
Floating Over Time
by Robert Reed
She was a machine, fabulously complex and durable and imaginative. She was also alive...

Music by
The Brothers Femme
Ah, well I never got the impression it was set in a deciduous forest so I went with a swampy ambience to indicate there being a lake/waterMr. Tweedy wrote:
Nitpick: One of the outdoor ambient sound effects sounded like jungle, not deciduous forest. It kind of took me out of the moment.
i'm always a little disappointed when someone catches a glimpse of the fantastic nature of reality and the best that they can do with it is anthropomorphization. imposing some sort of larger, more powerful version of themselves to create meaning where they don't see any at the moment.Mr. Tweedy wrote:How can one hear about string theory or quantum mechanics, how can one contemplate the vast wonders of space and not be impressed by the sheer magnitude of possibility? Can there be any justification in saying "There is no (insert noun)"?
To say 'the fantastic nature of reality' is to assert that the nature of reality is fantasy. If anthropomorphization is a fantasy, then, aren't you asserting it is reality?deflective wrote:i'm always a little disappointed when someone catches a glimpse of the fantastic nature of reality and the best that they can do with it is anthropomorphization. imposing some sort of larger, more powerful version of themselves to create meaning where they don't see any at the moment.Mr. Tweedy wrote:How can one hear about string theory or quantum mechanics, how can one contemplate the vast wonders of space and not be impressed by the sheer magnitude of possibility? Can there be any justification in saying "There is no (insert noun)"?
don't get me wrong, imposing any sort of explanation without a well reasoned justification is flawed. just that anthropomorphization seems like a particularly lazy way to go.
not even a little. congrats on a self-aware choice of name though =)strawman wrote:To say 'the fantastic nature of reality' is to assert that the nature of reality is fantasy. If anthropomorphization is a fantasy, then, aren't you asserting it is reality?
we see faces in woodgrains and clouds because we're used to seeing faces. it takes a lot of work to free your mind from expectation and just accept what's in front of you instead of always interpreting so that it fits in with the familiar. lots of work, but that's when you see the really interesting stuff.strawman wrote:I think that its precisely because we do see meaning in creation, we are struck by the fact that our own hunger for meaning, and our desire to communicate meaning in stories, is in harmony with creation. It is like the merbaby... it is just... like... us.
Sure seems like the opposite of lazy to me.
I saw and heard and shaped this artistic, amorphous tale into an intellectual and non-theistic experience, because that existential approach is bounded by my own personal beliefs. But, this beautiful and deep and majestic tale may also support and renew the beliefs of somebody who is religious, and they may have felt their mystery and faith and spirituality reborn.They blur all those lines that we're used to keeping sharp and show how everything can flow together.
I'd love to hear you guys expound. I started another thread for the purpose. Stop on over if you don't mind some friendly discussion with a guy who considers himself ultra-religious.Igwiz wrote:So, for me, this story was far from religious. But then, so am I.
this is similar to my impression. compared to the ship we're like mayflies but in the end we all have to face our death. more time doesn't make it any easier, resolving yourself to the nature of existence and your inevitable end. it was a human who found his peace and welcomed the ship.Igwiz wrote:But, "life" with a little "l" was still somehow precious, particularly to the individual that was living it. Regardless of whether it was a 70 year-old human who was choosing to die, or a multi-million year old organic computer, it was life, with a little "l," that was precious. It may have been simple, or totally remarkable, but in the end, one was no more precious than the other. They just... were.
I agree. Excellent comment.deflective wrote: i'm always a little disappointed when someone catches a glimpse of the fantastic nature of reality and the best that they can do with it is anthropomorphization. imposing some sort of larger, more powerful version of themselves to create meaning where they don't see any at the moment.
don't get me wrong, imposing any sort of explanation without a well reasoned justification is flawed. just that anthropomorphization seems like a particularly lazy way to go.