This blog supports 3d model & rendering course at the university of toledo, center for the visual arts. Class members are invited to post updates and pictures of their work-in-progress; thoughts and opionions on the reading; helpful tips on the use of the modeling/animation software (blender and terragen); links to other 3d artists of interest; miscellany related to 3d art and space.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
E. M. Forster, The Machine Stops
"The Machine Stops [1909]." http://emforster.de/hypertext/template.php3?t=tms -- New due date: Nov. 19.
I thought this reading was probably the most interesting one to date. It was absolutely crazy to me that the lives of Vashti and Kuno were complete opposite to reality. In their world the weaker you were the more likely you were to survive, because the machine that every one relied on would completely overtake your independence and rule your life. The machine itself was an interesting aspect, containg a button for anything whether it be to play music or summon a bed. People lived their entire lifes inside this room and not only that but they thought the outside world of stars and land and oceans was ugly. Aside from the machine, there was a huge rule book on how to operate that people lived their lives by. Forster definetly paralled God and the Bible with his machine and the rule book. At the very end it was an interesting feature that people only recaptured their true lives through the death of the machine.
It was the most interesting and the most awkward. The idea of the machine was captivating every command that Vashti said it appeared. like when she said she was not feeling well and all these gadgets were popping out of nowhere. Its odd to think of the deletion of earth and having only one room that you can survive in the rest of your life. I do agree with katy about the comparisons and similarities of the machine and god. It was almost likfe choose the right one of eternal life and oddly enough in Forster's story it was the machine that people worshiped but once it was destroyed they found the answers of life.
I agree, this story was the most interesting so far. It reminds me of a couple of movies I've watched: "Wall-E" and "City of Ember." In Wall-E, humans are completely dependent on their machines and only communicate through their projected screens hovering around the space ship with everything they needed transported to them with a click of a button (which is why they became so obese and suffered severe bone loss from lack of physical activity). In City of Ember, the people lived underground and became so dependent on their light source and the person in charge that they forgot about finding their way back to the surface until one person found an escape, to save them from eternal darkness. Foster's "The Machine Stops," I'm sure, was the basis for many story lines that followed. I find it unfathomable that a group of people could really in fact create something and lose the sole purpose of its function and begin to worship it as though it had a divine power (even though they made it, themselves, in the first place)(like idol worshipers of the past). I just don't get it.
I also agree! This reading was very strange. The machine was so important to them and the more it played apart in their lives the more dependant they were on it. They used the machine for communication and seemed to not have hardly anytime for eachother. I also agree with what jessica and katy said about machine and god having similarities. How they all worshiped the machine.
I was fascinated by this piece very early into reading it. At first, I started analyzing it in regards to how a visualization of such an environment could be made. But, my focus quickly shifted to the pertinency of the subject rather than the description. It struck me, as it likely was intended to, as a harbinger of what we are coming to as a society, becoming disattached and ever more reliant on impersonal communications that only skim the surface of the joys of real interaction. In the extreme of the story, the people have finally given into being repulsed by the thought of direct contact or interaction.
Anyone who has tried to communicate with close friends over long distances must realize the inadequacy of electronic messaging, and the phrasing of several paragraphs only makes the insufficiency more poignant. Kuno realizes this as he says, "I see something like you in this plate, but I do not see you. I hear something like you through this telephone, but I do not hear you. That is why I want you to come." How, in 1909, could Forster anticipate the impersonality of email, text messages, online chatting, and even telephone conversations; though we cling to their facility, and tout the advantages of instant communication, maintaining that it is better than nothing, we must also acknowledge that they foster a barrier between humanity that keeps us from getting too close. Whenever we want to avoid repercussions in communication or deliver bad news, we resort to more and more indirect ways of communicating. Today, the military still has the decency to deliver news of death by a messenger who visits the family; at the other end of the extreme, people end relationships via text message. Forster's story speaks of where we could still fall, into a world where people travel "for the purpose of propagating the race," and parents' duties end at birth. It makes one wonder where Forster could have gone with this story had abortion been as common at the time.
