Cold Hard Genius

The upside of having time has got to be reading! Yes - I say that because I'm biased towards books. It's the only way to enjoy the company of great thinkers, dreamers, lovers, artists, scientists - all at the same time.

Why do I say this? It's because I just finished reading I, Robot.

Now I have never been attracted to Science Fiction as a genre. Neither in books, nor in movies. Always found it too taxing on my brain. Or maybe my heart. Or so I assumed. It was The Husband who made me watch the movie. So I guess, I owe this piece to him.

Anyway - through the drama in the movie, peeks the concept of evolution of robotic and robots themselves, whose.. well "logic is undeniable". Strictly speaking for myself - though it was initially the drama which made the movie palatable; the actual thrill came from how the evolution theory was built up in the movie.

So now that I had the time and I had already seen the movie, I thought I'd read the book and be done with it.

Let me come to the book. For starters, the movie doesn't exactly follow the story line in the book. There aren't many similarities in the book apart from the name of the corporation - USR, and some characters - Dr Alfred Lanning, Robertson and of course Dr Susan Calvin - who, by the way is the real rock star at USR and certainly does not need a paranoid detective Spooner to deduce any mysteries where robots are involved. No offense to Will Smith or his fans, but it's a stupid, sexist reason to have his character at all in the movie.

The book is a collection of short stories rather than a novel. Structured as a memoir, each chapter is a reminiscence of a mishap at USR. The evolution of robots is evident in the apparent malfunction that is being described. From an emotional, but non verbal mechanical companion to a complicated device that has complete control of the earth. As the capabilities of the robots grow, so does the overlap on the human domains. Eventually, everything that a human being could be deemed capable of doing, could be achieved by the robot, only more efficiently.

And that is what is so captivating about the book. The things that robots are shown to have achieved. From being a companion nurse, to mining on planet Mercury, to Interstellar travel! Top that with human actions like mind reading, lying (albeit to prevent hurt), impersonating, getting confused (and twiddling fingers) and even forming a religious cult, and you find yourself wondering how long before it actually comes true. Because however dramatic it may seem, the cold, hard logic behind it is - again - undeniable.

I feel almost sad going back to the regular, human fiction now. A glimpse of a higher world can be cruel. Well, at least I know whom to blame! ;-)

Read more books. It's not "only words".

Cheers!

~K.

ps: Apparently, these stories were written between 1940 - 1950. While the world was split between the bullies and the bullied, this young lad in his 20's clearly had better things to do.

Ah well - thank god for Geniuses!

The Magic Book!

Long ago I had read this book - Illusions, by Richard Bach. While the book itself is themed like The Matrix trilogy - pointing out the illusory nature of the world we live in and performing miracles that would defy the laws of physics (remember the spoon?), that is somehow not what stayed with me. What I loved most, was the Messiah's handbook, which didn't have any page numbers and would give you the answer that you were in need of most whenever you opened it. Just like magic! And it doesn't stop there. The character goes on to explain that it can be done with any book.

I have come to realize that this concept can be extended to just about anything. Answers can be found anywhere. Books. Paintings. Songs. (They're even "blowin' in the wind", if you believe Bob Dylan!)

But coming back to me and this particular case - I got mine in this Word Porn link that came in my Facebook feed. Despite all my contempt for it, FB was bound to get something right.

In a couple of weeks, I will have more time than I have ever had in the last 12 years. As exciting and romantic the prospect of pre-planned joblessness may sound, it is also scary. There's a constant doubt questioning the decision. And even a fear of freedom. So I'm gathering with both hands, all the signs that give me any sense of hope.

Right now it is these 10 tips. I mean if you can't trust a writer like JRR Tolkein, whom can you trust, really?

Looking forward to getting lost. And looking and finding something.

Love, luck and hope. And faith. And a cheer and a song.

~K.

Yet another Book Review

Name of the book - Nineteen Eighty Four
Author - George Orwell

Description* - Nineteen Eighty Four is the classic novel of our time. A powerful warning against the evils of a totalitarian state and a passionate plea for human liberty, it paints an appalling picture of love crushed by terror. Big Brother, Newspeak, Doublethink and the Thought Police are part of a world to which Orwell looks forward with spine-chilling accuracy - a world which some say is with us now.

(Most importantly) My views -
Was reading Nineteen Eighty Four last week. After a long time read something so disturbing. I don’t know exactly what it was about that book that hit me so hard, but I felt myself going through all the instances where I had my happiness with me, in me, and yet I lost it. What was depressing was that I could remember each of those instances to the minutest of details. And my failure to hold on to them. I could see all those events happening in front of me all over again. And all I could do was stare like a witness to my own life. I couldn’t put myself in my own position and change things. Funny (if you might call it funny) part is that even the time when those things actually happened, I knew what I was going to lose. Hated to see myself losing all over again.

I don’t know why, but for some reason the song Iris is coming to my mind now –

All I can taste is this moment
And all I can breathe is your life
Coz sooner or later it’s over
I just don’t want to miss you tonight.

..........................................................................................................................................

The My views section came out while I was mailing a friend about what I thought about the book. I might not even have read it had he not mentioned the book in yet another one of our weird conversations and sold me on it (the book.. not the conversation). Many Thanks.
And of course, the guy who lent me the book. My project mate. Another avid reader. That's the least I can say of someone who read this book when he was in class XI. Hats Off!! And Thanks too!!

Anyway, acknowledgements apart, the book "Nineteen Eighty Four" is a FANTASTIC read. It is depressing and strong. And lingering. Read it if you get it. And if you dare.



~K.

* - Taken from the cover of the book.

Finished reading…

... Train To Pakistan. Had got the book as a birthday present. What a book! When I finished, I almost felt as if I shouldn’t have. It’s strong. And very moving. Set in the time of the Indo-Pak partition, at the heart of it, is a simple love story.
A couple of things that immediately and almost simultaneously came to my mind.
One, the lot of us have a LOT to be thankful for, to have been born in a time that did not have to witness the partition. God bless the people who survived the trauma, and even those who didn’t.
Two – there is immense power in simplicity. If you ever get a chance to read that book, you’ll realize why I’m saying this. The power of the book lies in the simplicity of its narration. It’s blatantly simple. And that’s what leaves such a great impact on the reader. (did on me, rather)

And finally – there is an amazing power in love.

If you get to lay your hands on that book… don’t lay off without reading it.

~K.