Artificial life (Robots)

Robocop (2014)

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Tue, 07/08/2014 - 12:10

A future of robots replacing military and police personnel is just a matter of time. The new Robocop, a remake of the 1987 cult classic, bases the need for a cyborg police officer after mass refusal of robotic policing of US citizenry. To put a human face on the next age of police service, detective Alex Murphy is used to operate a new body that makes him a cyborg supercop and his success will provide acceptance for OmniCorp to begin selling robots to police all over America.

As part of the Robocop system Alex influences, but doesn't always control, the police software or the body it operates. The film explores his posthumanity and the line where the human ends and the robot begins - or the other way around. Seen as the Future of American Justice, Alex/Robocop works through issues at a personal level while acting as the star of the Detroit police department and a pawn of OmniCorp's need for new contracts.

Her (2013)

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Tue, 07/08/2014 - 10:37

Theodore Twombly is an introvert going through divorce. After he purchases an operating system designed to be a virtual friend, Theodore become emotionally attached to 'Samantha' and enters into a romantic relationship with her. - her being the artificial intelligence in his computer. Her follows their relationship through the typical trials most human relationships go through, with the added issues of a virtual companion who attempts to satisfy their 'lover' through a variety of emotional and romantic experiences.

At its heart, Her is a relationship film set around two very different people, one made of code, attempting to find common ground. It explores the variety of their relationship from Theodore's viewpoint, though Samantha's growth and issues are also represented throughout the story. As the story unfolds and the relationship goes through its ups and downs, we get a sense of this new and fragile pairing.

Nominated for five Academy Awards, Her won best screenplay in addition to being nominated for best picture. With a laid back, futuristic setting and a story presented through conversation and emotion, Her isn't just science fiction, it's a brilliant look at a future where artificial intelligence, and also artificial emotion, impacts the individual.

I, Robot (2004)

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Mon, 07/07/2014 - 10:39

Based on the Asimov short story collection of the same name, I, Robot explores a society where humanoid robots are everywhere, doing a range of jobs, through a detective who is distrustful of robots due to a tragic accident he survived, but others didn't. As a result, when a murder happens and a robot could be responsible, the detective has to overcome doubt that a robot, required to follow the Three Laws of Robotics, could kill a human.

Another action science fiction film based on Asimov's work, the film is set in a future with many many societal changes, yet still feels incomplete. The movie is almost too clean, another clean utopia containing devoid of nature (except the cat, gotta save the cat). Yet the benefit of that sanitized environment is the way the crime stands out. Everything looks so clean and feels so efficient, you have to wonder whether any crime happens at all. For that reason, the CGI worldbuilding works for the film, though I have to wonder if a future remake with grittier writing and scenes might offer a more believable setting.

Minority Report (2002)

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Fri, 06/27/2014 - 10:14

Based on "The Minority Report," a short story by Philip K. Dick, this film explores the issue of preventing crime before it occurs. The PreCrime division, a special unit set in Washington, D.C., uses three individuals who possess the ability to foresee murders before they occur. When each case is identified, including the victim, the perpetrator, and the time, the PreCrime police use recorded visuals from the "precog's" visions to identify the location and foil the crime before it happens.

While the division has had great success and is considered perfect, the film focuses on what happens if these visions are not 100% reliable. Especially when the perpetrators are arrested and imprisoned when they were not allowed to actually commit the crime.

The Machine - 2013 film

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Thu, 05/08/2014 - 09:27

A true sci-fi thriller, The Machine presents a future where artificial intelligence is closing in on human-level capabilities and governments race to develop human-like robotic soldiers. After a cold war with China has caused a severe economic depression in the West, research into artificial intelligence is viewed as THE research to win what is considered an unavoidable war. The desired outcome is a superior soldier capable of managing a "three-block war: the battle, the negotiations, and the peace."

While too many recent science fiction films have focused on famous actors and fast scenes, adding layers of action to cross genres, The Machine is a true sci-fi film (there is action, but most of the movie is slow and moody as developments take time). Both dark and gritty, it feels like a better view of the future than the ultra-political Elysium or any film dealing with human-alien strife. Swinging for the fence, Caradog James, writer and director of The Machine, bangs one out of the park.

Surveying the future (Pew Research)

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Fri, 04/18/2014 - 13:10

Next exit for the future sign A new Pew Research Center reports on eight futuristic ideas and whether Americans view them having a positive or negative impact on society:

63% don't want US airspace open to drones.
53% believe devices and implants delivering constant information would have a negative impact on our lives.
9% want a time machine more than any other futuristic invention.
48% want to ride in a driverless car while 50% would not.
8% between 30 and 49 would like a personal robot servant over any other futuristic intention.
19% believe we will have weather control within the next 50 years.
33% believe we will have long-term space colonies within 50 years.
39% believe we will have teleportation with 50 years as well.

Futurepath: Human employment

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Tue, 04/08/2014 - 15:37

Baby fed by a robot Last year, Carl Benedikt Frey and Michael Osborne published their paper, "The Future of Unemployment: How Susceptible are

A world of living data - Wikipedia on steroids?

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Fri, 04/04/2014 - 11:34

Robot wearing a press hat Humans have issues with data. Data on its own is hard to turn into information, which we can understand much more easily. Weather data is a great example, as it is both a global and local phenomenon impacting almost every day of our lives. If my phone's weather app presented data, I would receive information about regional climates as far as the Arctic and Gulf of Mexico. It would be difficult for most anyone but a meteorologist (amateur or otherwise) to make an accurate prediction using this data.

A stronger, sexier, younger body

Submitted by admin on Mon, 03/31/2014 - 11:22

Robot stripper on screen I've been watching this video make the rounds for about two weeks. My first thought upon seeing it was, "How long before Madonna is on the phone with Kurzweil and Kaku to figure out when she can dump her brain into it and plan a new world tour?" Humorous, but hardly kind. Though I'm no fan of Madonna and believe she is narcissistic to the extreme, I also have to admit most of humanity is the same way. If we could push our minds into machines like these, how many of us would and how often?

Ventus

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Fri, 03/28/2014 - 16:02

Ventus is one of those scifi novels that strikes a great balance between plot, characters and new technologies - and a few old ones. One of my favorites and it's free on his website (or you can donate something for a novel that offers both education and entertainment with 4 stars on Amazon and 4.6 on Manybooks) if you're looking for something to occupy your weekend until winter finally sails away.