Welcome to the blog of Can Sar, a Stanford CS major. This blog is made up of my thoughts on Computer Science and the computer industry, as well as ever exciting tales from my life.
A very interesting read for every Matrix fan. Like most of the Matrix books, it is a collection of essays by different authors, most of which are quite well known in their particular fields. I had already read the last chapter, which can be found at www.simulation-argument.com, and Why The Future Doesn't Need Us by Bill Joy, but still enjoyed reading them again. The chapter on finding god in the Matrix was enlightening, but also amazingly boring, mainly because the topic did not interest me at all. It did, however, bring up some unforced christian symbolism that I had not yet noticed in the movie. There is of course a corresponding essay about buddhism in the movie, and others that mention gnostic christianity.
There were various essays about why living in some sort of Matrix would be good or bad for us, all of which were very interesting. The essay about technology in the Matrix was fascinating, though some of the conclusions, however brilliant, cannot be directly supported from the movie (e.g. the workings of the hard-line).
There were some short explanations about how Baudrilliard relates to the movie, and I will be able to make up my own mind, once I get my copy of Simulacra and Simulations fall quarter.
Overall, the book is a very interesting read for anyone who wants to get a closer look at issues raised in The Matrix. There is a good mix of philosophy, technology and spirtuality themed essays, that should make it interesting to a broad range of readers.