utopia/Dystopia

Today was Survey of New Media's last class. Naturally, there is a bittersweet feeling to the air (no, literally, it feels like September first)... but I have my final project here, to preserve the feeling:

http://cyborgmemoirs.com/map

we-make-money-not-art.com is one of my favorite sites. I've been visiting it regularly for about two years now, before I decided I should take any sort of scholarly interest in "new media" at Temple. A while ago, when they had a different layout, they used to focus more on art installations, and weird cool things like new wearables and whatnot. Now it seems they are focusing on interviewing collectives and individuals in the new media "movement" (whatever that may mean), which I think is a good move. A lot of people in class don't really seem to understand the purposes of or the ideas behind new media and new media artists. For these confused types, I think we-make-money's interviews are pretty good reads.

This interview with Ubermorgen is one of the more interesting ones I've read in a while. Granted I'm pretty ignorant about other groups out there and their ambitions, but I still feel like a lot of new media artists seem to only play with concepts and create things that make you question the possibilities of our evolving technologies, while never really pushing any boundaries. Never making you feel uneasy. Ubermorgen, a group out of Vienna, is using technology for some pretty radical, subversive projects. Vicious but not quite. Technically illegal, but remaining just barely in bounds, managing to not get sued right away. They seem a little crazy in their interview, slightly threatning almost, with their unpredictable feeling, and I think that's a good thing.

I dig weird installations that show the possibilities of technology, with strange effects and immersive, interactive environments. I think it's good and these things have their purpose. But for some reason, I find myself putting more value in the more "radical" work of strangers like Ubermorgen. Also, their name is awesome: "super-tomorrow."

Always striving for new ways to advance our society, some smart people are creating and discovering things that will change how we live (for the better). These things are sort of like hopeful utopian visions. They are things that will benefit society in the future, and hopefully make it easier to live in this world.

The Bionic Arm
This is a prosthesis that is connected to nerves on the pectoral muscle. Because the brain still feels the arm, the bionic arm can hijack messages from the brain and use them to move the arm. So when the person who has this thinks about moving the arm, they can.
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/medtech/0,71785-0.html?tw=wn_technology_medtech_13



Air into Water
Although this contraption is top secret, it is still very advanced. It is a machine that can take the moisture out of the air and turn it into water. This can make the possibility of thirst deprevation virtually nonexistent. This machine has the ability to make 600 gallons of water a day. Some machines like this already exist but the humidity in the air must be high. This new machine can create water virtually anywhere.
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,71898-0.html?tw=wn_index_24

Unlimited Energy
Steorn, based in Ireland, has made claims that they have a system that produces unlimited energy. It utilizes the interaction of magnetic fields to produce the constant, clean flow of energy. This is beneficial in so many ways. It is a work in progress.
http://www.gizmag.com/go/6031/1/

These ideas are just some of many utopian ideas that are being studied today. These in theory are very beneficial to society and can help in countless ways both for the individual and for all.

The physics of information ultimately leads people into deeper questions, including the one raised originally - about eschatology or the fate of the universe. Some physicists suggest the universe has only two possible fates available to it, depending on the curvature constant of spacetime: continual expansion, in which case it will spread out into entropic heat death; or recollapse, into the Big Stop, which might possibly be the seed of a succeeding Big Bang. But this pondering of the fate of the universe doesn't take into account a third possibility. Some physicists like Frank Tipler suggest that at the last possible moment, all conscious life with unite into one "Omega Point" supermind, and place the cosmos under its control, annulling heat death. This viewpoint is the inverse of Deism, essentially postulating the Creator at the end of time rather than at the beginning.


This is an excerpt from one of the assigned readings. I think this is basically the best and worst case scenerios for both utopian and dystopian philosophies. Wherever you think technology is taking us, it will end with one of these scenerios.

Hey guys. Tomorrow's the big day. I know we're meeting before hand, but if any of you see this in time, let's have a chat about it online. I'm thinking around 9. My AIM handle is a few posts down.

The toys produced in the 1950s are a great example of a utopian vision for future technology. They depict robots, some with silly smiling faces, that are modeled after humans. They have no clear purpose, but they look friendly enough to play with.


The newer toys all depict scary robots or cyborgs that carry huge guns (or are attached to huge guns). The toys depict societies view of the future of technology and change according to the times.

These are negative aspects of technology..
http://lifeissues.net/writer.php
I found the article of Cardinal William Keeler, Archbishop of Baltimore and a member of the Committee for Pro–Life Activities of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. (maybe thhe article is little old, however) He is saying that development step backward for humanity in the other side of the ledger, such as the moral and human cost.
There are also sacrifice for developement of technology. For exemple, animal testing for developement of medical science or victims of atomic (nuclear?) bomb..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_bomb
http://www.stopanimaltests.com/index.aspx

miuro: this is utopia
http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20060904/120767/
http://www.zmp.co.jp/e_home.html

It is after some extensive personal and academic reading that I feel the need to discuss this tonight, the idea of techgnosis, infomysticism, unity of identity, quest for self, quest for knowledge, the betterment of man, the next level, freedom of confinements, elightenment... call it what you will.

