I found it! (the quote I was thinking of that gives some insight to the name of Janet’s world, Whileaway) Here’s the whole paragraph from page 6 (Part One, Section V) of The Female Man (page 6! it’s even before that quote… Continue Reading →
One thing I truly enjoy in science fiction is the complexity of the relationships between artificial intelligence and humans. Often times with these types of science fiction stories, there is this unique bond between humans and the robots/androids that they create…. Continue Reading →
Throughout this class, we had numerous class discussions regarding sexism and how limited female roles exist in science fictions. This module has a strong emphasis on women, femininity, and feminism. The depiction of women’s social status in The Female Man… Continue Reading →
Critiques cannot just be about race or gender. The intersectionality of the two is unavoidable in this day and age when there is such a multicultural society. Any piece that claims to be a feminist work can only be taken with… Continue Reading →
Underground Airlines is one of my favorite books that we have read this semester. I think that my love for the novel derives from Ben Winters discussion of many real concepts that occur today in modern society. What I loved… Continue Reading →
While not technically part of module 7, the movie Contact is an interesting exploration of one of the module’s themes, which is gender. We have seen less than stellar depictions of women throughout the course, both as people and as… Continue Reading →
I think gender and sexuality are extremely important identities to micro-analyze, and I felt that The Female Man did this well in some terms, and disappointingly in others… Whileaway, seemingly meant to come across as a feminist/lesbian haven, is absolutely… Continue Reading →
Interracial relationships are weird concept and Kindred touched base on this in a way I as a mixed child can appreciate. There shouldn’t be anything wrong with them but at the same time there shouldn’t be anything miraculous about them…. Continue Reading →
From what I’m familiar with that is labeled as “science fiction” and from all the books and short stories we’ve read, I was conditioned to immediately assume that the locations of these works must be sort of “out of this… Continue Reading →
I think Underground Airlines is an excellent read. By creating distance from current reality, the book was able to draw out parallels in racial discrimination between Ben Winters’ alternate America where slavery is still legal in some states and the… Continue Reading →
From the start of The Female Man, Joanna Russ toys with the rules of prose writing. She obscures the identity and point of view of the speaker throughout the book, never quite allowing the reader to confidently identify who or… Continue Reading →
In the concept of external return, a pattern of history recurrence is seen to happen throughout the course of the world. Before the Enlightenment, many people saw the future as this unknown object which could present itself in many ways…. Continue Reading →
I really enjoyed the movie Contact, though I ended up doing some double-takes when she was off screen and they would ask Ellie a telescope relevant question. I spent the summer working with data taken on Arecibo (the Puerto Rican… Continue Reading →
I think alternative history in general works to undo the belief that historical actors know how events will play out. The American Revolutionary War for example, is something that we take for granted. Of course the founding fathers won the… Continue Reading →
I think that Kindred is a brilliant book – well-written, concerning an important subject, thought-provoking…one that I’ll definitely be recommending to others. As for if it’s science fiction or not, I guess with a very very broad definition it could be considered… Continue Reading →
Harlan Ellison’s “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream” is marked by strong themes of horror, violence, and the grotesque. Or so I’m told. Going into “I Have No Mouth…” I expected to be scared. I purposefully read it… Continue Reading →
So, I’m not really sure how to feel about Contact… I enjoyed the movie, I enjoyed a strong, intelligent female lead… But I’m not entirely sure what message it sent, however inadvertent, and overall how much I really agree or subscribe… Continue Reading →
The simultaneous gift and curse of sapient intellect is its imaginative quality. As a result, life is not defined by its mundane, instinctual happenings, but instead by idiosyncratic mental occurrences. A lifetime is characterized by creativity, love and malevolence. A… Continue Reading →
Kindred opened up with a prologue in which Dana talks about how she came back home without her left arm. When I first read that line (“I lost an arm on my last trip home. My left arm”), I was… Continue Reading →
Shameless self-promotion of the magazine I head up at Baruch – we have a student essay on the topic we’re currently talking about in class. Here’s the link.
