Tuesday, February 7, 2012
The Veldt
Whats funny is when I started reading the first line of the story I thought nursery? huh. This short passage from the book The Veldt, was really interesting and I enjoyed reading it. It is mainly about a wealthy family that purchases a house that does almost everything for them. The family is not required to lift a finger, and as George's wife Lydia in the book puts it, "the house is wife and mother and now nursemaid."(10). The house also has a room called the veldt for George's kids Peter and Wendy in which they are able to imagine a place and make it come alive in this one little room. As the chapter goes on George starts to realize that his kids are spoiled and their lives begin to become a sort of fantasy making them loose touch with reality. He calls is psychologist and he advises him to shut the veldt off. When george shuts it off, he tells his kids that the family will be taking a vacation to get back to daily life. His kids begin to throw a tantrum. His wife advises him to turn it on for a few minutes for the last time. As he does this, the kids lock their parents in the room and the parents are eaten by a hungry tiger. It is really crazy what these kids did to their parents because they decided to take away the veldt from them. It just goes to show how addicting a piece of technology can be. This can related us kids today. We don't have something so extravagant like the veldt, but our generation cannot live without the various social networks and pieces of technology including Facebook, Twitter, and our iPods. The children in the book grew to love this virtual machine more than their own parents. I feel like something like this would exist in the future, but even though the idea sounds cool, I don't think that it would benefit anyone. Like this poor family, we would begin to loose our purpose in life, and everything that we need to work for would be just handed to us and whats the fun in that? Life is all about going through hardships to come out as a winner and achieve whatever it is that we want. Technology is going a little too far, and this passage is a great example of the repercussions.
Questions About George Orwell's 1984
1. What is the significance of the posters that read: BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU? Who is Big Brother?
- The significance of the posters was to remind the people that they should not do anything against the rules and always be on their best behavior because they were being watched at all times. Big Brother is the leader of the party and he rules above all.
2. Where do we see evidence of panopticism in the novel?
- The posters of Big Brother are plastered everywhere with the words, "Big Brother is watching you." The citizens also know that there are things called telescreens, which are almost like video cameras in places that they cannot see. the police is always watching them and helicopters fly past everyone's apartment windows.They also had everyone paranoid with the idea that there was thought police in which all your thoughts were known by the party, so they could not think of anything that was against the party's rules.
3. What is the telescreen how is it used and what is its purpose?
- The telescreen was basically like a video-camera where the party was able to see and hear what you were doing in your own home.
4. What is the significance of the Party slogan: WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH?
- These words are basically propaganda. They are meant to confuse the people so that they won't try and think anything else. By saying war is peace, they won't think that anything is wrong with fighting and will accept the concept of a war. Freedom is slavery is saying that if your thoughts are not tamed then you are basically slaving yourself. And ignorance is strength is a big one i would think for the party because its telling people to be ignorant so that they don't venture off into learning new things, and instead just live the way they are told.
5. Who are the Thought Police and what do they do?
- The thought police are basically the people who keep track of what everyone is thinking. They make sure that no one thinks thoughts that go against the party's beliefs and such. It is a way of scaring the people and remind them that the party always knows what they are doing.
6. What is the Two Minutes Hate and what is its purpose?
- The two minutes of hate is where the party shows its citizens their enemies and it shows the citizens what the party does to the ones who betray them. It is a way to brainwash the people, and again show how strong the party is. It is also a way for the citizens to channel their anger so that they will not have any anger towards the party.
7. What does Winston begin writing in the diary?
- Winston begins writing what he really thinks in his book. He feels like if he writes all his bad thoughts about the party down, he won't think them so that he would not get caught by the party. He also finds that it is a way he remembers the past, when he writes things begin to make sense a little more to him.
8. How would you feel if you lived in this world?
- I don't think I would never feel comfortable because I would know that ever move I make is being watched. In a world like that it is impossible to be yourself because you are pretty much told who you have to be. You don't have your own opinion about anything and you are blinded by what is really going on in the real world.
