thoughts on new media

oh, blogs

2005-12-13T00:17:00.000-08:00

So, I'm not really sure what happened with this...I think I sabotaged myself in a way. I just couldn't bring myself to post and put time and effort into a blog. It's strange, because I actually do enjoy reading other people's blogs, it's a good way to find out what people are thinking, and I find its text form easy to relate to, I just don't like writing my own blog. I can't even tell you how many posts I thought about writing, and planned out in my head, but just never actually executed. Perhaps at a later date i'll start my own blog, and have the motivation to share my thoughts with whoever cares to read them. Overall, I really liked reading my classmate's responses to the readings and other randomness, I was just frustrated by my inability to follow through. However, it's hard to say if I would have preferred turning in two hardcopy short essays a week, I'm inclined to say yes because of the accountability factor.
Also, the final projects were ammmaaazzzinnng. Fabulous job everyone...it was obvious that you all put a lot of effort into your work.
If anyone wants to check out cyberfeminism, my page is http://pzacad.pitzer.edu/~mwilhite
it might work...that's another issue, I don't always mesh with technology, and I spent a great deal of time trying to work out the logistics of the page, and after finally finishing it, it doesn't show up on every computer...ergh. But I found some engaging websites if you're interested in checking them out. www.obn.org was my favorite...
bye!

I meant to post this ages ago

2005-11-25T13:35:00.000-08:00

Shaviro and Chris Cunningham

Shaviro points to the work of Chris Cunningham twice, referencing his video for Aphex Twin’s “Come to Daddy” and Bjork’s “All is Full of Love”. After watching the short clip of the video in class, I wanted to know more about what made it so important to new media and the idea of connectedness. “Come to Daddy” is a postmodern pastiche, a technology-infused paranoia of a video. Admittedly, it’s kind of scary, the eerie industrial landscape and disturbing images don’t seem like they’d win a lot of mainstream audiences. I was surprised to learn that this video was rotated on MTV and is recognized as one of the best music videos ever created.

The devil children with the identical faces of Richard D. James (Aphex Twin) terrorize the neighborhood with the phrases “I want your soul, I will eat your soul and Come to Daddy” in the background. A screaming creature is born from a television, possibly Shaviro notes, “the video refuses to distinguish between physical space and screen space, or between actual objects and their virtual, fictive representations” (9). The lack of distance between the “spectator and the screen” is a creepy commentary about what it means to be connected. By being in a networked and connected world, is it difficult for us to distinguish between the real world and the screen? The real and the representations of real, the human and the machine?

In "All is Full of Love" Cunningham illustrates the fusion of body and machine via Bjork's body. Bjork is an android, and the viewer watches as she is constructed in a blanket of whiteness. Her singing, the perfection of her features, and the way the song is expressed/represented visually suggests the humanity of robots. Bjork the android is reproduced and the two robots become almost sensual as they make love. Contrary to popular depictions of robots and stiff and mechanical, these robots are almost graceful in their movements. In this frozen, white world robots become flesh. In a soft, chilling way Cunningham seems to represent the digital world, and ecstatic nothingness, a new sphere for emotions, desire, and production.

Re-Code.com

2005-11-18T15:49:00.000-08:00

I recently attended the Lost Film festival, a series of activist video works shown around the country, and one of the topics addressed was culture jamming and hacktivism in our corporatized society and the relationship between consumer and capitalism (this made me think of the vampire capitalist and zombie consumer analogy). In the section “No Privacy,” Shaviro talks about the use of digital watermarks, “rights owners can sear a sort of virtual brand into their property”. This made me think of consumer’s ability to take back the rights of products they consumer by setting their own prices. I watched a short video about www.re-code.com, a website created by some activist teenagers who set out to “liberate capital” through means of the UPC generator.

The site allows users to set their own price for the goods they buy and print our new barcodes for products, a parody of the popular website priceline.com and their slogan “name your own price”. Wal-Mart demanded that the site be shut down, calling it an incitement to theft and fraud (although the creators note that the site should not be used to engage in illegal activities – I’m not sure I’m swayed by their “disclaimer”). The controversy surrounding the website brings up several interesting questions about net activism and policing of the Internet. Who is being surveyed and why? Is political satire illegal? Does Wal Mart have the right to police the net? Are barcodes intellectual property? At this point in time, the website is not up and running pending further legal decisions. The most interesting and telling aspect of the debacle to me is the media attention and a nasty letter from Wal-Mart, exactly the type of publicity the creators wanted. The creators of the site claim that their site has been censored by the Wal-Mart corporation, a further commentary on corporate influence even in the supposedly free realm of the net (and the potential for surveillance in a network society).

