One purpose of this memoir is to describe to my sons Matthew and Alexander, granddaughters Sophia and Juliet, and any future grandchildren the driving forces that determined my destiny. I have often toyed with the idea of writing my memoir, but the writing would never have happened if not for the deaths of my father, Jim, in 2002; mother, Ruby, in 2006; beloved twin brother, Larry, in 2008; and treasured wife, Edith, in 2009. I realized that the memories of these special people would be lost forever if I did not commit them to paper as soon as possible. Our lives are finite, and our accomplishments seem ephemeral. Thus, in comparison to the seemingly ageless universe, the details of our lives appear to be mere vanity.
Strange. Beautiful. Shocking. Surreal. APEX MAGAZINE is a digital dark science fiction and fantasy genre zine that features award-winning short fiction, essays, and interviews. Established in 2009, our fiction has won several Hugo and Nebula Awards. We publish every other month. Issue 129 contains the following short stories, essays, reviews, and interviews. EDITORIAL Editorial by Jason Sizemore ORIGINAL FICTION It Happened in 'Loontown by Lavie Tidhar City Lights by Yilun Fan (translated by S. Qiouyi Lu) Sheri, At This Very Moment by Bianca Sayan What Una Loves by Rich Larson Lamia by Cristina Jurado (translated by Monica Louzon) The Cure for Loneliness by M. Shaw CLASSIC FICTION O2 Arena by Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki That Rough-Hewn Sun by Benjanun Sriduangkaew NONFICTION Tie Me to the Mast (Metaphorically Speaking): Social Writing in the Age of the Pandemic by C.S.E. Cooney The Importance of Presenting Disabilities in Literature by Mercedes M. Yardley REVIEWS Words for Thought: Short Fiction Review by A.C. Wise Book Review: Black Chain by Dominic Martell (reviewed by Keturah Barchers) Book Review: Flowers for the Sea by Zin E. Rocklyn (reviewed by Tracy Robinson) INTERVIEWS Interview with Author M. Shaw by Marissa van Uden Interview with Author Bianca Sayan by Rebecca E. Treasure Interview with Cover Artist Luka Brico by Russell Dickerson
The Closed World offers a radically new alternative to the canonical histories of computers and cognitive science. Arguing that we can make sense of computers as tools only when we simultaneously grasp their roles as metaphors and political icons, Paul Edwards shows how Cold War social and cultural contexts shaped emerging computer technology--and were transformed, in turn, by information machines. The Closed World explores three apparently disparate histories--the history of American global power, the history of computing machines, and the history of subjectivity in science and culture--through the lens of the American political imagination. In the process, it reveals intimate links between the military projects of the Cold War, the evolution of digital computers, and the origins of cybernetics, cognitive psychology, and artificial intelligence. Edwards begins by describing the emergence of a "closed-world discourse" of global surveillance and control through high-technology military power. The Cold War political goal of "containment" led to the SAGE continental air defense system, Rand Corporation studies of nuclear strategy, and the advanced technologies of the Vietnam War. These and other centralized, computerized military command and control projects--for containing world-scale conflicts--helped closed-world discourse dominate Cold War political decisions. Their apotheosis was the Reagan-era plan for a " Star Wars" space-based ballistic missile defense. Edwards then shows how these military projects helped computers become axial metaphors in psychological theory. Analyzing the Macy Conferences on cybernetics, the Harvard Psycho-Acoustic Laboratory, and the early history of artificial intelligence, he describes the formation of a "cyborg discourse." By constructing both human minds and artificial intelligences as information machines, cyborg discourse assisted in integrating people into the hyper-complex technological systems of the closed world. Finally, Edwards explores the cyborg as political identity in science fiction--from the disembodied, panoptic AI of 2001: A Space Odyssey, to the mechanical robots of Star Wars and the engineered biological androids of Blade Runner--where Information Age culture and subjectivity were both reflected and constructed. Inside Technology series
Since the first SF film produced for television--1968's Shadow on the Land--nearly 600 films initially released to television have had science fiction, fantasy, or horror themes. Featuring superheroes, monsters, time travel, magic, and other elements of their big screen counterparts, these films range from the phenomenal to the forgettable, from low-budget two-hour films to blockbuster mini-series. Some, like The Ewok Adventure, were based on theatrical releases, while others, like Babylon 5, developed into very popular series. Information on all such American releases from 1968 through 1998 is collected here. Alphabetically arranged entries include cast and credits, a plot synopsis, qualitative commentary, and notes of interest on aspects of the film. Appendices provide a list of other films that include some science fiction, horror, or fantasy elements; a film chronology; and a guide to alternate titles.
