The Time Machine

In the video "The Time Machine", we see a demonstration of Paradox through the main character. He built a time machine, and traveled far into the future. He went to the time of the automic bombs, through the times of war, and into centuries ahead of where we are now. He discovers the fate of man-kind, and finds a way to rekindle a spark within people. I think that its ironic what is to happen to people in the future. Years of war and fighting and knowledge...gone. I think this movie further demonstrates why man is not meant to travel in time. Not only would it be dangerous, but also because it is not meant to be.

Blog #19: City on the Edge of Forever

The episode "City on the Edge of Forever" from the original Star Trek shows many examples of Paradox and time travel. The video not only demonstrates the idea of cause and effect, but also the idea that every little act effects history. Though Jim did not want want her to die, she had to because that is how history was meant to go. If she had lived, the USS Enterprise would have never existed, and the crew would have been stranded for the rest of their lives. It makes you think about how one person can make that much of a difference in history. It brings back the idea that people are not meant to travel in time because the entire course of the world can change just because of simple curiosity.

Blog 18: Sound of Thunder/ Into the Universe/ All you Zombies

The idea of Paradox and traveling through time is very haunting to me. It creates a sense of erie feelings because of the delicate way that simple things will change history. In the story "Sound of Thunder", that feeling comes over you when you look at the differences between before and after the trip. The simple act of steppin on the butterfly changed the course of history, and its leaders.
Into the Universe also gave the example of Paradox because it is about a man imagining how to make time travel possible. He gave examples as to why going back into the past is not possible, but it could be by going into the future. I don't think that people will come up with that technology to travel at light speed, but even if they could, should they? I don't think people are meant to travel in time, but rather, to stay the course.
In "All You Zombies" we see a very confusing story about a man that can only exist by traveling into the past. He sees all of his past and future selves in front of him as different people, genders, and ages. This is an example of paradox because he sees them all as Zombies...something that once lived in a different time, of rather in a different life. They are Zombies to him because although he sees himself, it is not himself at the present, but rather, a mere shadow of what he was in a time.

Blog #17: Borg

In the video "Star Trek", we see an episode called "Borg", and the crew of the Enterprise is conflicted with another species. The Borgs are a mechanical species that live a society based on we, not on the indevidual. When they capture a Borg, they discover the differences of this particular Borg opposed to all of the others. He is an indevidual and he can think for himself. They teach him the ability to reason, and he is named Hue. He begins making decisions, but the Frankenstein Complex is a big part of the movie because of the captains speculation and disbelief. He holds a prejudice toward Hue until he gets to know him, and the lesson is that a living being is no different than humans based on how they were created, and how they live their lives.

Blog #16: Reason

In the story "Reason", the author writes about robots surrounding the idea of the first three laws in robotics. We see the Frankenstein Complex in the story because of the robot's ability to reason and think for itself. The Franenstein Complex I think also has to do with the fear that our robots will break the first three laws of robotics, and turn against us with their ability to reason.

Blog #15: The Measure of a Man

Star Trek: The Measure of a Man was a very interesting episode to watch. In the story, Data becomes endangered because of his complex structure and indevidualism as a robot. Those who know him consider him to be their friend. Those who don't see him as a mere object that can be used for further experimentation. Through many different trials between crew members and scientists, they come to the conclusion that he is indevidual. They realize that he has memorys, emotion, and a sense of self image and well being. Data is a big part of the Frankenstein Complex not out of fear, but out of persecution against him because of his differences.
We have seen this before in history. During the holocaust, Jews were seen as objects for use and study and labor. They were not seen as indeviduals, and they were persecuted against and eliminated. I thought that it was interesting when they brought up slavery in the story, because it relates to the time in our own history when African Amereicans were persecuted against for their differences. Though that part was unusual to the point where it was almost irrelevant to the story, it made the story that much better because of how it made me contemplate the world we live in.

