Enzensberger and Baudrillard

Enzensberger sees problems stemming from media's tendency to limit communication by making it a one way conversation from producer to consumer. He argues that the consumer should have the ability to respond to the messages of the producer, therefore creating a two way conversation. Baudrillard will take this a step further and say that content should be produced jointly by producers and consumers. Perhaps this is being done in the blogosphere and sites like YouTube. Even the current election shows signs that this is happening as traditional forms of media like the TV channel CNN uses blogs and consumer's letters and opinions in their reporting. Though it seems as if the philosophical qualms Enzensberger and Baudrillard have with media are being solved, a whole new political problem is emerging. Now that everyone has a voice and the ability to create, the significance of each voice is diminished. However, there still exists a power structure where, even though CNN is using consumer content in its production, it still has the power to decide whose voice is heard and what it will broadcast. Is it possible to transgress the existing media superstructure? Or will the evolving discourses emerging form new media forever exist along side the flawed one way communication of traditional media?

Software

Software seems to be one of the first times that many of the early visions of new media came to fruition. Not only did it contain the first ever publicly accessible hypertext, it also marked the beginning of fulfillment of the cybernetic vision of artists such as Roy Ascott and Nam June Paik. It also was the point where new media developed the definition we use today-the investigation of new processes brought into the culture via computation.

ARC vs PARC

When power was transfered from the university funded ARC to the corporately funded PARC, several goals changed. I am one to assume that these new goals would be less altruistic than before. However, despite PARC's corporate smear, several of their new goals shaped new media in a positive way ARC never could. Here I mainly refer to PARC's insistence on the user friendliness of new technologies. Were it not for this simple goal, the PC explosion probably would not have occurred as soon as it did, therefore affecting everything from human communication to the music business.

One thing I am still torn on, however, is PARC's need to separate users from creators. It has done this to maximize profit, but countless issues have arisen because of the software industry's fight against piracy. Though the free software movement is still underway, I wonder if we are better off today having privatized the creation of software, or if we would be better if all software were the creation of the computer society as a whole.

Cybernetics and Nam June Paik

Wikipedia Says:

"Cybernetics is the interdisciplinary study of the structure of regulatory systems. Cybernetics is closely related to control theory and systems theory. Both in its origins and in its evolution in the second-half of the 20th century, cybernetics is equally applicable to physical and social (that is, language-based) systems."

Paik Video:

E.A.T.

E.A.T. seems to be a pivotal organization for the art form that is New Media. As New Media generally uses advanced technology, it only makes sense for their to be an established relationship between the engineer and the artist. What this opens up is the notion that engineers are themselves artists, and artists are engineers of sorts. Both are dealing in the abstract, and both generally are working for the advancement of society. Of all professions, it only makes sense for these two to have come together.

Marshall McLuhan: Pop Philosopher

McLuhan looked at the changing landscape of media and predicted a shift from a book culture to a culture of electronic media. Because of this he sees a shift in western thought as he notes a similar shift when the oral tradition shifted to a typographic media. Neil Postman puts it well when he writes, "This change-over has dramatically and irreversibly shifted the content and meaning of public discourse, since two media so vastly different cannot accommodate the same ideas." To me this is a call to study emerging medias more closely as they offer insight into our developing discourse. Advertisers are already ahead of me here as the new philosophy in advertising is to "let the media be the content." In so doing, they hope to create buzz around the innovative new technology as opposed to the message. Here it is good to note that text messaging is the quickest growing media in the history of the world. What does this say about modern discourse? Impersonal or efficient?

Ken Perlin

Yes the mouseless pad was sweet, and being able to empathize with a flying bird was something I've never experienced, but our conversation with Ken Perlin was where his genius really came out. When asked about his technology's involvement with the military industrial complex, he pointed out that not only is the military a positive thing when used correctly, like defense, but even under the Bush administration Perlin's technology is used productively as it helps save lives by enabling the virtual flight simulation technology that prevents troops from having to risk their lives in real life training exercises. Point taken. But one thing that stands out above all else was his philosophy on technology. Perlin views humans as virtual beings. Traditionally we associate the term "virtual" with computer technology. However, Perlin wants to remove the mystique and mystery that is "technology" and recognize that even the most advanced computer technology is a human invention on the same level with language. If we think of virtual interaction as that done through a computer, a line can be drawn from a computer to other technologies such as language and clothes. All day every day humans are having to communicate with man made symbols and sounds while representing themselves with man made clothes in man made buildings. We are completely tied to our technologies, and are therefore virtual beings. Going further he claims that no technology is really better or worse than another, rather certain technologies work better for humans than others, so we therefore adopt that which enables the most ease of use. Well put Ken.

Hypertext as Art

The Oulipo introduced the concept of the "choose your own adventure" stories. Though, it the context of their work they played with the concept of potential literature. It was something not yet created but through the participation of the audience became a whole. A key element here, however, is the artists ability to dictate possibility. He has control. The concept here is that the artist creates the potential literature, and the participant creates the art. I wonder how our notion of art is challenged when the artists ability to have some control over the end result is removed. Specifically I am looking at humanities interaction with the web. The web is so huge today that we, in effect, are always participating in a huge choose your own adventure story. The only difference, however, is that there is no individual person that has set out all the possibilities. Could one argue that social discourse, as it exists in an era of new media, is humanities collective art piece. Once, when media was more controlled, social discourse was very much the result of government and corporate influence, and many would argue that those controlling the media were artists of sorts. Now we see less and less of this control. A million voices scream out on the web, attempting to dictate the discourse, but few voices have much impact, and those that do never fully control. Who is the artist of today's living narrative?

