Page 11234..1020..»

Category Archives: Immortality

Grief Tech And Digital Immortality: How Far Would You Go? – Sify

Posted: March 16, 2024 at 10:14 am

While an AI avatar could be a great way to memorialize someone, it could also prevent people from completing the grieving process.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has come a long way, as have the industries that make money off death, as grisly as it sounds. And technopreneurs have managed to make space for themselves by blending the two in the form of grief tech and ghostbots. Its officially the end of mourning as we know it.

For as long as humans have been around, weve fought against the inevitability of death. AI is finally intersecting with the highest and deepest human experience death. Companies have been employing AI to virtually bring back the dead, a technology hailed as grief tech, to bring comfort to their loved ones and help them process their grief. But we have to ask ourselves the question how much is too much?

In ultra-wired South Korea, producer Kim Jong-woos controversial 2020 documentary I Met You used VR to culminate into a tearful reunion between a mother and a virtual recreation of her daughter whod passed away in 2016. Jong-woos idea was to help people remember their loved ones beyond photo technology. While some thought it to be emotionally manipulative, others felt it brought grieving loved ones some closure.

Taking generative AI to the ultimate, macabre conclusion is DeepBrain AI, a Seoul-founded company that provides a range of AI-powered customer service products. Its virtual human service Re;memory recreated the persona of late family members of clients, right down to their voice and physique. Basically, one can create avatars of themselves by reading a few lines in a studio, and their families can visit them at offsite facilities. The idea is to immortalize ones life story via a virtual human.

Ghoulish, is it? Maybe not entirely. Re;memorys idea stemmed from the beguiling traditional Korean mourning and death anniversary traditions of Jesa. It involves large family gatherings, considerable amounts of food and drink, and performing ancestral rituals. But now, Jesa rituals are evolving to include visiting the columbarium on death anniversaries to pay respects to their ancestors and spend more quality time with the family. Re;memorys idea is not to replicate the personality but rather allow grieving family members to experience a digital avatar of a person on a day they miss them the most.

Another form of AI going beyond the physical realm is in the form of audio-based AI. For instance, Zhejiang-based Chinese global AI giant Super Brain has created griefbots for grieving family members. A mourning father hoping to talk to his deceased son gave founder Zhang Zewei the idea, who developed it into services ranging from limited audio/visual clips to entirely conversing video-enabled chatbots. How it works is that the software usually guides users through a personality questionnaire, thereby training its AI-backed algorithm based on the responses.

Its the same story with James Vlahos and his company, HereAfter AI. When his father was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer, he created a Dadbot, an interactive experience that emulated his father using recordings of his fathers life story. Vlahos said he found comfort in doing so; we cannot disagree.

Even in the West, a crop of California-based startups like Sance AI, StoryFile, and Replika now offer users various services to help them cope with the loss of a loved one. Right from audio legacies to virtual avatars one can have interactive video conversations with, are the dead even really dead anymore?

Not surprisingly, the concept of living as an avatar in the cloud or the metaverse, like Elon Musks Neuralink project, has generated a lot of conversation and controversy. After all, what do these Black Mirror-esque digital afterlives mean for the future of humanity?

Firstly, psychiatrists might argue that grief tech is a double-edged sword, as it might not be entirely healthy for the living. While an AI avatar could be a great way to memorialize someone, it could also prevent people from completing the grieving process. People could end up trying to avoid reality, and it could even hinder them from forming new and meaningful relationships.

Secondly, most AI companies havent intended grief tech to be something super long-term but instead aim at providing loved ones with a sense of closure. This is especially important in cases where sudden deaths have left bereaved relatives with a void, which perhaps an AI version of their loved one can fill. It could also help them cope and complete the grieving process in the unfortunate case of sudden death.

However, perhaps the most puzzling and pertinent question arising from this situation is does one have the right not to be resurrected via such AI, notwithstanding their loved ones preferences? Will last wills and testaments now have to have consent/dissent clauses about the use of ones biometric data to create griefbots? Who owns the avatar after the persons death? Interestingly, the same thing could and does happen to our tangible objects after our deaths vintage markets with old, discarded family photographs, anyone?

So, its still not clear how consent obligations will be complied with, especially in such situations where living relatives are not only consenting to the usage of biometric data of their departed loved ones but even requesting AI companies to use it for their own private benefit, of course.

With digital memorialization even making its way into the arts, its clear that weve just begun the conversation around grief tech. While resurrecting the dead in the form of AI does promise great benefits and could revolutionize the way we approach death, the attending risks of digital immortality are great mostly because we might not really be prepared for it.

