The responses to all the readings for the semester.
1. What are the three transportation media? What is the difference between a transport medium and a transport vehicle?
The three transportation media are Land, Water, and Air. The difference between a transport medium and a transport vehicle is that the medium is the “substance” that needs to be travelled whereas the vehicle is the technology or methods used to travel quickly and efficiently over the media.
2. What are the three communication media? Give examples of communication media vs communication vehicles. Email uses which communication medium?
The three communication media are Interpersonal, Mass, and New media. Examples of communication media is the actual act of speaking to people to deliver information, whereas examples of the vehicles are letters, television, phones, books and the like are the vehicles that are used to deliver the information over distances where speaking cannot be utilized. In my opinion, Email can fall under two mediums, the interpersonal and the mass mediums simply because it can be addressed to a single person or to multiple peoples.
3. What are the advantages/disadvantages of interpersonal communication? Of broadcast communication?
The advantages of interpersonal communication are that the participants have equal control of the content that can easily be tailored to their individual interests. The disadvantages being that there cannot be many more participants added to the situation because the quality will decrease into a chaotic state and therefore will each have less control over the content.
The advantages of broadcast communication are that the same exact content can be distributed to a number of participants with a single person controlling the content. However, the disadvantages are that the content cannot be individualized to each participants interests and needs and that they have no reciprocal control of the content.
4. What are the characteristics of the New Medium? Is a many-to-many communication possible without the new technology of laptop, iphone, and internet?
New Medium has a mix of the advantages and disadvantages of both the interpersonal and the broadcast communications. It can distribute individualized information to an infinite amount of participants who then have reciprocal control of the content, however this content cannot be individualized to each unique participant. In my opinion, the use of many-to-many communication will be inevitably accessible and utilized by people without the use of new technologies because people have the talent of ingenuity and would find/create a way to practice many-to-many communications. Also, this could nearly be done instantly in the form of special interests groups (as in book clubs) where numerous people can come together and share information on a specific topic and each participant will have an equal chance to reciprocate the content.
1. Pick an issue which you believe the media has “papered over”. Describe how you figured out you were not getting the whole truth. What was the more complex truth and why was it hidden (who benefits from the partial truth and who loses). What is the cost to you and what can you do about it?
Most issues that the media will “paper over” is politically related or war related (which also ties into the political aspect). One example is the War in Afghanistan and Iraq where the Government hides many of its activities and cover-ups. In all honesty, the media hardly (if at all) focuses on the current happenings of the war. When the media does cover the war they focus almost solely on the American troops and never on the effect of our presence on the civilians giving the impression that we have no impact on the civilians. The truth is that there are far more civilian deaths than American soldier deaths (a handful of which could be blamed on foreign troops). Those who could benefit from such a cover-up are the politicians who receive better PR, whereas those who suffer are obviously the civilians and also the troops. The cost to me personally is that I am not fully aware of the damage being done to people and preventing me (and others) from informing people properly and with fully accurate information.
2. In what way have you been encouraged to “sit back, relax, and enjoy the show” and how can you “grab the steering wheel before we go over the edge”?
In high school, students are encouraged to just “go with the flow” and do what the teachers and parents instruct us to do. However, once we graduate there are many options open to us—we can go to college, move to far away places, live the way we want without a predetermined path that was laid before us by other people.
1. Why is art happening outside the usual art institutions? Where is it happening? Can you explain why it has shifted?
People have less of an interest for traditional arts such as painting or sculpture; there is now a desire to find new mediums or a way to “spice up” the old mediums.
This is happening on a global scale, from the U.S. to Europe to Russia, even. And in these places it’s happening in science labs and the like where people don’t expect to find art projects and artists.
One of the major reasons for the shift is that funding for the arts is decreasing whereas funding for technical sciences is increasing which then draws the crowd of creative people.
2. According to the authors, is “art” still an important term? Do we still want or need to distinguish it from non-art? Is so, why or why not?
According to the authors, “art” is still an important term because “society needs art to survive”. Art basically serves as the “reality check” from all the technological advances and serves to keep it in balance within our society.
