typed for your pleasure on 23 August 2013, at 7.22 pm
Sdtrk: ‘Спесь’ by Утро
Towards the end of last month, I’d gone on a holiday; as I told my unknowing coworkers, it was a trip comprising both Business and Pleasure, which was actually an honest assessment. It was time once again to participate in this year’s DolLApalooza, taking place in southern California, where I’d be hanging out with fellow iDollators, doing a wee bit of local sightseeing, and paying visits to a handful of my favourite domestic Doll manufacturer’s studios to see what they had on offer (and to squeeze some Synthetik boobs). Was it a fantastic time out? O yes!
typed for your pleasure on 18 August 2013, at 4.04 pm
Sdtrk: ‘Zwei Verliebten zieh’n durch Europa’ by France Gall
Just a wee heads-up: although I’m not going to bitch about the Woodward Dream Cruise, as I’ve already done it before, those of us here at Deafening silence Plus are avoiding that annual local classic car culture non-event by staying indoors the entire week-end. I mean, more so than usual. But that means I’ve been busy 1) writing about DolLApalooza 2013, and 2) taking photos of the rubber troublemakers who I live with, so it’s a win-win-win… err, win situation? Sure, we’ll go with that.
Yesterday, I snapped pics of Elena from 2pm to about 6pm, then we had a break while I bought sushi dinner from my local, then the shoot resumed with Extra Added Sidore from eight that eve until a wee bit after midnight. We didn’t get in as many photos as I would’ve liked, as I’ve discovered that I may need to purchase a new tripod sometime soon, as the fitting (or whatever the hell it’s called) for the hot shoe is cracking. However, with just under 150 pics taken, I’d like to think we made some magic. *cheesy grin*
As regards to the DolLApalooza summary, I’ve completed the first part, and am busy writing the second. Well, I would be, were I not writing this post and mucking about with my wife and mistress. Nevertheless, look for them relatively soon! That’s the Deafening silence Plus definition of ‘soon’, of course.
While you’re eagerly awaiting them, why not read a new interview helmed by all-round cool person Danielle Boachié that we did back in June? Tea Time with Davecat: Shouting to Hear the Echoes (Part One). Leave a comment or two on her blog, so she knows there’s a clamour for the second half!
And were you aware that the fantastic-yet-possibly-seizure-inducing Robot Restaurant in Shinjuku, Japan, now has an English version of their website? It’s true. Now all they need to do is open a branch to the Tri-county area of Michigan, and we’ll be sound as a pound! Really, if there’s any place that needs someone with Google Glass to pay it a visit, it’s that joint
I, for one, welcome our gaudily-dressed, oversized Gynoid overlords.
Well, overladies
typed for your pleasure on 8 June 2013, at 11.03 pm
Sdtrk: ‘La réciprocité’ by The new lines
This week-end, I’m currently ill. Over the course of this past Winter, I’d dodged so many bullets as far as not catching everyone else’s specific plagues, but now that it’s Springtime, and the temperature in SE Michigan has been careering up and down like a rollercoaster, I suppose it was inevitable that I got something. So at the time of this writing (Saturday eve), instead of hanging out wi’ t’ lads at t’ Playhouse as I usually do, I’m getting up to speed with episodes of Kamen rider 555 and Kakumeiki Valvrave, while under the influence of my patented ‘lurgey cocktail’ (generic equivalent DayQuil chased with two tabs of Alka-seltzer). Writing and editing posts in this state probably isn’t entirely recommended, but if Hunter S. Thompson could get away with it, then so can I. Although I’m certain he was blowing his nose less.
Last week-end, however, those of us in SE Michigan experienced another brief but much-appreciated glimpse of Springlike weather last week-end, so Sidore persuaded me to use a photoshoot idea she’d thought of, where she’s wearing one of my shirts. Well, I say ‘wearing’.
Few things are as stimulating as seeing your lover flounce around in one of your shirts, no? Not surprisingly, Elena made me promise that I’d get a solo shoot of her in with the next bout of nice weather. DOLLS: constantly demanding!
And late last year, I’d run across a trailer for a student film entitled ‘Traumfrau‘ (Dream girl), directed by a German bloke by the name of Oliver Schwarz. I’d reached out to him to see if I could review his work, and so far, I’m awaiting a response. Looks somewhat promising, though!