Cyberfeminism

2005-11-13T21:26:00.000-08:00

The concept of cyberfeminism is rooted in what David Bell calls “the problematic equation of technology with men, the male and the masculine, and the concomitant exclusion of women from what we might call the ‘circuit of technoculture’.” Men dominate technoculture in all aspects. Men are the creators of the technology as well as the primary consumers and there is an association between women and technological illiteracy. For my term paper I am exploring the issue of cyberfeminism as it relates to the body (politics), identity, and artistic expression. The gendering of the Internet in terms of cyberfeminism, seeks to make the Internet a place that engages with “a new cyberfeminist politics”. Cyberfeminism branches out to address feminist issues in the context of the new technological frontier. Cyberfeminism challenges traditionally male domains, and exemplifies of a new wave of feminism. In fact, questions are raised about its compatibility with feminism and what it means for women’s’ identity. Cyberfeminism has the potential to cross boundaries established by former arenas of feminism and question which women have access to technology and how a greater connection between women around the world can be made utilizing this new technology. It also creates discourse around the female body and its potential for different interpretations in cyberspace. Cyberfeminism is still expanding and developing and at this point there are many interpretations of what it could mean for women’s relationship to technology.

Gómez-Peña

2005-11-13T18:03:00.000-08:00

Though I often think about the Internet in relation to access (who is denied access by their location, socio-economic status, etc) I haven’t extended my thought to race, gender, and sexuality. The discussion of these issues by Gomez Pena was especially interesting. He notes that as a Hispanic artist his feelings about the Internet and new technologies are conflicted. He desires the technology while at the same time respecting and almost envying those who use and have access to the possibilities it provides. This sentiment is echoed by many, but Gomez-Pena’s article focuses on the relationship between technology and Latinos. I feel it’s easy to disregard race and racial diversity on the Internet, or lack thereof, mostly because it can be such an anonymous space and is presented to the public as an “equal access” space. But the more I think about it the more I notice the distinct lack of diversity on the net. Whenever I look something up on Google, the first thing to show up is in English, whether I’ve set it as my language preference or not. The more I explore the net, the more I notice the overwhelming predominance of white, middle-class, heterosexual males. As they are the section of society that has the most access to technology it makes sense, but it seems like nowhere else is it so difficult to encounter Other points of view. One has to specifically look for elements and representations of different cultures, and some cultures are actively denied access. Gomez-Pena points to the stereotype, “Mexicans (and by extension other Latinos) can't handle high-technology. Caught between a preindustrial past and an imposed modernity, we continue to be manual beings; homo fabers per excellence; imaginative artisans (not technicians); and our understanding of the world is strictly political, poetical or metaphysical at best, but certainly not scientific.”
The complex relationship between race and the internet is illustrated by the “Digital Divide” between students of different races and ethnicities in schools. Though many schools (university and secondary) have more access to the internet, minority and poor students seldom have access at home. “Equal access,” as identified by Gomez-Pena, is a myth.

Gomez-Pena’s website is really interesting… The Main Pocha website link showcases some of his work

Soft Cinema Absences

2005-11-06T20:09:00.000-08:00

Out of the three Soft Cinema pieces we viewed I enjoyed the black and white narrative of Andreas Kratky’s Absences the most. Though it was more abstract than Texas and Mission to Earth, I liked the way the fragments of film depicting urban and nature scenes were framed and presented to the viewer. In the accompanying booklet Kratky introduced the three primary aspects of the work; sound, montage and parameters. While watching the “film” I focused on attempting to understand how each of these elements worked in the context of the Soft Cinema database.

The experimental nature of database cinema was heightened by the Kratky’s use of rhythms. Algorithms determine both the audio and visual components of the work. I was especially interested in the idea of parameters and the differences between the parts of the frame, contrast, texture, activity, etc. It was interesting to prioritize different frames over each other as well as the text. It seemed that as the piece progressed it was more and more layered in terms of the visual and soundscape aspects. I found that the different parts of the experience were competing for my attention and it was difficult to fully focus on one. It was a similar experience to watching the same film from different perspectives and trying to synthesize the images into a cohesive narrative.

The idea of the database film is really intriguing to me. The potential for individualized experience is unlimited as the media elements available are able to produce a different film each time it is screened. However, it kind of bothered me in that it felt very passive in comparison to some of the other experimental narratives and hypertext we’ve been looking at. After watching each piece several times I was slightly annoyed when they replayed almost exactly the same as I’d seen them previously. I wanted to choose to see different images and to explore the database for myself. It was kind of strange to me to think that the computer was randomly generating clips and choosing for me. I was also very aware of the computer generating the next image (looked like a bad edit) and I kind of did want it to be a bit more seamless of a viewing experience.

