GIST

Our in class conversation on Monday with author Michael Chorost's skype was certainly dynamic. Although I enjoyed the topics discussed, I found that at one point I asked the wrong question and didn't get the more appropriate one across. If I could get the chance to speak with Chorost again, I'd ask him the following:

1. Primary additive colors are used in technology to create well-rounded, deep visuals from three filters: red, blue, and green. In the world of Teknolust, we could read this as a means for Ruby, Marine, and Olive to create a well-rounded person: Rosetta, or who Rosetta wants to be. The colors also act as a way of individualizing the characters and keeping them as their own person.
2. The use of the barcode rash and putting the "essence" of the men in jars commodifies and objectifies male sexuality in a way that is often reversed, where the woman would be objectified and commodified.

1. Colors are used to differentiate between reality and virtual. We talked about breaking the binaries (Haraway), but the movie fortifies that binary through the gate between the virtual and real world. This barrier separates them. When Ruby enters the real world, it is still apparent that she doesn’t get completely involved in it (her costume and her bright green car thing), yet she still tries to brake that binary through her sexuality. Ruby attempted to make her sexual life as humane as possible. She also had the power to “integrate” with the human life. Even the “cuddling” after she has sex, humans crave touch shows this desire to integrate.

Ruby wanted to become human and she formed attachments with men even though she wasn't supposed to. But Rosetta stone also became more human herself. There is a theme here which seems to suggest a reliance on men. 

It seems like there would in reality be a better way for the cyborgs to get the proteins they needed to survive. Why did Rosetta stone make it have to be that way. What is the relevance between the death of her family and the virus? 

The different colored rooms were strange.They seemed to spend a lot of time in the blue or green room. Why did she choose those particular colors of the film and what do those colors represent? For example, red = sexual scenes..

 In our group of 3 (ekthorp, shin1068111, and Hillary G), we discussed the following ideas as being the most interesting observations: 

- How the virus infected the men and their computers at the same time

- The unique use of colors, and how mostly primary (but also some secondary) colors were used

- The fragmentation of the scientist into 3 different parts (how each self had a different personality, yet they were all her). Also how sexuality and intimacy was represented in her clones vs. in her "real" life. 

 1) The SRA's both inject and drink human sperm 

2) They have the power to completely change the stock market with the wave of their hand 

3) Human men are infected by a computer virus after sexual contact with SRA, resulting in a barcode on their forehead 

       While our class was talking to Michael Chorost yesterday, I was struck by what seemed to me a glaring flaw in his plan to integrate human minds with the Internet. Fusing a brain and a microchip is one thing (which has a specific function that only affects you), but connecting your mind to other peoples’ minds could have all sorts of ominous implications. It seems obvious to me that the most dangerous of these problems is the possibility of a virus or hacker infecting the mind as it would an online website.

Class Notes (4/11/11)

Course keeping- watch Teknolust for Wednesday

 When reading Frankenstein, I became interested in the notion of viewing Frankenstein as a cautionary tale of failed education.  Specifically, I wondered if we could consider the Frankenstein creature an example of a failed western education if the Frankenstein creature never had any formal education, but rather was primarily self taught.