The future Blog

Future Blog                                                                                                  Miranda Lee

The future in my lifetime, technology will still continued to distract the human race from real problems and focus on the superficial and materialistic ideals and values. There might be some conflicts worldwide that maybe become world war III. The human race will destroy us all hopefully when I am 90 years old if I survive that long. In my future maybe people will go crazy start to form gangs and massacre a lot of people because of panic or be consume by materialistic luxuries until we run out of it. And maybe the “matrix” of how humans are “hibernating“ in an artificial cocoon may come very soon.

There may be more violent crimes exploding everywhere in America especially with if Trump allows guns anywhere. We as humans may have to have diet on bugs since there is a shortage of food supply to feed the whole population.  There may be attacks from other countries. I fear that humans will go crazy or sedated by technology and be emotionally trigger. On the positive note there may be more interesting stories tell through the media hopefully the trend of retelling stories will subsided and that people are willing to tell stories that pushes beyond the limitations of imagination like the old golden days of animation before when cell phones were black plastic brick-shape.  

Week 14 Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Blog  Week 14                                                                                                         Miranda Lee

There seem to be a lot of division in the galaxy in how each planet or sections of the galaxy have their own rules reminds me of many countries like USA or China that have many divided sections like states or province that each section of the countries have their own different rules and culture even if they are from the same land and race. There seems to be a lot of challenging the humans’ view point of logic and the hierarchy of species like the mice who are consider by human’s point of view a easy experiment but in this story we find that we the humans have been played with by the very creatures we have underestimated challenging the idea that humans are on top of the food chain and prime beings. To me it seems like the hitchhikers are like foreign tourist exploring a very eccentric and exotic places as backpackers or like hermits. This kinds of reflects humans to still be ignorant and in the hands of higher beings that is out of our control.

There seems to be an imbalance of wealth and power very similar in human society of having 1 percent of a population to have the most control of wealth and like the French revolution more than 80-90 people are poor when one group or in the (Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) planet gets greedy for profit throwing the balance off and destroying the entire system. Unnecessary need for entertainment purpose because they are bored of being content.

The movie “Timer” on how humans rely on technology and don’t rely on their own self to tell if they found love or not that. That love or the perfect match of human emotion can be calculated like on online site or the old tradition of the matchmaker or status symbols. That human can’t trust himself or herself to find a suitable mate due to artificial influence by advertisements of what is the ideal mate. Playing on the female gender’s issues of being single for too long and not getting hitch before the expiration date (women’s age). That just because it is a suitable match may not match emotionally or naturally or if the timing and current situation is inappropriate or inconvenient. This movie plays on fate, destiny vs. chance in meeting. This movie has a very similar feel to another movie “Serendipity” that plays on chance in meeting and fate. The movie “Timer” addresses the question: will humans let them controlled themselves or let fate decide. Maybe if the human feel like they have earned their love it becomes love rather have an artificial unromantic way by following technology and therefore it doesn’t seem real and forced. It’s like the conflict of logic rationality vs. emotions feelings or intuition.

Week 13 Oryx and Crake Blog

Oryx and Crake Blog                                                                                   Miranda Lee

I believe there is a distinctive style of approach in that you see a different point of view of the genre in the main plot point that focus on the character Snowman also known as Jimmy back when he was a child, his point of view and how his experience of childhood is used in the genre, science fiction in the novel that may had led Snowman being stranded and isolated and that he is reminded of his old childhood life when he was ignorant and kept in the dark contain the theme science fiction as a background. It reminds me of another book the hatchet of another male survivor who also is stranded on an island almost alone and it focuses on his experience. So in the novel the science fiction is the cause of a dangerous experimenting and we are focus on the aftermath of the world that surround itself with a very hostile and corrupted civilization that has taken too far in manipulating genetics of animals; specifically “pigoons” with the replications of organs and other cloning of meats and other food product that may cause his world to be target by outside of his home, the compound. The main character and his very disconnected life with everyone he loved.

Experimenting on humans to obtain flawless young skin seem excessive and goes against nature and the order of life. Growing a pig brain there has got to be consequence that the father should be aware of. The parents are in their own world neglecting their son who is aware of their emotional stress. Morality is a huge theme between Snowman’s father and mother tearing apart the family. It seems to be a build up of tension in what Snowman’s father is doing that could go wrong while Snowman relives his childhood unaware of this and its affects on his life.

There seem to be hints of our modern day society is very outdated and that the games that kids can play are very violent and very similar on dictatorship or conquering lands reverting back to the more primitive ways of mankind that may represent the mindset of the people in the future that is only a little ahead of our time. As if the act with manipulating society is a theme the sense of dominance and control over mankind. Snowman as a child represents the ignorance and naiveté of human society when there is a serious problems created because of the consumerism and capitalism.