Even though I liked it, I feel these the three “films” would have worked better in a gallery. I went to a MOCA exhibit recently (Ecstasy) which had several installations of experimental cinema projected onto large and often multiple screens. The museum context added a lot to the experience for me (very dark room, large screens, audience) and I probably would have liked the Soft Cinema pieces more in an art viewing environment rather than on a computer screen.

The Art of the Mix

2005-10-30T22:10:00.000-08:00

http://www.artofthemix.org/index.asp

I found this website where people can create their own mix tapes/cds accompanied by a blog (statement of intent?) to share with other users. I thought it was kind of an interesting idea as it relates to both the potential of the Internet to foster interaction between users, the user as the creator, and Manovich's idea of "cut and paste" in relation to digital media. The individuals who create mixes are simply sampling songs in their collection, putting them together, naming their mix, and then posting it. Yet, it is not seen as just a collection of songs, rather people respect the work that went into creating a unified and interesting collection of songs known as the mix. Users can comment on various mixes and in a sense define which mixes are good, and, well, artful. Anyways, I enjoyed navigating this site...check it out.

Lev Manovich  Interface

2005-10-30T22:04:00.000-08:00

“In this society, work and leisure activities not only increasingly involve computer use, but they also converge around the same interfaces” (65).
Yes. We use our computers for everything now. It seems like a lot of people are able to work out their homes simply because of the multiple uses of the computer. The home office is a place of both work and leisure, and it is increasingly unnecessary for some workers to leave their homes everyday. Individuals are able to use essentially the same tools for both work and play. The distinction between the “field of work and the field of leisure,” a defining feature of an industrial society, is partly lost, and redefined in our information society (65). Manovich goes on to say that that the blurry line between work and play is complemented by a “closer relationship between authors and readers (or, more generally, between producers of cultural objects and their users).”

However, in so many ways the Marxist idea of breaking down the divide between work and leisure has not been realized. I think that barriers still exist in terms of who has access to technology. Although personal computers are present in many homes for most people this divide continues to be present in their everyday lives. It also seems that by breaking down this distinction, work will almost become a form of play, and perhaps individuals will work more, which could be a bad thing…

Lev Manovich: Thoughts on Montage

2005-10-30T20:52:00.000-08:00

While reading Manovich's chapter on "The Operations" in The Language of New Media, I was especially attracted to his discussion of montage. I’m really into photomontage and the work of John Heartfield and Hannah Hoch, so I was interested to see how Manovich addressed the role of montage in the field of new media. On page 125, Manovich notes, “Even though the modern artist may only be reproducing, or, at best, combining preexisting text, idioms, and schemas in new ways, the actual material process of art making, nevertheless, supports the romantic ideal.” He refers to the introduction of photomontage (assembled from “already existing cultural parts”) as the introduction of the “industrial method of production” to the art world. Manovich points out that electronic art echoes the area of photomontage in that it is based on the “modification of an already existing signal”; the artist as technician, “an accessory to the machine” (126). This idea challenges a lot of the qualities of (modern) art held in high esteem; the artist as a creative individual, making original art. “With electronic and digital media, art making…entails choosing from ready made elements” (126). Also, “An author puts together an object from elements that she herself did not create” (130).

In a lot of ways montage defines this modern era of digital art. We use programs like Photoshop to create and alter images, changing the view of authorship which Manovich relates to the “aesthetics of postmodernism” and compositing (141). Now, rather than physically cutting and pasting together objects as the photomontagists of the 1920s, we are able to simply use the “cut and paste” tools (130). It is very interesting to see how the ease of this function in digital media further alters our perception of photographic truth as composite images are even more seamlessly constructed.

Talan Memmott’s Lexia to Perplexia

2005-10-30T20:46:00.000-08:00

This post is to be the first of many this evening that have been sitting (half finished) in Word files for the past week. Just so you know.

