#Beck Kubrick

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The Road to the Biggest Rick and Morty Event EVER Starts with Rick and Morty: Finals Week – Five Interconnected Specials Beginning in February!

The Road to the Biggest Rick and Morty Event EVER Starts with Rick and Morty: Finals Week – Five Interconnected Specials Beginning in February! #comics #comicbooks #rickandmorty

The road to the biggest Rick & Morty event the Omniverse has ever seen begins with Rick and Morty: Finals Week – SheRick Holmes and Mortson #1 by multiple Emmy Award nominee Daniel Kibblesmith and fan-favorite artist Priscilla Tramontano — the first of five interconnected, oversized and bi-monthly one-shots from an all-star cast of cosmic talents past, present, and future! Featuring covers by…

[ahb-writes]

Awesome art by Kit Beukes for a wild and delightful, sci-fi indie comic, Meat4burgers (by Beck Kubrick and Christof Bogacs).

[downthetubes]

Broken Frontier announces the winners of its 20th annual awards for comics

The leading comics website Broken Frontier, run by Andy Oliver, has announced the winners of its 20th annual BF Awards, voted for by its readers and the BF team

The leading comics website Broken Frontier, run by Andy Oliver, has announced the winners of its 20th annual BF Awards, voted for by its readers and the BF team. The winners include a number of British creators, Beck Kubrick, Michael Molcher, Paul B. Rainey, Emma Reynolds and David Roach among them. The BF team feel the winners and nominees reflect a wide range of the socially conscious and…

[stuckasmain]

Me begging for all the cut footage like I don’t explode any time I find a picture I’ve never seen before.

Genuinely reached peek insanity. I don’t think I could handle it, I’d like - genuinely explode- bringing back spontaneous combustion✨ — I’ll dig for it myself MGM I’m in your fucking walls.

[stenka-razin]

in 2023 I watched some movies

I was gonna catch up on all those best picture nominees from the last 5 years, but watched crap like Caligula 2 instead

