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Author Interview with Atif A. K. Ph.D.

Automation vs. Autocracy: Robogeddon En Route

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What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I would like to touch the topics that jump out and still have not been addressed. Like the writing on the wall- but nobody wants to acknowledge. Maybe they want to look the other way. I want to hit right on the nail head. In that way, I like to break the conventions of narrating in a way that’s not restricted to prose or is at the behest of readers. Rather I try make it stick out- not with my power of speech but with an unconventional way to approach and perceive notions. I hope to create that original voice that tackles the challenges in the new millennium by breaking the formula with new writing techniques.

 What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

I pursue a wide variety of Creative endeavors so to say. I am a filmmaker, musicians, poet, fitness freak and yes, a father. I like to play with my kids. I started filmmaking first with commercials. Yes, I started in reverse. While most filmmakers end up making commercials after studying film. I had the fortune of being a copywriter and thereby I acquired art direction, photography, post-production and cinematography skills. I directed music videos too- before finally studying film at New York Film Academy. Last year I wrote, directed and produced my first documentary project ED vs IT about the force of education technology. And right now I am working on my first feature film The Disowned. It’s an improv genre-free film.

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When did you write your first book and how old were you?

I started writing my first book which was on various philosophies of life when I was 20 years old. Sadly due to Word Perfect days- I lost the manuscript and floppy drives. But that made me take writing seriously. It has been some sort of catharsis. I took writing lessons and then finally had the break after I was hired as Creative Executive at McCann Erickson as Jr. Copywriter. I have written multiple books as Ghostwriter. I also wrote several hundred pages of poetry that I lost over the years while fighting my own demons. But recently completed a poetic collection by the name “Knots & Bonds” and then “Automation vs. Autocracy” is my first love child of compulsive contemplation- which I think is some sort of psychological disease like OCD.

What does your family think of your writing?

Well, my father used to say that he was my fan- due to a variety of talents. I just think I am a curious soul. Talent for me is a phenomenon that needs to be fed with right tools. My wife thinks I may be the most talented person alive. That may be an overkill but her defense is that she thinks I have an impossible range of creativity to be found in one man. Besides taking it as a compliment- I think what she means is that I delve into things feeding my curiosity and end up creating stuff that I never knew existed. My mother was my secret admirer. She nurtured my creativity while also taming the tiger inside me into a kitten.

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What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

There are things we know that we didn’t know that we knew. This is only possible through writing. There is boxes in our minds that are absent from our consciousness but once we start writing we start exploring those dimensions. During the process w, come to encounter the most incredible and sometimes obnoxious realities. This helps the writer grow as a formidable human being. One who is not afraid to look into the eye of truth no matter how inconvenient as Al Gore says in his documentary.

How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

As Ghostwriter I have written couple of them. My writing touch bases with politics and society in terms of repetitive pattern or symmetry so to say. In real life I, am a very apolitical person and not so social. For me the connection should be meaningful and worth having. In this book Automation vs. Autocracy- my favorite part is where I prophesize 50 years from now. It’s really mind boggling in terms of how are our needs are some over centuries but our greed keeps changing. Another documentary that I have started working on but haven’t been able to allocate time- Need for Greed.

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Do you have any suggestions to help me become a better writer? If so, what are they

I would say listen to your heart. Explore your own voice. Your own set of experiences, education, environment, aspiration, genetic memory and visual references make you a completely unique human being- if you have come to terms with yourself. If you’re attuned to your mind and if there is no cognitive dissonance- things will flow out rather easily. This way you’ll target what could be than what should be. That’s the joy of creativity- pushing the limits and make new boundaries. And perform within it.

Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?

I am very close to my readers. Because essentially writing for me is a sort of confession. So they become my confidants. If they are hit with my storm- they know what I mean. This makes them closer to me than most people. They know the context of my version of things. And that’s why they are dear to me. They know too much. So they are close to my heart. I have revealed myself to them. They have become my enemy in some way that I don’t want to lose. Because I will be afraid if they unleash my thought process- and find the motivation behind it. I can’t risk detaching from what they feel. Because without them- there will be just a collection of words without relevance.

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Do you like to create books for adults or children…Why?

I think adults are despicable and mean people. So they need to change. I think children should not become like their adults and they will be littered in their souls. So I write for change or so to say- help them transit safely through the phases to reach the truth without personal biases and contrived inhibitions.

 What do you think makes a good story?

I always thought a fact is stranger than fiction. What makes a good story is an untouched situation, so delicate, yet so obvious that we never knew that it existed on its own. For example life of bus driver- how he finds love with a regular passenger. What makes his/her day, what spoils his/her day. Road maneuvering, people rushing to work, predators groping, others watching Netflix series and so on. Look I just gave a good plot.

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As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?

I wanted to be an astronaut. But I think the space exploration has been rather slow. By this, I would have loved to visit alien planets and discover their lifestyles and be friends with them. Bring them over to my neighborhood and make them visit deli. This hasn’t happened as we cannot surpass the speed of light. So good that I didn’t become an astronaut.

