Visions and Universes 2018

The characters in this reading module were definitely interesting, but I had a hard time connecting with them and seeing things from their perspective. While reading Women Men Don’t See I was a bit confused as to what exactly was… Continue Reading →

The overarching theme I noticed this week primarily regarded the way people act to abide by societal norms while still satisfying taboo, carnal, or otherwise socially undesirable whims. First of all, I’m going to mention the elephant in the room:… Continue Reading →

Module 7 was an interesting way to end the semester. On the one hand, although I respect the themes and authors of “Nine Lives” and “The Women Men Don’t See”, the stories themselves didn’t intrigue me as much as Underground… Continue Reading →

Module Seven deals with gender and race in SF, although I feel that Kindred provided an ample introduction to these subjects, even though it was categorized as having more to do with time travel. Initially, I was wary of reading… Continue Reading →

They say that actors are actors. Obviously. They say that animators are shy actors, if you ask Disney why they like to hire theater majors. Rarely do they say anything about writers being actors, but that’s also true. A writer… Continue Reading →

A big part of our identity is the result of our recollection of past experiences.  The sum of these habits is the person we are today. Perhaps you’re especially great with kids and have a history of patience towards young… Continue Reading →

I keep thinking about the end of Ender’s Game, when Mazer reveals to Ender that the simulations he has been playing are actually real. Ender is 11/12 years old at this time and has spent 5/6 years playing “games.” People… Continue Reading →

I enjoyed the readings in this module, especially A Light of Other Days by Bob Shaw. If the snow glass was an actually commodity sold today, it would’ve been a really popular product. As shown in the story, people sometimes… Continue Reading →

Module Six focused on time travel, a distinctly SF theme that never ceases to stupefy me and produce headaches, my brain working similarly to those classic scenes in which a computer is asked a question beyond its abilities and begins… Continue Reading →

I love time travel in fiction. It’s such a fascinating plot mechanic, especially when we consider people’s fear of the unknown future. However, sometimes the way it works and its paradoxes can get pretty confusing. In Kindred, Dana can’t be sure if… Continue Reading →

Kindred has taken the top spot for the best book I’ve read this semester. It made me think of when people say they want to go back to the past, whether that be the 80s or the 60s or the… Continue Reading →

Overall I really liked this module. I have always been fascinated by the idea of time travel as a kid and that fascination still stands strong today. Also Terminator 2 has always been one of my favorite movies as a… Continue Reading →

I found the Terminator interesting in terms of the last module we covered, which touched upon childhood’s end. Just like Ender, John is chosen (or rather born into) a role of immense power and prestige, and the fate of humanity… Continue Reading →

I have to begin by saying that I loved (most of) the stories this week.  ‘God’ seemed to be a prevalent theme throughout them all, which I enjoyed.  I think there’s a certain idea that follows notions of God that… Continue Reading →

I really liked the short story I Have no Mouth and I must Scream. I feel that was the story I enjoyed the most out of all the ones we read so far. I feel AM was really creative in… Continue Reading →

There’s real commentary at the bottom, I promise. Okay, so maybe this “reading” of Terminator 2: Judgement Day is flawed because I never saw the first one and missed the nuances of time travel worldbuilding according to the first movie in the… Continue Reading →

Ender’s Game is a coming-of-age story on an astronomical scale, no pun intended. In fact, maybe it can’t even be considered coming-of-age, because for Ender childhood barely existed. How can a child suffer through so much pain, emotional manipulation, isolation,… Continue Reading →

Module Five dealt with the concepts “coming to faith and coming of age,” between which I was, at first, unable to determine a strong connection. It was only after I read Ender’s Game that I recognized the embrace of mysticism… Continue Reading →

These poor children. What is it about people that we find fascination in ruining the innocence of children? Frankly, these kids were messed up. Ender seems to have depression or PTSD as a result of situations that adults forced him into…. Continue Reading →

Module Four’s readings delve into the concepts of artificial intelligence and artificial life forms. The texts raise questions about the responsibilities inherent in the creation of life, the ways humans can structure and control a society that relies on androids,… Continue Reading →

So many sanity adages came to mind while reading “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream” after Ted complains: “I was the only one still sane and whole. Really! AM had not tampered with my mind. Not at all. I only had to… Continue Reading →

I think “Fondly Fahrenheit” perfectly captured what humans are most afraid of– our creations turning against us. Whether that is an android or child, we are scared that after we care for it, we might eventually lose control over it…. Continue Reading →

After reading these stories, I was surprised at how the androids were portrayed. In most of the movies I’ve seen so far, the main issue has been that these androids are very similar to humans, so much so that they… Continue Reading →

Happy midterm week! Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep was honestly my favorite book that we’re read so far. One of the most important things I’ve noticed is how the book, although futuristic, still reflects the times it was written… Continue Reading →

For the sake of full transparency, I’d like to start this response with saying that Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep thoroughly confused me. I still enjoyed the novel, but I came away with more questions than answers. Why make the androids… Continue Reading →

This week we’ve been focusing on technology, but ironically, my mind’s been on feelings and the actions they bring about.  Prior to opening up these stories, I expected to read tales of cold, clinical pseudo-life.  While reading Philip K. Dick’s DADoES?, this… Continue Reading →