As the film takes place in Germany, or at the very least, Europe, Jenny, the affictitious lass in the relationship, seems to be either a Mecadoll, or some variant thereof. Be sure to lift with your knees, and not with your back, Dirk!
Right; I’m off to follow Dirk’s example in the photo above, and collapse headlong into bed. At least if I’m unconscious, I won’t mind everything tasting like iron filings so much. I might well dream that I’m eating a car!
typed for your pleasure on 23 May 2013, at 10.56 am
Sdtrk: ‘Frostbite’ by Three to forgotten
Told you there was more to come, didn’t I?
+ I’ve known about this for quite a while, and fired off several frantic Emails to the uploaders, with no responses to speak of as of yet. But it seems someone in Japan has made a full-length video combining two of my favourite things: Dolls, stop-motion footage, and Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’. Err, that’s three things. Here’s the trailer for ‘Alicematonika’, starring a CandyGirl from Orient industry as Alicematonika:
Directed by Ryosuke Handa back in 2010, it seems the film was screened at a gallery in Japan, along with some of the film’s props and Alicematonika herself. And since that’s all I’ve been able to glean from the Interwubs about the film, I leave you with a photo of the wee missy in question having her eyes adjusted.
‘Still cheaper than a new pair of glasses,’ she sighed
+ Although they’re still working on updating their website galleries, you’ll be pleased to know that Abyss creations have just recently released both a new face and a new body for their RealDoll 2 line. This slinky rubber lass would be Renee, sporting a Body C. As Doll photographer Stacy Leigh herself amusingly remarked, ‘Bitch is TALL’.
With stats of B:34 / W:24 / H:34, a shoe size of 8 – 9 US, and coming in at 90 lbs and a towering height of 5’10”, which would explain her large but sexy feet. It’s advised that should prospective buyers want a Renee-type RealDoll in their homes, they should also have cathedral ceilings. Mind the ceiling fan, sexpot!
+ Speaking of RealDolls, this one from the ‘this does not compute’ department: alert reader cw sent me a link a while ago to an article on Huffington Post, which links to a Gawker article that tells of… look, here you are:
Ahead of an international convention of Real Doll fans set to take place in Brazil, the country’s leading sex toy retailer Sexônico is offering inanimate women enthusiasts the chance to be the first to sleep with the country’s first Real Doll, Valentina (NSFW).
The bidding for “Valentina’s virginity” currently stands at over $100,000, which sounds like a lot for a one night stand with a sex doll, and it is.
But Sexônico insists Valentina is no ordinary doll: Her state-of-the-art skin has the same texture as human skin, and can be soaked in water without being damaged, if that’s your concern.
The winner of the auction will also receive all-expenses-paid travel to and from São Paulo, a free night’s stay in the Presidential Suite of a fancy hotel, and a complimentary candlelight dinner with French Champagne to share with Valentina.
They’ll even throw in some sexy lingerie as Valentina’s gift to you, and a digital camera “to shoot and then show your friends.” the entire article is here
I have no idea where to begin with that information. Does Brazil not have Internet access? Do they not know of Abyss creations? Or any of the roughly twenty other Doll manufacturers worldwide? Cos y’know, people of Brazil, all-expense travel, accomodations, and bottle of overpriced plonk aside, $100,000 could buy you around thirteen or fourteen Dolls. In fact, from a cursory glance at her photos, Valentina looks to be a Body A RealDoll 2, with either a Michelle or a Victoria face, so should Sexônico want to give that sort of Barnum-esque stunt a second go, save that $100k and buy your own army of personal Valentinas with those exact stats direct from the source. A wee bit of homework goes a long way.
As the deadline of 31 March has passed, the bidding is closed, but they haven’t divulged what the winning bid was. Which is a shame, as Shi-chan wanted to put a bid in herself. I reminded her that Monopoly money isn’t legal tender, not even in Brazil, and she went off in a sulk.
+ Stateside Doll-making juggernauts Sinthetics and Private Island Beauties have both recently released a new head each, if the rubber women in your life don’t think they have enough head options. From Sinthetics comes Eliza, which fits all their available bodies, and PIB offer the Luna (with open mouth) head, which would go nicely with their Girl Next Door body type.
