The Documentary Scratch offered a truly insightful look on the history and nature of a music that I had previously been relatively ignorant about. It's interesting that so much information is to be had about a musical style that is still relatively quite young. The documentary did an excellent job of capturing the scratching phenomenon form then perspectives of many different artists and active participants.
Bill Viola's video art was truly astounding to me. There is something so pleasing about how he uses video to capture the essences of particular moments and actions, as well as more abstract audio and visual stimuli. He captures small things, like dripping water, a long hallway, a meeting between friends, and forces the viewer to pay attention to the smallest details and aspects of it.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Museum of the Moving Image.
I absolutely loved the trip to the Museum of the Moving Image. While I was familliar with some of the basic principals of film technology, it was great to see firsthand, up close, some of the early moving picture gadgets, as well as the modern techniques for animation and sound design. The museum features so many hands on, interactive exhibits, which are rare in many more traditional museums. I love these, because I am a very hands on learner. It is often difficult for me to retain knowledge and understanding unless I can play around with something and learn about it on a direct level. The most fascinating thing I saw there was definitely the spinning sculpture that used a strobe light to create an animated effect. I had never seen anything like that, and didn't even conceive that something like that might be possible. Coming away from the museum, I'd say I have a better understanding not only of film theory and technology, but of how the human eye sees and arranges images.
New Media Reader 649-733
1991: Cardboard Computers published.
1991: The Lessons of Lucasfilms Habitat published.
1991: Seeing and Writing published.
1991: You Say you want a Revolution? published.
1992: The End of Books published.
1993: Timeframes published.
These excerpts in the book tended to focus more and more on the nature of design in new media, and the implications of creating technologies for participants. Cardboard Computers discussed the importance of creating mock ups and testing technology through user participation, in order to better improve interfaces and human-computer interaction. The end of books offered an interesting insight on what hypertext and the web might mean to older media, and how the overarching medium of text expression could be used and adapted to a hypertext based world. Most interesting to me, however, was the essay about Lucasfilms' Habitat, the earliest massively multi player online game. Having played a couple of massively multiplayer games myself, I was unaware of how early the concept began, and just how complex its beginnings were. I always find that massively multiplayer experiences either suffer from being too much of a game or too little. For instance, I felt that World of Warcraft, while requiring that users work together to accomplish tasks and meet goals, the experience is still ultimately one of playing within a game space, as opposed to living in a virtual environment. Players cannot build things or affect the world of the game in any significant manner. On the opposite end of the spectrum is Second Life, which is not a game, but a pure virtual space, completely defined and constructed by its inhabitants. Because of its complete lack of narrative and game-like goals (most people seem to be in Second Life to make some cash), I found exploring Second Life akin to flying around a large, boring, virtual shopping mall. Very few online experiences have successfully provided I dynamic, malleable world in which an interesting communal game experience can also be had. Habitat is so fascinating because it seems that the development team dealt with similar issues, and the online world actually evolved certain simplistic forms of government based on user consensus and encouragement by the development team. In the realm of Massively Multi player games, World of Warcraft still reigns supreme, and all others are compared to it, and most recent MMO's all appear as failing to be World of Warcraft. I believe the next true evolutionary step for Massively Multi player entertainment will be an online space that can achieve a world that is truly dynamic and user, affected, yet also provide interesting, game-like interactions, challenges and narratives.
1991: The Lessons of Lucasfilms Habitat published.
1991: Seeing and Writing published.
1991: You Say you want a Revolution? published.
1992: The End of Books published.
1993: Timeframes published.
These excerpts in the book tended to focus more and more on the nature of design in new media, and the implications of creating technologies for participants. Cardboard Computers discussed the importance of creating mock ups and testing technology through user participation, in order to better improve interfaces and human-computer interaction. The end of books offered an interesting insight on what hypertext and the web might mean to older media, and how the overarching medium of text expression could be used and adapted to a hypertext based world. Most interesting to me, however, was the essay about Lucasfilms' Habitat, the earliest massively multi player online game. Having played a couple of massively multiplayer games myself, I was unaware of how early the concept began, and just how complex its beginnings were. I always find that massively multiplayer experiences either suffer from being too much of a game or too little. For instance, I felt that World of Warcraft, while requiring that users work together to accomplish tasks and meet goals, the experience is still ultimately one of playing within a game space, as opposed to living in a virtual environment. Players cannot build things or affect the world of the game in any significant manner. On the opposite end of the spectrum is Second Life, which is not a game, but a pure virtual space, completely defined and constructed by its inhabitants. Because of its complete lack of narrative and game-like goals (most people seem to be in Second Life to make some cash), I found exploring Second Life akin to flying around a large, boring, virtual shopping mall. Very few online experiences have successfully provided I dynamic, malleable world in which an interesting communal game experience can also be had. Habitat is so fascinating because it seems that the development team dealt with similar issues, and the online world actually evolved certain simplistic forms of government based on user consensus and encouragement by the development team. In the realm of Massively Multi player games, World of Warcraft still reigns supreme, and all others are compared to it, and most recent MMO's all appear as failing to be World of Warcraft. I believe the next true evolutionary step for Massively Multi player entertainment will be an online space that can achieve a world that is truly dynamic and user, affected, yet also provide interesting, game-like interactions, challenges and narratives.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Comics
I was thoroughly interested and entertained by the history of comics documentary in class. While comic books are such a major part of modern pop culture, their history and nature is largely unknown, and something which I have not explored much myself. I was unaware of the severity of laws against comics early on, which seems strikingly similar to the current debate surrounding violence in digital games. Debates about violence, corruption, and societal degradation seem to be the normal birth pains for any new and revolutionary medium.