The 1989 World Tour - Live (2015, dir. Jonas Åkerlund) Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022, dir. Rian Johnson) Flight 666 (2008, dir. Scot McFayden and Sam Dunn) Dracula (1931, dir. Todd Browning) Moonraker (1979, dir. Lewis Gilbert) The Pez Outlaw (2022, dir. Bryan Storkel and Amy Bandlien Storkel) Encino Man (1992, dir. Les Mayfield) Star Trek: Insurrection (1998, dir. Jonathan Frakes) Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood (2019, dir. Quentin Tarantino) Cleopatra (1963, dir. Joseph L. Mankiewicz) The Alligator People (1959, dir. Roy Del Ruth) The Silence of the Lambs (1991, dir. Thomas Demme) Godzilla vs. Megalon (“ゴジラ対メガロ” 1973, dir. Jun Fukuda) Invasion of Astro-Monster (“怪獣大戦争” 1965, dir. Ishirō Honda) Breaking a Monster (2015, dir. Luke Meyer) Terror at Orgy Castle (1971, dir. Zoltan G. Spencer) Wake in Fright ("Outback" 1971, dir. Ted Kotcheff) m.A.A.d. (2014, dir. Khalil Joseph) Reservoir Dogs (1992, dir. Quentin Tarantino) Kung Pow! Enter the Fist (2002, dir. Steve Oedekerk) House (1977, dir. Nobuhiko Obayashi) Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981, dir. Steven Spielberg) Dunkirk (2017, dir. Christopher Nolan) Final Destination (2000, dir. James Wong) Glitch: The Rise & Fall of HQ Trivia (2023, dir. Salima Koroma) Basic Instinct (1992, dir. Paul Verhoeven) Pee Wee’s Big Adventure (1985, dir. Tim Burton) Caligula 2: The Untold Story (“Caligola: La storia mai raccontata” 1982, dir. Joe D’Amato) La noche del terror ciego (1972, dir. Amando de Ossorio) Rocky IV (1985, dir. Sylvester Stallone) Saw IV (2007, dir. Darren Lynn Bousman) House of Wax (1953, dir. Andre DeToth) Thir13en Ghosts (2001, dir. Steve Beck) Kashchey the Immortal (“Кащей Бессмертный” 1944, dir. Aleksandr Rou) Ghost Ship (2002, dir. Steve Beck) The Blood on Satan’s Claw (1971, dir. Piers Haggard) The Face of Fu Manchu (1965, dir. Don Sharp) The Brides of Fu Manchu (1966, dir. Don Sharp) The Vengeance of Fu Manchu (1967, dir. Jeremy Summers) The Blood of Fu Manchu (1968, dir. Jesús Franco) April Fool's Day (1986, dir. Fred Walton) It's Pat 1994, dir. Adam Bernstein) The Castle of Fu Manchu (1969, dir. Jesús Franco) Adam and Eve Meet the Cannibals ("Adam ed Eve, la prima storia d'amore" 1983, dir. Enzo Doria & Luigi Rosso) The Mountain of the Cannibal God (“La montagna del dio cannibale” 1978, dir. Sergio Martino) When Harry Met Sally… (1989, dir. Rob Reiner) Beetlejuice (1988, dir. Tim Burton) Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (2001, dir. Peter Jackson, Long as Shit Version) The Hobbit (1977, dir. Arthur Rankin Jr. & Jules Bass) The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920, dir. Robert Wiene) The Wicker Man (1973, dir. Robin Hardy) The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974, dir. Tobe Hooper) House of 1000 Corpses (2003, dir. Rob Zombie) Chopping Mall (1986, dir. Jim Wynorski) Basket Case (1982, dir. Frank Henenlotter) Cube (1997, dir. Vincenzo Natali) Cube 2: Hypercube (2002, dir. Andrzej Sekula) Practical Magic (1998, dir. Griffin Dunne) Tropic Thunder (2008, dir. Ben Stiller) Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015, dir. J.J. Abrams) Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017, dir. Rian Johnson) Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019, dir. J.J. Abrams) Eyes Wide Shut (1999, dir. Stanley Kubrick) Superbad (2007, dir. Greg Mottola) Bruce Almighty (2003, dir. Tom Shadyac) House of Flying Daggers (“十面埋伏” 2004, dir. Zhang Yimou) Saltburn (2023, dir. Emerald Fennell) Grandma’s Boy (2006, dir. Nicholaus Goossen) Five Nights at Freddy's (2023, dir. Emma Tammi) Caligula and Messalina (“Caligula et Messaline” 1981, dir. Bruno Mattei) The Wizard of Oz (1939, dir. Victor Fleming, King Vidor, George Cukor, and Norman Taurog) A Christmas Prince (2017, dir. Alex Zamm) A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding (2018, dir. John Schulz) The Knight Before Christmas (2019, dir. Monika Mitchell) Goldfinger (1964, dir. Guy Hamilton) Total Recall (1990, dir. Paul Verhoeven)

[twinegardening]

The Grown-Up Detective Agency by Brendan Patrick Hennessy [IFDB]

The only thing Bell Park likes more than a mystery is solving it on her own. But when a time-traveling 12-year-old version of herself lands face-down on her rented co-working desk, she'll have no choice but to take the displaced kid detective along on her latest case.

FOLLOW THE TRAIL of a missing heterosexual on the strange streets of Toronto! Investigate a QUIRKY CAST of drag kings, chicken wing enthusiasts, and women in elaborate cat make-up! Thrill in the PERVASIVE ENNUI of your early twenties! Struggle to remember where your preteen self was at with the whole BEING GAY THING!

Will Adult Bell make peace with the figurative and literal ghosts of her past? Can Kid Bell navigate the uncanny world of the 2020s and find her way back home? How's the chicken in that creepy basement food court? These questions and more will be answered in THE GROWN-UP DETECTIVE AGENCY.

