Закончил «Город и звёзды» Артура Кларка. Книга 1956 года на минуточку! И первое длинное произведение Кларка, которое я прочитал.
Обычно для того, чтобы случился сюжет, нужен конфликт. Здесь же в некотором смысле конфликтом является отсутствие конфликтов.
Сверхдалёкое будущее — миллиард лет вперёд от нашего времени. Земля давно превратилась в безжизненную пустыню, но остался один последний город, накрытый куполом и полностью поддерживающий сам себя. Город является гигантским искусственным интеллектом, способным управлять материей на атомном уровне, за счёт чего никакие вещи и здания в нём никогда не изнашиваются, автор описывает его буквально как застывший во времени. С помощью этой же технологии у людей решены абсолютно все проблемы: любой требуемый предмет мгновенно материализуется мысленной командой компьютеру, тела людей почти не стареют, не болеют, все возможные травмы излечиваются.
Любопытно решена проблема бессмертия. Человеческий разум не справляется с памятью дольше определённой длины, поэтому при достижении тысячелетнего возраста каждый человек редактирует свои воспоминания, отмечая, что в своей личности он хотел бы оставить, а что убрать. После чего его сознание — уже с правками — помещается в память компьютера. И в произвольный момент в будущем будет создано новое молодое тело с этим сознанием, которое тоже проживёт 1000 лет. В памяти компьютера находятся сотни миллионов людей, но в городе одновременно живут около 10млн, и компьютер сам решает, кого и когда воскресить. Таким образом, в любой момент времени в городе живёт подмножество одних и тех же людей.
Под куполом вечное лето и вечный день (люди больше не спят, это стало не нужно), нет никакой необходимости выполнять какую-то работу или выживать. Поэтому с нашей точки зрения жизнь местных удивительно скучна. Они столетиями развлекаются и играют в видеоигры — при этом разум человека погружается в аналог Матрицы, виртуальный мир с полной передачей всех ощущений, и ещё дополнительно в сознании блокируются участки памяти таким образом, чтобы ты частично осознавал себя настоящим персонажем игры. Деторождение тоже не нужно и давно утеряно. Семьи есть только условно — одни люди помогают другим, только что воскрешённым, постепенно пробуждать воспоминания из своей предыдущей жизни. Секс остался как что-то второстепенное, наряду с тысячами других видов досуга.
Роман очень хорошо показывает, что иметь решение какой-то проблемы может быть хуже, чем не иметь. И вообще, наша жизнь во многом состоит в борьбе, преодолении, расширении границ познания и исследовании. Именно это делает её интересной, обладающей смыслом, а полное отсутствие такого смысла выглядит как смерть, даже при формально живом теле, продолжающем вести деятельность.
Книга местами затянута, а некоторые повешенные на стены ружья так и не выстрелили. Но всё равно я получил изрядную долю удовольствия и новых размышлений, так что любителям фантастики рекомендую.
#fiction
🚨 Zionist soldiers are documented hovering over a child they shot in Al-Aroub camp, #AlKhalil after they obstructed medical crews from reaching him.
Two other children have also been wounded by zionist bullets in the camp.
24-year-old prisoner Afnan Abu Hussein was released on a financial bail of 5,000 shekels on October 14 after being arrested the day prior from her home in the town of Bani Naim, #AlKhalil.
Afnan, who is in her ninth month of pregnancy (with a scheduled caesarean section on 16/10) and is a mother to a two-year-old child was beaten by the IOF in her home before they detained her. They abducted her before she was able to wear her hijab. She described the terrible conditions she experienced during her detention:
"They provoked me in the worst ways; it was psychological torture for me. They filmed me on TikTok while I was tied with shackles to the bed, and they danced around me. I would ask for a cup of water, after two days of no eating or drinking, and they would throw it in front of me; as a result, I became dehydrated and the water dried up for the baby. They didn't give me any medical treatment."
During her detention, the IOF also forced her to sign a paper which says she is responsible in the case of the death of her baby because she refused to give birth in an occupation hospital.
"Between us and them are mountains of corpses, rivers of hatred, blood, and blood, and blood, wailing, and a long revenge."
The ancient words repeated by our leaders, the Lion of the Den Mishal Al-Baghdadi and NidalKhazem, are present at the event honoring the second anniversary of martyr Nizar Banat's assassination by the traitorous Palestinian Authority in #AlKhalil.
Beyond the Envelope: Towards Al-Quds:
Under the cover and support of rocket fire, the resistance began a new and large incursion by land, air, and sea into occupied Palestine about three hours ago:
- Paratroopers have reportedly landed in "Netivot."
- Commandos of the resistance's naval units have set foot in IOF naval bases near occupied Asqalan and are engaged in fierce clashes.
- A large number of fighters stormed settlements with vehicles, taking over Route 232 and making their way deeper and deeper into the occupied interior.
Meanwhile, shooting operations and confrontations do not stop in the West Bank. Hezbollah has targeted IOF posts in occupied Shebaa Farms. An operation in Alexandria, Egypt led to the killing two zionists. One million settlers are leaving the entity, and thousands are fleeing settlements.
The temporary entity has declared a state of war. Over 100 settlers have been captured in Gaza, yet the IOF continues to indiscriminately bomb the Strip. At least 700 settlers have been killed, as many in two days as in three years of the Second Intifada.