I think we still want to distinguish art from non-art as well as we need to because people still want to be able to appreciate the traditional arts and are awed by the new digital arts. They don’t necessarily want to look at the genome of a mouse and inspect it as art and not for what it is, the DNA of a mouse.
3. How is technology a virus, and if technology acts like a virus, how does “art” function like an antibody? Does this mean that art is opposed to technology? Is the immune system opposed to all foreign bodies? What then, is the relation between art and technology as portrayed in The Edge of Art?
Technology has a “mind of its own” and wants to establish itself in everything we do at every moment of our lives. Art takes in the technology and morphs it into something new by “perversing code”, “arrests normal operations” and so on.
Art is not necessarily opposed to technology, but rather uses it for its own gain. Just like the immune system is not opposed to all foreign bodies but rather works alongside them to fend off malicious foreign bodies.
The relationship between art and technology is that, at first, they are generally opposed to each other. But over time, they start to work together (or rather art takes over the form of technology and makes something new from it).
1. Give examples of different kinds of codes that Code Artists use & abuse to create their work. Given this "procedural" approach, how do you distinguish this kind of creativity from art made with pen & ink or paint & canvas? How has the artists' role changes? How has the art changed?
The Mandelbrot set is a perfect example because so many people have used it in some form in their work. Binary code is another example because it is so simple in design but so much could be done with that design.
To distinguish this type of art from more traditional mediums is simply the physical properties--code typically doesn't take much of a physical form other than what you can see on the minitor whereas pen and ink or paint and canvas takes a physical form that can ve held and takes space.
The role of the artist has changed so that instead of following rules of how things are done, instead they go against the rul For example, instead of using an item the way it was intended, artists are thinking of ways to use items the way they were not intended to be used.
The art has changed so that it is being presented in new ways and so that others (not the artist) can be directly involved in the peice via interactive art. It also is not intended to last as long as it used to be. In the past, art peices were meant to last forever; but now it is considered to be long lived if it lasts for a few years.
2. What function distinguishes the artistic use of code from a merely technical use? Give some examples of this function in a few art works from the chapter.
The function is "playful perversity" where the artist plays around with code in a way that it wasn't intended to be used.
One example that was given was Magnet TV by Paik where he went against the instructions for the television and how we know it to be used.
Another example is the forkbomb by jaromil where a set of "emoticons" were used to call up a series of processes on a computer that eventually caused it to crash rather than to depict emotions as the "emoticons" were originally for.
3. Give examples of three mususes of browser technology to create art. What was the nature of the misuse/creative use and what was the effect? What issues were raised?
One example is the feature from Google that enables a "paint-by-number"-esque picture through strings of letters that activated a certain color. The issue raised was that a high-brow technology (Google) was "hijacked" for a simplistic artistic purpose.
Another example is "alternative browsers" such as Web Stalker which makes and aesthetic peice by showing the web as a network. The issue raised is again taking a stand against a generally uncontested company.
And lastly, Panorama which utilizes webcams worldwide into one video stream. The issue raised is more of a personal one where peoples' privacy could potentially be at stake.
4. Give an example for each of the following: code as syntax, code as tool, and code as experience.
Syntax --> mezangelle where a new "language" is created by using computer code as inspiration.
Tool --> Auto Illustrator is based on the design and purpose of Adobe Illustrator and was developed to be used by others to create art.
Experience --> the peices of Harol Cohen where the peice is centered on his experience of painting through the robot that he controls.
1. Describe the difference between Political Design and Hacktivist Art. Use an example of each and describe how that work fits the category of design or art.
Political Design in intended to be seen as taking a stance on a political subject whereas Hactivism is intended to use "global telecommunications" in such a way that it goes against the government or corporation that created it.
File Room is an example of Political Design; it fits in design because it is a database with contents relating to a political issue (such as censorship cases).
Broadband is an example of Hactivist art; it uses technology from Napster and uses it in the opposite way it was intended to be used.
2. What does execution mean? How does it relate to computers (ie .exe files). What are some example of executable art? How is execution different from representation? In other words how does each relate to the media paradigms of one-to-many vs many-to-many?
