Above the Desert
Posted: September 9, 2015 Filed under: Extras 1 Comment »
A random place on the great map.
Week 3 Reading Response
Posted: September 9, 2015 Filed under: Assignments, Reading Responses, Sarah Lawler Leave a comment »There is only software
It’s fascinating to associate “digital” with “software” so directly. Of course software is the backbone of all media. Using the word “software” can seem intimidating to use. Software itself is a whole other language. Users use the word “digital” because they can associate with understanding how to use an app. If the user used “software” it implies that the user understands not only the app, but how it was built. I do agree that we should be taught what we use and rely on every day. It seems that Manovich has an underlying tone throughout the reading to appreciate what is being created and shared.
Jean Baudrillard A Very Short Introduction
This was most certainly a difficult read. I know as a society we have can get lost in what is real or not. However, I’m not sure if Baudrillard was leading to this or not, but here’s my takeaway. War is reality to him. Postmortem only takes effect after war, according to him. He even backtracks what he says about American culture when 9-11 happened, but criticizes how the military handled it. I think he makes some great points, but there is this certainly a pretentious air about Baudrillard’s work.
Dialogue with the Machines
I don’t think a computer needs to be an AI in order to classify it as interactive. The computer itself doesn’t speak to us. It does however, carry its own type of language that does allow users to learn from other users. If the user is capable, he/she could find out almost anything on their own using a computer. In a way the internet is the “human dialogue partner” and the computer serves as a medium. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t be upset if I could have my own personal Jarvis in the future.
Readings for September 9/14
Posted: September 9, 2015 Filed under: Readings Leave a comment »An Arts, Sciences and Engineering Education and Research Initiative for Experiential Media
Pressure Project 1
Posted: September 9, 2015 Filed under: Pressure Project I, Sarah Lawler Leave a comment »
Location: Buffalo Wild Wings
Time: During Happy Hour
Observation: Happy hour was not as crowded as I thought it would be. I would imagine that if a big game was being aired there, the place would be packed. I’m going to base this devised piece off a packed Buffalo Wild Wings. When observing the waiters/waitresses I noticed the amount of maneuverability between tables is quite difficult for them due to the amount of chairs that are in the way. I also noticed there are not enough TV’s to compensate for the amount of tables that are within the room if say everyone wanted to watch their own game if multiple games were taking place.
Devise: Build tablets and card readers into the table to minimize the amount of traffic that is taking place throughout the restaurant. By installing tablets within the table, one could order food, drinks, ask for extra napkins, pay bill etc. without having anyone walk over until food needs to be delivered. They would also have total control over what they can watch. The TV would need be separate from the tablet so the customer would not have to be staring down at the table throughout their whole experience there. A 360degree projection would serve as the TV. It would sit above the table so everyone at the table can still be seen by one another.
The syllabus has been updated
Posted: September 9, 2015 Filed under: Announcements Leave a comment »You can find the updated syllabus here:
http://recluse.accad.ohio-state.edu/ems/?page_id=16
There is Only Software by Lev Manovich, Response
Posted: September 9, 2015 Filed under: Alexandra Stilianos, Reading Responses 1 Comment »Depending on which software you use to access it, what you can do with the same digital file can change dramatically.
Of course it is, in the eyes of a designer or programmer of course this realization is apparent but if ‘we’ are designing, creating, devising for the ‘masses’ the responsibility changes hands. In the same way that your experience with software can alter your experience, the same goes (in my opinion) on your lack of awareness of the capabilities therein. There is only software for the minority in the know of the in’s and outs of programming, for the masses who use the media- it is simply media, right?
To reverse back to Baudrillard:
“all we have now are simulations of reality (which aren’t any more or less real than the realities they simulate.)”
Jean Baudrillard by Doug Mann, Response
Posted: September 9, 2015 Filed under: Alexandra Stilianos, Reading Responses Leave a comment »“Death of the real” – “Simulacrum” – “Desert of real”
No matter which way he phrases the theory it is clear, we all are constantly and relentlessly immersed in the culture we live in. I have problem with any various sweeping argument in general, including Mann’s. I am also curious to place this article in the (near or distant) past since it has no date, and his pop culture references are Friends and Lara Croft.
While his refurbishing of ‘simulacrum’ is interesting, I think even a mildly self-aware person has the ability to speak about a fictional person/character in the context of the show (in the TV example.) The disillusioned minority who cannot would be similar to Brooke Shields cameo on the aforementioned show, Friends, where she believe Joey (Matt Leblanc) to actually be his soap opera character, Drake. META.
“Loss of reality isn’t so hard to understand but difficult for some of us to swallow.” So maybe, I am also just a lost lamb and this desert is too real for me to accept. *shrugs, turns Netflix back on*
A Very Short Introduction – Baudrillard
Posted: September 8, 2015 Filed under: Connor Wescoat Leave a comment »When Baudrillard talks about the “death of the real” it sounds like a reading I had to do in my history of pop culture class I took two semesters ago entitled “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction” by Walter Benjamin. In this reading Benjamin states that in the age of mechanical reproduction, the “aura” of produced works of art are ripped and torn asunder due to accessibility. The “tradition” of making art is forgotten by the viewer and the aura of the work is ultimately diminished. This sounds like Baudrillard’s death of reality,
“we live our lives in a realm of hyperreality, connecting more and more deeply to things that merely simulate reality” – Baudrillard
There Is Only Software – Manovich
Posted: September 8, 2015 Filed under: Connor Wescoat Leave a comment »While this article makes complete sense and might be obvious to some, I never looked at “digital media” in such a straight forward manner. Manovich paints a pretty bleak picture of conventional media in that everything that “could” be, is ultimately controlled by the software at the end of the day.
“Digital media” does not have any unique properties by itself. What used to be ‘properties of a medium’ are now operations and affordances defined by software.
Squares – The Stop Rule of Death
Posted: September 8, 2015 Filed under: Connor Wescoat, Josh Poston 1 Comment »
Behold! The classic game of squares. While up to 4 players can participate in a single game, Only Josh and I participated in this strategic game of Mortal Kombat. The rules are simple, a grid of “dots” are drawn on a piece of paper. From these dots, players take turns drawing a connecting line from dot to dot going up & down or left to right. The objective of the game is to create a complete square by conjoining the drawn lines. This next rule is critical, once a square is completed by a player they get to draw another line. This “extra turn” is a reward for completing a square and can cause a lot of squares to be completed in one fell swoop. The game ends when all dots on the grid are drawn in and the number of squares are tallied.
After playing one full game of dots, Josh and I chose to implement a “STOP rule” to the equation. This stop rule would function as a one-time stop to a players square completion. Simply put, if a player realized that they were about to get a lot of squares stacked against them they could stop that momentum of the opposing player. This new rule brought an added dynamic to the game by offering a strategic last resort. If used correctly, this rule could completely flip the tables in your favor. Used incorrectly and you would become crippled by the opposing players onslaught of square completions! Play at your own risk.