The Random Comic Strip

The Random Comic Strip

Words to live by...

"How beautiful it is to do nothing, and to rest afterward."

[Spanish Proverb]

Ius luxuriae publice datum est

(The right to looseness has been officially given)

"Everyone carries a part of society on his shoulders," wrote Ludwig von Mises, "no one is relieved of his share of responsibility by others. And no one can find a safe way for himself if society is sweeping towards destruction. Therefore everyone, in his own interest, must thrust himself vigorously into the intellectual battle."

Apparently, the crossword puzzle that disappeared from the blog, came back.


Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Extant


I watch a lot of TV. I think possibly too much TV. But, I rationalize, I don't pay all that much attention to whatever I am watching... most of the time. The exceptions are shows that demand my attention (usually crime shows) to details of the story. The rest I watch while playing solitaire, or doing crossword puzzles, on my tablet. I have a short attention span, I suppose.

Anyway, I wrote a post in which I talked about programming robots and humans not long ago. And now there is a TV show which has that as a part of it. The show is called "Extant" and it is better than I thought it would be. I figured, at first, that it would simply be a showcase for Halle Berry's talents (or "ta-tas") but I was wrong. It is that, of course, but it also has a character that fits right in with my take on human/robot programming. That character is "Ethan", an android (called a "humanich" in the show) that serves as a kind of surrogate son to Halle Berry and her husband on the show. The husband (a brilliant scientist, of course) created Ethan as a prototype and an experiment.  And there is a sub-plot surrounding the husband's experiments... all tied into, I suspect, whatever is happening to Ms Berry's character.


There is an interesting (but not well thought out or explored) exchange when someone asks the husband what plans he has to terminate the Ethan experiment (and, therefore, Ethan) if the experiment begins causing problems (meaning if Ethan becomes hostile and violent toward humans... did these people not read "I, Robot?").
 


1 comment:

Notes From ABroad said...

I watched one episode too .. the last one, when she finds out that she is .... so it kinda caught my attention... I want to see what happens next !