Mind Matters Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

TagWestworld

a-robot-or-a-woman-half-a-robot-with-mechanical-technological-body-parts-and-upgrades-transhumanism-cyborg-and-artificial-intelligence-stockpack-adobe-stock
a robot or a woman half a robot with mechanical technological body parts and upgrades, transhumanism cyborg and artificial intelligence,
Type
post
Author
Gary Varner
Date
September 2, 2023
Categorized
Arts & Culture, Transhumanism
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Wrapping Up the Westworld Series

Ultimately, the moral of the story is transhumanism
Gary Varner
September 2, 2023
7
Arts & Culture, Transhumanism

The first time I watched Westworld, I remember enjoying it, but upon revisiting the series, my opinion of it has dropped a great deal. There are a variety of problems. First, it’s a bait and switch. It teases the idea of showing how robots can come to life, and it plays with your expectations for most of the series. It even goes as far as to discuss theories like The Bicameral Mind, and The Turing Test. Then, in the last episode, it confirms what the viewer has been slowly growing to suspect. The robots had been coming to life the entire time, and Ford had been wiping their memories. The show says that Ford programmed the robots to experience everything Read More ›

feuer-und-eis-adam-und-gott-stockpack-adobe-stock
Feuer und Eis Adam und Gott
Type
post
Author
Gary Varner
Date
August 26, 2023
Categorized
Arts & Culture, Science Fiction
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Westworld Episode 10 Review (Part Two)

Welcome to the dark end of the journey
Gary Varner
August 26, 2023
7
Arts & Culture, Science Fiction

Last time, Teddy had just finished saving Dolores from the Man in Black, who turned out to be William all along. He takes her to the coast because that was where he promised to take her when they were performing their pre-programmed loop. However, the coast is apparently not very far because as Dolores dies in his arms, Teddy starts reciting a campy monologue, and then shuts down while the board applauds the speech. Even when they’re trying to escape their loop, the robots still, somehow, find themselves trapped in yet another one of Dr. Ford’s narratives. Dr. Ford appears, addresses the crowd, then orders for Teddy to be cleaned up, and for Dolores to be taken to a nearby Read More ›

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Black labyrinth background with dof focus
Type
post
Author
Gary Varner
Date
August 19, 2023
Categorized
Arts & Culture, Science Fiction
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Westworld Episode 10 Review (Part One)

The maze isn't the only thing that's hard to navigate in this episode.
Gary Varner
August 19, 2023
8
Arts & Culture, Science Fiction

I’ll start out with the most irrelevant plot first because almost no screen time is devoted to it, and it amounts to nothing in the end anyway. Hale successfully convinces the Board to fire Ford, not that he really cares. But Hale has been convinced this entire time that Ford is going to delete the park’s data out of spite. So, after Theresa is killed, she enlists Sizemore, a jaded writer who works for the park, to smuggle the data out through one of the decommissioned robots. This plan doesn’t work; however, because all the robots wake up by the end of the episode, and the data is lost in the vengeful horde. So, it’s a plot point that goes Read More ›

the-flow-of-time-a-close-up-portrait-of-an-incomplete-humanoid-android-covered-in-white-porcelain-skin-blue-eyes-and-glowing-internal-parts-stockpack-adobe-stock
The Flow of Time: A Close-Up Portrait of an Incomplete Humanoid Android Covered in White Porcelain Skin, Blue Eyes, and Glowing Internal Parts.
Type
post
Author
Gary Varner
Date
August 12, 2023
Categorized
Arts & Culture
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Westworld Episode 9 Review

Bernard learns the truth
Gary Varner
August 12, 2023
6
Arts & Culture

This episode begins with Maeve being interrogated by Bernard because she had a violent flashback and slit the throat of one of the other robots. At first, she tries to lie to Bernard, but he quickly checks her programming and realizes Felix had been tinkering with her code. It looks like Maeve is finally caught, but then she realizes that Bernard is also a robot. She confronts Bernard about this but quickly learns that he doesn’t know what he is. Thinking fast, she uses her new voice command ability and freezes Bernard in place. Then she tells him the truth. Bernard is convinced and lets Maeve return to the park where she recruits the two bandits she helped in the Read More ›

sad-at-sunset-stockpack-adobe-stock
Sad at Sunset
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post
Author
Gary Varner
Date
August 5, 2023
Categorized
Arts & Culture
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Westworld: Episode 8 Review

Is misery the key to consciousness?
Gary Varner
August 5, 2023
7
Arts & Culture

Episode Eight is one of the stronger episodes in the series. It starts with Bernard waking up after killing Theresa. He is distraught over killing his former girlfriend, and he is also horrified to realize he is a robot. This, of course, means the memories of his son are not real. Ford explains that Bernard is a robotic version of Arnold. The two men were on a quest to discover consciousness, but when Arnold died, Ford needed someone to help him continue his work. So, he built Bernard. This is a change in Ford’s story. Initially, Ford expressed no real interest in Arnold’s work. Now, he says the two were working together to create a version of consciousness. Of course, Read More ›

female-robot-face-artificial-intelligence-concept-generative-ai-stockpack-adobe-stock
Female robot face, Artificial intelligence concept. Generative AI
Type
post
Author
Gary Varner
Date
July 29, 2023
Categorized
Arts & Culture
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Westworld: Episode 7 Review

In which Theresa makes a terrible discovery
Gary Varner
July 29, 2023
6
Arts & Culture

