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"Cyberpunk worked when the Internet was in its hand-wound crystal radio phase, when you had to be a sort of hobbyist to do e-mail, and it all had a very steep learning curve. Those days are over."
- William Gibson
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| Mood Organ | ||
| A device which allows you to dial the mood you would like to have. |
It is not clear, from the novel, exactly how the mood organ works. It seems to produce some sort of wave that acts selectively on different parts of the brain; the heart of the device is the Penfield Wave Transmitter.
In this excerpt, Rick Deckard is having an argument with his wife, and is looking for the right "tune" from his mood organ.
| At his console he hesitated between dialing for a thalamic suppressant (which would abolish his mood of rage) or a thalamic stimulant (which would make him irked enough to win the argument). "If you dial," Iran said, eyes open and watching, "for greater venom, then I'll dial the same." |
| Technovelgy from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?,
by Philip K. Dick. Published by Doubleday in 1968 Additional resources -
|
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep is a novel that makes use of androids (created beings that are organic, and are essentially identical to people). During the course of the novel, the reader is often moved have feelings about these artificial beings, and then forced to compare their feelings toward the "real" humans. The mood organ is a fascinating way for Dick to accomplish a kind of dehumanization of the fully human characters, blurring the distinctions for the reader.
Here is another quote that shows how the mood organ is used:
My favorite setting for the mood organ is 888, which creates the desire to watch TV no matter what is on. I seem to be able to manufacture whatever neurochemicals are necessary for this mood without resort to artifice, but, gosh, it would be nice if everyone could.
'So I left the TV sound off and I sat down at my mood organ and I experimented. And I finally found a setting for despair… So I put it on my schedule for twice a month; I think that's a reasonable amount of time to feel hopeless about everything...' How much time do you set aside each month for specific moods?"
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Additional
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More Ideas
and Technology from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
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and Technology by Philip K. Dick
Tech news articles related to Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Tech news articles related to works by Philip K. Dick
Mood Organ-related
news articles:
- Thync Mood Alteration Like PKD's Mood Organ
- Thync Mood-Changing Wearable Device
- Deep Brain Stimulation Soon Without Surgery
| Chinese Hospital Tries Vonnegut's 'Harrison Bergeron' Cosplay |
| A Remarkable Coincidence |
| Is It Time To Forbid Human Driving? |
| Indonesian Clans Battle |
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'...there's a narrow belt where the climate is moderate.'
'He wore spectacles with thick wavy lenses. The spectacles were intended to make him not only half blind, but to give him whanging headaches besides.'
'... with the Master-operator all you have to do is push one! A remarkable achievement!'
'Not like me. A T-1000, advanced prototype. A mimetic poly-alloy. Liquid metal.'
'It was riddled with holes that were the mouths of tunnels.'
'The massive feet working the pedals, arms and hands flashing and glinting...'
