It was Arthur C. Clarke who proposed, as one of his three 'laws', that a civilisation, coming into contact with science and technology far in advance of them, would view such technology as magic. This idea is hardly a novel one, and anyone who has read the tragic tale of Cortez and his small band of conquistadors overcoming the mighty Aztec empire will clearly see its antecedents. The Aztecs, unable to comprehend Spanish technology such as guns, came to view the conquistadors as reincarnated Gods with predictably disastrous consequences for themselves.
The supposedly opposing poles of Science and Magic has long provided a powerful theme for Science Fiction and Fantasy writers. A pioneer in this, aided by the fact that she was working in both the Science Fiction and Fantasy fields, was Andre Norton, most notably in her Witch World series of novels.
In those novels, a technologically advanced civilisation, fleeing some kind of self-generated catastrophe that has made their homeworld uninhabitable, enters a much more primitive world through a portal, seeking to use their more advanced technology to subjugate the native inhabitants and claim it for their own. However, they are opposed by a matriarchal society whose leaders are witches and able to harness magic (actual magic, not the science in disguise variety).
A new and novel treatment of this ongoing theme is Sharon Shinn's Samaria series of novels, particularly her second novel, Jovah's Angels. In a marvelous twist of irony, she takes the two typically opposing poles of science and mysticism and welds them together in one sure stroke. Our modern scientific way of thinking is perceived to have been borne out of the enlightenment, which involved a total rejection of mysticism and religious dogma. But what if science were the source of mysticism and religion?
In Samaria all beings worship the god Jovah (the parallel with Jehovah is not coincidental). A special group of beings with wings - Angels - are given the task of ensuring society in Samaria is harmonious. These angels can intercede with Jovah by 'praying', for example to change weather patterns, ask for seeds to be sent down and even medical supplies in times of plague or illiness.
However, Jovah also demands obedience from its subjects as any good god would. To prove that the peoples of Samaria still live in harmony, a Gloria must be sung every year led by the Archangel and his Angelica or spouse, with representatives from each of the many races that live on the planet. Three specially appointed prophets 'speak' to Jovah and intercede with him in some long forgotten tongue using some special device.
Shinn's genius is that Jovah is no god but is the computer of the interstellar ship that brought the original colonists to Samaria. The prophets use a simple keyboard to correspond with the God, and the Angels' - beings created through genetic engineering at the dawn of Samarian colonization - prayers are picked up by Jovah's long range sensors where the computer triggers the necessary responses. Control of the weather is enabled through influencing the planet's upper atmosphere, seeds and medicines can be released and dropped from the ship's massive storage hangers, and if the Samarians choose to disobey, the ship's lasers can smite a mighty hole in the planet below.
This is Clarke's third law brought to spectacular life, and Shinn's strong characterization, and utilization of biblical terminology lends the first two books in the series a really strong feel. The implications are strongly felt but neatly sidestepped. Alleluia, despite the realization that everything she believed and worshiped if not quite a lie then is undoubtedly drastically wrong, decides to hide the truth. Samaria cannot know because the implications would be immense - and catastrophic.
Still, given the slow rise of technology (which the original settlers had renounced as being the root of evil), there will eventually come a time when the peoples of Samaria will begin to question the mythology and religion they held so blindly. More fundamentally, it would only take the first telescope pointed up at the Samarian night sky to reveal the orbiting spaceship and raise fundamental questions that will not be left unanswered.
A long running jibe at the irrationality of religion is to posit that there is a giant teacup orbiting the outer edge of the solar system, and that it will eventually bring out the annihilation of the earth. For the people of Samaria, it is a spaceship not a teacup. Perhaps, mankind should not be so quick to laugh, and as we continue to peer out into the darker reaches of our universe, we might just find some hint as to the beginnings of our creation. Now that is a kind of faith in itself.
17 April 2009
15 April 2009
Profiling Yourself
The internet abounds with profiles of yourself. Taking myself as an example, I have profiles on Facebook and MySpace. I keep a blog. I have a short write-up (and some reviews posted) on Amazon. I am sure my internet footprint goes even wider than that. This can be rather more scary than one would necessarily realize.
Other netizens have already written about the pressure that this kind of blatant self-describing can bring. What books or movies should I list among my favourites on Facebook on other sites? Harry Potter is just about acceptable, but stating that you love Dan Brown sends a clear message of a low brow, follow the herd mentality that doesn't speak well. List Dostoevsky, Pushkin, Satre and Derrida and you risk looking like a pretentious twat. It's worse on internet dating sites where the entire point of the exercise is to present and market yourself.
Like in most things, honesty is usually the best bet. You don't want to portray a great love of Ayn Rand only to struggle to remember who the protagonist of Atlas Shrugged is. Don't ever list anything that you can't talk about in more than vague terms (The main guy was Howard Roark, oh wait that was the Fountainhead wasn't it doesn't count, to use the Rand example).
