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Manna
A tale of two societies and how they handle the coming robotic revolution.
79 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2003
162 people are currently reading
1452 people want to read
About the author
Marshall Brain
41 books45 followersMarshall David Brain II was an enthusiastic American author, public speaker, futurist, entrepreneur, and professor, who specialized in making complex topics easier to understand for the general public. Brain was the founder of HowStuffWorks.com and the author of the How Stuff Works book series. He hosted the National Geographic channel's Factory Floor with Marshall Brain and Who Knew? With Marshall Brain.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 216 reviews
May 28, 2015
This book started out so awesome. Machines are doing a great job of serving people, it takes a realistic walkthrough towards a fully automated restaurant system, and it titillates me into thinking where this story is suppose to go.
Author is the founder of 'HowStuffWorks', it was mesmerizing the way he describes the incremental automization of a McDonalds style fast food chain. Managerial jobs are eliminated and instead a computer software gives instructions on how to manage the restaurant. Sales go up, people become happy(as expected).
But then it takes a super leftist and unrealistic dystopian turn towards a welfare state where everybody is imprisoned by machines, followed by a utopian vision of something similar to Venus Project, no sorry, a wet dream of Jacque Fresco(The Venus Project fonder). This book fails completely on all accounts of economics.
There's almost no human relationships angle, no struggle, no plot. Just what a technocrat imagines the world would look like if he was made in charge of everything, with the dystopian vision which he imagines capitalism (or anyone else who is not as smart as him in charge) would bring about.
The funniest part is in his dystopian vision of a fully mechanized reality, the Roberts are in the true control, they keep people inside confined areas and feed them for free. Of course the whole Robot society is working for a few ultra rich people. For some reason, all usages of labor have been thrown aside. When so many people are laid off, the price of labor falls significantly, we would observe an inverse Ricardo effect and more people will be hired. The real wages of the individuals would actually go up, because these people can buy ultra cheap Robot products now.
But no, the super greedy ultra rich people instead of employing the large amount of labor for even more purposes, instead retires them and provides them with welfare. The few assumptions of dystopian vision of the future are:
a) Human Desires are limited
b) Robots have desires, they are not merely a tool to achieve ends by a human
c) Ultra rich people don't wanna ever see another human being, they hate humanity
In the Utopian vision of a fully mechanized reality, everything is technologically super advanced(like every central planner, technology is the most required option). Everybody is plugged into a central system, where crime is prevented by the computer predicting the crime and then taking over the individual's body and stopping the body(and this is where the author's inner dictator comes out because he fails to see how orwellian/huxleyan this is).
Some assumptions of this utopian vision are:
a) There's infinite energy to do whatever they want
b) There's infinite resources, whatever Robot overlord wants, he gets it
b) Robots don't have desires, they are complete tool for mankind to achieve their ends
c) Human beings have unlimited desires about arts and literature and everything, which are only limited by money and ultra rich people
The ending is nothing but musings of protagonist about how awesome his life has become after the complete control of Robots was given to a well designed centrally planned economy.
EDIT: Grammar, spellings.
Author is the founder of 'HowStuffWorks', it was mesmerizing the way he describes the incremental automization of a McDonalds style fast food chain. Managerial jobs are eliminated and instead a computer software gives instructions on how to manage the restaurant. Sales go up, people become happy(as expected).
But then it takes a super leftist and unrealistic dystopian turn towards a welfare state where everybody is imprisoned by machines, followed by a utopian vision of something similar to Venus Project, no sorry, a wet dream of Jacque Fresco(The Venus Project fonder). This book fails completely on all accounts of economics.
There's almost no human relationships angle, no struggle, no plot. Just what a technocrat imagines the world would look like if he was made in charge of everything, with the dystopian vision which he imagines capitalism (or anyone else who is not as smart as him in charge) would bring about.
The funniest part is in his dystopian vision of a fully mechanized reality, the Roberts are in the true control, they keep people inside confined areas and feed them for free. Of course the whole Robot society is working for a few ultra rich people. For some reason, all usages of labor have been thrown aside. When so many people are laid off, the price of labor falls significantly, we would observe an inverse Ricardo effect and more people will be hired. The real wages of the individuals would actually go up, because these people can buy ultra cheap Robot products now.
But no, the super greedy ultra rich people instead of employing the large amount of labor for even more purposes, instead retires them and provides them with welfare. The few assumptions of dystopian vision of the future are:
a) Human Desires are limited
b) Robots have desires, they are not merely a tool to achieve ends by a human
c) Ultra rich people don't wanna ever see another human being, they hate humanity
In the Utopian vision of a fully mechanized reality, everything is technologically super advanced(like every central planner, technology is the most required option). Everybody is plugged into a central system, where crime is prevented by the computer predicting the crime and then taking over the individual's body and stopping the body(and this is where the author's inner dictator comes out because he fails to see how orwellian/huxleyan this is).
Some assumptions of this utopian vision are:
a) There's infinite energy to do whatever they want
b) There's infinite resources, whatever Robot overlord wants, he gets it
b) Robots don't have desires, they are complete tool for mankind to achieve their ends
c) Human beings have unlimited desires about arts and literature and everything, which are only limited by money and ultra rich people
The ending is nothing but musings of protagonist about how awesome his life has become after the complete control of Robots was given to a well designed centrally planned economy.
EDIT: Grammar, spellings.
January 3, 2014
I liked the idea of the book, but the way it's written leaves a lot to be desired.
July 15, 2013
It starts out seeming like a dystopian novel, and it keeps going in that vein for awhile; what's more, the dystopia is terrifyingly plausible. It seems to be the direction that modern capitalism is already headed.
