Click it

Our whole lives are spent searching. What makes each person different, is what he or she finds. Different search methods will lead one consumer to different conclusions because their operating systems cover different territory. 

For example, if I was looking for the book "The Alchemist," there are many different ways I could find it on the internet. The most conventional way would be to go to Amazon and type in the title. This seems that it might be the best way to find a book, but not necessarily. Another option would be to look up nearby bookstores and then use google maps to track your way on foot. This search would lead you to a store full of books, so instead of leaving with one, you leave with two others you could not leave without that were in the same section. A third way would be to use flicker's color search or the book pop to try  to match the purple color on the book. This may lead you to books that are completely unrelated to your previous area of inquiry, and you may end up ordering some new knowledge you had previously never been turned on to. Over all, I wouldn't say that these later search methods are "bad." They just aren't as effective as the direct line. For some shoppers, however, this is ok. There are some people that want to peruse through the book stacks, and with Amazons latest marketing information,  consumers are only shown a relatively narrow selection of books. By searching through some of the less conventional models, more creativity and variation can be found. 

If we were to change the whole way of searching, for example by not clicking at all. How would this change the items we do choose? It was interesting to think of how computers may have evolved without the idea of clicking a mouse. They would probably look very different. The mouse itself is a form of actively choosing where to click. It is tactile and gives the user a sense of control. When it was taken away from me, I began to feel lost at first, but slowly over time I became much more comfortable with the new system. It was interesting to search through the different search engines to see what results would come my way. 

The Museum of Jurassic Technology

Technology is defined as "the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes," however in this digital age, most people have a much more narrow view of technology.  Most people think of computers, cell phones and many of the other recent innovations that reflect current scientific breakthroughs. Hundreds of years ago though, breakthroughs in science and engineering were much more primitive. So when I walked into the Museum of Jurassic Technology, I was surprised to find exhibits about superstition and art the size of a pinhead. It is interesting to think about these trends in human thinking to current culture.

The first exhibit that I became interested in talked about many different superstitions and the home remedies that people used to apply against them. Superstitions can be classified as technology by the definition above because they apply current scientific knowledge (or lack there of) to every day life.   example, some people would make their children eat whole mice on toast to cure stammering.  Now, we would never eat mice on toast because studies have found that there in no correlation between mice pie and the voice box. I think this might have worked only because kids were so mortified by eating mice bones and fur that they were conditioned to stop stuttering. Today, superstitious tend to focus on luck, religion and other topics that we do not have definitive knowledge about. 

Some other exhibits including my favorite where they showed ex-rays of flowers to show their internal organs more directly showed the evolution of individual thought through science, but other parts of the museum just started to confuse me. For example, I listened to a recording that talked about an a virus that infects ants in rain forests and sprouts brightly colored fungi from their remains. I struggled to see how each of the exhibits corresponded to one another and to the museum as a whole. I guess even the natural aspects of the museum, represent different items and phenomena that helped to increase the base of human understanding and experience.  

The museum seemed like it was a collection of random artifacts, and it was. But because they covered such a wide range of topics from religion to trailer parks, dice to pinhead art a larger conclusion can be made. Humans make assumptions about the world around them based on what they have seen and experienced, this manifests itself in everyday actions and production (technology). I was interested to think why did this person decide to devote his time to creating art out of butterfly wings? While it is impossible to know the answer to this question, it is sure that the motivation came from his beliefs about the world around him and was made possible by advancement in tools that enabled him to precisely cut and place teeny pieces of wings. The museum draws together these relics from the past in order that we may understand better the knowledge that existed before more recent findings. It talks both about the collectivity of human knowledge and the uniqueness of individual experience to produce novel goods and perceptions of life. 