Blog #14 EPICAC/Mimicry

In the story EPICAC, we see a machine that develops not only a sense of self and well being, but also emotion and longing. In a way, EPICAC was humble in the way he lived and in the way he died. By falling in love with a human, he realizes who he is and who he can never be for her, and he begins to see the reality of the world, and the purpose in which he was made. In sacrificing himself for his love and for his friend, I think the robot really did understand true emotion of love and friendship. In his poems, he shows a true understanding of emotions that have to do with love, and the anguish that he is going through because of that love being lost. In a way however, it was also ironic that he was the smartest robot and could solve any problem because it is true that not every problem can be solved simply by facts. I think this story could have had potential to be that of the Frankenstein Complex, but it wasn’t because nobody feared him, or even knew about his talents. If the robot could talk or move, I think there could have been more of a fear because he could have gotten out of control with his emotions. He may have not given up on his love, but he did because of his imprisonment of his own body.

The Frankenstein Complex is better demonstrated in the other story we read, Mimicry. In Mimicry, the robot, or rather clockwork doll, wants to become more like the girl that she lives with. She really has nothing to fear but does because of the robot impersonating her. I think when it comes to the Frankenstein Complex, what we fear is not the robot itself. I think we fear the inability to control what we make to the point where we are being taken over by our own handiwork. In this situation, the girl feels exploited in her own personality because of the robot that longs to be her, and have her strong sense of identity as well.

Blog #13: Post Modern Prometheus

In the the movie Post Modern Prometheus, there were many strange but very interesting things that happened. First of all, it reminded me very much of not only the Frankenstein Complex, but also Xenophobia in a way because of our fear of what is different. You could see the fear and the bias that stuck with people simply because of an idea being embedded into one person's head. The terror that grew inside of the people of the thought of a monster coming into their houses was astonishing as soon as one person planted the idea. It spread like a poison through people and woman feared that they were impregnated with a monster, a demon, or an non-human creature. In the end however, he turned out to be very human. He was ridiculed and looked down upon by the town simply because his features did not follow the norms of society. It kind of makes a person step back for a moment and realize that we see it everyday in the hallways of our very own school. There is ridicule and mockery everywhere because of people's differences. We see it in history too; where one idea became a disaster because of fear.

Blog #11: Random Sample/King of the Beasts

In the story Random Sample, we see a couple of kids who are spoiled and somewhat bratty. As a kid, I always remember the days where I would step on ants in the summertime with my sister. We would also draw on the sidewalk with chalk, and we would get annoyed when the ants got in our way of drawing. In this story however, the kids are very judgemental of the way these new creatures look when they are questioned. Just like the ants, the children treat them badly. I think that the way it ends is very interesting and every ironic as well. As a result of the kids torturing the ants, the kids are then tortured in a very similar way, with a magnifying glass. They describe that the ants must see that sun cover up the entire sky and blaze down on them. They also say that the ants hardly know that you are there until they almost touch your toe. Is the author suggesting the same thing about people through an alien point of veiw? Is it stories like these that makes people more xenophobic.
The story King of the Beasts almost reminded me of Jerasic Park. It takes you back to the biological standpoint of beings and creatures being created from DNA through a testube. The thing that I find interesting is that at first, I thought it wrong to be creating man in this way until I thought, how different are we really from any other animal other than supreme intelect and souls. Animals, like us, crave the same ateention and desire for power among their species. Does the author suggest that the different species of the world have xenophobia toward each other?

Blog #10: Planet of the Apes

 In the movie Planet of the Apes, Charlton Heston plays a man that goes on an expedition into outer space. He land on a strange planet ruled by Apes and the planet turns out to be his own, Earth. In his discovery of the Apes, he sees that not only do the Apes despise him and all of the other humans, they are afraid of him because of his ability to speak and to reason. The theme xenophobia is demonstrated in the video because the Apes will not accept him as a being that exceeds what they describe as animals. We later discover that man is dangerous, for at the end of time when Earth collapsed in chaos, it was people that ended up destroying each other in their barbaric ways. Near the end of the movie, it is quoted: “You are afraid of me Doctor. You were afraid of me before and you are afraid of me now. Why”? “Because you’re a man”. This shows xenophobia in the movie during all parts, and the apes never got over it. The apes humiliated man just for their own satisfaction, and the elders of the apes even knew about the Earth once belonging to man, but left the evidence in ruins for the younger generation.

One big problem that I saw in the video that still exists today is the desire for superiority above all others. The apes believed that they were the superior race, created under God as equal. It’s ironic because we think like that, and planet of the apes shows that even in 2,000 years, that attitude will never change.

