, and mean nothing. Now imagine if others were exposed to them. Those dreams would be looked at as a legitimate opening into your psyche. Silly things to you would be analyzed and pondered about by them. "What is the meaning behind your roommate's transformation? Why werewolves? "
Prichard is right, the realm of other's dreams is not to be shared. Scary things lurk under our skulls. I'd hate to accidently witness the thoughts of someone like Ted Bundy or *gasp* Britney Spears.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
An alsex
It has come to my attention that there are some misconceptions about anal sex which I would like to clear up. Anal sex is not gay sex. A straight couple having anal sex isn't having gay sex, they are having ANAL sex. Just like the use of penetration between a lesbian couple isn't straight sex and no penetration between a straight couple isn't lesbian sex. It's SEX. Some of it is kinky and some of it is vanilla, get over it. Sex is sex is sex.
In The Ticket That Exploded there are men anally penetrating other men, but this doesn't mean that a gay person is going to be any less disturbed by it then a straight person. There are no women in the book as well, does this mean that women are more prone to enjoying the book then men are? No.
The person who finds TTE to be a great read will most likely be someone who can look past what makes them uncomfortable and enjoy the writing style and rich word choice behind it. It will have nothing to do with sexual orientation, gender, or I don't know... whether or not one arm is longer than the other.
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