The film opens up by emphasizing the three laws, and it also shows Spooner and a girl being saved by a robot from drowning in a sinking car.
We know that the point of view is First Person POV because we only know everything that Del Spooner is going through and has gone through. We also know his dreams/nightmares.
The first song played is Superstition by Stevie Wonder.
We see a very interesting establishing shot of the director's idea of Chicago in 1835.
Another shot that caught my attention was a low-angle shot of a large robot which was made seem larger by the shot. This emphasizes Del's skepticism and paranoia towards the robots and foreshadows that the Robots will at one point become corrupt. The same statue is later looked down upon by Del, making it seem insignificant.
The scene where Del and a girl were trapped in a sinking car reoccurs prior to him waking from a nightmare (motif). Apparently, a robot measured the logical percentage of survival between Del and younger girl named Sarah. Del had a 45% chance of survival while Sarah only had 11%. Del claimed that 11% was more than enough, and that a HUMAN would have known that.
Dr. Lanning's idea that robots will develop dreams, feelings, and a way to keep secrets is stressed.
In the end, Spooner was the only one who would have been able to decipher the clues or 'breadcrumbs' because of his severe prejudice toward the robots.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
i,Robot (Pgs. 206 to pg. 272)
Summary:
"Evidence" starts out by talking about how the jump through hyperspace was perfected. Evidently, they also have human colonies on other planets.We meet Francis Quinn, who was a politician of the new school. Quinn neither ran for office nor campaigned for votes, and made no speeches. Quinn and Dr. Lanning discuss Stephen Byerley's possibility of being the new mayor and how it was in Lanning's best interest to keep him a district attorney. Just when Dr. Lanning thinks that he is doing a good job at concealing Byerley by saying how closely he's investigated him, Quinn couldn't help but remark that Byerley doesn't eat! It is to Quinn's understanding that Byerley has never been seen eating or drinking, and he adds emphasis on the word 'never.' He claims that Byerley has not been seen drinking in the 'aqueous'—or alcoholic senses for that matter, nor does he sleep. Dr. Lanning soon realizes that Quinn is suggesting that Byerley is inhuman—a robot.
Quote:
This quote grabbed my attention because it went the extra mile in terms of descriptive details. The purpose of meticulously describing Quinn was to emphasize that he was serious. There wasn't just any pause after Byerley's warning about searching his teacher's 'country place,' rather, there was a pause of 'moderate length.' His face is also described as 'imaged' so perhaps full of color and life and that it got bigger. Quinn and Byerley were arguing about searching for a place that belonged to Stephen Allen Byerley, because Byerley did not think that he would find any robots there. The lines on his forehead weren't just lines, but they were 'fine' lines. This part immediately reminded me of my brother and how he has a habit to wrinkle his forehead by bringing his eyebrows together. There is very good imagery here.
"Evidence" starts out by talking about how the jump through hyperspace was perfected. Evidently, they also have human colonies on other planets.We meet Francis Quinn, who was a politician of the new school. Quinn neither ran for office nor campaigned for votes, and made no speeches. Quinn and Dr. Lanning discuss Stephen Byerley's possibility of being the new mayor and how it was in Lanning's best interest to keep him a district attorney. Just when Dr. Lanning thinks that he is doing a good job at concealing Byerley by saying how closely he's investigated him, Quinn couldn't help but remark that Byerley doesn't eat! It is to Quinn's understanding that Byerley has never been seen eating or drinking, and he adds emphasis on the word 'never.' He claims that Byerley has not been seen drinking in the 'aqueous'—or alcoholic senses for that matter, nor does he sleep. Dr. Lanning soon realizes that Quinn is suggesting that Byerley is inhuman—a robot.
