Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

I like science fiction ... when it's done properly. That might sound like it doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but it's just that I'm not a Star Trek nut or a Star Wars fanatic and there aren't a whole lot of science fiction films that please me. I have seriously enjoyed the film 'Blade Runner' and cannot believe that they managed to pull off something so cool in 1982. Well, the book that 'Blade Runner' is based on was published in 1968. It's called 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?'. I finally got my hot little hands on a copy of it. Surprisingly, it's not that easy to get a hold of. 'Logan's Run' wasn't easy either and it was published around the same time. It was a lot like 'Logan's Run' as in the movie gutted a 'food for thought' story and turned it into an action film. Granted, 'Logan's Run' is more of an action book than 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?'. Needless to say, neither movie bears a strong resemblance to the book it was founded on. Or at least, that's what I thought.

I also have to take a second to explain that I do not like the director's cut of 'Blade Runner' at all. There are only a few differences - three actually. The director's cut omits Decker's narrative, which I think is essential to the viewer's understanding of the plot. Next, there is an added scene of Decker dreaming of a unicorn, which some people believe supports the idea that Decker is a replicant himself (I disagree with this concept on so many levels as far as the film is concerned, because I don't believe there is enough additional evidence to support it). Lastly, at the end when Roy dies, they slow the film down drastically instead of including Decker's narrative, which I thought was more meaningful than watching rain fall slower, but that's just my opinion.

Now, I'll talk about the book. I really enjoyed Phillip K. Dick's writing style. He's a man who moves. At the same time I also got a book out of the library by Sebastian Faulks called 'Charlotte Grey'. Man alive! If I wanted to know that much about air planes, I'd have gotten a book on them instead of a novel. It's probably nothing and I'm just grouchy. It's just that I know that I'm interested in at least a portion of that story, but the author completely ruined it by talking about everything else besides what was actually going on. I have never been so bored with something I was interested in. I'd rather read Bylaws. At least they are concise. Anyway, so the writing style for 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?' was good and that counts for a lot in my books. A LOT. If someone has a boring writing style than it doesn't matter what they have to say or what story they have to tell because I won't read it.

I'm trying to decide whether or not I should recommend it to all you bloggers out there. I thought it was interesting, especially as a comparison against the film. It had something in it that I disapproved of, but it also had a lot of really interesting ideas about the human race and their feelings towards each other. It was really interesting and it wasn't very long. It wouldn't take very much time at all.

Rude is Cool?

So, I don't take public transportation as often as I used to, but occasionally, I do hop on a bus in order to go do something. The other day I was riding one. I was sitting across from a girl and I noticed that her runners were not done up and she had headphones in her ears. When she got up to exit the bus, the bus driver was no where near the stop and she was jostled. Poor girl. But she told the bus driver that he needed to learn how to drive quite rudely. I was sitting there thinking, "Tie your shoes up and you won't lose your footing". Then she started yelling at him to open the doors when he wasn't even pulled up to the curb. He was trying to explain, but the poor girl had her music turned up and I guess she couldn't hear him because she kept on complaining. It was when she told him that he needed to learn how to drive again that I lost it. It's not like he could tell her she was going too far - he probably has customer service regulations that he has to follow. So, I told her she was being rude.

I also get quite a few phone calls a week from different charitable organizations asking for money. I don't mind the survey callers as much. That usually only takes a second and there's no money involved. Telemarketers with products and services don't bug me near as much as these non-profit organizations. The problem is that their causes are all so good, but I have a very good line that I use when I don't or can't donate. It's when my 'magic public relations' line doesn't work that I get annoyed and bothered. And some of them have lines that they drop on me that are so intense and accusing that I am totally blown away. I have had these call center guys accuse me of practically being the cause of a two year olds' death because I couldn't donate. I'm sensitive and that's going too far when I honestly CAN'T. But, I don't want to be rude.

Today, I was sitting on my deck talking on the phone when someone approached my fence and wanted to talk to me. It looked like they were either selling insurance or they were canvasing for a cause. I went out on the deck because I was giving priority to the person on the phone. I couldn't believe that I was getting solicited just because I happened to step outside for a second.

The list goes on.

I'm just starting to wonder if it's possible to be assertive when being barraged for money, information and support without being a little rude. Naturally, I hope I never lose my temper like that girl on the bus, but maybe I'm being too hard on her. Maybe she's been pushed to her limit one time too many.