Robots Make Me Cry

I have this problem:

I’m weird. I tend to be stoic in a lot of situations, particularly my day job as an education disciplinarian, but sometimes I let myself go. I’m religious, and I have moving experiences in church. I laugh with my wife and son as we play games with each other around the house. When I was younger I cried a lot at funerals. I don’t cry at weddings. They’re boring.
But the one thing that never made me feel anything were characters on television or in movies. At least not human ones. Or animal ones. But you know what kinds of characters really make me feel gut wrenching sorrow and pain?

Robots.

AI is still I

I was reading Robert Heinlein’s “The Moon is a Harsh Mistress” recently, and I was reminded again of my penchant for loving machines. Spoilers for a nearly 50 year old book ahead. If you get mad it’s your own fault.
Mycroft is a supercomputer that has become alive, and like’s to be called Mike by his friends. He is a wonderful character, and the whole book build him up and builds him up, to the point that he has to do most of the work during the book’s 3rd act of revolution. But at the end he is no longer speaking, or communicating at all for that matter, he has returned to his normally programmed functions.

And I was sad.

No! I thought. Mike can’t be gone, he drove this whole book! Why Heinlein? Why?

The answer is, of course, elementary. Heinlein knew losing Mike would be the ultimate stab. Everyone loves Mike. You have to kill him to make him memorable. He sacrificed everything for the revolution, and in the end he really was just a pile of circuits and wires. Sad.

Not a Gun

I love “The Iron Giant”. The only thing I don’t like about it is the anti-gun sentiment. I own guns, I use them to feed my family, and I’m not an idiot about when and where I use them. We should have anti idiot activists, not anti gun activists. Just my two cents. If you want to argue, email me.

Back to topic:

The giant is an awesome character. He is an artificial intelligence that can learn and grow and become more than his original purpose.

I’m a sucker for transcendentalism.

But at the end of the movie, he has to save the town— because surprise surprise, the government bureaucrat screwed everything up and launched a nuke on U.S. soil. So the giant flies up and runs into the missile in space, thwarting the threat and averting the crisis. And it made me sad. Because I like robots.

Honorable Mentions: To Boldly Go

Two deaths that made me cry, actually cry, were my high school football coach and my great uncle. I spent lots of time with these two guys, and their deaths devastated me. I literally stole a truck to drive to my coach’s funeral, and I skipped the better part of three days of class in college to attend my uncle’s services. Just to show you that I am in fact, NOT an actual robot myself. At least that’s what they tell me. But here are two humanoid examples that made me sad, but they are pretty much just like robots.

Commander Data

Data kind of is a robot—he’s an android— but he strives to be human in every aspect of his life. This makes him clumsy with comedy, turns of phrase, and even relationships. And I spent years with Data. And then they killed him in that crappy “Nemesis” film. Clone Picard and dead Data? Who wrote that garbage? Oh Brent Spiner has a writer credit…kind of killed his character and a Star Trek writing career on one blow…

Captain Spock

Oh Spock. Leonard Nimoy Spock, not Zachary Quinto’s pseudo Spock. When they play Amazing Grace on the bagpipes at the end of Wrath of Khan I tear up every time. EVERY TIME! It’s crazy. I even teared up when Stewie Griffin did the same spiel with his teddy bear Rupert. I hate it.

What Gives?

So why do I get sad when robots die? Or stoic Vulcans who hide their emotions? It’s because I connect with them. On the Meyers-Briggs spectrum of personalities, I am known as an INTP. I’m the thinker. I rarely use emotion to decide things; I’m the human equivalent of a logic processor. If you want to read more go here: http://www.truity.com/personality-type/INTP

But I feel sorrow for them because I understand Data’s constant analysis of everything, Spock’s emotional detachment, Mike’s unhindered intelligence in problem solving, and the Giant’s logical conclusions about how to save everyone. They aren’t these emotional meatbags who have to think about how they’re going to make others feel about something. They don’t care, and I like that. That’s what makes them appeal to me. I couldn’t care less about other characters.

Except Kirk. He doesn’t care either. He just shoots stuff.

What characters appeal to you? What Meyers Briggs type are you, and how does that affect your love for characters?

