#TheMachineStops

[dystopediapod]

Sometimes the scariest dystopias are the ones that feel like utopias.

The more comfort, control, and convenience we have - the more we have to lose. And sometimes, the greatest threat isn’t from outside, but from within. We’re hardwired to take the path of least resistance.

The most alarming thing about The Machine Stops is how humanity sleepwalks into extinction - not through violence, but through dependence. Through apathy.

"Something good enough had long since been accepted by our race."

This week on Dystopedia, we unpacked the eerie brilliance of E.M. Forster’s 1909 warning.

Next week, we shift gears - but not themes. A future controlled by corporations, privatized everything, and the illusion of justice. RoboCop (1987) is up next. And trust us, the satire hits way too close to home.

[wikiuntamed]

On this day in Wikipedia: Thursday, 29th February

Welcome, 欢迎 (huānyíng), velkommen, bienvenido 🤗 What does @Wikipedia say about 29th February through the years 🏛️📜🗓️?

29th February 2020 🗓️ : Event - Colectivo (Venezuela) During a demonstration, pro-government colectivos shoot at disputed President and Speaker of the National Assembly Juan Guaidó and his supporters in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, leaving five injured. "Colectivos ([ko.lek'ti.βos], lit. 'collectives') are far-left Venezuelan armed paramilitary groups that support the Bolivarian government, the Great Patriotic Pole (GPP) political alliance and Venezuela's ruling party, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). Colectivo has become an umbrella..."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0? by

Original: Oscar .

Derivative work: User:ZiaLater

Upload: User:ZiaLater

29th February 2016 🗓️ : Event - Suicide attack At least 40 people are killed and 58 others wounded following a suicide bombing by ISIL at a Shi'ite funeral in the city of Miqdadiyah, Diyala. "A suicide attack is a deliberate attack in which the perpetrators knowingly sacrifice their own lives as part of the attack. These attacks are often associated with terrorism or military conflicts and are considered a form of murder–suicide. Suicide attacks involving explosives are commonly referred..."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0? by Flickr user TheMachineStops. Credit: Robert J. Fisch.

29th February 2012 🗓️ : Event - Tokyo Skytree Construction of Tokyo Skytree, the world's tallest tower and third-tallest structure, was completed. "Tokyo Skytree (東京スカイツリー, Tōkyō Sukaitsurī, [toːkʲoː sɯ̥kaitsɯriː] ) is a broadcasting and observation tower in Sumida, Tokyo. It became the tallest tower in Japan in 2010 and reached its full height of 634 meters (2,080 ft) in March 2011, making it the tallest tower in the world, displacing the..."

Image licensed under CC0? by Akonnchiroll

29th February 1972 🗓️ : Event - Vietnam South Korea withdraws 11,000 of its 48,000 troops from Vietnam as part of Nixon's Vietnamization policy in the Vietnam War. "Vietnam (Vietnamese: Việt Nam [vîət nāːm] ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about 331,000 square kilometres (128,000 sq mi) and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's fifteenth-most..."

Image by See File history below for details.

29th February 1924 🗓️ : Birth - Al Rosen Al Rosen, American baseball player and manager (d. 2015) "Albert Leonard Rosen (February 29, 1924 – March 13, 2015), nicknamed "Flip" and "the Hebrew Hammer", was an American baseball third baseman and right-handed slugger for the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball for ten seasons in the 1940s and 1950s. After serving for four years in the U.S...."

Image by Bowman Gum

29th February 1820 🗓️ : Death - Johann Joachim Eschenburg Johann Joachim Eschenburg, German historian and critic (b. 1743) "Johann Joachim Eschenburg (7 December 1743 – 29 February 1820) was a German critic and literary historian. He was born and educated at Hamburg, going on to study at the University of Leipzig and University of Göttingen. In 1767 he was appointed tutor, and subsequently professor, at the Collegium..."

