Strange Days

Work Title: Strange Days
Medium: Film
Episode Title:
Year: 1995
Writer(s): James Cameron
"Original" Writer: Yes Own work?: Yes
Summary:

Strange Days (1995) (film) "Set in the year 1999 during the last days of the old millenium, the movie tells the story of Lenny Nero, an ex-cop who now deals with data-discs containing recorded memories and emotions. One day he receives a disc which contains the memories of a murderer killing a prostitute. Lenny investigates and is pulled deeper and deeper in a whirl of blackmail, murder and rape. Will he survive and solve the case?" (from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114558/plotsummary)

Era/Year of Portrayal: near_future
Distinctive characteristics of the world in portrayal:

The film takes place on the last few days of December of 1999. The eve of the millennium is a major theme and setting for the film. The "future" was depicted as a dystopian version of Los Angeles that is not completely different from the "present day" LA, but is more violent and has a much higher police/army presence.

Technology

  • Name of portrayed presence-evoking technology: "SQUID" or "Superconducting Quantum Interference Device
  • Description of the technology: The "SQUID" is a contraption that is placed on a person's head and attaches with squid like tentacles. The "SQUID" then cause the person wearing to be transported to a virtual reality where the person using it reenacts the memories of someone else (could even be their own memories). This can be used to simulate violence or committing a crime or some kind of sexual act, among other things. The reality created by the "SQUID" is incredibly vivid and lifelike, making the person actually believe they are living out that memory. The technology is mobile as it is small enough to be worn on a person's head. The technology connects to the brain through the users head and controls the neural functions, allowing the user to actually believe they are living those memories. Furthermore, it makes the user actually FEEL like they are living those memories.
  • Nature of task or activity: Again it varies. It could be committing a crime, it could be a sexual encounter, it could be a car chase, etc. As long as it is something that someone did previously and "captured" that memory onto a disc, the "SQUID" can allow people to reenact that memory.
  • Performance of the Technology: It works perfectly throughout the course of the film. There is one caveat however, the "SQUID" can be used to harm someone, but that is not the natural use of the technology, that is a purposeful act by someone who wants to use the "SQUID" to "fry" someone's brain.
  • Description of creator(s): There is not a ton of background information on how or by who the "SQUID" was created. The only mention of it was that it was created by the police for use in the field, but instead became a staple on the black market for people selling these virtu
  • Major goal(s) of creator(s): It was created to help police catch criminals. However, again, it ended up being a major piece of black market trade.
  • Description of users of technology: This can vary based on the way the technology is explained, however, in the film we really only see it used by people in the 25-40 age range, both men and women. However, this could also be the result of that age range being the age range of the main characters as well.
  • Type(s) of presence experience in the portrayal: both
  • Description of presence experience: The presence is literally like "being there" with the people (or in the place) of the memory the "SQUID" is replaying. So the person uses the "SQUID" actually feels like they are in the place that is being virtually portrayed and they also feel like they are actually interacting with the people in the virtual memory, so much so that they touch and talk to them. Thus, it is a representation of both spatial and social presence.
  • User awareness of technology during experience: Yes and no. This is never directly answered in the film, but it appears that more "experienced" users of the technology seem to be able to realize (on some level) that they are using technology to simulate these memories, but for less experienced users (like the fellow who Lenny attempts to sell some memories to who believes he is a girl taking a shower when using the "SQUID") seem to get completely lost and enveloped in the memory.
  • Valence of experience: This seems to depend on the memory they are experiencing. If it is a good memory or an exciting positive memory, then people seem to thoroughly enjoy the experience, even having some people become "junkies" for these "SQUID" produced memories. However, when the memory is bad or evil (as is the case with a murderer who is killing people and creating "SQUID" memories from that experience), then the user does not enjoy the experience, so much so that it can make them sick or vomit after experiencing it.
  • Specific responses: There are a number of these types of responses...This includes the afore mentioned vomiting after a bad "SQUID" experience. There are also examples of sexual arousal, thrill, fear, definitely feelings of self motion and motion sickness, and involvement. Basically whatever memory the user is experiencing will cause some sort of response in the user. And that response will be based on whether the memory is supposed to provide thrills, sex, enjoyment, etc. So in other words, there are a lot of responses felt by the users, they are just dependent on the different memories they are experiencing.
Long-term consequences:

The story ends with a bit of a mixed message, but more happy than sad. The technology helps Lenny (the main character) solve a string of murders, while also helping to bring a major example police corruption and racism into the public sphere. The wrongdoers were killed or brought to justice. This was all a result of the "SQUID". However, there was still an underlying theme of the idea that American culture is far too obsessed with technology and the result is that we will lose ourselves in this technology to the point where we would rather live in these virtual experiences rather than the real world. So while the characters stories all ended up positive, there was still an underlying theme that warned against the rise of technology to this level.

Other:

Strange Days was an underrated film. Very enjoyable, yet weird (in a good way). However, it was not very popular in 1995 and thus has become a bit of an underground hit, but that is all. It is a great film for telepresence study though because the entire film centers on the concept. It is a movie based on telepresence. The "SQUID" is a perfect example of a technology that evokes telepresence.

Coder name: James Seltzer
Coder email: tud51828@temple.edu
Coder affiliation: Temple University - Philadelphia, PA