Kleine Welt

In this short interactive video called Kleine Welt, or Small World, the narrators perspective of small town life came through by guiding the audience through a series of slides and stories. At first, I thought it was really interesting to be able to choose what slides you went through and create your own story within the larger project. However, as I got closer to the end, my choice became less and less. By the end of the project, there were many slides with only one red box to click on and advance to the next slide. I started to think what this lack of choice meant about living in a small town. You make initial choices about how you want to live, but being in a small town really limits your free will and choice. I wondered if everyone was given the same narrow choices at the end like I was. It is really important in flash, at least to me, to have the choice between hotspots mean something that relates to your project as a whole. Choice lets the audience get involved with the story, and become invested in its progress, but if it does not increase the understanding of the main point of a project, I do not think it should be utilized. In this project, I felt that choice and interactivity were used effectively because it enabled me to explore the town like I would normally. 

My Second Life

This weekend, I began to explore the mystical world of Second Life. In this online planet, avatars can explore, make friends, buy property and even fly.  The opportunities are endless, just like in real life. For me, however, I could not connect emotionally to my avatar, nor could I master the rules that govern Second Life. All in all, I believe that Second Life may be a good outlet for some people, but I could not get into it. 

It was interesting to see the creations other Second Life members had made, and the imagination that came into creating objects such as this strawberry seat. The world is actually very beautiful. This night scene depicted had waterfalls and palm trees everywhere. Exploration also brought me to arctic tundras, tropical islands, and even Korea. Walking around in this virtual world expanded the number of places an individual could go. For someone who is generally confined to a homogenous environment, Second Life could provide a way to get out of the everyday confines of life. For me, I would rather step out my own front door and explore the real world.  Another aspect of the game that I would not buy into is the actual purchasing of Linden with real US dollars. Second Life users can buy property and material objects for their avatars to enjoy, however I could not justify spending my real money on an intangible, virtual house. 

My avatars name is Opal Burner. I was supposed to be able to change her appearance however I wanted, but for some reason, she is now wearing two skirts and has hair covering half of her face. I tried. This disconnect in control was another reason I could not get into Second Life.  I need to become more literate in the Second Life language before I make my final judgement, but as of now I do not understand where the main areas of business are, nor how to maneuver my avatar through the virtual world effectively. This disconnect may have contributed to my inability to bond with my avatar. I ended up flying through mountains, sinking in the rivers, and overall got very lost. 

I will try Second Life again soon, hopefully with better results. 

The movie, The Way things Go by Peter Fischli and David Weiss followed a series of events that passed energy through a variety of forms. From different camera angles, I found myself focusing on separate angles of the action. If the camera was looking from in front of the spark or falling board, I looked at the cause of the action. If the camera was positioned behind the bubbling foam or rolling ball, I would focus on the effect. The movie talked about narrative because depending on the perspective and angle of the camera, the chain of random causes and effects took on a whole different meaning. When an author creates a story, he or she must take care of the perspective. Any change in camera angle draws attention to a new set of images with their own connotative meanings. 

The Soft Cinema Project by Andres Kratky and Lev Manovich draws attention to the complex connotative connections that occur whenever we recall memory. For an author, many inspirations and experiences go into the creation of a narrative. When a viewer watches the narrative, he or she fills in the gaps and makes assumptions about what is going on based on what they already understand. The Soft Cinema project asks how much structure an audience needs to understand a narrative. It combines text, video, audio and color schemes to trigger emotional responses so the audience can create an opinion about the piece. Regardless of the meaning an author conveys within the artwork, a viewer will take what he or she wants from it. Narrative creates the structure for a piece, however the true meaning is determined by the observer. 

Fuzzy Biological Sabotage

The Critical Art Ensemble has created a website in which different groups and organizations can have a space to advertise their position on new biotechnology techniques and theories. They justify their mission by saying that it is "Fuzzy Biological Sabotage," meaning that they take up a position on the boarder line between two polar positions, and rely on the reactions of the public to decide which way the movement will continue. In other words, they have evenly presented the websites of groups with different opinions about biotechnology, and hope that visitors to the site will be inspired to start a dialogue with their peers about their own thoughts. CAE seems to be bipartisan on the subject, stating that they only want to "slow the current molecular invasion."  