After much initial trouble trying to get Lexia to Perplexia to actually function (I had to use a PC), I found it was just as difficult to navigate. Talan Memmott’s use of computer jargon, images, and text proved difficult to follow. In the beginning I was able to follow along with the text and images as they appeared on the screen and focus on each individual element. As I progressed further into the work, the images, text, etc. became increasingly layered. The text and images moved and appeared on the screen in several layers, and I was unable to decipher much of the text in the last section of the work. I was able to pick out a few recurring parts of from the beginning of Lexia to Perplexia; the use of Echo and Narcissus, the element of the eye and the image, and the role of the User (which could relate to the body self v. body remote). After a spell I began to feel the experience of Memmott’s piece was a kind of reflection on the interaction between the user and the interface (screen?) but I wasn’t able to fully grasp the meaning. I was very interested in the piece – I liked the graphics and text quite a lot, but I was especially frustrated when I was unable to read or look at specific images when they started moving or overlapping each other (especially in the “Minifestos” and (s)T(ex)T(s) and Intertimacy). I was also annoyed when I clicked on things only to be met with symbols I didn’t understand (Ka Space: encryption >book< of the dead – I spent a lot of time in this section, mostly attempting to move on). So, basically, I wanted to get it, but the visual stimulation and computer language made it a bit difficult for me to fully grasp the meaning.

I read an article on the web by Thomas Dreher (http://www.dichtung-digital.com/2005/2/Dreher/index-engl.htm) and it really helped me get a bit more out of Lexia to Perplexia. What I referred to as “computer jargon” is in fact “icons, parts of codes resp. punctuation marks and neologisms via DHTML and Javascript.” Dreher broke down each chapter of Memmott’s work and highlighted some of the intricacies of the work that I’d missed in my navigation. I won’t rehash what he said, but after looking at Lexia to Perplexia again I got a lot more out of it.

Impulse Freak

2005-10-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

I decided it would be interesting to check out one of the online comics Scott McCloud mentions in "Reinventing Comics". Impulse Freak, a collaborative project between Ed Stasny and various other comic artists, is a hypertext-based interactive experience. The reader of the comic is able to follow several different paths which lead to illustrations by different people. Though the comics may follow the same thread and all feature a monkey, the individual styles of each of the illustrators shines through and adds to the appeal of the comic. Though I found the panels a bit hard to follow I like the interactive nature of the comic and the fact that anyone who wants to is allowed to contact the site creator and submit several frames. I liked the idea of a collaborative effort within the comic community to create something new and push the boundaries of what a typical comic is. I really enjoyed looking at all the artwork and since it is continually being added to, it is a fun site to follow regularly.

http://www.sito.org/synergy/ifreak/hotwired/

Reinventing Comics

2005-10-23T23:40:00.000-07:00

Frankly, I enjoyed McCloud’s “Reinventing Comics” much more than I expected. I'm not especially familiar with comics. My experience is basically limited to Spiegelman's "Maus" and the Sunday morning comic strips. The comic form itself was integral to understanding the content of the book, and I retained a lot more information as result of the coupling of images and words. McCloud seems especially interested in making comics more accessible to a wider audience, and he feels that the internet may be a may to revolutionize the production and distribution of comics.

McCloud posits comics as a revolutionary art form with mass potential, especially when realized in a digital form. I couldn't really grasp the potential he spoke of. I found his discussion idealistic, and though it did make me want to further explore the world of comics, I’m not sure how achievable his goals are. McCloud seems to think that the Web and micropayments may save comics and lift them from their current state. I have trouble envisioning comics in their current state existing on the Web without some sort of transformation of the form. Although I was really intrigued by the online comics we viewed in class, I'm not so sure that comics on the Internet will generate a vastly greater audience than printed comics. Much of the things I've viewed online are short animated clips with graphics and narratives that I find similar to typical comics. Perhaps these kinds of animated shorts are a branch off in the evolution of comics.

But really, I can't even grasp what McCloud sees as the boundless potential of comics on the web. His hopes for digital revolution to the production, delivery and exploration of the digital canvas in relation to comics are quite extensive and I'd be interested to see what path the comic industry (both small publishers and the larger corporations) follows in its quest for a greater audience in light of the advancements of digital technology.

Aarseth part i

2005-10-15T16:22:00.000-07:00

In our discussion of Aarseth I was particularly interested in the distinction between hypertext and cybertext. Though initially, I was not clear what exactly the definition of a cybertext is, I was eventually able to come to some sort of conclusion about the differences between hyper/cybertext. Aarseth points out "when you read from a cybertext, you are constantly reminded of inaccessible strategies and paths not taken, voices not hear" (3). This idea of a constant nagging, i.e. "what did I miss" relates not only to the realm of hypertext, but extends far beyond to include different forms of digital media. So, a hypertext is a form of cybertext, but a cybertext does not need to be a hypertext. I guess what characterizes a cybertext is the idea that it must be ergodic and press the reader to find their own paths or do some sort of work. While a hypertext is often characterized by a connection to narrative, a cybertext can be something else.