Image by Pascha Johann Friedrich Weitsch

29th February 🗓️ : Holiday - As a Christian feast day: Saint John Cassian "John Cassian, also known as John the Ascetic and John Cassian the Roman (Latin: Ioannes Eremita Cassianus, Ioannus Cassianus, or Ioannes Massiliensis; Greek: Ίωάννης Κασσιανός ό Ερημίτης; c. AD 360 – c. 435), was a Christian monk and theologian celebrated in both the Western and Eastern churches for..."

Image by Unknown authorUnknown author

[geneajournals]

9/11 Remembering...

United Airlines Flight 175 - World Trade Center, South Tower, New York, NY.

UA_Flight_175_hits_WTC_south_tower_9-11.jpeg: Flickr user TheMachineStops (Robert J. Fisch)derivative work: upstateNYer, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

American Airlines Flight 77 - The Pentagon, Washington D. C.

Photo taken by JO1 Mark Faram, USNR.  Folder 17, Box 06, AR/671 NHC Pentagon 9/11 Collection, Navy Archives, Naval History and Heritage Command, Washington, D.C.

United Airlines Flight 93 - Aerial View of Crash Site, Shanksville, PA

National Park Service. FBI Evidence Photographs of the Crash Site - US v. Moussauoi

[offshoreoilrig]

@themachinestops huh, I guess it is

I already know without checking that they used AI to "calculate" the tariff amounts

[mark-matos]

🚨 Elon Musk's Shocking Warning: AI Dependency Could Doom Humanity! Are We Heading Toward a Real-Life Idiocracy? 🤖📉😱

🚀 Elon Musk recently dropped a 💣 with a tweet that shook the 🌐! In it, he warned about the ⚠️ of overreliance on AI & automation 🤖, hinting at a future straight out of the dystopian 🎞️ "Idiocracy" 🥤📺🤦‍♂️. He also mentioned E.M. Forster's 1909 story "The Machine Stops" 🛑, painting a dark picture of society's downfall 🌆🔥.

Elon Musk’s recent tweet 🐦 highlights a potential concern that is mirrored in the 2006 movie “Idiocracy” 📽️. The film presents a dystopian future where the general population becomes increasingly unintelligent over time 🧠⏳, ultimately leading to the collapse of society. Musk’s tweet suggests that a similar scenario could arise if we become too reliant on AI and automation 🤖, eventually forgetting how these machines work 🔧.

One way that AI could contribute to the decline of society, as portrayed in “Idiocracy”, is by fostering a culture of complacency and overreliance on technology 📱💻. As AI systems become more advanced, people may rely on them for decision-making, problem-solving, and general knowledge 🧩. Over time, this could lead to a gradual erosion of critical thinking skills 💭 and a diminishing ability to solve problems independently. As individuals lose their ability to think critically and innovate, the overall intellectual capacity of society could decrease 📉.

Moreover, as AI and automation take over more tasks 📈, there may be a decline in the need for human labor 💼, leading to fewer opportunities for individuals to engage in meaningful work 🛠️. This could result in a loss of a sense of purpose and a growing disconnection from the world around them 🌍. Without the necessity to learn, adapt, and overcome challenges, people may become intellectually stagnant and less capable of addressing complex issues that require human ingenuity 🧠.

Musk also referenced “The Machine Stops” 🛑, a 1909 science fiction short story by E. M. Forster that depicts a world where humanity has become entirely dependent on a global machine for all aspects of their lives 🌐🤖. In this story, people live in isolated cells and interact only through technology 📲, while the machine takes care of their every need. This dependence on technology ultimately leads to the decline of human culture, intellect, and innovation 📚.

“The Machine Stops” illustrates how an overreliance on technology can lead to the erosion of society. The story serves as a cautionary tale ⚠️, warning against the dangers of placing too much trust in machines and losing touch with our humanity ❤️. Similarly, Musk’s tweets suggest that relying too heavily on AI and automation could create a world where humans gradually lose their capacity for independent thought, creativity, and innovation 🎨🎭.