Interaction vs. Participation

Frank Popper claims participation refers to the relationship between a spectator and an already existing open-ended art work, whereas the term interaction implies a two-way interplay between an individual and an artificial intelligence system. In happenings the audience members are simply participants in the art, and through this they affect the art. On the other hand, Telematic art, or interactive new media, allows the audience the ability to control. Happenings give spectators a situation in which to act, while telematic art give spectators to tools to play god. I would agree with these statements, but I wonder what we would call it if participation and interaction were combined in an art form. Can this be done? If audience members were each given something which they could control, and through their controlling of the digital object they affected a larger situation, would this be telematic art or a happening? Would it have a different name? Could one argue that the World Wide Web has created an alternate space where all that is happening is exactly this? Perhaps we already have a name for it... the blogsphere.

Thinking About Conversations

One of the few things I don't take for granted when it comes to computers is the sketchpad. Growing up, Paint was one of my favorite programs, and even today getting to play with a tablet will make my week. The New Media Reader says the sketchpad is the "first direct-manipulation interface, the first interface to use constraints, and the first conversational interface." The word conversational here is important to me. When we think about having a conversation with a person, we think about social politics, having to learn how to converse with said person, and developing unique conversational skills with much practice. Similarly, artists feel their work is conversational. Writing is often referred to as "the spooky art" for this very reason. A writer may set out to write one thing, but after interacting "conversationally" with his ideas, the page may turn into something completely different. 

I think this word "conversational" is integral for our under of New Media as an art form and as a social space. Once the sketchpad was introduced, people were able to stop thinking of computers are mere machines. A computer is no longer like a coffee maker. I no longer put in one thing and get the same thing back. Computers must be learned. Each computer and each program has its own personality and understanding its workings and capabilities takes time, like getting to know a person. Not only this, but now I can put anything in and get anything out. Computers are no longer just an extension of my arm, but a thing which can give back.

A dream unfufilled

I wonder how Douglas Engelbart feels, knowing that he is famous for something that he probably considers somewhat of a failure. Here I refer to the mouse. Yes he did invent the mouse, and yes my life as I know it would be different if it weren't for him, but do you suppose Doug has a different view of the world? When he sees the benefits of his creation, does he sit in awe at how much better the world has become, or does seeing the modern mouse only frustrate him, thinking that everything could have been so much better than you or I ever realized?

The Cut-up Method

I can accept the connection between the cut-up method and hypertext. But the connection between poetry and the cut-up method is more difficult for me. Often when I read poetry, I find the language beautiful, yet am often lost as to its meaning. This is not to say that I fail to develop my own understandings of the piece, I just fail to accept that I am correct. I know this brings up a controversial debate, whether or not poetry and literature has any one meaning, but I still tend to think some meanings are more on point than others. The cut-up methods fusion with poetry seems to dismiss this; granted it is only one form of poetry. All the same, the fact that when I read poetry done in the cut-up method and have a similar sensation as that created by a more traditional poem, I can't help but question the value of poetry and its validity as a communicative art form.

Happenings

I remember when I first heard of happenings. I was in a film class and we were discussing art of the 50's and 60's when someone brought up this strange art form. This intrigued me for all the reasons you would expect, but it never occurred to me that this sort of breaking down of barriers between audience and artist was setting a tone for much of New Media. Now, thinking in this way, and understanding the connection between New Media and the Happenings of the 60's, I have to ask- is facebook a happening? Facebook's creators have set up a scenario which the audience much interact with and respond to, much like Allan Kaprow. A main difference, however, is that instead of reading of this happening in the papers or seeing film clips of it in theaters, one finds the final audience of facebook being marketing firms using it as a way of collecting data. Does this capitalistic function of facebook prevent it from joining the art hierarchy of happenings? I would say no.

Licklider

Licklider's "Man-Computer Symbiosis" must have been very shocking when it was first published. I'm sure many people read it thinking Licklider was proposing making A.I. machines which would work in a team with humans to solve complex problems. However, when we read this article today his notes seem almost trivial as what he is proposing is something we take part in every day. Computers have very much become an extension of our existence. We have set the goals and criteria for our problems, and feel it only natural to go to our desktops for aid in solving them. Any question I have I ask wikipedia or google. Though the fact that I use the word "ask" suggests the changing dynamic between human and machine. I know I don't ask wikipedia in the same way I ask my friends, but I feel people in the 1960's wouldn't quite understand that.

America's Helvetica and Obama's Gotham

Few things sound as boring as typeface. I've never particularly thought about them other than trying to spruce up a paper. However, the Documentary Helvetica changed my mind on the subject. 

One thing I found particularly interesting was the fact that both American Airlines and American Apparel use Helvetica, but each have a unique feel. American Airlines feels streamline, professional, and trustworthy. On the other hand, American Apparel feels simple, trendy, and matter of fact. Granted both companies have totally different goals with their advertising campaigns, I still find it interesting that the same font can speak to multiple emotions, all the while remaining captivating and sleek.

Jumping from this new found appreciation for typeface into thinking about Obama's campaign became almost too self-reflexive. Having to recognize the emotional weight carried by fonts gave me cause to question my feelings towards Obama. I supported him before I saw his website, but ever since I delved into the site for the first time there was no turning back. But now I know why. The use of design with such an authoritarian, yet sensitive type face has made for a standard in political branding I'm sure will change the history of Campaigning as we know it.