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The Cyborg Prophecy: Reading Between Isaac Asimov's Lines
The Cyborg Prophecy: Reading between Isaac Asimov’s Lines Rudrani Gangopadhyay Jadavpur University, Kolkata Abstract: Donna Haraway’s “Cyborg Manifesto” describes the Cyborg as a conjunction of technology and discourse. It argues that a prosthesis becomes a cyborg element when it is integrated with the identity of an individual, and a cyborg is created by the almost symbiotic union of robotic and organic elements. Isaac Asimov, in his short story “The Bicentennial Man” for example, narrates the story of such a remarkable union of robotic and human parts and asserts, at the end, that the resultant system is, essentially, human. A cyborg, therefore, is ‘meta-human’, being somewhat enhanced (by the use of technology) in certain ways in comparison to a human being. There isa mass cyborgization of the global population taking place today. The kind of blurring of boundaries between exogenous and endogenous parts within the system of a human being that one had, so far, only come across in science fiction, is fast coming to life. The obvious example of prosthetics aside, gadgets like cellphone headsets, touchscreen phones and similar electronic devices have been rendered extensions of the human system, merging seamlessly with the organic identities and consequently, making cyborgs out of everyone. The relevance of literature featuring cyborgs, which have, in a way, acted as prophecies for human civilization, therefore cannot be emphasized enough. This paper explores the cyborg identity in select works of Isaac Asimov and reflect on the fast occurring cyborgization of the (meta-)human race in reality. Keywords: Science Fiction, Isaac Asimov, Cyborg, Cybernetics, Body Studies Donna Haraway, in the famous “Cyborg Manifesto,” describes a cyborg as a conjunction of technology and discourse (Haraway 149). -
Independent Visions of Excess
Cine-Excess 13 Independent Visions of Excess 7th-9th November 2019 BCU (Margaret Street Campus) & Associated Screening Venues in the Region Guests of Honour: Jen and Sylvia Soska (Directors: American Mary, Rabid [2019]) Norman J. Warren (Director: Prey, Inseminoid) 1 Day 1 Thursday 7th November 2019 (Birmingham City University Margaret Street Campus) 9.30am-10am Conference Registration and Coffee: Margaret Street Foyer, BCU 10am-10.15am CONFERENCE WELCOME (Room IPS) 10.15am-12pm PANEL 1: Split: Representations of Age, Disability and Mental Health in Cult Cinema (Room GO1) CHAIR: Iain Robert Smith 1. Re-B.O.R.N: Challenging ageism in Ross Hagen’s grade z cinema Amanda Reyes (Independent Scholar) 2. The validation of a traumagenic mental disorder in Split Kanwal Jit Singh (Punjabi University) 3. Dying of fright, or what horror films can tell us about the autistic experience Ethan Lyon (Queen Mary University) 10.15am-12pm PANEL 2: New Blood: Critical Approaches to Horror (Room IPS) CHAIR: Alex Fitch 1. Bloody muscles on VHS: When Asia extreme met the video nasties Jonathan Wroot (University of Greenwich) 2. Hard-Core Horror at the Margins: Independence, experimentation and extremity in the films of Phil Stevens Eddie Falvey (University of Exeter/Plymouth College of Art) 3. A Master of Horror? The making and marketing of Takashi Miike’s horror reputation Joe Hickinbottom (University of Exeter) 12pm – 1pm LUNCH 1pm- 2pm Cine-Excess Keynote 1: Dr Stacey Abbott (Room IPS) 2pm-3.30pm: PANEL 3: Non-Western Visions of Excess (Room GO1) CHAIR: Jonathan Wroot 1. Excessive Colours in Iranian Cinema. -
Vector 45 Muldowney 1967-07 BSFA