On a lighter note, it also made me wonder whether sleeping in the dark would still be necessary or natural, when the rhythms of sunrise and sunset are no longer associated with sleeping.
This reading was definitely very interesting, and the first thing it reminded me of was the movie Wall-E. And much like Nidah has explained ealier, it is a movie based on this future idea of our world being taken over and run by technology. The wildest part of this reading was the fact that it was written so long ago. And it is funny how the land we live in now is slowly moving towards this concept of an overrun technological world. From texting to emails, to classes being taught and taped online we are becoming a world filled with less interaction. Whatever makes our life "easier" is the path we seem to take; turning us into a lazy world that doesn't know how to talk face to face.
The read was interesting because Vashti and Kuno were opposites in reality. The way you could live long was that you had to be weak because the machine would relied on would completely take over your whole life. The machine was an aspect of how your life would be. The person lived inside a room and was confused about the outside of the world because they didn’t know what the experience would be. There was also a rule book that told people how to control their whole life.
I can't believe how crazy the mind of Vashti is. It's so strange to think that a whole world could be controlled by a machine and that these people relied so much on it. As other people have stated, this reading was quite intriguing. People lived inside a room without really living life. They were too afraid to leave. Nidah made a wonderful point that this article is very similar to the movie City of Ember. This is a fantastic movie! Great story! I love to watch fantasy movies. I would recommend renting it if you have the chance. City of Ember is very similar because these people have created their own world beneath the real world and refuse to leave because they are too afraid of the unknown. These people in the reading were too dependent on the machine that they began to worship it as if it were a God.
I agree that this was a particularly fascinating reading. It almost kind of reminded me of the book 1984 by George Orwell. It visually proposes what it would be like to live in a society free of thought. Where all decisions are made for you by someone else, and all necessities are provided for you. A world where free thoughts and ideas are basically forebidden, and everyone is basically under constant survelence, similar to "Big Brother" in 1984. More importantly however, this reading gives insight to the possible future that humans may face if they continue to be reliant on machine technology. Is is really "better" in the long run to keep advancing technology, in essence making humans lazier and lazier, eventually denying them the luxury of thinking and reasoning for themselves to the point that they inevitably weaken their own intelligence overall? When will it be enough? I thought there were a couple interesting viewpoints in the reading that emphasize this idea. Throughout the reading, Kuno talks about wanting to see the stars from the "earthly viewpoint" as if it is something new and different, which to him would be a new experience, a change from his own Machined lifestyle. I also thought it was interesting when Vashti asks "what that white stuff in the cracks" of the Hymalias is. Presumably she is talking about snow, which anyone can pretty much discern. I think its interesting that this civilization is so ingrained in the machine that they have completely lost touch with nature. Its about acheiving balance with technology and nature, and controlling technology, not letting it control you.
I definitely agree that this reading was the most enjoyable so far. I loved the imagery and visuals it gave. I think that this world that they live in is fascinating but sad at the same time. I think that i agree with the post above me about achieving a balance between nature and technology. In this reading it seemed like technology was way out of proportion with how much they depended on it. Plus, they are humans or an evolved species from us, made of organic substances, how could they get so out of place in such a mechanical environment and feel o.k. about it? But no I did enjoy it, and thought the amount of technology they depended on was interesting.
I thought the reading was interesting, because of the concept of the machine, and how reality was different for the person using the machine. The machine had so many commands for example, “Then she generated the light, and the sight of her room, flooded with radiance and studded with electric buttons, revived her. There were buttons and switches everywhere - buttons to call for food for music, for clothing. There was the hot-bath button, by pressure of which a basin of (imitation) marble rose out of the floor, filled to the brim with a warm deodorized liquid. There was the cold-bath button. There was the button that produced literature. And there were of course the buttons by which she communicated with her friends. The room, though it contained nothing, was in touch with all that she cared for in the world”. When I think of this paragraph it reminds me of how the world is today, and how so many things can be accessed by the touch of a button. For example, cell phones, texting, and internet. Everything is so electronic that one does not have to have face to face relationship to have communication anymore. We jus talk through machines.
