[Tallis Matus]

Ok, this is really out there, and maybe I’ve got this all wrong, but why does the Matrix feel like Eco-modernism gone wrong? First of all, both inside and outside the Matrix, people are only seen living inside dense population centers, which is basically what cities are (the Matrix I believe is based on Chicago, and then there’s Zion and the farm the people inside the Matrix are kept). The energy used is the densest energy available to them at the time, and it appears to be very similar to the improved nuclear energy described (little chance of failure, runs on the expired material it produces, etc.). This energy also appears very clean, since it seems to produce no actual waste, and,in fact, it prevents humans from making waste from living, so it’s extremely environmentally friendly. In other words, the Matrix would be everything an Eco-modernist dreamed about turned into a nightmare.

[Tallis Matus]

One of the most important lessons I’ve got from a Sci-fi movie is to always be wary of too much control over your life. I’ve seen this in the Matrix and the I, Robot movie, as well as countless others that I’m forgetting right now. Implementing this lesson will allow us to stay in control of our own lives. The easiest way to do this is to hold the Government or corporations or whatever is trying this to intense scrutiny in order to make sure that they do not have control over your life, because once that control is there, it’s much harder to get rid of. I’d argue that this plan is being implemented now and is doing an acceptable, although certainly improvable, job. Some would certainly argue that it is too late, but even then, we just will have to fight harder then, should that be true. There is no obstacle on this earth that is insurmountable.

[Tallis Matus]

Ok, so it took me a while, but I finally found a song that gives a very unique perspective on Sci-fi: Build That Wall (Zia’s Theme) from the game Bastion.
Bastion takes place after a world ending event known only as the Calamity basically destroyed your entire civilization. You focus on finding power sources to upgrade a safe haven your people built in case of this happening called the Bastion. The world is built on floating tiles that can take you anywhere, various animals and creatures are hostile now, and any people that you do see are just statues that quickly turn to dust … except for a handful. The main character is the Kid, who is from Caeldonia, known for building a moving wall that can support any part of the city it needs too. The character who sings this song is Zia, a member of the Ura race who was raised in Caeldonia. The Ura are old enemies of the Caeldonians, and are known for the Tazal Terminals, a massive network of holes and tunnels.

Now, this song. To begin with, it’s highly unique among the songs in this game, because it’s the one of the few songs with lyrics. While this game has an outstanding soundtrack, most of the songs are atmospheric and instrumental. It’s also one of the few songs that’s distinctly connected to a character, Zia, and even sung by her in game (her character is known as “The Singer” before you know her name). Another thing to note is that the song, in game, is a war song sung by the Ura about the Caeldonians. Somewhat ironic that Zia likes The Kid, was raised by Caeldonians, and eventually leaves the Ura after they kidnap her, but this is her song.

“I dig my hole, you build a wall
I dig my hole, you build a wall
One day that wall is gonna fall”
the first verse, and it’s simple statements about the Ura and Caeldonian relationships.

“Gonna build that city on a hill
Gonna build that city on a hill
Someday those tears are gonna spill”

Another verse about Ura-Caeldonian relationships, but this one is a bit more interesting. Caeldonia was an extremely advanced city, I’d compare it to a high-tech version of Victorian-era London. It had tiles that could use wind to move you wherever you want to go, the aforementioned Rippling Walls, a disaster shelter that can instantly construct new buildings (and, as you figure out at the end of the game, can either function as a floating base or an actual time machine, although those are mutually exclusive) and that’s not even mentioning whatever the Mancers, Caeldonia’s top-secret science division, are making in secret (in fact, to spoil another surprise the game has, the Calamity was made by the Mancers as a weapon to wipe out the Ura … it didn’t go as planned). Meanwhile the Ura have a Middle-Eastern feel with a tech level that seems similar to Native Americans shortly after Europeans arrived at the Americas. To the Ura, Caeldonia was a highly advanced, prideful city that was just begging to fall. And now it had. The Calamity had destroyed almost everything related to Caeldonia, but the Ura were fine because they lived underground, far away from where it happened.