Octavia Butler was smart to cast Dana as a writer in Kindred. Dana’s observations and understanding of the other characters’ motivations was the driving force behind her actions in the story. She has the sort of empathy which seems to… Continue Reading →
In Octavia Butler’s Kindred, the protagonist, Dana, serves as a set of more modern eyes for the modern readers travelling with her to the Antebellum south. The novel juxtaposes Dana’s 1976 life with that of her supposed ancestors on a slave plantation,… Continue Reading →
When it comes to religion, I have always felt like a liar. At the moment, I consider myself an agnostic, but leaning more towards atheism. But when I am with my religious friends, I try to be fully understanding of… Continue Reading →
Having read Kindred in high school, I expected this reading to be slightly boring considering that I already knew how the novel would end. I found, however, that because I was already aware of what would happen next, I started to wonder… Continue Reading →
Though I wrote this blog post before the election, I realized today that I forgot to upload it. There is something painfully more poignant in its main premise, considering that in our own recent election, some voiced the opinion that… Continue Reading →
I feel that one of the reasons I enjoyed Ender’s Game so much was because it completely challenged my way of thinking about the world. To see children as young as six torn from their homes and families is already something… Continue Reading →
Released in 1997, the movie Contact was based on the science fiction novel Carl Sagan wrote. Being an atheist, the movie was definitely able to reflect some of Sagan’s original views towards the irrationality of religion. In the movie, the… Continue Reading →
I think in the last class, we might have been encouraged to respond to Contact, but I really want to talk about Kindred. Of all of the books that we have read so far in this class, Kindred, has been… Continue Reading →
Horror is one of the elements that intensifies the story I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream. Harlan Ellison illustrates the horrifying consequences after a powerful computer take over the control of the entire world. The story begins with… Continue Reading →
I thought of so much to say for Ender’s Game that it was difficult to narrow it down to just one thing I wanted to speak about, but I think one of the most fascinating things about this book was… Continue Reading →
There was a part in Ender’s Game that made me think back to the main question of Module Three, What is human? In Chapter 11-Veni Vidi Vici, Carn Carby, commander of the defeated Rabbit Army, is a good sport and speaks… Continue Reading →
Eighteen years old. The surrounding world is in a constant state of flux and, but you are at an age in which life is being altered just as rapidly. As a child, you envision the things around you through a… Continue Reading →
I always loved books for its openings and I was immediately enthralled, yet terrified, with Ender’s Game particularly the relationship between Peter and Ender. From the beginning, we learn that Ender is a special child, having a monitor placed on… Continue Reading →
When I was younger I was very much into Pride and Prejudice but I also enjoyed the Confessions of a Shopaholic. People tend to react a bit better when I mention the classic, but around that time I was also… Continue Reading →
The readings for this week in particular represent a dark future that really challenges our notions of progress. There is slavery, genocide, massacre murder, and abuse. Rather than helping humanity to progress in a linear line, technological advancement in these… Continue Reading →
Originally appearing in 1967, “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream” was quite a controversial story which became the favorite of both Ellison fans and critics. Although in class we have discussed what Ellison may have symbolized (or perhaps… Continue Reading →
It seems as though an androids and humans walk a very fine line, and androids and robots have a distinction that I had not always been aware of. The word robot itself comes from the Czech word for slave. Yet… Continue Reading →
For such a staunch atheist, Harlan Ellison sure does incorporate a lot from the Bible in his story, “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream”. Here are some examples: 1) Throughout the story, Ellison includes a computer code that… Continue Reading →
Here is a link to the game version of the story!