Excerpt from:

Grief Tech And Digital Immortality: How Far Would You Go? - Sify

Posted in Immortality | Comments Off on Grief Tech And Digital Immortality: How Far Would You Go? – Sify

When Celine Dion paid emotional tribute to the Bee Gees with poignant rendition of ‘Immortality’ – Smooth Radio

Posted: at 10:14 am

15 March 2024, 15:27

They had instant chemistry.

When the Bee Gees and Cline Dion teamed up in 1997 on the gorgeous song 'Immortality', the creative spark was instant.

That was confirmed by the fact that the legendary songwriting trio penned the ballad in just four minutes, with Cline in mind.

'Immortality' featured on the French-Canadian pop powerhouse's 1997 album, Let's Talk About Love, and whilst maybe overshadowed by her biggest hit 'My Heart Will Go On', the song held a place in her fan's hearts.

It was adored so much that Cline eventually released 'Immortality' as a single the following year, where it reached number five in the UK charts.

What the experience of working together did create, was a life-long bond between Cline and the Gibb brothers.

Sadly, they'd never combine their talents again, as Maurice Gibb died only six years later, with Robin Gibb also leaving us in 2012.

But in 2017, Cline was granted the opportunity to pay tribute to her fallen friends, and brought the entire audience to tears.

Due to the 'disco sucks' movement that derailed the Bee Gees' career throughout the eighties, they've perhaps not been given the credit they deserve in the years since.

The Grammy Awards sought to rectify that, by organising a spectacular tribute concert in 2017 to celebrate their genius and impact on popular music once and for all.

Stayin Alive: A Grammy Salute to the Music of the Bee Gees, was also televised, and featured performances from superstars from past and present.

The stellar lineup of stars performing Bee Gees classics included Stevie Wonder and John Legend, Ed Sheeran, Keith Urban, Demi Lovato, Jason Derulo and Tavares, as well as the star of Saturday Night Fever in John Travolta.

With his family in attendance, Barry Gibb himself even performed a rousing rendition of 'You Should Be Dancing' which had the entire crowd on their feet.

The night's most spectacular moment, was when Cline Dion stepped onto the stage.

Cline Dion - Immortality (Bee Gees Tribute) 1997 - 2017 (HD)

As she breathed deeply and prepared to sing the first notes to 'Immortality', Cline said: "It's a song that means more and more to me each day."

With the crowd ready to let the floodgates open, she then dedicated it to Barry's late brothers, Robin and Maurice.

"Tonight I sing it with love for Barry and in memory of Robin, Maurice and Andy," she added.

What came next was trademark Cline, delivering the song she sang alongside the Bee Gees with the power and poise only she could produce.

Duetting with the recording of the Bee Gees' voices, there was montage footage of them performing together, with images of Robin and Maurice projected onto the screens behind Cline.

It was clearly an emotional experience for Barry, remembering his lost brothers, and Cline knew what he was feeling.

As she brought the song to a close, she approached Barry in the crowd and began singing to him, before embracing him as a loving friend when 'Immortality' came to its conclusion.

It was a poignant and powerful moment between two dear friends, ones that just happen to make immaculate music with one another.

Originally posted here:

When Celine Dion paid emotional tribute to the Bee Gees with poignant rendition of 'Immortality' - Smooth Radio

Posted in Immortality | Comments Off on When Celine Dion paid emotional tribute to the Bee Gees with poignant rendition of ‘Immortality’ – Smooth Radio

Nobody Wants to Die will explore immortality and transhumanism later in 2024 – TheXboxHub

Posted: at 10:14 am

Nobody Wants to Die is coming to Xbox, PlayStation, PC in 2024

An interactive noir story that is set in a dystopian New York City, Nobody Wants to Die has today been confirmed for a 2024 drop onto Xbox, PlayStation and PC. When it lands youll find an innovative experience playing out, one that looks to explore immortality and the dangers of transhumanism.

From Critical Hit Games and PLAION, Nobody Wants to Die has been announced for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and PC. Its due to release later in 2024, as players get the opportunity to lose themselves in its world.

Nobody Wants to Die looks to be an innovative experience taking place in futuristic New York City. A game inspired by neo-noir films, itll offer a distinctly visual aesthetic and intriguing plot.

Youll fall into this world, playing as Detective James Karra. Its here where youll investigate crime scenes using time manipulation. An advanced technology will come to the fore too, all as you look to uncover clues and unmask a killer in an era where death is a thing of the past.

Powered by Unreal Engine 5, the Polish team at Critical Hit Games are attempting to push the boundaries of storytelling, combining realistic cinema graphics and a distinctly unique narrative experience to deliver a non-stop, immersive story to the player in their inaugural creation.