Execution means that a process (or set of processes) are being done by the computer or even that a program is being run by the computer. A set of instructions for the computer, if you will. An example of executable art is the Gallery of CSS DeScramblers where different sets of code were displayed and shared for people to use despite it being called "illegal code" in court.
The difference between execution and representation is that execution is instructions for the computer to understand and follow whereas representation is for the people to look at and translate for the computer. Execution is also following the "one-to-many" paradigm where there is one set of instrucitons to be used by multiple people (or computers). Representation follows the "many-to-many" paradigm where many people can create the representation and share it with many people.
3. Why do you think Hacktivist artists find themselves hacking capitalist and political structures that most other people revere? What problem or dangers do they see in these forms of power? Use sample projects to answer this question.
Hactivist artists hack capitalist and political structures because they see problems in the system and want to bring attention to the issues and call for change.
In the Non-Geopgraphic Nation project, the creators proposed, essentially, an online community of people from varying homelands, cultures, and religions to come together in a melding pot. This project goes against the idea and practice of segregating each other within the confines of our political and physical nations which keeps us ignorant of other peoples and cultures.
4. How do hacktivists confirm McLuhan's prediction that the 'nation-state' wold not survive the advent of electronic media? Do hackitvists challege or question any critical policies of nation-states? Does their practice suggest any alternatives to the nation-state? Or why are they not really concerned about anarchy?
No matter the regulations and laws established or the "safety nets" the nation-states establish, hackers have and will find a way around it and by doing so they threaten and very well are able to bring down the nation-states because of it.
The hacktivists generally ask for more control to the people over how things are done and what laws should go into effect or at least have power over certain decisions in court or politics such as the DVD code descrambler.
There is no concern for anarchy because they aren't calling for an absolute dismissal or upheaval of the nation-state, just some calls for change on mainly minor details such as free music sharing.
1. What are some of the reasons for a surge in digital autobiograpical production from "home pages" to "wearcams"?
The reason is that in Western Culture, we pride ourselves on individualism. However, we want to inspire others to be like us, to inspire others to be unique and make their voices heard, to inspire others to be happy with themselves the way they are.
2. What is the role of autobotography vis-a-vis technology's "narcotic effect"?
Autobotography is a way for anybody to place themselves within technology that they and many other people use everyday--people can see a reflection of a person in technology. Technology already is an addicting thing, but when people can create themselves in the technology they are more likely to become even more dependent on technology to run their lives.
3. Are there dangers in Jennifer Ringley's work (or similar projects)? And what might those dangers be? Conversely, are there any pleasures in Stephen Mann's WearCams?
There is always the possibility of someone getting information on people through these projects and use the information for their own benefit, (for example, corporations' marketing and advertising divisions).
The pleasures are that we get to see people for who and what they really are and not them acting a specific way like they do when they are aware of the camera or even how they act when they are around certain people.
4. Explain how 2 of the blogging projects reshapes our sense of self, life, or writing.
Jennicam reshapes our sense of life in that because we see her doing something like sleeping in, we don't feel quite as bad for doing it ourselves or even admitting that we do it.
Also, Journals by Jason Pettus explores a similar theme as Jennicam, both are unabridged documentations of someone's life. In his onlive journal, Jason writes aobut every aspect of his life and makes us reevaluate the personal things that we usually keep private; should we keep them private or should we follow his example so that we can fully explore and discover ourselves?
5. Pick one of the "moving self-portraits" and explain how the project evokes the mystery of our contemporary lives. What kinds of issues does the portrait raise?
The Modern Living and Neurotica Series evokes mystery within our own lives because we have to wonder how much of the piece we relate to or are fascinated by. The issues raide by this piece is the fact that it is very graphic in nature and can deeply disturb most people (and therefore be unappealing to them).
Heavy Industries evokes mystery by making us think about how much "flashy lights" we need to be entertained (because it is minimalistic in design). The issues raised are merely the fact that the poetry content is about topics that people typically don't feel comfortable with (like erotic themes as an example).
