Week 3 - Robotics + Art

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Page from Gutenberg's Bible from the printing press

https://doorcountypulse.com/by-the-numbers-the-gutenberg-bible/
In this week's lecture, Professor Vesna discussed how ideas of technology and art have influenced one another in multiple ways. I was surprised to find out when she mentioned how the Bible has been used in the mechanization of book making which led to the first mass production. The number of pages were printed per day and even the way religion was conducted changed after the printing press was invented by Gutenberg. The way that religious knowledge from that point was increased orally and it was passed down to other generations.



Walter Benjamin's book
https://www.amazon.com/Work-Art-Age-Mechanical-Reproduction/dp/1453722483
Walter Benjamin talks about in his essay, "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction", that the takeaway from the mechanical reproduction of art is not always taken in a good manner, it could also be negative. Such as he mentions how over time a Picasso painting that was valued so highly in the old days is now portrayed differently in current times such as in a Chaplin movie. He discusses how that the true message conveyed behind the painting is altered throughout time based on the visual and emotional messages people feel at that time. I see that happening a lot because over time, our societies do change their beliefs and values and people use painting in different connotations.


Stormtroopers from Star Wars in the 2015 movie, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
https://news.avclub.com/infographic-shows-the-evolution-of-the-stormtrooper-hel-1798280919
One of the first ideas that came to my head when I heard the term "Robotics" was the use of the stormtroopers in the Star Wars movies. Over the 41 years that the franchise has been around, these robots with white outfits with a black trim have played a big role. They are considered to be machines that are programmed. A lot of people feel that robots are here to replace humans and take over, but these stormtroopers are humans who were kidnapped when they were very young and trained to do evil in the world. There is one specific stormtrooper that knows what he is doing is wrong and he wants to leave that life and do good in the world. I feel that robots can be good for society especially with technologies making huge advancements recently.

Siri being accessed on an iPhone
https://www.cultofmac.com/447783/today-in-apple-history-siri-makes-its-public-debut-on-iphone-4s/
After all, isn't Siri technically a robot that is programmed into our phones? We are heading in the direction of robotics and they are clearly here to stay. Imagine having a robot that vacuums the carpet and washes your dishes! There would be no need for chores anymore.


Benjamin, Walter. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. London: Penguin, 2008. Print.

“Stormtrooper Evolution: The Forces of the Republic, Empire, and First Order.” StarWars.com, 19 July 2016, www.starwars.com/news/stormtrooper-evolution-forces-of-the-republic-empire-and-first-order.

Gutenberg Bible History, www.gutenberg-bible.com/history.html.

Madrigal, Alexis C. “Siri: The Perfect Robot for Our Time.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 12 Oct. 2011, www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/10/siri-the-perfect-robot-for-our-time/246516/.

Ferranti, Seth. “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Stormtroopers.” Vice, 12 Dec. 2017, www.vice.com/en_us/article/3kpkx8/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-stormtroopers.



Comments

  1. UnknownApril 25, 2018 at 7:35 PM

    Hi Ayaz,

    I liked how you mentioned the Star Wars movies as having a huge influence because although I failed to recognize it at first, Star Wars was definitely was my first experience with robots in media. It is also interesting how many robots do end up looking similar to the stormtroopers in the movie even though what is in the movie was more of a reaction to the movement of robotics. I also do agree with your point on how robots seem scary because media choose to depict them as such, and actually robots can be seen as helpful since we do already have some that are helpful, like the automatic vacuum. In San Francisco, there's the robot that makes coffee. Overall, I enjoyed reading your blog entry and your perspective on robots!

    Galen

    ReplyDelete

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