3 Body Problem: An Alien Show That Isn’t Just About Invasion

I loved 3 Body Problem on Netflix. It’s not a newly released series, but it was on my watchlist for the longest time.

The series follows the familiar trope of everything bad originating in Asian countries, while the developed countries work extra hard to save the world, even if it means resorting to some questionable measures.

But putting that aside, the show is incredibly engaging and entertaining. It keeps you hooked with its stunning visuals, innovative presentation and constant sense that something bigger is happening beneath the surface.

As someone who has watched quite a few shows and movies about aliens, 3 Body Problem felt different from the usual, sudden and direct “We are here to invade you” storyline.

There is much more going on here.

The show brings in politics, science, religion, human psychology and, most interestingly, people who believe that humanity cannot be saved from itself. It presents different viewpoints on human tragedies without dehumanizing either side. Each side believes it is right in its own way, something that feels relevant to the world we live in today, where nuance hardly exists anymore.

And then there is the alien question.

I, for one, find it almost impossible to believe that we are the only intelligent life in such a vast universe. The universe is simply too enormous for me to accept that humans are the only beings who have somehow managed to evolve, survive and become intelligent.

Why haven’t we encountered anyone else yet? There could be countless explanations. Maybe intelligent civilizations are too far apart. Maybe they exist at completely different points in time. Maybe we simply haven’t developed the technology to detect them.

Or maybe, as the show suggests, we have no idea what we might be dealing with.

I also find the idea that an extraterrestrial civilization could be far more intelligent than humans completely plausible. We tend to assume that because we are the most technologically advanced species we know, we must be at the top of the intelligence ladder.

But we only have one example to compare ourselves against: us.

What if something else has had millions of years more to evolve?

That possibility is one of the things that makes 3 Body Problem so fascinating to me.

The series is definitely worth watching if you enjoy science fiction and alien stories. Just don’t expect the first season to answer every question. There is a lot more to come, and a new season is on the way.

Streaming on: Netflix
Episodes: 8
Runtime: Approximately 50 minutes per episode

AI and Its Impending Doom (?)

Recently, Jacob Coxon, a safety researcher who resigned from Anthropic in September 2026, said that both Anthropic and Open AI were “gambling with our lives” by racing toward self-improving superintelligence. He warned that there is a strong chance unchecked progress in artificial intelligence could lead to human extinction by the end of this decade.

The “self-improving superintelligence” part immediately reminded me of a fictional story I read recently called My Friend Aaron by Rory McMeekin (Google it). It was published in August, and it has all the elements of a Black Mirror short story. After reading Coxon’s recent comments about AI safety and superintelligence, that story feels almost uncomfortably real.

As someone who has been working for 15+ years in IT and now uses AI extensively for research, work, and fun, I can understand why many people aren’t taking these warnings from AI experts too seriously. Millennials have heard similar criticisms before, although about different technologies.

A few years back, AI for me at work basically meant Grammarly. It would automatically detect and correct my grammar mistakes. But there was almost a sense of guilt attached to using it, especially with so many people online shaming those who relied on writing tools. Apparently, if we are writers, we should get everything right on our own.

But I am someone who is much more comfortable thinking quickly and writing as I think than writing slowly, consciously, and perfectly. So I found Grammarly to be the perfect companion. It would catch my mistakes when I was speeding up my writing. Yet I still felt like I was doing something wrong by using the app.

It was only after ChatGPT came along that using Grammarly somehow became the lesser sin.

Now, people say, “Don’t use ChatGPT. Use Grammarly for writing and correcting small mistakes.”

If we look at the history of technology, I think this has always been the norm. A new product or technology arrives, people criticize it, and there are predictions about how it is going to ruin society or even end humanity. We saw it with the internet. We saw it with computers. And now we are seeing it with artificial intelligence.

Then something newer and more powerful comes along, and the technology that was previously considered controversial suddenly becomes normal.

I wonder if online AI bots will eventually achieve the same acceptance when something even more advanced comes along. Maybe that will be robots that look and speak like humans. Maybe it will be something we can’t even imagine yet.

Only time can tell.

Technology is definitely moving at a pace that I couldn’t have imagined a few years ago. Things that seemed like science fiction are becoming part of everyday life, and the conversation around AI is changing almost as quickly as the technology itself.

I don’t think banning AI is the answer. AI tools are helping many people, including me, speed up their work and get things done more efficiently. At the same time, I understand the criticism that AI can also make people lazy.

The problem is not using AI itself. It is how we use it. There is a big difference between using AI as an “add-on” to your work, something that helps you speed up what you already know, and using it as a complete replacement for your own knowledge and thinking.

Where that line should be drawn is something technology experts will have to figure out. And, as ordinary users, it is something we will only understand better as AI continues to evolve.

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Photo by Pavel Danilyuk

Netflix Anthology Review: Black Mirror (Season 7)

I had put off watching Black Mirror Season 7 for a long time, as Season 6 had failed to impress me. But on a friend’s recommendation, I decided to give it a shot. I’m happy to report that most of the episodes, except the last one, lived up to my expectations.

What’s It About?

Story 1 – Common People:
A devoted husband, unwilling to lose his terminally ill wife, uses a high-end new technology to keep her alive. At first, it seems like a miracle. But as with most modern tech, things soon spiral out of control. The couple is forced to confront the harsh reality of love, loss, and the consequences of clinging to the impossible.

Story 2 – Bête Noire:
An ambitious professional’s life is thrown into disarray when a former schoolmate unexpectedly joins her workplace. What begins as unease quickly escalates as unusual events unfold around her, sending her mental state into a downward spiral.

Story 3 – Hotel Reverie:
A popular actress, bored of dull roles, signs on to a high-tech film project that aims to recreate a classic movie using immersive technology. She steps into a world where she must play out scenes with virtual versions of the original cast. But the line between fiction and reality begins to fade, and the production eventually takes a dark and unexpected turn.

Story 4 – Plaything:
A socially isolated man is arrested for murder. During interrogation, he reveals his obsession with a computer game involving digital creatures. The more he cares for these forms, the more they grow. And the more they demand from him.

Story 5 – Eulogy:
A man is tasked with writing a eulogy for an old lover with the help of a photo-based immersive memory technology that lets him relive past shared moments with her. Some are joyful, others painful, and some reveal truths he wasn’t prepared to face.

Story 6 – USS Callister: Into Infinity:
A stranded crew battles for survival in an endless virtual universe. They are trapped in a multiplayer simulation, and they must outsmart other players to escape the loop and find freedom.

Thoughts

Though I enjoyed every episode in Black Mirror Season 7, my favourite was Plaything. The technology shown in the story is both fascinating and disturbing. The sing-song tune of the little digital forms adds just the right touch of eeriness. The lead actor delivers a convincing performance as the eccentric character ready to go above and beyond for his virtual friends.

The season as a whole highlights how technology can go wrong in unexpected ways. It drives home the point that in the pursuit of something “better,” we often overlook the risks that come with it.

I didn’t find the final episode particularly interesting. Probably because outer space-themed plots don’t usually appeal to me.

Overall, I would say Black Mirror Season 7 is worth a watch. All six episodes, each about an hour long, are streaming on Netflix.