Anyone who likes Tech yet NOT into Sci-Fi here?

[maflynn]

I've always been interested in Science Fiction and that probably predates my interest in technology. Actually let me say it was because of Science Fiction that I started my love affair with technology and computers.

I remember watching as a kid Star Trek at night in the 60s or the voyage to the Bottom of the Sea


As a teenager, I couldn't read enough from the likes of Asimov Bova, Heinlein, etc, etc. I was also fortunate enough to be born at a time where I was able to be on the ground floor of the computer revolution, and I could tinker with that new fangled device called the personal computer

 

[decafjava]

Well now I know whom to block from my feed. Sayonara sci-fi haters.






To each their own, I am a sci-fi, fantasy and history NERD. I like both fun "sci-fi" like the Guardians of the Galaxy someone mentioned in this thread as well as the serious stuff. Trekkie since my childhood, also Doctor Who fan and saw the original Star Wars in the theatre.

 

[Huntn]

Earlier this week I watched the movie Ex Machina (2015) and I found certain aspects of the premise intriguing regarding AI. Overall the movie was good, not great, and one of those that I probably will watch only once, maybe twice.

Spoiler

There were some scenes where the main character was snooping on the computer security camera system and observing the various AI models through the testing phases. The AI was so advanced that some of the machines appeared to be real, as in real like a human as far as being sentient and knowing that they were imprisoned and wanted freedom. One machine was pounding on the walls so much until it's hands were demolished in a bid for freedom - just like a human would do who's mind broke after being in solitary confinement.

It was things like that which provoked me to think about the future of AI and when or if we ever achieve that level of sophistication and how we would deal with it as a society. If they could interact and present themselves so well that a real human couldn't tell the difference, would they deserve the same rights and freedoms as humans? What if the AI is so advanced, that humans and machines could actually fall in love with each other and hold relationships just like two humans can?

At what point do we find the line between the definition of "life" and "machine"? Does "life" have to be a biological organism or can other things that can be created which have or develop the ability to have independent thought, rational, reason, feelings (physical & emotional) be classified as life?

Yes, you do recall correctly, and agreed, it is an excellent film.



We recall the episode of STNG where Lt.Cmdr Data is on trial for his "life" and how they had to justify his existence and prove he was more than just a machine. Starfleet's position was that he was only a machine, a military tool, and could be decommissioned, destroyed, or turned off as the needs of the fleet required.

Data's comrades begged to differ and showed how he was just about as human as they were.

No doubt, government's would likely step in on private companies or universities that are working on AI when/if they get to a point depicted in many films. Perhaps they'ed implement the 3 robotics laws, or a variation of them.

If past practice is any indication of the future, the militarization and/or commercialization of AI will be inevitable.

But barring all of that, let's say AI is developed to a point that is better and more human that Mr. Data was depicted to be, how do we think society would handle it? I think, at first, that the AI would find it difficult to integrate into a human society and would have to endure, the unfortunate, and all-too-common, prejudices that humans have against things, peoples, cultures, that are different from them.

There would be a contingent of society that would embrace the AI and "fight for their rights" for equality in society. It could take many years and generations of people and time before, or if, AI could be fully integrated into a human society.

Great points, especially the examination comparing machine vs biological based intelligence. My impression is that it's existence (AI that is self aware, if that is even possible) is in our hands, for AI to rival us besides computational abilities (which all ready greatly surpasses the human brain), it will have to be endowed with reasoning and judgement routines, and sensory input.

We've seen in Scifi stories that human style mobility is not a requirement for AI to become a threat (example: Skynet) and as mentioned in this thread, the War Games WOPR which did not strike me as self aware, just a program with an rudimentary interaction interface, but given too much control of nuclear weapon delivery systems.

The great unknown is when a computer is built that emulates the functionality of the human brain, at what point, if any, will the threshold be crossed where consciousness and self awareness are achieved? Or will this just be fancy programming emulating a human brain?

