I quite enjoyed this week's Cyberpunk theme. Blade Runner is one of my favourite films and it poses some very interesting questions about the future of technology and cybernetics. Can machines feel emotion? Can they grow beyond their programming?
William Gibson's 'Burning Chrome' was a fascinating story, although I think repeated readings would definitely be helpful in gaining a better understanding of some aspects. I wasn't actually aware of Gibson's work prior to reading this story (although I believe I may have seen an episode of the X-Files which he wrote), but I fully intend to look into more of his work.
As Steve mentioned in the lecture, dystopian themes seem to play an important role in Cyberpunk works. Paul F. Starrs, in his article 'The matric, cyberpunk literature and the apocalyptic landscapes of information technology' (1995) provides an interesting analysis of the genre - he states that "cyberpunk science fiction is profoundly dystopian, while preserving an almost absolute faith in the ability of individuals, acting alone, to outwit and avoid any universalizing culture. Free will--to explore, flaunt, steal, pioneer--is as much a part of the conception of cyberspace and the cyberpunks as it ever was on the American frontier".
References
Starrs, P 1995, 'The matrix, cyberpunk literature and the apocalyptic landscapes of information technology', Information Technology and Libraries, vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 251-256.
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