From the author of BIRDLAND, KNOWN UNKNOWNS, and BOAT PROM. Featuring art by Beck Kubrick.

[brokenfrontier]

Coby, Alone - Beck Kubrick's Dark Fantasy Tale Touches on Themes of Loneliness and Friendship

Coby, Alone – Beck Kubrick’s Dark Fantasy Tale Touches on Themes of Loneliness and Friendship

THOUGHT BUBBLE FORTNIGHT! There’s a distinct Stanley and His Monster vibe to Beck Kubrick’s debut print comic Coby, Alone. That’s a reference to a 1960s DC humour comic that will no doubt be a little too retro for many readers. But Kubrick’s supernatural buddy story has much of the same charm in its depiction of the unlikely friendship between a demonic entity and a 9-year-old…

[1001movies]

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY

[scenesandscreens]

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) Director - Stanley Kubrick, Cinematography - Gilbert Taylor "Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room."

[brendanpatrickhennessy]

The only thing Bell Park likes more than a mystery is solving it on her own. But when a time-travelling 12-year-old version of herself lands face-down on her rented co-working desk, she'll have no choice but to take the displaced kid detective along on her latest case.

THE GROWN-UP DETECTIVE AGENCY is out now! It's a new interactive fiction game in the Birdland/Bell Park universe, with art from the incredible Beck Kubrick! It's got mystery, time travel, a little bit of romance, and it's free! Play it now!

[ozu-teapot]

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb | Stanley Kubrick | 1964

James Earl Jones, Glenn Beck

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Crowdfunding Corner: David Hazan Christof Bogacs, and Phil Appley's Requiem

Crowdfunding Corner: David Hazan Christof Bogacs, and Phil Appley's Requiem #comics #comicbooks #kickstarter

Backer Beware: Crowdfunding projects are not guaranteed to be delivered and/or delivered when promised. We always recommend to do your research before backing. Requiem #1-#2 created by David Hazan, Christof Bogacs, and artist Phil Appley is about to enter its second week on Kickstarter. After successfully funding the first issue in July of last year the team are back and promise to bring more…

[ablogwithoutacoolusername]

I'm Carving Pumpkins (It's Almost Halloween)

From July-ish until now, I have been watching one horror movie a day to make a list that nobody will see. Did an "out of 10" rating system that was meant to be for how much they scared me and nothing else, but things got a bit skewed if the movie gave me good characters, plot, acting, visual techniques, etc. Anyways... here are the movies and happy Halloween!

(PLEASE be safe if you're planning on watching any of these and look for trigger warnings. Doesthedogdie.com is a really good site to use for a multitude of warnings)

1/10 - Why did you make this?

Delirium (2018, dir. Johnny Martin)

Escape Room (2019, dir. Adam Robitel)

Brahms: The Boy II (2020, dir. William Brent Bell) - dog dies

2/10 - Better than nothing

Christmas Evil (1980, dir. Lewis Jackson)

Dead Alive (1992, dir. Peter Jackson) - dog dies

Ghost Ship (2002, dir. Steve Beck)

Freddy vs. Jason (2003, dir. Ronny Yu)

Hide and Seek (2005, dir. John Polson)

The Cabin in the Woods (2011, dir. Drew Goddard)

It Follows (2014, dir. David Robert Mitchell)

3/10 - At least you tried

A Blade in the Dark (1983, dir. Lamberto Bava)

Re-Animator (1985, dir. Stuart Gordon)

Chopping Mall (1986, dir. Jim Wynorski)

Identity (2003, dir. James Mangold)

The Grudge (2004, dir. Takashi Shimizu)

The Skeleton Key (2005, dir. Iain Softley)

Hatchet (2006, dir. Adam Green)

The Inheritance (2011, dir. Robert O'Hara)

No Solicitors (2015, dir. John Callas)

Don't Breathe (2016, dir. Fede Álvarez)

Wounds (2019, dir. Babak Anvari)

Velvet Buzzsaw (2019, dir. Dan Gilroy)

