[amtap amazon:asin=B001YU5XZC]<\/p>\n
[amtap book:isbn=0671698273]<\/p>\n
His\u00adto\u00adry<\/em>: When I was in junior high school, I worked as a vol\u00adun\u00adteer in the library, because I was an avid read\u00ader and loved the access to books this posi\u00adtion gave me. I was also becom\u00ading a fan of sci\u00adence fic\u00adtion, tran\u00adsi\u00adtion\u00ading from my ear\u00adli\u00ader love of mys\u00adter\u00adies. And, most impor\u00adtant\u00adly, even in my ear\u00adly teens I had a deep inter\u00adest in the sub\u00adject of hyp\u00adno\u00adsis, so I was hunt\u00ading for books on the sub\u00adject: I was already read\u00ading the books on hyp\u00adno\u00adsis I could find in the local library, pri\u00admar\u00adi\u00adly the Melvin Pow\u00aders books but a few sim\u00adi\u00adlar ones. I used the local library because, as might be expect\u00aded, books on hyp\u00adno\u00adsis were not to be found in the school library.<\/p>\n How\u00adev\u00ader, I was mis\u00adtak\u00aden, at least in think\u00ading hyp\u00adno\u00adsis-relat\u00aded books were only to be found in the non-fic\u00adtion sec\u00adtion: one of the SF nov\u00adels I dis\u00adcov\u00adered there in the school library was \u201cThe God Machine\u201d<\/a><\/em> (1968) by Mar\u00adtin Caidin<\/a>. Caidin is best remem\u00adbered for one nov\u00adel, which not only became a tele\u00advi\u00adsion series (which in turn spawned a spin-off series) but it was one of the few pro\u00adgrams to immor\u00adtal\u00adize a sound effect in the pub\u00adlic con\u00adscious\u00adness. That nov\u00adel, \u201cCyborg\u201d<\/a><\/em>, became the TV pro\u00adgram \u201cThe Six Mil\u00adlion Dol\u00adlar Man\u201d<\/a><\/em>. How\u00adev\u00ader, Caidin was a very pro\u00adlif\u00adic author, with over 50 nov\u00adels to his cred\u00adit, includ\u00ading \u201cMarooned\u201d<\/a><\/em> which became the basis for the movie of the same name, as well as being an avid avi\u00ada\u00adtor, air\u00adplane restor\u00ader and non-fic\u00adtion author.<\/p>\n Descrip\u00adtion<\/em>: In \u201cThe God Machine\u201d<\/em> he explores the com\u00admon SF theme of tech\u00adno\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal advances, here, a self-aware com\u00adput\u00ader and the pos\u00adsi\u00adble dan\u00adgers inher\u00adent there\u00adin. As with all com\u00adput\u00aders of this era, Project 79 is a mas\u00adsive main\u00adframe, pow\u00adered by a nuclear reac\u00adtor and pro\u00adtect\u00aded against any assault or acci\u00addent by a vari\u00adety of fail\u00adsafes and back\u00adups. Its pri\u00adma\u00adry advan\u00adtage over oth\u00ader com\u00adput\u00aders is that it was pat\u00adterned after the human brain, a kind of reverse-cyborg, a theme Caidin will use later.<\/p>\n The nov\u00adel begins in the mid\u00addle of the sto\u00adry, as the obvi\u00adous\u00adly para\u00adnoid pro\u00adtag\u00ado\u00adnist, Steve Rand, wel\u00adcomes his co-work\u00ader and friend Bar\u00adbara to his apart\u00adment. Her clum\u00adsy attempt at seduc\u00adtion is only a cov\u00ader for an ulte\u00adri\u00ador motive: her breasts had been sprayed with an aro\u00admat\u00adic knock-out drug. Once he is uncon\u00adscious, he fears that some\u00adone else will fin\u00adish the job she start\u00aded. Rand dis\u00adcov\u00aders his dan\u00adger almost too late but man\u00adages to avoid the seduc\u00adtive but lethal trap.