Anarchy in the USA

Last week, I discussed the nature of most dystopias in Sci Fi. On the other end of the spectrum, there are those Sci Fi authors and works that take on a flair most opposite of a dystopian totalitarian state of living. They fly by their own rules. Or no rules at all…

Libertarianism

Libertarianism is broad itself in scope, covering everything from having a small state government to complete anarchism ( a total lack of central government). It spans from right to left, but is pretty centric in all incarnations. The basis is on personal liberties that govern how an individual lives. These themes are explored in such works as The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.

A strong focus within these works is the ever hush-hush anarchism. Because a society without laws is unthinkable. Without the government to hold us all together we would just cease to exist. Or worse…we would actually get along just fine.

I think anarchism is such a strong theme because it’s what everyone really wants. We want to form communities based on a need for community, not because we live inside of an arbitrary boundary drawn by a detached state government.

If i may wax romantically for a moment…

I sort of wish i was born in the days of pioneering the American West. Little to no governing authorities, just people working together for the good of their family, self, friends, whatever. Sure it bred outlaws, but it also bred heroes. For every story of crime we have a story of bravery. The illusion of the need for a government stems from a detachment we all experience. Most people live in an urban center and have no idea where their food comes from, whether it’s vegetables or meat. Most of us have never had to build a shelter to survive a winter or keep away predators. We’ve never had to walk miles to find said food or shelter. All in all we have disconnected from what it is to be. We think living in a city near a store where we spend the money we earned at our job and paid taxes on to support our country’s infrastructure and bureaucracy is how we are supposed to live.

Or we could throw rocks at the Earth from the Moon.

Whatever side of politics you land on, consider a world without a government. Consider having to really provide for yourself. Consider having to survive. Call me a caveman. Call me whatever you want. I fall right in line with all of the writers who have already expressed this sentiment. I find that a world run by the individuals who inhabit it and not massive states is my utopia.

What’s yours?

What’s your utopia? Perhaps it looks more like what we already have. Maybe it resembles what most would call a dystopia. Maybe it’s something completely different from anything I have discussed.

Whatever it is, there must be a story waiting to be told about it…

Where Science Fact Meets Science Fiction

If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you know that the Silly Robot has a special place in his memory banks and emotion chip for the Hard Sci Fi genre. Authors such as Robert Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke, and John Scalzi permeate the way I think about science fiction and how it is written.

Lately I have ben frequenting io9.com, reading all sorts of interesting articles about all sorts of interesting things. The thing I love about io9 is their blending of science articles with a genuine love for science fiction. They intertwine sci fi into most of their articles about science, and do so in very informative and entertaining ways. I have gleaned several ideas for stories on their site, and I hope they continue to churn out content for years to come.

Creating Hard Science Fiction

Hard science fiction is special to me because science is a major part of the storyline. I have a degree in Agriculture, which basically means i have a degree in biology with a concentration on production, so being scientifically accurate is sort of ingrained into my being. I have scoured countless scientific journals for research facts, and doing so for fiction i write is commonplace. Weaving these facts into a work of fiction is accomplished in many different ways.

I love Arthur C. Clarke because of his use of science in his stories. They aren’t always the strongest plots, but the science is fascinating. I just have to keep reading and reading to find out what all of the gadgets do.

Heinlein tends to use science as a sociopolitical device in his stories. Artificial Intelligence running revolutions, exo suits driving a conquest, and Martian colonies causing a dramatic social revolution on Earth are a few ways he accomplishes this. Ideals are achieved through the use of technology and scientific proficiency.

Elements of Hard Science Fiction

HSF is usually associated with long paragraphs explaining tech and how it is used. John Scalzi has a fascinating few pages on his ‘skip’ drive in the novel Old Man’s War. And it actually adds a weird element to the story as he does it. It’s quite fascinating. And OMW is a really good book on top of it.

Most HSF stories take place in space, utilizing FTL propulsion and other theoretical technologies. The desire of the authors to stay scientifically relevant drives the universes their stories take place in. Some of them, Isaac Asimov comes to mind, even start a separate writing career in the non-fiction section of the bookstore. Robert Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke were even brought into the newsroom for the Moon Landing in 1969. Science permeated these mens’ lives, driving them to write the fiction they are so renowned for.

How To Do It

So what if you just like writing about some guy who galavants around the galaxy with a laser gun saving pretty girls?

Then HSF probably isn’t for you.