In their ape society, I don’t believe there is a future. Unlike us, they disgrace those who want to learn, and forbid expanding knowledge. I hope that is not the future of humans as we know it, but I do believe the world will end by people destroying one another.

Ender's Game Blog #4

The last three chapters of Ender's Game consist of many different atmospheres. First of all, Ender struggles with who he is and what his purpose is in life. He wants nothing more to do with battle even though he is the master of it. With the help of Valentine, Graff gets him to go and wipe out the buggers. He later does wipe them out, but is bothered by it because of the perfect manipulation behind the entire battle. It turned out to all be nothing but an evil plot to destroy a race that humans knew nothing about just because of a previous offence. Ender then goes off to find a new life and ends up in a world the same as his computer game. Through the game, the buggers were almost trying to say something to Ender, to tell him that they didn't want to attack, but to understand humans. Ender feels ashamed, but writes a book about the life and history of the race he single handedly destroyed. To me, this whole story was very endearing, and it helped me further understand the true evil of xenophobia. I realize that this is only a book, but it dirrectly applies to our every day life, and this book has many connections to our own human history. We humans are affraid of other humans that don't look the same as we do. We have attempted mass homicide before to eliminate a race that we knew nothing about. It is all really very tragic that people have to be that way toward others that are mysterious to us, and I think that this book was a very good example of that.

Ender's Game blog #3

During this portion read of Ender's Game, Ender becomes the commander for the Dragon Army. He recruits memebers into his army that have never fought a battle before and have no technique. This becomes a very important time for Ender becasue it is his time to show his leadership skills and rise above the commanders that he once had, and he can get the chance to teach kids quality fighting. His army then eliminates every other army in the school which makes Ender invinsable.
I feel that this portion of the book was more a transition into what is coming next for Ender. The hard part seems to have only begun for Ender becasue the real world needs his skill to be saved. I did enjoy this portion of the book and I'm excited to see what is next.

The Monsters are Due on Maple Street

“The Monsters are Due on Maple Street” was one movie that I found really entertaining in this class. It was one that definitely kept me thinking about what was going to happen, and why so many things were happening all at the same time. Though it may seem that these people acted out too much because of something stupid or crazy, I think it describes people perfectly.

Being in AP Psychology has given me a good insight on some of the reasons on why people do what they do. A term in psychology that is commonly used to describe memory is something called Source Amnesia, which is a condition people have with attributing to the wrong source of an event that we experienced, heard about, read about, or imagined. It is at the heart of many peoples’ false memories, because, for example, we tend to remember and believe what we want to believe which is why there are always two completely different sides and stories told in court about the same exact event. Also in psychology, there is a term called the Spillover Effect, which directly associates with fear, anger, or excitement. In an aroused state of fear, anger, excitement, or any other emotion involving a high amount of energy, people can become violent, form mobs, and cause damage as a ‘mob mentality’. People act out in a time of fear as a natural fight or flight symptom found in every species of the world. Like wild animals, when backed into a corner of uncertainty, we will attack each other, and our own morals.

These statistics relate to this story because it shows us an example of humanity’s own mentality. The people of Maple Street become frightened by their abnormalities, and begin to feel backed in a corner. Then, the kid in the story causes a catalyst effect by telling his town what he once read in a comic book creating it into Source Amnesia. People automatically became certain that what the kid said was happening to them, and they became so terrified, they butchered one another through the Spillover Effect.

In the end, the aliens were never on Maple Street, but rather, standing back and watching people accuse one another and go crazy. It was smart of them because like they said, every street is the same. Every street is Maple Street. To me, that is basic science of the mind. They are right however, because every person has those effects of blaming someone when something is uncertain, or if they don’t have answers.

Muse

In Muse by Dean R. Koontz, we as readers get a glimpse of the world in the distant future. Not only do we see the world from the outside looking in, but also on the inside looking out. In this reading, I not only saw examples of extrapolation in the world (the space travel through the galaxy and to new and undiscovered planets), but also the concept of xenophobia.