Lose yourself in the world of New York, 2329, where immortality is possible for a price. Following a near-death experience, Detective James Karra takes an off-the-books case from his chief.

With only the help of a young police liaison, Sara Kai, to assist him. Time reveals all as they risk everything in pursuit of a killer, uncovering the dark secrets of the citys elite.

Sold? You will be once youve watched the announcement trailer below. Give it a view and let us know your thoughts on all things Nobody Wants to Die.

From there, hold tight for a release on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and PC later in 2024.Theres an Xbox Store page up if you want to know more.

Continued here:

Nobody Wants to Die will explore immortality and transhumanism later in 2024 - TheXboxHub

Posted in Immortality | Comments Off on Nobody Wants to Die will explore immortality and transhumanism later in 2024 – TheXboxHub

Nike Giannis Immortality 3 "White On White" DZ7533-102 – Sneaker News

Posted: February 22, 2024 at 7:56 pm

The Giannis Immortality 3, though carrying a lighter price tag, never wavers in terms of how it experiments and pushes the boundaries for the Greek Freaks signature line as a whole. A slew of new colorways for the shoe have emerged since the start of the year, and now a triple-white pair is joining the pack.

Stepping back a few months, it was almost only a matter of time before a pair like this arrived. While vibrant, bright colorways of the shoe are more easily associated with the Immortality 3, a Black/White pack in June tipped off more monochromatic looks. Along those same lines, a Triple Black Giannis Immortality 3 broke in the fall, hinting towards the same thing.

In this all-white look, the hardware of the shoe is more or less left to stand on its own without emphasis and detail derived from a flashy palette. The breathable mesh on the inside and under the Swoosh here take precedence, and possibly open up a lane in this conservative outfitting as more of a lifestyle, everyday shoe rather than the basketball performance it was drawn up for.

Expect the White on White Giannis Immortality 3 to begin a roll out in the next several weeks with a retail price of $90.

In other Swoosh news, they and a fashion house collaborator came out of left field with the Jacquemus Nike Swoosh Bag.

Read the original here:

Nike Giannis Immortality 3 "White On White" DZ7533-102 - Sneaker News

Posted in Immortality | Comments Off on Nike Giannis Immortality 3 "White On White" DZ7533-102 – Sneaker News

Cosmism: The philosophical movement that predicted space travel – Big Think

Posted: at 7:56 pm

In the 2009 documentary Transcendent Man, the American inventor and futurist Ray Kurzweil shares his thoughts on death. Although many philosophers and theologians accept mortality as an inevitable and indeed defining feature of human existence, Kurzweil refuses to accept this line of thinking. Death is a great tragedy, a profound loss, he declares in the film, haunted by the memory of losing his father at age 22. I dont accept it.

Kurzweil would have found an ally in the little-known 19th-century Russian philosopher Nikolai Fedorov, whose posthumously published text Philosophy of the Common Task made the at-the-time daring argument that death was little more than a design flaw one which advancements in science and technology could help to rectify. Fedorov also believed that this goal of rectification of achieving immortality would unite social groups whose mutual fear of death had historically pitted them in opposition to each other.

Our task, Fedorov wrote, is to make nature, the blind force of nature, into an instrument of universal resuscitation and to become a union of immortal beings.

Fedorovs writing never turned mainstream, but it did spawn a short-lived, visionary philosophical movement known as Cosmism. Materialized during the Industrial Revolution a time of unprecedented societal change the movement generally sought to redefine mankinds relationship with technology and progress, with the ultimate goal of regulating the forces of nature so that humanity could achieve unity and immortality. The movement offered a more spiritual alternative to both futurism and communism.

Although the latter annihilated Cosmism before it had a chance to mature, its maxims have acquired new relevancy in the age of Big Tech. The following interview with Boris Groys, a distinguished professor of Russian and Slavic studies at New York University and editor of the new book Russian Cosmism, reveals why.

To understand Russian Sosmism, we must first look at other movements and ideas that arose during the same period. More influential than Fedorovs Philosophy of the Common Task was interdisciplinary scientist Alexander Chizhevskys 1931 article The Earth in the Suns Embrace, which interpreted human history as revolving around the Sun. Starting from the questionable proposition that revolutionary movements require energy and that energy in its most basic form is derived from solar rays, Chizhevsky listed some historical developments that lined up with astronomical developments. He noted, for example, that progressive governments in the United Kingdom coincided with periods of high solar activity, while conservative ones tended to appear when solar activity decreased due to sunspots.

