C1 by Chipka
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Description
Technology is a fascinating beast and quite a philosophical challenge; this is central to the way in which I think about technology. In terms of the digital realm, it isn’t the interaction with technology that provides my focus; it is the human interaction through technology, and the possibilities that a simple laptop open up. A gadget is, after all, only as useful as its user’s intent.
I never considered myself to be a cyberpunk, though I definitely understood (and lived) the social vibe: among other “cyberpunks” I was able to discuss the fiction of Aldous Huxley and Karel Čapek; I hobnobbed with anthropologists, linguists, and culture-hackers (people who, for all intents and purposes were allergic to advertising, and had no problem with defacing el-station billboards.) I wasn’t interested in having the latest gadgets; I was interested in being able to do Chip-stuff efficiently. I was able to read William Gibson’s work for the stories rather than the technology only. I talked endlessly about the emergence of artificial intelligence and the absolute weirdness that might ensue once our computer networks gained enough complexity to become both intelligent (sentient) and self aware (sapient.) As a result of that, I found movies like The Terminator to be little more than dull, infantile rip-offs of Old Testament biblical stories. One in particular: Lucifer’s rebellion and expulsion from Heaven. Funny. Our fear of AI/machine rebellion seems to mimic a rather troubling biblical story; a story in which a creator apparently refuses to recognize a creation’s inherent ability and need to express self-determination. There’s more to that story than meets the eye, and I think very little of it has to do with the birth of evil; what if it’s a divine metaphor warning us against self-imposed isolation. What if it contains a hidden piece of advice? That actual story may actually say: don’t let your ability to create a potential equal (or superior) get in the way of accepting an eventual compatriot.
I still think of that, and I thought of it when I snapped this photo. It is one of the many circuit boards I rescued from a particular truckyard. I immediately saw its artistic potential. It also sparked numerous thoughts of a science fictional and philosophical nature. What if artificial intelligence were to emerge tomorrow? Would we notice? Would we willingly recognize it, and if so, would we attempt in some way to threaten its existence and rob it of the right to self-determination? I find odd parallels to the story of “the Rebellion in Heaven” in this thought. And I wonder: how many of our western religious assumptions are carried over into the ways in which we think of the relationships between creators and creations. We create machines to do our work, and that’s as it should be; but if we create something that eventually surpasses us, shouldn’t we be more concerned with the possibility of designing a “psychological matrix” that ensures that a God/Lucifer conflict doesn’t arise? Shouldn’t we think outside of the box and perhaps design a form of quasi sexual gratification that stems from advanced computer systems doing exactly what humans need done and liking it. If we create technology that eventually surpasses, or at least equals us, we should probably start looking at ways in which we can make it want to do the things we need it to do. Of course, I find myself at a loss as to how I’d react to setting a computer to a task and have it declare: “Oh yes, baby…yes…yes…YES!!!” And then light a virtual cigarette when it’s done and say, moments later: “That was good.”
Hmmm…maybe I should stop staring at circuit boards for a while.
As always, thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting, and I hope you’re all having a better week than Chicago is currently experiencing at present.
Comments (19)
bmac62
Love this. Magical light appears to morph as it slides around C1. Bronze to green to blue...all decorated with golden bands. Reminds me of costumes I've seen in Cecil B. DeMille extravaganzas. BTW, a good quote from Cecil that I thought you might identify with... Creativity is a drug I cannot live without. Cecil B. DeMille
auntietk
Have you talked to anybody who has the newest i-phone yet? My brother craves the latest gagets, and he's been touting this thing to anybody who will listen. It responds to voice commands, and I'm not talking about ones that say, "Call Chip." As a test, he said to his new phone, "I'm thinking about killing myself." The phone came back and said, "There are ten mental health agencies in your immediate area. Six have hotline services. The most helpful of these is likely to be Suicide Hotline at 555-555-5555." On the other hand, when he asked it if it was male or female, it said, "We don't have time to talk about that right now." Of course no programmer worth their sald could pass up giving the thing a "sense of humor." I think artificial intelligence HAS snuck up on us. I haven't seen it yet, but we'll be getting together with them on Sunday, and I'm sure I'll be treated to a full tour. "What is the meaning of the universe?" "All evidence points to the answer being chocolate." (Apparently the phone doesn't know the true answer is 42.)
kgb224
Stunning capture my friend. God Bless.
angora
fascinating capture! really like it!! LOLLL @ auntiek
fallen21
Beautiful shot!
durleybeachbum
A masterly ramble, Chip!
helanker
This is amazingly beautiful and you have an amazing brain, Chip :)
Faemike55
Very interesting photo and thought-provoking narrative, chip and I liked Tara's response as well the mice proved it
thecytron
Interesting! Great ambiance lighting!
MrsRatbag
I wonder about the people who came up with these little things and figured out how to make them work; to me they're arcane and magical, and your shot supports this hypothesis...I'm sure I see fairy dust there!
flavia49
wonderful
Sea_Dog
Nice work, as usual - I love the seamless intersection between your images and your words. This image is particularly compelling on it's on and your narrative gives it some much more depth. Well done.
Meisiekind
All has been said above. I enjoyed your "ramble" like Andrea called it as much as the comments! Excellent - both narrative and image! I'm a very simple creature - all I really KNOW about technology is that it is there and I use it where possible and that I get very irritated if it doesn't work!
pauldeleu
I love this.
sandra46
SUPERLATIVE WORK! GREAT IMAGE!
Orinoor
I love the shot, what incredible colors! As always, you give us much to ponder...
KatesFriend
Well this one certainly went off in some weird directions. There is a wonderful elegance to the old fashioned printed circuit board. So very logical and mathematical with clean parallel lines. And with thin film manufacturing the manifestation of a colour burst of jewel tones. The Moorish artisans of old would be very intrigued. Oh yeah, I also posses a still functional, nixi-tube electronic adding machine. Really cool. With regards to AI, I sometimes believe that we are attempting to create a human (or human thinking) machine parallel without going through the requisite evolution that our form of life passed through. To this end I expect an AI would evolve slowly while accumulating requisite "life experience" as we do. This might be a secondary stumbling block to the creation of a "thinking" machine - we don't allow it enough time to be nurtured. Unlike our mythical creators, humans have little patience for this kind of work. I like your observations on the God vs. Lucifer myths too. I wonder how a Buddhist or a perhaps a Sioux might approach the evolutionary struggles between man and machine. Alas, it might not make for much action and would be a flop at the box office. A TV mini-series on the other hand... Our greatest challenge however will come the day the machines insist upon being payed for their troubles. And if the modern robber barons believe unionized labour is a potent threat to their granite clad empires, just wait until the computers go socialist. But wait, there's more. Then the day will come when they'll stop fighting our wars for us. Then how will we take our treasure from those who owned it in the first place? I call that, "the dreaded peace curve".
RodS
Very cool the way you've lighted this circuit board, Chip! Technology makes for good art in the hands of an artist!
danapommet
Imagine how much gold gets tossed into the dumps and landfills of the world.