4/10 - Some things right

Stage Fright (1950, dir. Alfred Hitchcock) - dog death implied

The Fog (1980, dir. John Carpenter)

Maniac (1980, dir. William Lustig)

Beetlejuice (1988, dir. Tim Burton)

What Lies Beneath (2000, dir. Robert Zemeckis)

Wrong Turn (2003, dir. Rob Schmidt)

Secret Window (2004, dir. David Koepp) - dog dies

[Rec] (2007, dir. Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza) - implied dog death

The Stepfather (2009, dir. Nelson McCormick)

The Thing (2011, dir. Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.) - dog dies

Bite (2015, dir. Chad Archibald)

The Gift (2015, dir. Joel Edgerton)

Crimson Peak (2015, dir. Guillermo del Toro) - dog dies

The Bye Bye Man (2017, dir. Stacy Title)

Clinical (2017, dir. Alistair Legrand)

The Raking (2017, dir. Bryan Brewer)

The Possession of Hannah Grace (2018, dir. Diederik van Rooijen)

5/10 - Average

Psycho (1960, dir. Alfred Hitchcock)

The Innocents (1961, dir. Jack Clayton)

Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker (1981, dir. William Asher)

Happy Birthday to Me (1981, dir. J. Lee Thompson)

Videodrome (1983, dir. David Cronenberg)

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986, dir. John McNaughton)

Casper (1995, dir. Brad Silberling)

The Mist (2007, dir. Frank Darabont)

Insidious (2010, dir. James Wan)

Bird Box (2018, dir. Susanne Bier)

Doctor Sleep (2019, dir. Mike Flanagan)

Sputnik (2020, dir. Egor Abramenko)

6/10 - Getting interesting

The Wicker Man (1973, dir. Robin Hardy)

Halloween (1978, dir. John Carpenter) - 2 dogs die

Sleepaway Camp (1983, dir. Robert Hiltzik)

Intruder (1989, dir. Scott Spiegel)

The Sixth Sense (1999, dir. M. Night Shyamalan)

Shutter (2008, dir. Masayuki Ochiai)

Mama (2013, dir. Andrés Muschietti)

The Conjuring (2013, dir. James Wan) - dog dies

The Witch (2015, dir. Robert Eggers) - dog dies

The Boy (2016, dir. William Brent Bell)

Gerald's Game (2017, dir. Mike Flanagan)

1922 (2017, dir. Zak Hilditch)

Winchester (2018, dir. Michael and Peter Spierig)

Relic (2020, dir. Natalie Erika James)

7/10 - Pretty good

The Birds (1963, dir. Alfred Hitchcock)

Friday the 13th (1980, dir. Sean S. Cunningham)

My Bloody Valentine (1981, dir. George Mihalka)

An American Werewolf in London (1981, dir. John Landis)

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984, dir. Wes Craven)

Misery (1990, dir. Rob Reiner)

Scream (1996, dir. Wes Craven)

The Others (2001, dir. Alejandro Amenábar)

28 Days Later (2002, dir. Danny Boyle)

Cabin Fever (2003, dir. Eli Roth) - dog dies

The Descent (2005, dir. Neil Marshall)

Saw IV (2007, dir. Darren Lynn Bousman)

The Woman in Black (2012, dir. James Watkins)

Poltergeist (2015, dir. Gil Kenan)

Lights Out (2016, dir. David F. Sandberg)

8/10 - Very interesting

A Clockwork Orange (1971, dir. Stanley Kubrick)

The Last House on the Left (1972, dir. Wes Craven) - dog death implied

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974, dir. Tobe Hooper)

Alien (1979, dir. Ridley Scott)

The Silence of the Lambs (1991, dir. Jonathan Demme)

Candyman (1992, dir. Bernard Rose)

Evil Dead (2013, dir. Fede Álvarez) - dog dies

Hush (2016, dir. Mike Flanagan)

The Ritual (2017, dir. David Bruckner)

Slender Man (2018, dir. Sylvain White)