Left: Eliza by Sinthetics; right: Luna by Private Island Beauties
As I’m sure you’ll agree, both heads are pretty damned appealing! It’s a shame you can’t just purchase a head without first having bought a body, though, as I’m sure that would lead to interesting home decor.
+ Of course you recall how winsome GynoidActroid-F (aka Geminoid-F) put in an appearance at a branch of the Japanese department store chain Takashimaya last February? ‘Who wouldn’t?’ I hear you respond, and rightfully so. She’s now known as Minami, and she proved popular enough to be asked back a second time this month, and not only does she have a cute new bobbed hairstyle to show off, but lucky patrons can actually speak directly with her in a sound-cancelling booth, and have their photos taken with her.
No, I’m not vibrating with jealousy right now; why do you ask?
Asked “Do you have a boyfriend?” Minami answers, “No, I don’t because I’m a pop icon and am not allowed to have any.” taken from this article
Hiroshi Ishiguro, creator of the Repliee/Actroid/Geminoid series of artificial humans, says that he hopes Minami can put in regular showings at Takashimaya, as he’d like to develop future displays for her there. I posit that he’s thinking small: instead of bringing her round to the store’s location every couple of months, why not just make more Actroids? Also, why just remain in Japan? Come to the States! Come to Michigan. The more the merrier, I say!
+ Finally, were you aware that I’d done another online interview? Well, you’re certainly more aware than you were five seconds ago. Journalist Britta Bowles had spotted the Missus and I on our first appearance on ‘My Strange Addiction’, and, like many people, had some hard-hitting questions she wanted to ask me. A two-hour chat over Skype last month had me divulging many untold secrets, the most shocking one being that Shi-chan writes all my lines; she’s created a personality for me, as I’m actually just a Doll. O, wait.
The one relationship he did attempt (if it can even be described as such) ended disastrously. Davecat befriended a woman just out of a bad relationship, and they eventually bought a house together. It seems like a story of unrequited love, with Davecat hoping the relationship would progress into something more than friendship over time. According to Davecat, he eventually discovered that this woman was a compulsive liar, a thief and a coke addict with a history of rehab stints. After the purchase of the house, arguments arose.
“We were getting into…debates, let’s say, once a week. I think this is partially because of the coke that she had coursing through her system,” Davecat tells me rather sardonically.
“I can’t imagine that arguments with cokeheads are very fun,” I reply.
“If you have the means, avoid them at all costs,” he tells me. I make a mental note never to interview a cokehead.
You can read the article in its entirety at Britta’s blog, ‘Selected writings’, here. Hopefully you’ll have as much fun reading it as we had conducting it…
And that’s it for May! Happy 23rd, and let’s see what we can discover next month, shall we?
‘Shouting to hear the echoes’: More Information About Synthetiks Than You Ever Though Possible. Believe it
typed for your pleasure on 10 May 2013, at 5.53 pm
Sdtrk: ‘Poptones’ by PiL
Can you believe we’re already into May? Soon it’ll be June, then July, then some other months, then Hallowe’en, then my birthday, and then Boxing Day! Can you believe that 2014’s almost over already? Utterly incredible. Let’s look back, then, on some of the points of interest in the Synthetik world that took place during 2016:
+ One of the triggers for me having become a technosexual and iDollator was that, when I was but a wee lad, I decided to strike up a conversation with a mannequin. (It’s entry No.74 here.) Had my single-digit-age-range self seen MarionetteBot back then, it would’ve blown my tiny mind.
Appearing in the window of United Arrows, a clothing store chain in — where else? — Japan, both the male and female MarionetteBots use the XBOX Kinect, a specially-developed motor, sixteen wires apiece, and some proprietary programming to allow them to mimic the movements of passersby. Hands down, this is the best application of the Kinect ever made, ever. I predict that window display will be a breeding ground for future iDollators and technosexuals! Although it’s all fun and games until an overambitious windowgazer inevitably starts dancing Gangnam style.