We are currently living in an age of scientific humanism. Cyborgs, robots, avatars, and bio-technologically created beings are new entities that exist alongside biological human beings. As with many emerging technologies, many people will find the concept foreign and frightening. There is a strong possibility that these entities will be mistreated. Philosophical Issues of Human Cyborgization and the Necessity of Prolegomena on Cyborg Ethics discusses the ethics of human cyborgization as well as emerging technologies of robots and avatars that exhibit human-like qualities. The chapters build a strong case for the necessity of cyborg ethics and protocols for preserving the vitality of life within an ever-advancing technological society. Covering topics such as cyborg hacking, historical reality, and naturalism, this book is a dynamic resource for scientists, ethicists, cyber behavior professionals, students and professors of both technological and philosophical studies, faculty of higher education, philosophers, AI engineers, healthcare professionals, researchers, and academicians.
One purpose of this memoir is to describe to my sons Matthew and Alexander, granddaughters Sophia and Juliet, and any future grandchildren the driving forces that determined my destiny. I have often toyed with the idea of writing my memoir, but the writing would never have happened if not for the deaths of my father, Jim, in 2002; mother, Ruby, in 2006; beloved twin brother, Larry, in 2008; and treasured wife, Edith, in 2009. I realized that the memories of these special people would be lost forever if I did not commit them to paper as soon as possible. Our lives are finite, and our accomplishments seem ephemeral. Thus, in comparison to the seemingly ageless universe, the details of our lives appear to be mere vanity.
Few countries have been so transformed in recent decades as China. With a dynamically growing economy and a rapidly changing social structure, China challenges the West to understand the nature of its modernization. Using postmodernism as both a global frame of periodization and a way to break free from the rigid ideology of westernization as modernity, this volume’s diverse group of contributors argues that the Chinese experience is crucial for understanding postmodernism. Collectively, these essays question the implications of specific phenomena, like literature, architecture, rock music, and film, in a postsocialist society. Some essays address China’s complicity in—as well as its resistance to—the culture of global capitalism. Others evaluate the impact of efforts to redefine national culture in terms of enhanced freedoms and expressions of the imagination in everyday life. Still others discuss the general relaxation of political society in post-Mao China, the emergence of the market and its consumer mass culture, and the fashion and discourse of nostalgia. The contributors make a clear case for both the historical uniqueness of Chinese postmodernism and the need to understand its specificity in order to fully grasp the condition of postmodernity worldwide. Although the focus is on mainland China, the volume also includes important observations on social and cultural realities in Hong Kong and Taiwan, whose postmodernity has so far been confined—in both Chinese and English-speaking worlds—to their economic and consumer activities instead of their political and cultural dynamism. First published as a special issue of boundary 2, Postmodernism and China includes seven new essays. By juxtaposing postmodernism with postsocialism and by analyzing China as a producer and not merely a consumer of the culture of the postmodern, it will contribute to critical discourses on globalism, modernity, and political economics, as well as to cultural and Asian studies. Contributors. Evans Chan, Arif Dirlik, Dai Jinhua, Liu Kang, Anthony D. King, Jeroen de Kloet, Abidin Kusno, Wendy Larson, Chaoyang Liao, Ping-hui Liao, Sebastian Hsien-hao Liao, Sheldon Hsiao-peng Lu, Wang Ning, Xiaobing Tang, Xiaoying Wang, Chen Xiaoming, Xiaobin Yang, Zhang Yiwu, Xudong Zhang
Literary critics have long regarded the rejection of technology as a distinguishing feature of American Romanticism. Yet as Klaus Benesch shows in this insightful study, the attitude of antebellum writers toward the advent of the machine age was far more complicated than often supposed. Although fraught with tension, the relationship between professional authorship and evolving technology reflected a pattern of adjustment rather than opposition, as writers sought to redefine their place within a culture that increasingly valued the engineer and the scientist.
“This gonzo-journalistic exploration of the Silicon Valley techno-utopians’ pursuit of escaping mortality is a breezy romp full of colorful characters.” —New York Times Book Review (Editor's Choice) Transhumanism is a movement pushing the limits of our bodies—our capabilities, intelligence, and lifespans—in the hopes that, through technology, we can become something better than ourselves. It has found support among Silicon Valley billionaires and some of the world’s biggest businesses. In To Be a Machine, journalist Mark O'Connell explores the staggering possibilities and moral quandaries that present themselves when you of think of your body as a device. He visits the world's foremost cryonics facility to witness how some have chosen to forestall death. He discovers an underground collective of biohackers, implanting electronics under their skin to enhance their senses. He meets a team of scientists urgently investigating how to protect mankind from artificial superintelligence. Where is our obsession with technology leading us? What does the rise of AI mean not just for our offices and homes, but for our humanity? Could the technologies we create to help us eventually bring us to harm? Addressing these questions, O'Connell presents a profound, provocative, often laugh-out-loud-funny look at an influential movement. In investigating what it means to be a machine, he offers a surprising meditation on what it means to be human.