9/10 - Scared enough my heart stopped

The Wizard of Gore (1970, dir. Herschell Gordon Lewis)

Hostel (2005, dir. Eli Roth)

10/10 - Holy fucking shit that was terrifying never again (presses replay)

1408 (2007, dir. Mikael Håfström)

Martyrs (2008, dir. Pascal Laugier)

Antebellum (2020, dir. Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz)

[downthetubes]

ThirdBear Press announces BOXES, a new independent comic anthology

A new indie comics anthology is in the works featuring a diverse range of talent from ThirdBear Press

British publisher ThirdBear Press are preparing to publish the first volume of BOXES, a new comic magazine that aims to showcase new short comics and articles from the most exciting and interesting creators in indie comics. BOXES will be coming to Kickstarter in early June, and anyone interested can sign up on the Kickstarter page to be notified just as soon as the project is live. Launched in…

[aion-rsa]

BOWIE: Stardust, Rayguns, & Moonage Daydreams Review: David Bowie's Memoirs Sparkle

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David Bowie is presented as a very human superhero alien in a cinematic graphic novel.

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BOWIE: Stardust, Rayguns, & Moonage Daydreams begins with a forward by Neil Gaiman called "If We Can Sparkle He May Land Tonight." It recounts the author's first contact with the third kind. David Bowie's songs were stories, he remembers, like the Gilbert and Sullivan ditties Gaiman preferred over rock and roll in his youth. He bonded with the rock star over the science fiction undercurrent in the music and image, and glorified him in his mind. Among his favorite memories is trekking to Victoria Station where the Thin White Duke arrived by special train before the 1975 Isolar Tour. Gaiman remembers the faux Bowies at the station, and the Station to Station albums scattered about to distract Bowie fans. The rest of the world was distracted by a blurred photograph which made it look like Bowie was giving a Nazi salute when it was enhanced. Such was the homo superior superpower of Bowie's myth.

Insight Comics' graphic novel is presented as a film directed by Mike Allred (Madman, Silver Surfer), who is also credited as co-screenwriter with Steve Horton (Satellite Falling). The illustrations by Mike and Laura Allred (Madman, iZombie) get her the credit as Technicolor cinematographer and the cinematic theme helps center the reading experience and nods to Bowie's acting exposure. The book points out Bowie trained in mime and appeared in a few films before his career took off like Major Tom in a tin can. He also had to turn down an appearance, Son of Dracula, where he would have played Harry Nilsson's son to Ringo Starr's Merlin, due to studio commitments. BOWIE: Stardust, Rayguns, & Moonage Daydreams opens at the Hamersmith Odeon on July 3, 1973, when Bowie said goodnight to his Ziggy Stardust persona, but the film crossfades to 1962 just before the actual announcement is made.

At the start, Bowie is presented as a tireless and curious artist, a veteran of bands The Konrads, The Mannish Boys and The King Bees, hanging with young London musicians who would make up the Small Faces and ultimately T Rex. BOWIE: Stardust, Rayguns, & Moonage Daydreams doubles as Bowie's memoir told against the rise and fall of his Ziggy Stardust persona, who comes across as a character conjured by the singer from the sky to bring his music to new life. Bowie is a superhero whose extraterrestrial exploits are made from the madness which runs in his family and the alchemy of the changing styles of rock and roll. His ears gobble up Velvet Underground, the Rolling Stones, the Who, and Pink Floyd, and his non-matching eyes catch the fiery fingers of Eric Clapton at night at the clubs. Forced to change his name to the strong sounding Bowie because David Jones is already singing for the Monkees, his first album debuts the same day as The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, but doesn't do quite as well.

