Category Archives: dr oblivion

Gee… Thanks Dr. Oblivion…

I started the movie review re-write by asking Dr. Oblivion about the movie iRobot. I asked him about theme and hidden meaning and even about easter eggs within the movie. A lot of it was not too far off from what I wrote. I wrote about the themes of ethics of AI and human control and posed questions about AI independence. All of these were identified by Dr. Oblivion as key points being made in the movie. So, I actually don’t know if a re-write is in order. Apparently, I wasn’t really far off the mark. That made me feel pretty good that I had a good understanding of the movie and what it was trying to say.

However, when I asked Dr. Oblivion to write his own review, this is where things got interesting. He absolutely ROASTED the film. Please listen to this absolute masterpiece of a slam session.

Call the burn unit! I was not expecting this at all. I was anticipating a technical review that spoke about the themes and questions I was asking him before, but no, he just roasted it. Now I am re-thinking if this is even a good movie. Did I just fall prey to the classic tropes. Is this movie too safe? Does it really even make me think? Or does it just display these themes in such an easy-to-digest story that I believed I was insightful… In my first review, I mentioned it made me think more about the “deeper meaning” in iRobot. Is there even one? According to Dr. Oblivion, it has been done over and over and there is nothing new here to learn. I know it has been done before but surely it had to bring something new to the table… Nope. I have now been thrashed by an AI and now I feel like a buffoon. Thanks Dr. Oblivion.

AI-based Dr Oblivion now available at Oblivion University

I’m a long-time fan of Dr Oblivion, especially his well timed-tenure throughout the Summer 2011: The Summer of Oblivion.

It’s been over a decade since we’ve seen him

With over a decade since we’ve seen Dr Oblivion, I was heartened to recently learn that Dr Oblivion is now a member of the teaching staff offering “anytime office hours” at Oblivion University for AI106 participants, or anyone else with a question they need answered.

While the good doctor specialises in responding to questions related to media theory and artificial intelligence, he also excels at providing fascinating insights on topics as diverse as housing affordability, what it means to be human, AI world takeover, purposeful and meaningful living, and more.

The following are some of my favourite responses by Dr Oblivion to some “big questions”.