Needless to say, everything has to be taken with a pinch of salt. Two economists (I forget where I read this exactly, I think it was in Freakonomics) showed that the better part of 75% of women list themselves as "above average" or better in looks on internet dating websites. There is a similar discrepancy in the income range figures that men claim to make and the median national income. Both are clearly not possible. It does seem to solidify the social stereotypes that physical attractiveness and wealth respectively are the two main trump cards that men and women are perceived to be looking for in prospective partners.
We all come into contact with various profiles of acquaintances of acquaintances, or random strangers on Facebook. I even heard of couples getting together after viewing each other on Facebook and then deciding to meet. I must admit to having browsed some of these many profiles randomly (on Facebook and other sites), particularly when pursuing one of my most natural and innate talents - namely procrastination.
I have come to realize that looking at what some people write about creates powerful and immediate gut reactions. I need not be told that it is probably fundamentally unsound to decide whether you like or dislike a girl based on the fact that you listed similar favourite books or films, or you share certain interests, or if you liked the particularly witty or rambling way in which she writes.
More powerful than shared affinities though, is what I call the ick factor. Situations where you cannot help but recoil in mild disgust. They need not necessarily be deal breakers, but there has to be considerable affinity in other aspects of personality or interests to overcome them. I think it is useful guide - in a sense we are better at understanding what we dislike rather than what we really like.
I've come up with a short list that will almost immediately cause a shiver of revulsion:
Definite Turn Ons:
The sum total of this exercise? The laws of human attraction are inherently inexplicable (unlike the more scientific laws of electromagnetism that govern our world). Perhaps out of all this procrastination I do have a clearer idea of what I want after all.
Other netizens have already written about the pressure that this kind of blatant self-describing can bring. What books or movies should I list among my favourites on Facebook on other sites? Harry Potter is just about acceptable, but stating that you love Dan Brown sends a clear message of a low brow, follow the herd mentality that doesn't speak well. List Dostoevsky, Pushkin, Satre and Derrida and you risk looking like a pretentious twat. It's worse on internet dating sites where the entire point of the exercise is to present and market yourself.
Like in most things, honesty is usually the best bet. You don't want to portray a great love of Ayn Rand only to struggle to remember who the protagonist of Atlas Shrugged is. Don't ever list anything that you can't talk about in more than vague terms (The main guy was Howard Roark, oh wait that was the Fountainhead wasn't it doesn't count, to use the Rand example).
Needless to say, everything has to be taken with a pinch of salt. Two economists (I forget where I read this exactly, I think it was in Freakonomics) showed that the better part of 75% of women list themselves as "above average" or better in looks on internet dating websites. There is a similar discrepancy in the income range figures that men claim to make and the median national income. Both are clearly not possible. It does seem to solidify the social stereotypes that physical attractiveness and wealth respectively are the two main trump cards that men and women are perceived to be looking for in prospective partners.
We all come into contact with various profiles of acquaintances of acquaintances, or random strangers on Facebook. I even heard of couples getting together after viewing each other on Facebook and then deciding to meet. I must admit to having browsed some of these many profiles randomly (on Facebook and other sites), particularly when pursuing one of my most natural and innate talents - namely procrastination.
I have come to realize that looking at what some people write about creates powerful and immediate gut reactions. I need not be told that it is probably fundamentally unsound to decide whether you like or dislike a girl based on the fact that you listed similar favourite books or films, or you share certain interests, or if you liked the particularly witty or rambling way in which she writes.
More powerful than shared affinities though, is what I call the ick factor. Situations where you cannot help but recoil in mild disgust. They need not necessarily be deal breakers, but there has to be considerable affinity in other aspects of personality or interests to overcome them. I think it is useful guide - in a sense we are better at understanding what we dislike rather than what we really like.
I've come up with a short list that will almost immediately cause a shiver of revulsion:
- An inability to write in complete sentences; gross ineptitude in the use of grammar or punctuation
- Using txt speak or excessive CAPS
- Stating a love for Korean and/or Chinese TV dramas
- Saying that God is their best friend, and/or listing the Bible as their favourite book
- Listing romance novels or worse fashion magazines as favourite reads
- Music tastes that include mainly J-pop and Jay Chou, Hip/Hop, R&B and Rap
- Smokers
- Listing main interests as shopping and karaoke
Definite Turn Ons:
- A penchant for intelligent conversation
- A person who loves to read, and read widely (and who enjoys some of the same authors that I do)
- A love of theater and musicals
- A love of independent, art house and classic movies
- Thinking about philosophy, values, and other such deep, impractical issues
- Enjoying traveling
- Saying that they like nerds
- Someone who is quirky and a little random, out of the ordinary.
The sum total of this exercise? The laws of human attraction are inherently inexplicable (unlike the more scientific laws of electromagnetism that govern our world). Perhaps out of all this procrastination I do have a clearer idea of what I want after all.
14 April 2009
My Dog and the Universal Appeal of Ikea
Ikea is traditionally known for making products that are well-designed and that have universal appeal. It seems that this appeal crosses the species barrier as well.
My golden retreiver, Sadie is more of a spoiled child than a family pet. Besides having a free run of the house, she will only sleep in a room with air-conditioning (or lie upside down outside the closed door of any air-conditioned room to catch whatever underdrafts come her way). On more than one occasion, my domestic helper switched on the air-conditioning in my room, just for the dog, as I was returning home late. But I digress.