In the reading, the author writes a first person point of view of a man returning from his travels to a home that does not accept him, or his outside influences that he has picked up along the way. His father, and even some of his family’s friends are reluctant to embrace his new life, and kill his slug, “Icky”, and further ruining the life and talent of his son.

This story reminds me of a drug or alcohol addiction in our world today. Like Icky, it is a substance used by a human to form a sense of self or an out-of-body experience. People feel creativity while under influence of these substances, and the outside sees it as the bad that it is. People tend to feel more creative and  high while using it, but when they don’t have it, they fell somewhat lost. The difference between this story and today’s world of drugs and alcohol is that Leo had a symbiotic relationship with this creature that gave him confidence, it didn’t wear him down. It was a sort of a parasitic friendship that was more giving than receiving to one another. Leo gave Icky life, while Icky gave Leo talent, confidence, and the personality that he formed during his travels and the rise of his fame.

In the end, xenophobia was very real in this story because of the way people took in the creature. People seemed to feel flustered in the story, and suddenly thought different of Leo just because of Icky. Even his father thought differently about his son at the thought that this ‘thing’ is taking his son away. Leo was practically disowned by his father because of a relationship with something new and strange. I think that whether his father was right or wrong to kill Icky is up to the reader but honestly, it’s irrelevant. We as people tend to think of ourselves as superior, and reading stories like this just shows us our own arrogance with the unusual, and our own instinct of violence in a case of extreme fear.

Puppet Show

One thing that I found very interesting about the story “Puppet Show” by Fredric Brown was the way that the idea was introduced into people’s mind. By the use of a ‘puppet’, this idea of a master race and a grand relationship between people, nations, and worlds that could be possible. In the end, when the master race idea was planted into everyone’s head, people began to question the possibility of it. At one point, one of the people even said that ‘it was too good to be true’. In the end, it was too good to be true for them. The people feel a draw to this idea, and yet they feel disgusted with the idea of aliens coming and invading the world with new ideas for our civilizations all around the world.

Though people are all made equal, we differ greatly through means of our religion, ancestry, and culture. We are all people, but this idea of one race, one way of thinking and one harmony seems so unrealistic that people don’t want to believe it. No two people can agree on everything, and certainly, no entire planet can either. I feel that this piece was somewhat illogical, and kind of eerie. Nobody knew how to grasp the situation, and everyone had fear in the end. I feel that it is kind of ironic that an alien was telling people about xenophobia. It said that we do not have it strongly, and yet, wars have been fought, and people have died through the power of our xenophobia toward each other. For example, there are the Salem Witch Trials, slavery in the US and other parts of the world, and the holocaust all as reminders of our past mistakes. Yet, there is an alien telling us that as humans, we see no threat toward foreign planets or the taking over of our lifestyle.

It was definitely interesting also because of the way that it ended. The puppet just fell over dead, and the person running him was in a disguise. Then, he too went into the sand leaving the witnesses with skepticism, fear and probably the thought of ‘who can we trust’.

Ender's Game Blog #2

In the second portion that I read for Ender’s Game, I found a lot more depth to the story than the first. In chapters 6-9, I (as the reader) not only saw symbolism in Ender’s lifestyle and in his mental processes, but I also saw a dramatic change in every character that is in the story during the massive time lapse that occurs in especially chapter 9, Locke and Demosthenes. During this section of the book, not only does Ender change as far as curiosity goes, but also as far as attitude toward life goes.

In chapter 6, The Giants Drink, Ender is introduced to the null gravity, the suits, and the weapons. Because of everything that happens in this section, it feels funny going back and writing about this because it feels so long ago; by the end of this section, Ender is the master of the Gameroom. In the beginning however, we see that Ender is clumsy at it, but he is the first to try out the different positions and the feel of the disorientation. He adjusts quickly and with his new friend, Alai, they become the best of launchies, and friends. I believe that this is the start of his career as a military worker because it boosts his confidence as an individual, and as a soldier for the next chapter, Salamander. In chapter 7, he learns much, and becomes independent when he goes against his commander. Ender then goes into the next army, Rats, in chapter 8, and becomes one of the best fighters in the school. He meets his toon leader, Dink, and he grows into the leader because Dink will let him fight. Personally, I like Dink because of the excellent leadership qualities that he has that as a reader, I haven’t seen yet. He sees the corruptness behind the military school, and as far as I can tell, I believe that he is right. Dink also sees the strategies that Ender uses, and rather than viewing them as unusual, sees them as useful because they are unique.

