“Moxon’s Master” is a story written by Ambrose Bierce which tells the story of Moxon, the master, who creates a chess-playing robot. Moxon is developing a sentient conscious machine, one that can think and possesses intelligence. Although the narrator states that robots have no brains or source of thinking, he is trying to create a which he believes will be capable of thinking, acting and possessing consciousness- a robot or automaton which will be able to perform actions independent of its creator – the idea of a humanoid robot. Moxon seems to live an isolated life and the representation of the robot is what he wishes. The robot represents human cognition and social interaction, that Moxon may be experiencing. In the story, Moxon plays a game of chess with the robot and wins. It is apparent the robot is mad, and kills Moxon. This part of the story is very interesting because Moxon states, “ definition of ‘life’ the activity of a machine is included – there is nothing in th...
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Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914?) · Born in Ohio · Came to California after Civil War · Had many different attributes to literature Moxon Master · Nature of life and intelligence · An isolated system · Moxon is developing a sentient conscious machine, one that can think and possesses intelligence. · Moxon is developing a machine which he believes will be capable of thinking, acting and possessing consciousness- a robot or automaton which will be able to perform actions independent of its creator. · The idea of a humanoid robot · Quote: “you know well enough that when I say “machine” I do not mean a man, but something that man has made an...
Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton (1832-1894) · Born to an elite Mexican family · She wrote the first novel by a Mexican woman o The novel was to inform and tell the fictional defense of one of California founding peoples and a sharp expose of the common practice of land “squatting.” The Squatter and the Don · It prints the picture of what the 19 th century after the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo · Gives a voice to native Californios/Mexicans · Ruiz de Burton provides a clear definition of squatters and settlers, and their relationship with the west. · De Burton tries to give voice to all the people that in other novels don't have voice. · The squatter of the title is Darrell, who agrees to pay the Don for the land he’s homesteading. · ...
Next week, I am hoping to read more interesting text like this week. I really did enjoy this week’s reading and the comments and analysis’s of my classmates readings. I also do hope to find more information for my project. I would really like to make sure I cover all angles of the topic I decided to write about. The readings in class are hard because not much information can be found about them, but I am hoping with the background information I do locate, it will better assist me and my writing. I also look forward to move to the next step in the my project – to place all my ideas and analysis into something more. To grow on the topic and to see how I can thoroughly explain my topic. However, next week will be a busy week for me, in all of my classes because the work is getting a bit more heavier. I do hope I am able to manage it all and push through and finish the week strong. It will be a challenge, but I never back down from a challenge. For this week, I really ...
In this week’s reading, I learned about the story of Joaquin Murrieta (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joaquin_Murrieta). I decided to look up his history. I searched his name on Wikipedia and found that he was also called Robin Hood and that he was a famous outlaw in California during the California Gold Rush. I then decided to look into the California Gold Rush, I clicked on the internal link (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Gold_Rush). It began on January 24, 1848 and it is actually when gold was found by James W. Marshall in Coloma, California. It is said that Gold Rush had an effect on the Native Californians and resulted in the declining percentage of the natives due to diseases, genocides, and starvation. I wanted to dig in a bit deeper on the Native Californians so I clicked on the internal link (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_peoples_of_California). I found that the Native Californians were also known as the Indigenous people of California. They were hunter-g...
I decided to pick the article “How to Spark Creativity When You’re in a Rut,” by Priscilla Claman ( https://hbr.org/2017/04/how-to-spark-creativity-when-youre-in-a-rut ). The article discusses how one can find creativity when they don’t have it. When you are having trouble finding creativity, you can observe from someone else according to the article. This is something I already knew, and I have actually tried and it works. I find it is always best to learn from someone or pick off ideas from others when you are in a rut because you are able to pull something from others creativities sometimes. A good tip that the article provides is, “Capitalize on obstacles” This is a great idea because when you have an obstacle, you need to get over it but the only way to get over it is to analyze it and that is what that means. One thing I am curious to explore is the concept behind writers block, and why it happens so often spontaneously.
Nursling the Sky Reading Notes · Defines the climate of California · It a very nature based o Describing different seasons: rain, snow storms, dry desert winds that occur in California · Quotes from text: o All that storms do to the face of the earth you may read in the geographies, but not what they do to our contemporaries. I remember one night of thunderous rain made unendurably mournful by the houseless cry of a cougar whose lair, and perhaps his family, had been buried under a slide of broken boulders on the slope of Kearsarge. We had heard the heavy detonation of the slide about the hour of the alpenglow, a pale rosy interval in a darkling air, and judged he must have come from hunting to the ruined cliff and paced the night out before it, crying a very human woe. I remember, too, in that same season of storms, a lake made milky white for days, and crow...