During one of the workshop sessions at the recent Media and Technology Symposium and Workshop (see Anya’s blog post here), I recommended to one of the academics that they watch Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex which is currently screening on Australian televsion on Thursday nights (although there are only 2 episodes left in the 26 episode run). I have mentioned Ghost in the Shell before. Anyway, the academic was forwarding the idea of a “Lifelong Digital Me” project: a digital storage facility somehow connected to each and every person that records important information in each individual person’s life. Those who watch the show or are familiar with the Ghost in the Shell cultural franchise would know that some of the philosphical problems regarding ‘cybernetic brains’ and emergent ‘human ghosts’ (the ‘human spirit’ of cyborgs and AI/Androids) have been addressed in the series.
I really like this show. To give you an idea of why I think this is the coolest show on TV at the moment: in episode 16 one of the artifical intelligence tanks (called a Tachikoma) of the police team that the show centres around (Section 9) is holding a copy of Deleuze and Guattari’s Anti-Oedipus! Crazy! I only found that out today, I must have missed that episode. I knew there was something going on with this show that I just loved. Of course! It was made by Deleuzians! It all makes sense now…
On March 29 the complete box set of the DVDs comes out in Australia. Even though there are already torrents out for the DVDs, I am going to buy it.
There is a series two, of the tv series, too, plus two movies. Tagline from the preview to the second series: “When the online world and the real world collide, the ‘truth’ is a fluid concept.” Also this this book/DVD thing that looks awesome; I may have to get that, too! Sweet!
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