Computers and Virtual Reality

As you can see we are now entering the realm of computers and virtual reality. This is probably one of my favorite subjects there is. Tons of movies/books have explored the world of virtual reality/computers which can be enjoyed by many age groups. Some examples include, “Total Recall”, “Spy Kids”, “Eagle Eye”, “Ender’s Game”, “The Maze Runner”, and a bunch more. This topic is cool because it can almost always been seen in a negative or positive light depending on your interpretation. Most of the settings and time periods involved with computers/virtual reality exemplify a world that’s much more advanced than the one we live in today. This week I read “Computer Friendly” by Eileen Gunn and “Burning Chrome” by William Gibson. I have to admit before you read the rest of this post that I was way more partial to “Computer Friendly”. Due to that fact this post will probably be more “Computer Friendly” centered and will touch on “Burning Chrome”.

 I think it’s important to say, before I say anything else, that the way “Burning Chrome” started was a total offset to me. I understand that not all short stories start at the “beginning” and that there’s a certain amount you have to infer, but I hate when the author just throws you into the middle without much explanation, especially when the concept is as complex as virtual reality/computers. If you break down the story and try to look at it in its simplest form, it isn’t a bad story at all, the concept was pretty cool and had great potential to be interesting. Although, because of the way it was written and how “computer nerd” it was I wasn’t particularly grabbed by the story. I say computer nerd in a complex, too hard for me to understand way, not in a derogatory sense. I really found it interesting how chrome was portrayed as basically untouchable and impossible to “crack” but Bobby and Jack decided to try and rob her anyways. Also, I think the concept of Automatic Jack’s robo-arm (bionic is probably the proper term) is awesome. My review, or critique (whatever you want to call it), is probably a little bland but like I said I wasn’t all that captivated by this story. I think this concept would be better portrayed as a movie or short film.

“Computer Friendly” was a better narrative than “Burning Chrome” but wasn’t nearly as descriptive. Every story has their own downfall. That being said, I really thought the way both computers and virtual reality were depicted in this story was pretty interesting and original. -I may just think it’s original because I haven’t read anything like it, I’m not sure if there’s anything similar out there-. The whole testing aspect was what I really enjoyed and the way it all worked. I think I enjoyed it because now there’s hope that the future won’t rely on standardized testing that only evaluates your textbook skills. They tested all aspects of the children’s personalities. When Elizabeth originally met Sheena and Oginga, I can understand why she was interested but it was made very clear that she was at a higher level intellectually than they were. Also, I’m not really sure why Elizabeth didn’t realize that they were causing her to get in trouble? Or maybe she did and enjoyed the feeling of deviance? What do you think? Anyways I have to say I was really disappointed and almost infuriated at the ending. I can understand why she was trying so hard to protect Sheena because the thought of euthanasia is pretty awful, especially if you’re seven. I was mostly angry because Chickenheart just let her give up her mind to living in a computer. She was going to do big things in life. Even if that’s not what she wanted SHE’S SEVEN, this was way too big of a decision to make on a whim for someone of any age! This really irritated me, but on the other side of the coin, also the reason why I have mixed emotion, based on the way her mother was living, was her future one that was going to be better for her than the one she chose? I mean her mother barely ate, was essentially a robot, she could move and exist in the world but only in her mind. I don’t know, it’s a hard toss up because then you consider if she would’ve been happier living inside the program. I would really appreciate some input of opinions on this one and how you interpreted it because the topic just seemed so unresolved to me. Hopefully in an update I can provide a better understanding and viewpoint on the subject. That’s science fiction for you.

"What's this, my dear? Do you think you're a timebomb, too?" "I can learn to be a timebomb," said Elizabeth with conviction. And she knew she could, whatever a timebomb was." - Computer Friendly by Eileen Gunn



UPDATE:

Okay so like I said in my comments, I chose to read “Burning Chrome” over again for my update in hopes I will understand the story a little better and can have an appreciation for its writing. I have to say after meticulously rereading and immense help from my class when we discussed the story, I have a whole new understanding. I think the part that amazes me most is the intense and extensive use of metaphors. I mean everything that Gibson wrote was an exaggerated beautiful metaphor for something that was so simple. For example in the very beginning Gibson writes “A silver tide of phosphenes boiled across my field of vision as the matrix began to unfold in my head, a 3-D chessboard, infinite and perfectly transparent.” The only think actually happening in the story at this point was that the program was booting up when they put it in the computer. Somehow Gibson made something so simple into something so beautiful, as he does this throughout the entire story. It’s very clear when you break down the story to its core that nothing all that special is going on. Basically, there is a love triangle who is also trying to get away with a big steal from chrome. There’s nothing all that crazy going on but the way Gibson manages to transforms the words and statements into something beautiful is why this story is special and impactful.