Log Entry #12: 10/22/10

Today we had our first quiz on Ender's Game, which had some pretty exhilarating moments in it and moments that I could relate to (how Ender fights with Peter sounds like how I use to have fights with my brother). In the past week, I honestly couldn't put the book down because there was so much chaos going on with Ender. As I got done reading this exciting part of the book, I began to think what if I was in Andrew's (Ender) shoes. I honestly wouldn't know what to do if was a third child in a society that doesn't accept third children. In addition, I would think it would be very hard to leave you family in a drop of a pin to become a commander. But if you knew that you have the possibility of being known as a the greatest commander ever, I would defiantly consider it. In addition,  if I knew I wouldn't have a lot of friends at first and then I would have to leave them in a very short time to be under the command of Bonzo and then Rose de Nose, I would have to say No. I think I would just like to stay  home with Valentine (who I wouldn't be able to see for a whole 6 years or even more) and my family. In conclusion to reading and pondering on the thought of me being Ender, I'm very glad that I don't have to experience the decisions that he had to go through at such a young age. But with concluding on that thought, I began to think: will our society ever stoop to that level, where 6 year olds have to decide whether they want to leave their for the military and play a game where you kill these creatures from other planets? 

Log Entry #11: 10/17/10

I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream could possibly be one of the most terrifying science fiction works that I have ever read or heard of. It truly depicts what could happen if you put too much power into machine; this short story follows the last five human survivors on earth, trapped inside AM ( a computer that has overrun these five survivors and tortures them). The person who created AM  made him complete tasks that humans can't), and doing so, they gave AM almost unlimited power. As the story progresses you learn that  AM hates humans (his creator),  but he knows if he kills the last remaining people on this Earth, then he'll be completely alone for the rest of eternity. So as much as AM wants to kill his creator for leaving his an inclosed genius, he knows he can't kill them.

AM was named by the humans by the phrase "I think, therefore I am." . This phrase describes that AM thinks and is existent but it is not a human.  Furthermore, AM terrorizes these five poor humans and rules the world;  although, it cannot experience new things and learn like a human can. In this way, it makes it seem that Am is not actually existent and is all a tale in Tim's head.

After ready this story and watching the two horrific frankenstein films, it seems that these stories are very much similar. In which, both they stories are about how these creations break free and are exposed to society, so they go against the creators and cause havoc.

Log Entry #10: 10/15/10

Sandkings is probably of the best science fiction short stories that I have ever read, and I can see why Mr. Inloes deems this as one of his favorites. When I received this in class I didn't want to read it due to the length, but after reading just the first couple pages, I was hooked. The concept that these creatures from other planets fight each other in a glass tank is quite compelling. As you continue to read, you learn that Kress is starting a betting league with his friends and alters the results of the sandking's wars so that some colonies have to stave and have to fight for food. But with him inviting his ex, she goes crazy on Kress and breaks the glass sandkings cage. This allows the sandkings to get out and truly conquer Kress' house and the perimeter. After that catastrophe, you pretty much knew that there was going to be deaths. Although, I no idea that they would get so descriptive with some parts of the story (the description of Catherine De Lain carcass).

After reading the story, I truly thought it would be a great story to put into a movie. With people dying, betting, and creatures that kill humans, I felt it that would be a true crowd pleaser. I was astonished when we were shown some of the movie, and how it was not similar at all.

Log Entry #9: 10/13/10

With our class getting done with 2001: A Space Odyssey, Mr. Inloes thought it would be interesting and enjoyable to show how key aspects from Kubrick’s film is very influencial in many shows and commercials today. We watched an episode of the Simpsons that had many scenes in it that were practically the same as kubrick's movie. For example, the Itchy and Scratchy episode where Itchy is out in space and then takes Scratchy's helmet off. This was quite similar to the actual movie, because Dave tries saving his friend in space with the space pod, but his friend was already died because his has vent was thorn apart. Moreover, when Homer opened the bag of potato chips, which led to Homer floating in the space craft and eating the chips with the heroic music in the background. That was quite similar due to the no dialog just heroic music scenes in 2001.

Krubrick's movie actually influences many other things of TV. Just last year, there was a commercial with a guy who just bought his wife a new pendent from Jared Jewelry. The guy gets back in his car to go home and tries to plug in his destination into his GPS, but his GPS (which has a female voice) doesn't want to cooperate. As a result, the only way for the guy to get home is if he put the pendant on the GPS. This is just like the A Space Odyssey, where Hal (the space shuttle's core intelligence system which has feelings) takes over the ship by trying to killing everyone. Similarly, the GPS won't cooperate with the guy unless she gets the pendant (due to the GPS has feelings). 

In conclusion, even thought I didn't love 2001: A Space Odyssey, it is interesting to know and realize how influential that movie is.

Log Entry #8: 10/11/10

We just finished Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park, and it made me truly think "how different the movie is from the book". With being quite the skeptic of the Jurassic Park movies back in the day, I thought it would be interesting to really see how the movie and the book are different.A few days after concluding Micheal Crichton's Jurassic Park, we began to watch the Spielberg film, which different right from the start( the movie starts with the park workers trying to calm a Velcoraptor and in the book, it starts with a girl being attacked by little dinosaurs).It was differently awesome to see revisit the movie I haven't seen in multiple years, but with reading the book, the story line lacked all of the book’s outstanding/ chilling details.


With watching the movie, we also received a Stephen Jay Gould article in class this week, “Dinomania”, explaining his thoughts on how he thought the movie were different. I completely with Gould's argument  that Spielberg did “dumb down” the book’s scientific elements so that the average American would understand (For example, in the movie they made the Velcoraptors 10 feet tall instead of the actual 6. This was just to demonstrate to the average american that dinosaurs dinosaurs were really scary) Moreover, Gould finds Malcolm’s to still be a believer in the chaos theory in the movie, but says that nature selected dinosaurs for extinction, rather than it was all due to chaos theory and explaining that in the movie.

Log Entry #7: 10/10/10

For the past three days we have been watching Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, which I thought was quite a challenge to understand and bare. During the movie there were some instances where nothing would be going on; no dialogue, only color displays of figures in space. With these instances occurring,  It made me become quite uninterested, and I had to continuously tell myself to stay attentive. Consequently, It made me conclude this movie as one of the worst movies I have seen in the past couple years. I understood what was going on up until the lights show when Dave was going through the different atmospheres of Jupiter. I honestly thought there was no reason for the light show to go on for an astounding 15 whole minutes. I could understand one to two minutes of the color display, but 15 is ridiculous. As those 15 minutes of brilliant colors came to an end, Dave all of a sudden was in a modern looking room and then he progressively got older, and then became a star child looking at earth. Once we were done with the movie, it was left with not knowing what was happening and in need for a explanation of the ending. With Mr. Inloes explaining how he perceived the ending, it became much clearer (the notion that aliens guide us and help us grow as a race). In conclusion, I began to actually appreciate the significance of the movie and would defiantly see it again.