Ellison L Haddix

Edge of Art, Intro

What is New Media? Vin Crosbie

1-What are the three transportation media? What is the difference between a transport medium and a transport vehicle?

2-What are the three communication media? Give examples of communication media vs communication vehicles. Email uses which communication medium? The three communications in the media are interpersonal media, mass media, and new media. A example, could be conversation vs. email and utterances and speeches vs. webcasting. Email uses interpersonal media.

3-What are the advantages/disadvantages of interpersonal communication? of broadcast communication?

In interpersonal communication the person is able to have full control over the materials presented, allowing the person to get completely what the person is trying to accomplish. The more people get involved with interpersonal communication the less personal it becomes for certain individuals. In broadcasting everyone has the same amount of content by having one person with full access over the material. Thus the individuals can’t have control or option of privacy.

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? The New Medium information that can be sent to everyone without a limited amount of numbering and people can navigate how much they want control over the information. A many-to-many communication is not possible without the laptop, iphone, and Internet.

The World Needs See With Fresh Eyes, Eli Pariser

1-"Professor Anne O'Dwyer taught me about cognitive dissonance - the psychological discomfort which occurs when you're confronted with a set of facts suggesting that what you're doing or believing is irrational or stupid. You pay $10 to go to a movie, and the movie is pretty bad. But rather than admit that you wasted $10, there's a tendency to say it isn't wasn't really so bad: the acting was impressive, the special effects looked really realistic - whatever you need to tell yourself to convince yourself that you got your money's worth. You want to feel like you're not a sucker. We paper over the cognitive dissonance in much of what we do - the fact that this clearly isn't the best way to be ordering a society, to be living a life - because we've got an awful lot invested in the route we've been pursuing. To admit that it's flawed would be too much dissonance to handle."

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 & why was it hidden (or more important who benefits from the partial truth & who loses? )What is the cost to you and what can you do about it?

I can know that feeling when you spend your time watching a movie that you think is going to turn out to be great but instead it turns out to be a disappointment. I tend to be upset that I spent money on a movie when I could have been doing something else but instead l realize that if l didn’t go see the movie that I would have been shooting myself in the foot, since I would be second guessing my decision for not seeing the film. Even though l would mumble about it for a couple of minutes, I would move on to something else that is more important instead of sounding like a spoiled child. There are some things that the government tries to keep hushed up from the public, since the government believes that they have better and bigger issues to focus on. I can remember the case of Valarie Plame where members of the George W Bush Administration blew her cover.

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"?

Most of the time, when I’m told to sit back, relax and enjoy the show I try to realize there is a lesson to learn from the experience so that I don’t have to do run into the same problem. I’m always willing to give it a shot and to work with my strengths so that I can excel in the areas that I can competent in, to make me standout from the other people. Sometimes when the opportunities jump in front of me, I tend to get into situations to make sure that everything will go in the right direction for my future. If I don’t live my life on the edge then l would feel regret that l didn’t jump onto the opportunity, which would hurt me and my job prospective for my future.

Edge of Art, Code as Muse

1-In Code art, the artist rarely works alone. Instead she calls upon the power of code to assist. Give examples of different kinds of codes that Code Artists use & abuse to create their work. Gievn 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?

An example from coding that is abused is the iteration method that repeats certain methods to get closer to the source of the answer that will get closer to the conclusion. Another example could be Musgrave’s dealing with fractions algorithms that would end up coming together with a landscape.

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 codes help artists make their work come together but when they go above and beyond the coding, I feel that’s when it starts to get sloppy. I feel that the public would criticize more on the piece if artists go outside the boundaries since it’s not in the standards that the audience wants. One example that stood out for me was CODeDOC piece by Christiane Paul.

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?

Three mususes are 1. Pop when it opens the main screen window so that companies can take time to show you want they have to afford for their services. Now there is an option for users to click that will let us. 2. Using alternative browsers also known as “web stalker. ” Thus allowing the users to open up many windows so that you can open up different sites. 3. Web pages, can be divided into separate catagories so that people can see images and written documents in other screens. It also shows different types of website designs so people will be able to find what sites fits their personal needs.

4-Give an example for each of the following: code as syntax, code as tool, and code as experience.

Code as experience Martin Wattenberg plot of Madonna’s “Like a Prayer”

Code syntax Mary Anne Breez’s Mezangelle

Edge of Art, Designing Politics

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.

2. What does execution mean? How does it relate to computers (ie .exe files). What are some example of executatb;e art? How is execution different from representation? In other words how does each realte to the media paradigms of one-to-many vs many-to-many?

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.

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?

Designing Politics response

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.

Hacktivist “this leads to both the terms "hackers" and "activism". The term "hacking", which in relation to computers has the modern connotation of making an invisible break into a computer by manipulating the security code and/or firewall with "clever computer usage/programming.” Allowing people to view the projects so people could interact with the project.

