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GIST
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Welcome to "GIST": A Course about Gender, Information, Science and Technology, offered in Spring 2011 @ Bryn Mawr College. This is an interestingly different kind of place for writing, and may take some getting used to. The first thing to keep in mind is that this is not a place for "formal writing" or "finished thoughts." It's a place for thoughts-in-progress, for what you're thinking (whether you know it or not) on your way to what you think next. Imagine that you're not worrying about "writing" but instead that you're just talking to some people you've met. This is a "conversation" place, a place to find out what you're thinking yourself, and what other people are thinking, so you can help them think and they can help you think. The idea is that your "thoughts in progress" can help others with their thinking, and theirs can help you with yours.
We're glad you're here, and hope you'll come both to enjoy and value our shared imagining of the future evolution of ourselves as individuals and of our gendered, scientific, technological world. Feel free to comment on any post below, or to POST YOUR THOUGHTS HERE....
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Does Linking Humans and Technology Create Reliance?
Something I found interesting in Teknolust was the theme of dependence on others. Rosetta is dependent on the SRAs in order to live a full life (she can only live the life of a science geek). In turn, the SRAs are also relaint on Rosetta (shown when they complain when she does not have the time for them). Not until Ruby meets Sandy is she less reliant on Rosetta, yet this just creates a reliance on someone else. The SRAs are reliant on men in order to keep their immune systems healthy. I think Rosetta is also reliant on men because not until the SRAs see her with a man do they think she can survive on her own. Both Rosetta and the SRAs absolutely rely on technology in order to communicate (communicate through the microwave).
![Apocalipsis's picture Apocalipsis's picture](https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/files/pictures/picture-836.jpg)
Chorost & a Continuation of Teknolust
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:
![merlin's picture merlin's picture](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/a6d5b49cbe6de88689a20ef2130cc796.jpg?d=https%3A%2F%2Fserendipstudio.org%2Fexchange%2Ffiles%2Fimages%2FSerendipStudioAvatar.png&s=85&r=G)
class notes April 13th
class notes April 13th
Anne- for monday we are reading a dystopia called Bloodchild.
- also over the weekend, watch Tron Legacy. Also a dystopia.
- 10 days from now, the last Web Event is due
![kgould's picture kgould's picture](https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/files/pictures/picture-228.jpg)
Interpretations of Teknolust, Sadie, Susanna, Kate
- 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.
- 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.
![Hillary G's picture Hillary G's picture](https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/files/pictures/picture-790.jpg)
Teknolust Interpretations
Virus:
Integration of men and technology
Reinforces the danger of minds connected to the Internet
Technology potentially makes us weaker?
Fragmentation of scientist:
Multiple selves within us all
How technology can create different personas within us and on different websites.
![MSA322's picture MSA322's picture](https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/files/pictures/picture-868.jpg)
MSA322, smile, leamirella - Teknolust Observation
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.
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Teknolust Observations
Here are three critical observations that Marina, Apo, Kathryn and I made:
1. Ruby ends up with Sandy, whose job is to make copies but he makes them intentionally imperfect
2. There were both virtual and physical viruses. Before Ruby slept with the men that she slept with, their computers would crash which was a contraction of a virtual virus which was later echoed by the manifestation of the barcode rash and impotence which was a physical virus.
3. Discussion of Patenting Life. The professor urged Rosetta to patent her clone theory and Rosetta responds with "How do you patent life?"
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Riki and Cara and Merlin - Teknolust
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..
![kgould's picture kgould's picture](https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/files/pictures/picture-228.jpg)
Observations of Teknolust
Sadie, Susanna, Kate
Observations:
- Costume choices (for the clones/Tilda)
- Emasculation and commodification of male characters (reverse? sexism; if the genders were reversed, it would be so inappropriate)
- Sex as currency (condoms for donuts)
![Hillary G's picture Hillary G's picture](https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/files/pictures/picture-790.jpg)
Ekthorp, Shin1068111, and Hillary G
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.
![Amophrast's picture Amophrast's picture](https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/files/pictures/picture-856.jpg)
Observations on Teknolust
From m.aghazarian, phreNIC, J.Yoo:
- How much did Rosetta influence their personalities? Frankenstein influenced by society, they are influenced by Rosetta
- Rosetta asserts authority because she created them. Children vs. creation(s). Does she have ownership of them?
- "Born with wills of their own"--so what would have happened if they ended up being used labor? Rebellion? Is free will relevant when your choices are limited?
![aybala50's picture aybala50's picture](https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/files/pictures/picture-451.jpg)
aybala50, kelliott, jlebouvier class post
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
![kgould's picture kgould's picture](https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/files/pictures/picture-228.jpg)
Cyborgs and Disability Studies
I've been trying to think about Haraway's cyborg and the idea of someone with a disability augmenting that disability with technology (i.e. wheelchair, cochlear implants, medication, etc) and becoming a cyborg.
This is problematic, I think, because I've been reading a book by Tobin Siebers called "Disability Theory" in which he addresses this idea of a disabled cyborg. But, he writes, a disabled cyborg is no longer seen as disabled.
Once someone has taken technology in order to address their disability, that disability is supposed to be of no consequence--they have corrected it--even though the individual is still disabled. What kinds of implications does this have this have for cyborg theory, technology usage, and disability studies?
![Hillary G's picture Hillary G's picture](https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/files/pictures/picture-790.jpg)
The Dangers of Integrating Mind and Internet
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.
![Hilary_Brashear's picture Hilary_Brashear's picture](https://serendipstudio.org/exchange/files/pictures/picture-863.jpg)
Thoughts Inspired by Class with Chorost
Immediately following our very interesting class yesterday I went to hear sociologist Jim House give a talk about health care reform in the US. House’s basic argument was that a person’s socio economic status is the most important factor in determining their health. He posited that we need to look at how we can ameliorate factors that make people sick rather than focus on the health care system itself. The idea is that if we have healthy people the demand for health care won’t be as great.
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Class Notes 4/6
More feminist readings of Frankenstein
--suggest that you could look at Safie’s letter as core of book
--bodies that discover selves as spirits...his fate is her fate
--no one can see their status as that of rational beings; both spirits that need to be treated as such
--step off of Paradise Lost (a contemporary version)
--Mary Shelley’s husband wrote Prometheus Unbound
--transgression of sexual, psychic, geographic bounds
--belong in category of Romantic, subset=Gothic: some critics say these readings as Gothic flatten the novel..
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Frankenstein: A Story of Failed Education
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.
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Class Notes April 6, 2011: CLOSELY Reading Frankenstein
Course Keeping:
*On Monday, come to class with 3 questions for Mike Chorost
*For Wednesday watch Teknolust. (available streaming on Netflix)
*Class voted to watch TRON over Source Code for accessibility reasons
-$4.99 on iTunes, short wait on Netflix for dvd
Feminist Readings / Critiques of Frankenstein (cont. from Mon):
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Beauty and Relativity
What really stuck with in my mind from our discussion on Wednesday is the part where we talked about beauty. Beauty is such an abstract term. What is beauty and who is to decide that?