45 ******* **************** ********** VECTOR 45 JULY 1967 Editor: PHIL MULDOWNEY. ■ . v ......_ The official Journal of the British Science Fiction Association. ********************************* * EDITORIAL........... ' • -........................ 2 WILL 21st CENTURY CHILDREN BE ALLOWED TO LIVE? . .4* (Audrey , Walton) BEHIND THE SCENES (Malcolm. Edwards) ....... 8. CONSIDERING HOW TO RUN (Tony Ludbery). ..... IO. THE HARRISON LETTER^ _(Harry Harrison)............16. THE LITERARY WORLD. (Reviews and comment). 18 IN DEFENCE OF DAVY (Tom Jones). .18 IN DEFENCE OF MORGAN(Dan Morgan). .20 THE WANDERER (Dan Morgan) . ., .22 NEBULA AW'ARLS I (Tony Sudbery). .\^3 BABEL 17/ The EINSTEIN INTERSECTION?^ (Bryn Fortey) A PLAGUE OF DEMUNS (Phil Muldowney)26 ■ NEW WORLDS 173 (Phil Muldowney). .28 -~ -- ~ THE MAIL RESPONSE (Letters of comment). ..... 29 Neither the editor , nor the B.S.F.A. are necessarily in agreement with opinions expressed within. All communications for VECTOR 46 should be.sent to the editorial address : Phil Muldowney, 7, The Elms, Stoke, Plymouth. Copyright 1967 for the B.S.F.A. The editor would like to express his thanks to DQREEN PARKER and MARY REEL for their assistance. ARTWORK Front cover: Ron Mcguiness. Page 17: M.Read. Back cover; M.Read. k* VECTOR 45/JULY 1967* EDITORIAL. PHIL MULDOWNEY. ******************************** The.editorship of VECTOR jumps about like the veritable jitterbug. It must do so again before long. I am only editing VECTOR pro-tem for the next few issues, and a permanent editor for VECTOR is urgently needed. That is dealt with more fully in the■Bulletin, however. Apologies for typing erroes and other mistakes that may have spoiled the quality of this issue. I plead inexperience. -
BSFG News 368 May 2002
MAY 2002 ISSUE 368 Brum Honorary Presidents: BRIAN W ALDISS Group HARRY HARRISON Committee: Ne w s Vernon Brown (Chairman) Vicky Cook (Secretary) Pat Brown (Treasurer) The Free Monthly Newsletter of the Rog Peyton (Newsletter Editor) BIRMINGHAM + Steve Jones & William McCabe SCIENCE FICTION GROUP NOVACON 32 Chairman: Martin Tudor FRIDAY lOTH MAY PETER WESTON THIS YEAR'S FAN GUEST OF HONOUR AT HELICON, JERSEY, TALKS ABOUT CONVENTIONS, AVOIDING GETTING DRUNK, HUM-AND-SWAY SESSIONS AND HOW TO BECOME A SECRET MASTER OF FANDOM You thought you knew it all? Hah! man didn’t take prisoners. Immediately No way. Peter Weston will introduce seeing that British fanzines were full of you to the part of being a science fiction every subject except science fiction he fan that other fans don’t reach. set out to Change the World. If you Reportedly a robot built by the were a science fiction fan, you talked original Birmingham SF Group in the about SCIENCE FICTION, dammit! early 60s, he appeared almost overnight His fanzine ZENITH - later with no known history and immediately SPECULATION - became THE ‘zine caused a storm in British fandom. This for all self-respecting SCIENCE JUNE Meeting - Fantasy author Juliet E McKenna will be talking to the Group. 1 I FICTION fans, containing articles by The meeting will take place in the many famous SF authors such as Lichfield room on the second floor of Frederik Pohl and H Beam Piper among the Britannia Hotel, New Street others. In the mid-sixties he wrote a fan (entrance in Union Passage almost column for the BSFA’s official journal opposite the Odeon). -
Nebula Awards Showcase 2012
an imprint of Prometheus Books Amherst, NY Published 2012 by Pyr®, an imprint of Prometheus Books Nebula Awards Showcase 2012. Copyright © 2012 by Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA, Inc.). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, digital, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, or conveyed via the Internet or a website without prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations em- bodied in critical articles and reviews. Cover illustration © Michael Whelan Cover design by Grace M. Conti-Zilsberger Inquiries should be addressed to Pyr 59 John Glenn Drive Amherst, New York 14228–2119 VOICE: 716–691–0133 FAX: 716–691–0137 WWW.PYRSF.COM 16 15 14 13 12 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Nebula Awards showcase 2012 / edited by James Patrick Kelly and John Kessel. p. cm. ISBN 978–1–61614–619–1 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN 978–1–61614–620–7 (ebook) 1. Science fiction, American. I. Kelly, James P. (James Patrick) II. Kessel, John. PS648.S3A16 2012 813'.0876208—dc23 2012000382 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper PERMISSIONS “Ponies,” copyright 2010 by Kij Johnson, first published on Tor.com, January 2010. “The Sultan of the Clouds,” copyright 2010 by Geoffrey Landis, first published in Asimov’s Sci- ence Fiction, September 2010. “Map of Seventeen,” copyright 2010 by Christopher Barzak, first published in The Beastly Bride: Tales of the Animal People, edited by Ellen Datlow and Terry Windling, Viking. -
