Soulless Technology in William Gibson’s Burning Chrome
An old adage states that the eyes are the windows to the soul. What if, however, those eyes have a trademark name stamped onto them? William Gibson’s short story "Burning Chrome" depicts an advanced but soulless society where most of the technological advances are portrayed as being perverted by commercialization and human mechanization, rather than dedicated to improving the quality of life. This paper will touch upon the frivolous consumerism of as well as the dehumanizing uses of technology in the world of Automatic Jack, the reader’s companion throughout the story.
Perhaps the most visible example of this perversion is the high degree of commercialized technology in their society. The character of Rikki, a female friend of Jack’s, has her heart set on a pair of Zeiss Ikon eyes, and, as Jack describes them as a "Brand of the stars" and "Very expensive" (Gibson 1015). Though she desires 20/20 vision, Rikki does not want the eyes because they will help her see better; rather, she has an entire catalogue full of the most fashionable and stylish eyes of the season. Rikki’s friend Tiger gets his eyes redone simply so he can go to Hollywood, risking his eyesight with the not-as-reliable Sendai brand. The fact that anyone would put fashion and fame before something as precious and irreplaceable as optic nerves goes beyond foolish consumerism. It becomes reckless consumerism, putting goods above all other concerns for self and others. As for Tiger himself, Jack describes him in the following manner:
He had the kind of uniform good looks you get after your seventh trip to the surgical boutique; he’d probably spend the rest of his life looking vaguely like each new season’...
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... newest way to connect to others without needing human interaction. It’s impossible to know when technology will become "too" invasive and society "too" hollow, but by the time anyone looks hard enough, nothing but empty, soul-devoid, trademarked windows will blink in return.
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People have the fundamental desire to maintain strong connections with others. Through logic and reasoning, Sherry states, “But what do we have, now that we have what we say we want, now that we have what technology makes easy?”(Turkle). Face to face conversations are now mundane because of the accessibility to interact at our fingertips, at free will through text, phone calls and social media. Belonging, the very essence of a relationship has now become trivial.
William Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily tells a story of a young woman who is violated by her father’s strict mentality. After being the only man in her life Emily’s father dies and she finds it hard to let go. Like her father Emily possesses a stubborn outlook towards life, and she refused to change. While having this attitude about life Emily practically secluded herself from society for the remainder of her life. She was alone for the very first time and her reaction to this situation was solitude.
This essay will discuss the form of Alzheimer’s dementia Posterior Cortical Atrophy, from the aspects of the journey by Sir Terry Pratchett. In addition the essay will discuss symptoms of the disease, pathology, and anatomical structures and locations.
In this paper I will be telling you many different forms of domestic violence. I will include the physical abuse, sexual abuse, verbal abuse, spiritual abuse, economic abuse, social abuse, and emotional abuse. I will also describe the "cycle of violence", teen dating violence, and why women stay with an abusive partner.
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Domestic violence, also referred to as intimate partner violence, intimate partner abuse or domestic abuse, affects over one million people in the United States alone. It can be carried out in any number of ways including physically, emotionally, sexually, psychologically and/or financially. Its legal definition considers it to be “any assault, battery, sexual assault, sexual battery, or any criminal offense resulting in physically injury or death of one family member or household member by another who is residing in the same single dwelling unit” (Brown, 2008). In the United States it is considered a major health problem so much so that it was declared the number one health concern by the U.S. Surgeon General in 1992 (Peterman & Dixon, 2003). Not only is it a rapidly growing health problem but it is a growing societal concern as well. Extending beyond the effect felt by the victims and their families, it impacts our communities, government, law enforcement and public service agencies.
In this age a new dark plague is taking form in many areas around the world. Domestic violence is a social problem, which will continue to expand if the collective consciousness of individual societies does not rise. The continuous irrational behaviors are considered to be a epidemic by most. Inner cities and even suburb areas endure constant acts of violence throughout each year. The acts of violence are defined as emotionally controlling another individual or partner. The acts are narrowed down to physical assaults, stalking and sexual assault. Researchers in the past and present examined the violence women endure on a yearly cycle. Approximately one out every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime.(2009) Certain situations in a women’s life will cause unexpected situations to arise. The women must adapt instantly and find a solution to the current problem. Major cities all across America undergo the horrors of domestic violence. Los Angeles is a prime example of a city being devastated by domestic violence.
The text of “Burning Chrome” by William Gibson, is based on the tale of two professional hackers, Automatic Jack and Bobby Quine. Jack buys a piece of unknown software that turns out to be a sophisticated and almost untraceable Russian hacking software. Bobby decided to use this software to break in and steal money from a high level and well connected criminal known as Chrome. After Jack agrees, the two hackers successfully break in and steal money as well as take down Chrome. These two characters live in a futuristic world where human anatomy and customizable technology have become one and both software and hardware have become crucial to the people of this time. In this essay I will briefly explain how software and hardware play a crucial part within the plot and how they differentiate from one another.
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Domestic violence consists of verbal, financial, emotional, sexual, and physical abuse within the household, generally involving partners and families. This occurrence of violence is acted to gain and maintain control over somebody. Abusers have the tendency to enforce fear, guilt, shame and intimidation to brainwash and maintain power. The...
Domestic violence is not just fighting, hitting or an occasional argument. It’s a chronic abuse of power. The abuser of domestic violence, controls and tortures the victim of threats, intimidation, and physical violence. Domestic violence is one of the leading causes of violence in America. The abusers are not only men, women can be abusers as well. Women make up the vast majority of domestic violence. According to the American Bar Association (ABA), 90-95% of domestic violence victims are females and 70% of intimidating homicides are females. Domestic violence is a serious crime and everyone needs to be aware of its effects. This essay presents and explains the evidence supporting the major risk factors for intimate partner homicides.