Quote:
"There was a pause of moderate length, and then Quinn leaned forward, so that his imaged-face expanded and the fine lines on his forehead were visible..." (Asimov 231).Reaction:
This quote grabbed my attention because it went the extra mile in terms of descriptive details. The purpose of meticulously describing Quinn was to emphasize that he was serious. There wasn't just any pause after Byerley's warning about searching his teacher's 'country place,' rather, there was a pause of 'moderate length.' His face is also described as 'imaged' so perhaps full of color and life and that it got bigger. Quinn and Byerley were arguing about searching for a place that belonged to Stephen Allen Byerley, because Byerley did not think that he would find any robots there. The lines on his forehead weren't just lines, but they were 'fine' lines. This part immediately reminded me of my brother and how he has a habit to wrinkle his forehead by bringing his eyebrows together. There is very good imagery here.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
i,Robot (Pg. 136 to pg. 205)
Summary:
"Little Lost Robot" opens up by Spooner inquiring some of the history of robotics from Dr. Calvin. He justifies himself for wanting to know by talking about how there was only one mind-reading robot ever developed, that Space-Stations were obsolete, and that robot mining was taken for granted. We find out from Dr. Calvin that interstellar travel was not a simple feat and that until they had been trying until they invented the brain. Dr. Calvin's direct connection with interstellar research was in 2029, when a robot was lost. Drs. Calvin and Bogert, respectively Head Psychologist and Mathematical Director of United States Robot & Mechanical Men Corporation, were summoned by Dr. Kallner. Dr. Kallner had lost a robot and needed 'expert' help. Dr. Calvin almost embarrassed Dr. Kallner by asking what difference does a single robot make and why it had not yet been located. In self-defense, Dr. Kallner replies by saying that it had been located 'in a manner of speaking.' A cargo vessel was carrying 62 robots and now there were 63, a 'prodigal' robot was among the others, and it could not be identified.
Quote:
I picked this quote because removal of the first law would mean havoc. The first law is that they mustn't harm a human being. But what happens when the first and second law conflict. The second law is that they must obey human orders. The whole notion came about because of the Hyperatomic Drive. The etherist physicists want robots that won't interfere with them, that means bending the first rule. Peter says that he knows what that would mean, and the word he uses is 'instability.' Later on, a robot, number 28 gets interrogated. He was asked if he was in the Radiation Room of building two, and he answers yes. He was then asked if there a man who was dying in there, the answer was again, yes. He then had to justify himself for as to why he took no action to help the man. The reason was that the man had asked for the robot to not help. Because the robot had to follow rule number two, this violated rule number one.
"Little Lost Robot" opens up by Spooner inquiring some of the history of robotics from Dr. Calvin. He justifies himself for wanting to know by talking about how there was only one mind-reading robot ever developed, that Space-Stations were obsolete, and that robot mining was taken for granted. We find out from Dr. Calvin that interstellar travel was not a simple feat and that until they had been trying until they invented the brain. Dr. Calvin's direct connection with interstellar research was in 2029, when a robot was lost. Drs. Calvin and Bogert, respectively Head Psychologist and Mathematical Director of United States Robot & Mechanical Men Corporation, were summoned by Dr. Kallner. Dr. Kallner had lost a robot and needed 'expert' help. Dr. Calvin almost embarrassed Dr. Kallner by asking what difference does a single robot make and why it had not yet been located. In self-defense, Dr. Kallner replies by saying that it had been located 'in a manner of speaking.' A cargo vessel was carrying 62 robots and now there were 63, a 'prodigal' robot was among the others, and it could not be identified.
Quote:
"The psychologist stared at him. 'Peter, don't you know realize what all this is about? Can't you understand what the removal of the First Law means? It isn't just a matter of secrecy" (Asimov 144).Reaction:
I picked this quote because removal of the first law would mean havoc. The first law is that they mustn't harm a human being. But what happens when the first and second law conflict. The second law is that they must obey human orders. The whole notion came about because of the Hyperatomic Drive. The etherist physicists want robots that won't interfere with them, that means bending the first rule. Peter says that he knows what that would mean, and the word he uses is 'instability.' Later on, a robot, number 28 gets interrogated. He was asked if he was in the Radiation Room of building two, and he answers yes. He was then asked if there a man who was dying in there, the answer was again, yes. He then had to justify himself for as to why he took no action to help the man. The reason was that the man had asked for the robot to not help. Because the robot had to follow rule number two, this violated rule number one.
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