In the New American Dictionary, a genius is defined as “an exceptional natural capacity of intellect, especially as shown in creative and original work”. I believe that Ender is what they have been saying, a military genius. Does that make him a monster? Ender wonders this very thing when he is nine years old in chapter 9. The thing about this chapter is the way the author went back to Earth, and the change happening within Ender’s family. Peter is more controlling than ever, he is smart, and he craves power. In addition to that, Valentine begins to help him with his bloody endeavors, and gets sucked into the trap that Peter has made among much of humanity through the net. On the other side of time and space, Ender is trapped in this game, and in his feelings of despair. He feels that he cannot escape his own mind, and I think that frightens him. Then, Valentine begins to question herself, and she realizes that she has abandoned his memory by getting sucked into the trap that Peter has set. In the end, Valentine goes back to her old self, and I think that Ender will be healed from his loneliness, and the motivation that we have seen up until now will be restored and drive him to do great things in his near future.

In these chapters, I am beginning to see this game as a symbol of Ender’s life and mind. There are places where he feels victorious, and places where he feels stuck and trapped.

Ender's Game Blog #1

At the start of the book, Ender was basically a nobody. He was the third child that his parents didn’t want, the brother his siblings didn’t connect to, and the “bugger” at school whom had no friends or reputation. What I found interesting however was from the start of the book, he was exactly the opposite of all those things. He is in fact very intelligent and independent. He knew that nobody would take care of him, and he passed the test when he lost the monitor.
After leaving his home, he immediately became an unusual student for the school. It was interesting how well he thought out his decision, how he responded with ‘I don’t want to but I will’, and how well he adapted to the life. He kept his distance from the other students because his intelligence helped him to connect these kids with the way that he was treated back home. He continues to depend on only himself, and he appears grateful for everything he has by not showing any weakness.
Another thing that struck me immediately was his desire to prove himself. Though he sits alone, he doesn’t mind. His focus is not making friends, but rather, to simply be remembered because of his talent and creativity. For example, he was remembered because of his intelligence and his capability of hacking into the computer system and humiliating Bernard. In chapter 5, Ender proved himself again when on his first three tries of the game, he beat an experienced and much older kid with his fast ability to learn, and a natural skill. Ender even says near the end of the chapter that they may not like him, but they will remember him.
I think that with Ender, there is some great irony beginning to happen. He is the one who least wants to be there and yet, he is the best leader that they have seen. He is the fastest learner, the most intelligent, and the best at demonstrating his strong points and hiding his weak points. But then, like I said, he is the one who wants to go home the most, and the one who does not want to fight. The only time he fights is to defend himself, and the only time he attacks is in moments of intense pain (at which time, he still shows no weakness).
Without a doubt, Ender is a leader. I know this for a fact because I have had experience in a leadership position. To be a leader is a much harder job than many think, and it is without a doubt a very lonely job at times. It requires much patience, and much humility more so than the ability to be strong and confident. A leader must be humble and very giving, even if that means getting nothing in return. I once heard a quote by an unknown author when I was in leadership training at UNC Greely in a summer course: “If you are a good leader, people will admire and respect you. If you are a great leader, people will admire and respect themselves”. I find that to be very true, and Ender finds many leadership qualities in these first few chapters that define that. For example, he was sticking up for those Bernard holds under his shoe by putting Bernard back into his rightful place without hurting him. He also showed leadership by taking chances, playing that boy in the game, and putting him back into his rightful place. Ender shows people time after time that every person is equal, and I think people will begin to admire and respect him and themselves as we go on in the story.
I am very much enjoying this book, and I am excited to see what happens with Ender as he continues to grow and learn as a student, and as an individual.

