Author: Jennifer V.

The Cure

Jennifer V.
Reading Time: 2 minutes

I definitely believe that within my life time there will be many breakthrough innovations, especially when it comes to human augmentation. If we think about the technology we have today it stills blows my mind how we have computerized glasses, AI powered arms, and even the development in CRISPR gene editing. With the help of AI, I think that we can definitely create more efficient pieces of equipment that can better mimic human body parts. Of course, I do have my doubts as well. While someone may come up with groundbreaking augmented machinery in my lifetime, I do not think I will ever see it being implemented in health care until way after my life time. I think this is because of the extensive trials and experiments that must be conducted to make sure these enhances are safe for human beings. The human body is a very complicated and intelligent piece of work, and as of right now I do not see any life time solutions regarding augmented replacements. The body’s rejection rate for foreign objects is very high, so the patient will be on immune suppressant medication for a long time or until the augmentation needs to be changes.

Another thing that I hope to see in my life time is more studies on CRISPR gene editing. One of my biggest fears in life is Dementia and Alzheimers, mainly because it runs in my family. It’s a very sad disease to have or to experience a loved one having, and I hope that in the future we as a scientific community will be able to have enough information about our genes and our cells to pinpoint the cause for it. As the video above stated, CRISPR as we know now does not have the power to cure this disease because there is too much risk and too much unknown variables. For example, the Tau genes are microtubule stabilization proteins that when degraded or mutated can begin to aggregate, forming plaques inside of your neuronal cells. The key question is then: Is Alzheimer’s disease caused by the destabilization of the microtubule signaling network or is it from the numerous tau plaques invading the cell space? I wish in the future we can work together to find cures for diseases such as Dementia and Cancer. I also want to emphasize the importance of transparency of the health community to the population especially during the pursuit of finding cures or augmentations. I believe that the next 4 years will be extremely rocky for the education system, justice system, and the health system. But I can only hope that these trials the next 4 years will bring to us will allow us to become stronger together. Maybe this is me being too optimistic, which is ironic given the class revolves around Cyberpunk, but when it comes to healthcare I can only hope that we can start prioritizing curative medicine over maintenance medicine. But in this capitalistic society, as Johnny Silverhand from Cyberpunk 77 so eloquently put it …

In the Name of Progress

Jennifer V.
Reading Time: 3 minutes

SInce the timing of this post coincides with the release of Arcane Season 2, I thought it would be appropriate to show the dichotomy of Zaun and Piltover. Although set in a steampunk era, the themes and ideas of Arcane can resonate with every audience and it can especially be tied with Cyberpunk. As a brief summary, the picture on top in the underground city of Zaun. Zaun has a funky green haze to its atmosphere due to all the toxic chemicals the above Piltover wastes. The people of Zaun are dying if chemical poisoning, shimmer (a drug) addiction, starvation, poverty, and gang violence. Piltover on the other hand it a white and gold empire that prides itself on its innovation as the nation of progress. Piltover has the best innovations in science, health, and weaponry while also lookinf down on Zaun for its “animal-like” behaviors. The two cities have never seen eye to eye and the innocent are always the ones who bear the cost of war.

The reason why I brought up Arcane is the first place is that its technology and ground-breaking ideas come from hard working and innocent scientists at the start of the story. The science studies are kept under strict rules to keep the people safe, but during times of high stress the counsel of authority can overturn these rules. Arcane proves that progress itself is not evil. There will always be powerful figures and leaders who want to abuse such powers and progress, but can only do so when the is public distress.

If we take a look at Neuromancer, we see that edgerunners and civilians all live in the slums of the city similar to the conditions in Zaun. The elite and the rich, on the other hand, are able to live in comfort and with good health/ safety in both Piltover and the Towers. I think that corporate greed and political greed in both Arcane and Neuromancer are very similar as they both choose to exploit the working minds of genius scientists for the sake of progress. I do not think that corporations have the best interest at heart since many large businesses only care about money and not their consumers. It seems very cynical to say, but I think that many corporations willingly put out low quality goods into the market because they know that they can get away with it. It’s a world where everyone wants the newest model of any item they can get their hands on, so companies no they can skimp on quality.

