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Media technology giant Google, has just bought mobile phone manufacturer Motorola for a whopping $12.5 billion. The purchase has the potential to change the dynamics of today’s lucrative tech marketplace. Even Apple, the company which has revolutionized mobile and wireless technology with their iPhones, iPods, and iPads, is nervous about retaining its stronghold and competitive edge. The latest industry surveys reveal that 96% of Americans today own cellphones – this despite the worsening recession. What does it mean for our civilization to become so reliant on technology? Well known BBC film maker, Adam Curtis explores the philosophical purposes of technology in his newest three-part documentary, “All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace,” the title of which is taken from a poem by Richard Brautigan. Curtis is best known for his award winning documentaries, The Power of Nightmares, Century of the Self, and The Trap. This latest film, which aired in3 parts on the BBC in the UK this past May 2011, explores the idea that humans are being governed by our own creations. Part 1 of the film focuses on the 1990s U.S. dream among some thinkers, of a world where computers would create a new stability. In particular, the disciples of philosopher and writer Ayn Rand, believed that computers would allow everyone to follow their desires without creating anarchy. However, as Curtis shows, our basic human desires, Love and Power, stand in the way of that stability. Part 2 of Curtis’s new film is centered on the idea of “self-regulating ecosystems” – how our need to be a part of utopian societies has governed our use of social networking sites like Facebook even as they offer an alternative to the dangerous reality of politics. The third part of Curtis’ film examines the reason why we are so mesmerized by this “machine-vision,” perhaps because we see it as a fantasy which allows us to retreat from our previous political failures. As with his earlier documentaries, Adam Curtis uses vintage and stock footage alongside original interviews, overlaid with provocative music, to critique capitalism, and Western hegemony, and in this case, the idea that technology will save the world.

Thank you Gifts:

All Watched Over By Machines of Loving Grace – DVD – $100

Adam Curtis Super Pack (4 films: Century of the Self, The Trap, Power of Nightmares, All Watched Over By Machines of Loving Grace) – $250

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