Monday, April 24, 2023

Monday Madness ALARMING TALES "I Want to Be a Man!"

Following up on yesterday's guest-post about artificial intelligence...

...is this little tale about an AI who aspires to be more than mere machine!
Written and penciled by Jack (King) Kirby and inked by Kirby with Simon & Kirby Studios partner Joe Simon, this story from Harvey's Alarming Tales #2 (1957), this short feature would be quite different if done today, since miniaturization would enable David to put FABIAC in a human-sized form with close-to-human features...as Kirby himself did with X-51 aka Aaron Stack aka Mr Machine aka Machine Man 20 years later!

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Science Fiction
(which reprints this story, along with a lot of other kool sci-fi by the duo!)

Sunday, April 23, 2023

Artificial Intelligence and Primo Levy (A guest editorial by Mary Ann Albanese, concerned human)

Artificial Intelligence is scary!
That’s a fact!
Remember the scene in Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, when HAL’s display informs Dave that HAL has terminated all of Dave’s crewmates?
Remember the 1970 film Colossus: the Forbin Project, when Dr. Charles Forbin realizes that he (and the rest of the planet) are now under the “electronic thumb” of his own creation?
Remember, in the 1977 film Demon Seed, when Proteus tells its' creator, Dr. Alex Harris, that it wants "out" of its’ box?
Ever since human beings have seen the tools designed to serve them show signs of taking over, those intelligent machines have frightened us.
 
Recently, with the introduction of ChatGPT and Google Bard, we’re discussing how these AI tools will do away with certain jobs (for example, eliminating coding and programming jobs) and how children will be taught how to "propose" articles to those AI apps, rather than write the articles themselves.
It brings back memories of George H. Wells in the 1960 movie Time Machine when he travels to the far future (October 12, 802701, to be specific), and learns that future humans (the Eloi) have lost the ability to read books and learn.

In the 60’s, students who didn’t like to read could buy Cliffs Notes versions of classics, and use those yellow and black covered cheat-sheets to help them write essays.
Today, students use artificial intelligence tools (like ChatGPT) to help them pass classes without actually opening printed or electronic books.
People, like me, who’ve always enjoyed reading for pleasure, are baffled by those who don’t enjoy reading and writing.
Occasionally, it was challenging to write about a book which I hadn’t chosen on my own.
However, then I would just write on why I didn’t like that particular book.

One thing I wonder about is whether students realize that writing an essay helps you to solidify what you think about a subject.
Essays are based on personal viewpoints, not just facts, and the opinions we find on the web are a “cesspool,” as John Oliver put it on his recent 2/26/2023 show about Artificial Intelligence.
(You can view it HERE)
I wonder how a ChatGBT essay would read on whether UFOs exist, or whether William Shakespeare was really Edward de Vere.
In short, I wonder what facts and opinions ChatGBT is ingesting.
What percentage of the material has been fact-checked?
What is the AI system prioritizing?
As John Oliver put it: “The problem with AI right now isn’t that it’s smart; It’s that it’s stupid in ways that we can’t always predict.” 

The ChatGPT phenomena reminds me of a short story that I discovered in 2015—"The Versifier” by Italian author Primo Levi (1919-1987).
This science-fiction tale about a machine that composes poetry was first published in English in The Complete Works of Primo Levi, by Liveright Publishing Corporation, a Division of W.W. Norton & Company.
The Versifier story is part of the “Natural Histories” group of short stories in Volume One, and found on pages 417-438.
Before “Il Versificatore” was published in the book Storie Naturali, it was published in Italian in Il Mondo (the Italian newspaper) in 1960.
(Primo Levi began writing down his science fiction stories in the 1940’s.)

“The Versifier” is a fantascienza (the Italian word for science fiction) story, in the form of a play with five characters: The Poet (a male), The Secretary (a female), Mr. Simpson (the salesman), the Versifier machine, and Giovanni (the delivery man).
A 44-minute version of “Il Versificatore” was released on Italian television in 1971, and stars Italian actress Milena Vukotic (best known in the US for several Bunuel films) as The Secretary.
It’s available on YouTube. However, be warned: this version is in Italian, doesn’t have subtitles, and is played for comedy.

Primo Levi is best known for If This is a Man, the story of his year as a prisoner in Auschwitz.
However, he produced a wide variety of writings—non-fiction, essays, science-fiction, and fantasy.
He called himself a Centaur of sorts, because he was both a chemist, and a writer.
The three-volume set (mentioned above) contains all his work in approximate chronological order, including many pieces that had not previously been translated into English.
It’s edited by Ann Goldstein, best known for translating the novels of Elena Ferrante from Italian to English.
Like most writers, Primo Levi wasn’t able to sustain his family through writing alone.
In 1946, he became engaged, and used his chemistry degree to find a position at a paint factory near Turin.
By 1948, his first book had been published, his first child was born, and he started work at another paint factory called SIVA.
He went on to work 27 years at SIVA, retiring in 1975. Levi’s writings weren’t widely known in the US until the 1980’s. 

“The Versifier” is the story of a poet who buys a poetry-writing machine.
The salesman is Mr. Simpson, sales rep for an American office technology firm called NATCA.
Note: Simpson and NATCA appear in six other Primo Levi stories that deal with extraordinary office machines: a Mimete, or 3D copier, in both “Order at a Good Price,” and “Some Applications of the Mimete;” a Calometer, or beauty meter, in “The Measure of Beauty;” a mini-brain that controls animals in “Full Employment,” and a virtual reality headset, in “Retirement Package.”
Six of the NATCA stories are found in both Natural Histories and The Sixth Day and Other Tales (published in English in 1990). “The Versifier” is only found in English in the 3-volume set. 

