To the film itself, first striking thing about how bodies interact is that almost all the bodies are part of the machines, there is no distinction made between the mechanical apparatuses and the bodies that work with them.  This is of course emphasized when one of the machines explodes and the workers sacrifice themselves to it.  The work for the most part is repetitive, the workers all working together in the same rhythm.  The positions that the workers bodies are is communicates that they are working hard and are needing to use their whole body to make the machine work.  The upper management types and there lakes on the other had work in large offices and they looked over and monitored the work that was happening below. 

Another show that still shoots back to Metropolis is the new series of Dr. Who, a BBC sci-fi show.  In that show there is a race called Cybermen, who are trying to upgrade the human race.  There is of shoot of that show called Trochwood that has a female Cyberman who looks almost just like the robot in Metropolis.  It is just interesting to see that the same visual representaion is still being used.

The name of the episode is just Act V, # 218 and you can hear it at thislife.org and its just about an hour long.

         The thing about this week of the class is, it seems to have glorified the celebrity body instead of looking at them with the contempt they disserve.  I’m just frustrated that in class the tone was more reverential than skeptical.  The discussion seamed to go more in the direction of gossip.  I just don’t understand why we give celebrities so much credit.  I was proud that I didn’t know who most of the celebrities where who we talked about, and if I did know their names I knew none of the other details of their life.  I was also proud that I had never seen a Michael Jackson video before.  I think that speaks well of my character.  My opinion of them is that they are just ridicules people who aren’t that good at what they do, but just have good publicists.  We shouldn’t be giving them more attention and power by talking about them, we should just ignore them and hope they will go away.

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This week we watched the movie Southern Comfort, which Ithought was a good film even though the production value was low budget.  What struck me particularly was howRobert and company where able to built such close community even it a part ofthe country that is not know for its tolerance.  I assumed that people in the trans community would chouse tomove to a city where the trans community is stronger.  But they didn’t move, they made there own community wherethey lived.  It’s amazing that theynot only lived in a rural aria but that they blended in so well.  I find it incredibly funny that Robertwas even asked to join the KKK. Despite how well they where doing in their own tight group, as soon asRobert needed medical care he was turned down because he was trans.  When Robert is diagnosed with ovariancancer he continually turned down because the doctors don’t want him sitting intheir waiting rooms, they are afraid that the other clients will feeluncomfortable.  Now this is what Idon’t get, if the doctors where just saying that they didn’t want it to lookodd to their other clients, why didn’t Robert just go with someone who dididentify as female?  Then Robertwould have a reason for being there; he would be there to support the femaleidentified person.  Then once theygot behind closed doors they could do the procedure.  I don’t know but it seems like that would have worked as away the doctor could have saved face and Robert could have receivedtreatment.  I don’t know I justcan’t believe that they couldn’t find treatment for him.  Though this is probably not the case,it felt like they could have done more. Even if they had just made the appointment and tolled the doctor oncethey got there that Robert was trans, and had brought the camera.  After being tolled that they where onfilm, and meeting Robert face to face, I bet not nearly as many would haveturned down treatment.  I justcan’t believe that a doctor would not treat some one, regardless of what they looked like.

http://www.yourdailymedia.com/media/1145188343/President_Bush_Gets_A_Myspace_Profile

Is sci-fi an extension of technology?  And if it is (which is my argument) then shouldn’t we discarded old sci-fi as we discarded old technology.  Old sci-fi is no longer able to give us a glimpse into a possible future or other version of now.  So we should cast it aside and move on looking at what is newly possible.  At the same time is it possible for old sci-fi to become good science based fantasy instead? 

Are we getting past the point where the prevailing question is no longer what can we do with technology, but are we getting to the point where we are asking what should we do with technology.  When we can make anything, should we?