But if you want to write it, remember a few of these things:

Science

It’s all based on a desire to stick to facts and accepted theories. Find a theme and go with it.

Speculation

Sticking to facts doesn’t mean you can’t draw conclusions based on them. Does your FTL drive move the ship or the space around it? How does time factor into your story? Are there sentient species on other planets? All of these, and more, can shape your story.

Silliness

Have fun. Reading some of the guys that are dead then switching to guys that came after them is sometimes disheartening. They think HSF means that everyone is totally and completely serious about everything and nobody laughs. Heinlein makes all sorts of jokes in his writing, and Arthur C. Clarke has an entire story about two British freight pilots sneaking the prince aboard their vessel without the captain finding out.

That’s why I like John Scalzi. He’s a throwback to those guys without being a copy. Go read his books.

To Infinity and Beyond

If you want to write HSF, become a researcher. A true student who learns and adapts. Have fun in the facts. And most of all, write good stories.

The Beginner’s Guide to Futurism

Source (http://media.smashingmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/images/retro-futuristic-designs-tutorials/retro%20futuristic%20city%2010.jpg)

Futurism is a hot topic. Especially if you’re into being an entrepreneur. Predicting and/or setting future trends can be a make or break skill in the business world.

But what about the original futurists:

Science Fiction writers?

How does that work? Where would I start? What exactly is futurism?

Excellent questions.

What is Futurism?

Also known as future studies, futurism is the act of postulating different futures. So when Heinlein postulates space marines, he’s being a futurist. When Clarke postulates communications satellites, he’s being a futurist. When Rodenberry postulates personal communication devices, he’s being a futurist.

The single greatest joy of a science fiction writer should be futurism.

Basically you get to make up whatever you want. Make sure it’s a good idea.

The idea of futurism is not necessarily to predict the future, but rather to speculate on the future. Most writers who end up being prophets are speculating with known information, not dictating what will happen with that information. It’s a tough process sometimes, but one that’s worth going through.

Futurism and Science Fiction

Think about some of the most successful science fiction authors Arthur C. Clarke writes stories about solar system colonies and wandering alien space ships in the near future. Robert Heinlein writes about space marines fighting for territory on foreign planets in the future. Isaac Asimov writes about a world full of helpful robots that permeate every level of society. Philip K. Dick writes about memories being implanted and removed from people’s brains. Suzanne Collins writes about a near future held together by children fighting to the death for honor.

All they did was dare to dream of the future and what could be.

This is the staple of being a futurist as a writer: you have to dream. If you predict, you will almost certainly be wrong. But if you dare to dream, you just might be right. And that is the success of some science fiction writers. They dared to dream of the future and they actually ended up predicting the future.  If you haven’t, you should watch the Science channel’s Prophets of Science Fiction series. It details this process and is very informative. The series consists of biographical documentaries following eight science fiction writers who changed the world with their writing. It’s extremely intriguing, and gives a wonderful picture of these futurists in their element.

What Does the Future Hold?

As you begin to envision your version of the future, there is one central question that has to be your starting point:

Am I an optimist or a pessimist?

This is the difference between Utopia and Dystopia, a nuclear war or treatied world peace. Mad Max and Star Trek if you will. Look at the world around you and ask yourself where you see it going. Is it to greatness, or oblivion? This will greatly shape the world you are writing, and may even lend something to the story (other than setting, of course.)

Determining whether or not the future is shiny can determine whether or not your story is worth writing.

Well there’s a starting point for becoming a futurist in your science fiction writing. Stay tuned for future  parts to the series!

How weird can it get? Pretty weird

I just finished reading Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle’s Sci Fi epic The Mote in God’s Eye.

I don’t necessarily agree, but Robert Heinlein said:

“Possibly the finest science fiction novel I have ever read”.

It was alright.

Actually, the story had a bit of a cycle. It was three pages of absolute garbage, and then a page or two of sheer genius. I seriously had to fight to get through the beginning. There’s a lot of background information to get through, and it takes forever to get through it.

The end result is actually pretty good though, as I said before, so I wanted to cover some things that make this novel a worthy read and some things we can pull from it as Science Fiction writers.

WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW

 

Absolute Weirdness

If nothing else, the ideas in this book are absolute gold. In most ‘first contact’ type books, the aliens come to Earth and are warlike or way more advanced than humans. Not really so in this one. For one thing, the humans go out to find the aliens in this one because the aliens went crazy and tried to go find the humans…you have to read it to get that.