But the end is literally the happiest ending I have ever read, perhaps the happiest ending imaginable. It captures a Singularity that feels both real and genuinely worthwhile.
I couldn't stop reading it; it's rather short, but that wasn't the only reason. It does lean rather heavily on the exposition, but the world it builds is so compelling that it really doesn't bother you.
But the end is literally the happiest ending I have ever read, perhaps the happiest ending imaginable. It captures a Singularity that feels both real and genuinely worthwhile.
I couldn't stop reading it; it's rather short, but that wasn't the only reason. It does lean rather heavily on the exposition, but the world it builds is so compelling that it really doesn't bother you.
June 27, 2024
The best thing I’ve read since Kazohinia.
Burger-G is already here; it’s just called Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar.
Burger-G is already here; it’s just called Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar.
January 20, 2023
My wife showed me an amazing video of an android robot lifting all kinds of heavy objects, doing flips in the air, and jumping across gaps with perfect balance. After being initially impressed that human beings were able to design such technology, the only verbal response I could muster was, "We're f***ed."
She then went on to say that if I thought that was scary, I should read this novelette that's circulating for free on the internet called "Manna." In that story, she said, robots do take over the workforce, but not by replacing menial labor. Instead, computer software replaces middle management and human beings become essentially the robots!
So I read the thing, and here are some of my brief thoughts.
First of all, it's written in the tradition of old utopian literature from the 20s, with very straightforward, almost childlike prose that strives to convey a message or agenda rather than focusing on storytelling. This in itself does not make for compelling reading, but the subject matter is what's important.
A pioneering fast food chain contracts with a company to use a system called "Manna" to manage their stores. Employees wear a headset that gives automated instructions on what to do throughout the shift. When a worker completes a task, they say, "Done," and the computer moves on to the next task. In this way, employees are kept busy. Lunch breaks are staggered to ensure minimal interaction with peers. Efficiency of operations skyrockets. Every business wants a Manna system in order to compete. Very soon, you can't work without working for Manna. The system's national database tracks industry standards and keeps trying to improve them. If the standard to clean a bathroom is 4 minutes, 35 seconds, it will expect you to try to top that time. If you consistently fall short of standards, you are dismissed. But because every business is tied to Manna, it then becomes hard to work anywhere again, because Manna will not rehire you. This creates more unemployment and government welfare, thus an increasing divide between technocrat elites and the trapped plebians.
This dystopian scenario is countered by what I presume is the author's ideal outcome. An alternative social experiment is being conducted in Australia that allows greater freedoms while not requiring citizens to work because everything is automated and produced from fully recycled materials. There is no crime, because everyone's location is carefully monitored, even their thoughts, so that nothing can be done anonymously.
For me, neither scenario is ideal or sustainable, because both require subjegation to elite forces and stifle human creativity and ambition. Meaningful work ceases to exist in any society. Psychologically, humans would never be able to survive such existence and would self-destruct.
Bottom line, the author attempts to polish a turd. He intelligently plays our current trends forward, anticipating how technology could and would be used by the wealthy to maintain their status at the expense of human dignity. But he seems to artificially stop anticipating problems when he paints his utopian scenario--there is ultimately just as many reasons for both systems to end in tragedy. For me, these speculations are more about how democracy fails to keep up with the unbalance of power brought about by rapidly evolving technology.
In certain industries, workers may say that many elements of Marshall Brain's vision have long been here to stay. Delivery drivers are already pissing in their Mountain Dew, and you can't order a burger at McDonald's without being asked to "pull forward," all to keep up with ever more efficient service times.
The singularity is near, and I'm sorry to say that I don't see anything good about it at all. But I do think those of you sci-fi fans and social psychologists who are interested about our future should check out this short story, even if you don't like what you see.
She then went on to say that if I thought that was scary, I should read this novelette that's circulating for free on the internet called "Manna." In that story, she said, robots do take over the workforce, but not by replacing menial labor. Instead, computer software replaces middle management and human beings become essentially the robots!
So I read the thing, and here are some of my brief thoughts.
First of all, it's written in the tradition of old utopian literature from the 20s, with very straightforward, almost childlike prose that strives to convey a message or agenda rather than focusing on storytelling. This in itself does not make for compelling reading, but the subject matter is what's important.
A pioneering fast food chain contracts with a company to use a system called "Manna" to manage their stores. Employees wear a headset that gives automated instructions on what to do throughout the shift. When a worker completes a task, they say, "Done," and the computer moves on to the next task. In this way, employees are kept busy. Lunch breaks are staggered to ensure minimal interaction with peers. Efficiency of operations skyrockets. Every business wants a Manna system in order to compete. Very soon, you can't work without working for Manna. The system's national database tracks industry standards and keeps trying to improve them. If the standard to clean a bathroom is 4 minutes, 35 seconds, it will expect you to try to top that time. If you consistently fall short of standards, you are dismissed. But because every business is tied to Manna, it then becomes hard to work anywhere again, because Manna will not rehire you. This creates more unemployment and government welfare, thus an increasing divide between technocrat elites and the trapped plebians.
This dystopian scenario is countered by what I presume is the author's ideal outcome. An alternative social experiment is being conducted in Australia that allows greater freedoms while not requiring citizens to work because everything is automated and produced from fully recycled materials. There is no crime, because everyone's location is carefully monitored, even their thoughts, so that nothing can be done anonymously.
For me, neither scenario is ideal or sustainable, because both require subjegation to elite forces and stifle human creativity and ambition. Meaningful work ceases to exist in any society. Psychologically, humans would never be able to survive such existence and would self-destruct.
