One of the many things that this course has taught me is how to identify binaries in everything and to challenge them. (Thank you, Donna Haraway) The main binary I saw in Teknolust was the binary between the real and the virtual worlds. From a filmic perspective, this binary was accentuated by the use of colour (Real-life had "real" colours and virtual-life had bright colours that made my eyes hurt) and through the gate that served as a connection between the real and the virtual worlds. Sure you could argue that there was somewhat of a breakdown of this binary through the SRAs' adventures into the real world but even so, they were still distinct from it.

In Anne Dalke’s discussion section, we discussed the role of humor in Adaptation and in evolution as a whole. We started off with the idea that maybe Adaptation is telling us that humor is key in evolution because it makes us more resilient. Charlie Kaufman is depicted as anxiety-ridden, miserable, constantly suffering from an existential crisis, and unsuccessful. He is obsessed with creating the perfect movie and drives himself nuts with it. Donald Kaufman is depicted as a much more carefree, fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants guy, and (ironically?) it is his ridiculous screenplay that is successful. Perhaps it is Donald’s humor that helps him be so much happier and more resilient than his brother.

I thoroughly enjoyed the parts of the book that we read but I still have one burning question. I asked about the public and private spheres and how technology is making the private worlds of users more public. Chorost answered my question in class reasonably - I do agree with him that our lives were pretty public before. Smaller towns and communities didn't have much privacy at all and this notion of 'privacy' is something that is new and modern. However, what about data that is 'more' private? (I feel like we have to redefine what we mean by private here.... My version of it is that 'private' can be social - e.g. where you went for dinner and with whom the other night or 'more' private - things like your SSS number etc.)

We talked in our small groups this week about how "truth" is represented in the film "Adaptation." The film appears to begin as a "true story", that of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman struggling to adapt Susan Orlean's book "The Orchid Thief" into a film. As the film progresses, however, events appear to distance themselves further and further from this "true" story, becoming completely sensationalist in its sex and violence-filled conclusion. Yet this progression also demonstrates that the notion of "truth" in filmmaking is ultimately chimeric. All films, narrative films in particular, are complete constructions. The narrative cinema of Hollywood has a highly developed series of cinematic techniques that are used to convey a sense of reality in film.

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).