My personal Favorite Web Comic is xkcd. It's sometimes above my head, as it often deals with advanced mathematics and computer science, things which I have very little grasp of, although I'm working on the computer science. However, the author takes al sort of geekery and silliness, and brings it to a charming, human level. His simple stick figure drawings serve only as background for his sarcastic wit and clever puns and situations.
My personal Favorite Web Comic is xkcd. It's sometimes above my head, as it often deals with advanced mathematics and computer science, things which I have very little grasp of, although I'm working on the computer science. However, the author takes al sort of geekery and silliness, and brings it to a charming, human level. His simple stick figure drawings serve only as background for his sarcastic wit and clever puns and situations.
New Media Reader pp:585 - 647
TIMELINE:
1986: Langdon Winner publishes Mythinformation
1987: Lucy Suchman publishes Plans and Situated Actions
1988: Michael Joyce Publishes Siren Shapes, Bill Nichols publishes The Work of Culture in the Age of Cybernetic Systems
1990: Lynn Hershman publishes The Fantasy Beyond Control
As the New Media Reader continues into the modern age, the essays contained therein are becoming less and less speculative and awe-struck by modern technology, and instead are increasingly focused on specifically how advanced technologies might shape society, art, and human interaction. Of particular interest was Winner's Mythinformation, which sought to put to rest the idea that technology will automatically bring about social change. I myself have been of the opinion that the internet and the availability of information will almost inevitably increase natural democracy. However, every new medium throughout history has increased the accessibility of information, most have not led to democratic utopia. Granted, of course, that the internet is unparalleled in nature and scope. This does not mean, however, that it cannot be controlled and bought. I also appreciated Nichol's exploration of simulation and interactivity in culture. Being quite interested in digital games and interactive entertainment, the nature of expression and culture within interactivity is a fascinating topic for me.
1986: Langdon Winner publishes Mythinformation
1987: Lucy Suchman publishes Plans and Situated Actions
1988: Michael Joyce Publishes Siren Shapes, Bill Nichols publishes The Work of Culture in the Age of Cybernetic Systems
1990: Lynn Hershman publishes The Fantasy Beyond Control
As the New Media Reader continues into the modern age, the essays contained therein are becoming less and less speculative and awe-struck by modern technology, and instead are increasingly focused on specifically how advanced technologies might shape society, art, and human interaction. Of particular interest was Winner's Mythinformation, which sought to put to rest the idea that technology will automatically bring about social change. I myself have been of the opinion that the internet and the availability of information will almost inevitably increase natural democracy. However, every new medium throughout history has increased the accessibility of information, most have not led to democratic utopia. Granted, of course, that the internet is unparalleled in nature and scope. This does not mean, however, that it cannot be controlled and bought. I also appreciated Nichol's exploration of simulation and interactivity in culture. Being quite interested in digital games and interactive entertainment, the nature of expression and culture within interactivity is a fascinating topic for me.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Eric Rosenthal
Eric Rosenthal's lecture on his current work was really gripping. While many of the necessary scientific and biological concepts for a more complete understanding were out of my experiential range, he has a way of explaining things that make them seem so obvious that one cannot help but assume his theories are correct. I was truly impressed by his modesty and reserve, which was considerable, considering he could quite possibly revolutionize both technology and biology.
New Media Reader 339-441
1974: Theater of the Oppressed is published.
1975: Soft Architecture Machines is published.
1976: Computer Power and Human Reason published.
1977: Responsive Environments published. Personal Dynamic Media published.
1980: A Thousand Plateaus published, Mindstorms published, "Put-That-There" published.
Mid-1980's: Boal returns to Brazil.
1985: Opening of MIT's Media Lab.
1992: Boal runs for political office and wins.
This section of The New Media Reader dealt primarily with philosophies and potentialities for human-computer interaction. I was especially interested in sections about responsive environments and virtual reality. Living in an age of constant and increasing human/computer interaction, seeing the history of the theory that computer should adapt more to people, and not vice-versa. Most interesting to me were sections, especially in Responsive Environments and Personal Dynamic Media, about using computers for education. Since their advent, children have had to take special classes and work hard to learn, over time, to properly use computers. I find great merit in the pursuit of computers and programs that can serve children and offer them greater education, as opposed to children being forced to adapt.
1975: Soft Architecture Machines is published.
1976: Computer Power and Human Reason published.
1977: Responsive Environments published. Personal Dynamic Media published.
1980: A Thousand Plateaus published, Mindstorms published, "Put-That-There" published.
Mid-1980's: Boal returns to Brazil.
1985: Opening of MIT's Media Lab.
1992: Boal runs for political office and wins.
This section of The New Media Reader dealt primarily with philosophies and potentialities for human-computer interaction. I was especially interested in sections about responsive environments and virtual reality. Living in an age of constant and increasing human/computer interaction, seeing the history of the theory that computer should adapt more to people, and not vice-versa. Most interesting to me were sections, especially in Responsive Environments and Personal Dynamic Media, about using computers for education. Since their advent, children have had to take special classes and work hard to learn, over time, to properly use computers. I find great merit in the pursuit of computers and programs that can serve children and offer them greater education, as opposed to children being forced to adapt.
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