The Flashbulb’s song “Once Weekly”: Robot Maintenance?

A music band called The Flashbulb has an album titled Arboreal  and a lot of the music in this album is electronic and eclectic.  This song caught my attention, though.  It is titled "Once Weekly" and keeping that in mind as I listened to it, I imagined a specific scene about a--you might have guessed--a robot or android. 

When I listen to this song, it makes me think of a robot or android that is having a weekly maintenance check done. The electronic sounds in the music make me think of the machines and gadgets that are checking in on the robot/android’s vitals and function levels; eye lens, auditory sensors, main memory drive, the computer brain overall, limb and joint functions, battery levels (if the robot drives on this source of energy) to check for a battery replacement, that kind of stuff.

I have included the track "Once Weekly" in my iPod's Robot/Android Playlist, which is a playlist of music I listen to whenever I need a little inspiration in writing a robot science fiction story.  The track "A Raw Understanding" also makes me think about robots because of the electronic sounds in the music.

Futaba Humanoid Robot

I have to share this video as well. I like the music that is playing in the background; it enhances the wonder that comes from watching this video. With a remote control, this robot can walk in different directions, even do a head-stand! I've watched this video four times now and it still amazes me.

Watch what happens when it falls down ;D




www.robots-dreams.com

The soundtrack for the movie I, ROBOT

I found the soundtrack to the movie (I bought the CD several years ago) and wanted to listen to it again.  I wanted to put some tracks in my iPod Nano, so I listened to it in my ten-year-old portable CD player (with new ear buds, because the old headphones deteriorated) while I was looking at some old notes for one of my original sci-fi titles. The composer for the film is named Marco Beltrami.  I love the theme music for the film, I absolutely LOVE it!  It is beautiful and melancholy, especially later in the end credits when there is that lone violin, which makes me think of a kind of sadness, the sadness that robots can’t exactly be as human as human beings want them to be. Well, that is one kind of sadness.

Even the director of the film, Alex Proyas leaves a note within the small booklet that came with the soundtrack CD, suggesting to “put this CD in your stereo, crank up the volume, and turn on your imagination (preferably with a good Asimov book in front of you).” Of course, you don’t have to, but I tried it and it certainly was inspiring. The music doesn’t have to sound futuristic and sci-fi just to take you into the world of I, Robot.

Just wondering…

I wonder if I should instead re-read the Asimov collection I, Robot first instead of Robot Dreams. The latter title was the first Asimov short story collection I ever read, probably my very first taste of robot literature. Wait, is there such category of reading called “robot literature?” I’d like to think it should be made. Otherwise what would be known as robot literature is pooled in with general science fiction.