Bottom line, the author attempts to polish a turd. He intelligently plays our current trends forward, anticipating how technology could and would be used by the wealthy to maintain their status at the expense of human dignity. But he seems to artificially stop anticipating problems when he paints his utopian scenario--there is ultimately just as many reasons for both systems to end in tragedy. For me, these speculations are more about how democracy fails to keep up with the unbalance of power brought about by rapidly evolving technology.
In certain industries, workers may say that many elements of Marshall Brain's vision have long been here to stay. Delivery drivers are already pissing in their Mountain Dew, and you can't order a burger at McDonald's without being asked to "pull forward," all to keep up with ever more efficient service times.
The singularity is near, and I'm sorry to say that I don't see anything good about it at all. But I do think those of you sci-fi fans and social psychologists who are interested about our future should check out this short story, even if you don't like what you see.
August 27, 2013
This is an extended propaganda pamphlet on open source. There are only two possible futures presented. One is a dystopia in which the unskilled labor force gets taken over by robots and we all end up living in prison-like projects while the rich get richer. In the utopian version, "Australia," robots enable us to all be equal and share in the free, fully-recyclable, almost limitless resources, while achieving our own bliss and full creative potential because we are free from want. The only catch, which is presented as a benefit, is that we are fully wired into a network that can control all of our sensory input and even our physical bodies. I kept waiting for the punch line.
The whole thing reads like an idealistic (smart) high school paper or Creative Writing class piece. Some cool ideas, but simplistic and naive. Either scenario assumes that we are ALL sheep, completely apathetic and without free will.
The whole thing reads like an idealistic (smart) high school paper or Creative Writing class piece. Some cool ideas, but simplistic and naive. Either scenario assumes that we are ALL sheep, completely apathetic and without free will.
September 27, 2022
I've seen too many Black Mirror episodes to enjoy the second half of this book.
We're presented with first the worst case scenario and then the best case scenario of humanity's future. Both of these are interesting enough to read about, but the issue I have is although both scenarios are very exaggerated, the author acts like the second scenario is actually realistic. It's as if this future that he's thought of is a perfect idea and now all you have to do is jump on board. When talking about something like implementing a universal basic income, among other changes to society, there are so many interesting questions, not just in the sense of economics but also in how humans would react on a psychological level. Instead of reinforcing curiosity on the subject this book acts like there's nothing to question.
For example, in the "good" future society you're being monitored by robots at all times and if you try to assault someone your body will be taken over by the robot to stop you. That could be a really interesting scenario to get a little philosophical on, but instead the protagonist just notes how awesome this is and we move on. No further discussion on whether or not robots having that much control could be sub-optimal. Also I should add that you have to give up almost all privacy in this society as well.
If you've never really wondered where automation might take us this could be a good base to get you thinking about how far it could really go I guess. But if you have thought about it and you're looking to be actually educated on the subject this is not the place. There's also not really a narrative either so don't come for that. This is science fiction without the science or the fiction.
The first half of the book where we transition from now to the worst case society was put together well and made for a good journey. Anything after that feels like a cheap brochure for this guy's unrealistic vision.
Sidenote:
So this is just something small but I thought it was pretty odd especially given that there's not actually a story being told, more just building a world through one person's eyes. There is a main character and at one point the good society is being explained to him by the woman who initially took him there. He asks her what the chances are that they will sleep together and she responds that they are high. It comes out of no where and not only did they never flirt before this moment, but there hasn't been any actual relationships in the whole book. The main character brings along a friend because he was his roommate and that's it. Also nothing is ever mentioned again up him interacting with the girl. It didn't lead to a discussion of relationships in the new society or about sex or anything. It just seemed weird that in the middle of the author describing what he thinks is the perfect society he feels he should let you know that the guy and girl that are talking to each other are probably going to do it at some point. Just in case that makes you feel better. Not only is society great, but you got laid a couple days in too. Take a little side of personal wish fulfillment to go along with your societal wish fulfillment. I don't know I just thought it was dumb.
We're presented with first the worst case scenario and then the best case scenario of humanity's future. Both of these are interesting enough to read about, but the issue I have is although both scenarios are very exaggerated, the author acts like the second scenario is actually realistic. It's as if this future that he's thought of is a perfect idea and now all you have to do is jump on board. When talking about something like implementing a universal basic income, among other changes to society, there are so many interesting questions, not just in the sense of economics but also in how humans would react on a psychological level. Instead of reinforcing curiosity on the subject this book acts like there's nothing to question.
For example, in the "good" future society you're being monitored by robots at all times and if you try to assault someone your body will be taken over by the robot to stop you. That could be a really interesting scenario to get a little philosophical on, but instead the protagonist just notes how awesome this is and we move on. No further discussion on whether or not robots having that much control could be sub-optimal. Also I should add that you have to give up almost all privacy in this society as well.
If you've never really wondered where automation might take us this could be a good base to get you thinking about how far it could really go I guess. But if you have thought about it and you're looking to be actually educated on the subject this is not the place. There's also not really a narrative either so don't come for that. This is science fiction without the science or the fiction.
The first half of the book where we transition from now to the worst case society was put together well and made for a good journey. Anything after that feels like a cheap brochure for this guy's unrealistic vision.
Sidenote:
So this is just something small but I thought it was pretty odd especially given that there's not actually a story being told, more just building a world through one person's eyes. There is a main character and at one point the good society is being explained to him by the woman who initially took him there. He asks her what the chances are that they will sleep together and she responds that they are high. It comes out of no where and not only did they never flirt before this moment, but there hasn't been any actual relationships in the whole book. The main character brings along a friend because he was his roommate and that's it. Also nothing is ever mentioned again up him interacting with the girl. It didn't lead to a discussion of relationships in the new society or about sex or anything. It just seemed weird that in the middle of the author describing what he thinks is the perfect society he feels he should let you know that the guy and girl that are talking to each other are probably going to do it at some point. Just in case that makes you feel better. Not only is society great, but you got laid a couple days in too. Take a little side of personal wish fulfillment to go along with your societal wish fulfillment. I don't know I just thought it was dumb.
