fieldNotes are the minisodes between full episodes where I answer your questions and ramble a bit.
Shayari Mukherjee, a scholar in South Asia, sent me a three part question I haven’t stopped thinking about. Is “low life” a required part of cyberpunk? Can the main character come from the high life? And can the high life ever not be the villain?
So I take them in order and detour through Westworld and Frankenstein, and end up somewhere I wasn’t expecting.
Tell me where I’m wrong, I love to hear it!!
sources and things mentioned
Kevin Kelly, “Protopia,” The Technium (2011): kk.org/thetechnium/protopia
The Protopias Collection (AWA Studios), sent by Ari Wallach
Bruce Sterling (ed.), Mirrorshades: The Cyberpunk Anthology (1986), and its preface
William Gibson, Neuromancer (1984): Case, and the Tessier-Ashpool family
Neal Stephenson, Snow Crash (1992): Hiro Protagonist
Ghost in the Shell (1995): Major Kusanagi, Public Security Section 9
Blade Runner (1982): Deckard
Mary Shelley, Frankenstein (1818)
Westworld (2016)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993): Kira NerysI credit “high tech, low life” to the Mirrorshades preface in the episode. The preface makes the argument, but I can’t pin that exact phrase to it from a primary source, so if you know where it actually starts send it over. See you in the future!
The books from this episode are on my Bookshop. Our book club is reading Neuromancer through October with a live discussion on Sunday 25 October, free on Patreon. I love your questions, keep them coming!! send them on Instagram (@githugs_) or email me at [email protected].
Theme music by Nicholas Rivera. Hosted and produced by kire (githugs). Thank you to my founding patrons, who make this show possible: Erin · Leslie · yeS · YR · Brittney · gel_seven · Omar · Gavin · rvparks · Karl-Georg · Raynald · Daniel · Jason