As advanced biological organisms, (advanced in that we have self awareness), do we understand the mechanics of consciouness and self awareness besides recognizing we have it? We assume it is based on being biological, and/or must a spiritual element be introduced? And then we'd have to ask what is the difference between a spirit attaching itself to a biological versus a mechanical organism? Heady stuff, a fertile field for Scifi writers and an exploration of what it is to be human..

You might find this link about the origins of the positronic brain. I had no idea it originated with Azimov and that it describes an unknown quality that enables such a brain to have consciousness.

I love The Twight Zone, growing up with it. I remember at least two, maybe three stories were this subject was a theme. All ready mentioned is Lonely Heart. Then there is The Lateness of the Hour about the daughter of two scientists who urges them to deactivate their robots before they become to reliant on them.

​

And In His Image about a man seeking his past.

​

 

[Huntn]

I have no intent to put anyone on the spot, nor to sound critical, which I'm not, but if you feel like discussing it...

I find it interesting that anyone could love tech, but not Scifi. Is it the speculation included in such stories, you don't care for? And/or does it take you out of your comfort zone in how you regard reality or does it have to do with not liking the prospect of change?

Of interest might be the book Future Shock (1970) not a Scifi novel, not fictional, but a book written about how humans deal with the accelerating rate of technical change and how it forces us to alter our perception of reality at an uncomfortable rate with the possible effect of losing our grip on reality.

 

[D.T.]

I'm into tech and sci-fi, and work in the tech sector. I enjoy the occasional video game, comic, some of - I guess you could say - traditional geek culture. I also surf, SUP, practice yoga, mountain bike, race cars, [etc] so I'd say I'm not sandboxed in a geek lifestyle either

I've always been interested in Science Fiction and that probably predates my interest in technology. Actually let me say it was because of Science Fiction that I started my love affair with technology and computers.

I remember watching as a kid Star Trek at night in the 60s or the voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
View attachment 572336

As a teenager, I couldn't read enough from the likes of Asimov Bova, Heinlein, etc, etc. I was also fortunate enough to be born at a time where I was able to be on the ground floor of the computer revolution, and I could tinker with that new fangled device called the personal computer

Nicely put, yeah, that's exactly my thought too, that sci-fi sort of led me into my interest in technology. You and I are probably about the same age - old enough to remember when the last 10 years of tech _was_ sci-fi, but young enough to have been open to embracing it as it became available.

 

[D.T.]

None, in particular as far as morality, just tech devices, like a portable communicator that fits into your pocket. I'm wondering how far into the future before we see human like androids keeping people company.

Twilight Zone- Lonely Heart (1959)


Revisited several times over the decades​

Have you seen Ex Machine yet?

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ex_machina/

Very high on my list of want-to-watch, supposed to be outstanding (92% on RT).

IGN reviewer Chris Tilly gave the film a 9.0 out of 10 'Amazing' score, saying "Anchored by three dazzling central performances, it's a stunning directorial debut from Alex Garland that's essential viewing for anyone with even a passing interest in where technology is taking us."

Oops, sorry, I see it's been discussed already by SBG - I must've had my "auto de-spoilering" settings a little too high, because I skipped right over it

 

[Huntn]

Have you seen Ex Machine yet?

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ex_machina/

Very high on my list of want-to-watch, supposed to be outstanding (92% on RT).



Oops, sorry, I see it's been discussed already by SBG - I must've had my "auto de-spoilering" settings a little too high, because I skipped right over it

I'll put this on my list to watch. Thanks.

 

[Huntn]

Have you seen Ex Machine yet?

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ex_machina/

Very high on my list of want-to-watch, supposed to be outstanding (92% on RT).

This is a supurb A.I. movie, highly recommended! Seperate thread started.

 

[D.T.]

This is a supurb A.I. movie, highly recommended! Seperate thread started.

Sweet! We'll probably rent this tonight. I love the ideas it explores and the really small, intimate cast.

 

[Huntn]

Sweet! We'll probably rent this tonight. I love the ideas it explores and the really small, intimate cast.