February 21, 2023
A short story that speculates on the how an increasing dependence on technology could shape future societies.
The writing style leans heavily towards telling over showing, and the story feels more like a vehicle for the author to share their personal philosophies and predictions more so than any character centric narrative.
Overall a cool and quick read, would recommend to fans of black mirror. Worth the read for the concepts explored, not necessarily for the story or prose.
The writing style leans heavily towards telling over showing, and the story feels more like a vehicle for the author to share their personal philosophies and predictions more so than any character centric narrative.
Overall a cool and quick read, would recommend to fans of black mirror. Worth the read for the concepts explored, not necessarily for the story or prose.
November 22, 2017
This was a really fun way of engaging with the cautionary tale at the heart of intersection between late capitalism and robotic automation. I'd highly recommend it as a tonic for anyone disheartened by some of the more negative interpretations of what is on the way from our future robo-overlords. There's still time to change the path we're on!
From a subject exploration standpoint, I think this short novella is worth a 4 star review, but I'm taking it down a peg due to some horrid gaps, the Ayn Rand-ian prose, and one of the most tone-deaf sexual advances I have ever encountered in a fictional setting. Be that as it may, a super-fun and quick read I will definitely recommend to my forward prognosticating friends.
From a subject exploration standpoint, I think this short novella is worth a 4 star review, but I'm taking it down a peg due to some horrid gaps, the Ayn Rand-ian prose, and one of the most tone-deaf sexual advances I have ever encountered in a fictional setting. Be that as it may, a super-fun and quick read I will definitely recommend to my forward prognosticating friends.
October 4, 2017
I really wanted to like this book, but I simply could not get past the first few pages, despite my full-hearted agreement with the themes and purposes of this book. I agree on the critique of society that this book tries to make, and I agree on the need for a Basic Income (though not necessarily for the same reasons or from the same economic reasoning that the author seems to use). But, I found the writing just too stilted and difficult to get past, so I was never able to suspend disbelief long enough to get into the book. Sorry.
August 2, 2013
Brilliant. Everyone should read this. I've said for a while that the world does not have a goal. This is what the world could be like if we were all working together towards something, rather than fighting and being selfish.
March 5, 2012
The lesson of the story is spot on. We can move forward and let the technological revolution lead us into a world of horror controlled by the few or we can consciously make a decision to have this revolution lead to a good life for all.
I found some weak points however. The utopia described sounds like a 21st century Western individualist trans-humanist fantasy. It ignores a long tradition of ideologies and philosophies on how to achieve a democratic egalitarian society.
The idea of complete transparency and no anonymity is something that seems more in line with authoritarianism than in an ideal society. The other thing is that no one seems alarmed at the prospect of physically being intertwined with a computer for the rest of your life. [What happens if people refuse to integrate in that way?] I think the ability to just check out of your senses and literally tune people out, and total virtual reality immersion would lead to some dark unintended consequences. Also there's no exploration of robots as complex as there possibly developing AI and changing the whole basis of their society.
The key is to create a society where people have their needs met, opportunities to fulfill their dreams. At the same time from my limited experience people seem to feel needed, and something major would be lost from the human experience and people's characters if humans were no longer needed to accomplish the basic functioning of society.
I found some weak points however. The utopia described sounds like a 21st century Western individualist trans-humanist fantasy. It ignores a long tradition of ideologies and philosophies on how to achieve a democratic egalitarian society.
The idea of complete transparency and no anonymity is something that seems more in line with authoritarianism than in an ideal society. The other thing is that no one seems alarmed at the prospect of physically being intertwined with a computer for the rest of your life. [What happens if people refuse to integrate in that way?] I think the ability to just check out of your senses and literally tune people out, and total virtual reality immersion would lead to some dark unintended consequences. Also there's no exploration of robots as complex as there possibly developing AI and changing the whole basis of their society.
The key is to create a society where people have their needs met, opportunities to fulfill their dreams. At the same time from my limited experience people seem to feel needed, and something major would be lost from the human experience and people's characters if humans were no longer needed to accomplish the basic functioning of society.
December 14, 2012
Not really a story, just a detailed description of a capitalist society compared to a communist society in a post-scarcity world. I thought it was obvious that capitalism won't work in the future, but maybe this is news to some people. The interesting thing is that you could remove all the robots and technology and see this story describes the world we live in today. I hope that was the author's point, to show that we've already passed the point where we have sufficient resources for everyone and capitalism is keeping those resources in the hands of the rich.
August 18, 2023
I first read this in mid-2018, almost exactly five years ago and I remember it absolutely blew my mind. It's a science fiction short story, but its main goal is to sell a utopian vision of a future where humanity's prime directive is to enjoy life and robots benevolently do all of the work necessary to keep society functioning.
Do you want a custom t-shirt? Design it and have the robots print it out for you. Everyone has more than enough resource credits to provide for anything they might need and people are free to spend their time doing whatever they want: vacationing, creating art, working on cutting edge research, or whatever they want to - there are no limits.
The concept of humans not needing to work because of robots really appeals to me - even with our current technological prowess, it's conceivable to create robots to grow food, provide shelter, and manufacture clothing, electronics, etc. If energy is free (possible with renewables) and raw natural resources are carefully managed and recycled, everything we need for a comfortable life can be made very very inexpensive.
Especially today, with automation and AI on the rise, some human jobs are already starting to be taken over - at some point, we might have not enough work for everyone to earn a living. Although it may be very disruptive economically in the short term, the idea of robots taking over uninteresting or manual work is appealing to me. Humans should work on interesting, fulfilling things that they want to - and leave the rest to robots.