6. How do the artists of this chapter create autobotographies of this "post-human" cyborg? Consider, for example Life Sharing and [phage].
In Life Sharing, the artists have shown that they can learn a lot about a person just by looking at the harddrive of their computer. This also illustrates how closely intertwined our lives are with technology (especially computers). The computers are becoming "another limb" in that we are so dependent on them that we feel the need to take them with us wherever we go and make sure to keep them close.
7. How do digital artists examine the commodification of the self? How has the self become another consumer good, or how does a human being get reduced to a "consumer"? Which digital projects raise theese questions and how do they do it?
Artists examine the "commodification of the self" by selling their belonging and even themselves in online auctions which show that humans are becoming goods and are viewed as such by corporations (or soon will be, at the very least). an example of this is found in the Cary Peppermint piece.
8. Describe the autobotography of "invented selves" or avatars. How do Female Extension and Darko Maver raise questions about the nature of digital selves. Why do they use invented selves and what are the reasons for doing so and the effects of their choices?
Invented selves are essentially personas we adopt/create when we go online and interact with other people on forums, chatrooms, etc.
Female Extension raises questions about the invented self by taking a persona and developing a relatively solid autobiography/resume for these personas (ie their address, phone number, name, etc).They used "invented selves" to even the playing field of the Internet Artist demographic for an upcoming gallery showing. The effects were that the judges did not understand the piece and how it worked and therefore did not recognize the piece as an entry.
1. What is a cyborg, or rather why is thinking about cyborgs useful for exploring identity? Is identity single? dualistic? paradoxical? What rolled does gender paly in cyborg identity vs conventional cultural identity?
Thinking about cyborgs are useful for exploring identity because cyborgs are part-human and part-machine and therefore we can explore the effects technology has and how it alters our lifestyles, habits, personalities, and our sense of self.
I believe identity to be dualistic as there is the sense of how we define ourselves, and there is also how other people may define. It can also be paradoxical in the sense that our definition of ourself may contradict others' definition for us. Or that we don't know how to define and identify ourselves and thus create a paradox that we exist but we cannot explain ourself and therefore cannot exist.
Gender does not have a role in cyborg identity whereas it does for conventional cultural and social identity. In other words, we are aware of gender in conventianal identity, but we are not aware or don't necessarily care about gender in cyborg identity.
2. Give two examples of cyborgs in books, comics, games, or films you have seen. Describe the cyborg, explain its role in the work, then explain what new perspectives it brings to identity.
One example of a cyborg is the anime Ghost in the Shell where people house the brain of a human, (and therefore their thoughts, memories, personality, and their identity), in a mechanical body or "shell". Anybody could be a cyborg but the main characters use it for their job (which is similar to what we know as the FBI and/or the SWAT forces). The new perspective is that we can still be "human" without all of our original "human parts".
Another example would be in a manga (comic) that I have read called Full Metal Alchemist where the main character had an artificial, mechanical arm and leg. The whole premise at first was that he wanted to restore his human limbs but had to learn to work with his artificial ones to get to his goal. Throughout the story, people reacted differently upon learning of his artificial limbs (most are of a negative nature so he hides those parts of his body from people). What this perspectives this brings to identity is that even though we run our lifes with our technology, we should not take our human selves for granted and to take time to appreciate our identities without the influence of technology.
3. What does Haraway mean when she writes “ the production of a universal, totalizing theory is a major mistake”? How does the metaphor of the cyborg undermine the totalizing theories or dualisms that Haraway feels are damaging to our society?
Haraway means that by immersing ourselves entirely in technology that we can lose our sense of reality and lose our identity to our cybernetic identities. The cyborg undermines the totalizing theories and dualisms by bringing unity to ideas that were previously thought to be polar opposites (or the dualism Haraway mentioned). The cyborg no longer fears putting dualism together as one thing (as in animal and machine becomes one).
