Kc’s Comments (group member since Mar 02, 2013)

Kc’s comments from the EDCMOOC group.

Thanks Asta. I've really enjoyed reading other people's suggestions.

that would be great Rick.

Also, I have added a poll for October's read https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1...

Ta
K

Thanks Chris. I haven't read it yet but looking forward to it!

Hi all,
We are reading The Little Black Box by Philip K Dick (Short Story) in September for a twitter chat on Saturday 4th October (Sun. for NZ).

The book is available here (in this collection) http://www.octobot.net/library/Dick,%...

Please post any comments as usual here.

Hi Asta,
We haven't got a poll yet - I'll pop one up...! Please feel free to add text suggestions to it
K

Good questions. I finished it a week or so ago, need to refresh my memory! Pre internet days, but interesting and relevant to our techy world.

White Noise by Don DeLillo is our August read for discussion on Saturday 6th September at 21:30 (UK time) (Sunday for NZ).

I found an e-book here http://ebookbrowsee.net/don-delillo-w... or it's not very expensive for the Kindle or as a used book.

Chris has kindly agreed to moderate. Please post any comments/themes etc. below as usual!

Thanks
K

August read for a chat on Saturday September 6th

Great questions... I've tried to summarise these below:

1. What did you think of the book? Style of writing?

2. How does the story expose the cult of celebrity? How close was James Tiptree to describing how modern audiences interact with celebrity?

3. Do you think the Internet has removed the "vortex of lies and garbage" or replaced it?

4. 'Automated inbuilt viewer feedback'. Should we fear the tyranny of buzz & mainstream as a weakening of art?

5. Does advertising take away or enhance our identity? Does technology?

6. Stealth marketing and schools. Should we let companies enter our schools?

The film 'The Joneses' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Joneses - thanks Stephane for the comparison!

We have a new poll for August's read (September chat) - please vote here

https://www.goodreads.com/poll/list/9...

-- we will need a moderator for this one too, anyone is welcome to volunteer!

A few themes have emerged for me. It was a strange book and I think I need to read it again for it to sink in (if I have time!)

How does the story expose the cult of celebrity? How close was James Tiptree to describing how modern audiences interact with celebrity?

I think many of our stories explore the idea of identity, virtual worlds and the philosophical 'brain in a vat' problem. For P. Burke - what becomes of her own identity towards the end of the story?

Why is advertising banned? What are the parallels with modern 21st Century methods of advertising?

What does P. Burke represent?

Please add more suggestions and I'll summarise some questions tomorrow.

Thanks! K

Hi all,
This is July's read for a chat on August 2nd (Saturday 21:30-22:30 UK Time).

It's available online here http://t.co/6Jpo7lJnTz

Please post any comments or discussions. Follow the chat on Twitter using the #edcmchat hashtag.

K

I will try to be there - out at a friends today and might be out tonight though (it doesn't happen very often!). Sorry in advance if I miss it - I really did enjoy this story.

I can mod in August however!

K

Just read it. Very powerful story. It drew parallels for me with climate change.

It was nice also to read a story with a strong collectivist over individualist theme - interesting exploration of cultures. Is Western individualism being exported? Something that I've thought about recently... Are Moocs a form of Western hegemony?

Looking forward to the chat. Thanks Linda for modding!

Congratulations on your new baby :-)

Thanks Linda! Looking forward to reading this.
K

This book by Ken Liu is our June read for discussion on Saturday 5th July (Sunday in NZ).

It's a short story available on the web here http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fic...

Please add themes and thoughts below.

We also need a mod for this one!

K

I was blown away by the story - I need to re-read it later on today for it to sink in! There were so many themes crammed into this short text. Consciousness, the environment, our position in the cosmos, AI, existentialism...

Thanks indeed Rob for putting this on the list!

I'll read it over the next day or two and post some ideas then.
K