Journal Entry 9: Yamamoto: Intermission 2 - Story 2 (Sara Loughran)

a) I've spent most of my life using the internet, where I've met a lot of different people, many of whom I've developed close relationships with. Parents always say not to talk to strangers online, but I was a pretty lonely kid who was bullied, and I sought out escapes from reality, specifically through the internet and video games I played on the computer. I met a lot of other kids my age too who had similar situations, and I honestly don't think a friendship is any less valid simply because it's over the internet. It's still a relationship with a person, and with the state of technology in our world currently, there's ways to interact with people as if you knew them in real life. You can see their face, talk to them, you just aren't right there next to them in the real world. But I don't think that that is the qualifier for what a friendship can or can't be.

b) The invention of the internet: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet

This is an obvious one, and it's even mentioned by the narrator in this story, about how not everyone used to have computers and internet and would have to access it through work or Internet cafes, until it became so widespread that everyone had it. That relates to how the narrator is able to have a NONMaRS in her house while Subaru has to go to the sleep gate to access it.

The creation of disability aids: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochlear_implant

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobility_aid

The narrator is blind, yet she's able to see and experience the world as if she was not blind through the NONMaRS, and how she said she's able to live a partially normal life with it. This can relate to all the technology that's been made and is being made to aid people with disabilities in their everyday lives, such as cochlear implants, mobility aids, etc.

The popularity of video games, particularly online multiplayer ones: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massively_multiplayer_online_role-playing_game

The narrator talks about how she hadn't gotten to experience the Dream Park with another person before, and how it enhanced her experience. This can be tied back to the rise of MMORPGs, and the different gameplay it allowed players to experience by doing co-op missions and playing against another person instead of a computer or AI.

c) I think the fact that this book is still so accessible even with it being a translation speaks to the author's ability to paint a world that transcends culture and language barriers. Technology is not specific to a certain culture, and I feel like that's what makes this book so easy to connect to. I also like that it's an anthology, because it explores many different ideas and possibilities for technology instead of sticking to only one and revolving the entire book around it. I sometimes prefer short stories over novels, because I feel like they can be an extremely effective form of storytelling.