I thought this reading was probably the most interesting one to date. It was absolutely crazy to me that the lives of Vashti and Kuno were complete opposite to reality. In their world the weaker you were the more likely you were to survive, because the machine that every one relied on would completely overtake your independence and rule your life. The machine itself was an interesting aspect, containg a button for anything whether it be to play music or summon a bed. People lived their entire lifes inside this room and not only that but they thought the outside world of stars and land and oceans was ugly. Aside from the machine, there was a huge rule book on how to operate that people lived their lives by. Forster definetly paralled God and the Bible with his machine and the rule book. At the very end it was an interesting feature that people only recaptured their true lives through the death of the machine.
ReplyDeleteIt was the most interesting and the most awkward. The idea of the machine was captivating every command that Vashti said it appeared. like when she said she was not feeling well and all these gadgets were popping out of nowhere. Its odd to think of the deletion of earth and having only one room that you can survive in the rest of your life. I do agree with katy about the comparisons and similarities of the machine and god. It was almost likfe choose the right one of eternal life and oddly enough in Forster's story it was the machine that people worshiped but once it was destroyed they found the answers of life.
ReplyDeleteI agree, this story was the most interesting so far. It reminds me of a couple of movies I've watched: "Wall-E" and "City of Ember." In Wall-E, humans are completely dependent on their machines and only communicate through their projected screens hovering around the space ship with everything they needed transported to them with a click of a button (which is why they became so obese and suffered severe bone loss from lack of physical activity). In City of Ember, the people lived underground and became so dependent on their light source and the person in charge that they forgot about finding their way back to the surface until one person found an escape, to save them from eternal darkness. Foster's "The Machine Stops," I'm sure, was the basis for many story lines that followed. I find it unfathomable that a group of people could really in fact create something and lose the sole purpose of its function and begin to worship it as though it had a divine power (even though they made it, themselves, in the first place)(like idol worshipers of the past). I just don't get it.
ReplyDeleteI also agree! This reading was very strange. The machine was so important to them and the more it played apart in their lives the more dependant they were on it. They used the machine for communication and seemed to not have hardly anytime for eachother. I also agree with what jessica and katy said about machine and god having similarities. How they all worshiped the machine.
ReplyDeleteI was fascinated by this piece very early into reading it. At first, I started analyzing it in regards to how a visualization of such an environment could be made. But, my focus quickly shifted to the pertinency of the subject rather than the description. It struck me, as it likely was intended to, as a harbinger of what we are coming to as a society, becoming disattached and ever more reliant on impersonal communications that only skim the surface of the joys of real interaction. In the extreme of the story, the people have finally given into being repulsed by the thought of direct contact or interaction.
ReplyDeleteAnyone who has tried to communicate with close friends over long distances must realize the inadequacy of electronic messaging, and the phrasing of several paragraphs only makes the insufficiency more poignant. Kuno realizes this as he says, "I see something like you in this plate, but I do not see you. I hear something like you through this telephone, but I do not hear you. That is why I want you to come." How, in 1909, could Forster anticipate the impersonality of email, text messages, online chatting, and even telephone conversations; though we cling to their facility, and tout the advantages of instant communication, maintaining that it is better than nothing, we must also acknowledge that they foster a barrier between humanity that keeps us from getting too close. Whenever we want to avoid repercussions in communication or deliver bad news, we resort to more and more indirect ways of communicating. Today, the military still has the decency to deliver news of death by a messenger who visits the family; at the other end of the extreme, people end relationships via text message. Forster's story speaks of where we could still fall, into a world where people travel "for the purpose of propagating the race," and parents' duties end at birth. It makes one wonder where Forster could have gone with this story had abortion been as common at the time.
On a lighter note, it also made me wonder whether sleeping in the dark would still be necessary or natural, when the rhythms of sunrise and sunset are no longer associated with sleeping.
Oh, and I agree with Nidah, there must have been so many stories influenced by this. Now I kind of want to see those movies.