Sadie, being the spoiled dog that she is, has two boxes of toys. My parents (more specifically my mother) never fail to buy her a new toy or bone when they travel overseas. Come to think of it, I hardly get anything from them when they travel abroad, meaning the dog is more spoilt than me!
So of all the accumulated squeaky toys, pull toys, round balls and other assorted paraphernalia, what does my dog love the most? Chewing up a stuffed round 'football' plush toy bought for $5 from Ikea. She has already gone through two of them to the extent that she regularly leaves a trail of stuffing around the house (especially when she is feeling neglected).
Those stuffed footballs have been repeatedly sewn up, only to be pulled apart again, and the second reincarnation is so bereft of stuffing now that it is barely able to sustain a round shape. In desperation, I asked my sister, who lives near Ikea, to stop by there and buy the dog yet another one. The dog was overjoyed when she got it.
So what of all those more expensive chew toys bought from speciality pet shops? They lie forlorn, undisturbed and pretty much forgotten in a basket downstairs, defeated by the universal appeal of yet another Ikea product.
My golden retreiver, Sadie is more of a spoiled child than a family pet. Besides having a free run of the house, she will only sleep in a room with air-conditioning (or lie upside down outside the closed door of any air-conditioned room to catch whatever underdrafts come her way). On more than one occasion, my domestic helper switched on the air-conditioning in my room, just for the dog, as I was returning home late. But I digress.
Sadie, being the spoiled dog that she is, has two boxes of toys. My parents (more specifically my mother) never fail to buy her a new toy or bone when they travel overseas. Come to think of it, I hardly get anything from them when they travel abroad, meaning the dog is more spoilt than me!
So of all the accumulated squeaky toys, pull toys, round balls and other assorted paraphernalia, what does my dog love the most? Chewing up a stuffed round 'football' plush toy bought for $5 from Ikea. She has already gone through two of them to the extent that she regularly leaves a trail of stuffing around the house (especially when she is feeling neglected).
Those stuffed footballs have been repeatedly sewn up, only to be pulled apart again, and the second reincarnation is so bereft of stuffing now that it is barely able to sustain a round shape. In desperation, I asked my sister, who lives near Ikea, to stop by there and buy the dog yet another one. The dog was overjoyed when she got it.
So what of all those more expensive chew toys bought from speciality pet shops? They lie forlorn, undisturbed and pretty much forgotten in a basket downstairs, defeated by the universal appeal of yet another Ikea product.
8 April 2009
Word of the Day - Defenestration
Defenestration - the act of throwing someone out of a window. Though it need not necessarily result in death, famous examples in popular culture and history often result in the death of the defenestrated.
Examples in popular culture include the Comedian's death by defenestration that kicks off the events of Alan Moore's classic graphic novel The Watchmen, and also the death of Jedi Master Mace Windu, who is defenestrated by Anakin Skywalker after having his arm cut off.
In history, Jacopo Pazzi was defenestrated, after the ruler of Florence, Lorenzo de Medici (The Magnificent) discovered a conspiracy led by Pazzi to assassinate him. This was mirrored in the events of Thomas Harris' novel Hannibal, when Hannibal Lecter defenestrates a Florentine policeman, coincidentally a distant decendant of Pazzi, who sought to betray Lecter and claim a bounty for Lecter's capture.
The Czechs seem to be the most strongly associated with the act of defenestration, with two notable incidents taking place from the windows of Prague Castle itself, in 1419 and 1618. In the latter case though, those thrown from the windows landed on a pile of manure in a dry moat and survived, an incident which was seen as a miracle. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Masaryk also died in 1948 after falling from a bathroom window at the Ministry, and although it was claimed to have been a suicide, it was likely to have been a defenestration carried out by the Communist party.
Defenestration does have a certain ring to it. Must be the echoes with castration.
Examples in popular culture include the Comedian's death by defenestration that kicks off the events of Alan Moore's classic graphic novel The Watchmen, and also the death of Jedi Master Mace Windu, who is defenestrated by Anakin Skywalker after having his arm cut off.
In history, Jacopo Pazzi was defenestrated, after the ruler of Florence, Lorenzo de Medici (The Magnificent) discovered a conspiracy led by Pazzi to assassinate him. This was mirrored in the events of Thomas Harris' novel Hannibal, when Hannibal Lecter defenestrates a Florentine policeman, coincidentally a distant decendant of Pazzi, who sought to betray Lecter and claim a bounty for Lecter's capture.
The Czechs seem to be the most strongly associated with the act of defenestration, with two notable incidents taking place from the windows of Prague Castle itself, in 1419 and 1618. In the latter case though, those thrown from the windows landed on a pile of manure in a dry moat and survived, an incident which was seen as a miracle. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Masaryk also died in 1948 after falling from a bathroom window at the Ministry, and although it was claimed to have been a suicide, it was likely to have been a defenestration carried out by the Communist party.
Defenestration does have a certain ring to it. Must be the echoes with castration.
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