The CAE also is experimenting with the line between science and art. They gave the associated organizations similar virtual spaces through which to share their opinions. The reactions of visitors to the  site will draw conclusions as to which advertising techniques are most effective in today's society. Some of the groups, such as Marching Plague, use alternative forms of expression, such as video and a museum installation to make their point about fear and bioterrorism. Other websites rely on strong emotional appeals to connect to their viewers. The Society for Reproductive Anachronisms uses a jarring sketch of a couple engaging in sexual intercourse to grab the attention of the audience. Uses of emotional visual stimuli in this arena are very effective because they serve to alert people of their true feelings on a subject. When people are shown a strong source image, they are forced to take a stance. The CAE welcomes this use of controversial imagery  in order to get people talking. 

Each of the organizations chosen by the CAE represents a different point of view. I believe that the CAE chose organizations that were not perfect, and had obvious flaws regardless of how which position you look at it from. The imperfection of the site leads to more discussion, and more emotion regarding the issue, which is the purpose of the site as a whole. 

Reproduction and Visual Technologies

This week for our blog prompt, we were asked to watch and analyze how the style of two short films, The Synthetic Philosophy of the Glance by Eric Faden, and  This Unfamiliar Place by Eva Ilona Brzeski functions to prove the point each is trying to convey.  Each author uses the the form of their short film to highlight their main point. 

In the first film, Eric Faden tries to draw a connection between visual cinema, railroads, and their ability to transport people to a different place or see things from a different perspective. He begins by giving three examples of movies that place the railroad at the center of the character's ability to see and process the world around them. Not only are they transported to a different location, but they are also able to view the world in a new and unique manner by their experience with the railroad. Movies too, not only enable us to see the world through a different perspective, but also comment on our position within that world. Faden uses the recreation of a classical movie style to illustrate the perspective of a young girl experiencing one of the first movies, and shows how the use of the railroad ties into the creation of a motion picture. He guides us through a girl's adventure by railroad, into the city, where she watches a documentary about the correlation between cinema and trains in what seems to be an old movie titled "The Day Trip." During the movie, he says that the creation of the railroad, made possible the acceptance of visual cinema by the masses, because just as video "the steam engine, that powerful stage manager throws the switches...and then shifts the view point every moment," - Benjamin Gastineau, and requires a new understanding of perspective. He punctuates his point at the end of the video, by revealing that the depiction of an old film was just that. Faden had transported his audience into a new time and space to make the audience more able to understand the connection between the genesis of cinema with the cultural impact of the railroad. 

The second film, This Unfamiliar Place, similarly parallels its form with function. The author is trying to make sense of, and investigate the details of her father's dark past in the concentration camp in Warsaw, Poland during WWII. The film takes the form of a documentary, that attempts to find the answers to her questions regarding her father's mysterious past. However, although this film is factual, drawing from her own perception and her father's words to draw conclusions, the audience is left just as confused about the man's experience in the concentration camp. She uses short and sporadic visual clips that are hard to interpret, and left me unclear about their connection to the discovery of meaning for the author. She tries to draw parallels between her own life, and the unknown story of her father, but nothing seems to satisfy the questions that linger in her brain and the minds of the audience. 

Creating a New Meaning

      Since everyone views images from a different time, place, and with different tastes, the meanings each person can derive from a piece of visual media can be very different. The ideas of cultural appropriation and re-appropriation reflect the constant fluidity of values in society. Appropriation, refers to the process through which a person or group who represent the oppositional reading of an image or symbol impose their own values on that image. For example, my friend Gabi tattooed the Hebrew symbol for "life" on her hip.  That symbol, which is used in Jewish culture to literally mean the state of being alive, took on different meanings for Gabi. When I asked her, it said it reminded her of her heritage, her faith, and her desire to become a mother one day. I assume when she looks at it, inspires feelings of empowerment, independence, and reminiscence to her 18th birthday when she painted it under her skin. She appropriated those feelings and values into the symbol, and when it is read through the medium of her skin, it is easy to understand her point of view. 