Chizhevskys article profoundly impacted Russian avant-garde artists like the painter Kazimir Malevich. Malevich helped stage a futuristic opera titled Victory Over the Sun, which heralded the Suns eventual extinction and the worlds descent into chaos. Rather than dreading this disorder, the avant-garde welcomed it. By the beginning of the twentieth century the embrace of chaos seemed imminent, as no one could be expected to believe any longer in the stability of divine or natural order, Groys explains in the new book.

The very idea of a stable order, be it religious or rationalist, appeared to lose its ontological guarantee to permanently replace, make obsolete, and ultimately destroy old things, old traditions, and familiar ways of life, thus undermining lingering faith in the traditional world order. Technological development, subjected to the logic of progress, presented itself as a force of chaos that would not tolerate any stable order. The future came to be seen as the enemy of both past and present. Precisely because of that view, the futurists celebrated the future, as it held the promise that everything that had been and still was would disappear.

This same sentiment can be found in the writing of the anarchist-futurist poet Alexander Svyatogor, who compared progress to the sudden eruption of a volcano: a violent outburst that destroys everything in its wake while fertilizing the soil to sustain new life. In his essay The Doctrine of the Fathers and Anarcho-Biocosmism, he rejects Fedorovs idea that science and technology are agents of restoration of recovering and preserving what has been lost. He argued instead that future generations would knead with their own hands, like sculptors knead clay, the spirit and matter of the world, so as to create an absolutely new cosmos. Crucially, he also relished in the fact that detractors referred to his intellectual group the Kreatory or Creatorium as a crematorium.

They are probably right to come to this conclusion, he wrote. Indeed, we need to burn quite a lot, if not everything.

Fedorov and Svyatogor represent two sides of Cosmism, which Groys writes never had a unified doctrine. Where adherents of the former viewed technology as a force that would destroy the old world and open the way for building the new from point zero, the former hoped technology would become a strong messianic force that could transmit knowledge from one generation to another.

Cosmists who believed in technology as a messianic force clashed not just with the Svyatogor camp, but also with the communists, whose guiding ideology of Marxism-Leninism was predicated on the dismantling of age-old social systems to establish a novel world order. Fedorovs philosophy was especially irreconcilable with the concept of the New Soviet Man, the Soviet governments campaign to physically and mentally rebuild its citizens into more obedient, self-sacrificing people. While some Cosmists embraced communism, they opposed the notion that a socialist utopia should be built on the backs of generations who would never get to experience its benefits commentary that put them at odds with Joseph Stalin and his purges.

Although interest in Russian Cosmism was quickly eradicated, the movement has acquired new life in the 21st century. In fact, it might be more relevant today than it was in the early 20th century. Fedorov and Svyatogors shared call for the colonization of outer space to protect humanity from earthly disaster, for example, is a direct parallel to Elon Musks promise to move people to Mars.

Thanks to climate change, Cosmisms ambivalent and generally hostile attitude towards the natural world should also sound familiar. Today it is fashionable to like nature, Groys told Big Think, but nature does not like us. It is a one-sided love. Cosmisms central idea is that we can survive only under artificial conditions, if we create an artificial world to protect us.

Fedorovs writing, meanwhile, serves as a reminder that we should not let scientific or technological progress come at anyones expense, but rather strive to uplift the world in its totality: past, present, and future. To be interested in the past is to be interested in ourselves, Groys said, because everything, including us, eventually becomes part of the past.

See more here:

Cosmism: The philosophical movement that predicted space travel - Big Think

Posted in Immortality | Comments Off on Cosmism: The philosophical movement that predicted space travel – Big Think

Is Immortality Really All Its Cracked Up to Be in The Lord of the Rings? – CBR – Comic Book Resources

Posted: at 7:56 pm

Summary

The Lord Of The Rings set up tropes that would be used in fantasy storytelling for decades. J.R.R. Tolkien didn't invent Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, Goblins, or Dragons, but his conceptions of them would become common. A great example of this is Tolkien's Elves. In folklore, Elves were often tricksters, creatures of magic and madness who loved to bewitch mortals. Tolkien's Elves were quite different. While they were certainly magical beings, they weren't tricksters, but divine. The Elves were the first beings to awaken on Middle-earth and were known as the "favored Children of Ilvatar." The Elves were also immortal and lived through some of the darkest moments in Tolkien's entire saga.

Elvish immortality in The Lord Of The Rings universe is quite interesting because it's about more than just living forever. The fate of Elves is bound up with the fate of Middle-earth itself, and even the only death they can die - in combat - isn't actually the end for them. The Lord Of the Rings created modern fantasy, and the changes it made to the Elves are unique. Elvish immortality is something that is a bone of contention in Middle-earth between Elves and Men, but it's as much of a curse as it is a blessing.