ReplyDeleteThis reading was definitely very interesting, and the first thing it reminded me of was the movie Wall-E. And much like Nidah has explained ealier, it is a movie based on this future idea of our world being taken over and run by technology. The wildest part of this reading was the fact that it was written so long ago. And it is funny how the land we live in now is slowly moving towards this concept of an overrun technological world. From texting to emails, to classes being taught and taped online we are becoming a world filled with less interaction. Whatever makes our life "easier" is the path we seem to take; turning us into a lazy world that doesn't know how to talk face to face.
ReplyDeleteThe read was interesting because Vashti and Kuno were opposites in reality. The way you could live long was that you had to be weak because the machine would relied on would completely take over your whole life. The machine was an aspect of how your life would be. The person lived inside a room and was confused about the outside of the world because they didn’t know what the experience would be. There was also a rule book that told people how to control their whole life.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe how crazy the mind of Vashti is. It's so strange to think that a whole world could be controlled by a machine and that these people relied so much on it. As other people have stated, this reading was quite intriguing. People lived inside a room without really living life. They were too afraid to leave. Nidah made a wonderful point that this article is very similar to the movie City of Ember. This is a fantastic movie! Great story! I love to watch fantasy movies. I would recommend renting it if you have the chance. City of Ember is very similar because these people have created their own world beneath the real world and refuse to leave because they are too afraid of the unknown. These people in the reading were too dependent on the machine that they began to worship it as if it were a God.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this was a particularly fascinating reading. It almost kind of reminded me of the book 1984 by George Orwell.
ReplyDeleteIt visually proposes what it would be like to live in a society free of thought. Where all decisions are made for you by someone else, and all necessities are provided for you. A world where free thoughts and ideas are basically forebidden, and everyone is basically under constant survelence, similar to "Big Brother" in 1984.
More importantly however, this reading gives insight to the possible future that humans may face if they continue to be reliant on machine technology. Is is really "better" in the long run to keep advancing technology, in essence making humans lazier and lazier, eventually denying them the luxury of thinking and reasoning for themselves to the point that they inevitably weaken their own intelligence overall? When will it be enough? I thought there were a couple interesting viewpoints in the reading that emphasize this idea. Throughout the reading, Kuno talks about wanting to see the stars from the "earthly viewpoint" as if it is something new and different, which to him would be a new experience, a change from his own Machined lifestyle. I also thought it was interesting when Vashti asks "what that white stuff in the cracks" of the Hymalias is. Presumably she is talking about snow, which anyone can pretty much discern. I think its interesting that this civilization is so ingrained in the machine that they have completely lost touch with nature. Its about acheiving balance with technology and nature, and controlling technology, not letting it control you.
I definitely agree that this reading was the most enjoyable so far. I loved the imagery and visuals it gave. I think that this world that they live in is fascinating but sad at the same time. I think that i agree with the post above me about achieving a balance between nature and technology. In this reading it seemed like technology was way out of proportion with how much they depended on it. Plus, they are humans or an evolved species from us, made of organic substances, how could they get so out of place in such a mechanical environment and feel o.k. about it? But no I did enjoy it, and thought the amount of technology they depended on was interesting.
ReplyDeleteI thought the reading was interesting, because of the concept of the machine, and how reality was different for the person using the machine. The machine had so many commands for example, “Then she generated the light, and the sight of her room, flooded with radiance and studded with electric buttons, revived her. There were buttons and switches everywhere - buttons to call for food for music, for clothing. There was the hot-bath button, by pressure of which a basin of (imitation) marble rose out of the floor, filled to the brim with a warm deodorized liquid. There was the cold-bath button. There was the button that produced literature. And there were of course the buttons by which she communicated with her friends. The room, though it contained nothing, was in touch with all that she cared for in the world”. When I think of this paragraph it reminds me of how the world is today, and how so many things can be accessed by the touch of a button. For example, cell phones, texting, and internet. Everything is so electronic that one does not have to have face to face relationship to have communication anymore. We jus talk through machines.
ReplyDelete--Phil Montrose