     Re-appropriation is the process through which the hegemonic culture reclaims certain symbols or icons that are used against the dominant ideologies by rebellious subcultures. Unlike the example of Gabi's tattoo, many times appropriation results in interpretations that deprecate their subjects. For example,  I have spent a lot of time this summer and fall conducting voter registration. For students in my age demographic, the push to register to vote is in style. Normally, teenagers who have an interest in politics are tagged as political science or international relations majors. However, since receiving mass media coverage, the connotations that voting and politics reflect the values of an older, activist demographic have been re-appropriated into popular culture. The political process, covered by gossip sources like MTV and Perez Hilton, has taken on a celebrity like persona.  As our nation's election is absorbed into the mainstream entertainment culture through skits on SNL, and pictures of the candidates and their families are seen in the tabloids, more demographics are persuaded to join in the movement.  The re-appropriation of the political process into mass culture increases voter turn out by appealing to a wider audience on a variety of cultural levels. 

Dead Media

We are living in a time of rapid technological innovation. It seems that new media are constantly being invented and integrated into society. However, this means that some media must be phased out. The Dead Media Project serves as a space where extinct media can be preserved so that progress can be tracked. After reviewing the examples of technologies from the past, I started to come to realize that there are two reasons why new inventions can become out of style. The first is that, even if they have exciting features, if they do not serve an effective additive purpose, it is possible that consumers will continue to rely on very primitave technologies. The second reason is that new inventions make the old ones obsolete.

For example, the Refrigerator mounted-Talking Note Pad was a reminder system that enabled users to record a twenty second message that could be replayed at any time. A red indicator light would blink if there were messages waiting to be listened too. However, this invention was no better than the normal pen and paper note taking system for a couple of reasons. First, in order to access the note, one had to actively engage in listening to it. Paper notes can be posted in eye sight and will remind the person even when they are not thinking about the task at hand. Secondly, the twenty second message was limiting, because you could only record one message at a time as opposed to paper methods that could accomodate as much information as neccessary. Although the talking note pad was a new innovation, media must serve a function as well as have an advancement of capabilities.

Even if an invention increases effectivity and the capabilities of other technologies in the same market, society is always innovating new ones that can take their place.  That is why technologies such as the teatrophone have become extinct, the market has become replaced by that of the radio and the television. The teatrophone enabled audiences interested in theatre and orchestra who didn't live in the city centers to hear the performances of the premier groups of the time. However, since the theatrophone only worked by fixed lines, they had to go to a specific storefront location equipped with teatrophone capabilities in order to experience this new media. With the invention of the radio and the television much later, audiences did not have to leave their homes to enjoy the same entertainment. 

Three Winters in the Sun: Einstein in California

The biggest decisions are the hardest to make. I know when I am stuck between two positions that have vastly different outcomes, the process of decision making is rarely organized. It is very rare that we come to choose between the right and wrong decision in a linear and progressive manner. So for Einstein, who had to chose weather or not to advocate his discovery of nuclear theory to Roosevelt during WWII, the process of discovery was most likely a scattered and influenced by many different factors

In the DVD series, Three Winters in the Sun: Einstein in California, each aspect of decision making is depicted in one of six rays of light that constitute different facets of Einstein's life.  His experiences as an emigrant, as a Jew, in the home, with the FBI, with Hollywood, and of science all intermix in order to help guide Einstein's actions as a man of political influence and scientific prestige. It may be more confusing for the reader to navigate through the chaotic and fluid light fields, however it is a more accurate depiction of the complexity of Einstein's thinking. The DVD claims that as an immigrant, Einstein was isolated from many groups because he had no true identity with any of them. However, because he could look at each of them with a more objective opinion, he was able to influence a wider spectrum of interest groups.  Einstein identified with pacifists, activists, socialites, those in catastrophic situations, Socialists and Capitalists and many more groups who both respected and feared his intelligence. 