read more: Why Mick Ronson is Essential to David Bowie's Legacy

Taking inspiration from Stanley Kubrick's science fiction masterwork 2001: A Space Odyssey and Roger Vadim's camp classic Barbarella, Bowie stars in the promotional film Love You Til Tuesday, which also features Hermione Farthingale, the girl with the mousy hair, in a segment. He meets Tony Visconti, the Brooklyn-born instrumentalist who would be a lifelong collaborator. The pair bond artistically over a viewing of Roman Polanski's film Knife in the Water. Bowie finds his Jeff Beck in Mick Ronson. The first glam rock performance happens on Feb. 22, 1970, when David Bowie appears as Spaceman, Vicsonti is Hypeman, Ronson is Gangster Man and John Cambridge is Cowboy Man in the band The Hype at the Roundhouse in London. Nobody applauds when the band leaves the stage, but Marc Bolan eats it up.

read more: Exploring David Bowie's Sci-Fi Fascination

If you're a rock fan, you know all the characters in the book. Bowie's career traversed the entire musical world in the short time it took for Ziggy Stardust to fall to earth. As a young artist, Bowie shops at the same stores as Freddy Mercury, shares stages with Peter Frampton and goodnaturedly ribs Marc Bolan, who will co-opt Tony Visconti, over tea. As he gains prominence he takes tea with Elton John, who Visconti passed on as a producer. There are some informational nuggets and gossip in the mix. The story throws in incidental tidbits like Bowie staying at the Warwick, same hotel the Beatles stayed at when they played Shea Stadium, when he was in New York to sign with RCA. Then adds details like how Iggy Pop got clean at the Warwick or how Bowie was taken straight to an Elvis Presley concert after one of his arrivals in the United States. 

read more: The Man Who Fell to Earth: The Myopic Wonder of David Bowie's Earth Oddity

Prepare yourself before reading. "Roll up your sleeves and show us your arms," as a censored bit of promotion for The Man Who Sold The World advised. You might want a playlist of Bowie songs for backing music or for easy reference. Bowie's early liftoff was propelled by Barbra Streisand's cover of "Life on Mars" and Peter Noone of Herman's Hermit's rendition of "Oh You Pretty Things." The illustrations are fantastic, conjuring the look of classic iconography as well as rock stardom. Many individual drawings could be comic book covers, others album posters. The biography is colorful and cosmic, following Bowie's alter egos against the backdrop of iconic cultural influences like The Rocky Horror Picture Show, A Clockwork Orange, The Twilight Zone, even the Last Supper.

read more: David Bowie Was No Chameleon: A Sound and Vision Lookback

The novel illustrates Bowie's love of happy accidents like a phone ringing through a vocal track and a botched take which can be saved with the right 12 string guitar, in the formation of his sound. Bowie defied classification, mixing mime with psychedelic music, forming an image through the parts he plays and mixing the surreal with motion picture futurism. Bowie’s artistic and commercial trajectory is paralleled by the rise and fall of Ziggy Stardust. The Spiders from Mars disintegrates as Bowie wrestles with his alter ego. The internal conflict changes the world. The final separation between the character and the artist is sad, but necessary. He's saved the world, given us the Starman savior, grounded Major Tom and goes off for a few drinks, with ice.

BOWIE: Stardust, Rayguns, & Moonage Daydreams is a gift for David Bowie fans. It hit stands on Jan. 7, Bowie's 73rd birthday.

Culture Editor Tony Sokol cut his teeth on the wire services and also wrote and produced New York City's Vampyr Theatre and the rock opera AssassiNation: We Killed JFK. Read more of his work here or find him on Twitter @tsokol.

Read and download the Den of Geek Lost in Space Special Edition Magazine right here!

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Jan 7, 2020

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[scifigeneration]

Just like HAL, your voice assistant isn't working for you even if it feels like it is

by Nathalie Collins and Jeff Volkheimer

Space suits from the film 2001: A Space Odyssey on display at the Stanley Kubrick exhibition in LA. Matthew J. Cotter, United Kingdom, CC BY-NC-SA

Of all the fictional virtual assistants we know from pop culture, few stand up to the original and perhaps most famous: the HAL 9000 from the 1968 Stanley Kubrick film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

We should probably be thankful for that. After all, Alexa may shut your lights off, but she won’t turn against you and wreak havoc on your life. Or will she?