The idea that video games are pieces of ergodic literature especially struck a cord with me. Admittedly, I don't know much about gaming at all, but the first image that comes to mind for me is adolescent boys holed up in dark rooms playing Grand Theft Auto for hours and hours. The argument is made by narrative thinkers that games cannot be considered literature, and true, this closes out enormous areas of potential electronic textuality. I think it is a bit of a challenge for me to wrap my mind around the notion that games have as much value as literature, but the discussion of video games certainly opened my eyes to the possibility. I definitely think that there are nuanced, stimulating and interesting games out there, just as there are some really bad books. I can't say that books are a more intellectual or beneficial medium than video games when there are multitudes of awful romance novels in this world. Our society educates us in such a manner that we are taught to hold books on a pedestal, and the value of other mediums is measured against the traditional book. I have yet to become personally interested in the world of video games, but this discussion shed new light on my own preconceived notions of how value is attached to texts.

Mr. Landow

2005-10-09T22:51:00.000-07:00

Admittedly, in Hypertext 2.0 I found Landow’s discussion of the many forms of linking rather confusing, but this reading did enhance my understanding of hypertext and reinforced several of the points we’ve come across recently.

Landow’s example about the experience of reading James Joyce’s Ulysses is well taken, but I can’t help but imagine how distracting it would be to follow a link to a slight digression from the thematic thread of the novel. I almost feel I would gather less of an understanding of the text by interrupting my reading every time I encountered a footnote/link “the reader can follow the link to another text indicated by the note and thus move entirely outside the article itself” (4). It is true that hypertext makes it easier for the reader to follow the paths already established by the presence of footnotes, but I’m not sure if hyperlinks allow for a greater understanding of the text itself. There are, of course, many positive aspects to the hyperlink within scholarly text, “electronic hypertext…makes individual references easy to follow and the entire field of interconnections obvious and easy to navigate” (4).

Landow also mentions, in line with what has been said by other authors, that “the presence of multiple reading paths…also creates a text that exists far less independently of commentary, analogues, and traditions than does printed text” (25). Landow goes on to state that this results in the blurring of individual texts, which in turn causes us to reassess “our experience of both author and authorial property, and this reconception of these ideas promises to affect our conceptions of both the authors (and authority) of texts we study and ourselves as authors” (25). This, in essence, places the reader in a position that is relatively empowering; the reader has an increased capacity to identify and sift through bad information. Because there is so much information, the author’s authority is diminished.

Landow predicts that books will lose their clout in the scholarly world as people become accustomed to electronic books, but I think that books will continue to retain an essence of reliability for quite some time. As I mentioned when discussing Natalie Bookchin’s presentation, technology becomes outdated and obsolete so quickly. Perhaps hypertext does shift the reader’s role from consumer to producer, but it will ultimately be up to readers to decide the place of hypertext in our culture.

Natalie Bookchin & Tran T. Kim Trang Lecture

2005-10-09T18:51:00.000-07:00

I recently attended a lecture about the intersections of art and science featuring speakers Natalie Bookchin and Tran T. Kim Trang. We've been looking at hypertext stories that illustrate the marriage of internet/new technologies and literature/storytelling and their talks prompted me to think about the ways that the internet can be used to create and influence art.

Bookchin spoke a not so recent project she participated in with the group RTmark, a sort of net/biotech activist piece that consisted of a power point presentation. It was interesting because even though the piece was under 5 years old, the technology was outdated to the point that the sound component no longer functioned. The piece was a commentary on the ethical and political implications of science in relation to biotechnology-more specifically genetics (designer babies) and role of business in furthering an area of science driven by money. The fact that the powerpoint didn't function as it was intended was a further commentary on the obsoleteness of outdated software and the role of digital technology in preserving archives. This relates back to Bush's idea that for a record to be useful it must be stored, and above all consulted (38). What happens when digital work can no longer be consulted because the technology is so outdated?

Trang's work was more focused on art created as a commentary on genetic engineering, following Bookchin's discussion thread about designer babies. She set up an artificial store front advertising a retail space named "Gene Genies," where parents can choose their child's genetic makeup. Though Trang's work has less to do with computer technology, it is still an interesting perspective on the new developments in technology that change the way we look at life.

Also, the internet has created new opportunities for artists to display and distribute their work. Bookchin's work at RTmark is a web based activism, and much of her work has to do with "hacktivism" and net.art, both interesting tools for getting people involved with issues like the WTO meeting in Seattle. Both "hacktivism" and net.art are things i'd be interested in learning more about.