The Valar are basically the gods of LOTR and they were the servants of Eru Ilvatar. Ilvatar showed the Valar the Music of the Ainur, a song that would become the universe and Middle-earth. During this music, the Valar and the Maiar, lesser divine spirits, saw the Children of Ilvatar, beings who would live in the world but would be different from the Valar and the Maiar. The Valar and the Maiar were given great power by Ilvatar and could exist outside Middle-earth. The Children were given different gifts and were to be the primary movers of the Music of the Ainur, the unfolding creation of Ilvatar, as time went on. The Valar and Maiar learned much about the Elves from the music, as they were akin to each other in many ways.

Middle-earth would exist for countless years before the Elves awakened. The Elves lived on their own for a time before being found by the Valar known as Orom, who would bring the three chief Elves - Elw, Ingw, and Finw - to Valinor to see the Valar. The Valar loved the three of them and invited the rest of the Elves to Valinor as well. The three kindreds of Elves - Teleri, Vanyar, and Noldor - would begin the journey to Valinor. Some Elves would stop their journey, choosing instead to stay in the lands they saw on the way.

To understand the way death works on Middle-earth, it's crucial to understand the fa and the hra. The fa is the soul, for lack of a better term, and the hra is the body. Elves and Men have both, but they are not equal. The Elves's fa is more powerful than that of a human, allowing them to perform greater feats of magic, and it is bound to Middle-earth. The Elves' hra is also different than Men's, as it's immune to aging and disease and is stronger in general. All Elves go to Valinor when they die and reside in the Hall of Mandos, the home of the Valar Nmo. Nmo was known as the Doomsman of the Valar, proclaiming the judgments of the Valar and helping to judge the dead.

When an Elf is killed, they wake up in the Hall of Mandos, surrounded by other Elves that were also killed. They are only fa at this point and have no body. This doesn't mean that they're ghosts, however, wandering through Valinor. They are consigned to the Halls of Mandos and cannot leave for a time. Eventually, Elvish fa are given a new body and allowed to live among their kindred in Valinor, enjoying all the fruits of the Blessed Realm.

Death for an Elf is a waiting game. They are immediately transported to the Halls of Mandos, spend an indeterminate amount of time - probably contingent on if they were "good" or "bad" in Nmo's estimation - and then are reincarnated into a body that is basically their old body. Once Men awakened, they would also learn of the fate of the Elves, which was quite different from their own.

Men in Middle-earth were weaker and dying of age, disease, and hardships. Wounds that could kill a Man often didn't kill Elves. When Men awoke, there was no Valar to guide them. It is believed that Melkor and his servants found Men first and put the fear of death into them. Men's deaths worked in a different way than Elves did as well. The Elves's fa was bound to Middle-earth, and they were meant to reside in it until the end of time. Men's fa left Middle-earth and it is not known what happened to them. The Elves and the Valar both believe that the fa of Men goes to be with Ilvatar directly, leaving behind Middle-earth.

Men are jealous of Elves for their immortality, but Elves are jealous of Men because they get to leave Middle-earth. This isn't possible for the Elves, although many believe that after the Dagor Dagorath, the last battle at the end of the world, the Elves will finally get to join Ilvatar. Elves eventually become weary of Middle-earth and desire to go beyond it, but never can. Many fear that the destruction of Middle-earth will be the end of them. Men think that Elves live forever, but for the Elves, their longer lifespan still leaves behind uncertainties over what comes next.

Dwarves basically get the same treatment as Elves, with a few key differences. Dwarves were created by Aul, the Valar of smithcraft, and given life by Ilvatar. Dwarves get to live longer than Men and are tougher physically, but they do die. They have their own wing of the Halls of Mandos, but unlike the Elves, they don't get reincarnated. They reside within the Halls until the Dagor Dagorath when they join the rest of the forces of the Valar in the last battle against Melkor. It is thought among the Dwarves that they will help Aul build a new world, but other than that, they have no idea what will eventually happen to them either.

The Elvish life cycle in LOTR is well-known to every Elf, but exceptions have been made several times. The first example of this is the tale of Beren and Luthien. Beren was a Man from the House of Barahir, one of the three houses of Men that were known as the Elf-Friends. Luthien was the daughter of Elu Thingol (formerly known as Elw, one of the first three chiefs) and Melian, making her half-Elf and half-Maiar. Beren and Luthien fell in love and Thingol told Beren that the only way he would allow a Man to wed his daughter was if he was brought Silmarill from Morgoth's crown.