Elon Musk’s recent tweets bring attention to the potential dangers of becoming too dependent on AI and automation 🚨. Drawing parallels to “Idiocracy” and “The Machine Stops” 🎞️📖, Musk warns that allowing technology to take over all aspects of our lives could lead to the decline of society. To prevent this outcome, it is crucial to strike a balance between harnessing the benefits of AI and automation while maintaining a strong focus on human innovation, critical thinking, and the preservation of our intellectual abilities 🧠💡.

[amlitlover]

Forster's dystopian novella:"The Machine Stops"

"Howard's End" author, E.M. Forster: "The Machine Stops" is considered Forster's masterwork of Dystopian short fiction, a cautionary tale for all of us who can no longer imagine a world without the Internet and smartphones. https://americanliterature.com/author/em-forster/novella/the-machine-stops/summary

[pinkcheetahvintage]

#TheMachineStops #EMForster #ScienceFiction 1909 https://www.instagram.com/p/B9GLG9UhBPG/?igshid=1uoc703jlt2i3

[alienalarms]

#themachinestops #maxmspjitter #abletonlive11 #glitch #newmusic #newmusicvideo #bliphop #glitch #musicproduction #brighton #zoom #lockdown (at Brighton, England, UK) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQPIrLwljTW/?utm_medium=tumblr

[waltcahillart-blog]

‘We only exist as the blood corpuscles that course through its arteries, and if it could work without us, it would let us die.’ E.M. Forster. The Machine Stops. An illustrated memory from 23rd Feb 2017 at The Broadway Theatre, Letchworth. http://waltcahill.com/2017/02/25/the-machine-stops/ #themachinestops #letchworth #emforster #hawkwind #penguinmodernclassics @hawkwinder #yorktheatreroyal #fiction #literature #shortstories #sciencefiction #englishliterature #dystopia #dystopian #penguinbooks #artjournal #artjournaling #artjournals #BroadwayCinema

[dystopediapod]

The Machine Stops: How Did a 1909 Story Predict Life in 2025?

Well, that took us by surprise. This week, we dive into The Machine Stops, E.M. Forster’s 1909 short story that predicted the internet, Zoom, digital burnout, remote living - and maybe even the end of the world as we know it. How did he see it coming? And why isn’t this story more well-known?

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.

[chipslater]

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN6Vu7wOtxg)

The Machine Stops ★ By E. M. Foster ★ Science Fiction ★ Full Audiobook

Title:  The Machine Stops

Author:  E. M. FORSTER (1879 - 1970)

Genre:  Science Fiction

Language:  English

Read by:  Phil Chenevert

"The Machine Stops" is a science fiction story by E. M. Forster. After initial publication in 1909 the story was republished in Forster's The Eternal Moment and Other Stories in 1928. After being voted one of the best novellas up to 1965, it was included that same year in the populist anthology Modern Short Stories. In 1973 it was also included in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume Two. The story is particularly notable for predicting new technologies such as instant messaging and the Internet. In the preface to his Collected Short Stories (1947), Forster wrote that "The Machine Stops is a reaction to one of the earlier heavens of H. G. Wells." Although not all Wells's stories were optimistic about the future, this implies Forster was concerned about human dependence on technology. - Summary by Wikipedia

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#TheMachineStops   #EMForster   #ScienceFiction   #Audiobook #Literature   #FullAudiobook   #SciFi   #ScienceFictionFull

[darnell]

#NeverForget #911 (photo by Robert aka TheMachineStops on Flickr). http://ift.tt/2wTmlqz

[explosiverainbows]

Rainbow Flags - Above Stonewall National Monument by TheMachineStops The Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street in the West Village - birthplace of the Gay Rights Movement in 1969. http://flic.kr/p/PVqya9

[lgbt-history-archive]

"GRANDMA FOR GAYS," Heritage of Pride Parade, New York City, June 29, 1986. Photo © Robert. #lgbthistory #lgbtherstory #lgbttheirstory #lgbtpride #QueerHistoryMatters #HavePrideInHistory #GrandmaForGays #TheMachineStops #FridayVibezzz (at New York, New York)

[ghostowlit]

I wonder how it would be if you were lost at sea for three months and finally find land to come and see theres a zombie apocalypse

[takumakei]

The Machine Stops