Amazon Alexa, Samsung Bixby, Google Assistant, Apple Siri, Microsoft’s Cortana, IBM Watson and other virtual assistants are advertised as a cross between your friend, your servant, your helpful companion and sidekick.

HAL presents us something more sinister, but perhaps more realistic. While tech companies push virtual assistants as integral to a better, easier life, 2001: A Space Odyssey asks: at what cost?

The film illustrates the technological ecosystem companies are really competing to own – one where we trade in our privacy for small conveniences.

‘I want to help you’ – HAL

In 2001: A Space Odyssey, HAL is introduced to the crew of a spaceship as one of them. But with cognitive capabilities well beyond those of his human companions, HAL is omnipresent – and embedded in the technology keeping the crew alive.

The crew trust HAL, eschewing privacy for the sake of his aid in controlling the whole ship. It doesn’t occur to them that the people who designed HAL might not have had the crew’s best interests at heart. Or that HAL’s loyalty is to Mission Control and, beyond that, his programming.

Likewise, although it is clear that the function of modern virtual assistants are driven by profit, it isn’t obvious to the average consumer exactly how their presence is being monetised. Consumers may be more educated about their online privacy these days, yet the consequences of the virtual world intruding into the physical hasn’t properly permeated public consciousness.

Allowing a machine to record you 24/7 in exchange for convenience is a high price to pay. It might not seem that way because virtual assistants wear the halo of trust earned by the other services they are known for – Google’s search is unparalleled and Amazon’s retail experience leads the global marketplace.

Like HAL, these machines process incredible amounts of data. So much so, that even their creators are not quite sure of their capabilities, or how they will reach their goal. The commercial benefit of virtual assistants lies in their ability to predict your behaviour through what they capture, and create opportunities for transactions. Mining big data for predictive analytics is all the rage in the business world.

So, while companies are marketing virtual assistants as your “assistant”, they are in fact your “analyst”.

‘I could see your lips move’ - HAL

In 2001: A Space Odyssey, the crew clearly never read the HAL “Quick Start Guide”. They didn’t know he could lie, and they were also unaware he could read lips. When the crew steps out of the ship to have a moment of privacy, HAL’s cameras could still see them and got the gist of their not-so-private conversation. Then push came to shove… and well, eventually the crew ended up getting the shove.

An unintended consequence of having a virtual assistant at our beck and call is that it is always listening, and it may also be recording. No surprise, that’s exactly what Amazon’s been doing. If companies are recording you in your home, slip ups like sending recordings to the wrong person, unintentionally releasing information, or accidentally allowing someone to listen in are inevitable.

Oh, and if you believe you are protected by the terms and conditions, you are likely mistaken. But that’s OK – like the 2001: A Space Odyssey crew, you probably don’t understand or read them anyway.

‘I am afraid I can’t do that, Dave’ - HAL

Kubrick used 2001 to illustrate technological, physical and psychological enslavement. HAL first controls the physical environment and then attempts to exert his control over the psychological one. If we re-imagine 2001: A Space Odyssey with HAL as the hero, then he’s quite right to kill the crew. After all, these pesky humans are unpredictable because they’re likely to let their emotions mess up the mission.

If we re-imagine our lives with Google as the hero, well then we are the “assistant”, helping Google get the data it needs to better monitor and predict your behaviour – for shareholders.

Luckily, humanity still has time to adjust before the machines fully take over our lives on behalf of tech companies. As long as people still have their parrots ordering food from Amazon it will be clear to the public that trusting that machine may not be such a good idea.

Still, artificial intelligence improves at a rapid pace. Eventually we will have to decide if want consumer privacy to triumph, and blow the constant monitoring out of an airlock.

About The Authors:

Nathalie Collins is Academic Director (National Programs) at Edith Cowan University and Jeff Volkheimer is Director of Collaborative Services at Duke Health, part of Duke University.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.