Beren, Luthien, and Finrod Felagund, a king of the Noldor, went to steal one of the Silmarills, although Beren was mortally wounded during the hunt and would have left the circles of the world if it wasn't for Luthien. Elves can will themselves to die, departing their bodies for the Halls of Mandos, and Luthien did so. At the Halls, she sang a song of such sorrow to Nmo that the Valar retrieved Beren's fa before it could depart Middle-earth. Beren was sent back to his body and Luthien came back as well, but she was no longer immortal. Together, the two of them would eventually die of old age after having a child named Dior.

Dior was the first of the Half-Elven and the grandfather of Elros and Elrond. They were given a choice at the end of the First Age - they could have Elvish immortality or Mannish mortality. Elrond chose to be an Elf and Elros chose to be a Man. Tolkien never really explained if the Half-Elven were given this choice because of their divine blood or through a connection to the Silmarills but it seems like the only ones who got to make the choice were those of the First Age. For example, Aragorn and Arwen's child doesn't get the choice of the Half-Elven, despite being of the blood Elves, Men, and Maiar.

Glorfindel is a LOTR character who has only appeared in the books. Glorfindel stands among the most powerful Elves in Middle-earth. In Fellowship Of The Ring, Elrond sends Glorfindel instead of Arwen to find Aragorn and the Hobbits when the Nazgl are chasing them. The book establishes that Glorfindel is an Elf-lord of great power, one feared by the Ringwraiths. The text describes white light coming from Glorfindel when he first comes on the scene, and Frodo sees him as a glowing figure at the Ford of Bruinen. There's a good reason that Glorfindel had that much power, though, as he was a Noldor of the First Age, one who returned from the Halls of Mandos.

The Silmarillion sets up the Elven realms of Middle-earth like Gondolin, which is the last Elvish kingdom to hold out against Morgoth's forces. Glorfindel helped the survivors escape the city when they encountered a powerful Balrog. Glorfindel jumped out to battle the demon even though Elves usually lost against the Balrogs. However, Glorfindel was able to not only save the refugees of Gondolin from the Balrog but also kill it. He died in the attempt and went to the Halls of Mandos where he was eventually reincarnated. Glorfindel was sent back to Middle-earth in the year 1600 of the Second Age by Manw, and given the power of a Maiar.

Glorfindel is the only example of a reincarnated Elf going back to Middle-earth. However, in certain writings of Tolkien, there were two Glorfindels. One was the Balrog killer of the First Age and the other was named for him. Later on, Tolkien decided to change the story of Glorfindel, as outlined in The Last Writings, and Glorfindel of Gondolin and Glorfindel of Rivendell became the same.

Tolkien changed the way Elves were seen forever, taking them from the tricksters of folklore into noble, semi-divine beings. Their immortality was meant to be a part of this, but Tolkien didn't want it to be as easy as "Elves live forever." Instead, Tolkien linked Elves to Middle-earth, much like the Valar and Maiar who left Ilvatar.

Tolkien dealt with the sadness of Elvish immortality in the Akallabth. The King of Numenor asked a visitor from Tol Eressa, the Elvish island outside of Valinor that was part of the Blessed Realm, why the Numenoreans shouldn't be jealous of Elvish immortality. The answer was that immortality wasn't a reward for the Elves, it was just a part of their being. They were bound to Middle-earth and had to deal with the reality of never finding anything new; their lives were just an endless repetition with no hope of an ending. To the Elves, the death of Men was something special, as they got to leave Middle-earth and journey into the mysteries of the universe.

Looking at it from that perspective, Elvish immortality is as much a curse as anything else. The best an Elf can hope for is Valinor, but even then they will spend countless ages awaiting the final battle of the world and what comes beyond it. Elves' immortality is an illusion for mortals, as one day they will face the same uncertainty that Men do. Throughout Tolkien's Legendarium, there are multiple examples of it being more than just immortality, showing it for what it is - another tragedy, of endless separation with a mysterious endpoint.

The Lord of the Rings is a series of epic fantasy adventure films and television series based on J. R. R. Tolkien's novels. The films follow the adventures of humans, elves, dwarves, hobbits and more in Middle Earth.