Political design has a variety of groups that are composed of different designs allowing people to do deeper thinking than what is portrayed in front of them. Everyone could get access to view the projects.

2. What does execution mean? How does it relate to computers (i.e. exe files). What are some examples 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? Execute to carry out fully: put completely into effect or to do what is provided or required by . In computers, Executable culture relates to computers since they show certain directions that people follow on technology products to rely on delivering the finish products. The difference between Hacktivist art and executable art is that there is more involvement in executable art and Hacktivist art goes out to a variety of people through out the media.

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.

Most of the time when l hear about hackers, I think that they are trying to fight against everyone who is involved in the government, Internet, and other working companies. Their main goal is to take over the companies and trying to get the attention drawn to the subject they want to get noticed. Sometimes people don’t know when they have been hacked since their work can go without being noticed until the issue gets in between your work area. 4.How do hacktivists confirm McLuhan's prediction that the 'nation-state' would not survive the advent of electronic media? Do hackitvists challenge 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?

In the book it mentions that Hackvisits are a big part of our culture since they make up the digital technology in our culture. I think that Hacktivists are successful because they are able to get the attention of people on any issue that the media wants awareness drawn too. For example, when I go onto the Internet I get a lot of pop up ads that want me to do some reach into their products or certain issues on economic topics.

Autobiography response

I didn’t really understand this part of the chapter because there was so much information to process since we missed a couple of classes due to the teacher being sick, which made the class come to a halt and then we had school break. I have decided to give a summary of the information that stuck out to me during the time I was going over the chapter. I will pick out some of the events that stuck out to me and information to analyze some of the details. One of the first facts “whether it is distinct genre, whether it can capture “truth,” or whether it is even possible.” When I think about this quote I tend to think about the people who develop false profiles of themselves and we have to determine whether they are telling the truth since we believe everything that we hear from the primary source. It reminds me of a movie that I saw in Rylan Shook’s class, where a women was having a second identity a life that she was unable to have since she got pregnant and married at a every young age. She wanted into get into the second identity and to pick up where she left before she settled down at a young age and to give herself a chance to experience life as a teenage. There were two messages the movie delivered, everything doesn’t seem perfect at all and second identities are a way for people to escape to choice a lifestyle that they were never granted. I find that we don’t understand these types of situations because we are not forced into a lifestyle where we have to make dramatic changes at a young age. Another thing that got my attention, was once she was obsessed about her second identity, she created a world were people where very positive about her second identity image by creating multiple identities making the other person believe that she was real. So do I look down on the people who have their fancy worlds in order to get away from society? Further on in the reading another quote that made me question about much I wanted to put out there in the public eye was blogging. In the Book in it mentions, “Imagine people blogging about giving birth to a child.” Seriously, I know that giving birth to a child can be beautiful “since you experience the miracle of life.” This past summer I came across a of about a book, Julia & Julie, based on the lifestyle of Julia Child trying to find her passion through cooking this influence Julie to write a blog about herself learning to Master The Art Of French cooking. Julie found it as a way for her to discover her passion for cooking by doing something that will make herself feel good about herself. She took herself outside of work where she could vent about her trouble, by relating cooking to situations that she has to deal with at work. For example, when Julie is making her German chocolate cake, she is comparing it to listening to people complain about their problems with her company and how she doesn’t have all the answers to fix their problems but still has the patience to listen to their. Even though it might seem hard not know what direction you should head in, with a little patience you can figure out a solution to the problem, allowing you to learn from your mistakes in order to make them not recur in the future. This all appeared on her blogging site and so many people thought that she was doing an interesting activity by forcing herself to cook every day through her life and read about how she had changed personally from the beginning. She had learned from the experiences from each different course that she had to prepare. I would never put all my information on the Internet since anyone can access the information and companies would be able to look you up once you put it onto the Internet. A recent study showed that companies will go on facebook to look at all the information that you have put on your profile and incorporate that when they are in the process of hiring you for their company. This will determine if you set the right standards for your college career and will show so them what kind of person you are like outside the work place. In the English world, there are two categories that biographies, which are autobiography and biography. These relate in similar ways but there is a big difference since one is told by the person and the other is written by another person who has done some studying of the person’s life. I feel that I get more personal with I read a biography written by the person then reading an auto-biography book where the author keeps it short in order to keep the events moving instead of taking the time to understand the person’s decisions. Most of the reading was very interesting but I don’t think that I understood all of information from the other chapters that we have read from the book.

Edge of Art Deep Play

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.

Today video games have so much violence which has formed itself to be a part of our lifes in order for people to get power. Without the violence the video games wouldn’t give much entertainment. People have made themselves believe that violence has become a part of their life to keep themselves interested in the next level of the game. For example, in the particular line, SOCOM4 Navy Seal, gives a glimpse into that line of work and also promotes young people to join the Navy. These types of games are promoting their but in reality, it’s never that easy to pull the trigger. I think that video games are way for people to get out of their situation to relax by playing in a world that is fantasy.