Do you want a custom t-shirt? Design it and have the robots print it out for you. Everyone has more than enough resource credits to provide for anything they might need and people are free to spend their time doing whatever they want: vacationing, creating art, working on cutting edge research, or whatever they want to - there are no limits.
The concept of humans not needing to work because of robots really appeals to me - even with our current technological prowess, it's conceivable to create robots to grow food, provide shelter, and manufacture clothing, electronics, etc. If energy is free (possible with renewables) and raw natural resources are carefully managed and recycled, everything we need for a comfortable life can be made very very inexpensive.
Especially today, with automation and AI on the rise, some human jobs are already starting to be taken over - at some point, we might have not enough work for everyone to earn a living. Although it may be very disruptive economically in the short term, the idea of robots taking over uninteresting or manual work is appealing to me. Humans should work on interesting, fulfilling things that they want to - and leave the rest to robots.
October 7, 2023
Two perspectives of the future of mankind.
With a great storytelling, book describes the arising of AI and afterwards.
One reality is a dystopia based around US capitalism and the other is a utopia based upon a communal and technological society in Australia.
In first reality there is a software called Manna which installed in one of the restaurants and it literally told people what to do through headset. Like preparing the orders, moving out the trashes, cleaning the places etc.
As time goes by Manna nearly installed in everywhere and start to manage people. If people do not do the work properly they are going to be fired. It would be nearly impossible for them to find a new job cause Manna systems were talking to each other.
After a time, all workers replaced with robots, and people were lived in dormitories.
In second reality people live in a world where everyone has equal rights and opportunities. It's a place where there's freedom, everyone can do whatever they like,or get whatever they want, you just need to tell robots to bring you those things.
They can live all of their life in Virtual Space, robots are going to take care of their bodies.
There is system called Vertebrane which allows you to access all information in the world. It also allows to watch movies, talk people, do some activities without even interaction.
The Space Elevators are also real in this world.
I really like that book.
It is up to us whether to use robots for us or against us. We are writing our own fates.
With a great storytelling, book describes the arising of AI and afterwards.
One reality is a dystopia based around US capitalism and the other is a utopia based upon a communal and technological society in Australia.
In first reality there is a software called Manna which installed in one of the restaurants and it literally told people what to do through headset. Like preparing the orders, moving out the trashes, cleaning the places etc.
As time goes by Manna nearly installed in everywhere and start to manage people. If people do not do the work properly they are going to be fired. It would be nearly impossible for them to find a new job cause Manna systems were talking to each other.
After a time, all workers replaced with robots, and people were lived in dormitories.
In second reality people live in a world where everyone has equal rights and opportunities. It's a place where there's freedom, everyone can do whatever they like,or get whatever they want, you just need to tell robots to bring you those things.
They can live all of their life in Virtual Space, robots are going to take care of their bodies.
There is system called Vertebrane which allows you to access all information in the world. It also allows to watch movies, talk people, do some activities without even interaction.
The Space Elevators are also real in this world.
I really like that book.
It is up to us whether to use robots for us or against us. We are writing our own fates.
February 17, 2014
Have to give only 1 star for two critical failures on Marshall's part.
1) It is quite a misrepresentation of the "rich" to say that they don't care about the poor. Oh, certainly, many don't. Maybe even most don't, but the actions of folks like Bill Gates and Tim Cooke would argue against the absolute that Manna paints.
2) While I grant that Marshall's utopia is far better than anything we have now, as G.K. Chesterton put it, "Meaninglessness comes not from being weary of pain, but from being weary of pleasure.” This axiom has been proven time and again by countless miserable kings, CEO's, pop-stars, and drug junkies throughout history. People do not do a good job of staying in balance long-term without outside assistance. While focusing on the welfare of others helps, there will always be people questing for an overarching meaning to their lives.
Perhaps technology can find a way to permanently induce a sense of well-being/happiness/joy/ecstacy artifically so that people don't care to ponder the meaning of life, but it remains to be seen if such a "happy" person will still be productive, even by their own subjective standards.
Overall, an interesting and thought-provoking read.
1) It is quite a misrepresentation of the "rich" to say that they don't care about the poor. Oh, certainly, many don't. Maybe even most don't, but the actions of folks like Bill Gates and Tim Cooke would argue against the absolute that Manna paints.
2) While I grant that Marshall's utopia is far better than anything we have now, as G.K. Chesterton put it, "Meaninglessness comes not from being weary of pain, but from being weary of pleasure.” This axiom has been proven time and again by countless miserable kings, CEO's, pop-stars, and drug junkies throughout history. People do not do a good job of staying in balance long-term without outside assistance. While focusing on the welfare of others helps, there will always be people questing for an overarching meaning to their lives.
Perhaps technology can find a way to permanently induce a sense of well-being/happiness/joy/ecstacy artifically so that people don't care to ponder the meaning of life, but it remains to be seen if such a "happy" person will still be productive, even by their own subjective standards.
Overall, an interesting and thought-provoking read.
March 23, 2010
This is a great short story that makes you think about equality, robots, and society. It's a free book located at the authors website. Makes you question those self-checkout stands at the stores and what will happen when machine vision becomes a reality.
July 28, 2022
By my definition, this can be included as "fiction" and it has a novella's length. However, it's neither a character- nor plot-oriented story. The narrator tells us about how automation in current society (in effect, controlled by the wealthy) resulted in massive unemployment and the unemployed being "warehoused" in massive, cheap, robot-maintained public housing out of sight of the rich. (And with contraceptives thought to be in their water.) While these people are provided with a dormitory-style living space, food and TV, otherwise things are grim. There's no hope or prospects, no choice of roommates, limited pastimes... Corporate-run automation led to the narrator being in such housing.
