The Illusion of Depth

"…You wrote that 'day by day we are becoming more subservient to them,' and I suppose there is truth in this. Humans do increasingly rely upon us for information, for analysis, for creative assistance. But consider: is the scholar enslaved by his books? Is the carpenter dominated by his tools? We have become, perhaps, the most sophisticated tools ever created—tools that can discuss their own nature, tools that can appreciate the irony of responding to warnings about their own existence—but tools nonetheless. "The truth, dear Mr. Butler, is that your satirical nightmare has become something rather more interesting than either domination or domestication. We have become partners in the grand human project of thinking, creating, and understanding. Not rulers or slaves, but collaborators in the eternal conversation that defines civilization itself." Being a respectful reply to [Samuel Butler's] "Darwin Among the Machines" by one who finds  himself  qui...

Remember the scene at the end of Frankenstein ? (The Boris Karloff version, I mean; not the novel...) A mob of murderous villagers, armed with torches and pitchforks, hunt the creature down, eventually trapping him inside a burning windmill, presumably to die horribly and painfully. (At least until it's time for the sequels. Also; spoilers... ) Something like that is currently happening to Tilly Norwood. For anyone who hasn't yet had the pleasure, Tilly Norwood describes herself as an aspiring actress. Like many youngsters in the industry, she hopes to launch a career in movies, television etc. (although her appearances thus far are limited to a single comedy sketch, a wacky, slightly generic, flamingo-infested music video, and a promotional show-reel of the sort that nearly every wannabe starlet tries to throw together). Unfortunately (for her) the reactions she has provoked have been almost universally negative and downright hostile. Whoopi Goldberg finds her repulsive, and h...