ch 4

Rick talks to his boss about his next assignment. He's supposed to test the vk test on a new type of android to make sure it works. Since the head bounty hunter died, he's being left with all the androids he was supposed to get. As he arrives at the place where he is to test the vk test, he meets Rachael Rosen who is going to take him to the testing area. On the way, he sees that they have a collection of animals. He first notices the racoon, which he had never seen. He was amazed by this, but even more amazed by the owl they had. It amazed me to see how much he adored those animals. It's unlike any valuable we have in our society.

ch.2-3

It says that people dont remember why the war was started. If it went on for long enough to set the world in that state, then people were fighting a war without a reason which is insane to me. Im pretty confused on the term chicken head. I dont see a connection between the word and definition. The empathy box seems to be a secluded hallway where all you can do is feel terrible...I'm not sure what the real reason for it is but it's one of the only human like things in this novel. Even though its artificial, its better to be sad every now and then instead of using a machine or other substance to create happiness. John Isidore is a "chickenhead" who stayed in san fran after the dust fall out. His job is to fix peoples electric animals while posing as a real vet. The dust has affected the city dramatically. It says that it killed off all the birds first, which is interesting. I feel like it wouldn't be long until there wasnt much left. In the third chapter, Rick walked to work stopping off, apparently like many other people, at the pet store to look at the rare animals he could never own. After he gets to work, he recieves news that the head bounty hunter was shot by an android and that he was in the hospital. After talking to his boss for a while he tried to bargain with the salesman of the ostrich he saw on the way to work, but eventually realizing he could not afford it. I feel like animals are more of a social trophy than a meaningful being because Rick then tries to secretly buy an electric ostrich.

ch. 1

I didn't understand the use of the epigraph in the first chapter. The mood organ seems completely unreal to me. Almost everything that we use today to alter our mood is either expensive or unhealthy. To have something like that almost seems unhuman. Rick is a very strange character. He seems really down on everything because his job sucks and the world he lives in sucks...and he doesnt even have a real sheep. Iran seems pretty miserable as well but also seems a little more down to earth. Together, they make for a pretty unappealing relationship. Their setting is probable one of the reasons they seem so unhappy. It sounds like their living in sort of a post-apocalyptic city. Since the last world war, everyone walks around wearing lead codpieces to protect themselves from radiation. Also becuse of the war, animals are dying off and considered very valuable. Mercerism is another reason they are such a delicacy. It seems like a religion based around Mercer with a philosiphy people apply to their life, much like Buddhism.