9. In what ways in our world like this world?
- We are also constantly being watched. There are video camera's in malls and stores to make sure that we are following all the laws and are on our best behavior. In schools we are watched by teacher and high authority. We are also pretty much watched by our parents that make sure that we are doing the right things to benefit our future.We are also watched every time that we are on the world wide web.
10. Do you think it's possible that our world could become like this one in the future? In what ways?
- I think it is possible that our world would become like this. I feel that even now it is becoming like this little by little but we just don't really notice the changes. There a things now that the government doesn't tell us, they choose which things they want us to know and which they want to keep in the dark.
Bonus: What is Orwell's purpose in writing this novel?
Bonus 2: What is Totalitarianism?
- The significance of the posters was to remind the people that they should not do anything against the rules and always be on their best behavior because they were being watched at all times. Big Brother is the leader of the party and he rules above all.
2. Where do we see evidence of panopticism in the novel?
- The posters of Big Brother are plastered everywhere with the words, "Big Brother is watching you." The citizens also know that there are things called telescreens, which are almost like video cameras in places that they cannot see. the police is always watching them and helicopters fly past everyone's apartment windows.They also had everyone paranoid with the idea that there was thought police in which all your thoughts were known by the party, so they could not think of anything that was against the party's rules.
3. What is the telescreen how is it used and what is its purpose?
- The telescreen was basically like a video-camera where the party was able to see and hear what you were doing in your own home.
4. What is the significance of the Party slogan: WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH?
- These words are basically propaganda. They are meant to confuse the people so that they won't try and think anything else. By saying war is peace, they won't think that anything is wrong with fighting and will accept the concept of a war. Freedom is slavery is saying that if your thoughts are not tamed then you are basically slaving yourself. And ignorance is strength is a big one i would think for the party because its telling people to be ignorant so that they don't venture off into learning new things, and instead just live the way they are told.
5. Who are the Thought Police and what do they do?
- The thought police are basically the people who keep track of what everyone is thinking. They make sure that no one thinks thoughts that go against the party's beliefs and such. It is a way of scaring the people and remind them that the party always knows what they are doing.
6. What is the Two Minutes Hate and what is its purpose?
- The two minutes of hate is where the party shows its citizens their enemies and it shows the citizens what the party does to the ones who betray them. It is a way to brainwash the people, and again show how strong the party is. It is also a way for the citizens to channel their anger so that they will not have any anger towards the party.
7. What does Winston begin writing in the diary?
- Winston begins writing what he really thinks in his book. He feels like if he writes all his bad thoughts about the party down, he won't think them so that he would not get caught by the party. He also finds that it is a way he remembers the past, when he writes things begin to make sense a little more to him.
8. How would you feel if you lived in this world?
- I don't think I would never feel comfortable because I would know that ever move I make is being watched. In a world like that it is impossible to be yourself because you are pretty much told who you have to be. You don't have your own opinion about anything and you are blinded by what is really going on in the real world.
9. In what ways in our world like this world?
- We are also constantly being watched. There are video camera's in malls and stores to make sure that we are following all the laws and are on our best behavior. In schools we are watched by teacher and high authority. We are also pretty much watched by our parents that make sure that we are doing the right things to benefit our future.We are also watched every time that we are on the world wide web.
10. Do you think it's possible that our world could become like this one in the future? In what ways?
- I think it is possible that our world would become like this. I feel that even now it is becoming like this little by little but we just don't really notice the changes. There a things now that the government doesn't tell us, they choose which things they want us to know and which they want to keep in the dark.
Bonus: What is Orwell's purpose in writing this novel?
Bonus 2: What is Totalitarianism?
Monday, February 6, 2012
Panopticon
The Half Plan of the Panopticon where prisoners were always on their best behavior because they were constantly being watched
Artificial Intelligence Questions
1. Is it possible to create a human robot? In what ways?
- You can make a robot look like a human from the outside but the inside can never compare and cannot be mimicked.