Then a visitor tells the narrator that his father once bought him a stake in the Australia Project. This gives him the option to move to Australia's new society. In that society, production and services are automated, but all citizens are considered to have equal rights to goods and services. Everything is "free" in the sense that citizens don't have to work or otherwise acquire money to buy things. Each citizen automatically gets a comfortable allowance to "pay" for the goods / services of their choice.
Most elements of the Australia society should appeal to most who like utopian (not dystopian) portrayals. One element may be controversial. The society satisfies people enough that there's little crime. But to stop people who would act against the values and nature of this society, there's an extensive surveillance state. Not just law enforcement has access to all the surveillance, but everyone has access. If Citizen A uses the surveillance to see what Citizen B did, there's a record Citizen B can see showing Citizen A looked. Readers who want to live by the "law of the jungle" won't tend to like this. Most others will believe that law enforcement should have some level of means to find out who committed which crimes, but different readers will probably want to draw the line at different points.
*
Some readers will be interested in how the Australian society came into being. Someone created an investment fund to build such a society. It says there were enough investors to make a fund of $1 trillion. 1/4 of that bought a vast expanse of Australian land, and more hundreds of billions bought sources of raw resources and robot-making facilities. Later, as the Australian people saw how the new society was going, they voted to make all of Australian part of the new society.
I question this particular path to that kind of society. Raising $1 trillion isn't that easy. The people with the most to invest may not want it and the wealthy would have vested interests in blocking such a society. Also: To get $1 trillion, 10 million investors would each have to pay $100,000; or 100 million investors would each pay $10,000. Once a utopian society was already functioning, investing every penny you had to have a life where everything was free might be a no-brainer, but doing it ahead of time would get many fewer takers. The first part of Manna presents how the spread and increasing capabilities of automation in places like the U.S. resulted in much greater power of the wealthy and loss of political influence for everyone else. In such a context, it seemed questionable that Australia's old government would allow the entire country to become part of the new society in which there are no super-rich.
There's also a section of the book describing how Australia replaced electronic devices such as radio, TV, internet and phone with implants in the body which can receive data and send it into the individual's sensory systems. Personally, I didn't read this for tech ideas. Scientifically, I thought there were issues (if nothing else, it presents the surgery as taking an hour or so, and then later that day the person is up and around as if there was no surgery.) Some readers will like thinking about the pros and cons of such implanted tech.
Then a visitor tells the narrator that his father once bought him a stake in the Australia Project. This gives him the option to move to Australia's new society. In that society, production and services are automated, but all citizens are considered to have equal rights to goods and services. Everything is "free" in the sense that citizens don't have to work or otherwise acquire money to buy things. Each citizen automatically gets a comfortable allowance to "pay" for the goods / services of their choice.
Most elements of the Australia society should appeal to most who like utopian (not dystopian) portrayals. One element may be controversial. The society satisfies people enough that there's little crime. But to stop people who would act against the values and nature of this society, there's an extensive surveillance state. Not just law enforcement has access to all the surveillance, but everyone has access. If Citizen A uses the surveillance to see what Citizen B did, there's a record Citizen B can see showing Citizen A looked. Readers who want to live by the "law of the jungle" won't tend to like this. Most others will believe that law enforcement should have some level of means to find out who committed which crimes, but different readers will probably want to draw the line at different points.
*
Some readers will be interested in how the Australian society came into being. Someone created an investment fund to build such a society. It says there were enough investors to make a fund of $1 trillion. 1/4 of that bought a vast expanse of Australian land, and more hundreds of billions bought sources of raw resources and robot-making facilities. Later, as the Australian people saw how the new society was going, they voted to make all of Australian part of the new society.
I question this particular path to that kind of society. Raising $1 trillion isn't that easy. The people with the most to invest may not want it and the wealthy would have vested interests in blocking such a society. Also: To get $1 trillion, 10 million investors would each have to pay $100,000; or 100 million investors would each pay $10,000. Once a utopian society was already functioning, investing every penny you had to have a life where everything was free might be a no-brainer, but doing it ahead of time would get many fewer takers. The first part of Manna presents how the spread and increasing capabilities of automation in places like the U.S. resulted in much greater power of the wealthy and loss of political influence for everyone else. In such a context, it seemed questionable that Australia's old government would allow the entire country to become part of the new society in which there are no super-rich.
There's also a section of the book describing how Australia replaced electronic devices such as radio, TV, internet and phone with implants in the body which can receive data and send it into the individual's sensory systems. Personally, I didn't read this for tech ideas. Scientifically, I thought there were issues (if nothing else, it presents the surgery as taking an hour or so, and then later that day the person is up and around as if there was no surgery.) Some readers will like thinking about the pros and cons of such implanted tech.
October 29, 2024
Fantastic 'book' -- quotes because it's available for free (both as in freedom, and as in beer) at the author's website, and I read it in a browser on my phone, not even in a ebook reader app: http://marshallbrain.com/manna.htm; I usually hate reading stuff in a browser, but the website formatting sure was good enough for that, and the tale was more than worth it.
Let's start with my rating: 5/5, no rounding needed. This is a great tale, interesting, well-written and gripping, and yet compact and a quick read (it took me less than half a day to finish) and I will be thinking about it for a long time.
It starts by taking us from our current moment in history (ok, not right now in 2024 but in 2003 when it was written -- still near enough) and shows us how it could become a total dystopia -- and then, almost exactly in the middle, a well-thought plot twist does a 180-degree turn and shows how a near-perfect society could be built instead.