How was it?

 

[Clix Pix]

I love tech stuff but am not interested in reading science fiction or fantasy and can count on one hand the movies I've seen which are based on them. TV, ditto. Never saw "Star Trek," never was a "trekkie." I prefer more reality-based fiction. That said, I did read all of the Harry Potter books, but saw only the first film. I saw just the first "Star Wars" film, too.

 

[D.T.]

How was it?

We haven't rented it yet! We had a few other things in our queue (movies and series catch up), then I was engaged in some other shenanigans ...

Maybe this weekend.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

I never been into comics. I gave it a try when I was younger, but that barley lasted half a school semester.

When a movie or series comes out. I hate when people keep telling me how the comics are so much better, cause I know I will never have any intention of reading the comics.

I also never got into anime cartoons.

I love Sci Fi books and movies though.

 

[lowendlinux]

I have no intent to put anyone on the spot, nor to sound critical, which I'm not, but if you feel like discussing it...

I find it interesting that anyone could love tech, but not Scifi. Is it the speculation included in such stories, you don't care for? And/or does it take you out of your comfort zone in how you regard reality or does it have to do with not liking the prospect of change?

Of interest might be the book Future Shock (1970) not a Scifi novel, not fictional, but a book written about how humans deal with the accelerating rate of technical change and how it forces us to alter our perception of reality at an uncomfortable rate with the possible effect of losing our grip on reality.

Tech is a lot of things. I like tech because I like bending machines to my will not "oh cool I can do this now" kinda things. It's probably the same reason I can't get into phones and tablets but have and could still spend time I should be sleeping to play with my computers.

 

[Huntn]

Tech is a lot of things. I like tech because I like bending machines to my will not "oh cool I can do this now" kinda things. It's probably the same reason I can't get into phones and tables but have and could still spend time I should be sleeping to play with my computers.

I agree, but I think for someone who loves tech, sometimes SciFi is like having some imagination and looking into the future, in some cases the very near future. I love the speculative aspect of SciFi.

 

[zmunkz]

I think there are different senses in which someone can "love" tech.

If you like having the newest coolest thing, and enjoy how devices expand your abilities and interconnectivity, then there is probably no necessary link to the sci-fi genre.

If you enjoy tech in the sense of how it works, how it comes to do whatever thing it can do, and in the implications of the discoveries behind it, that seems to be a mindset predisposed to sci-fi.

 

[Jessica Lares]

I don't have much of an imagination. I've always been pretty empty minded. I don't even have dreams that often, and when I do, it's like the most mundane thing like shopping or looking at the time.

I definitely am one of those people that enjoy tech for what I can do with it. I've been using computers since I was two though, so I guess that factors into it all. As my state of mind was changing, so was technology.

 

[Huntn]

I don't have much of an imagination. I've always been pretty empty minded. I don't even have dreams that often, and when I do, it's like the most mundane thing like shopping or looking at the time.

I definitely am one of those people that enjoy tech for what I can do with it. I've been using computers since I was two though, so I guess that factors into it all. As my state of mind was changing, so was technology.

I can see how you could enjoy tech, but not be turned on by futuristic stories and while you may enjoy fiction, might not like science fiction where in many cases involves human societies and situations, where normal is gone, turned on it's head or complete fantasy settings and imagined alien civilizations. You have to buy into these stories, get comfortable with their strangeness, and they usually involve conflict.

I'd divide science fiction into three four categories. Are there more?
*Tech as a prop- A story set in the future where people are functioning with the capabilities of future tech, but the tech is only a prop. May not be a true category as it usually involves other categories as well.
*Tech changes society- A story whose intent is to provoke thought about what lies in the future and how it impacts us, changes society, and how we treat each other, or for example, how we destroy or save the planet.
*Tech facilitates acquisition of knowledge and exploration- Expanding our horizons, allowing us to better contemplate our existence.
*Aliens, A.I. and Time a Travel- Speculation about how these encounters or the development of, might effect us. Alien encounters and/or the prospect of Skynet, post-apocalyptic, time travel paradoxes, contemplating the end of the world may just not be worth worrying about.

