Paper 6

Brahyan Cuervo
DR. Smith:
ENG 101/103, LIB 110
Living in the Matrix

What makes up my life? I believe I do live in the matrix only for one reason. My everyday routine is based on a series of boundaries. Like in previous films watched in Dr. Smith’s class I have came to a conclusion that we have a similarity to plugging into machines. In the book the matrix and philosophy, Nixon explains the idea of the possibility of being in the matrix. “It’s possible that I am (or you are) in the matrix right now.”(36) Through a series of arguments I will explain how networks and boundaries make up are everyday life making us a cyborg.
Boundaries things we feel that make us feel comfortable. Like in a comfort zone we
believe nothing can penetrate it or disrupt it. In Me++ by William J. Mitchell changes the perspective on how to look at our everyday utilities. “I consist of a biological core surrounded by extended, constructed systems of boundaries and networks.”(7) Like in the movie the matrix the real world was Neo boundarie and his network was his night life as a hacker. Mitchell also believes that networks are vulnerable to any type of disruption. For example as I plug into my iPod not finding my headphones automatically disrupts my routine, making me late for the bus, being late for class and etc. in the movie Sleep Dealer Memo is trying to reach a new networked life by moving away from home. The boundary in which he once saw nothing past was destroyed when the machine he built to away his father’s life.

In school I was taught the law of physics. What goes up must come down. The matrix and me++ defines everything that I once thought wasn’t possible making it into a possibility. Is there another world where we can plug in through use of machines? In the movie the matrix neo was found by a Group hacker to save the last human race. The only way to this was to be plugged in himself to this artificial world were nothing was reality nor believable. In this world a person can do anything only saw in science fiction films. I am similar to that world because my network consists of electronics. The only thing I don’t use technology is to do outside activities, sports, walking and etc. we have evolved from humans to a world controlled by technology. We are not doing anything to stop it; on the contrary we are learning how to cope with these machines.

Mitchell says “by programming robotic devices I can precisely specify their future actions.”(21) We program machines to follow are every instruction. What happens when that action is denied and starts acting on its own. That’s what happened in the movie the matrix they built machines to a point where they had a mind of its own. Were they felt they didn’t need human assistance anymore. At this point of my life I feel that I’m like those machines I am a step away from becoming independent from my parents. Right now my boundary is home and my network is everything I do in it. My life is similar to the film the Truman Show, he was raised to believe there was nothing past his everyday life. They created a world with boundaries for Truman that he couldn’t disrupt even if he tried. When he found out he was living a lie for almost 30 years he wanted to disrupt his network by exploring what was outside the made up world.

Anything I do is based on techonology in one way or another. Making me a cyborg. Anyone who beliefs there not a cyborg must live the Amish life. Till the day I won’t need technology to do the simplest of things then I can say I am not cyborg. That day will never come since technology is rapidly growing in our century. I live the networked life.

BLOG:10

doing a research paper is never easy.. i think the hardest part about it, is finding a topic. sometimes the easiest topic you can find is the most difficult. looking back at my research experience i think the most important tool to writing an A paper is time management. the solution to this problems are in the keys for writers ;-)

workshop 11/12/09

i have decided to deteriorate the tehory of 2012 according to the mayan Calendar. we would watch the film and discuss and make our own film about it

BLOG:9

soo i have no idea what to do my final project on.. still a litle confuse about what we have to do for loui and jason.. i know it can be combine but the hard part is getting the project to fir both ideas with out writing a paper or blogging about it.

i was thinking to do a documentary on the "underground city" known as the Commuter life.

i was also thinking of making another version of "paranormal acitivity"

if dat dont work out then ill juss do something on soccer

Essay 3

At this point in my life I feel that my fate is determined by parents, friends, and school. I say parents because they set all these rules we have to follow. I say friends because the first minute we decided to associate with them we knew the influence they were going bring. School is the same like parents they set all these boundaries that if we don’t follow there will be consequences so that rules out free will.

Shick argues. “if someone is forcing you to do something against your will or preventing you from doing something you want to do, you are not free.”(88) I agree. You think if we really had the choice of going to school most of us would be here? Since the time where to get a descent paying job requires a degree. Government chose are fate for us.

Like cypher in the movie argues “you call this free?” “All I do is what he tells me to do. If I have to choose f between that and the matrix I choose the matrix”. It may seem like the people gives choices to make, but either way whatever we choose were still going to have rules to follow. In the film “the matrix” Neo was giving a choice by the oracle. Either he saves his own life or chooses to save Morpheus. This really isn’t a choice because the oracle already knew what was going to happen. She made it seem like he was making the choice, but the choice was already made.

Another argument that rules out free will is god. Schick explains on page 94, if god gives us two paths with different journeys along the way for us to make the choice, but he already knows what path I’m going to take than really is my choice to make? Another argument that seems to rule out free will: in the 2nd film “the Matrix reloaded”. The 2nd meeting between Neo and the oracle, the oracle offers Neo a piece of candy. Why would she offer when she already knew that Neo was going to take it?

How can we make a choice when parents and school already made the choice for us? For example I came home from school yesterday and my mom asks “you want soup or steak?” and I clearly said steak, she had already made the soup so than why would she give me choices. She had already made the choice for me.

The choices we make in life have consequences and those consequences are the ones that determine our fate. Whether we make the choice or not both roads will have the same fate. Even if we try to avoid the inevitable your fate would always be the same.

BLOG:8

Physical boundaries, Network and time

Here we go. I would say the most important boundary is school, my room, followed by Tully soccer field, and my favorite restaurants. When I wake up for school every morning I hit the shower; the soap and the shampoo I use, to the Colgate toothpaste I use to brush my teeth. When I get to my room I use my Bvlgari cologne. My personal jewelry from earrings to bracelets. I don’t really wear a lot of layers no matter how cold it is because I feel very uncomfortable. Every morning I choose the sneakers that go with my attire. Another boundary that defines me as a person is the place I was born Cali Colombia where I’m hoping to spent Christmas and new years. Of course another boundary where; I was raised Queens New York. Then the things I consume throughout my day to keep me energize.

Networks that disorder my boundaries would definitely be waking up for school. Making that walk to my bathroom and especially when they forget to turn the heater on. When sometimes the last person to finish the toothpaste forgets to open a new one. When I can’t find anything to wear according to the colors of my sneakers. The flight tickets for the Christmas vacation are always high so maybe I won’t make the trip. Since my dad lives in jersey every other weekend I have to leave my comfort zone and take on new adventures in a different state.

Time structures that dictate the regularity of my everyday existence would be the schedule for school. The time I take my everyday nap and the time I do my homework.

BLOG : 7

Reflection:

This project I felt like I over stressed it a lil bit too much. Maybe because I didn’t take enough time to get well prepared. The next time in school where I get a project like this I won’t wait to last minute to get started. I would do my power point exactly the way it is. Doing the power point was the best process of the midterm. The hard part was getting the last few pages of my paper done. For the final project im going to stay more hours in school, because at home I really get nothing done. I won’t leave everything for last minute next time ;D. From a scale 1-10 I would give myself a 8. For the fact that I didn’t prepare well enough. On my final I would give myself a 10 cause I’m that confident=D