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| Which scenario is the world more coming to resemble? |
| 1984 |
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34% |
[ 13 ] |
| Brave New World |
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13% |
[ 5 ] |
| A disturbing synthesis of the two ... |
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23% |
[ 9 ] |
| A wonderful synthesis of the two |
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2% |
[ 1 ] |
| Neither |
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26% |
[ 10 ] |
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| Total Votes : 38 |
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Moldy Rutabaga
Joined: 01 Jul 2003
Location: Ansan, Korea
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 Posted: Wed Oct 05, 2005 9:21 pm Post subject: |
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| When I first started reading BNW I was horrified by the ideas it presented. As an American, where freedom of choice and the belief in one's own importance is practically hardwired in to our psyche, the idea that those things could be taken away before I was even born really freaked me out. Then as I got in to the novel and read how society behaved, I thought 'it really wouldn't be so bad'. Everyone has a purpose. Everyone is completely happy with that purpose and wants nothing more out of life. |
Yes, it is initially horrifying, and then later seductive as well. No responsibilities, decisions made for you, easy sex. Sounds like a teenager's dream. And in a way, our ancestors had less stress than we do. No wondering what the heck to do with your life-- you do as your father did. No worries about jobs or homes. The ultimate social welfare state.
| Quote: |
| I don't think life is headed towards either book. Atleast not in this country. Social Conservatives have much to strong a hold on our system to allow such 'free love' and everyone belonging to everyone else. However, if the Radical Right, the hard-core bible thumpers, have their way, it would be much like 1984 in that the Church would control all instead of the State. Which terrifies me much more then the future-world of BNW. |
This is more like the Handmaid's Tale (equally frightening) than 1984. Remember that both BNW and 1984 are set in Britain, which has a more collectivist mindset. In BNW, the western states are a sort of giant Indian reservation with a primitive political organization. The rulers in 1984 have no religio-philosophical basis; it's just raw power for us.
Ken:> |
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jinglejangle
Joined: 19 Feb 2005
Location: Far far far away.
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| Posted: Wed Oct 05, 2005 9:25 pm Post subject: |
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| The world is dipping back into an anarchist recession. All the powerful nations lack the cojones to pull off a structured society as BNW or 1984 right now. |
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EFLtrainer
Joined: 04 May 2005
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| Posted: Thu Oct 06, 2005 1:43 am Post subject: |
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| More like 1984 meets Revelations. |
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igotthisguitar
Joined: 08 Apr 2003
Location: South Korea (Permanent Vacation)
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| Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2005 3:45 am Post subject: |
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Comparing the world George Orwell described in "1984" with the world we are living in today, 2001, 02, 03, 04, 2005.
~ created by Jackie Jura, an independent researcher ~
http://www.orwelltoday.com/ |
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igotthisguitar
Joined: 08 Apr 2003
Location: South Korea (Permanent Vacation)
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igotthisguitar
Joined: 08 Apr 2003
Location: South Korea (Permanent Vacation)
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| Posted: Wed May 31, 2006 2:19 am Post subject: |
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Future sex: gizmos, robots
By Adam Tanner
Mon Apr 17, 10:16 AM ET
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - When America's top sex researchers gathered recently to discuss the next decade in their field, some envisioned a future in which artificial sex partners could cater to every fantasy.
"What is very likely to be present before 2016 would be a multi-sensual experience of virtual sex," said Julia Heiman, director of the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction at Indiana University, Bloomington.
"There is a possibility of developing erotic materials for yourself that would allow you to create a partner of certain dimensions and qualities, the partner saying certain things in that interaction, certain things happening in that interaction."
A field dubbed "tele-dildo-nics" already allows people at two remote computers to manipulate electronic devices such as a vibrator at the other end for sexual purposes.
"People who use it are just blown away," said Steve Rhodes, president of Sinulate Entertainment, which has sold thousands of Internet-connected sex devices over the past three years. "This is not something that just the lunatic fringe does."
"The Iraq war...was kind of a boom for our company." |
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Hollywoodaction
Joined: 02 Jul 2004
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| Posted: Wed May 31, 2006 3:31 am Post subject: |
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| igotthisguitar wrote: |
Future sex: gizmos, robots
By Adam Tanner
Mon Apr 17, 10:16 AM ET
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - When America's top sex researchers gathered recently to discuss the next decade in their field, some envisioned a future in which artificial sex partners could cater to every fantasy.