This episode begins with Bernard having a flashback of his son. It’s a very sad scene that turns out to be a dream sequence. After that, we follow Theresa to Hale’s apartment. In the previous episode, we learned that it was Theresa who was attempting to smuggle data out of the park. In this episode, we figure out why. Hale and the rest of the board plan on firing Ford, and they are concerned that Ford will wipe all the data stored in the park just for spite. He’s refused to allow anyone to back up the data, so Hale has decided to take matters into her own hands, and she enlists Theresa’s help. However, Theresa’s plan to smuggle the Read More ›

close-up-portrait-photo-of-humanoid-android-covered-in-shiny-white-grey-and-black-metallic-skin-blue-eyes-glowing-internal-parts-westworld-style-volumetric-lighting-ultrawide-shot-sharp-stockpack-adobe-stock
close up portrait photo of humanoid android covered in shiny white grey and black metallic skin blue eyes glowing internal parts westworld style Volumetric Lighting ultrawide shot sharp
Type
post
Author
Gary Varner
Date
July 15, 2023
Categorized
Science Fiction
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Westworld: Episode 5 Review

Mediocre writing made bearable by talented actors
Gary Varner
July 15, 2023
6
Science Fiction

Episode Five opens with Ford talking to one of the parks older droid’s, something he has grown fond of doing over the years. He tells a story of an old Grey Hound he and his brother once had, and explains that one time, they let the dog off the leash. The dog was used to chasing a fake rabbit around the track, so when it saw a cat, it immediately went after it. But after the dog had caught the cat and killed it, he didn’t know what to do. This story obviously implies that Dr. Ford knows the droids are becoming conscious, and it seems as if he is the dog chasing the car and has finally caught it. Read More ›

summer-storm-monument-valley-navajo-nation-utah-usa-stockpack-adobe-stock
Summer Storm, Monument Valley, Navajo Nation, Utah, USA
Type
post
Author
Gary Varner
Date
July 8, 2023
Categorized
Arts & Culture
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Westworld: Episode 4 Review

If nothing matters, then why are we doing this?
Gary Varner
July 8, 2023
7
Arts & Culture

Episode three spent a great deal of time simply building the characters and world but had one good scene that explored some interesting ideas about consciousness. Episode Four has a lot more action and much less depth. It does; however, feed us some nihilistic nonsense along the way, and I couldn’t help but wonder why. In the first scene, we return to a glass room where Bernard is once again talking to Dolores. She expresses concern about her world, and this seems to be the first time Bernard has heard her communicating thoughts that are somewhat independent of her programming. So, he gives her a wooden toy he calls The Maze and tells her that if she can find the Read More ›

building-a-human-head-in-a-directionesque-world-stockpack-adobe-stock
Building A Human Head In A Directionesque World
Type
post
Author
Gary Varner
Date
July 1, 2023
Categorized
Arts & Culture, Philosophy of Mind
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Westworld: Episode 3 Review

Here we get to the theory of consciousess
Gary Varner
July 1, 2023
6
Arts & Culture, Philosophy of Mind

Not too much happens in episode three. It builds off the events set up in episode two. But there is one particular scene that has a couple of interesting ideas we’re going to explore. First, a quick recap of the episode. Dolores hides the gun she found in a dresser drawer, and eventually asks Teddy to teach her to shoot. He does, but unfortunately, not for very long because Dr. Ford has now given him something Teddy’s never had before: a backstory. Ford gives Teddy a nemesis named Wyatt. Teddy was once a part of his gang, and while riding with the outlaw, he committed horrible crimes. Therefore, Teddy is on a quest for redemption and is resolved to finish Read More ›

colorado-river-with-desert-landscape-glowing-in-utah-near-moab-with-moon-stockpack-adobe-stock
Colorado river with desert landscape glowing in Utah near moab with moon
Type
post
Author
Gary Varner
Date
June 24, 2023
Categorized
Arts & Culture
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Westworld: Episode 2 Review

The whole point of the show is to explore a theory of consciousness
Gary Varner
June 24, 2023
6
Arts & Culture

In episode one, several robots break down. It appears they are accessing memories thanks to an unexpected update, which causes the robots to glitch and seize up, unable to communicate. The updated robots are recalled and the worst of them are decommissioned. In episode two, Dolores wakes up, hearing Bernard’s voice in the middle of the night. She goes outside, and it’s later revealed that she finds a gun buried in the dirt. After we’ve seen Dolores rise from her bed thanks to Bernard’s call, we meet William. He and his future brother-in-law are visiting the park. This is William’s first time in Westworld, and he isn’t excited to be there. He’s humoring his future relative. Episode two continues in Read More ›

graphic-abstract-butterfly-escapes-opening-heart-background-stockpack-adobe-stock
Graphic abstract butterfly escapes opening heart background
Type
post
Author
Gary Varner
Date
December 10, 2022
Categorized
Arts & Culture, Science Fiction
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Orville: Isaac Gets To Be a Real Boy … for 30 seconds

Should he be given the opportunity to feel the painful emotions associated with his tragic circumstances? It's a dilemma that Dr. Finn does not seem to recognize
Gary Varner
December 10, 2022
8
Arts & Culture, Science Fiction

This episode was nowhere near as abysmal as Episode Six. Granted not much happened, but it does offer one interesting idea. There are three main stories going on at the same time, and two of them intersect. First, the Orville is attempting to make peace with a race of aliens called the Janisi, who are a matriarchal society. In order to open negotiations with the Janisi, the crew decides to gender swap the staff on the ship. This is played for laughs, as a kind of a gotcha to all men, but for me, none of the jokes really landed. The bits are mostly just Seth MacFarlane stumbling around while carrying a bunch of suitcases for this alien race. It’s Read More ›