The Forbidden Planet

In the movie "The Forbidden Planet", we get to see the future of human kind from a very different perspective. We see the extrapolation beyond our Earth and into the wonders of outer space. In the film, humans travel far away from Earth to rescue those who were abandoned on a planet that had never been seen before. When the rescuers land however, they learn of a new kind of extrapolation themselves (which I find ironic). They begin to see the technology that the creatures of the planet had built, and they got a glimps into what they were capable of with the help of the last surviving humans out of many. The biggest extrapolation that I saw in the story was the brain monitor. When they showed the intelect of the species living there compared to humans, people were seen as stupid though they held a very high IQ. I found that most interesting because I got a glimps into the mindpower that people will hold in many years as we advance more and more into the world of science and technology. One thing about the movie I also found interesting was the turn of events after the kiss in the garden. Suddenly, the animals were not friends with the girl anymore, and that was extrapolation in itself. Not only does it show the nature of humans to be disconnected with the environment, but I also saw it as somewhat of a foreshadow into what is to come for humanity when nature turns against us. By the use of our many new inventions, we have already turned against it. I did like this movie a lot because I found it very intertaining and it made me think a lot about our world, along with pondering what is to come in the movie and in the real world.

"Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman

In today's world, an organized society means to be constant. It means that we must follow ongoing and constant rules, we must live by the constant law, and remain constant in our beliefs and our endeavors. Taken to an extreme, we must remain constant with time, and obide by the clock.
The piece ""Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman" reminds me somewhat of the phrase 'If you're early, your on time. If your on time, you're late. If you are late, you are forgotten.' Along with that, it reminds me of certain societies where one is not an indevidual, but rather, just another of many. For example, readings like "Ferenhiet 451" or "Anthem" remind me of such a thing...where one lives by the law, but not by what they want from there lives. Then, out of all the chaos, there is one rebellion that changes the way of the world by being themselves.
""Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman" is about a society run by time, enough to where smashing the system is a felony resulting in death. The Ticktockman is practically a dictator that is the Master Timekeeper of the world. Everything must go according to plan. The irony is, however, in the end, he himself ends up being late.
The idea of extapolation is in this piece because it plays a role in futuristic society. We find ourselves on our way to such a life because of the way we grow up being directed by bells and whistles. I liked this piece very much because it kept me thinking, and it relates to the importance of time in my own life.

Sales Pitch

In the reading "Sales Pitch", the reader gets a glimps into the author's interpretation of the distant future. In those days, the solar system is no longer a mystery to mankind, but society as we know it. Business is everything to the people of this century, and people are somewhat hypmotized by the way of the world. In this reading, there is one man that is being driven crazy by the ads and way of life, he is willing to leave everything he knows to start over beyond the solar system. At one point in the story, a stranger comes to his house to sell himself and drives him to leave the solar system to start a new life. Though he travels until death, the robot follows him all the way until the end. Going back and using our definition of science fiction, we see ourselves in a life of misery because of what we have created for ourselves. We see extrapolation to the point where we cannot handle what we thought we wanted. I did enjoy this piece, but I also thought it sad that we may be that in a hundred years; we may be a world without wildlife, without peace, without independence of technology, and even without freedom.

There Will Come Soft Rains

In the class definition of science fiction, we said that it is people's intrigue of the idea "what if". In the story, I saw the world in ashes, the life broken, robots living routinely, and no signs of life worth living. What if our world becomes like that? What if everyone dies in the fires of hate that countries have for each other? What then? This concept has to do with extrapotlation because not only are there robots and many strange things, but also, the thought that we might all be dead from the result of was. Just like the last story, I did not like this story because I do not wish to see the world in such a light as this...no beauty or freedom, life or peace found anywhere.

Events Proceeding the Helvenican Renaissance

In the short story "Events Proceeding the Helvenican Renaissance", we see (what I am assuming is) Earth in a new light. As readers, we get a glimps of the world many years from now. The Earth has developed many new technologies and extrapolations, it is a strange concept to us to see what our Earth is bound to become. The story connects with science fiction because it demonstrates people's constant obsession of "what if". Just like many other science fiction stories, the "Events Proceeding the Helvenican Renaissance" brings up an idea from an author, developes that idea with something familiar to the reader, and makes the story come alive by backing it up with science. In the concept of extrapolation, human beings imagine things in the world that could be in order to make life more easy for us. In the story, we see that people carry their passports in their skin, gods speaking to each person indevidualy, and people traveling in and out of the planet. It is all so strange to us now, but the science of the story backs it up. I personally did not enjoy this piecee as much as I thought simply because I do not want to live to see the day the world becomes like that. The story reminds me of the book "The Hunger Games". It is as if people become less indevidual and more seen as a race. To me, the "Events Proceeding the Helvenican Renaissance" sounded like people were seen as victims, as if being trained to become soldiers.

