The Catch
“The human brain contains, I am told, 10 thousand million cells and each of these may have a thousand connections. Such enormous numbers used to daunt us and cause us to dismiss the possibility of making a machine with human-like ability but now we have grown used to moving forward at such a pace we can be less sure. Soon, in only 10 or 20 years perhaps, we will be able to assemble a machine as complex as the human brain and if we can we will. It may then take us a long time to render it intelligent by loading in the proper software or by altering the architecture but that, too, will happen. I think it certain that in decades, not centuries, machines of silicon will arise first to rival and then surpass their human progenitors.” (Clive Sinclair, 1984)
Sinclair was the man who shared The Spectrum Computer with the world. He was the man who allowed us to marvel at The C5 electric vehicle, capable of speeds bordering upon 15 miles per hour. He was the man who, as demonstrated by the above quote, kept close to his bosom a host of ridiculous prophesies about robots taking over the world in a matter of decades. I like to think a little bit of Sinclair’s naiveté has been carried over to the Toronto based musician/producer Shaw-Han Liem alias I Am Robot And Proud. A culmination what could have been if Sinclair had invested in EMI The Catch is nestled somewhere between Kraftwerk circa Computer world and Nobukazu Takemura circa anything. A collection of blips, clicks and casio’s with the odd vibraphone sample thrown in as homage to human life past the album journeys past the sophtware slump, through the OK Computer on its way to the robot Mecca that is Silicon Valley. I like The Catch if not only for its shameless optimism, its an album that doesn’t try to be anything other than…well…robotic…and he must be proud of that.
7.8
NJ 14:44 05/09/2003