"But the European Federation... secretly authorized an illegal laboratory dedicated to performing experiments in the hope that the dangerous Hex abilities could be utilized or at least understood. In this facility thousands of children, unfortunate enough to possess the Hex gene, were experimented on, tortured and murdered." (introduction)
Biotechnology and gentics are always touchy subjects when it comes to societies in the future. I feel as though they are never used for the right reasons; mutations are either used in a bad way to corrupt a society (like in Brave New World), or they are hidden away from the world (like in "Hex: Ghost"); either way it is a lose/lose situation.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
"Hex: Shadows" By Rhiannon Lasster #6
"The new security strategy is not focused on anti-EF terrorism. It is instead focused on supporting the CPS in their legalized extermination of mutants posessing the deformative Hex gene. The Security Service have pledged themselves to the elimination of all mutants within five years." (page 17)
I do not understand why this government is trying to exterminate a type of person that THEY made! It is though they are doing their own type of natural selection, which frankly isn't very natural. Biotechnology is obviously not favored in this society, which we can predict, means that they are not willing to modernize in anyway. It is strange to think that the government and Security Services wouldn't take advantage of these advancements in genetics and use them to their highest potential.
**Natural Selection: a process resulting in the survival of those individuals from a population of animals or plants that are best adapted to the prevailing environmental conditions. (dictionary.com)
I do not understand why this government is trying to exterminate a type of person that THEY made! It is though they are doing their own type of natural selection, which frankly isn't very natural. Biotechnology is obviously not favored in this society, which we can predict, means that they are not willing to modernize in anyway. It is strange to think that the government and Security Services wouldn't take advantage of these advancements in genetics and use them to their highest potential.
**Natural Selection: a process resulting in the survival of those individuals from a population of animals or plants that are best adapted to the prevailing environmental conditions. (dictionary.com)
"Hex: Shadows" By Rhiannon Lassiter #5
"She spent hours in further research on the data she had stolen from the lab. From the questions she would occasionally ask them, Ali and Luciel suspected she was devising her own experiments to test the Hex abilities but she has said nothing to either of them and Wraith was too absorbed in his own project to notice." (page 9)
In this book, Raven is a very secretive type of character. Though she is a Hex herself, she is constantly doing research, as shown in the passage above. I believe this reflects of Raven's character, and the character of people in our society; if you want to know more, you research. It is all about perseverance and trying to get what you want, I believe that Raven is the perfect model for this. Though it may be easier for her to do research because she has a computer as a brain, she is still trying to persevere through life.
In this book, Raven is a very secretive type of character. Though she is a Hex herself, she is constantly doing research, as shown in the passage above. I believe this reflects of Raven's character, and the character of people in our society; if you want to know more, you research. It is all about perseverance and trying to get what you want, I believe that Raven is the perfect model for this. Though it may be easier for her to do research because she has a computer as a brain, she is still trying to persevere through life.
"Hex: Shadows" By Rhiannon Lassiter #4
"Wraith and Raven's sister had never recovered from her stint in the CPS laboratories. As far as Ali could understand it the eleven-year-old's brain had been directly linked up to a computer database with no experience in handling the data flow. Most of the other children who had been experimented on... [became] mindless wrecks." (page 8)
This is yet another great passage in which biotechnology is revealed throughout the "Hex" series. It is crazy to think that humans actually put other humans through these types of tests even though they know they are so harmful to them. I think this says a lot about the society portrayed in "Hex: Shadows;" it is evident that when needed, the Hexes can become useful for experimentation purposes, but when not needed, they are shunned or exterminated from society. This shows what a messed up world the Hexes live in; they seem to have no moral standards because they are willing to harm someone for their own experimental gain.
This is yet another great passage in which biotechnology is revealed throughout the "Hex" series. It is crazy to think that humans actually put other humans through these types of tests even though they know they are so harmful to them. I think this says a lot about the society portrayed in "Hex: Shadows;" it is evident that when needed, the Hexes can become useful for experimentation purposes, but when not needed, they are shunned or exterminated from society. This shows what a messed up world the Hexes live in; they seem to have no moral standards because they are willing to harm someone for their own experimental gain.
