The Machine Stops Pt 3 (Out of the Unknown S02E01)

"The Machine stops" was originally a short story written by E.M. Forster around 1909. This

upload is the first episode of the second series(season) of the classic British sci-fi

themed show from the sixties, "Out Of The Unknown", which is fully based on that great work.

I have cut this file into eight pieces, first to satisfy the limitations imposed by YouTube,

and second to facilitate easy streaming...which, besides server capacity considerations, is

probably a basic reason for said limitations. I have tried my best to divide the clips in a

clean and logical way, so as to make the viewing of this classic as friendly as possible.

Although There is quite bit of Speculative Fiction examining the pitfalls of man's ever

growing over-dependence on an increasingly arcane set of technologies, I believe this to be

the most prescient. I see the ramifications even now, as one of those people who understand

these technologies beyond their functionalities. Much of my free time is spent repairing, or

reconfiguring devices, from washing machines to cars to laptops, for friends and family who

are often more dependent on these technologies than I, but, for whatever reason, can not

begin to grasp the fundamental principals that govern their operation.

The element in this story that is most unique, and from my experience, most overlooked, even

in our present reality, is the incongruity between the rate at which the sophistication of

the apparatuses we use grows, and the pace of related education of the populations that most

depend on them. Often, I am the last resort...after repeated attempts by supposed experts to

resolve some issue that some one is having with some device or equipment. Long before I ever

read the short story, or saw this episode, I had wondered; "what happens when no one knows

how this stuff works any more, and we have already long forgotten the way of living that

should have been passed on to us by our fore-bearers?"
That is the heart of this story.

Partnered with George Orwell's Classic "1984", "The Machine stops", I believe, is probably

the most accurate forecast of our current societies eventual demise...If Global Warming,

Nukes, plagues, or Asteroids don't get us first ;-)




Enjoy!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._M._Forster

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Machine_Stops

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out_of_the_Unknown

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• The Machine stops
• E.M. Forster
• Out Of The Unknown
• over-dependence on technology
• back to nature
• Speculative Fiction
• science fiction
• dystopia
• apocalypse

[clemstevenson]

Amazingly, I remember the robotic doctor bit from the time that this episode first aired. I was about ten at the time.

[jahaniman]

Only disconnect.

[pretorious700]

You can't pass on physical fitness via genetics

[androzani7]

The ambient radiophonics in the last minute are truly haunting.