Perhaps this post bleeds into Module Five’s readings, but I’ve been thinking back to our class discussion on why the androids must always go rogue and how this necessity might stem from our own struggles with perceiving ourselves dually as… Continue Reading →
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream plunges the reader into the depths of an imaginary hell, in which all but five people “lived” and were eternally tortured by an omnipotent Artificial Intelligence called AM. This story is surprisingly… Continue Reading →
With the development of the technology, it’s likely that robots or Androids will be more and more human-like. They will possess better cognition or show clear emotions. For example, Japan has developed an Android that is able to show different… Continue Reading →
What makes an android so interesting is the way in which it blurs the line between human and machine. If a robot bleeds, is it alive? If a man cannot feel, is he still human? The line is blurred beyond… Continue Reading →
I have been increasingly realizing that the blasé, caustic way in which male SF writers write female characters might turn me away from the genre as a whole. Or at least, if I read SF on my own, I will only… Continue Reading →
The worlds we live in is one marked by prodigious growth. Concepts portrayed in science fiction stories are becoming realized. But while humanity rushes towards the creation of functioning artificial intelligence, our fiction reminds us of potential consequences. Do Androids Dream… Continue Reading →
I found what Zoe wrote about AI “emotion” really interesting, especially the claim that the expression of emotion in AI suggests that emotion is learned. I definitely agree that emotion is at least in part learned, and that AI “emotion” is a clever… Continue Reading →
In a world focused on the constant improvement of artificial intelligence, it is by no means impossible to say that perhaps one day, AI will be more intelligent than humans. Just recently, there has been a breakthrough whereby Google researchers… Continue Reading →
One specific discussion topic from class this week has stayed in my thoughts… In Artificial Intelligence computers such as Multivac and HAL 9000, we see portrayals of emotion. We see in Multivac a tendency towards gullibility and naivety, and we… Continue Reading →
The biggest thing that stood out for me while reading “Fondly Fahrenheit” by Alfred Bester was the strange narration. The story often switched between third person omniscient and first person (with the exception of the dialogue). Furthermore, there were abrupt… Continue Reading →
Humans are already capable of creating intelligent life. Children may not always be perfect but they are a miracle nonetheless. The proud perfectionism that drives man to create something better feels of off putting to me. The issue with many… Continue Reading →
After reading “Jerry Was A Man,” I didn’t think about what separated Jerry from humans, but rather what separated Jerry from other genetically modified animals. Separating Jerry from the ordered pegasus is easy. The pegasus is still just a horse… Continue Reading →
This piece by Tim Urban is a great intro on AI and is super relevant to our in-class discussion – give it a read!
As someone heavily interested in the field of Artificial Intelligence, I found Asimov’s “The Life and Times of Multivac” to be an eerily accurate depiction of what may likely happen should the dream of a General Artificial Intelligence be realized…. Continue Reading →
While reading Dolphin’s Way, I couldn’t help but recall some of the discussions we’ve had in class about what it means to be human. The story brings up interesting alternatives to humans being the most “important” species on the planet,… Continue Reading →
Like many of Philip K. Dick’s novels, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, deals with characters who believe something about the world they live in, only to find out that they are not completely correct. In this book’s case, this… Continue Reading →
What made me love anthropology is its inherent need to learn about all different spectrums of human life, and what connects humans together as well as what makes humans unique. Through physical anthropology, we learn about how millions of years… Continue Reading →
After reading and reviewing the three short stories and Hominids, I keep circling back to the concept of communication raised in “Dolphin’s Way.” Here is a scientist, Mal, who is passionate about the science of communication. He can communicate his… Continue Reading →
What is it that makes us humans? By definition, as a noun, a human is “a human being, especially a person as distinguished from an animal or (in science fiction) an alien.” As an adjective; “of, relating to, or characteristic… Continue Reading →
An unfortunate trend in SF that I have noticed over the last month and a half is the objectification and belittlement of female characters. I was aware of it in Module 2, but have since become very disheartened with the… Continue Reading →
As a vegetarian and an individual with a deep appreciation for animals and their vast intellect, I found this module to be exceptionally interesting. Dickson’s “Dolphin’s Way” was especially intriguing, as I believe it drew upon two vastly important points:… Continue Reading →
Reading all of these short stories and novels have left me with quite a few conclusions as well as questions. The first of which is a conclusion. One of the questions appeared in class when we were talking about Davy… Continue Reading →
Again, I’m struggling with deciding what to write for his post; however, this time it’s because I have so much notes on Hominids, as opposed to the very little I had on The Martian. Still, one thing that is clearly standing out to… Continue Reading →
I found Hominids extremely enjoyable, although there were some aspects of the novel that, as Rachel points out in “Mary’s Victimhood”, I was not extremely fond of. What won me over in this book, however, were the intense conversations that Ponter… Continue Reading →
One of the primary functions of Science Fiction is to allow an outside perspective of humanity to be formed. If self evaluations are usually deemed difficult, then introspective observations regarding not only human history but also nature must require even… Continue Reading →