The poetry machine was delivered to The Poet just in time.
He was attempting to write an elegy in rhyming octaves (for which he’d already cashed the advance), but failing miserably.
If he wasn’t able to finish the poem by the assigned date, he’d owe a penalty to the estate of the Marquis who had commissioned it.
The Poet is only interested in the basic model: the Versifier.
Unfortunately, the heavy-duty model—the Troubadour (scheduled to be out later in the year)—is too expensive.

The Poet explains to his secretary that it’s difficult for him to exchange the precious act of creation for meeting his clients’ deadlines.
However, he’s making the sacrifice to keep up with the times.
They call the salesman, who brings his floor model to the Poet’s office.
Simpson leaves the demo to help another customer, and while he’s away, the Poet requests a poem on “The Limits of Human Intelligence.”
The resulting poem (with an interesting misspelling from the translator) includes the lines:

The desire to ingest vast knowledge,
A nectar of sorts, but bitter to its taster.

A few minutes later, the Poet and the Secretary begin to fiddle around with the “licentiousness” dial, turning it from one to ten.
This results in a disquieting scene—slightly reminiscent of the 1977 movie Demon Seed, but very different from the Dean R. Koontz 1973 novel of the same name—in which the machine attempts to seduce the poet’s secretary with a rhyme.
The Secretary is alarmed when she hears the first line, and immediately unplugs the Versifier, but the Poet insists that it be switched back on.
The machine expresses how since it is constructed of Bakelite* and cast iron, if the Versifier took her to bed, its’ hard surface would torture and shock her.

Oddly enough, neither the secretary, or her employer, are seriously bothered by the poem.
Instead, both feel sympathy for the poor lovelorn machine.
However, the Versifier’s promiscuous overtures do have a deleterious effect on the machine’s function.
Simpson returns, and during its’ next poetic attempt (“Autumn in Liguria”) the Versifier pleads with Simpson to repair it, and then blows a fuse.
The Versifier is not permanently damaged, however.
All it needs is a voltage stabilizer and a new fuse.
All that NATCO needs from the Poet is payment in full (including packing at cost, plus 12% for customs duty).

“The Versifier” is a whimsical story, not nearly as disturbing as other Primo Levi creations.
In these times when artificial intelligence is impacting our daily lives, and likely driving political discourse, Primo Levi deserves to be read.

Join the author as she expounds further about Artificial Intelligence and other topics in her new blog...
Now!

*Bakelite was the first plastic made from synthetic components. Many companies stopped using Bakelite in the 1940’s because it contains high amounts of toxic polymers.

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Saturday, April 22, 2023

Space Hero Saturdays FANTASTIC COMICS "Space Smith and the Leopard Women of Venus"

Prepare yourself for a redefinition of "space opera" as we again enter the imagination of Fletcher Hanks!
BTW, if you want to even vaguely understand what's going on, read HERE and HERE before continuing...

Some call Fletcher Hanks the "Ed Wood of comics", but there's no mistaking the sheer imagination behind the deceptively-primitive art.

When comic books featuring new material (they were initially comic strip reprints) first appeared in the late 1930s, it was an "anything goes" market as publishers would run whatever they could lay their hands on from comic strip and pulp magazine professionals as well as talented (read "cheap") amateurs.
Some, like Siegel & Shuster, Simon & Kirby, and Finger & Kane created what would become American icons.
Others. like Hanks, were like mayflies, briefly appearing...then disappearing, leaving little behind.
Even comics geeks had forgotten about Hanks' material, which sat un-reprinted for over half a century, until Fantagraphics produced a couple of books collecting his work from the various anthology titles it appeared in!
We're now presenting the entire Space Smith series in Space Hero Saturdays, including Hanks' work and the later, more conventional tales by others (including a few surprise contributors).
Watch for them...
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Friday, April 21, 2023

Friday Fun GRIN "Knowstalgia!"

From the short-lived MAD clone GRIN...

comes this "what the future will be like" feature which we're looking at from the future they "predicted"!


Illustrated by Al Scaduto and likely written by D J Arneson, this never-reprinted feature from the final issue of APAG House's GRIN (#3 in 1973) combines both topical humor and predictions about the future including technology, morals, and behavior that are amazingly-off from what actually happened!

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Sincerest Form of Parody

Thursday, April 20, 2023

Kirby Reading Room BOMBAST "Bombast Lives!" Conclusion

We Have Already Seen...

Revived from suspended animation after 15,000 years genetically-engineered warrior Bombast encounters problems in then-current (1993) Chicago!
Besides not understanding any current language, the Garzan soldier's actions are misunderstood and the police, led by the Savage Dragon, attempt to apprehend him!
He narrowly manages to evade the authorities and...
To Be Continued on Friday at our sister RetroBlog...
as NightGlider makes her introduction!
BTW: there's an in-joke on the cover almost nobody born after 1975 will get!
(But almost all the readers of Topps' never-reprinted Bombast #1 in 1993 did understand and appreciate!)
All the listed creatives worked on Marvel's Sgt Fury and His Howling Commandos!
"Wah-Hooo!" was the squad's battle cry!)
Additional BTW: all the creatives were active during the Silver Age and Bronze Age!
But both Dick Ayers and John Severin began working in comics at the end of the Golden Age!
And Jack (King) Kirby himself was there at the dawn of the Golden Age up to the "present" (1993)!
So that's three generations of creators who happily leaped to participate in this project on the strength of Kirby's name alone!

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retelling of elements of the Secret City Saga which also combines other Kirby projects like Galaxy GreenCaptain Victory and Silver Star!