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The Lifecycle of Software Objects (2010) is a Hugo and Locus Award-winning novella by Ted Chiang and can be found in his collection Exhalation.
Most science fiction is a series of puzzle box solving where a technological premise is introduced, and the storyteller consequently spends the rest of the time trying to keep the plot twists believable. But Ted Chiang does something much deeper. His premise, in this case, sentient avatars that can develop a sense of personhood, fracture our world view in ways profound and mundane. Multiple themes are explored: the emergence and pivots of a business plan; an almost love story; the trials and tribulations of raising cyber children; and the definition, construction, maintenance, and financing of community. All these stories ebb and flow like some narrative currents to toss the reader through an Odyssey of the bizarre yet familiar.
Each of these songs tries to evoke some facet of the journey.
“Hey Boo!” Introduces the premise. Tech entrepreneurs demonstrate their predilection to blow up the world with their inventions. Along the way, they recognize that a softer touch may make their product compelling. They cannot repeal their condescending essence but they need others.
“In too Deep” explores the quandary of stumbling into relationships that grow much deeper and profound than expected or initially desired. There is ambivalence in yearning for a simpler time while being inexorably drawn through a relationship that reveals hidden facets of your own self.
“The Right Community” laments the burden of parenthood and the unique challenges of drawing the contours of the relationships and community. On the frontiers of society, there is no luxury of working from precedent. Instead, the characters stumble through community definition but are constantly being presented with new challenges that test their resolve.
“Houston, We Have a Problem” introduces the cold reality of finances into the world of utopian community building. Existential challenges come with urgency that do not allow for reflection, only action.
“Do you Wuv Me” pushes the uncomfortable fact that child rearing may not match original expectations. At what point should respect for autonomy supersede the omni present feeling of parental responsibility?
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