As I had mentioned earlier in the Game SOCOM4 Navy Seal made for Playstation3, it gives an insight into a soldiers, point of view. Actually being out in the field. Once you kill a certain amount of people you can work your way up the ranks. I did test this game out at the game stop store; I was surprised how many reactions there was when your walking around the field or the feeling from pulling the trigger as you’re firing against your enemy. The creators made it feel like you are ready in the situation and that you have to be responsible for your actions.

I never played with video games when I was a child, so I really didn’t see the point of setting in front of the television set playing a game that didn’t have any rewards for me or would help me in the future.

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?

Many children relay on violence to take over the power from other children move themselves up the ladder of power. I feel that representation can be misleading since we don’t pay if we took the violence out of the games it would be attention to all of the details until after consequences have passed by us. If an object has a certain representation it will give people the idea of what the product is all about in order to make people believe that they could have the right image for themselves. I work at the Bangor Mall. Right across from our store there is a Game Stop store that offers a lot of video games to play on different consoles for young players. The store has a lot of demonstration booths stations so the person can view the games before buying. Most of the games in the booth have violent images so that person can figure out how to get dominant power from the other person. There is not one game out there that does have a form of violence to keep the next person guessing.

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.

It’s how society has redirected the roles. Before video games it was demonstrated in the work force, the men went into the office and the women stayed home doing the housework. Now we have changed the way we develop children into their roles in order to help them mature into adults. For example, boys have video games, or sporting games to help them grow up strong and finding out what works for them. During my middle school, we would play the “game knock” out but the teacher would separate us into two groups. One team was full of boys and the other group was filled with girls, therefore putting the dominant power in the boys hands. If a video game doesn’t have enough violence in it then boys will not be interested in the game, I kind of think that’s why they invented the rating system for video games. Think about whether you would pick up a game cover that had a bloody soldier on it or would you look at a cover that the troll monster was bashing someone’s head. The person would be more interested with the bloody soldier instead of a cartoon character. I have noticed that in today’s society we judged a lot on people on the way that they act in public. If they don’t fit into society standards, we just leave them behind and block them out so that we can move on. For example, we say that the United States is suppose to be the country of freedom but instead we are very selective about who gets the rights to do what they want. I can’t remember I did something I wanted to do without getting criticism from someone else who thought it was the wrong decision.

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?

It’s gives the players a clue of the training that soldiers go through to prepare themselves for battle. Different fields show the options that people can join and how stressful they want to make their career path. You can tell in certain games how many missions and training skills the players have to go through, plus the amount of stress it puts your mind through. It’s easy to start it at a young age. The parents can have a big influence by encouraging children and pointing them toward a US Army recruitering station.

Video Games and Computer Holding Power

Questions 1-3

Personally, I never got into video games since I wasn’t allowed to play with them when I was a child and I have never been attracted to them. It seems like people can put on a second identity to cover up their problems. I find the best way to get rid of my stress is to, go to the gym and practice punching someone who had made me upset with them. I think video games are a waste of time and is just the lazy way of saying that you don’t have much of social life.

Echo Tech Questions

Next, make up your own questions (3-4) about the two readings and answer them. Pick questions that allow you to explore aspects of the quotes/readings that you may not fully understand but would like to. You can then post notes/responses to your website for these two readings for this eco-tech art section.

Question 1

I notice that when I went to the park in Bangor I sat outside watching people come into the park walking around the paths doing their exercises, eating their lunch on the bench, or playing with their children running around on the grass. Even though everything seemed so cheerful, I couldn’t help wonder why there was so much trash in the water fountain??

Question 2

While I was in the park I noticed that no one gets in trouble for putting trash on the ground, I think that I have only seen one person get pulled over by the police. Why don’t we have them in the parks where people are just dumping their trash from food places?

Question 3

I haven’t heard anything about the government plan to clean up the state parks or the city parks I know that they do clean the parks up a couple of times during the year but other than that I don’t hear much from them. I think that we need to set up a program that will encourage people to clean up after themselves, since they put the trash on the ground.

Definition New Media

I think new media is about all the things, people think about to get the products and ideas applications out into the marketplace. Since the old media is dying, people are questioning what to do, in order to keep their companies running and on the cutting edge.

New Definition After taking half a year of new media classes, I have noticed that everyone has a different interpretation of new media by expressing themselves in different styles that will allow then to stand out from the crowd. New media is growing in many different directions so it’s very hard to keep track of which direction the field with head into since many people are finding new ways to launch their work. I want to see how we can make our programs last a while so that people will not have to worry about what’s going to be the next step to the new media highway. The only way for people to get a clue of the information out there is to attack the public interested on the topic to make sure it will influence people’s future decisions in buying marketing.