At what point does the body stop being a human body and become a machine?  The Oxford American Dictionary states that a cyborg is “fictional or hypothetical person whose physical abilities are extended beyond normal human limitations by mechanical elements built into the body.”  But I disagree with that I consider a cyborg to be and human body that is augmented with electronic components, that enhance its performance.  Which for me begs the question at what point does a body become a machine with organic human components vs. a highly augmented human body?  Should it be done by prestige, so that if  a body is comprised of lets say, 60-70% of synthetic materials, is it then a machine rather than human?  Or should different organs be waited, so still having a human brain worth more points than say a kidney.  I’m not saying that is the best way to do it but it seams that it would be beneficial to come up with some boundaries of how fare we should augment the human body and have it still considered human.

Calvin

Week 5

e-Corpus #1

         I found a movie that explores almost all of the ideas we have been looking at this week.  It’s called the Libertine, it’s a Johnny Depp film set in the 1660’s, which is slightly latter than the plays we have been looking at but many of the same issues still apply.  In almost every class I couldn’t help my self from thinking, the libertine, we need to watch the libertine.  The movie covers most of the issues we have been discussing, from peoples need for a master, to commenting on the switch to capitalism, to a debate on what the theater is and how it should be used.  The story is about John Wilmot, the 2^nd Earl of Rochester who in his short life goes out to break all the taboos of the time.  He a clever and witty playwright who, King Charles II asks to write a play that will stand as a monument to his rule. He then pushes the limiest to the pint of braking and has to go into hiding.  But for any one who would like to get a good idea of how people lived and related to each other I think his is a good movie to watch.

Calvin

Week 6

e-Corpus #1

         On Wednesday I arrived late to the spoken word performance, and was informed that the lecture hall was full and that I was to go to lecture hall #2 which was labeled as, The Diversity Overflow Room (actually it was called the “Diversity Overflow Classroom” but I think it sounds better with out the class bit).  When I went in there where a few other people from our class and we all sat close to gather, aside from us there where a few other people scattered around the room, so not vary full at all.  I then realized that we where going to watch it over a live video feed.

         So as we where watching this presentation we would occasionally talk or comment on what we where watching and we could put our feet up on the empty seats in front of us.  Even thought it was a live presentation it was for us a very low stakes situation.  I just found it interesting how we where acting more like we where watching a video than something happening in that moment.  For me it really highlighted how diffident I react to information presented to me on a screen, especially at low resolution.  So I suppose the question I have now is this: Is it possible to transmit a high stakes situation over a television, and how is that done.

            I think I’m going to design and make a jacket that has solar panels integrated into the shoulders and upper back that will charge batteries in the lower back.  In the pockets there will be adapters to charge iPods and cell phones.  I am also going to look at clothing design and especially design for men.  So if you have any textile or circuitry knowledge that you would like to share let me know.  As far as a group I’m looking for people who enjoy working but having fun when doing it.  People who like to watch and pick apart movies and reed one book a week on average.  Also, I’m looking for night owls, people who start thinking best at night, preferably no early days.

Week 3

e-Corpus #2

         When Scot came in I liked that he brought up the idea of whether the ever expanding amount of labels are good or bad, do they help us understand better or do they just make it more muddled.  Fore some time now I have been pondering the same question.  I tend to think that they only help to separate people out farther, rather than bring them together in an atmosphere of shared understanding.  This is true for gender, race, religion, and all sorts of other ways we categories each other.  See by crating categories people start to only see each other only in terms of same or different.  When categorized people (and of course when I say people I’m referring to people in general, of course, as in all things there are exceptions) only look at whether others are in their category or the category of other.  What then happens is what always happens when people experience what is different from them selves.  They get insecure and frightened, which offend leads to hatred and violence.  That is why instead of creating categories we should just look at each other as people, and do like Scot suggested and hear each other’s stories.  For it is a person’s story that makes them who they are, not a label that is correctly or incorrectly applied, but to engage in dialogue with them.  Of course that doesn’t mean we will all love each other, but this way we wont pre-judge based on a category but look at every one on an individual and personal level.  So lets stop crating more and more categories and actually communicate.

Week Two

e-Corpus #1

* Do not worry; your web-browser is working fine.  Though you might not recognize it, but below there is text.  Think binary and see if you can’t translate it.

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