Author Archives: beersa1

Magical Realism Image

Posted on November 16, 2015 by beersa1

http://www.lionesswomansclub.com/dat/content/image/rob-gonsalves-illusion.jpg  

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Dichotomies within the whole

Posted on November 12, 2015 by beersa1

One of the most interesting parts of this book for me was the presence of dichotomies, as presented in multiple ways. The first is perhaps the shifting narrative between even chapters and odd chapters. As discussed in class, the odd … Continue reading →

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Humanity and Perspective

Posted on November 10, 2015 by beersa1

Perhaps the biggest question we have discussed in class, which relates to every single text we have read, is what makes a human a human, and how are we distinguishable from other nonhuman entities? I think that We3, Unflattening, and … Continue reading →

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Reality of Self-Driving Cars

Posted on October 29, 2015 by beersa1

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-google-self-driving-car-accident-20150716-story.html   In this article, an accident between a car with a person behind the wheel and a car with no person directing the car (but with three people inside) was described. The accident was evidently fault of the human … Continue reading →

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Me as an obese flying human

Posted on October 11, 2015 by beersa1

Okay, this was hilarious. The concept is that the game is an alternate reality, a “second life,” through which users can interact in a virtual reality. Except this game does not imitate reality. It’s not even the quality of the … Continue reading →

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The Mysteries of Language

Posted on October 8, 2015 by beersa1

A few milliseconds before I type these words, I am thinking in my head. And a few milliseconds after you are reading these words, you are processing them in your head. You are drawing meaning from small markings on a … Continue reading →

Posted in VF for Snow Crash, Virtual Forums | 3 Comments

The Modern Hyperreal: Siri

Posted on October 4, 2015 by beersa1

As technologies become more and more advanced, it becomes more and more difficult to distinguish the man-made from the natural, especially because the man-made often emulates the natural. One example of this is the development of Siri, and other similar … Continue reading →

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Artificial Paranoia/Turk

Posted on September 21, 2015 by beersa1

http://www.csee.umbc.edu/courses/671/fall15/resources/colby_71.pdf The above article describes the state of paranoia and the abilities of the researchers to express it in an artificial robot. http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi2765.htm The above article gives a brief history of the Mechanical Turk and its implications. http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/video-turking-for-respect The above … Continue reading →

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Intelligence vs. Superiority

Posted on September 13, 2015 by beersa1

One of the most striking scenes for me was the one in which Roy Batty used his chess expertise to ultimately defeat and destroy his creator. This takes place over several scenes, starting with Roy and Sebastian in Sebastian’s residence … Continue reading →

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Emotional Understanding: Brains vs. AI

Posted on September 1, 2015 by beersa1

In both Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Isaac Asimov’s “Robot Dreams,” an unnatural being is created by scientists to simulate human intelligence and behavior. However, because the monster in Frankenstein possesses a human brain and Elvex in “Robot Dreams” possesses an … Continue reading →

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