The example I choose to focus on is the Tesla Cybertruck, which just a few weeks ago had its first recorded accident with another vehicle. The driver in the regular vehicle had no fatal injuries, but his car was severely squishes from the head on collision. The cyber truck, on the other hand, was not deformed in the slightest; but the driver had severe internal damages. I wanted to talk about this case because cars were made to be compressed on collision in order to decrease the energy that the driver will receive. In other words, cars are meant to die to save our lives. I find it interesting how the Cybertruck is built in order to withstand damages at the cost of its owner’s safety. But maybe I am reading too much into things. I also wanted to pick this topic since it would be much quicker than if I made my discussion about Big Pharma.

To Be or Not to Be

Jennifer V.
Reading Time: 2 minutes

I think that becoming a hybrid with an eagle would se really cool. I have really bad myopia, so I think that trading visions with an eagle would be really beneficial since my optical prowess would be extremely sharp and heightened. I also would like to have wings in order to fly, but this mainly stems from my hatred towards 5:00pm traffic. I am the biggest advocate for teleportation as my theoretical super power, so flying is not too far off. Now my main gripe would be if I could just have my wings disappear after I land or would it just retract like a bird. I would also like to know if my wings would be proportional to my body or would it be just like a small extension in my back. I know I said that that being a hybrid would be really cool, and I do not take back the sentiment; however would I have to trade my arms for the wings?

Have you ever seen a Victoria Secret Fashion Show? I think that I was disillusioned by the question as first because this ^ was what I was envisioning if I were to become a hybrid with wings. This romanticized and angelic perspective on wings is just far from what would become of my hybridized self. I think that if my arms were replaced with wings then the joy of flying would easily be overridden by frustration as I would not know how to handle anything without my fingers. Not only are the wings bulky, making it inconvenient to go out in public, but the future professions I would want to pursue would be out of the question since they rely heavily on dexterity and hand-eye coordination. I think that because I am so adamant about no even sacrificing my limbs for this hybridization process then I would be even more against giving up my humanity. But who is to say that humans are the only ones capable of humanity? I think that although this theoretical situation is fun to imagine, since I am unwilling to compromise the loss of any of my human anatomy/consciousness the question is out of the box for me. I also feel like my stance of this question is very selfish.

Light and Shadow

Jennifer V.
Reading Time: 2 minutes

As a kid, I am sure everyone has experienced trying to run away from your own shadow, no? What makes the memory all the more laughable is that we would normally do it under direct sunlight; when the the sun is the brightest and our shadow is the blackest. The relationship between light and shadow is a directly proportional bond almost as if in a symbiotic relationship. Now imagine Night City, one of if not the most infamous cyberpunk city names, a civilization where the lights burn so bright it can practically blind you or mock you. To the people living on the top floors of the towers, the silver spoons, their perspective of night city is a setting of great accolades and technological progress for the elite. The people in the slums will disagree as their only knowledge of the lights is a mocking reminder of how dingy and suffocating the streets are for them. Just as shadow is tethering to the flame, the slums are tethered to the towers, acting as a void of darkness that illuminates the Night City.

In Blade Runner, the opening sequences of the movie depicts the towers of buildings and a bright geisha on one of the sky scrapers. Funnily enough, the movie spends the majority of its runtime in poorly lit streets and houses, and whenever there is an illuminating light source it is either coming from the towers or in the boss’s headquarters/master bedroom. Finally, whenever the antagonists find their target’s house up a long staircase corridor, the geisha tower can be seen at the top of the tower, practically looking down upon all of its inhabitants. Similarly in Neuromancer, Chiba City uses excessive neon lights to the point of sensory overload to depict the lively, chaotic, and dangerous nature of the city. Although not neon lit, the matrix cyberspace also shows characteristics of bright vitality due to its idealistic reality of a super efficient and progressive world. The Matrix is the closest the depiction of what would happen if light existed without shadow, and the idealistic nature of the matrix tends to leave out the harsh and pervasive nature of the cyberpunk world.

In both works, the lights and towers are almost personified in a way, and its probably the most defining character of the genre. A place recognized for its color, but also has the power to oppress, uplift, and judge others. The greatest form of mockery that can be achieved in this reality is that in the face of death or tragedy that the main characters have to ensure, the lights still burn because it simple does not care. But as much as the lights and technology suppresses the lower class due to the exponentially increasing rift in classes, the towers would cease to exist is the trenches were not so deep. Comparatively, the slums would never be so suffocating if not for the walls of the towers.