"What is very likely to be present before 2016 would be a multi-sensual experience of virtual sex," said Julia Heiman, director of the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction at Indiana University, Bloomington.
"There is a possibility of developing erotic materials for yourself that would allow you to create a partner of certain dimensions and qualities, the partner saying certain things in that interaction, certain things happening in that interaction."
A field dubbed "tele-dildo-nics" already allows people at two remote computers to manipulate electronic devices such as a vibrator at the other end for sexual purposes.
"People who use it are just blown away," said Steve Rhodes, president of Sinulate Entertainment, which has sold thousands of Internet-connected sex devices over the past three years. "This is not something that just the lunatic fringe does."
"The Iraq war...was kind of a boom for our company." |
They stole that idea from a Woody Allen movie.
Speaking of 1984, I'm reading "Under the loving care of the fatherly leader", a very interesting book on North Korea. I recommend it. It's on sale at whatthebook (a plug for Chiaa). |
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Hater Depot
Joined: 29 Mar 2005
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| Posted: Wed May 31, 2006 4:01 am Post subject: |
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| The really interesting thing is that all of the Western depictions of dystopia are of extremely collectivist societies. I wonder if Asian dystopias are ludicrously individualistic. |
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igotthisguitar
Joined: 08 Apr 2003
Location: South Korea (Permanent Vacation)
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| Posted: Fri Jun 02, 2006 7:46 pm Post subject: |
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| Hater Depot wrote: |
| The really interesting thing is that all of the Western depictions of dystopia are of extremely collectivist societies. I wonder if Asian dystopias are ludicrously individualistic. |
Geee ... y'know, that's a really good question.
Kudos !!! |
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Moldy Rutabaga
Joined: 01 Jul 2003
Location: Ansan, Korea
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| Posted: Sat Jun 03, 2006 5:45 am Post subject: |
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Good question. The industrial age did give many people fears of being reduced to a part in a machine, and dystopias have tended to play on fears, just as Victorian sci-fi fretted about Frankenstein robots and soulless factories and railroads. I think it might be more interesting to look at things in terms of these economic waves and not in east-west dichotomies. More recent dystopias worry about religious fundamentalism (The Handmaid's Tale) or pure extinction (Terminator movies) but admittedly Americans still do fear loss of individualism and privacy (The Matrix movies).
I don't know whether Asian dystopias are individualistic. I'm not sure it counts, but Neuromancer has much of it set in Japan, and much of the book's characters seem lonely and isolated, and its world seems so lacking in community and fixed on profit that even organs are for sale.
Ken:> |
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Hater Depot
Joined: 29 Mar 2005
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| Posted: Sat Jun 03, 2006 7:28 am Post subject: |
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| But Neuromancer wasn't written by a Japanese. |
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Moldy Rutabaga
Joined: 01 Jul 2003
Location: Ansan, Korea
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| Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2006 4:36 am Post subject: |
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No, the author's not Japanese-- only some of the setting of the book is in Japan. Is anybody on this board familiar with Asian sci-fi-- is there much literary Asian sci-fi other than anime?
Ken:> |
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igotthisguitar
Joined: 08 Apr 2003
Location: South Korea (Permanent Vacation)
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| Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2006 1:29 am Post subject: |
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Colleges Go Cellular to "Contact" Students
By LISA CORNWELL, Associated Press Writer
Sun Jul 9, 2:34 PM ET
CINCINNATI - For Ron Chicken and other freshmen at Montclair State University, the new freedoms
that presumably came with college age included a mandatory cell phone with which the school could
"pinpoint" their whereabouts on or off campus .
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060709/ap_on_bi_ge/campuses_phones;_ylt=Ai3.ko0GB3AcaipKf5xYYhIDW7oF |
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laogaiguk
Joined: 06 Dec 2005
Location: somewhere in Korea
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| Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2006 1:36 am Post subject: |
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Interesting. First of all, you could just not use it. Though the article doesn't say if you have to use the school's plan. And if you do, how much is it compared to other cell plans? Some people don't like cell phones. Do they have to buy them, or are they given to them (I might have missed that when reading the article)? Many people want camera phones. Can you choose your options? Etc etc. The article doesn't give a lot of info but I am betting it's just a way to make more money, they don't care much about the tracking. |
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Milwaukiedave
Joined: 02 Oct 2004
Location: Goseong
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| Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2006 2:44 am Post subject: |
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I've never read either of the two books. I have a vague idea in terms of 1984 because I've heard people talk about it.
My thought is we really don't for sure know how much our lives are being invaded. |
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