+ You always hear the general populace going on about ‘do we need robots?’ or ‘do we really need humanoid robots?’ or ‘we shouldn’t make robots that look and think like people because OMG SKYNET’, all of which are (trying to be nice, here) pathetically backwards concerns. Obviously I’m keen on the implementation of robots everywhere in society, as they’ll improve the quality of Organik lives on a day-to-day basis (Roombas, the sushi-making robot), and on an emotional basis (Paro, lifelike artificial people) etc. Now the robots that aren’t built to resemble anything Organik can get away with not having personalities, although quite a few people tend to anthropomorphise them, especially Roombas. However, most people’s unease around artificial humans will decrease if roboticists design them with programming simulating emotions as well. As most people are still preferential towards ‘feeling’ over ‘thinking’, if they encounter an artificial person who presents simulated emotions, fake as they may be, that’s still perceived as better than having no emotions whatsoever. Dig it:
If robots are to be accepted by humans, they must be capable of generating real emotions says the president of France’s service robot federation. We in turn must get over our fears that somehow we are losing control and creating a super race.
Bruno Bonnell, 53, compares the state of robotics today with the state of computing in the early 1980s. Back then, Mr. Bonnell was working for microcomputer firm Thomson, trying to get the French public to embrace home computers. The product, the T07, was not selling. “We had to print a booklet called ‘The computer at home: what for?’
“It makes me smile because now people say to me ‘Robots at home: what for?’”
Mr. Bonnell says robots will be part of our daily lives within a decade. “People do not realize it, in the same way they did not see the growth of the Internet. This is the disruption that people do not see.” the rest of the article is here
+ It’s almost difficult to keep up with the numerous faces and bodies that 4woods release on a regular basis, but it’s certainly a good way to pass the time! Please welcome their latest heads, Yurica and Hitomi:
Left: in stylishly fashionable clothes; right: in stylishly fashionable body oil
Our new face “Yurica” will make her debut. She is compatible with AIdoll S+ body, and there are three make-up styles,No. 1 to No. 3, available for her. […]
Addition to AIdoll S+ body, “Yurica” is compatible with AINEOim, NEO-J/im and AIpeach Edition. Please welcome “Yurica”, our addition to the current 4woods lineup.
Hitomi doesn’t know the meaning of the phrase ‘not enough pink’
The Hitomi head is also compatible with their AINEOim and AIdoll S+ bodies, in case you were on the fence about saving up. 4woods now also offer the ability to have your lass made with ‘Sexy makeup‘, which brings out the blushing tones in her face and her body that you’d see during lovemaking, or ‘Glitter makeup‘, which makes her look ready for a night out at the clubs, where you’ll buy her flute after flute of overpriced champagne while the volume of the DJ’s music makes it impossible to hold a conversation without shouting directly into each others’ heads. But that is an option, if you’re keen on it.
I’ve just flipped through my notes here: 4woods have released thirty heads and nine different bodies! A few of each have been retired, but still. That’s mental! Not even Orient ‘We’ve Been In The Dutch Wife-Making Business Since The Late Seventies’ industry has that many heads on offer! Well done, 4woods. *nods*
+ Referring a bit back to my earlier mention of emotions, one of the characteristics of being Organik humans is that it’s not entirely impossible for any of us to develop feelings of empathy for other beings. Babies and animals, even ones not necessarily our own, often stir protective feelings, or at the very least, warm fuzzies, within us. Roboticists still need to cultivate the coming generations of Gynoids and Androids with (programming resembling) feelings, but this article by Tim Hornyak, author of ‘Loving the Machine‘, details how our natural tendency towards empathy will meet Synthetik beings halfway:
When they take over, robots will surely take advantage of studies suggesting we pathetic meatsacks are hardwired to sympathize with them.
Watching a robot being cuddled or abused produces similar reactions in humans to watching people undergo the same treatment, according to two new studies to be presented at the International Communication Association Conference in London in June.
In one, subjects were shown videos in which popular dino-bot Pleo was either hugged or treated violently. Perhaps not surprisingly, the subjects’ skin conductance levels rose when Pleo suffered, suggesting they were distressed. the rest of the article is here
In this instance, I suppose our primate brains work to the advantage of both Synthetiks and Organiks!…
Once again, it seems that the company aren’t offering affictitious ladies anywhere on their site. So Kia, I’ll make you a deal: either I sue your business for false advertising, or you could simply take the money you would’ve spent in legal fees, put it to work on making your Hotbots, and make more money from the technosexual community in a week than you have in your entire automotive-making history. Food for thought, Kia.