Enough for now, here is the RTmark website: http://www.rtmark.com/

Bolter & Michael Joyce's "Afternoon"

2005-10-04T18:07:00.000-07:00

After experiencing Michael Joyce's "Afternoon" I picked through the Bolter readings and found some quotes that I found especially relevant to the discussion of hypertext.

"An electronic book may speak with different voices to different readers" (7)--> each reader will take away a different interpretation of/reaction to "Afternoon" because it can be navigated in so many ways (typing, clicking yes/no, choosing a word to follow).

"The reader exercises choice at every moment in the act of reading. Electronic reading is therefore a special instance of what economists now call "market segmentation." (8) --> I found several websites boasting collections of hypertext fiction, it seems that it has in fact tapped a niche market. The hypertext fictions I looked at seem much more polished and have obviously come a long way in the past decade. While reading "Afternoon" I found myself aware of and somewhat distracted by the dated look of the hypertext. http://www.eastgate.com/catalog/Fiction.html

"Elements in the electronic writing space are not simply chaotic; they are instead in a perpetual state of reorganization" (9) -->Though the pages seem disjointed, they are obviously connected for a readon. Though it may be difficult to follow a particular thread of narrative in "Afternoon" the pieces of the puzzle do fit together.

"...in the computer, writing in layers is quite natural, and reading the layers is effortless. All the individual paragraphs may be of equal importance in the whole text, which then becomes a network of interconnected writings. The network is designed by the author to be explored by the reader in precisely this peripatetic fashion" (15)

"...the electronic medium can permit us to play creatively with formal structures in our writing without abandoning the richness of natural language" (19) --> I could not agree more. Joyce plays with the structure without taking away from the importance of the words. I really enjoyed his writing style (and his mention of Blowup and Red Desert) and was eager to continue following the stories - he also alluded to Borges and Cortazar.

"Association is always present in any text: one word echoes another; one sentence or paragraph recalls others earlier in the text and looks forward to still others"(22) --> some of the texts seemed very random while others fit together sequentially

"A hypertext is like a printed book that the author has attacked with a pair of scissors and cut into convenient verbal sizes. The difference is that the electronic hypertext does not simply dissolve into a disordered bundle of slips, as the printed book must. For the authore also defines a scheme of electronic connections to indicate relationships among the slips" (24)

"A hypertext has no canonical order. Every path defines an equally convincing and appropriate reading, and in that simple fact the reader's relationship to the text changes radically" (25) -> different paths illustrate all the possible relationships between topics that would not have been present in the typical hierarchical structure of writing.

"The electronic book is therefore not available as an object for decoration in the medieval tradition. Instead, the book is abstract-- a concept, not a thing to be held" (87)

"(In electronic writing)...the reader seldom has a sense of where he or she is in the book" "There are ways of orienting the reader in an electronic document, but in any true hypertext the ending must remain tentative (87) --> I could not find a definitive end to "Afternoon," instead I started cycling back and forgot where i'd began in the first place. This added to the intrigue and appeal of the text for me.

Microfilm!

2005-09-29T21:42:00.000-07:00

After reading Vannevar Bush's article "As We May Think" I was left with several questions about where exactly the technology he envisioned has ended up. Bush had high hopes for the future of microfilm technology, and hoped it would transform the nature of record keeping. Microfilm fit the mold of his ideal record..."A record if it is to be useful to science must be continuously extended, it must be stored, and above all it must be consulted" (38). Microphotography reduces the size of the record so one can store thousands of volumes in a fraction of the area needed for the storage of books. The medium is advantageous for several reasons; obviously, it is compact, and it costs much less to produce and reproduce than paper documents. It also has a long life span, making it a stable archive, and it is an analog which makes it easier to view. As opposed to digital media, the format of microfilm is easy for anyone literate in the language to understand with the aid of a magnifying glass. Bush didn't mention some of the serious pitfalls of microfilm technonolgy. The microfilm image cannot be read without the assistance of a large projector, this makes microfilm somewhat cumbersome and difficult to use. Microfilm images cannot be reproduced though use of a photocopier, and microfilm can only be reproduced a few times, unlike digital media, which is easy to regenerate and edit.