It's difficult to talk more about it without spoilers, but let's just say that, just like its dystopian part, the utopia it describes is entirely believable -- and I've seen, in my professional and personal experience during the past 30 years or so, that the principles involved can and do work.
I can see just two possible problems the utopian part doesn't handle -- psychopathy and geopolitics -- and given the large scope and the compactness of the tale, it's actually amazing it's only two. It's *that* well-thought.
You, my fellow reader -- are you intrigued enough? So go ahead and read it and let me know what you think in the comments.
I did found two typos during my reading, see my progress notes below -- and in the true spirit of the proposed utopia, I will try and contact the author so he is made aware of them, and can get them fixed
Let's start with my rating: 5/5, no rounding needed. This is a great tale, interesting, well-written and gripping, and yet compact and a quick read (it took me less than half a day to finish) and I will be thinking about it for a long time.
It starts by taking us from our current moment in history (ok, not right now in 2024 but in 2003 when it was written -- still near enough) and shows us how it could become a total dystopia -- and then, almost exactly in the middle, a well-thought plot twist does a 180-degree turn and shows how a near-perfect society could be built instead.
It's difficult to talk more about it without spoilers, but let's just say that, just like its dystopian part, the utopia it describes is entirely believable -- and I've seen, in my professional and personal experience during the past 30 years or so, that the principles involved can and do work.
I can see just two possible problems the utopian part doesn't handle -- psychopathy and geopolitics -- and given the large scope and the compactness of the tale, it's actually amazing it's only two. It's *that* well-thought.
You, my fellow reader -- are you intrigued enough? So go ahead and read it and let me know what you think in the comments.
I did found two typos during my reading, see my progress notes below -- and in the true spirit of the proposed utopia, I will try and contact the author so he is made aware of them, and can get them fixed
March 13, 2023
5/5 on the ideas the author is trying to communicate, 2/5 on the writing, plot, characters, etc. Which averages to 4/5 because I'm biased toward ideas over writing and because the book is short enough that the writing doesn't matter.
The existence of this book saves me from writing a blog post to try to communicate the same thing. I'm passionate about automation and AI because it can free the world from drudgery. I'm scared of AI because it can reinforce existing power structures and make the rich richer while doing nothing to help the poor, which is a large part of the history of automation. Whether AI leads to dystopia or utopia is entirely a product of how we structure and shape our society in response to the emergence of this technology.
The existence of this book saves me from writing a blog post to try to communicate the same thing. I'm passionate about automation and AI because it can free the world from drudgery. I'm scared of AI because it can reinforce existing power structures and make the rich richer while doing nothing to help the poor, which is a large part of the history of automation. Whether AI leads to dystopia or utopia is entirely a product of how we structure and shape our society in response to the emergence of this technology.
January 8, 2023
Una doble visión del futuro de la humanidad. Una distopía para los pobres y una utopía para los ricos o afortunados. Se muestran diferentes enfoques que dan para reflexionar bastante. Algunos detalles no son muy verosímiles, pero me quedo con las propuestas generales. Un libro para reflexionar sobre el futuro.
May 4, 2023
Short and thought provoking
March 13, 2013
Manna follows the evolution of two contrasting views on the future of computers. Manna, the dictatorship software which enslaves humanity, and Vertebrae, the software that encourages creativity and frees us from the crisis of capitalism.
It is clear that there was a high level of planning to create the best and worst of what the future has to hold while seating a reminder of the problems of today.
The two worlds offer a vastly different outlooks on the future and while this dynamic can be interesting it also is a large flaw.
The Manna world is too dark, it becomes a caricature of the world that your typical left-wing extremist claims is inevitable. In contrast, the Vertebrae world is so utopian that it becomes uninteresting. These world are so perfectly bad/good that it becomes tedious to listen to the horrible nature of the Manna world and the amazing nature of the Vertebrae world
That said, the story is engaging, but the content is lacking. The finale of the book does not do justice to the world that Brain created. It feels like this book is just an explanation of two views of a computer system rather than a story about them.
Brain brings the concept of the omnipotent computer into view and engages and excites the reader with the possibility and then ends the novel before the idea is explored. The book is worth a read and it creates a engaging context, but there should be more development to the story.
It is clear that there was a high level of planning to create the best and worst of what the future has to hold while seating a reminder of the problems of today.
The two worlds offer a vastly different outlooks on the future and while this dynamic can be interesting it also is a large flaw.
The Manna world is too dark, it becomes a caricature of the world that your typical left-wing extremist claims is inevitable. In contrast, the Vertebrae world is so utopian that it becomes uninteresting. These world are so perfectly bad/good that it becomes tedious to listen to the horrible nature of the Manna world and the amazing nature of the Vertebrae world
That said, the story is engaging, but the content is lacking. The finale of the book does not do justice to the world that Brain created. It feels like this book is just an explanation of two views of a computer system rather than a story about them.
Brain brings the concept of the omnipotent computer into view and engages and excites the reader with the possibility and then ends the novel before the idea is explored. The book is worth a read and it creates a engaging context, but there should be more development to the story.
August 26, 2015
It starts with a scary vision, worse than what you may know from Orson Wells 1984 where Capitalism and Robots have turned most human beings as redundant, parked in some survival ghettos. But there is an other vision, an utopia in Australia where robots do the work while humans enjoy life freely ! It sounds ideal, reminds me of some Aldous Huxley books. At first read, it looks feasible, but then you start to question how you move from where we are to that situation, with capitalism, multi-national corporation, lobbying controlling the world, the land, the natural resources, the communication etc : could somebody or a group step up and build this ideal world without fights, war and terrible things that could destroy humanity quite easily ... reading the book is enlighting, I would recommend to anyone. At least it is a great eye opener on what we do not want to see happening and invite people to be alert and prevent this from happening. It is also full of good insights on how technology could be leveraged to benefit the large majority. it is interesting to see that in the two visions, security is a hot topic and in both cases, the only suggested solution is a "human behavior robotised control" at the heart of that security system that ultimately can disconnect your brain automatically to stop you from doing something wrong! I would prefer something in between those 2 visions, a 3rd vision maybe less perfect but definitely not as controlled.