Cause and Effect

Star Trek: The Next Generation episode creates a lot of cause and effect of one accident that happened again and again. At the end of the episode, we understand that the major explosion that has been happening again and again was caused by the time lapse that occurred from the collision. The Enterprise would repeatedly hit another space station in the same distortion and be thrown back in time to the previous day and do it all over and over again. Eventually, the people aboard the Enterprise began to recognize the same activities over and over again, and began to have déjà vu from the repetition. For example, the captain would read the same chapters again and again, then he would feel as if he already did go through that part. The doctor gave the same diagnosis again and again until she remembered what was wrong with him was not an ear infection. Along with that, there was also the poker game, the voices, and the breaking of the glass. Later, they discover what has been happening to them and they eventually fix the problem.
This piece is science fiction because it takes a usual thing and makes it unusual. Also, the story creates skepticism and follows the usual mystery in many science fiction stories involving time lapses and outer space. I did like watching the movie in class because it made me think and make up my own theories along the way.

Homelanding

Homelanding, by Margaret Atwood, is told from an inside point of view of Earth telling one who lives outside. As readers, we get the opportunity to see ourselves in the light of an outside source that has no knowledge of humanity and our culture as if they are looking at us for the first time. First, of course, there comes the description of our physical appearance like arms, legs, fingers, our head, and our hair. Moving forward in the story, it does not move into how unique we are or into the power of one, but rather what we tend to value as a whole including the sun. “We pride ourselves in our sunsets…in summer, we lie about in the blazing sun, almost naked”. This shows a somewhat compelling idea about our existence, along with our compel to the color red. I found that interesting as well because of our tendency to spill blood for things we desire, and for temporary luxuries.
Though it fully describes the basics of our shell as a species, I also find it interesting that this story lacks the description on how complex the body is. We as humans understand the many functions that our bodies possess, and we also understand that describing what we look like does not describe who we are, for we are individuals.
Lastly, the story talks of death as a beautiful thing that we respect greatly. We as people know that what we are respecting is the life that individual lead and the body they used through their life being left behind. It describes that we are all temporary, and we know it, so we look for ways to benefit ourselves in the time we have.
I think that this piece was a very good intro to science fiction piece because it takes humanity and looks at it with skepticism. Our day to day activities become unusual to our own eyes, and I find that to be science fiction; it is an invented story that creates controversy, skepticism, and rearranges our thoughts of the usual to make it unusual. I did like this story very much because I thought it was very well thought out.

Science Fiction Blog #1

My name is Dylan Gordon, I am a senior this year at Arapahoe High School this year, and during this last semester, I am in Mr. Allen's Science Fiction Class.
I have lived in Colorado all of my life and I love everything about it. Often, I go to the mountains with my family and/or friends and hike, camp, ski, and sometimes hunt. Other than that, I love sports including swimming, track (pole vaulting), and I like to play tennis for fun in the summer. My favorite sport of all time, however, is football. I watch football A LOT, and I spend my Sundays with my family watching the NFL. Along with sports, I play the flute with numerous different groups and I have been performing since I was ten years old. Another hobby is that I love horses, working with them, riding them, and just being around them. In my family, I have my mom, my dad, an older brother, a younger brother, and four younger sisters. When I'm older, I want to go into the medical feild, but I am still unsure whether I want to become a nurse, an OT, a PA, or a doctor. I guess I'll know all in good time.
My first experience in science fiction was when I was a little girl and I saw star wars for the first time. I loved the mystery surrounding the plot, and I loved the idea of forces, and obscure creatures. Since them, I have always loved Harry Potter, and other stories like it that are fantacies and invole imagination.
To me, that is what science fiction is. It is the world that exists beyond our own, one we cannot see, we can only imagine it. I brings a sence of curiosity to me, and I want to take this class because I find it very interesting, exotic, facinating.