I know that today microfilm is used for the storage of periodicals and documents, but it doesn't seem to have included books to the extent that Bush foresaw. Does digital technology fulfill Bush's expectations of microfilm and its ability to possibly democratize information? Bush noted, "Even the modern great library is not generally consulted; it is nibbled at by a few." I think this is still true. Though computers and the internet allows us increased access to information, I don't think the internet has replaced/profliferated the modern library as Bush thought microfilm could. People have access to many different kinds of information through the internet, but not exactly extensive libraries of novels. However, computers/the web are highly compressed forms of recording information, which exceeds Bush's expectations of a record- computers are effective at storing, extensive and easy to consult.

blogs

2005-09-25T12:41:00.000-07:00

So, i've realized that I am not a good blogger. The idea of writing my thoughts down in blog form doesn't really mesh with me. This got me thinking about what it means to be an avid blogger, and for blogging to be used as a primary form of communication with the outside world (i've always seen it as a form of self advertisement). The thing is, I really enjoy reading other people's blogs, even if I don't know them personally. Every time I come across a link for a blog I can't help but follow it and end up reading about random people's lives in great detail. It's actually kind of creepy...these people didn't personally invite me to read up on their lives, but in a sense, by having their blog on the internet, they did.
After doing a bit of research on the internet about blogs I was somewhat amazed to discover just how many there are. Today, blogs are not limited to the typical personal diary type posts, but have extended to include news blogs, commentary blogs, blogs about anything and everything. There is also a certain attractiveness about their immediacy...some blogs can be very sophisticated news outlets and accesible in a manner similar to radio. I read an article on wired.com (http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/10.05/mustread.html?pg=2) about the phenomenon of blogging and the author made some points that made me think about blogging in a different light.

1. Blogging is personal - raises questions about authority of "respected news magazines," are the writers really more credible than a well-sourced blogger? The ability to comment on blogs - interactivity
2. Production - no need for an editor + a publisher (advertisers)...free stream of information with a massive audience, new route of production, changes the nature of journalism.

Whenever I read blogs I am always very aware of the opinion attached to them. However, when I read articles in the New York Times I still get a sense that it is the "real news" (whatever that really means) - for me, it's a respected authority, like an old friend. I'm not sure to what extent blogs could and will transform traditional news media, but I feel like I should be more aware of just how much blogging has infiltrated American culture.

p.s. - I hear this blog is very popular, I find it very strange. http://www.wilwheaton.net/ I could never do this...so much blogging.

Notes on McLuhan

2005-09-20T22:36:00.000-07:00

Print, Comics and the Printed Word:

- McLuhan notes that the written word was an inadequate conveyor of visual info about objects was a significant barrier to the development of science in Greek and Roman era. This need for an efficient and effective way to express complex ideas is expressive of McLuhan's definition of the basic function of media: to store and expedite information.
-This section echoes Ong in its claim that print/typography's primary message is that of repeatability, as well as its ability to create a fixed point of view.
-I really liked McLuhan's description of comics as a "participational form of expression" which is "adapted to the mosaic form of the newspaper" - comics provide a sort of daily continuity. I feel that comics (in newspaper form) are considerably less relevant today. Mass audiences no longer follow comics in daily newspapers and MAD magazine is not particularly popular with young people today. McLuhan notes that TV is a rival to comics, and I think that TV has ultimately won out in this battle. As McLuhan puts it, "TV cooled American audiences" leading to new viewer tastes and orientation.
-One point that McLuhan makes that I don't follow is "Today our ten-year-olds, in voting for MAD, are telling us in their own way that the TV image has ended the consumer phase of American culture". I don't even know what this means! To me, the TV image has pushed American culture even further into the consumer "phase," and facilitated its growth.
-Last quote i was drawn to..."the book was the first teaching machine and the first mass produced commodity," I never thought of a book as a "teaching machine," but in a way it makes sense...interesting.

Orality and Literacy, part II

2005-09-18T22:43:00.000-07:00

Orality + Literacy: Memory, Death and the Written Word

2005-09-17T12:57:00.000-07:00

In reading chapter’s from Walter Ong’s “Orality and Literacy,” I was especially struck by the sheer number of spoken languages that exist and have existed with no literature or form of writing. The presence of language that does not live outside of the spoken word seems foreign to me as an individual who has grown up in a culture infused by literacy. I can’t help but attempt to imagine how different my life would be had I not been exposed to texts, literature and the act of writing itself. I use writing to record my thoughts, make lists of things I want to remember, and value writing as something more permanent than my own memory. Words act not only as memory triggers, but I often write things down so I won’t have to remember them, or create an effective system to recall things from memory. Literacy is so engrained in my person that it is impossible for me to think about oral cultures outside of my mindset which is deeply rooted in writing.
Ong’s connection between the written word and death is quite profound. “The paradox lies in the fact that the deadness of the text, its removal from the living human lifeworld, its rigid visual fixity, assures its endurance and its potential for being resurrected into limitless living contexts by a potentially infinite number of living readers” (80). This depiction of text as lifeless, removed and artificial renders it a seemingly stale form of communication. However, I value the existence of text because in a way it extends the life of the writer. For me, reading old love letters tucked away in a grandmother’s attic is a powerful experience, and less removed than listening to a distant relative relay versions of stories from the past. Paper and pen create memories that, as Ong notes, have limitless potential to be shared and resurrected. I do not doubt that when an oral culture becomes literate something special is lost that can never be reinstated, but with writing comes such boundless possibilities that I value greatly.