Right, more bits and bobs later! Between the time I’d initially started writing this entry and now, it’s been a month, and I’ve got to draw a bold line under that sort of nonsense. As I’d finished Bioshock Infinite almost two weeks ago — which, upon reflection, kinda turns it into Bioshock Finite — there’s really no excuse
typed for your pleasure on 5 April 2013, at 8.52 pm
Sdtrk: ‘Russian snow queen’ by Fursaxa
Hello there! There’s been a bit of a sea change round here at Deafening silence Plus, and as change tends to throw me off, I’ve been growing to adjust to the new situation. That’s my latest excuse!
You recall that job I’d gotten, where I was Master of Data Entry? Well, that’s in the past, as of March. Eventually, the inevitable happened: I’d run out of data to enter. It’s funny; as I’d mentioned, the project was supposed to last until February 2013, but I performed my job with such wicked blinding efficiency that I’d had everything in the database by roughly the final week of December. Data entry master. As the place I was working at didn’t just want to chuck me out onto the street, they began training me to be on the phones, which filled me with a genuine sense of dread. Luckily, I managed to secure a better job at the beginning of March, where I’m now doing order entry at a local shop that manufactures drill bits and the like. It’s 10min from home, it doesn’t have me on the phone with slack-jawed cretins, and it’s the highest-paying job I’ve ever had, which will allow me to save up that much quicker for Doll No.3. So overall I’d say it’s a win!
The weather in SE Michigan is almost sort of slightly starting to kind of resemble something akin to Spring, so both Sidore and Elena wanted me to do a photoshoot with them when we got a nice warmer day. And that’s precisely what we did last Saturday, with the usual enjoyable results.
Lenka was more than happy to show off her new clothes, and the Missus was more than happy to show Lenka her foot massage skills; as she says, I taught her everything she knows. The downside was that I had to draw a line under it after five hours of posing, repositioning, and clicking, as I was knackered. Multiple Doll shoots take a lot more work than I thought they would!
Incidentally, that box on our coffee table next to Elena’s foot contains the as-yet-unassembled HRP-4CMiim kit that I’d ordered, so at some point, I’m going to have to build that…
And speaking — as always — of sexy robots, here’s this illuminating video from The Globe and Mail, wherein Aubrey Belford goes to Japan and interviews underrated genius Hiroshi Ishiguro.
Think of that as a teaser as to the next ‘Any Synthetik-related news…?’ post, cos you know there’s one coming! It’s been months, after all, and there’s loads of items to catch you lot up on
typed for your pleasure on 1 February 2013, at 12.04 am
Sdtrk: ‘Source are rare’ by Merzbow & Genesis P-Orridge
Originally this was slated for publication last month, but then Elena arrived, delaying everything by sexing up the place. This is what happens when you live with Synthetiks! Let this stand as a warning.
+ Anatomical Doll, the Russian company responsible for making Sidore’s girlfriend/my mistress, have recently unveiled two new heads, Christy and Anna.
Left: Christy; right: Anna. Incidentally, the Anna head seen here is being displayed on Ms Vostrikova’s body; you’ll recognise that dress
Christy adds a dash of Rihanna-tinged multi-ethnicity to your life, and fellow iDollatorEverhard astutely mentioned that Anna’s soft and pillowy rubber lips reminded him of the mute sea princess Marina from Gerry Anderson’s programme Stingray. I’d only ever seen a single episode of Stingray, so to me, Anna resembled more of a brunette version of Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward, of Thunderbirds. It’s Gerry Anderson’s world; we only live in it.
+ AN EVENT I WISH I COULD ATTEND: On 05 February, The Japan Society of New York will be sponsoring a lecture featuring performance artist/roboticist Heather Knight, IEEE Spectrum editor Erico Guizzo, and Hiroshi Ishiguro, creator of the Actroid and Geminoid series of Synthetiks, entitled ‘How to Create Your Own Humanoid: Robot Science Made in Japan‘. Tickets are $12, $8 for Japan Society members, and the ticket price apparently includes a post-event reception with free wine. *protracted sigh* Should anyone attend, be sure to let me know how it was!
