Becoming something
In this blog post, Asuka writes about birth and the relation to the 'birth' of an artificial creature. This blog inspired me because it didn't stay on a surface level but went a bit deeper than that. The view that birth is not only coming into this world but actually becoming something and exploring was inspiring.
Her examples had a good build-up, starting with the Tamagotchi, which is the simplest example of artificial birth. Then came the example of Ava, where the real beginning only started when she gained autonomy, and I think the Isolation Node built on this concept perfectly. The metaphor used to show individual agency was really strong.
The (in)dependent ball:
It is a soft ball that sits on a table. When you plug it into electricity, the ball pulses like a heart. When you unplug it, it stops pulsing. However, the ball has an internal battery, but this will only be activated when the ball is plugged in long enough. Then, when you unplug the ball, it will keep on pulsing. It builds on the concept of individual agency. However, it shows that you have to grow and receive energy from your environment for a certain period of time until you are able to be an individual agent.