Early Signs: Cubix: Robots for Everyone

I used to watch this computer-animated cartoon show called CUBIX: Robots for Everyone.  I remember this show and I watched it when it started in the summer of 2001.  It has returned to air on Saturday mornings at 7:00am.

This cartoon is about a robot named CUBIX (he is made of cube-shaped pieces).  He is able to convey emotion through facial expressions. This is in a world where humans and robots coexist, robots of many different kinds.  It was a very colorful cartoon.  It's nice that it's coming back to TV again.

I'll try to catch an episode or two, if  I feel like getting out of bed at 7am on a Saturday morning, ha ha hah.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cubix

Google Image Search for CUBIX: Robots for Everyone

Update for Robot Anime I’ve been watching + Mega Man Megamix

Tuesday afternoon I had a chance to catch up on some robot anime. I watched episodes 15 and 16 of Casshern Sins.  There is no bad episode, this show is so great and powerful.

After watching Casshern Sins, I watched episode 8 of Android Kikaider the Animation. It was a compilation episode, but I didn’t mind. It was a good idea that episode 8 happened to be a compilation episode because it has been a while since I watched Android Kikaider the Animation anyway. If I wanted to watch robot anime, lately it was Casshern Sins. Episode 8 of Shotaro Ishinomori’s animated series touched up on some issues that were pretty important to the show; Mitsuko’s feelings for Jiro; Jiro’s loneliness; Jiro’s negative self-image as Kikaider; Kikaider’s strength, and other things important to the story.

Now there are only five more episodes of Android Kikaider TA that I have to watch.  I am almost sorry that the series is only thirteen episodes.  But that means I can watch the series again in Japanese audio.

Recently, I think on the night before watchin the anime, I read the first chapter of Mega Man: Megamix Volume 2. The author and artist is Hitoshi Ariga. This chapter features Skull Man. I can only say that the story for this chapter reminds me of the many reasons why I love robot literature so much, especially when it comes to robot characters that lack something (like love) and are misunderstood.  Even if you are not a Mega Man fan, but you like robots/ robot literature, read this manga.  Hitoshi Ariga’s stories for Mega Man are truly amazing.

Another Robot anime I am interested in: Time of Eve

I subscribe to Anime Reviewers Weekly and just today I got this newsletter about a six-episode anime called Time of Eve.  It is made into a movie, combining the six episodes into one feature length unit.  I saw the first picture/screenshot the review provided and thought, "Wait, is that a robot?  Wow, I gotta read what this is about!"  And it turns out that robots and androids are part of the focus for this anime.  I like how the reviewer mentions the fact that science fiction is a metaphor, and this is a big reason why I like science fiction related to robots, androids, cyborgs, all that. 

   Earlier in Cybernetic Dreams I wrote about how robots and androids, even cyborgs can be discriminated against, because they are different from humans; they are made of mostly metal and have computers for brains rather than the squishy, flesh and blood matter with which human beings are composed.  There are androids that look apparently more robotic than human, and there are androids that look and act so close to the human being that it would be hard to tell the difference at first.  In this anime, it seems that both types of androids are represented.  That is very good.  I am looking forward to the fact that this anime will be addressing some important questions, not  just for science fiction pertaining to robots, but for our future.  A future that is not only about humans' relationship with robots, but with other humans with different ethnic backgrounds and customs.  This is why robot literature (especially from Isaac Asimov) is so good, and in my opinion, the best type of sociological science fiction you can ever read.  This is what guides me to the reason that I must check out this anime Time of Eve.  I think it is something Asimov would be interested in seeing and discussing as well.

When there does come a time when  humans must co-exist with robots and androids , the humans must find a way to live with them-- and that means humans must acknowledge the robots' and androids' existence with respect.  This is how their co-existence will facilitate and begin.

So what if robots and androids don't have emotions?  Yet.  Sometime, they will.

Here's the review at the link below.

Link:
http://animereviewers.wordpress.com/2010/12/09/time-of-eve-review-movieona/

Cute!! TASSIMO Brewbot Commercial

Well, to tell you the truth, I DON'T think this coffee machine is going to actually turn into a robot, but I saw this and it made the girly geek in me squeal with delight!

http://www.youtube.com/user/tassimobrewbot

Just above, I've included the YouTube channel where this video can be found.  The channel also has an official website for the Tassimo Brewbot so you can look up the things it can do for you and the things it "can get for you."  The TV ad definitely appealed to me because I go crazy about robot-related visuals and literature.

Words that also mean robot or cyborg + derogatory words for robots

ROBOT

Machine

Humanoid robot

Humanoid

Android

Droid

Cybernetic person

Automatic computing system

Mechanical worker

Mechanical man

Metal Man

Artificial human

Artificial life

Drone


CYBORG

Cybernetic-organic system

Cybernetic organism

Robotic-organic system

Machine-organic interface/system

Computer brain

Cybernetic brain

Half human, half machine

I realize I might be referencing to the movie I, Robot often in this blog, but this film brings up a lot of issues to talk about in terms of what Daniel Dinello’s book Technophobia! introduces in its pages so far.  In the film I, Robot, Detective Spooner called Sonny a “canner,” and this reflects his prejudice against the robots. The Spooner character wouldn’t use that word if he didn’t feel hatred towards them.  And Sonny takes offense to the word “canner” and corrects Spooner by saying his name is Sonny.

In Asimov’s short story “Lost Little Robot,” the physicist Gerald Black had told a robot to “go lose [him]self,” and eventually spilled it out to Dr. Susan Calvin that he called it a number of derogatory names before telling it to go lose itself.  The order from this human being, in addition to the harmful names he had called him, resulted in the robot’s unusual behavior.

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.

Adding more readings to my list…

The following books will be added to my list of books I will be reading during the course of my journey towards understanding robot science fiction. Incidentally they are short story collections from Isaac Asimov. :3

• Robot Visions, short story collection by Isaac Asimov

• The Rest of the Robots, another short short collection by Asimov

• "The Positronic Man" (well, it’s one short story, by...you guessed it...Isaac Asimov)

I already said that I wanted to start reading Robot Dreams again, though. Gosh, I am giving myself too much to read. I have other things I should be reading too, it’s just that I am so passionate about robots/androids/cyborgs in science-fiction that I want to read as much as possible about it, especially from Isaac Asimov himself.

A Brief Switch from reading Non-fiction to reading fiction

As much as I want to continue reading Technophobia!, I really want to start reading the Isaac Asimov collection of short stories Robot Dreams. The last time I read any of it was sometime in 2003, so I was a senior in high school. It’s been seven years and now I can read this book again with more maturity and curiosity than before.  I am hoping to writing about my thoughts about my favorite story or stories from this collection, whichever one(s) really make me feel like I need to share it.

The first story in the collection is “Little Lost Robot.”  I remember I liked that one, so soon I will read it and see if I can notice more things, since I've read more about robots in science fiction.