The Accepted Self

Jennifer V.
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Has anyone seen the show Teen Titans before? Amazing show by the way. But Victor Stone was just an ordinary human boy who excelled at football, and has a pretty neglectful father. Always hell bent on research, his father was never really there to support Victor in his achievements. Then one day Victor got into a fatal accident and his father tried to save the remnants of his body by fusing his remaining parts with machines. Simply put, after the augmentations Victor began to live strictly in the shadows with huge hoodies on because he was embarrassed of what he was or how people would react to him until the Teen Titans found him. (I really tried to find a good video on the backstory of Cyborg, but I could not find anything so instead please enjoy this clip from Iron Man) https://youtu.be/-zya4vJ-kQE?si=FU99o8O7etvV8Soa

But are Cyborgs really that scary? Haraway would say that augmentations are on a spectrum and the boundary lines between human and machines are already blurry. So in a way, Haraway would be calling you a hypocrite if you oppressed someone just on the basis that they are cybernetic. With our rapidly growing medical technology what is the difference between cyborgs and humans? Humans get teeth implants, pacemaker implants, and even arm/leg implants, and yet we still envision cyborgs as the danger to society. I think that this is perfectly shown in The ArchAndroid’s Many Moons because the song is about self realization and identities. Cindy Mayweather, an android, is able to have multiple personalities and on a spectrum just like humans. Nothing is ever white or black and I think that Haraway’s stance on her Cyborg Manifesto can also be put into practice on how we treat others. If nothing is every white or black, then that means every aspect of our lives in on a wavelike spectrum; so who are we to belittle or ostracize someone just because they present themselves in a different wavelength than ourselves.

In the album, Cindy Mayweather is a beacon of hope for people who are still fighting the battle of injustice today. To the “other” groups who have been put down and abused just because society cannot handle such brilliance. Haraway also rejects rigid views of gender and sex identities as well, so the album can help to uplift anybody from any group no matter what race, gender, class, or sex.

Gunners in the Pursuit of Happiness

Jennifer V.
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Gunner: for lack of better terms is a subgroup of students who are excessively driven in their pursuit of success that they disregard team work, over flaunt their achievements, and hoard opportunities from their peers. No one likes a gunner, but are they really to blame? Are their actions not just a direct response to the overly stimulated and competitive nature of out society? I think it starts with how success and happiness have molded into one entity instead of two different spheres of life.

In recent years, society dropped the idea that success and a happy, healthy life style are distinct aspirations that we should be striving for. Instead of leaving work at the office to spend time with family, the creation of technology has begun to to breakdown that barrier. The average cellphone is so crucial in the shift of work life balances because emails and work calls can now transcend the boundary of the office and invade the privacy of own’s home. In cooperation with technology, social media participates in pushing hustle culture forward by placing stigmas on people do not aspire to live the life of extreme stress and reward. Individuals are allowed to paint certain personas and images on the internet, where only their achievements and successes are shown. Of course, the responsibility of a social media user is to understand that a snippet of one’s life is not their entire story, but when everyone around you shows only success without failure in their life then people begin to feel pressured to achieve the same. As access to technology evolves, so too does academic performance. What was once considered genius is now the norm simply because we are able to use innovations to our advantage. Now we live in a world where great students are below expectation, and exceptional students are just ordinary; therefore, we created the perfect breeding ground for students/workers who believe they must prove their own self worth to a society that deems them worthless. At this point, is happiness even attainable if you are not the first in every aspect of your life? If happiness is an indicator of self worth and society is saying we are worth less, then societal recognitions is the key to happiness, which is also key to success, which is… on and on again.

Our society run on commodity, and it just so happens that our happiness and success are on the market too. Maybe if you work hard your whole life you will get a sale on the price of happiness. Happiness, an aspect that was once seen for its quality and experience, has now been quantified. I said before that I dislike gunners for their inability to cooperate and treasure the meaning to true camaraderie/team work, but I also feel like they are just trying to survive in a cut throat environment. Sad to say, but we live in a world where preying on other’s success will eventually bring you to the happiness we are taught to believe in. A type of happiness that’s not found in a lazy Sunday with your family, but a happiness that fuels the government that will not thank you for your sacrifices.