“So build that wall and build it strong
‘Cause we’ll be there before too long”

This is the chorus, and here is where I want to mention my real argument for this song: It’s meaning changes when Zia sings it. Originally it was a war song, a threat against the Caeldonians. When Zia sings it though, it becomes a war song for the survivors against the Calamity. It’s them telling it that they will overcome the obstacles in their way, it’s them saying that they will rebuild the life they had, it’s them saying that the Calamity better prepare, because we’ll be back “before too long.” It’s a classic of optimistic tales about Sci-fi dystopias; you better get ready, because we’ll make the world better whether you like it or not.
The remaining two verses are more Ura-Caeldonian relationship exploration, and the chorus repeats one more time with no change, so I’ll leave my discussion off here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpO5vO33pTM

[Tallis Matus]

Another thing I wanted to add to my post: a way that militia groups could encourage mail-in voting is through advertising or videos that show how to use mail-in ballots and make sure they are properly counted. I also wanted to specify that I really like the particular revision this article had, namely that the militia would help encourage mail-in voting, because I feel like that isn’t a particularly obvious change to make, so I appreciate its inventiveness.

[Tallis Matus]

For Levi’s post, I believe that his revision makes his point very well. The only way I could think to improve it would be to add some more detail on how the militia groups would encourage mail-in voting, but other than that I can think of no improvements. I would enjoy living in Levi’s utopia, because his utopia is just our world but better, and that was my utopia. More specifically, I want people’s right to vote to be upheld, so I would enjoy that specific part of Levi’s world as well.

[Tallis Matus]

In terms of where I stand, I am probably as far towards regulation as you can get without outright banning technology or anything. Don’t get me wrong, I love technology, and I will agree that less regulation leads to more innovation, but I always have to look at things in a risk-reward system, and to me having greater scientific progress is not worth risking human lives. Maybe it is just my suspicion talking, but I am always cautious of new tech. I still am very uneasy about Amazon Echos and the like, and smart TVs are also way too exploitable to me. I draw the line at covering up my laptop camera, but otherwise I’m very suspicious of tech. If I had to compare my stance to another type of R&D, I’d say that I feel similarly about technology and cures/vaccines. Take your time, develop it carefully, and test it many times before it is released in order to make it as effective as possible, and if these steps aren’t taken, I want to make sure it’s safe myself before I go forward with it.. To summarize, I believe that the extra time taken to research and manufacture a new piece of technology can be used to troubleshoot it more effectively, finding and squishing bugs/glitches and making it less exploitable for hackers or other groups. So, to me, regulation, while it does slow down a product’s release, overall produces a better product that’s worth the wait.

[Tallis Matus]

My area is a fairly rural region in the North Georgia mountains, so there is not too much tech beyond basic infrastructure/luxuries. Other than the types of tech mentioned on the map (which are discussed in greater detail below) there are power lines, air conditioning units, occasional automated sprinklers, and I believe one house has an invisible fence to keep their dog from wandering off.

I was surprised to see that one of the lawns had an automatic lawnmower, which I believe is the most advanced type of technology I saw in the development. I can very safely say that this technology did not exist before the 1950’s. This technology is not a significant part of my life, in fact it has nothing to do with me. I would probably argue against it,if I was there ten years before it was made, solely for the reason that I don’t like the idea of lawnmower blades not being controlled by a person. Stabby the roomba’s the pinnacle for autonomous robots, we don’t need more.

One particularly common type of technology seen in this area were groupings of cable boxes, transformers, and streetlights. They seem to always be together, for some reason I don’t understand. I know streetlights and transformers existed before the 1950’s, but I actually don’t know when cable boxes began being used, so I have no idea on that. Yes these are very much a part of my daily life, the transformers and cable boxes especially. I would argue for all of these technologies, soley because I can’t see any harm in having them that outweighs the benefits they give.

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