There is a scene in "The Algebraist" (2004, Ian M. Banks) the leader of the invading space army (who is ruthless and petty) makes a demand for information of the gas giant aliens known as "the dwellers."
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More interesting to me on this re-read were the bits of the book about artificial intelligences. I don't think many SF writers have hit the mark on the real issues that AI might raise. But it's understandable. Writers care about characters so they want AI to be a character, and they want to wrestle with questions of humanity and discrimination. All very interesting.
Not relevant to the thing that is being called AI right now.
@futurebird
> Writers care about characters so they want AI to be a character, and they want to wrestle with questions of humanity and discriminationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Fire_Upon_the_Deep gas artificial (super)intelligence that's not a character.
Ironically that's a book many current AI boosters were inspired by (as in "yay, we're finally building the Torment Nexus as described in a book 'Don't Build the Torment Nexus'"), except that of course it too is irrelevant to the thing that is being called "AI" right now.
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Just finished that last week as an audiobook and posted the quote where Fassim first discovers that the twin Dweller is an AI and is terrified by being in a confined space with it. On the one hand, it's a lesson in breaking stereotypes. On the other, I'm not sure I believe the AI's claim that they were set up and were actually victims. It's a complex story and I may have missed it, but I don't recall a whole lot of reason to believe them.
It was definitely a departure from his Culture worlds where AIs are almost universally seen as benevolent. I find myself amused by the fact that I can suspend disbelief for faster than light travel and continent-sized orbiting space habitats, but have a much harder time believing in some future, super intelligent yet benevolent AI
️@Mikal @futurebird
Maybe the Minds are benevolent, maybe they keep colonies of humans the way humans keep colonies of ants
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There is a scene in "The Algebraist" (2004, Ian M. Banks) the leader of the invading space army (who is ruthless and petty) makes a demand for information of the gas giant aliens known as "the dwellers."
He proceeds to shoot living people, (just random ordinary people) out of his ship's gun like bullets to suffocate in space.
A decade ago I thought this was a little silly and over the top. "Come on Mr. Banks, I understand you want to lampoon warmongers, but this is too much."
I get it now.
@futurebird Iain was ahead of his time in terms of political consciousness. Alas.
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There is a scene in "The Algebraist" (2004, Ian M. Banks) the leader of the invading space army (who is ruthless and petty) makes a demand for information of the gas giant aliens known as "the dwellers."
He proceeds to shoot living people, (just random ordinary people) out of his ship's gun like bullets to suffocate in space.
A decade ago I thought this was a little silly and over the top. "Come on Mr. Banks, I understand you want to lampoon warmongers, but this is too much."
I get it now.
@futurebird Wild how Russia combined all that and repeatedly sent their troops down gas pipelines where they suffocated.
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@futurebird @tshirtman that's Oz, right? You're talking about Oz. And so in Searle's story, there *is* no man behind the curtain. The wizard isn't a charlatan, instead he doesn't actually exist! We're just talking to a great head that echoes what other people have told it. We hear echoes that sound like answers. If people say that there is no wizard, we laugh it off or indeed get angry, refuse to look. Even if we agree there isn't any wizard, we may still say "the wizard told me"...
@futurebird @tshirtman it was very late at night here when I wrote this. In the light of day I see it owes a lot to https://bsky.app/profile/joles.bsky.social/post/3logjuqggkk2q
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There is a scene in "The Algebraist" (2004, Ian M. Banks) the leader of the invading space army (who is ruthless and petty) makes a demand for information of the gas giant aliens known as "the dwellers."
He proceeds to shoot living people, (just random ordinary people) out of his ship's gun like bullets to suffocate in space.
A decade ago I thought this was a little silly and over the top. "Come on Mr. Banks, I understand you want to lampoon warmongers, but this is too much."
I get it now.
@futurebird and the Dwellers win that one by not caring. "Oh dear, we hope you do not run out of people". I don't know if there is moral in it, I hope not.
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@marick @futurebird That’s a possibility, but it makes the Culture much less attractive.
@michaelgemar @marick @futurebird
> That’s a possibility
I always thought that was very clear. I love Banks' SF and read it all as it was published -- I chose _The Wasp Factory_ to write about as part of my Eng Lit 'A' level and so was very interested when that guy announced he was doing an SF novel.
I was instantly hooked by _Consider Phlebas_, and met Banksie several times -- he was a wonderfully entertaining public speaker.
So, yes, _long_ exposure to the Culture, and it was always apparent the human(oid)s were essentially pets. _Excession_ spelled out that the Minds' real attention lay elsewhere anyway.
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@michaelgemar @marick @futurebird
> That’s a possibility
I always thought that was very clear. I love Banks' SF and read it all as it was published -- I chose _The Wasp Factory_ to write about as part of my Eng Lit 'A' level and so was very interested when that guy announced he was doing an SF novel.
I was instantly hooked by _Consider Phlebas_, and met Banksie several times -- he was a wonderfully entertaining public speaker.
So, yes, _long_ exposure to the Culture, and it was always apparent the human(oid)s were essentially pets. _Excession_ spelled out that the Minds' real attention lay elsewhere anyway.
@lproven @michaelgemar @marick
"The Wasp Factory" was a bit too much for me. I still don't know how I feel about it. It's just so dark.
Or maybe it seems dark because Banks can write stories brimming with hope and optimism. Dude has another side, though.
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@lproven @michaelgemar @marick
"The Wasp Factory" was a bit too much for me. I still don't know how I feel about it. It's just so dark.
Or maybe it seems dark because Banks can write stories brimming with hope and optimism. Dude has another side, though.
@futurebird You're not alone in struggling with ‘The Wasp Factory’. I found ‘Walking on Glass’ to be a likewise difficult read.
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@futurebird You're not alone in struggling with ‘The Wasp Factory’. I found ‘Walking on Glass’ to be a likewise difficult read.
@krans @futurebird @michaelgemar @marick
I *like* _The Wasp Factory_. I mean, yes, just fantastically dark, but roll with it and it's an amazing novel.
Personally, I do not get on with Iain no-M Banks' books, but then, I do not especially like mainstream fiction. I prefer SF.
_The Bridge_ is interesting; _Complicity_ fun but I spotted the twist very early, which ruined it; _Transitions_ I consider a stealth IMB novel; and honestly, the rest I've read so far (maybe half of them: _Walking on Glass_, _Espedair St_, _Canal Dreams_) left me cold.
Iain was deep. A legit genuine genius, a many with many many layers, who found a way to have fun and not work too hard.
The books have layers too, and if you peel back the "surface detail" -- *big* hint there -- what's left is not pretty.
The Culture is a paradise, just like a luxury aquarium is paradise for certain exotic fish. It's very carefully maintained & undesirable species ruthlessly suppressed to keep it all lovely and nice to live in for certain pampered species that get along with each other.
Many of those fish can't survive in the wild. Many relatives and ancestors no longer exist. Only those happy in captivity thrive.
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@futurebird Iain was ahead of his time in terms of political consciousness. Alas.
I heard the British East India Company did this for real in the 19th century, to Indian rebels. Of course the victims didn't die of suffocation.
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