Mediakit with Links.Indd
Strange. Beautiful. Shocking. Surreal. “One of the trailblazing publishers of short-form science fiction, fantasy, and horror.” — Jason Heller, The A.V. Club Mission Statement Apex Magazine (http://www.apex-magazine.com) has been called all of these things since its inception. For more than ten years, Apex has been dazzling readers with its originality, fearlessness, and commitment to the very best. A three-time Hugo nominee, Apex Magazine is regarded as a trailblazer in the field of science fiction. A self-proclaimed mash-up of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, Apex delivers on the adage that a short story can take you to the end of the galaxy and back before dinner. The Magazine Apex has given a megaphone to some of the most unique and com- pelling voices of the past decade. Now one of the most recognizable names in the industry, Apex has become one of the standards that all others try to meet. From its hard-edged science fiction to magical realism, Apex has something to satisfy every fantastic taste. A two- time winner of the Nebula Award for Best Short Story (2014, 2015) and four-time nominee, the magazine continues to provide readers with some of the most thought-provoking and diverse fiction in the genre. Apex Magazine provides a monthly podcast for listeners to hear their favorite stories at a moment’s notice. The magazine also pub- lishes poetry, and it has had numerous pieces nominated for the Rhysling Award. Never one to play it safe, Apex’s stories blur the line between sci- ence fact and science fiction. -
Afrofuturism: the World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture
AFROFUTURISMAFROFUTURISM THE WORLD OF BLACK SCI-FI AND FANTASY CULTURE YTASHA L. WOMACK Chicago Afrofuturism_half title and title.indd 3 5/22/13 3:53 PM AFROFUTURISMAFROFUTURISM THE WORLD OF BLACK SCI-FI AND FANTASY CULTURE YTASHA L. WOMACK Chicago Afrofuturism_half title and title.indd 3 5/22/13 3:53 PM AFROFUTURISM Afrofuturism_half title and title.indd 1 5/22/13 3:53 PM Copyright © 2013 by Ytasha L. Womack All rights reserved First edition Published by Lawrence Hill Books, an imprint of Chicago Review Press, Incorporated 814 North Franklin Street Chicago, Illinois 60610 ISBN 978-1-61374-796-4 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Womack, Ytasha. Afrofuturism : the world of black sci-fi and fantasy culture / Ytasha L. Womack. — First edition. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-61374-796-4 (trade paper) 1. Science fiction—Social aspects. 2. African Americans—Race identity. 3. Science fiction films—Influence. 4. Futurologists. 5. African diaspora— Social conditions. I. Title. PN3433.5.W66 2013 809.3’8762093529—dc23 2013025755 Cover art and design: “Ioe Ostara” by John Jennings Cover layout: Jonathan Hahn Interior design: PerfecType, Nashville, TN Interior art: John Jennings and James Marshall (p. 187) Printed in the United States of America 5 4 3 2 1 I dedicate this book to Dr. Johnnie Colemon, the first Afrofuturist to inspire my journey. I dedicate this book to the legions of thinkers and futurists who envision a loving world. CONTENTS Acknowledgments .................................................................. ix Introduction ............................................................................ 1 1 Evolution of a Space Cadet ................................................ 3 2 A Human Fairy Tale Named Black .................................. -
To Speculative Fictions, a Special Issue of American Literature] Gerry Canavan Marquette University, [email protected]