As I navigated through the fields, I became more and more unaware of my position regarding Einstein's decision to advocate the Manhattan Project. However, one theme remained the same: militant pacifism, or the willingness to fight for peace. From an early age, Einstein was aware of the evils of the German Nazi empire he was raised in. He refused to join a power who could persuade the masses so easily to commit such crimes of atrocity.  Later, as he saw this regime threaten to control the globe, I believe he realized the necessity to fight against it. Although, because of FBI regulations, he was not able to participate in the American development of a nuclear weapon, his urging of Roosevelt to manifest his most controversial  invention had worldly consequences. 

However, although he knew the magnitude of the decision he was making, Einstein had an unwavering faith in the persistence of progress. As a physicist, he was constantly trying to advance science, and he knew that the world would not stop the movement once it had begun. By urging the Roosevelt administration to create the atomic bomb, he was putting the first power in the hands of who he thought was right. Capitalism, the United States would harness the greatest power the world had ever seen. Under the wrong supervision, his invention might have had much more catastrophic outcomes. 

The DVD does a fine job of representing the natural progression of thought and interconnectedness of life experiences. It leaves the audience to come up with their own conclusions rather than guiding them through a linear text to an end position. Einstein himself had no end position. Later he would say that sending that letter to Roosevelt was the biggest mistake he had ever made. However, when talking about his removal of support for his Quantum Mechanics theory because it relied on probability, he said, "God doesn't play dice with the universe." We must take into account Einstein's faith when deciding the morality of his decision. I believe that colossal outcomes would have occurred regardless of Einstein's support for one side, so we must take on faith that the catastrophic decisions of one man were the right ones. 

The Five Obstructions

The Five Obstructions, by Lars Von Trier is a movie that follows Jorgen Leth through a series of obstacles to expressing his own voice through film. Trier contracts Jorgen to create a series of five films following the same script as the 1967 moive The Perfect Human. As Trier gives his subject guidelines to filming that include including no single edit more than 12 frames, traveling to miserable Bombay, India; and even using only cartoons to express himself, the tone of each film c hanges despite using the same script.
The first thing that struck me by watching this film, was the different emotions that were evoked by each of the four films Jorgen produced. The original film The Perfect Human was filmed in black and white with no set. To me, it conveys introspective message reflecting on what it means to be a human, and what it means to be an imperfect being. However, as each obstruction is added, and locations and sets are introduced into the scene, new emotions are introduced. For example, when Jorgen places the impoverished Indians behind him as he eats a lavish meal in a tuxedo, the movie quickly becomes a commentary about the division between socioeconomic classes and reflects the assumption that a perfect human is unsympathetically wealthy.
However, the overarching theme of the documentary is more a commentary about expression. Trier creates these obstructions in hopes that Jorgen will have to expose his weaknesses and therefore a part of himself he has previously been too afraid to show. However, no matter what obstructions Trier gives to Jorgen, the movie he produces is of good quality and seems to continue to comment on another aspect of what it means to be human. At first, Trier is frustrated at Jorgen's success, however by the end it is clear what has come from the experiment. Taking away someone's defenses and trying to find the voice that resides below all of the general tools they use to hide behind is not the only way to discover who a person really is. For Jorgen, taking away the tools he would normally use and putting him in unfamiliar situations only made his personal voice much stronger. The audience was able to see a different side of his personality because he was given different means through which to express his same point of view.
Trier's development of the Dogme 95 movement, which aims to create true to life films by the exclusion of expensive effects, also mirrors the idea of The Five Obstructions. By eliminating effects, the voice of the film maker comes through more honestly. Some of the obstructions placed under this style include using a hand-held camera, not using extra light, and filming on location to create a more authentic and live action effect.
Whenever the means through which a piece of art is altered, it automatically follows that the message will change. The aesthetic quality of the media creates different emotions within the viewer. In this class, multimedia will give each person a new way to express themselves because we are no longer confined to the traditional means of aural and written communication. By channeling my voice through new media, I will be able to convey the message I am trying to share with a new set of tools.

First Blog

This is a testt. <3