Aside from the unusual meeting, the aliens are SUPER weird! I was honestly blown away by how original the aliens were. They are asymmetrical, breeding dependent, and live in a ridiculous caste system that they genetically engineered. Yeah, go check this junk out. On top of that, there are leftovers from all of their genetic experiments, which reveal the true nature of their species to the humans.

Plot. When it finally got there…

For all of its shortcomings in execution, the plot was actually pretty good. The Moties (the aliens) are actually aware of the humans existence, but have no way to leave their system. They actually try to hide their breeding problems from the humans in order to leave their planet! The humans discover all of the deception however and set up a military blockade. The unfolding of the plot is somewhat slow and labored (at one point, you the reader get told all of the Motie secrets but have to wait for the rest of the characters to catch up) but it really is very clever.

Accessible Hard Sci Fi

This book is definitely nestled in the hard sci fi genre. They accelerate in gravities, the military is very prominent in space, and explanations are given for everything from Motie physiology to how the airlocks work on multiple ships. And yet there’s enough action off of the ships to give it a little lighter feel. One of the things that gets buried under the Moties’ weirdness is the humans own societal systems at work. There is a somewhat complicated love story and all kinds of resentment on both sides.

The characters get a little hard to sort at times, mainly because there are so many of them, but they are generally accessible. I felt sympathy and empathy with a lot of them, along with anger and astonishment at some of their decisions. All in all it was way more enjoyable than this garbage I tried to read.

Interesting Futurism

If you don’t know, I’m a Christian. More specifically I’m a pastor. So the thing that stood out to me the most in this book was the religion. There was talk of the Motie religions, and a few offshoots within human religions, but there are definite human traditions at work. The Christian Church is still going strong and one of the characters is a sort of Muslim. I say sort of because he fights his upbringing in his head the whole time. I simply found it interesting that the authors projected these two religions forward. Most authors don’t bother with that. Something to think about.

 

If you haven’t read the book, don’t worry I didn’t spoil too much. In fact, the first half will make you forget everything I’ve told you, so go pick up a copy! It’s definitely an interesting read.

It’s summer time, and I have two things going: reading list and baby watch. My wife is due in July, so I will be reading a lot of books while I wait for the baby. On top of several non fiction books I have lined up, i will be reading Ender’s Game and Rama II this summer. Join me? Or send some suggestions? Whatever you do, keep writing!

Embracing the Future (no matter what it may be)

I’ve been thinking a lot lately.

We live in an interesting period of history. I won’t go into a rant on any level. But I will say this: we have to start thinking about our future.

The Future!

Back in the 50’s and 60’s futurism was all the rage. The space race was on, the Cold War was in full swing, and Science Fiction writers were mostly positive about the way things were going. Artists and writers came up with worlds that were full of awesome technology and shining visions of jetpacks and flying cars.

If you haven’t noticed, we don’t have either of those.

Others envisioned a world run by electronic strips on small cards and computers that run everything in the home.

We have those.

The point is simply this:

They dared to dream of the future.

Futuristic Dreams

As writers of science fiction, it is important to dream of the future. Often our stories are set there, making it not only important, but necessary. Maybe you dream of a space faring human race. Or perhaps you stick with the 80’s futurists and see a world full of cybernetics and dystopia. But we have to always be looking forward, to what lies ahead.

What does your future look like?

I have several visions of the future. All of them are different and depend on an infinite number of circumstances.

Revisiting the Past

“A generation which ignores history has no past — and no future.”
― Robert A. Heinlein

Have you read Arthur C. Clarke’s Childhood’s End? How about Heinlein’s Starship Troopers? Asimov’s Robot series? What about Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451? Alduous Huxley’s Brave New World?

All of these works have their own perspective of the future. And the best thing is that they were written in the past, yet they hold visions of a future not yet reached. By observing these writer’s visions of the future, we can draw our own conclusions. One interesting thing to note is that some of these writers thought their futures would be in place in the time we live in now. Which begs the question:

When do we see our futures happening?

This post is kind of weird and very speculative, but the main thing I want to get across is our need to dream. I said at the beginning that I have been thinking a lot lately.

I’ve been thinking about the future.