All About Cyberpunk — Ep. 102 of Intentionally Blank

Dan and Brandon discuss cyberpunk. They begin with the history of the genre and debate what properties fall into the category. From Blade Runner to The Matrix, they find common threads like virtual reality and artificial intelligence.

Check out our previous episode of Intentionally Blank

Can be listened to almost everywhere podcasts can be found.

Sound engineering and editing by Daniel Thompson

[Halfwithero]

"I am to philosophy what a philosophy degree is to your resume" is an amazing line

[Thebigbad]

Cyberpunk 2077 is indeed set in Mike Pondsmith's Cyberpunk universe. He was even heavily involved in making the game.
Really enjoyed listening to this!

[andaristal]

I will always be thankful to mr. Sanderson for finishing wheel of time. It was my first fantasy series and i will forever cherish it. Thank you, so much for taking on such a risk doing justice to the series.

[alecandro]

On the topic of bionic hands/arms:

My fiancee was born missing a bit below the elbow onward on her right arm, so she's got a few inches of the forearm. About 5 years ago she went through the process and was able to get a bionic hand. This works by attaching the hand to a polycarbonate arm-socket prosthetic, which contains a battery and two electrodes, one each on the front and back of the forearm. The muscle actions that open and close, rotate, and change grip pattern of the hand are the same that would flex or extend the hand at the wrist joint in varying combinations.

We've done a little looking into what's currently available. They've had a little success with the "brain wave" type function in a few ways. The most interesting to me is an implantation of biopsied muscle from elsewhere on the individual into the arm with further implantation of electrodes and leads connected to those pieces of muscle individually. This does require extensive training to create that mind-muscle connection, but it's pretty cool. There is also lots of work being done with osseointegration and using nerve signaling, which is also extremely interesting and probably ultimately the best route forward for limb different individuals.

Funny enough, the big hurdle seems to be measuring... Intent and Command :)

[LEGnewTube]

"I'm deeply upset it's called cyberpunk because it makes searching for other cyberpunk stuff..." 100% agree! So annoying

[tiaretik_mtg]

The thing about P.K. Dick being the first cyberpunk author is that his cyberpunk book is not Do Androids..., but rather Ubik. It more or less satisfice all genre criteria, and handles deeply cyberpunk-ian themes.

[ATAKeithStewart]

Dan choosing Derry Girls as his favorite IP is classic Dan!

[hopefulinfj]

I just want to say that I love this podcast, and I look forward to it weekly. The world needs more nerdy friendships like Dan+Brandon! Thanks for saying nerdy things and letting us listen in :)

[IrishWriter]

Clearly we need Gatepunk: sci-fantasy centered around political scandals. GRRM can be the grandfather of the genre.

[sidewalkends]

Short and sweet Cyberpunk definition: high tech, low life.

[thecriticalalchemist]

Akira is THE key Cyberpunk work from Japan in the 80s and it also was one of the first anime to breach the gap and become really popular in America, leading it to influence a lot of other Cyberpunk works and define the West's perception of Japanese animation for it's generation. So I'd say that's probably the biggest reason why Cyberpunk and Japan are often linked. Tokyo makes a convenient influence for a huge futuristic city with emphasis on technological advancement as well

[etay]

I really enjoyed the punkgate discussion!

[WubdoR]

I think Altered Carbon (book 1), Mirror's Edge and Black Mirror (some episodes) are worth talking about when talking about Cyberpunk. Personally I also really enjoyed Snow Crash. And I really hope Brandon ends up writing that Mistborn Cyberpunk era someday.

[RavensDagger]

Ohh! As a self-published cyberpunk author, it's fantastic to see people talking about my favourite genre! There's so many good stories coming out nowadays, and the genre's really booming!

[athiendickens]

I also ADORE Cyberpunk! I'm writing a book series set in a cyberpunk universe and I love original works from back in the 70s and 80s

[joelrunnalls]

Was this the philosophical quandary of Brandon being asked to finish the Wheel of Time?

[sunshinevs]

I don't know if they mention it (haven't finished the video yet), but my absolute favorite Cyberpunk universe is Shadowrun. Just all around cool stuff going on with it, love the stories that the games tell with companion characters too.

Edit: they didn't bring it up :(

[saraholivares]

You guys are the ONLY people I have ever heard talk about Uglies

[paulbrooks]

Hooker with a heart of gold--classic trope of Cyberpunk. Both Blade Runners have the hard-boiled cop analog and some elements of the hooker thing going. The game has that too. I'd recommend playing it, as it does have a number of moments. Especially the main and Delamain stories (important to read all the emails on the computers to get more understanding). The Cyberpsychosis is also poignant and Johnny's arguments, but they are a little abstruse. Also, Deus Ex is entirely a form of super cop, and excellent games that, especially with Mankind Divided, hit what the future may look like.

[Epidox]

So glad Brandon mentioned Frostpunk. That game is incredible, and everyone should play it.