Helva's Post and The Borg

When thinking about Helva couldn't we classify her as a cyborg.  I mean i was thinkign about it and she is human but she is encased in her shell which allows her to controol a ship as if it were her own limb.  Basically in my book that is pretty much the definition of cyborg.  Cyborgs in star trek had the eye thingy drilled into them and cooperated as one more like a drone state, althought i would not classify helva to be a drone i would however say that she is most definitely part machine because her sense of touch and human contact is mostly gone, also she makes her movement through machine making her at least poartially a cyborg.  Granted she is no trying to colonize anything but i feel that the similarities between her and the borg in star trek are more than their weaknesses.  Both she and the borg queen are highly intelligent and they are both using machines to gain/use the control they seek are they not?  The main difference of course is that as far as we know, because we havent read other books helva is not trying to colonize and tarnsform the world as the borg queen is.  just some food for thought.

Back to Diamond Age

I know we passed diamond age a few weeks ago but i really wanted to write about this but just never found the time.  Did anyone else really miss Bud after he pretty much combusted.  I sure did, not that the novel wasn't interesting without him but i just loved seeing what he was going to do next, his thoughts never seemed to string themselves together in a coherent way.  It was like watching a train wreck but you couldn't take your eyes off it.  he was just such a low life and he always thought his ideas were brilliant, even when that guy warned him not to attack he pretty much told him to shut up he’s going to do whatever he wants, ultimately that was his downfall but there were certain points in the book i found myself wondering had he survived how would Bud fit into this? HE surely would’ve done something stupid, or maybe it would’ve been so stupid and daring that it paid off and he could’ve saved the day somehow.  More likely though he would just end up dead later but i found him an interesting character and a potential accidental hero.  Perhaps a prequel? Here's to hoping i thoroughly enjoyed his ridiculousness though it definitely wa sa recipe for disaster.

Helva as a ship

so when reading about helva as a ship i was very surprised that she didn't take the envelope and become a functional being, although who is to say that she wasn't already seeing as how she is functional as a ship.  I for one can't imagibne what that must've been like for her but i couldn't help but wonder if she did take the envelope what would happen to her debt, also would she have a new debt to the corveikey?  we already know she would have had to stay so that is kind of a debt.  I figured since she already traded into one machione, why not another, but she shows being content by not doing this.  Perhaps a driving reason was her responsibility to the ships passenger, perhaps she got a feeling of self fulfillment out of  providing a service, of being the one who is smart enough to command this ship and being needed.  I also think it could've been done out of a motherly nature to try and protect and return the passenegrs who had chosen not to stay.  On a side note in terms of the envelope i imagined something like what the little alien guy was inside of in men in black.