Comments on: A Brave New World

By: amin

amin — Sun, 10 Sep 2006 17:15:04 +0000

Jasmin, I’m a lover of sci-fi and fantasy, swords and sandals, all that kind of stuff. I just love the other-worldliness of the stories.

Thank you for your comments on the characterisations, as I was a bit unsure whether they seemed artificial. I’d love to do a longer piece on this premise, but I don’t think I’ve done enough spadework yet to know how to write more than a few hundred words. I’m hoping that I can write some longer pieces as time goes on.

By: Jasmin

Jasmin — Sun, 10 Sep 2006 14:39:11 +0000

Wow! I loved the entire premise of this story. As a sci fi and fantasy fiction reader, this story opened up worlds of potential for a greater, longer short story or novel. It’s really intriguing what storylines you can put together with the premise of AI and the military. Excellent! Hope you expand on this. And as I’ve said before, your characters are wonderful.

By: amin

amin — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 22:59:07 +0000

Brandon, I couldn’t agree with you more.

It worries me here in the UK at how much power these politicians are taking for themselves and how much electronic surveillance is routinely done. We’re told that the average Brit is caught on surveillance camera 300 times a day. A day!

Actually, I’m reading 1984 (never read it as a kid) and it’s freakishly resonant of our current situation here. We’ve recently found out that our garbage bins have been bugged covertly. Garbage bins!

By: Brandon

Brandon — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 16:15:10 +0000

A great parallel idea to what Aegis means. The purpose, from the standpoint of the narrator, was to protect the country with this machine. That’s what government is supposed to do, but as in this case, it has the potential to become something to be protected against. I agree that we are reliant upon technology, but I really think that it’s those controlling it that have us where they want us. Thanks for a great read.

By: amin

amin — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 12:58:20 +0000

Thanks, Saleeha. You’re right about computers, but it’s technology in general. Just imagine what would happen to the world if we were left without electricity for just 7 days. People would end up killing each other to get food and water.

Scary, scary thought.

By: Saaleha

Saaleha — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 12:47:25 +0000

I liked that one. Couldn’t make out what the ending would be. But the thought of such sophisticated AI is scary. Already the computer has us where it want’s us, instead of the other way around. But well done Amin

By: amin

amin — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 08:39:55 +0000

Fertilising different story eggs. I like that expression and how descriptive of how it feels to gestate a story in your mind.

Thanks, Darren.

By: DBA Lehane

DBA Lehane — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 07:45:56 +0000

Isn’t it amusing how the same word fertilises different story eggs in our minds? To me aegis spawns an ancient, supernatural entity…and for you a contemporary technological sci-fi piece! It was a great Amin!

By: amin

amin — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 06:29:09 +0000

Thank you, Susan, yes it’s mine.

Ray, this story reminded me of Demon Seed, or any of the other films where the super-computer takes over the world. I thought it might be nice to have a super-computer that develops a conscience.

By: the Wandering Author

the Wandering Author — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 04:37:41 +0000

As I was reading it, I did have one idea for how it might turn out that could be interesting. Handled well, it might even turn into a really nice topical SF novel. I don’t want to just put that out here, since it’s your story, but if you are interested, e-mail me and I’ll send you the idea. (And won’t complain if you use it, obviously. Your story spawned it, anyway.)