Immediacy in Visual Art

2005-09-11T23:32:00.000-07:00

The evolution of immediacy in visual art can be traced from early painting through the digital graphs of the present day. Bolter and Grusin point out that each new medium built upon the previous in an attempt to heighten the transparency of the medium. Techniques in painting (such as perspective,) film and photography, and currently virtual reality, seek to make the viewer’s experience more seamless. However, with each new advancement the previous mediums’ transparence is rendered obsolete. Bolter and Grusin point out that digital graphics are the work of humans whose agency is so far from the act of drawing that it seems to disappear (27.) I think it is important to make the distinction between the actual disappearance of human agency and seeming disappearance of human agency. When photography was first invented it was referred to as a “pencil of nature,” a direct rendering of the surrounding world and a purveyor of truth. But the artist was never truly concealed, and their presence is profoundly felt in abstract photographs, which heighten the viewer’s awareness of the photographic process (8.) Though the apparent removal of the artist in photography naturally led to digital images, in which the artist is even less noticeably present, I still feel that a true sense of immediacy or a “more natural” effectiveness is lacking. Bolter and Grusin make the point that new mediums fulfill un-kept promises of old mediums, and come closer to simulating our personal experiences in everyday life. For me personally, digital technology and more recently virtual reality, moves away from a more natural personal experience and instead feels artificial, at least as viewed on a computer screen. Digital media will engage in conversation with earlier forms of media, building off of and remediating these mediums of the past. Perhaps one day we will be able to truly experience visual art without mediation (divorced from earlier media?), but at this point in time I find the viewer’s fixed point of view characteristic of art of the past to be more stimulating and natural to my senses.

The Intruder and Bolter & Grusin

2005-09-05T20:26:00.000-07:00

Natalie Bookchin’s “The Intruder” is a stimulating work of Internet based art that stresses the interactivity of the viewer. Her remediation of a short story by Jorge Luis Borges combines text, sound, computer games and images to create a rich, albeit initially confusing, sensory experience. Bookchin’s work is not so much an illustration of the events within the text, rather a broad commentary on the very nature of how today’s digital experience interacts with text and games.

As Bolter and Grusin mention in their introduction, in everyday life we are challenged to appreciate the individuality of text, image, and sound, in integrated settings with each aspect playing multiple roles. This integration relates directly to Bookchin’s multifaceted approach to Internet art in “The Intruder.” It’s difficult to fully direct one’s attention to following the thread of the story (as told by a voice over) when the viewer is simultaneously expected to complete the video game activities, read the text on the screen, and make connections between the different experiences and several points of view. I had to watch the piece several times to fully catch the story and begin to understand its possible meanings. It was difficult to follow on several levels. Often times the voice telling the story overlapped with the sound effects of the video game, and the text of the story didn’t always match up with the spoken word. The viewer is forced to confront the interferences while at the same time attempting to follow the progression of the work. This aspect of multitasking is reflected in many aspects of modern life. News websites, such as CNN, are host to advertisements, ticker bars and pop ups, all demanding the viewer’s attention and navigation and in turn detracting from the meaning and importance of the actual news text.

Bookchin’s experimental narrative challenges what we think of as traditional media, but is not a replacement, or even an improvement upon Borges’ original text. As a viewer I felt very aware of the relationship between the digital medium and the message (both detached from Borges’ original story,) and directly interacted with the piece through the games. I found Bookchin’s use of arcade-like games interesting, particularly their emphasis on the female body. The symbol for female is bounced back in forth across the screen, and at the end of the work, the female body is targeted by a sniper. It is unclear what it means to “win” in the interactive games, and in several circumstances to “win” (proceed with the narrative,) in fact means to lose the game. This relates to what we were talking about in class and the issue of failure. Failure in both the literal sense – the violence that characterizes the end of the story and the end of the arcade game, and perhaps figuratively, the failures of new media (more to come concerning this). “The Intruder” is a work of hypermediacy and Bookchin’s use of graphics, games and text make the viewer acutely aware of mediation (an experience of representation?) and its role in digital society.

MS/ENGL 149 Prof Fitzpatrick Theories of New Media

2005-09-05T18:57:00.000-07:00