It's difficult to take utopia seriously. To most, utopia is something that seems completely impractical and naive, it isolates, it is unwanted. We are used to utopias as places of repressed or regulated social values and desires, strictly enforced for the higher good of the group. The invidiual's needs are made trifling, sinful, or wrong if brought up to be addressed or put before the group's needs. Usually, these kinds of utopias seem to be derived from the moral standards of one or a small group of individuals. Think of the Puritans, religious dissenters unhappy with their cultural environment, who left their native country to colonize here with the intent to better and isolate their own community, to denounce depravity and uphold moral purity.

We have all seen and read our share of books and movies where imposed utopias ultimately create dissent. Think of Brave New World, and 1984, and that one episode of Sliders where the quality of life is superb and things are great, except you have to participate in a lottery to be killed off. Other media explore what happens when a society strives to acheive a utopia that is eventually rejected and overthrown in favor of free will, as seen in The Matrix and Aeon Flux

These examples are ultimately anti-utopian. We will gladly bear our faults and vices however many times over if we can also keep our individualistic traits and freedoms. In the classic anime, Neon Genesis Evangelion, a secret organization strives to force the "evolution of mankind" to the next stage through the Human Instrumentality Project, believing that the merging of all the human minds on earth into a single consciouness will bring about the end of human suffering. Ultimately, the decision of entering this new stage of human existance is left in the hands of a troubled 14-year-old boy. On the verge of choosing the Instrumentality, he rejects it, believing that humans must endure strife in order to understand how to better themselves.

The idea of uniting minds into a single entity, or striving towards a united consciouness is, of course, not something recently created by science-fiction authors. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a French thinker who died in 1955, developed the techno-mystic concept of the Omega Point, "where the coalescence of consciousness will lead us to a new state of peace and planetary unity," well before the advent of the internet. In 2006, only a solid decade has passed since the internet entered the household, and we have already begun to share massive amounts of information. We're capable of exchanging music, images, and text, all at once, to anyone and everyone who wants it. There is always an audience, even if we only ever see our own computer screens. The creation of art and expression of self requires much less effort than it ever did before. We are connecting to each other.

In many ways, it is this evolution through connection that can be considered the true utopian vision, where man can eventually cast away his mortal shell and exist purely as consciouness, or that man improves upon himself so much through technology that he becomes something more than a man. Transhumanists, for example, support the use of new technologies and sciences in an effort to enhance and eliminate perceived faults of the human condition, such as aging and disease. As the DC superhero, Static, explains to a befuddled Green Lantern when they encounter each other in an alternate future timeline, with the aid of medical technoloy, "sixty is the new thirty." Medical technology is already well invested in the quest to better man: bionic arms and hearts to replace missing or defective ones, nanomachines to repair injured soldiers on the battlefield, special printers that can weave tissue into specific organs... plastic surgery and colored contact lenses, quests for the isolation of "fat genes," the cure for cancer... We constantly desire to transcend our current boundaries.

In the science-fiction television series, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, technology has reached a point where, among other cybernetic enhancements, it is possible to install powerful computers directly into the brain, a process called neural augmentation. These devices, called cyberbrains, give a person "vastly increased memory capacity, total recall, as well as the ability to view his or her own memories on an external viewing device. Users can also initiate a "telepathic" conversation with one or more Cyberbrain users, just by thinking it." Most striking is the ability to temporarily switch or permanently transfer bodies. In fact, a main theme of Ghost in the Shell the movie involves the main character, Motoko Kusanagi's contemplation of her humanity. She is merely a cyberbrain in a cyborg body, and not even all of her brain matter is orignal anymore - what is it, then, that makes her human?

This question is perhaps the most poignant one regarding utopian visions. If we manage to eliminate disease and prevent aging, if we are able to integrate ourselves with computers so intimately that our consciousness can exist beyond a flesh and blood shell, what of our original humanity shall remain? More frightening is asking this question while considering the possible existence of intelligent or sentient machines, "artificial" beings that are capable of expressing emotion and posessing memories. In the dystopian film, Bladerunner, the main character, Rick Deckard, comes to question his own assumed humanity when he realizes one of his memories was obviously implanted by another person. Similarly, the character Rachel, a non-human replicant, believes herself human because she has memories of her childhood. Another replicant, fully aware of his nature, rebels against it, insisting that his posession of memories and desires makes his existence worthwhile.

Thinkers such as Ray Kurzweil and Vernor Vinge predict that in the very near future the computational power of machines will increase so much that it will develop an intelligence greater than our own, and propel us into a technological singularity, the results of which can't even be imagined yet. Kurzweil, a transhumanist and futurist, perceives the singularity as another stage of the evolution and immortality of man:

"Raymond Kurzweil states his belief that the future of humanity is being determined by an exponential expansion of knowledge, and that the very rate of the change of this exponential growth is driving our collective destiny irrespective of our narrow sightedness, clinging archaisms, or fear of change. Our biological evolution, according to Kurzweil, is on the verge of being superseded by our technological evolution. An evolution conjoined of cogent biological manipulation with a possible emerging self-aware, self-organizing machine intelligence. The rate of the change of the exponential explosion of knowledge and technology not only envelops us, but it also irreversibly transforms us."

