1) Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) has captivated the minds of authors and readers for years. With the day of super-intelligent AI fast approaching, concerns are quickly rising to the surface of research. AI offers the promise of a raised global standard of living, and also the threat of autonomous weapons and killing machines. More information about the future of AI can be found here : Benefits and Risks of Artificial Intelligence- Future of Life Institute
2) The Internet of Things
Smart homes, cars, fridges, and washing machines have proven their value to the world in significant ways in the past few years. Unfortunately, such items can also be hacked into by outsiders, endangering us and all that we own. As programmers and engineers push towards the future, they run the risk of going to far. At what point does progress become dangerous, and is it worth the risk? For more information follow this link to read about two security officials that took complete control of Chrysler vehicles. AFTER JEEP HACK, CHRYSLER RECALLS 1.4M VEHICLES FOR BUG FIX
3) Animating Genders
Animation is known for depicting characters emotions through proportion changes and facial distortion. While silly and unappealing, it has made characters seem real and very human. However, female leads often are not depicted this way however, because it risks sacrificing their aesthetic appeal. This gender-bias stems from long held rhetorical tradition. For years, people have associated exaggerated expressions with female villains and side characters, and not with heroines. It's been this way for so long that it's almost a rule of rhetorical decorum for animators. Follow this link to read about the controversy with the female leads of Disney's Frozen. “Frozen” Head of Animation Says Animating Women is “Really, Really Difficult”
As computer science and animation student, I'm concerned with depictions of women in animation. These persisting issues have deprived millions of people from relating to strong female leads. Don't these long standing traditions and expectations deserve to be challenged? It seems that everyone, both animator and viewer, would benefit from Immanuel Kant's advice to break free of tutelage and tradition and to "Sapere aude," "Dare to know", or in this case dare to try something that hasn't been done before.
My husband is studying computer science as well, and the day he mentioned cars being recalled to fix programming issues blew my mind (as in, I had to sit down and rethink my perception of the world because suddenly CARS HAD COMPUTERS). I don't know why I didn't realize this until then, but wow, computer science is everywhere. You're part of a cool field!
ReplyDeleteAmen to what Jessica said.
ReplyDeleteI personally find the third topic most interesting as well. It is interesting that something like computer science can have rhetorical rules and stuff. I am interested to see what you come up with for this topic!
In terms of animation, I largely agree that there aren't many strong female leads in animation. In terms of video games, film, and television shows, I can definitely name a few counterexamples (The Last of Us 2, The Incredibles, and Power Puff Girls) but many forms of animated entertainment don't feature strong female leads.
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ReplyDeleteBefore I even finished the section on depictions of females in animation I immediately thought of Frozen. It’s sad how Elsa goes from a girl to a woman with a tinier waist, a dark, provocative eye-shadow and a form hugging dress when she undergoes an empowering experience. It begs the question, how should empowerment be depicted, in this case, in animated characters? What is an appropriate visual depiction of empowerment?
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