arts and craft at the edge of modernity

8/14/2019 Arts and Craft at the Edge of Modernity

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Seminar Topic 8:

Modern FictionPresented by

Tee Wee Keong

Vincent Chuang

DGDD/FT/1B/01


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What is Modern Fiction?

Modern

Fictionfictum


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Sci-Fi Books

Mysterious Island (1874) The Island of Doctor Moreau

(1896) The Sleeper Awakes (1899)

The World Set Free (1914) Fahrenheit 451 (1953)


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Sci-Fi Timeline

1874

1896

1899 1953

1914 20101810


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Mysterious Island (1874)

Balloons release extra weightwhich is the same theory to ahelicopter releasing overloadedweight where one was notconstructed when the book waswritten.


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The Island of DoctorMoreau (1896)

Screenshot from the 1996 movie adaption


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Ethical issues raised byproducing 'smarter' humans andmodifying them

A foreboding of our currentethical debate on genetics andits manipulation


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Designer Babies: Batteries not included


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Whats so wrong about it?

A 2009 poll by MSN-Zogby


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en t e eeperAwakes

(1899) The book mentioned of the

combat aeroplane a decadebefore the first combat planeswere ever took flight.

September 1911, the ItalianMilitary commissioned the firstmilitary fleet in the world.


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In the beginning of the 21st century,subsonic military aviation focused oneliminating the pilot in favour of remotely operated or completelyautonomous vehicles.

Jet aircraft make use of turbines forthe creation of thrust. These are muchmore powerful than a reciprocatingengine.


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Numerous tall buildings made of glass and steel that were linedup together in rows werementioned throughout the book

Such sky scrapers only appearedin abundance in the 1930s

Now comes with glass


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Escalator and televisions werepredicted in the book evenbefore they were evenconstructed.

Television is invented anddemonstrated in 1929 by PhiloFarnsworth


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The World Set Free(1914)

Predicted that nuclear energyhas vast latent energy and that itcan and will be abused by Man

Supposedly foretold the use of nuclear weapons

"The history of mankind is the history of the attainment of

external power. Man is the tool-using, fire-making animal."


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Fahrenheit 451 (1951)

Written by Ray Bradbury, hispredictions were more of thesocial kind


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Predicted a future where television shapesand influence individuals, and wherethey are addicted to such media to the

point of ignoring real family.

"I plunk the children in schoolnine days out of ten.I put up with them when they

come home three days a month;it's not bad at all. You heave theminto the 'parlor' and turn the switch.It's like washing clothes: stuff laundry inand slam the lid... Mrs Bowles


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Interactive media was all around inthe form of TV, music, in stores,trains, everywhere.


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Large screen TVs that occupy theentire wall of the room.

Whole rooms are even convertedinto TV parlors with all wallsbeing actual TV screens.


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Something to chew on


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Credits and References

Readers Digest September 2009

The Island of Doctor Moreau

Fahrenheit 451

Mysterious Island

The Sleeper Awakes

The World Set Free

http://www.theperlmanpages.i12.com/bsmovies/drmoreau.htm
http://www.theperlmanpages.i12.com/bsmovies/drmoreau.htmhttp://www.theperlmanpages.i12.com/bsmovies/drmoreau.htm


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