4. How does her cyborg challenge the white, male, heterosexual bias of our culture? (this bias, for example discourages or punishes white males when acting feminine, or wild or gay; or it rewards women who act like men or like heterosexuals; it is not necessarily good for white male heterosexuals, as it boxes them into this role too). How does the 'monstrous' liberate us? How is this like code art "perversion"?
Haraway's cyborg challenges the gender bias in our culture simply because it has no gender and survives in a "post-gender world" and therefore would not know of or understand our gender bias. The "monstrous" liberates us because we can live without having to worry about petty things such as "women need to do this and this whereas men need to do this".
This is similar to the code art "perversion" in that it is taking the old ideas and changing them in a way that they no longer serve their original purpose but rather a new ones that does not necessarily fit into the original intention of their original purpose.
5. What is liberating, and what is dangerous about a human/machine symbiosis?
A human/machine symbiosis is liberating, again, because we no longer would have to concern ourselve with petty gender-roles and bias in our culture that stems from gender. Haraway also seems to claim that having absolutely no gender is liberating but I see this as dangerous as she does not promise a means for reproduction. Does she suggest that we fully commit ourselves to a cyborg run world where we as a species allow ourselves to die off into extinction?
6. Would you consider yourself a cyborg? Explain how you are or are not a cyborg. Would you like to be a cyborg (sometimes, never, only in play, only when serious)?
I would consider myself a cyborg only in the sense that I live in a world and a culture that heavily relies on technology in order to live. I find myself drawn to my electronics and I find it difficult to try to imagine living without my gadgets such as my laptop and my iPod.
I wouldn't necessarily like to live as a cyborg as described by Haraway; I prefer to live with my current identity (gender included). Granted I am not saying that I agree with the notion of gender biases and roles, I just see my gender as part of my identity and without it I would have a completely different sense of self that I don't think I would like.
1. In what way do video games confirm this? What forms of violence do they represent? Geertz says the forms of violence are not always the actions that are bloody, but rather the unequal systems and structures that are created by violent means and then perpetuated. Pick a game that reveals not the superficial violence but the deeper structural violence of our culture and explain that form of violence.
Video games represent the modern world's "accepted" form of violence as most violent activities of the past have become boring, illegal, or in some cases may not be "real" for people anymore. A perfect example of this is the Roman Gladiators--it is no longer a legal activity and therefore people can no longer participate in the violence.
Video games represent the violence we fantasize about and can't reenact for ourselves. Or rather video games represent a way for people to feel that they can make a difference in a world where their actions are more than likely to be overlooked and ignored.
In the Nintendo Gamecube game Assassin's Creed II, the violence comes from religious groups and "nobles", or rather, what we would know now as executives or people who hold power in society. The game acts as a way for us to roleplay going against those who hold power and to make our place in society.
2. What is arrest and why is it important to art and specifically to game art? Can you describe a momnet of arrest in any kind of game you have played?
Arrest is the moment when the "hok" is set and the gamer can become aware of the deeper meanings of a video game.
I have had a moment of arrest while playing a game called Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner; while playing the game I became aware of the deep religious undertones of the game that comprised the majority of the plot. However, it was not stuck dealing with a single religion, (although Christian mythologies and prophecies played a major role in the game), other religions and folklores from around the world have been incorporated as playable creatures (as well as foes).
3. What happens when a game breaks out of representations of violence (Grand Theft Auto) and actually engages (executes) violence (Tekken Torture Tournament)? In what way does representation sensitize or desensitize us to violence vs in what way does play (real enactment) resensitize us? When children play do they ever resort to violence? Can you describe its possible uses?
Representation desensitizes us because we cannot and do not experience consequences that affects us directly, but rather affects the avatar on the screen. In contrast, play resensitizes us because we can feel the immediate repercussions of our actions and choices.
Children do resort to violnce in taht they often can get frustrated with each other and resort to violence (such as hitting) to solve their issues. Children can also play violent games with each other like a "sword fight" or dodgeball, and other games of the like. However, it is somewhat important for children to play these games because they learn that by hitting someone they usually get hit in response and are sensitized to the consequences of their actions.