Part of me was always a researcher. I loved discovering new things. Movies always fascinated. I loved reading their newspaper ads and back in the day hear their promotions on the radio. I was always a lost soul. I credit my mom that she toned the wild one in me. I had no direction but her strictness gave me a sense of purpose and direction by force. When you don’t stand for something, you fall for anything. Though I would have preferred a totally different route. At one time I even wanted to be a Flight Attendant. I was very religious too. When my prayers of Cabin Crew were not honored I started losing religion.

Looking back I am glad what I have become. More than I anticipated. Our aims and ambitions are in a context of references we have in our minds. Then I had not seen a lot. After backpacking the world- I am very glad to live this life. Being able to practice all that I love and being with a family that loves all of this. My kids are also my best friends. They are already super creative and hooked on to various art forms.

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As we let all of our technology devices make our lives easier, it’s also easy to not think about how much they’re taking over our lives. This book is a real eye-opener and makes you realize how taking the easy way out is opening the door to possibly giving up our freedoms and privacy.

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When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

Working in the hotel industry and on the executive floors of Marriott, it was almost a solitary confinement. That gave me a lot of time for self discovery. I had a girl friend then but just like other love in the 90s- we had limited time on phone when she could speak. So rest of the time I was busy transferring the book worm into brain worm and putting it back into book form. I always find a lot of rejection of truth and denial in our daily lives. I saw that and still see that. In many cases it is non-functional but there is a hedonist or a nepotistic convenience attached to it. Monetary preferences at times overshadow the real joy of life and the opportunity cost is not much worth it.

This pushed me into a matrix where there is a perfect world in the way I view things or so to say that matter to me. They transitional middle road is so much fun. And that’s what made me a writer and now in a VOD age- made me a story teller through a visual medium.

How long does it take you to write this books?

If I am writing like crazy- I can write a 150-200 page in a month. But that depend on the kind of intellectual vomit I am feeling. Besides support aspects like formatting, designing, cover illustrations etc. I still want time for the idea to flourish on its own. I let it absorb and evolve. I have questions in the night when I sleep. In the morning when I am bursting with energies I suddenly get all the answers. I don’t know how it happens. May be it has something to do with energy. If I am rushed on an assignment- and I have all necessary info I can write 10 pages or more in first three hours of my day. That said, whenever I wake up. 6AM or 10 AM.

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What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?

I get paid to write so it is like a paid vacation for the last 20 years or so. But then I do laundry, chores and go to the gym that reboots me. Strum the guitar or play piano for a while and then I am ready again for round two. Yet I once in a while I get an edgy client or who don’t pay on time- that kind of breaks the momentum.

What brought you to write this book series?

I see a lot of gaps in the way things are proceeding in IT world. We have accumulated a lot in a very short span. So we have rushed through many leakages that we have forgotten to cover up. The devoid between law and IT is broadening because those who create legislations don’t understand the detrimental effects it can leave in case of a contingency. This book series spell out why we need technocrats to fix both the legislative and technological agendas. The world can be a much more better place- if net neutrality is enforced in its corrective essence.

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How you become a published author? Any inspiration?

My inspiration has always been life, biographies, and facts. From holy scriptures to Shakespearean literature. It was always more about representation and sharing the feelings through words. I grasp them from all art forms. Whether it is Da Vinci, Martin Scorsese, Gary Oldman, Sting or Jim Carey- it was always more about the pursuit of truth and shunning off pretention and made up sales. I was also influenced by self-inspirational writers like Osho and Eckhart Tolle.

Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

So glad to be able to live and breathe in Google age. Everything is accessible. So happy to be able to search anything and actually understand it all in a Wikipedia format. Anytime we want to dissect between right and wrong- we can access a world of knowledge. Although it is still somewhat soothing to visit the tranquility of a library it is always at your fingertips. News, on the other hand, is so easy to decipher with regards to facts and current affairs- in terms what the reality is and what narrative should be accepted.

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What’s next for you? What are you working on now?

I will take a break for a while. I will market this properly to make it the best seller most probably. I want tech giants to read and understand what I have meant in this book. It is mutually beneficial for all parties concerned. I am about to launch my Amazon store so I will be busy a bit in that till it stabilizes in some time. So it basically depends on the reception I get for this book.

About your book/s

They are all about humans and humanity. Life is like writing a book. It is not instant. If you look at life- things that are instant lose its meaning for us in the longer run. Like truth, righteousness, good health, respect, and etiquettes- they all take time to grow on you. Things that are instant are mostly not good for us for our physical and mental health. Like that secret pill or diet plan- health is a routine that we adopt. It is about the mental shift and not results. Slow is always durable. Like peace. Like love. Life prosperity. Overnight success can be an overnight failure. But slow always wins the race. So if you feeling lethargic- feel good about it, you are up to something real. That’s truth- if we are ready to embrace. And that’s all you will find in my books.

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Interesting book, it made me think more about how much we rely on technology and are getting into so many robotic items.

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