Marquette University e-Publications@Marquette English Faculty Research and Publications English, Department of 6-1-2011 Preface [to Speculative Fictions, a Special Issue of American Literature] Gerry Canavan Marquette University, [email protected] Accepted version. American Literature, Vol. 83, No. 2 (June 2011): 237-249. DOI. © 2011 Duke University Press. Used with permission. Marquette University e-Publications@Marquette English Faculty Research and Publications/College of Arts and Sciences This paper is NOT THE PUBLISHED VERSION; but the author’s final, peer-reviewed manuscript. The published version may be accessed by following the link in the citation below. American Literature, Vol. 83, No. 2 (2011): 237-249. DOI. This article is © Duke University Press and permission has been granted for this version to appear in e-Publications@Marquette. Duke University Press does not grant permission for this article to be further copied/distributed or hosted elsewhere without the express permission from Duke University Press. Preface Gerry Canavan Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI Priscilla Wald “I don’t read science fiction . I just read serious writers like Proust and Joyce and Kafka. When science fiction has something serious to say, I’ll read it.” —Nicholas Brady, from Philip K. Dick, Radio Free Albemuth (1976) In late 2009, just as we were putting together the call for papers for this special issue, the online science fiction community was deeply engaged in a favorite pastime: arguing with itself about the nature of science fiction. The spur this time was several notorious statements by Margaret Atwood who, once again, was insisting on dissociating her own works—The Handmaid’s Tale, Oryx and Crake, and The Year of the Flood—from the genre, despite similarities in plot and theme. -
JUDITH MERRIL-PDF-Sep23-07.Pdf (368.7Kb)
JUDITH MERRIL: AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY AND GUIDE Compiled by Elizabeth Cummins Department of English and Technical Communication University of Missouri-Rolla Rolla, MO 65409-0560 College Station, TX The Center for the Bibliography of Science Fiction and Fantasy December 2006 Table of Contents Preface Judith Merril Chronology A. Books B. Short Fiction C. Nonfiction D. Poetry E. Other Media F. Editorial Credits G. Secondary Sources About Elizabeth Cummins PREFACE Scope and Purpose This Judith Merril bibliography includes both primary and secondary works, arranged in categories that are suitable for her career and that are, generally, common to the other bibliographies in the Center for Bibliographic Studies in Science Fiction. Works by Merril include a variety of types and modes—pieces she wrote at Morris High School in the Bronx, newsletters and fanzines she edited; sports, westerns, and detective fiction and non-fiction published in pulp magazines up to 1950; science fiction stories, novellas, and novels; book reviews; critical essays; edited anthologies; and both audio and video recordings of her fiction and non-fiction. Works about Merill cover over six decades, beginning shortly after her first science fiction story appeared (1948) and continuing after her death (1997), and in several modes— biography, news, critical commentary, tribute, visual and audio records. This new online bibliography updates and expands the primary bibliography I published in 2001 (Elizabeth Cummins, “Bibliography of Works by Judith Merril,” Extrapolation, vol. 42, 2001). It also adds a secondary bibliography. However, the reasons for producing a research- based Merril bibliography have been the same for both publications. Published bibliographies of Merril’s work have been incomplete and often inaccurate. -
Postcoloniality, Science Fiction and India Suparno Banerjee Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, Banerjee [email protected]
Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2010 Other tomorrows: postcoloniality, science fiction and India Suparno Banerjee Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the English Language and Literature Commons Recommended Citation Banerjee, Suparno, "Other tomorrows: postcoloniality, science fiction and India" (2010). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 3181. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/3181 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. OTHER TOMORROWS: POSTCOLONIALITY, SCIENCE FICTION AND INDIA A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College In partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy In The Department of English By Suparno Banerjee B. A., Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan, West Bengal, India, 2000 M. A., Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan, West Bengal, India, 2002 August 2010 ©Copyright 2010 Suparno Banerjee All Rights Reserved ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My dissertation would not have been possible without the constant support of my professors, peers, friends and family. Both my supervisors, Dr. Pallavi Rastogi and Dr. Carl Freedman, guided the committee proficiently and helped me maintain a steady progress towards completion. Dr. Rastogi provided useful insights into the field of postcolonial studies, while Dr. Freedman shared his invaluable knowledge of science fiction. Without Dr. Robin Roberts I would not have become aware of the immensely powerful tradition of feminist science fiction. -
February 2012 NASFA Shuttle
Te Shutle February 2012 The Next NASFA Meeting is 18 February 2012 at the Regular Time and Location ConCom Meeting 3P, 18 February at Mike K’s House d Oyez, Oyez d Get the Shuttle via Electrons The next NASFA Meeting will be Saturday 18 February by Mike Kennedy, Editor 2012 at the regular time (6P) and the regular location. Meet- ings are at the Renasant Bank’s Community Room, 4245 Bal- With postage rates now up, the time is great to start getting the moral Drive in south Huntsville. Exit the Parkway at Airport Shuttle in PDF form. All you need to do is notify us by emailing Road; head east one short block to the light at Balmoral Drive; <[email protected]>. turn left (north) for less than a block. The bank is on the right, The current plan is for future concom meetings to generally just past Logan’s Roadhouse restaurant. Enter at the front door be on club meeting Saturdays. When possible, they will be at of the bank; turn right to the end of a short hallway. the bank meeting room. When that room is not available early FEBRUARY PROGRAM enough, the concom meeting will typically be at Mike Ken- The February program will be “Short Attention Span Thea- nedy’s house. Due to oddities in the club meeting schedule for ter,” a collection of sf/f/h short videos from around the web, May, June, and July, concom meetings for those months may presented by Mike Kennedy. not be held on the club meeting Saturdays. -
COMP.BASILISK FAQ Frequently Asked Questions About Basilisks
futures COMP.BASILISK FAQ Frequently asked questions about basilisks. the hoary coincidence that Macroscope David Langford appeared in the same year and month as the first episode of the British TV programme 1. What is the purpose of this newsgroup? Monty Python’s Flying Circus, with its famous To provide a forum for discussion of basilisk sketch about the World’s Funniest Joke that OLIVER BURSTON (BLIT) images. Newsnet readers who prefer causes all hearers to laugh themselves to death. low traffic should read comp.basilisk.mod- erated, which carries only high-priority 5. How does a basilisk operate? warnings and identifications of new forms. The short answer is: we mustn’t say. Detailed information is classified beyond Top Secret. 2. Can I post binary files here? The longer answer is based on a popular- If you are capable of asking this question science article by Berryman (New Scientist, you MUST immediately read news.an- 2001), which outlines his thinking. He imag- nounce.newusers, where regular postings ined the human mind as a formal, determin- warn that binary and especially image files istic computational system — a system that, may emphatically not be posted to any as predicted by a variant of Gödel’s Theorem newsgroup. Many countries impose a in mathematics, can be crashed by thoughts mandatory death penalty for such action. that the mind is physically or logically inca- pable of thinking. The Logical Imaging 3. Where does the acronym BLIT come from? Technique presents such a thought in purely The late unlamented Dr Vernon Berryman’s visual form as a basilisk image which our system of maths-to-visual algorithms is optic nerves can’t help but accept.