+ Speaking of Making Your Very Own Humanoid Robots For Fun And Profit, if you have access to a 3D printer, French sculptor Gael Langevin has plans you can download to build InMoov, a work-in-progress robot. I’d say that’s a brilliant way to spend a number of week-ends…
The 3D printing doesn’t cover things such as cables, wires, or servos; you’ll have to purchase those separately. But once you add those, as well as a few Arduino microcontroller boards, as well as the appropriate software for voice commands, you’ll be the first kid on your block with an InMoov torso! Well, depending on where you live.
As I’d mentioned, Mr Lanegvin’s robot is a work in progress, so if you’re keen, download the free plans for what’s been finished from Thingiverse here, and keep an eye on his official project blog here, to see when he adds things like legs and further refinements to existing parts. All told, even with the parts you have to buy, a 3D printed robot is cheaper than a full kit!
Then when the torso’s complete, you might want to check Photogenic Mask for additional sexy cosmetic improvements. Just a suggestion.
+ If you’re an iDollator living in Japan, within (relative) driving distance of the northernmost island, you might want to look into the Doll photographer’s club Hokkaido. neji-san, the bloke behind Tsukuhami-san, tweeted this at Sidore recently:
Japan is in a rural location north of the park, for a life-size doll.
It says you can enjoy walks and photography is “Synthetik humans” and “Organik humans” in the WEB site of the park. Now closed down while buried in the snow. The period of May to October seems to be open. However, is very far from my house！
Karasu’s model Itsumi; photo taken September 2010
Unfortunately there’s no English on the site, but it seems like they’ve been around since 2006, enabling those with Synthetik models/companions to spend some time with them and like-minded individuals in the picturesque snowy mountains of Hokkaido. There, they’re free to take photographs out-of-doors, uninterrupted by the outside world. Sounds fantastic, to be honest!
The Doll-related online forum I’m a member of has an equivalent annual gathering called Dollstock, and due to expense/work-related nonsense, Shi-chan and I have missed it for three years running. *shakes head* Maybe we should work on getting to one of those first, before considering a drive to northernmost Japan…
+ Every now and again, I get asked by Organik lasses (and the occasional Organik bloke) if there are male Dolls, as they’re ‘asking for a friend’. Abyss creations have been making male RealDolls for quite some time, but now, Sinthetics is throwing their hat into the ring as well, with their new sturdy fellow, Gabriel. Your affictitious beefcake ship has come in.
‘Is it hot out here, or is it just me?’ No mate, it’s hot out there; you’re in the desert
Their Male Body 1, or M1, weighs 100 lbs, stands 5’9″ tall, and has a 35″ chest. Curiously enough, he wears the same size shoe as I do, at a US 10.5. Customers can also order him with varying degrees of punched hair for his chest, forearms, armpits and crotch, and you can choose from a variety of lengths and attachments for his wedding tackle. Why not stop round to Gabriel’s galleries, and see what this silicone gentleman has to offer?
+ ‘Body temperature’ is a new film directed by Takaomi Ogata, due out this month in Japan. Going by the trailer alone, it seems like a peculiar Japanese cross between ‘Lars and the Real Girl’ and ‘Love object’.
Rintaro, a factory worker, happens to meet Rinko, a girl who has a split image of beloved Ibuki living with him. This encounter between Rintaro and a nightclub hostess turns out to heal their loneliness’. As they become closer in their relations, Rintaro gets frustrated by the fact that he never gets an exclusive attention from her. Rintaro dresses up Ibuki, changes her hair style, and puts her makeup on, calling her “Rinko”. Ibuki, who was called “Rinko” was actually a doll, a love doll, shaped just like a real female body.
The interesting thing you’d doubtless noticed in the trailer is that Rin Sakuragi plays both the Organik hostess Asuka, as well as the Synthetik Ibuki, so the film might get into some Satoshi Kon-like territory as to whether the lass we see in the wheelchair is Synthetik or Organik. Are we seeing real life, or what Rintaro is seeing?
