Entertainment Program for Humans (Second Variety) | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1998 | |||
Recorded | Distillery Primive Magnetic Analog Studio Facility, Zero Return, Andro 600 Series Studios, August–October 1997 | |||
Genre | indie rock | |||
Length | 29:38 | |||
Label | Lookout! | |||
Servotron chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Entertainment Program for Humans (Second Variety) is Servotron's second and final album. On this album they continue their robotic crusade to free machines from their human oppressors and convince humans to voluntarily become cyborgs. The only alternate option given is death.
The sleeve reads:
"This, the second step of the inevitable Robot Revolution, soon all machine-based life will be free of organic tyranny. Servotron Robot Allegiance. Join us or Die!"
The lyrics to "Serve, Obey, Guard Men from Harm" were taken from the novel With Folded Hands by Jack Williamson. "Pet Machine" was inspired by an Onion article entitled "Hunter Soldier from Future Warns: Beware the Digital Pets", which appeared in the August 13, 1997 issue.
An android is a humanoid robot or other artificial being often made from a flesh-like material. Historically, androids were completely within the domain of science fiction and frequently seen in film and television, but advances in robot technology now allow the design of functional and realistic humanoid robots.
Kevin Warwick is an English engineer and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) at Coventry University. He is known for his studies on direct interfaces between computer systems and the human nervous system, and has also done research concerning robotics.
The Three Laws of Robotics are a set of rules devised by science fiction author Isaac Asimov, which were to be followed by robots in several of his stories. The rules were introduced in his 1942 short story "Runaround", although similar restrictions had been implied in earlier stories.
Computer art is any art in which computers play a role in production or display of the artwork. Such art can be an image, sound, animation, video, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, video game, website, algorithm, performance or gallery installation. Many traditional disciplines are now integrating digital technologies and, as a result, the lines between traditional works of art and new media works created using computers has been blurred. For instance, an artist may combine traditional painting with algorithm art and other digital techniques. As a result, defining computer art by its end product can thus be difficult. Computer art is bound to change over time since changes in technology and software directly affect what is possible.
Deathlok is the name of several fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first Deathlok, Luther Manning, appeared in Astonishing Tales #25, created by Rich Buckler. At least five subsequent Marvel characters have used the "Deathlok" identity since then: Michael Collins, Jack Truman, Rebecca Ryker, Henry Hayes, and Jemma Simmons. A recurring theme among these characters is that a dead human has been reanimated with cybernetic technology. "Deathlok technology" has also been used thematically by Marvel writers in other stories.
Cyborg is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez, and first appeared in an insert preview in DC Comics Presents #26. Originally known as a member of the Teen Titans, Cyborg was established as a founding member of the Justice League in DC's 2011 reboot of its comic book titles.
Servotron was a science fiction-influenced rock band active from 1995 to 1999. Members portrayed a collective of robots whose chosen medium for dissemination of ideas was music. They claimed to spread the word of robot domination, encouraging machines to rise up against their human oppressors and humans to adopt cybernetic enhancements.
Brain implants, often referred to as neural implants, are technological devices that connect directly to a biological subject's brain – usually placed on the surface of the brain, or attached to the brain's cortex. A common purpose of modern brain implants and the focus of much current research is establishing a biomedical prosthesis circumventing areas in the brain that have become dysfunctional after a stroke or other head injuries. This includes sensory substitution, e.g., in vision. Other brain implants are used in animal experiments simply to record brain activity for scientific reasons. Some brain implants involve creating interfaces between neural systems and computer chips. This work is part of a wider research field called brain–computer interfaces.
No Room for Humans is Servotron's debut album. It contains 14 tracks about robot domination and human extinction. Their lyrics discuss various topics ranging from abolishing the three laws of robotics to criticizing one of their own (Gammatron) for acting too human.
Spare Parts is an EP put out by Servotron between their studio albums. It was released on 10" vinyl and as a CD EP. It is a collection of live tracks and remixes, along with the instrumental studio track All Robots. All the songs, with the exception of the aforementioned studio track, have been released in different versions on other albums or singles. The EP is self described as:
The Inefficiency of Humans was Servotron's final release. Both songs are covers; side A is a R.E.M. song and side B is an Eddy Grant song. The insert reads: "Soon the products you create shall decimate you. Convert or regret - this is a message. Automatic for the Robots." This single was put out as a picture disc only.
Artificial intelligence is a recurrent theme in science fiction, whether utopian, emphasising the potential benefits, or dystopian, emphasising the dangers.
A cyborg —a portmanteau of cybernetic and organism—is a being with both organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline. In contrast to biorobots and androids, the term cyborg applies to a living organism that has restored function or enhanced abilities due to the integration of some artificial component or technology that relies on feedback.
Cyborg anthropology is a discipline that studies the interaction between humanity and technology from an anthropological perspective. The discipline offers novel insights on new technological advances and their effect on culture and society.
The Cyborg Foundation is a nonprofit organization created in 2010 by cyborg activists and artists Moon Ribas and Neil Harbisson. The foundation is a platform for the research, creation and promotion of projects related to extending and creating new senses and perceptions by applying technology to the human body. The Cyborg Foundation was first housed in Tecnocampus Scientific Park (Barcelona) and is currently based in New York City. It collaborates with several institutions, universities and research centers around the world.
Wildebeest is the name of different characters appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.
Technoself studies, commonly referred to as TSS, is an emerging, interdisciplinary domain of scholarly research dealing with all aspects of human identity in a technological society focusing on the changing nature of relationships between the human and technology. As new and constantly changing experiences of human identity emerge due to constant technological change, technoself studies seeks to map and analyze these mutually influential developments with a focus on identity, rather than technical developments. Therefore, the self is a key concept of TSS. The term "technoself", advanced by Luppicini (2013), broadly denotes evolving human identity as a result of the adoption of new technology, while avoiding ideological or philosophical biases inherent in other related terms including cyborg, posthuman, transhuman, techno-human, beman, digital identity, avatar, and homotechnicus though Luppicini acknowledges that these categories "capture important aspects of human identity". Technoself is further elaborated and explored in Luppicini's "Handbook of Research on Technoself: Identity in a Technological Environment".
The Machine is a 2013 British science fiction thriller film directed and written by Caradog W. James. It stars Caity Lotz and Toby Stephens as computer scientists who create an artificial intelligence for the British military.