Word: toying
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...experiences rank as high on the surrealism meter as being asked to judge a robot dog contest. In following the cyber-pooch in question - AIBO, or Artificial Intelligence 'Bot - for two years now, I've seen Sony's high-end consumer toy go from a $2,500 limited-edition fad to a relatively mass-market, mass-produced $1,500 fad. But what transpired last Saturday afternoon at the Sony Metreon, San Francisco's massive multiplex and temple to all things techno, made me believe AIBO is leaving the realm of novelty and entering the living room and hearts...
...later, Cybertronics has assembled the perfect child, "always loving, never ill, never changing," and has found a potentially ideal couple to adopt him--or try him out. But we know the danger of answered prayers. Real life is messy; love can break your heart. Even the heart of a "toy boy" like David, who will be abandoned by the one he loves most and have to face a brutal world before he can find a saving human touch...
...medical advance restores Martin, who is instantly resentful of the new kid in the house. Martin tries to get the cute intruder to break a toy, but David can't. He's being tested and tempted. The real boy tells robo-boy: Try being a kid; it means smashing things...
...ages, Spielberg was dismissed as the original toy boy of films--a movie machine, a thrill technician. At 53, he has finally won his share of Oscars. But he still wants to prove that his heart beats, not ticks. Even more, Spielberg needs to show that he can conquer daunting odds; so he runs with a project that a most assured and intimidating director couldn't quite bring himself to film. One might call this an act of devotion. Or possibly hubris...
...playing God, playing tricks--programmed him to love, even as other film robots, like the Terminator, are designed to destroy. In the A.I. world, robots are made to give pleasure and, in David's case, offer joy. Gigolo Joe is a sex machine, David a love machine. The toy boy's sole purpose is to give and elicit affection. His obsession (in Kubrick's terms) or dream (in Spielberg's) requires him to do everything to achieve Monica's love--after she renounces him, after she abandons him, after she's gone. The woman is unworthy...