I think a strong argument could be made that Isaac Asimov predicted with his story of Multivac how expansive and integrated into our lives computers and technology and especially the internet has become. Multivac is an all-powerful computer that’s reminiscent… Continue Reading →

At this point in time, I think most of us have agreed on some basic human rights. The right to protect your family. The right to hold different opinions. The right to feel safe. We have a few thousand years… Continue Reading →

I was bummed to realize that the particular Isaac Asimov piece we’re reading for the next module isn’t The Last Question.  Anyone who would like to see the Computer in “Life and Times” through a totally new/different/techno-creationist (for lack of… Continue Reading →

One of the funniest parts of The Hominid to me was the line “Reuben Montego, a Jamaican-Canadian in his mid-thirties, hurried over to them. He shaved his head completely bald—meaning he was the only person allowed into SNO without a… Continue Reading →

I was looking forward to taking a well deserved break from studying for my Physical Anthropology midterms (yes, plural), when I realized that this week’s book was Hominids. Despite my chagrin at having to spend even more time reading about… Continue Reading →

Reading the stories for module 3, I was reminded of the text from my history textbooks. It was surprising to see so many parallels of the past with the present scenario of the stories. The whole point of studying history… Continue Reading →

It makes sense that humans care deeply about classifying “us” vs. “them”.  Such an instinct is what allowed us to discern between other species (many of which may be harmful to us) and our own; being part of a collective… Continue Reading →

We’ve thoroughly discussed, albeit without conclusion, what it means to be human. I think this is the wrong conversation to have because we cannot identify what it means to be a fully-autonomous human being while also not differentiating between species…. Continue Reading →

Module Three’s readings explore humans’ ideas about the essential components by which a living being is deemed ‘human,’ and how these conceptions shape humans’ interactions with other living beings. The readings throw into sharp relief the human compulsion to label… Continue Reading →

Whose universe is better? Ours or that of the Neanderthals? Hominids explores that question in its many conversations between Ponter and characters from this universe, as well as scenes Adikor that show us what the Neanderthal’s universe is like. One… Continue Reading →

Although in “Jerry Was a Man” the fate of the laborers reminded me of “soap” production in Cloud Atlas, and the courtroom scene of the parable of the Fair Witnesses in a different science fiction story (the excerpt of which,… Continue Reading →

Module 3’s short stories show the importance of communication between species. Mal in “Dolphin’s Way” and Cliff Rodney in “Davy Jones’ Ambassador” are similar in that they are curious and willing to communicate with other species. Instead of rejecting or… Continue Reading →

He was not alone… The girl came out of her hiding place unaware of the terrible consequences that normally befall those who break the rules of the frontier. A decision had to be made. The pilot stood there in silence… Continue Reading →

In “Down and Out on Ellfive Prime,” societies outlaws are painted as the scams. Their leader, Zen, is important because he serves as a mediator just as much as Almquist. Althouth Almquist is depicted as the true neutral, I think… Continue Reading →

I never realized how interesting potato farming could be until I read The Martian; once I did pick it up, however, I found myself unable to put it down. It’s hard to nail down exactly why it captured me the… Continue Reading →

After reading The Martian, “The Cold Equations” was a strong slap in the face reminding me that not everything gets a happy ending. That was a lot darker than I had anticipated; but, after rooting for Mark Watney for so… Continue Reading →

This is an ancient piece for war planning in terms of laying out where offensive strikes should be placed. Strategically speaking, it is a very primitive model outlined in a grid format, however, its purpose is to only provide a… Continue Reading →

Module Two’s readings are connected by themes of space exploration and interplanetary/intergalactic colonization. The readings explore some ways in which human nature plays out in the hostile, uncaring environments people endure as they travel through space and explore unfamiliar planets…. Continue Reading →

We talked in class about how The Martian would have changed had the protagonist been named “Marcia Watney.” Today, we’re fortunate to have girl-targeted STEAM programs and books (Girls Who Code recently came out with The Friendship Code, first in a… Continue Reading →

This week’s readings spoke to me about the unfeeling cruelty of the universe.  I think we’ve evolved a sense of comfort or even mastery over our planet while simultaneously pillaging it.  Because the Earth is a valiant and accommodating fighter,… Continue Reading →

The short stories are interlinked by having to do with travel, or more particularly, life outside of Earth as we know it. Characters, that, based on the circumstance, should not interact with one another, do and connect in each of… Continue Reading →

In the introduction for the short story “The Cold Equations” there was this sentence “the universe is agnostic to life, and that simply through knowledge of physical law, and adherence to it, may life survive”, which I feel summarizes one… Continue Reading →

A similar theme running through this module’s readings is cold facts versus the will of humanity. In “The Cold Equations,” Marilyn must die because they must save six people with the medicine Barton brings, and that mathematically outweighs her singular… Continue Reading →

I flew through The Martian this time just as quickly as when I first read it. I had forgotten how quirky and scientific it was, as the movie’s toned-down version was a bit fresher on my mind. Rereading it after watching the… Continue Reading →

Use this space to post your reflections, questions, thoughts, ideas and connections as you read the stories and novels!