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Re: Dystopic novel



Going back to the reality/perspective part of this thread, I have to say
that what struck me the most about the film The Matrix (not to mention
both the books Brave New World and also 1984) is the whole: what is
reality? theme running throughout. After all, I suppose one person's
dystopia can be another's utopia and vice versa.

Perhaps the reason VR people are excited that that scholar was writing
about their work, even if he was writing about the evil stuff, was b/c
they are simply happy that the scholar was putting out some writings that
dealt w/multiple realities. I mean do we really all live out here, in the
'real world?' Or do we live in our heads? Or both? Or does the 'real
world' only exist in our heads perhaps? Perhaps the VR folks were just
happy that a writer would discuss their work in that it is likely that
some of his readers might begin to think about reality and perception.

I know, this has nothing to do w/man being enslaved by machines, but I
thought I'd throw it out there anyway.

Robyn Pretzloff
SILS Computer Lab Co-Manager
Graduate Assistant/Graduate Student
School of Information & Library Science
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
-----------------------------------------
Reality is the leading cause of stress
among those who are in touch with it.
--Jane Wagner
-----------------------------------------

On Tue, 18 Jan 2000, Dan Green wrote:

> Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 16:32:19 -0500 (EST)
> From: Dan Green <greed@ils.unc.edu>
> To: Rachel Fuller <fullr@ruby.ils.unc.edu>
> Cc: Paul Jones <pjones@MetaLab.unc.edu>, peter_buch@hotmail.com,
>      inls310-74@ruby.ils.unc.edu
> Subject: Re: Dystopic novel
> 
> 
> I may be taking this at little off topic here, but hey, its a snow day...
> 
> If we want to look at movies and the advancement of machines/tecxhnology
> to a level where they take over / redefine the human race, we
> certainly cannot forget about the Terminator. A modern classic, I
> feel. Here's a new society in which technology has completely taken humans
> out
> of the picture. At least in the Matrix, we had a use as batteries (its
> nice to be needed).
> 
> true, it may not be profound, but my Matrix example was too slow.
> dan
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On Tue, 18 Jan 2000, Rachel Fuller wrote:
> 
> > Another example that I can think of is The Matrix- but the interesting
> > thing about this movie is our interpretation of which version of reality
> > is the utopia and which is the dystopia? 
> > Initially, life seems to be proceeding normally, but we soon learn that
> > this 'normal' version of life is the result of intelligent agents who have
> > enlaved everyone with technology and vr. Yet to escape from that life into
> > the 'real' world, is to escape into a world of struggle and into a world
> > that has been decimated by war.
> > 
> > It makes an intersting statment about freedom and struggle versus
> > slavery and loss of individuality through technology- plus a lot of
> > other statements too, with cool special effects. 
> > 
> > -
> > rachel
> > 
> >  On Tue, 18 Jan 2000, Paul Jones wrote:
> > 
> > > i agree that dystopia is perhaps the most universal sci-fi or speculative
> > > fiction theme. does that say that we fear the future or that we revel in
> > > fear? 
> > > 
> > > one scholar writing about virtual reality from a cultural studies
> > > perspective told me that when he told people involved with vr what he was
> > > writing on, they all said 'cool' but he insisted it's about the scary
> > > dystopic parts, 'even cooler' he was perplexed. how could folks devoting
> > > their time and money to vr be delighted to hear that he was writing about
> > > vr as perhaps evil? 
> > > 
> > > are scientists and engineers and software architects master ironists?
> > > 
> > > ==========================================================================
> > >                              Paul Jones
> > >    "We must protect our precious bodily fluids!" General Jack D Ripper
> > > http://MetaLab.unc.edu/pjones/ at the Site Formerly Known As SunSITE.unc.edu
> > >   pjones@MetaLab.unc.edu   voice: (919) 962-7600     fax: (919) 962-8071 
> > > ===========================================================================
> > > 
> > > 
> > 
> > 
> 
> hello
> 
>