Guesses on these images? 3 are easy, answers below.

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Spoiler: Answers

1. Alien franchise
2. Coruscant
3. SHODAN
4. Fallout 4
5. War of the Worlds
6. Avatar

 

[Mousse]

I'd divide science fiction into three four categories. Are there more?
*Tech as a prop- A story set in the future where people are functioning with the capabilities of future tech, but the tech is only a prop.
*Tech changes society- A story whose intent is to provoke thought about what lies in the future and how it impacts us, changes society, and how we treat each other, or for example, how we destroy or save the planet.
*Tech facilitates acquisition of knowledge and exploration- Expanding our horizons, allowing us to better contemplate our existence.
*Aliens and A.I.- Speculation about how these encounters or the development of, might effect us. Alien encounters and/or the prospect of Skynet, post-apocalyptic, contemplating the end of the world may just not be worth worrying about.

Call me a purist if you want, but I don't consider the first category sci-fi. Replace that prop with an every day object and the story remains basically the same? Maybe Sy-Fy, but not Sci-Fi.

I can name a few Sci-Fi movies where the tech is more primitive than what we enjoyed at the time movie was released. Mad Max and its sequels. No gee-whiz advance gadgets, just a view of one possible future. The original Planets of the Apes movie with the famous "Take your stinking paws off me you damn dirty ape" quote.

 

[Huntn]

Call me a purist if you want, but I don't consider the first category sci-fi. Replace that prop with an every day object and the story remains basically the same? Maybe Sy-Fy, but not Sci-Fi.

I can name a few Sci-Fi movies where the tech is more primitive than what we enjoyed at the time movie was released. Mad Max and its sequels. No gee-whiz advance gadgets, just a view of one possible future. The original Planets of the Apes movie with the famous "Take your stinking paws off me you damn dirty ape" quote.

But that movie involves a futuristic space ship and time travel. I think I need to mention Time Travel in one of the categories.

If it happens in the future, I believe it's science fiction because it involves speculation of the status of tech, and I agree that usually stories written about the future rarely are just set in the future. You may be right. Let me think about that.

One example might be Star Wars, a conflict set in the future, but it's primarily a conflict. there are no deep questions and the future tech is just there and utilized. Thanks!

 

[C DM]

But that movie involves a futuristic space ship and time travel. I think I need to mention Time Travel in one of the categories.

If it happens in the future, I believe it's science fiction because it involves speculation of the status of tech, and I agree that usually stories written about the future rarely are just set in the future. You may be right. Let me think about that.

One example might be Star Wars, a conflict set in the future, but it's primarily a conflict. there are no deep questions and the future tech is just there and utilized. Thanks!

Technically speaking Star Wars is set in the past (a long time ago),in a completely different place/setting (in a galaxy far, far away). Somewhat similar to Battlestar Galactica in a sense, too.

 

[Huntn]

Technically speaking Star Wars is set in the past (a long time ago),in a completely different place/setting (in a galaxy far, far away). Somewhat similar to Battlestar Galactica in a sense, too.

Obviously you are right, but those stories still reside firmly in the scifi realm and represent a future we are trying to reach, even though it's the past, it would be our future.

 

[samiwas]

<-- This guy. Not into sci-fi at all. A really bad show I was watching took a turn into full sci-fi, and I had to stop watching it. It just make me cringe.

 

[Huntn]

<-- This guy. Not into sci-fi at all. A really bad show I was watching took a turn into full sci-fi, and I had to stop watching it. It just make me cringe.

Was it really bad before it made the turn? That might not that much of an indictment.

 

[samiwas]

Was it really bad before it made he turn? That might not that much of an indictment.

Oh, yeah, Under The Dome....it was bad all along. It was just a guilty-pleasure summer show that started as a drama with sci-fi bits before it turned into alternate universes and pod people.