Are Your Circuits Offended?

I just came across this fantastic old Sci Fi flick, "The Creation of the Humanoids" on S. F. Signal. It was directed by Wesley E. Barry in 1962 and stars Don Megowan, Erica Elliot, Don Doolittle, George Milan, Dudley Manlove, and Frances McCann. The film is based on Jack Williamson's novel The Humanoids.

Not only is it an entertaining watch, packed full of old sixties aesthetics, charm and quirk, but, like Bladerunner and so many other Sci Fi stories, it explores the unanswerable question, "What defines us has humans?"

Is Mankind simply a state of mind?

Dreams from a Petrified Head's character, Amanda Sage, rallies against a dehumanization or a loss of the human soul that burgeons as the human race becomes more and more robotic serving as devil's advocate against all those who push for it.

Perhaps the pendulum could swing too far if Transhumanism pushes it too hard.

Oh, the Humanity!

For those of you interested in (or frightened of) human bionic enhancements, take a peek at this new magazine, H+, which I hear is an offshoot of Wired (which was apparently an offshoot of Mondo 2000). So I hear.

From their 'about' page:

h+ covers technological, scientific, and cultural trends that are changing — and will change — human beings in fundamental ways. We will be following developments in areas like NBIC (nano-bio-info-cog), longevity, performance enhancement and self-modification, Virtual Reality, "The Singularity," and other areas that both promise and threaten to radically alter our lives and our view of the world and ourselves.

More than that, h+ aims to reflect this newest edge culture by featuring creative expressions of humanity on a razor's edge where daily life and science fiction seem to be merging.

They all seem to have such an idealistic view of the future. They can certainly dream.

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Jeremy's Menagerie - Works of Art and Delicate Antiques for the Set

Jeremy, the main character in our story, is a curio collector. Why he holds a menagerie of 'Future Antiques' is never outwardly explained in the script, yet his interest in times-gone-by accompanied by a misunderstanding of what these objects might have been used for, is revealed in the movie, both to the character and to us, the movie's viewers. They allude to Jeremy's fate.


Dan Ouellette's Sex Mask for Religious People


To find objects worthy of Jeremy's curiosity, Anagnorisis Fine Arts has been brought on board to 'curate' the items. Thus far they've confirmed works by artists Christopher Conte and Erin Colleen Williams. Also, engineer Tim Mullen, will be lending parts of his impressive collection of Victorian Era antiques.


Christopher Conte's Chronos II

Items ranging from old medical devices to ornate appliances will be in Jeremy's home along with Williams's steampunk creations and Conte's Humanist sculptures will be seen readily throughout the film. Also in the collection will be Director Dan Ouellette's own mask sculpture, "Sex Mask for Religious People."

More info on this yet to come!