December 12, 2015
Two dominant narratives: either we’re all working too hard and have no time for leisure, or the robots are taking over and we won’t have any jobs.
Manna is a science fiction novella about the second scenario — the replacement of human labor by robots that eventually leads to either dystopian inequality or to a utopian future (at least in the eyes of the author, where every person can equally pursue his and her interests. The full book is available for free online
I enjoyed the first half, which creatively describes the genesis of our robotic future — managers at a fast food chain are replaced by software that directs every movement of employees through an earpiece to maximize efficiency and customer service. Soon the software spreads to grocery stores, coffee shops, and the entire service industry until nearly all human workers are replaced by robots and software.
Then the novella pivots to describe two alternate scenarios where all human labor is replaced by robots, and that’s where the writing suffered and my interest waned. I highly recommend reading the first half. It’s so believable that I’m sure a number of startups are already working on making it reality very soon.
Manna is a science fiction novella about the second scenario — the replacement of human labor by robots that eventually leads to either dystopian inequality or to a utopian future (at least in the eyes of the author, where every person can equally pursue his and her interests. The full book is available for free online
I enjoyed the first half, which creatively describes the genesis of our robotic future — managers at a fast food chain are replaced by software that directs every movement of employees through an earpiece to maximize efficiency and customer service. Soon the software spreads to grocery stores, coffee shops, and the entire service industry until nearly all human workers are replaced by robots and software.
Then the novella pivots to describe two alternate scenarios where all human labor is replaced by robots, and that’s where the writing suffered and my interest waned. I highly recommend reading the first half. It’s so believable that I’m sure a number of startups are already working on making it reality very soon.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 4, 2016
This novella is exactly what the subtitle says: Two Visions of Humanity's Future. The characters are just shells through which the author exposes their vision, and the plot is essentially non-existent. That being said, it's definitely worth a read given its length, and unlike with other similar novels you would not have felt that you wasted your life by reading it.
The author contrasts a dystopia resulting from the natural interaction between capitalism and technological innovation—i.e. reality, also keep in mind that this was written in 2003—with a utopia in which private property is abolished and technology is put to the service of humanity.
Now, this utopia is naive both in terms of the processes that gave birth to it, and in its execution. But—nonetheless—it follows the breadcrumb trail laid out by a very long tradition of "utopian" thinking. If you think that the world described in this novella is worth achieving then you yourself should probably start following this trail by reading Pyotr Kropotkin's The Conquest of Bread(this is probably the most fortunate pun ever!).
The author contrasts a dystopia resulting from the natural interaction between capitalism and technological innovation—i.e. reality, also keep in mind that this was written in 2003—with a utopia in which private property is abolished and technology is put to the service of humanity.
Now, this utopia is naive both in terms of the processes that gave birth to it, and in its execution. But—nonetheless—it follows the breadcrumb trail laid out by a very long tradition of "utopian" thinking. If you think that the world described in this novella is worth achieving then you yourself should probably start following this trail by reading Pyotr Kropotkin's The Conquest of Bread(this is probably the most fortunate pun ever!).
July 3, 2017
I won't claim this is the best-written book I've read (though it's perfectly adequate). But it _is_ an enjoyable read and, more importantly, it's a thought-provoking story about one of the key existential crises likely to confront humanity over the next several decades. What will we (humanity) choose to do as technology and robots take over more and more of the economy and make human workers obsolete? In Manna, we're presented with two possibilities. One country (spoiler alert: it's the US) follows the path you'd expect where the people who own the robot companies become trillionaires and everyone else is out of a job and out of luck. But that's not the only possibility, as another country shows...
December 21, 2017
Wow. I feel so good right now, inspired to create.
It felt so different than the last books I’ve read, maybe any book I’ve read
The conditions were right — on a flight
Disconnected
Maybe I was just in the right mood with the right conditions
Maybe it was the writer — Marshall Brian
Maybe it was the content
Or the happy ending
Or the talk of creation
The feeling of liberation
Idk
What I do know is that I want to explore this feeling
Maybe I’ll read another sci fi
Or Marshall Brian
Or I’ll just actually do the thing and get creative with my freedom
Make music
Imprisoned by digital connectedness
Freedom within reach
Only a flight away
I feel anxiety returning already as I imagine connecting again
Vertebrane
It felt so different than the last books I’ve read, maybe any book I’ve read
The conditions were right — on a flight
Disconnected
Maybe I was just in the right mood with the right conditions
Maybe it was the writer — Marshall Brian
Maybe it was the content
Or the happy ending
Or the talk of creation
The feeling of liberation
Idk
What I do know is that I want to explore this feeling
Maybe I’ll read another sci fi
Or Marshall Brian
Or I’ll just actually do the thing and get creative with my freedom
Make music
Imprisoned by digital connectedness
Freedom within reach
Only a flight away
I feel anxiety returning already as I imagine connecting again
Vertebrane
July 10, 2012
An amazing book on good,bad and ugly facets of what technology might be keeping in store for us in the future. In a futuristic world where everything is automated and every aspect of life is controlled by computers, open source and free software would be the panacea for problem of every kind. Recommended for every technology enthusiast and free software activist out there. You will be enlightened after reading this.
P.S: Our fears were wrong, robots would never enslave humans.
P.S: Our fears were wrong, robots would never enslave humans.
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