In the movie “Existenz” 1999, the world has high tech that seems very bizarre almost alien like that gaming is the theme of the world with organic body technology that seems to be made of a flesh and life. Used the vertical reality as a base or background. The used of human umbilical cord like a high intelligence and color flesh seems to make it feel like it is a part of us like a “new life” that humans created that isn’t a baby. Alternate world to escape reality   creates conflicts in the real world and is consider evil. It seems like a parasite that causes hallucination from a negative point of view. That machine and flesh can create these parasite pods might indicate how humans could go further with this type of technology that could fuse with your body. Almost like a parasite bonding with human mind. Like “Neon Evangelion” anime that humans used real like alien beast as the foundation of the giant robotic suit that the humans used to battle monsters of similar sizes that the alien and human become one in mind and body forming a somewhat an intimate yet disturbing relationship.

week 12 Dawn blog

Bloodchild and Dawn by Octavia Butler Blog                                                 Miranda Lee

It seem to be a lot of brain washing of the Terrans who are humans that are used as host and this is consider a honor and that these parasites aliens are their friends creating Stockholm syndrome for all humans. I believe that the Tlic are manipulating the humans for so long that they are on top of the food chain. Host animals. There seem to be a majoritarian to this short story and that it holds up because the Tlic that are like giant intelligent centipede are on top of the foo chain are treating the humans like pet cows. They represent the majority and that their views are consider the right rules of the world they live in but this is the point of view of an ignorant child who grew up with a Tlic that favor her and treated her nicely the more idealistic relationship because Gan and her family get special treatment and social status because they belong to T’Gatoi who is a powerful figure in her kind and was breed from Gan’s own father. My first impression was that the Terrans are humans were livestock given the eggs they eat are like tranquilizers that numb the mind like marijuana and keep the humans young and have longer life expectancy.  Since we are seeing from a child’s point of view it is hard to see the truth.

In Dawn the story is similar to “BloodChild” short story a superior alien creature of higher intelligence and adaptation is most ideal of pointing out human flaw what humans experiment they take it to the next level but with more knowledge and advance techniques that is within their genes that they can manipulate and be the ultimate adapters. Aliens corrected our mistakes improving all our flaws and saving the planet earth from humans and humans themselves. Humans are so used to believing that they are on top of the food chain that they do not realize or acknowledge that there is something bigger than them that may good for the planet but not so much for the outdated humans perspective that everything is in our controlled. A sense to need to feel superior hypocrites that humans are the good guys and that they are on top of the food chain and in control and can do better without the alien. It seems that aliens are more self-sufficient may cause humans like the main character to feel insecure of her naivetés and pride as a human.

In the novel “Dawn” The way aliens treats the Lilith is probably better than her own kind who like Paul (a male human) who tried to rape her. In human war there is usually torture, killing, rape, and experimenting so what the aliens are doing couldn’t be much worst from what her own kind would do to themselves as they are not interested in human aggression and violence. And the aliens don’t follow the same rule as the humans; the aliens are just trying to survive in their own ways. Humans are not used to sharing intelligence level with another species that wasn’t in their control much less a more intelligent and advance organization that lasted longer than the humans so that is why the main character may feel paranoid. The humans do not realize that they themselves have failed as a species and the entire planet Earth. Humans should learn to united with the aliens, maybe the aliens will help improve their chances if they acknowledge that they as a failed species will not know how to survive in the new earth and will probably be genetically modified if they want a chance of survival now that earth had a restart on how the ecosystem works.

Monsters 2010 film is very similar to parasites like blood child. But the aliens seem to be animal than high that they will continued to grow and therefore need the land and will probably fight the humans to the end. It seems like the humans are in denial of how serious the monsters are if the monsters decide to expand their world and go after humans as food. People are going on with their life acting like it is just a phase.

BloodChild inclass Responses 3 questions

BloodChild in-class response                                                                            Miranda lee

1.     What is your reaction to the text you just read?

I was shock and amused by the short yet thrilling experience. The visuals that were described in the short story were like action movies: graphic and intense. I found myself holding my breath every time there was a crucial moment of life and death, the tension between the Lien and T’Gatoi and the new discover of how Tlic make babies from a child’s point of view. I enjoy how realistic the reaction of the girl and her family is dealing with situation. I feel this reflects very well on how humans as much as we claim to be on top of the food chain can easily be pull down from our pedestal to same level as herd of cows. I was surprise to like this almost terrifying story.

2.     What is the connection did you make with the story? Discuss the elements of the story with which you were able to connect.  

This has an interesting perspective of alien relationship with humans almost like Stockholm syndrome mix with brain washing/ drugging. There seem to be a parasitism relationship but the Tlic are using “humane” ways of dealing with humans instead of using fear and dominance especially in the “Preserve”. I feel like outside the “Preserve” it might not be so merciful for the Terrans aka humans who may be fought and even kill over by the Tlic as they are high in demand.  This feels like it can get more graphic and go into the horror theme really fast if T’Gatoi was to lose power of how the Terrans are to be treated. The world the Terrans live in seems so fragile of how the world can change so easily with by knowing too much. Seems to have the “Matrix” 1999 of the aliens using humans to procreate life and brainwashing the humans.

3.     What changes would you make to adapt this story into another medium? What medium would you used? What changes would you make?

I would use adult cartoon animation to adapt this story like an anime with the ink stylization.  This would be 2-D cartoon with realistic drawings of the human in a mix of comic book or graphic novel with heavy used of ink Examples like “Kill Bill” when the back story of O-Ren Ishii and “Samurai Champloo” anime. I wouldn’t make any changes to the story but since the humans’ names are very diverse from around the world, I would give them physical features of mix race like in Brazil. I would make the Tlic’s face a wide version of humans and used the Avatar Last Air Bender’s “face stealer” the centipede spirit as inspiration to how they move and the mysterious personality.