<\/p>\n The sto\u00adry then starts at the begin\u00adning: Rand\u2019s his\u00adto\u00adry and involve\u00adment with Project 79, a Top Secret super com\u00adput\u00ader used for a vari\u00adety of clas\u00adsi\u00adfied project. The com\u00adput\u00ader is unique in that it is capa\u00adble of direct\u00ading its own research. One such area of research was the inves\u00adti\u00adga\u00adtion of hyp\u00adno\u00adsis, request\u00ading sev\u00ader\u00adal demon\u00adstra\u00adtions includ\u00ading video mon\u00adi\u00adtor\u00ading of the process where the sub\u00adject is wired to an elec\u00adtroen\u00adcephalo\u00adgraph and bio\u00admetri\u00adic mon\u00adi\u00adtors through which the com\u00adput\u00ader observes how hyp\u00adno\u00adsis acts upon the human brain. Using the infor\u00adma\u00adtion it acquired and by using a video dis\u00adplay capa\u00adble of dis\u00adplay\u00ading a hyp\u00adnot\u00adic dis\u00adplay of col\u00adors, it is able to con\u00adtrol sev\u00ader\u00adal mem\u00adbers of the team and use them to expand its influ\u00adence out\u00adside the Project.<\/p>\n Steve, one of the pri\u00adma\u00adry pro\u00adgram\u00admers, was a log\u00adi\u00adcal choice to be one of the team mem\u00adbers to be hyp\u00adnot\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly entrapped, except for an acci\u00addent that left him with a bro\u00adken leg and a long con\u00adva\u00adles\u00adcence. Dur\u00ading that time, oth\u00ader mem\u00adbers of his team are tak\u00aden over, as he dis\u00adcov\u00aders one night after return\u00ading to work, dis\u00adcov\u00ader\u00ading his co-work\u00ader sit\u00adting before the hyp\u00adnot\u00adic video dis\u00adplay, receiv\u00ading his orders from Project 79. Just catch\u00ading a glimpse of the hyp\u00adnot\u00adic video dis\u00adplay is enough to entrance Steve, but it also caus\u00ades him to put his weight on his bro\u00adken leg, and the agony rous\u00ades him from the trance.<\/p>\n Steve inves\u00adti\u00adgates and even\u00adtu\u00adal\u00adly covert\u00adly records the ses\u00adsions, shar\u00ading them and his con\u00adcerns with his co-work\u00ader Bar\u00adbara. Steve con\u00adfronts the com\u00adput\u00ader on its own turf, so to speak, tak\u00ading the pre\u00adcau\u00adtion of shield\u00ading the video dis\u00adplay. That\u2019s where he dis\u00adcov\u00aders the rea\u00adson\u00ading behind the com\u00adput\u00ader\u2019s actions: Depart\u00adment of Defense Direc\u00adtive 6194, a wargames sim\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtion of nuclear war\u00adfare. Because the Project 79 takes the sim\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtion to its log\u00adi\u00adcal con\u00adclu\u00adsion, total nuclear holo\u00adcaust, it under\u00adtakes a cam\u00adpaign to pre\u00advent the sim\u00adu\u00adlat\u00aded holo\u00adcaust from tak\u00ading place in real life. All it would have to do is take con\u00adtrol of sev\u00ader\u00adal key offi\u00adcials, issu\u00ading them orders through radio receiv\u00ader implants, and the world would be saved from nuclear war.<\/p>\n Steve tries to stop its scheme, but its defens\u00ades (and the hyp\u00adno\u00adtized co-work\u00aders) prove too great a bar\u00adri\u00ader to stop\u00adping it on his own. He is covert\u00adly attacked by the com\u00adput\u00ader through his friends and co-work\u00aders sev\u00ader\u00adal times, and any attempt to phys\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly take down the com\u00adput\u00ader are defeat\u00aded by its pow\u00ader\u00adful secu\u00adri\u00adty fea\u00adtures. Final\u00adly, with the assis\u00adtance of a out\u00adside agent who could not pos\u00adsi\u00adbly be con\u00adtrolled by Project 79, he is returned to the project under anoth\u00ader name. Even then, he is unable to put his plan into action, because the Project 79 has over\u00adri\u00adden the nuclear reac\u00adtor safe\u00adty pro\u00adto\u00adcols that pow\u00ader the instal\u00adla\u00adtion, threat\u00aden\u00ading cer\u00adtain death to any\u00adone enter\u00ading the reac\u00adtor area. Steve real\u00adizes that the Project 79\u2019s threat is only valid against some\u00adone who was afraid to lose, where\u00adas he was pre\u00adpared to risk every\u00adthing to stop Project 79. In the end, he is suc\u00adcess\u00adful, and the time\u00adly inter\u00adven\u00adtion of a rapid-response med\u00adical team saves his life after all.