5HC : Unbound Simulator

My own theories on the significance of M. Million being an unbound simulator are probably idiosyncratic. Playfully I will suggest the M. stands for M. Million, making his full name Million Million Million etc. This distinguishes him from a finite or bound simulator. Given infinite processing capacity could a machine simulate humanity? It has been observed elsewhere thet M. Million seems the most humane member of the household... Also pure word association makes me think of Prometheus. Viewing 5HOC as a whodunnit, or more precisely a whodunwhat, M Million should not be disregarded as a suspect but I personally believe him innocent of murder. Some aspects of this character (M. M.) are reminiscent of Ossipago http://prisoner143.50megs.com/ I am not a number I am a free person!

Ummm... I think it's short for "Monsieur." --Dan'l

Most sentimental, perhaps, although it's hard to get a handle on Five's sentimentality with the way he writes; such things may be systematically omitted, from embarrassment or whatever reason. It certainly does seem that Five has passions under the surface of what he writes, and he is certainly capable of profound hatred. With regard to simulating humanity, I would suggest that the question is purely grammatical. Can you pretend to think? Well, it would seem like if you really went through the motions you would be thinking, not just pretending. "But couldn't I do everything else I normally do when thinking, but not think?" -- well, you could perhaps scrunch up your eyes and make a face without thinking (much), such that it would fool an outside observer. But is scrunching up your eyes and making a face necessary to thinking at all - I mean, you are not pretending to think, you are just making faces, and making faces has nothing to do with thinking. Similarly "humanity" - I assume we're not talking about the trivial biological sense of the term - is not something that can be simulated. If we grammatically allow that machine is the kind of thing which can simulate humanity, then if it behaves in such and such a way it is not simulating humanity, it is being human. And on the other hand if you assume that a machine is not the kind of thing which can do that, then its behaving in such and such a way is not simulating humanity or being human, it is simply a meaningless conjunction of circumstances.

http://www.elevenland.com/amano/view.php3?picName=The+Claw+of+the+Conciliator&picImage=pic16.JPG What do you think? It doesn't really look like anything I remember from the book... but why else call the picture 'The Claw of the Conciliator'? The artist is Yoshitaka Amano, a renowned fantasy illustrator who collaborated with Neil Gaiman on 'Sandman: The Dream Hunters'. He seems to like doing random illustrations for fantasy stuff - there's some Elric illustrations on that website, too. Basically, high-calibre fan art. g Anyway... if that is supposed to be a Wolfe illustration, then what do you suppose it's meant to be? Is this Severian? (Surely not!) Hm. Hmpf --- "I don't get out much, so I read." Pilot, Farscape

Hmpf MacSlow writes:

Elric.

Nah. He did Elric, too, but Elric was usually clearly identified as Elric. (Actually he's apparently the official Michael Moorcock illustrator in Japan - I've done some research ;-)) Here's some of his Elric stuff: http://www.amanosworld.com/html/work/moorcock.html I can't really see Severian in the 'Claw of the Conciliator' pic, either, and I can't think of anyone it could be - but neither do I see why Amano would title that pic thus if it wasn't intended as some form of Wolfe illustration. Actually, what throws me most is the apparently white/grey/silver hair. Of course, there is the possibility that the website may have attributed the wrong title to the pic, quite simply. Hmpf --- "Everyone get out of the plot and help me push." Patrick O'Shaughnessy: Triangle & Robert

Not quite how I originally pictured Severian, but it could work. I like the artist. I have The Dream Hunters, but this is the first I've seen of his other work. Some of it is reminiscent of Klimt, and I like Klimt. Midori/Sarah Ah, love couldst thou and I conspire/ To grasp this sorry scheme of things entire/ Would we not break it all to bits, and then/ Remold it nearer to the heart's desire - Omar Khayyam Reach me a gentian, give me a torch let me guide myself with the blue, forked torch of this flower down the darker and darker stairs, where blue is darkened on blueness. - D.H. Lawrence, "Bavarian Gentians"

If you like Amano check out the movie 'Angel's Egg' he worked on with Mamoru Oshii. It's very Wolfean in regards to atmosphere, and even more incomprehensible than your average Wolfe. I also suspect there's some religious/philosophical stuff going on in it, but even the writer/director admits (or claims) he has no clue what it's about. ;-) There's a fan page for it: http://www.cultivatetwiddle.com/angelsegg/ Hmpf

Sandwalker is simulator of a human being. Also, as a Shadow Child, he personality is bound with the other Shadow Children. He is also connected to his twin brother. So he is a bound simulator. ~ Crush