"Space Cowboy" UConn Physics Professor Ronald Mallett makes theory of time travel a reality

Professor Ronald Mallett, a theoretical physicist at the University of Connecticut, has developed a working theory for traveling forward in time. Professor Mallett's life work was inspired by his wish to travel back in time to see his father, who died in 1955 of a heart attack at the age of 33. Read the "Boston Phoenix article here, and a link to Professor Mallett's site here (also check out his list of favorite time travel films).

Blog #8

In what ways does Mellencamp challenge the arguments regarding virtual technologies and immersive experiences put forth in Scott Bukatman’s “Zooming Out”? For Mellencamp, what happens to narrative in the digital age? In what ways is The Matrix a gaming rather than a traditional film viewing experience?

According to Baudrillard, what is the "hyperreal"?

Blog #7

Douglas Trumbull, "Slit Scan" effect for 2001: A Space Odyssey

According to Scott Bukatman ("Zooming Out: The End of Offscreen Space"), how did the development of new visual and immersive entertainments such as the kaleidoscope, panorama, large-scale landscapes, and diorama during the nineteenth century help acclimate the body to new urban environments and transportation technologies? What is the “end of off-screen space”? For Bukatman, what are the implications of new virtual technologies on embodied experience?

"Honda Develops a Robot Controlled By Human Thought" NYT April 1 2009

Although believed to be an April Fools' joke, it seems that Honda has developed a machine that can be controlled by human thought. Brain-Machine Interface allows brain patterns to be sent to robot Asimo, who then is able to enact movements that correspond to the human user's brain image. Well, check out the video and decide for yourself.

Click here for article and video.

Blog #6

Briefly address the following:

How does Haraway (“A Cyborg Manifesto”) expand upon the traditional definition of the cyborg? What is the cyborg’s relation to and challenges it poses to the Western tradition, particularly the “myth of original unity” and dualism (mind/body, male/female, culture/nature)? Describe the three “boundary breakdowns” that have given the cyborg myth its political potential. How does “cyborg writing” express the dispersed, non-unified self that emerges within the conditions of advanced industrialized societies (discuss one example from the essay)?

"They're Out of This World" NYT Thursday March 26

As our former president suggested, let's go to Mars! This NYT article suggests that a new surge in sci-fi inspired fashion offers optimism for the future during bleak economic times. Not only do we want to dress up like superheroes, we also seek visions of the future through our past imaginings -- Watchmen, Star Trek, Buck Rogers -- are all coming to our movie screens within the year. A telling quote:

“We’re frantic to lose ourselves in fantasy,” said Martin Kaplan, an associate dean of the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California. “We love heroes, not technocrats. When times are so grim that you can’t get out of bed, you dream of someone who can fly.”

Click here to read article.

We also desire to make these visions a reality -- check out this article on Charles Simonyi, a "space tourist" on the International Space Station (only $35 million for the 13-day mission!). Virgin Galaxtic has plans to offer space flights for a more accessible $200,000.

Also click here for NYT article.

"Finn Creates USB 'Finger Drive'" BBC March 17 2009

A software designer who lost part of his finger in a motorcycle accident creates a prosthetic that also acts as a storage device.

"Jerry Jalava uses the 2GB memory stick, accessed by peeling back the "nail", to store photos, movies and programmes."

See article here.

Blog #5

Still, Alien: Resurrection (Jean-Pierre Jeaunet, 1997)

According to Barbara Creed ("'Alien' and the Monstrous-Feminine"), why is the "mother" perceived as a threat? What is the "abject" and how does it secure boundaries between the human and non-human (monstrous) in Alien? What is the "primal scene" and how does Alien as horror/science fiction represent the primal scene for the spectator? According to Creed, why does the spectator derive fear/pleasure from viewing the horror film?

Blog #4

Poster, Brother From Another Planet (John Sayles, 1984)

Please briefly answer these questions based on the readings. Remember to include your name and section number.

In “Embracing the Alien, Erasing Alienation”, Vivian Sobchack argues that beginning in the late 1970s, there is a shift in the representation of the alien “other” in both mainstream and marginal American SF films. Instead of an alien “other” that is radically non-human, the aliens in many postmodern SF films take on a friendlier aspect. According to Sobchack why does this shift occur? What distinction does Sobchack make between mainstream and marginal SF? For Sobchack, what is the difference between “resemblance” and “similitude” and how does she apply these concepts to SF films of the period?

For Mark Dery, what aspects of the African-American experience allow SF to serve as a vehicle for its expression? How does Dery define Afro-futurism? In which cultural practices does Dery locate Afro-futurism (provide two examples)?

"Military Killer Robots Must Learn Warrior Code" London Times Online Feb. 16, 2009

An article on a recent study of the use of robots in the military (and the ramifications of this use). In looking at the possible scenarios, comparison is made to Terminator, and of course, I, Robot.

Click here to read.

Thanks Michael

Blog #3

Roy Baty (Rutger Hauer), Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982)

According to Ryan and Kellner, how does the division between nature and technology in conservative science-fiction/fantasy films of the 1960s to the 1980s support conservative ideals regarding freedom, individualism, family, equality, etc? How do radical (left) science-fiction/fantasy films challenge the technology/nature division as constructed in conservative films and offer alternative visions of human/non-human interactions? What is conservatism’s paradoxical relation to modernity and industrialization?

For Bukatman ("Replicants and Mental Life"), why is it significant that Deckard's status (human or replicant) remain undetermined? In what ways does Roy Baty character challenge the boundaries between human and replicant?

Of interest: NYT article: "In New Procedure, Artificial Arm Listens to Brain"

In anticipation of our discussion of the cyborg (machine/human mergings), a NYT article on a procedure called targeted muscle reinnervation. The procedure reassigns nerves in an amputated arm to another part of the body, such as the chest. Electrodes are then placed over the chest muscles and the amputee can control the arm by sending signals to the chest muscles that are then relayed to the prosthetic. A revealing quote by Dr. Gerald Loeb, a biomedical engineer at the University of California:

“This is a crucial part, but it’s only one part of many things that comprise normal arm function,” said Dr. Loeb, who wrote an editorial accompanying the article in The Journal of the American Medical Association. “Right now we’re somewhere between the arm in ‘Dr. Strangelove,’ ” which involuntarily jerked into a Nazi salute, “and the Luke Skywalker arm in ‘Star Wars’ where he turns it on and it’s fully naturally functional. I think it’s still going to be many years before all the pieces come together to make a normal functioning arm.”

Click here for full article.

Dr. Strangelove (Stanley Kubrick, 1964)












Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner, 1980)

Blog #2

Referring to the Cyndy Hendershot and Christine Cornea readings for this week, how do science fiction narratives of the post-World War II era concerning invaded bodies and replicant humans manifest anxieties concerning human reproduction and sexual difference? What is the function of the paranoiac worldview in these films?

Don't forget to write your name and section number in your post.

Blog Response #1

Hel/Maria, Metropolis (1927)

Respond to the following questions based on the readings and screened film(s) in the "comments" section below. Please write your name and section number (301 or 319) in your response.

According to Vivian Sobchack, why doesn't the science fiction film genre lend itself to the same iconographic readings supported by the gangster or western genres?

Referring to the screening of Fritz Lang's Metropolis and this week's reading, describe how the robot Hel/Maria can be read within the context of the fantastic text, or within a narrative that occupies a position between the marvelous and the uncanny.