X-Message-Number: 29693
Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2007 11:03:19 -0400
From: Robin Helweg-Larsen <>
Subject: Re: Acculturation
References: <>

Kennita, I think a lot of this is subjective, rather than objective, and 
I think Chris is probably a very different person from you.

To me, a book is far richer than a movie; the latter can provide 
valuable insights into accents, clothes, scenery, but it doesn't allow 
you the ability to stop and argue with the ideas, look up a reference, 
make some notes, and resume - or at least, it's not conducive to this, 
whether or not it's on DVD.  I've never seen anyone hit the pause button 
to do those things.  To me, a movie's just an audiovisual book illustration.

Star Wars, the Matrix, are not realistic scenarios of the future, 
they're pieces of fluff - the former is an archetypal story dressed up 
Buck Rogers style, the latter is a pseudo-mystical head game.  Though 
very nicely realized as cinema, they are not serious pieces.  I haven't 
seen the other two films.

The Diamond Age, though, Chris, is a spectacularly ideas-rich novel, and 
the first, say, quarter of it is well worth reading purely for the views 
of a world in which the levels of pollution that people live with are 
related to living with extensive nanotechnology ("the diamond age" of 
the title), the learning and acculturation of children is achieved (or 
at least achievable) though a personality-rich interactive 
book/computer/video device ("the young lady's illustrated" etc of the 
title), as well as new forms of social grouping within the eternal 
dynamics of status, wealth, class, ethnicity, and other connections...  
A book definitely worth starting, though I found the second half sadly 
lacking *in comparison*, and the ending weak and uninteresting

Again, all this is necessarily subjective.  Kennita, I greatly value 
your outreach work at the Frozen Dead Guy events; but, regarding SF 
books and films, I suspect I'm closer to Chris in temperament, even if 
he doesn't realize how much wider and deeper the field is these days - 
epitomized by Stephenson's Diamond Age.

Good luck to both of you, and all of us -

Robin Helweg-Larsen

> In priority order, then:
>
> Star Wars (!!) (!!!)
> The Matrix
> The Diamond Age
> Vanilla Sky
> Demolition Man
>
> Except for The Diamond Age, none of these was produced as a
> book (except, maybe, after the film was released); the
> vividness of the characters and universes and ideas in them
> is inaccessible to you unless you see the films.  Also, if
> you have any interest in what view the rest of the world
> is getting of cryonics and the future, these (especially
> Star Wars!) are a good place to start.
>
>
>   

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