The first of the short stories that I read was Dolphin’s Way and that one posed a real interesting question to me: Here on earth, Humans get to decide who and what is worthy, but what if there was an… Continue Reading →
I have never been particularly fond of female characters written by male authors. I realize that there is a prejudice in this as have I rarely have an issue with male characters written by female authors. Perhaps this is because… Continue Reading →
In “Davey Jones’ Ambassador”, by Raymond Gallun, the story starts off by introducing Clifford Rodney, who is exploring the depths of the ocean. Suddenly, however, he encounters a problem and after expecting to meet his fate, he wakes up in… Continue Reading →
One scene in particular from “Davy Jones’ Ambassador” was stuck in my mind after I finished reading it: Every few minutes, one pair of eyes would turn away from a window, and another pair would take its place. The ovoids… Continue Reading →
A man is a collection of hopes and fears, of human longings, of aspirations greater than himself – more than the clay from which he came; less the creator which lifted him up from the clay – Jerry Was A… Continue Reading →
Unable to fall asleep last Thursday night, I decided to get a head start on my reading for this class, and picked up Hominids. Little did I know that the book would keep me up way past my intended bedtime!… Continue Reading →
The Martian is probably the most optimistic approach to Science Fiction we have approached so far in this class. There is a happy ending, there doesn’t seem to be any sort of negative moral at the end to warn us… Continue Reading →
The stories in this module illustrate the clash between the cold and impartial nature of space exploration and man’s compassion and humanity. “The Cold Equations” highlights how little margins of error cannot exist in space exploration regardless of anybody’s feelings,… Continue Reading →
Where is Rich Purnell? The Rich Purnell Maneuver proves to be what is probably the singular most important scientific discovery in the entire novel. Mark Watney’s life depends on it. It is deemed so important that it is implemented despite the… Continue Reading →
Hi classmates! I came across this really good deal on science-fiction books while browsing game deals (I’m a huge gamer). It’s a pay-what-you-want tier-based bundle of “Science Fiction by REAL Scientists.” The deal only has six days left before it’s… Continue Reading →
…Everyone is writing these clever little posts connecting the stories and book, examining the literature, and/or making connections, etc. – I have writer’s block. I’ll plan to write my post earlier next time so I have more time to think. Anyway, so for… Continue Reading →
When I first picked up The Martian, I was unimpressed with the quality of the writing style – or rather, with the lack of embellished images and thoughtful metaphor. But as I read further, I quickly realized the writing style… Continue Reading →
Down and Out on Ellfive Prime and Night’s Slow Poison both revolved around societies attempting to stay hidden from the entity in power. However, one society is portrayed as weak and backwards for their wish to remain separate and hidden, while the other… Continue Reading →
Reading Down and Out on Ellfive Prime made me consider class in a hypothetical futuristic space-colonizing society; it made sense, given the way things are now, that those privileged socioeconomically would easier find a space on a colony like Ellfive… Continue Reading →
The genius behind Science Fiction literature is its ability to simultaneously represent the harshness of the universe and the quick ingenuity of human will-power. No piece of literature in Module 2 better juxtaposed these concepts than Andy Weir’s The Martian. Deserted as… Continue Reading →
As humans, we often make decisions based on our emotions. We then spend minutes, hours, days, or years contemplating the decision made. In this module’s readings, making decisions based on emotions was not always an option. However, emotions were motivation… Continue Reading →
In real world, morality plays an important role in judging what is right and what is wrong. In the Cold Equations, Tom Godwin replaces the morality with scientific laws. Anything that violates the scientific laws is deemed illegitimate and subject… Continue Reading →
“Existence required Order and there was order; the laws of nature, irrevocable and immutable. Men could learn to use them but men could not change them…The laws were, and the universe moved to obey them.” –The Cold Equations, Tom Goodwin (11) “But he… Continue Reading →
The authors of the three short stories would likely agree that in the harshness of the frontier of space, there is little to make jokes over. There is no effort to make dying girls, class inequalities, or war seem funny…. Continue Reading →
He was an EDS pilot, inured to the sight of death, long since accustomed to it and viewing the dying of another man with an objective lack of emotion, and he had no choice in what he must do…. Continue Reading →
After reading both “The Cold Equations” by Tom Godwin, “Night’s Slow Poison” by Ann Leckie, and “Down and Out on Ellfive Prime” by Dean Ing, my original favorite was “The Cold Equations”. However, after a couple of days had passed,… Continue Reading →
As much as I wanted to write about “The Cold Equations” (since it was the story out of the three shorts stories that I understood the most), I decided against that. That would have been too easy for me and… Continue Reading →
The premise for “The Cold Equation” is that in the deep vacuum of space there is no allowing for error and similarly, no room for imaginative responses to dire situations. Such bleak odds accompanied by inescapable doom reflects the nature… Continue Reading →
Hi! Just a quick post to share that website in class for buying the books. It’s just thriftbooks.com and most of the books are somewhere between 3-5 dollars, depending on the book amd if you buy over 10$ the shipping… Continue Reading →
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