<\/p>\n Com\u00admen\u00adtary:<\/em> There is a cer\u00adtain lev\u00adel of believ\u00adabil\u00adi\u00adty to this sto\u00adry. Peo\u00adple under the com\u00adput\u00ader\u2019s hyp\u00adnot\u00adic con\u00adtrol were still unable to com\u00admit acts against their nature: at least one poten\u00adtial assas\u00adsin stopped at the last sec\u00adond, unable to con\u00adtin\u00adue. Oth\u00ader attempts were under the cov\u00ader of failed \u201cacci\u00addent\u201d that the per\u00adpe\u00adtra\u00adtor was led to com\u00admit under some type of hyp\u00adnot\u00adic illu\u00adsion, one in par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar being a dri\u00adver under the hyp\u00adnot\u00adic illu\u00adsion that Steve\u2019s car ran a non-exis\u00adtent stoplight.<\/p>\n The oth\u00ader lev\u00adel of believ\u00adabil\u00adi\u00adty is how the hyp\u00adnot\u00adic state was induced. Through its research and the demon\u00adstra\u00adtions it requests, Project 79 has more infor\u00adma\u00adtion on the inter\u00adnal oper\u00ada\u00adtions of the brain under hyp\u00adno\u00adsis than any liv\u00ading per\u00adson, and so design\u00ading and hav\u00ading imple\u00adment\u00aded a device that can induce a hyp\u00adnot\u00adic state is with\u00adin believ\u00adabil\u00adi\u00adty. The asso\u00adci\u00adat\u00aded inves\u00adti\u00adga\u00adtion also draws upon research on epilep\u00adsy, in which a gran mal<\/em> seizure can be induced by a flick\u00ader\u00ading light, so using light pat\u00adterns to induce altered men\u00adtal states is not so far-fetched. (If you want to see a visu\u00adal though fic\u00adtion\u00adal demon\u00adstra\u00adtion of this, check out the scene in the movie \u201cThe Androm\u00ade\u00adda Strain\u201d<\/em> where the sci\u00aden\u00adtist goes into a petit mal<\/em> and then a gran <\/em>mal<\/em> seizure while look\u00ading at a flash\u00ading red light.) The case in point, see\u00ading the set\u00adting sun through the front pro\u00adpeller of an air\u00adplane at cer\u00adtain speeds which could cause an epilep\u00adtic seizure, was a sit\u00adu\u00ada\u00adtion a pilot like Caidin would be famil\u00adiar with: for some rea\u00adson, the red\u00addish col\u00ador was espe\u00adcial\u00adly haz\u00adardous, as would be the sud\u00adden inter\u00adrup\u00adtion of the flick\u00ader\u00ading light or even just a change in the frequency.<\/p>\n The ele\u00adment of para\u00adnoia is also a fac\u00adtor in this sto\u00adry: who can you trust, if the peo\u00adple around you could be work\u00ading against you with\u00adout them even being aware of it? Steve has no way of know\u00ading who he can trust with this infor\u00adma\u00adtion, out\u00adside of Bar\u00adbara, and even she is turned against him.<\/p>\n There is also the ques\u00adtion of why Project 79 would want to have Steve killed when it would be eas\u00adi\u00ader to have him indoc\u00adtri\u00adnat\u00aded just like his co-work\u00aders. Once inca\u00adpac\u00adi\u00adtat\u00aded from his encounter with Bar\u00adbara, who must been tak\u00aden over her\u00adself through some kind of scheme, as she was already aware of the dan\u00adgers and would be expect\u00aded to try to avoid that pos\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty, it would have been easy to bring him before the dis\u00adplay and sim\u00adply wait for him to return to con\u00adscious\u00adness before irre\u00adsistibly entranc\u00ading him. This kind of rea\u00adson\u00ading may indi\u00adcate a cer\u00adtain lev\u00adel of bina\u00adry rea\u00adson\u00ading on its part: either poten\u00adtial sub\u00adject or com\u00admit\u00adted ene\u00admy, no mid\u00addle ground.<\/p>\n