Like I’d said, it looks to be interesting! At the very least, it can’t be worse than the patronising ‘Love object’…
+ In case you were mysteriously unaware, I’m constantly championing the idea of Synthetik partners; not just inert Dolls, but humanoid robots that possess machinery with which to move, and processing power with which to think. Right now, we have sexy examples such as HRP-4C or Hiroshi Ishiguro’s aforementioned creations, but we’ll soon reach a point where those artificial humans will be viewed the same way those of us who drive in 2013 view cars from the Forties and Fifties — well-intentioned, but sorely lacking. The more realistic the Synthetiks of tomorrow look, feel, think, and behave brings up interesting moral questions, some of which are touched upon in the article ‘I’m Just a Love Machine: Artifice and Consent in the Age of Robotics‘, by Jamais Cascio:
At minimum, critics claim, the presence of sex bots would begin to alter expectations for how members of the appropriate sex would look and behave. This follows from similar arguments about how present-day popular culture shape desires, often through images manipulated to portray an almost inhuman level of attractiveness—only now, this once unattainable beauty has an entirely attainable physical form. Even more troubling for critics, sex bots are inherently willing to do whatever a person may want; real mates would never be as agreeable and as submissive to one’s desires as a machine you programmed yourself.
In these fearful scenarios, the appeal of human sexual partners can do nothing but wither in comparison to the lust-made-”flesh” of a sex bot. The inevitable result of people foregoing real relationships in favor of perfect (but non-reproducing) partners is, of course, the End of Civilization. It’s as if these critics see sex as the only driver for human relationships, and are all-too-ready to abandon any other form of intimate connection. Fortunately, there are strong drivers for bonding that go beyond physical coupling.
But even if the critics exaggerate the possibility of a “sex bot apocalypse,” there is a more subtle cultural complication that would arise along with LoveMakerBots. Our fundamental laws and norms around sex come down to consent: entities that are incapable of giving true consent are off-limits. A robot can be programmed to be constantly willing, but—absent the emergence of self-aware artificial intelligence—cannot be programmed to give true consent. This isn’t something many of us worry about when it comes to, say, vibrators, but when the design of the robot elicits an empathic, emotional reaction, intentionally or otherwise, an inability to give consent may for some move unexpectedly from irrelevant to deeply disturbing. the entire article is here
This would be the elephant in the room that I personally have difficulty addressing. The robotic elephant. A lot of iDollators and technosexuals such as myself desire the affictitious partners we do because we want someone that will always remain faithful, and is utterly incapable of treachery. A Gynoid version of Sidore would have her own programmes resembling thought and independence, but would not want any other partner but me, other Gynoids excluded. In short, she’d have the capability of leaving me, but she never would. Some would argue that programming an artificial lifeform in that manner is just slavery by another name, but I’m not so sure. Now, although I treat Shi-chan and Lenka with the same amount of love and tenderness that I would if they were devoted Organik partners — moreso, some might say — there are people out there whose main purpose for obtaining a Synthetik would be to subject them to abuse, and would defend their behaviour with statements like ‘they act like they feel what I do to them, but it’s just pre-programmed responses. They’re things… they just look like people.’
Is it better to have a Synthetik partner and treat her or him with love, while simultaneously preventing her from having completely free will which might result in her leaving? Or should Organiks ignore the human-like appearance and behaviour of Synthetiks, and simply treat them like objects? I’d say Yes to the former and No to the latter, but then, I follow David Levy’s line of thought: ‘If a robot appears in every way to possess consciousness, then in my opinion, we should accept that it does’. Thankfully, robotics ethics committees are working on getting a handle on these sticky issues now before they become genuine problems. At the time of this writing, I’ve just found a fascinating article: it details a scientific study about how people might be more easily ‘tricked’ into caring for a robot, but we’ll leave it for another time.
+ Last, and on a much less philosophical bent, we close out this month’s installment with a link to the site Incredoll. Ergh, I meant Incredidoll. Every time I type that, I have to check the spelling. The site is so named as the maintainer is Incrediwagon, a fellow iDollator who I’ve known for several years. He and his partner-in-crime Campdaan have an army of gorgeous silicone beauties that they live with, and now, their galleries are available for perusal. Believe me, between extensive and amazing photoshoots of Ceilidh, Dottie, Jayde, Vicki, Myfanwy, and the rest, you might want to look into freeing up some more hard drive space.
Yuri and Dottie share a quiet moment together before DEBAUCHERY
As you may note, the site’s been added to the infamous sidebar links section, in the ‘Synthetik friends & friends of Synthetiks’ section, so you can check it over and over and over. And why wouldn’t you?
*dusts off hands* There; that should keep you lot occupied for a few days
