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"Mahnmut" explained
The name of the robotics scientist and transhumanist Hans Moravec that I saw menioned here served as a prototype for the Moravecs, a race of cybernetic organisms that populated Dan Simmons' fictional future universe in the Ilium/Olympos cycle. Those half human, half machine beings were each adapted to their respective habitats, and the one we're seeing here on this pic is actually Mahnmut.
He's small and versatile because his environment on one of the Jovian moons is such that he has to spend all his life in a submarine. The other creature behind him is Orphu, who's enormous and fat like a giant crab. They share a passion for Shakespeare and they often chat via the communication channels. The circumstances force Mahnmut to descend on Mars and look for the Post-Humans, a race of superhuman godlike cyborgs who look very much like the Olympian gods. Etc, etc.
Why I'm telling this. In many ways, these strange Moravec robots have become more "human" than the humans themselves. I mean they've preserved humanity in its pure form. For instance they're pacifist (hence my motto Quaero Togam Pacem, I come in peace). Eventually they play a role in the fate of humankind. But I won't bring any more spoilers here. :-)
He's small and versatile because his environment on one of the Jovian moons is such that he has to spend all his life in a submarine. The other creature behind him is Orphu, who's enormous and fat like a giant crab. They share a passion for Shakespeare and they often chat via the communication channels. The circumstances force Mahnmut to descend on Mars and look for the Post-Humans, a race of superhuman godlike cyborgs who look very much like the Olympian gods. Etc, etc.
Why I'm telling this. In many ways, these strange Moravec robots have become more "human" than the humans themselves. I mean they've preserved humanity in its pure form. For instance they're pacifist (hence my motto Quaero Togam Pacem, I come in peace). Eventually they play a role in the fate of humankind. But I won't bring any more spoilers here. :-)
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There are so many books I have put on my must-read list tonight!
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Thanks! And proudly so! :-D
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There are lots of good writers in the world I tell myself, and in my life I'll still not have time to read them all, so I'll focus on the ones that aren't assholes.
(sorry, I have read and liked Simmons books in previous years, before I know what I know today)
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Keats, Shelly, and Byron all slot into a universe filled with Calibans, Ariels, Greek Gods, and the like.
But the books are pretty good reads.
Have you read Jon Courtenay Grimwood's Pashazade etc? Well worth it.
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But I can't look past what I recently learned. The man is in bed with Glenn Beck now, and you don't want to even google Dan Simmons and Islam together. :(
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I haven't heard anyone disparage him before though, I should look into these interviews you mentioned. I feel sort of the same way about Orson Scott Card, another epic sci-fi writer whose personal opinions make me just a bit squeamish. Like OSC though, even if Simmons is kind of a douche, I'll probably go re-read Illium/Olympos.
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*sadface* That's really really too bad.
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