IMPO: In My Professional Opinion...

The Lifecycle of Software Objects (2010) is a Hugo and Locus Award-winning novella by Ted Chiang and can be found in his collection Exhalation.

Most science fiction is a series of puzzle box solving where a technological premise is introduced, and the storyteller consequently spends the rest of the time trying to keep the plot twists believable. But Ted Chiang does something much deeper. His premise, in this case, sentient avatars that can develop a sense of personhood, fracture our world view in ways profound and mundane. Multiple themes are explored: the emergence and pivots of a business plan; an almost love story; the trials and tribulations of raising cyber children; and the definition, construction, maintenance, and financing of community. All these stories ebb and flow like some narrative currents to toss the reader through an Odyssey of the bizarre yet familiar.

Each of these songs tries to evoke some facet of the journey.

“Hey Boo!” Introduces the premise. Tech entrepreneurs demonstrate their predilection to blow up the world with their inventions. Along the way, they recognize that a softer touch may make their product compelling. They cannot repeal their condescending essence but they need others.

“In too Deep” explores the quandary of stumbling into relationships that grow much deeper and profound than expected or initially desired. There is ambivalence in yearning for a simpler time while being inexorably drawn through a relationship that reveals hidden facets of your own self.

“The Right Community” laments the burden of parenthood and the unique challenges of drawing the contours of the relationships and community. On the frontiers of society, there is no luxury of working from precedent. Instead, the characters stumble through community definition but are constantly being presented with new challenges that test their resolve.

“Houston, We Have a Problem” introduces the cold reality of finances into the world of utopian community building. Existential challenges come with urgency that do not allow for reflection, only action.

“Do you Wuv Me” pushes the uncomfortable fact that child rearing may not match original expectations. At what point should respect for autonomy supersede the omni present feeling of parental responsibility?

“The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” was written by Ursula K. Le Guin and published in 1973. In addition to being one of my favorite stories, I think it is a biting thought experiment that asks what type of community we want to live in and what we are willing to give up for it.

There are vast spaces between the written narrative, and it leaves the reader with a lot of room to concoct characters, voices, and dialogue. The second episode already tangentially discussed the story, but here are some of the voices in my head when I read this story.

What voices do you hear? What musical genre should I defile next?Leave a comment below.

Yumi and Martin join me in discussing the impact Nirvana had on our lives. They were a rebuttal to the highly produced music of the eighties. Given the changes in our media consumption habits and technological cocooning, can someone ever shake us like they did?

A couple points, when Yumi refers to bijuaru-kei bands, it means hair metal bands. Also ohshee katsu is the phenomenon where people demonstrate their devotion to their media heroes.

Of course no episode would be complee without a diversion into AI and work culture.

Martin and Kouji use Ted Chiang’s short story The Lifecycle of Software Objects as a platform to discuss the concept of personhood, inequity, and the political process. Along the way, Martin admits to failing the Turing Test and hunting culinary heretics.

If you find this conversation interesting, and even if you don’t, look for Ted Chiang’s collection of short stories, Exhalation where this story resides. You can probably find it if you search on the story title from some errant English class that didn’t lock down their site. But I think he is an author worth having on your bookshelf, even if your bookshelf is in the cloud.

Four AI songs help you get through the meandering. Do you find them amusing, or annoying? Please subscribe and leave your thoughts in the comments section.

Martin and Kouji use the 1967 James Bond film set in Japan to discuss ecological disaster, class conflict, and the true meaning of power in LOTR.

This episode allows Martin and Kouji to flex their nerd gaming muscles. Hear Martin seethe over my shallow grasp of legacy graphic engines. I attempt to return serve with an origin story of Halo, but it is too little too late… game, set, and match Mr. Killman.

The foundational piece of media for this conversation is a 30 minute stand alone episode in Apple TV’s Mythic Quest called Dark Quiet Death. Aside from providing fertile material for my AI songs, the episode is one of my favorite pieces of television. If you don’t have Apple TV, spend the $3.99 to watch this show, but you can still listen to the song and get the gist of the show.

We discuss the tension between creativity and commercialization. It is a fine balance that is hard to nurture and even harder to maintain.

Is there any piece of media that you would like to see deconstructed in my professional opinion? Let us know. And definitely let Martin know if the AI songs bring joy into your life.

Some notes for the not-so-nerdish, I don’t think Martin’s RPG hobbies are rocket propelled grenades, they are role playing games.

Martin and Kouji loosely scaffold their conversation around Megazone 23, a set of three animé movies. The first two are available on Amazon Prime if you really want to waste a few hours, but if you listen to the great AI songs included in the podcast, you will get the idea.

Along the way, some other topics include:

* latté art as a reflection of your soul or lack thereof,

* the basis of a just society

* politics and spectator sports

* the attraction of tourism in general and how it relates to Japan

* opening a bar in Tokyo

* AI songs, the appeal or lack thereof

Anything we missed? Let us know in the comments below and you may hear it on our next episode. Actually our next episode will be on one of my favorite pieces of TV. It is a 30 minute stand alone episode in Apple TV’s Mythic Quest called Dark Quiet Death. If you aren’t moved by this, your first drink at my bar is on me.

We discuss Ursula K LeGuinn's "The Ones Who Walked Away from Omelas." It is a great, quick read, but you can get the gist from the songs too. If you enjoy these episodes, please like, subscribe, and leave feedback and ideas for future shows. And even if you are not Hugh Jackman, share your professional opinions.

Our first topic is The Wedding Singer, a 1998 movie starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. There are tons of spoilers here so please give it a watch if you haven’t seen it. 

Yes I realize it is Michael, not Brian Stipe of REM. And Worf’s son’s name is not Lumpy, it is Alexander.

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