Liberating land in real time, the resistance is closing in on the West Bank, at the door of "Kiryat Arba" in #AlKhalil. The resistance is a mere 10 kilometers away from splitting the zionist entity in two.
Free our Lions!
Despite the Palestinian Authority courts deciding to release him, the traitorous Palestinian Authority continues to kidnap the wanted resistance fighter, a Lion of the Den and Al-Qassam Brigades member, Musab Shtayyeh. Musab has been tortured and held in solitary confinement by the PA since the moment of his arrest. Musab was a strong link between Gaza and Nablus; the PA criminalizes his righteous resistance for the sake of the people they claim to represent because they work hand-in-hand with the zionist enemy.
The wanted resistance fighter and Al-Qassam Brigades member Musa Attallah has been kidnapped by the "Authority" for 135 days today.
The PA's tyranny knows no bounds, as it has also kidnapped one of its own officers, Emad Odeh. He has been held for 211 days as of today, simply for opening fire against a colonial settler as he was being attacked by them. Emad went on hunger strike in April.
The traitorous PA attacks Palestinians, doing the bidding of the zionist enemy. In the last few weeks, they have used undercover forces to arrest student activists and freed prisoners, to burn their cars, and open fire on the families of martyrs and prisoners. Following a large campaign of arrests in #AlKhalil, a number of students have been held for over a week. Two prisoners kidnapped by the PA are on their 9th day of hunger strike: Ismail Abu Shkeidem and Abdullah Al-Sous. Just a few days ago, its forces opened fire on mourners of resistance leader and martyr Khader Adnan, a figure that they repeatedly attacked in his life.
The list of similar cases goes on... Khader Adnan, Basil Al-Araj, Nizar Banat, Ahmed Sa'adat. The PA is simply a servant of zionism, and in the words of Basil, it "participates in our annihilation."
🚨 The IOF arrested 6 children during a raid on the town of Beit Ummar, north of #AlKhalil, according to local sources.
Separately, the Palestine Red Crescent Society reported that medical teams are treating a 21-year-old man who sustained gunshot wounds to the thigh and back from "israeli" occupation forces fire in Birzeit, north of #Ramallah.
🚨 IOF units are conducting a widespread campaign of raids and incursions across occupied Palestine, with operations concentrated in #Nablus, #Qalqilya, and #AlKhalil.
Concurrently, armed settlers are launching violent assaults with live fire against residential areas in the vicinity of Al-Arroub camp. Settler provocations are also reported across the Nablus district.
🚨 IOF units are conducting a widespread campaign of raids and incursions across occupied Palestine, with operations concentrated in #Nablus, #Qalqilya, and #AlKhalil.
Concurrently, armed settlers are launching violent assaults with live fire against residential areas in the vicinity of Al-Arroub camp. Settler provocations are also reported across the Nablus district.
🚨Summary of settler attacks in the West Bank over the past 24 hours:
• A settler attempted to run over a Palestinian woman near Al-Minya village, east of #Bethlehem.
• Settlers uprooted a large number of olive trees in the Wadi Musa area of Turmus Ayya, north of #Ramallah.
• Settlers attempted to block farmers from plowing their lands in the plains of Turmus Ayya.
• Settlers erected a tent near citizens' homes by the Carmelo roundabout near Al-Taybeh village, east of #Ramallah.
• Settlers released livestock in the vicinity of Palestinian homes in Susya village, Masafer Yatta, south of #AlKhalil.
• Settlers stormed Kafr Malik village, northeast of #Ramallah.
• Settlers attacked farmers and blocked access to their lands in the Ghuraba area, northwest of Sinjil village, north of #Ramallah.
• Settlers cut down and uprooted 400 centuries-old olive trees in the lands of Qusra, south of #Nablus.
• Settlers released livestock onto farmers' lands in Khirbet Al-Tawil, east of Aqraba, south of #Nablus.
🚨Summary of settler attacks in the West Bank over the past 24 hours:
• A settler attempted to run over a Palestinian woman near Al-Minya village, east of #Bethlehem.
• Settlers uprooted a large number of olive trees in the Wadi Musa area of Turmus Ayya, north of #Ramallah.
• Settlers attempted to block farmers from plowing their lands in the plains of Turmus Ayya.
• Settlers erected a tent near citizens' homes by the Carmelo roundabout near Al-Taybeh village, east of #Ramallah.
• Settlers released livestock in the vicinity of Palestinian homes in Susya village, Masafer Yatta, south of #AlKhalil.
• Settlers stormed Kafr Malik village, northeast of #Ramallah.
• Settlers attacked farmers and blocked access to their lands in the Ghuraba area, northwest of Sinjil village, north of #Ramallah.
• Settlers cut down and uprooted 400 centuries-old olive trees in the lands of Qusra, south of #Nablus.…
🚨 The IOF and armed settlers conducted a series of aggressions across the West Bank today:
Armed settlers attacked farmers in the village of Al-Mughayyir in #Ramallah and prevented them from harvesting olives. (media 1,2) Settlers also cut down olive trees in the village of Yasuf, east of #Salfit (media 3,4).
The IOF invaded the town of Beita, south of #Nablus, where confrontations erupted between resistance youth and the zionist forces. (media 5,6,7).
The IOF fired live bullets heavily at Palestinian homes at the entrance of Al-Arroub refugee camp, north of #AlKhalil. (media 8,9)
The IOF invaded Shufat refugee camp in #AlQuds. (media 10)