This concept is what I believe to be true utopia as we envision it today, not a world where everything is perfectly regulated, perfectly happy, but a world where the state of human existance has been altered and transformed into something new. Though Kurzweil's Singularity has numerous critics and likewise numerous flaws in argument, we climb towards this reality with every passing day. The advances of medical technology, computing capabilities, and human integration with machine and internet are at once fantastic and mundane through its gradual introduction. We are well aware of the impact of previous inventions on society: steam-power, cars, telepgraphs, television, cellular phones... the list goes on - but nothing seems to compare to this newly developing stage, which is encompassing all aspects of our culture. We are becoming cyborgs without our realizing it, we have become cyborgs. The future seems scary, but only because it appears to be so fantastic. We forget how easily we adapt to something when it is gradually introduced. The transhumanist, techgnostic "utopia" might not be so far-fetched and frightening as we believe it will be, and maybe, one day, we'll reminisce on what it was like before the days of android-human civil rights and buying things with money.

Of course, this is all taking for granted that capitalist globalized governments and corporations won't take absolute control of all this fancy developing technology...

Utopian/Dystopian views and philosophies, which are created mostly by science fiction authors, are predictions of the future based on the condition of the present. During pleasant times the future is portrayed as a wonderful place where technological innovations have made life hassle free and enjoyable (such as the 1950's post WWII predictions of fully automated houses and robots that eliminate household chores). Books such as "1984” portray a dystopian future because they were written during a time of fear and uncertainty.
I think that in today’s society people are certainly more focused on a dystopian future. Things like terrorism and government surveillance are on the forefront of people’s minds and have lead to dystopian views of the future that address these issues (such as the movie "V For Vendetta").
Dystopia has become an obsession in modern times. There are hundreds of websites devoted to the concept of dystopia, and hardly and concerning utopia. This is a product of the impact of today’s media, which constantly plays upon the fears of society by displaying images of violence and discussing threats such as global warming.

Here is a website I found with interesting works that portray a dystopian future. http://hem.passagen.se/replikant/

Recently, medical technology is developing to cure and take care of humans' sickness or disability, i.e. pace makers, X-ray,lazers, gastrocamera and so on. Many people's lives are saved by a technology.
However, I think it is going to be dystopia if it goes too far.
These are the films that show medical technology (for phycial and mental):

Roujin Z:
A story about an old Japanese man who was tested for new technology. He starts to taken care by a robot, which can look after people. However, the robot starts to joy ride, because the computer system gets into the old man's mind and starts to grant his will. So it gets out from the hospital with the old man in it and goes out to the city.

Eternal sunshine:
A technology of erasing memories. In the movie people can erase one's memory which one wants to forget, so that people don't have to struggle by a past memory. But people should over come their past in by themselves, because people should learn from the past.


Casshern:
A story of a guy who once died in war, but revived by his chemist father. He was reborn but as an android, so he was not happy, and also had to fight again.


Vanilla Sky:
A story of the man who became frozen, and escaped from real world into dream world to be free from suffering of his girl friend's death.

Hilariously enough, Nick posts his thoughts on Pierre Teilhard (below) and how the internet is creating a utopic global consciousness, and two minutes later I'm going through my daily webcomics to stumble upon this:

Utopia, at least the way I see it, is a completely ideal phenomenon. Further more, knowing the current state of things today, it is hard to picture a Utopian society in our future.

However, Teilhard takes a more religious approach to curing the Earth. He says that we must "build the Earth." He proclaims that the Earth will one day reach its "Omega Point" and finally be a place of peace and prosperity. To make it to this point the idea of a "noosphere" must first show itself. The "noosphere" is another way of saying the Earth's consciousness. In the article, it is said to be like the cerebral cortex of the Earth. The internet is the medium which is helping the "noosphere" grow. This wealth of technology and information, according to Teilhard's thinking, will bring us to a Utopian state.

This is hard to believe knowing that greed and corruption exist in this world. Teilhard says, "It is not our heads or our bodies which we must bring together, but our hearts. . . " Even this man who believed that this place would one day be transformed into a perfect peaceful society still relies on humankind to make a leap and change its habits. It is not only the advancment of technology, but the advancement of a more humane society that will bring forth this utopia. Humankind must be wary of what technology they create and what the consequences of such creations will ultimately be.

What up group?! I am free Monday and Tuesday until 2pm. Hopefully youguys can also do these times. Talk to yous soon.

-Nick

Sup guys. When is the best time for everbody to meet? We can do a chat, or meet in person, or both. I know my schedule is kinda hectic, so whatever everyone else decides on, I'll try to do.

My AIM name is cyborgplaygirl. Get at me!

Also, I can get my hands on a few relevant movies we can watch (in parts), if anyone wants to get together and have a pizza or something.

Movies (and television) to consider: Bladerunner, Ghost in the Shell, A.I., Demolition Man, Strange Days, Total Recall, The Running Man, Minority Report, Serial Experiments Lain... um, and I forgot. Anyone got anything else?