2. What does it mean to be human? What sets us apart from machines?
- emotions such as fear, love, and anger. We also have the ability to reproduce as to where a robot has to be built. We humans also have the ability to grow up.
3. What can machines do better than humans and why?
- They are far more intelligent than humans. They are pretty much invincible, they have endless life.
4. Can a robot love?
- I don't think a robot can love. I think it can be taught to have a high amount of respect for someone, but they can't experience love like we can.
5. If a robot could love, could a human love it?
- I don't think we could love a robot, it would not be an unconditional love like a parent and their child.
- You can make a robot look like a human from the outside but the inside can never compare and cannot be mimicked.
2. What does it mean to be human? What sets us apart from machines?
- emotions such as fear, love, and anger. We also have the ability to reproduce as to where a robot has to be built. We humans also have the ability to grow up.
3. What can machines do better than humans and why?
- They are far more intelligent than humans. They are pretty much invincible, they have endless life.
4. Can a robot love?
- I don't think a robot can love. I think it can be taught to have a high amount of respect for someone, but they can't experience love like we can.
5. If a robot could love, could a human love it?
- I don't think we could love a robot, it would not be an unconditional love like a parent and their child.
Panopticon
The article Panopticon is mainly about us being "watched" at all times. it talks about how we are being surveillanced and all out information is being recorded at all times. On the web nothing ever gets erased, thats why we are told to be careful as to what we decide to post on the web. One bad step and it could cost you a new job that we are trying to apply for. Now a days we hear about job interviewers searching their applicants on the web even before they get to meet them in person, because they could basically get inside on them to see who they really are from what they post on their Facebooks or other social network. Because of silly mistakes, even celebrities have gotten in trouble with the web and have things on the internet that will never be forgotten. For example Kim Kardashian sex tape, or the inappropriate photos Miley Cyrus took of herself. It is very hard to keep things private these days on the internet because as this article reinforces everything is being recorded into a database.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
"15 Life Changing Inventions Made by Mistake."
http://www.businessinsider.com/these-10-inventions-were-made-by-mistake-2010-11
Living in a world of perfect robots, there would be little to no errors/mistakes. Though I found this website that shares 15 life changing inventions made by mistake. Why would we want to live in a perfect world when many of our favorite things were invented by mistake!
Living in a world of perfect robots, there would be little to no errors/mistakes. Though I found this website that shares 15 life changing inventions made by mistake. Why would we want to live in a perfect world when many of our favorite things were invented by mistake!
The articles about virtual selves and artificial minds were very interesting. I found it crazy that there was thought about making an artificial "pain-maker" that can detect pain. I don't really understand how it would work, how can a machine learn how to detect pain? I don't think that artificial minds are a good idea. What we call "life" would not be life. Having a virtual life is not a real life, it would be more like a dream where you would always get your way. I don't see why anyone would want to live in a perfect world. That would be a little boring after a while. What would be the point? In this world we learn from our mistakes, and that is what make us better human beings. There would be no sense of accomplishment with anything because you don't have to work for anything. Some of the greatest inventions were made by mistake. Take the chocolate cookie for example. Ruth Wakefield ran out of baker's chocolate one day while mixing cookie dough, so for a substitute she broke in little chocolate pieces. She thought it would melt but it turns out they stuck! How cool it that! I'm glad she ran out of baker's chocolate because I don't know what this world would be without a chocolate chip cookie! Anyways, back to artificial minds and such, I don't think that any kind of robot can compare to a human. We have our six senses in which a robot can never have. We are filled with emotions and feeling and flaws which is what makes us all different. Humans are the inventors of computer so I don't see why we would make then to run our lives or live lives. Computers are just meant to assist us and make life a little bit more convenient but for them to have a life of their own is a bit extreme.
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