See the original post here:

Is Immortality Really All Its Cracked Up to Be in The Lord of the Rings? - CBR - Comic Book Resources

Posted in Immortality | Comments Off on Is Immortality Really All Its Cracked Up to Be in The Lord of the Rings? – CBR – Comic Book Resources

Elves Immortality Is More of a Curse Than a Blessing in The Lord of the Rings – IMDb

Posted: at 7:56 pm

Elves Immortality Is More of a Curse Than a Blessing in The Lord of the Rings  IMDb

View original post here:

Elves Immortality Is More of a Curse Than a Blessing in The Lord of the Rings - IMDb

Posted in Immortality | Comments Off on Elves Immortality Is More of a Curse Than a Blessing in The Lord of the Rings – IMDb

Dragon Ball’s Weakest Villain Killed All The Strongest Heroes (In … – Screen Rant

Posted: August 18, 2023 at 11:01 am

Fans of Dragon Ball have long been fascinated by Future Trunks' dystopian timeline, where every hero except the blue-haired Saiyan was killed, including Goku and Vegeta. One bonus comic released for Dragon Ball Super showed exactly how the unfortunate chain of events came to be and, while most of the destruction happened at the hands of the androids, that terrible future hinges entirely on the actions of one minor villain: Pilaf.

In a brief bonus chapter, Dragon Ball Super pays a visit to Future Trunks' timeline, at a point when he was still a baby and the battle with Androids 17 and 18 raged on. Goku has already died of the heart virus, and Gohan and Bulma are desperately searching for the dragon balls to get some kind of help in the fight. They stumble across the first villains of the franchise, Pilaf, Mai, and Shu, who are summoning Shenron. Despite Shu's warning, Pilaf wishes to be younger, causing his entire group to be returned to babies. Shortly thereafter, Piccolo (who has fused with Kami) is killed in battle, and the dragon balls are rendered inert, ruining any hope of using them to deal with the androids or resurrect the fallen warriors.

By robbing Bulma and Gohan of a wish that was desperately needed, the stage was set for the eventual demise of the rest of the Z-Fighters, leaving only Bulma and Trunks to grow old into the future. Wishing Goku back wasn't an option, since he died a "natural" death, but there were a number of other possible options, from unlocking a warrior's latent potential (as Piccolo wishes for in the Super Hero arc) to disabling the androids in some way. They could've even wished for something like immortality for Piccolo to prevent the dragon balls from being deactivated. With the dragon balls, Gohan and Bulma would've had some options, but without them, the world's fate was effectively sealed.

This short chapter was mostly created to explain a few things, though. The Mai of Future Trunks' timeline is roughly the same age as the Saiyan, and now we know how: she was de-aged to a baby when Trunks was still a baby. This indeed fixes a weird pothole, as the two end up falling in love. Gohan also seems to have been the only survivor of the fight with the Androids because he left to go with Bulma, thus putting him in a position to train young Trunks into the warrior he will one day become. It also suggests that Zamasu had to pillage Goku's grave in order to acquire his body and become Goku Black, a rather disturbing thought to say the least.

Despite the purpose and style of this bonus chapter being quite lighthearted, Pilaf's wasted wish dramatically lowered the odds of the Androids being defeated, thus giving rise to the darkest timeline in the entire series. Pilaf has mostly gotten by through being a relatively minor nuisance, but on this occasion, his presence was a far bigger problem. It just goes to show that even the weakest villains can't be ignored, as in Future Trunks' dark timeline his foolish actions resulted in the death of almost every Dragon Ball hero.

Link:

Dragon Ball's Weakest Villain Killed All The Strongest Heroes (In ... - Screen Rant

Posted in Immortality | Comments Off on Dragon Ball’s Weakest Villain Killed All The Strongest Heroes (In … – Screen Rant

The Recorder – Connecting the Dots: Project Immortality – The Recorder

Posted: May 14, 2023 at 12:12 am

Professor Lawrence Doner is probably the most brilliant man I ever met. I was working in Washington D.C. in 1966 and a bunch of us had traveled out to NASAs Goddard Space Center in Greenbelt, Maryland for several lectures.

We wanted to find out if it would be possible to capture Doners brain patterns on a computer. Our group was led by Martin Schramm, a mathematician from the Defense Department, whose assignment was to preserve Professor Doners brain patterns for posterity. Doner was dying from leukemia. Schramms challenge was, could a computer somehow become or impersonate a human being?

OK, my introduction here was make-believe. Todays column is about the message in Project Immortality, a television play by Loring Mandel broadcast on June 11, 1959, as part of the CBS television series, Playhouse 90.

The plot is what I described in my first paragraphs. Then, seven years later in 1966, Mandels play was in production at Arena Stage, one of the nations preeminent regional professional theaters, where I was the publicity director.

The trip to the Goddard Space Center was real. Our entire theater company bused out to Goddard to familiarize ourselves with the world of computer programming capacity.

For me, Project Immortality remains an early expression of concern about the beginnings of artificial intelligence. The play explores the idea of coding a persons thinking into a computer and raises questions about identity and what can be programmed.