Monday, January 16, 2012
"Hex: Shadows" By Rhiannon Lassiter #3
"...it was desirable and expensive enough for Wraith to worry that they were unnecessarily exposed to the Seccies or the CPS. Raven wasn't worried about the Security Services; they had enough difficulty policing the ganglands without worrying about Hexes living secretly in heights." (page 7)
It is interesting to me that throughout this book Raven and the other Hexes are thought of as a negative part of society. This surprises me because in most futuristic and dystopian books, the people who are altered by biotechnology or genetics are usually favorable to the society because they are a certain type of person. I guess one could argue that the society they live in is the opposite of a dystopian society because they do not want to perfect and unflawed characters that they can create by genetic modification.
It is interesting to me that throughout this book Raven and the other Hexes are thought of as a negative part of society. This surprises me because in most futuristic and dystopian books, the people who are altered by biotechnology or genetics are usually favorable to the society because they are a certain type of person. I guess one could argue that the society they live in is the opposite of a dystopian society because they do not want to perfect and unflawed characters that they can create by genetic modification.
"Hex: Shadows" By Rhiannon Lassiter #2
"...The life she had had with her media mogul father had ended a year ago, vanishing even as she had become one of the invisible people, slipping between the cracks in the system and officially on record as exterminated for the possession of Hex abilities." (page 5)
This is a quote about another character in the book, named Ali Tarrell. Clearly this passage is showing the powers that the Hexes have over everyone; they are able to use their genetic mutations to manipulate the system. Having a computer as a brain is obviously very strange, but it is very useful at times. This quote definitely represents a time where having a computer-mind could be a helpful thing to have; "vanishing... slipping between the cracks in the system and officially on record as exterminated," shows that the Hexes are able to trick everyone into thinking they have been exterminated from society, when in actuality they are stronger and more alive than ever. This passage, and actually all of the book, can directly relate back to the question, "How do we use language / images to manipulate people’s minds?" because that is what the Hexes are doing; they are manipulating people's minds through technology!
This is a quote about another character in the book, named Ali Tarrell. Clearly this passage is showing the powers that the Hexes have over everyone; they are able to use their genetic mutations to manipulate the system. Having a computer as a brain is obviously very strange, but it is very useful at times. This quote definitely represents a time where having a computer-mind could be a helpful thing to have; "vanishing... slipping between the cracks in the system and officially on record as exterminated," shows that the Hexes are able to trick everyone into thinking they have been exterminated from society, when in actuality they are stronger and more alive than ever. This passage, and actually all of the book, can directly relate back to the question, "How do we use language / images to manipulate people’s minds?" because that is what the Hexes are doing; they are manipulating people's minds through technology!
"Hex: Shadows" By Rhiannon Lassiter
"In the late 21st century, genetics experiments led to mutations in the population and the creation of a new breed of people known as the Hexes. Feard for their ability to interface with technology, the Hexes were declared a thread to international security and across the world governments sanctioned their legalized extermination." (page vii)
The issue that I am focusing on throughout this set of blogs is biotechnology/genetics. The series of the "Hex" books focus on a group of people who have been genetically modified/mutated to have special powers. They have "supercomputer minds" which allows to have a crazy amount of power over the government; Raven, the main character is able to hack into any computer or network ever created- which clearly gives her an upper hand in life. She is, in every sense of the word, a Superhuman.
The issue that I am focusing on throughout this set of blogs is biotechnology/genetics. The series of the "Hex" books focus on a group of people who have been genetically modified/mutated to have special powers. They have "supercomputer minds" which allows to have a crazy amount of power over the government; Raven, the main character is able to hack into any computer or network ever created- which clearly gives her an upper hand in life. She is, in every sense of the word, a Superhuman.
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