4. In what ways to some games reinscribe (ie make it seem natural by so much repetition) rather arbitrary gender roles? Why do games geared to adolescent boys have such strong gender stereotypes? What biological phase are these boys going through? What is the danger if they do NOT adopt gender stereotypes but pursue alternate gender definitions for either women or men? Pick a game that begins to questions gender roles for women and for men (these can be two different games) and describe how they challenge stereotypes.
In the vast majority of games, (old and new), the protagonist is male and the victim is generally female.
Games for boys are more strongly stereotyped because our culture is based around such ideals that men are in charge and hold the power which are further enforced by the fact that the boys play those games whereas the girls do not (typically). Also, the "biological phase" of the boys is typically puberty, I believe, and therefore the boys grow into "desiring" these gender role stereotypes.
The only danger I could see is that they would be questioned or "exiled" socially because they would essentially be going against the norms of our society and culture.
I'm hard-pressed to think of such a game, but what comes to mind first is the Metroid series because, as I recall was the case, people playing the game thought that the protagonist was male but upon finishing the game they discovered that she was a female. This showed that a woman could be just as influential and powerful as a man.
5. Why do US Army recruiters use games to both recruit and train soldiers? What is being trained or learned? Why is it effective, or is it?
I believe the US Army uses video games to recruit and train soldiers because the games teach/enhance certain skills that could be directly implemented in the field. They also teach the players to be aware of their environments and to be vigilant. The games also enhances the players' ability to formulate strategies quickly as if they were actually in the field doing their work. Lastly, I see the army as using video games to help desensitize their soldiers before sending them overseas.
1. Explain how games lure you deeper into someone else's reality. How does "identification through action work"? Can you explain a few instances here your identity is shaped by the choices to act in a game? ie in an army game, how often do you question your superior officer? in a stealing/violence game, how often do you share? In what ways are certain behaviors held up as normal and others as impossible?
With games becoming more immersive and "open" (as in allowing the player to choose how the story progresses and can travel wherever they want in the world), it is much easier to lose one's self in this imagined reality.
"Identification through action" means that the player experiences the game on a deeper level than just plainly identifying with the character. Instead they get into a mindset where they identify through their own actions and choices within the game.
There are a few games (that are a few years old) where you are given a set of options of what you can "say" to someone in the game. Although a lot of times, regardless of what you say, the same outcome happens. However this can give the player a sense of "Well, I did everything I could to help this person". One such game was Tales of Symphonia for the Nintendo Gamecube. The mail plot was fairly linear in that it followed a single path with one outcome. Throughout the game you are given choices to a situation that wouldn't change the outcome of the situation, but rather the other characters' opinions of you change depending on your choices.
2. In what ways do games promise satisfaction by creating both the reality and illusion of character agency? In other words, games give you the impression that you can act, choose, be in control--a deep human need that we often take away during schooling and training for the job market. How do games tease and then either satisfy or trick this need?
As I had previously described, games like Tales of Symphonia give the illusion that your choices will affect the situation at hand and ultimately the flow of the plot. Another game, Dragon Age: Origins, successfully allows the player to influence the flow of the story and their choices affect the world that they are playing in. There are times where your choices not only affect the immediate future, but rather affect the events much later in the game, such as who will help you in the end and who will rule the kingdom.
3. Explain how the computer game environment helps to create a second self. IS this helpful or narcissistic? Is this alternate reality an escape from or a help for coping with the material reality in which we live? Could different types of games affect this?
It is becoming increasingly popular for games to allow the player to customize their characters (in looks as well as skills and abilities). I personally feel that this is both helpful for the player to be able to further immerse themselves and identify with their avatars/characters. I also feel that this is narcissitic in the sense that people will design their characters with what they find to be pleasing and attractive to them, not the way it was intended that the players will make the character look similar to themselves in real life.
For me, personally, the alternate reality is more of an escape than a coping mechanism. The way I see it, this rings true for many other people who want to escape their own lives to experience one that is "out of their league" or rather can't possibly happen. However, I feel that the type of game affects this greatly, for example, Dungeons and Dragons games serve the purpose of escaping reality, whereas The Sims works towards coping with reality.