As artificial intelligence has grown more sophisticated and widespread, the voices warning against the potential dangers of artificial intelligence grow louder.

Geoffrey Hinton, the Godfather of AI, recently resigned from Google following the rapid rise of ChatGPT and other chatbots, so he could freely speak out about the risks of AI, he told the New York Times. Hinton, who helped lay the groundwork for todays generative AI, was an engineering fellow at Google for over a decade. According to the Times, a part of him regrets his lifes work after seeing the danger generative AI poses. He worries about misinformation; that the average person will not be able to know what is true anymore. He also fears that AIs ability to automate tasks will replace not just drudge work, but upend the entire job market.

Without regulation or transparency, companies risk losing control of a potent technology. I dont think they should scale this up more until they have understood whether they can control it, said Hinton.

I am reminded of Robert Oppenheimer, in charge of the Manhattan Project and known as the father of the atomic bomb, who watched the first atomic bomb explode on July 16, 1945. He later remarked that the explosion brought to his mind words from the Hindu scripture BhagavadGita: Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, one of the most advanced AI research companies, has acknowledged that the company is scared of the risks posed by its chatbot system, ChatGPT. Weve got to be careful here, he said in an interview with ABC News, mentioning the potential for AI to produce misinformation.

Thats yet another expert calling for AI development to hit the pause button. Then there is Stephen Hawkings chilling statement: The development of artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race.

Like the subway, AI is a public good, given its capacity to complete tasks far more efficiently than human operators. Today, there are tons of applications and uses of artificial intelligence in various fields such as in marketing, health care, banking, finance, etc.

But both its benefits and dangers will affect everyone, even people who dont personally use AI. For example, misinformation and fake news already pose serious threats to democracies, but AI has the potential to exacerbate the problem by spreading fake news faster and more effectively than people can.

In his program notes at Arena Stage 57 years ago, Loring Mandel wrote, If we define Man as one who learns, we can point to computers which also learn and continuously improve their performance without human help. If we define Man as one who propagates his race in his own image, we can point to computerized machines which reproduce themselves endlessly, like the bewitched broom stick in The Sorcerers Apprentice. If we define Man from Machine in terms of ultimate control over his creation, we may be up the creek yet again.

His closing words for Project Immortality were Theres much less to fear from making machines into humans that from making humans into machines.

John Bos has been trying to come to grips with what has happened to America over the past eight decades by Connecting the Dots, published every other Saturday in the Recorder. He is also a contributing writer for Green Energy Times. Questions and comments may be sent to john01370@gmail.com.

Read more here:

The Recorder - Connecting the Dots: Project Immortality - The Recorder

Posted in Immortality | Comments Off on The Recorder – Connecting the Dots: Project Immortality – The Recorder

Opinion: Gordon Lightfoot | The immortality of a shipwreck – News Courier

Posted: at 12:12 am

"Does anyone know where the love of God goes

When the waves turn the minutes to hours?"

That evocative lyric some claim it to be the greatest in popular music comes from Gordon Lightfoots epic retelling of a Lake Superior disaster, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, which Lightfoot regarded as his greatest work.

Which is saying something. Lightfoot, who died on May 1 at age 84, was a prolific writer and performer, with at least 20 albums released in a career that made him a national icon in his native Canada.

Sundown, an invocation of jealousy and desire inspired by the woman who would go on to inject comedian John Belushi with his fatal overdose, topped the U.S. charts in 1974, a height Fitzgerald narrowly missed.

But Lightfoots 1976 saga of the giant freighters shipwreck barely a year earlier achieved something greater a level of immortality for the Edmund Fitzgeralds 29 crew members, all of whom perished in the sinking.

Lightfoots enduring song has preserved the Fitzgerald disaster from obscurity; it will always part of the legend of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee.

Which is no small part of the troubadour tradition telling the stories, preserving the legends, transmitting the history. It is music as journalism and history. Lightfoot took seriously the responsibility of telling the shipwreck story as accurately as artistically possible; at least twice he revised the lyrics for his live performances to be more factually correct.

Lightfoots song tells of ringing the church bells in Detroit 29 times to honor the lost men of the ship. On May 2, the Mariners Church rang the bells 30 times once for each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald, with one more for for the songwriter who chronicled their passing. It was a fitting tribute to all.

Follow this link:

Opinion: Gordon Lightfoot | The immortality of a shipwreck - News Courier

Posted in Immortality | Comments Off on Opinion: Gordon Lightfoot | The immortality of a shipwreck – News Courier

Page 11234..1020..»