Is the Mobile Phone Portable Interactive Art?

Interactive Art and the act of machine mediated interactivity is a concept , theory and practice that came about in the 1930's; however in todays art world it is still being coined as the "New-Comer" to art. This essay explores the cultural fad that surrounds interactivity in objects such as the mobile phone whilst discussing the four stage theory of the Interactive Art experience and making it relevant to the common mobile phone. This essay attempts to state the the mobile phone is the new form of interactive art and one that we do not have to go to an art gallery to experience.

It is incredible to imagine the 1957 Sweedish mobile, developed by Erricson that weighed 40kg in comparison to the mobiles of today. (http://www.buzzle.com/articles/when-was-the-first-mobile-phone-invented.html) Throughout my life time I have been through 5 mobiles and have now found myself with not just a mobile.

The Samsung F480 allows the user to take photos, video capture, email access, sending of messages and pictures via sms, computer gaming, applications such as the calendar, voice recorder, alarm clock, full touch screen and an mp3 player and much more. I have had the chance to customize the ring tones for my friends and be able to upload my recent playlsit for those annoying lectures. The Morning Show said this morning "that people can not live without their mobile phones" and "people are spending more on their mobile phone bills than they are spending on petrol", which is simply astonishing and can easily be brought down to the level interactivity that occurs when customizing a mobile phone. This also makes the statement "I would die without my mobile phone" ring true to many.

Human beings have always been soo interested in new technology that even artists have jumped on their keyboards and mice and have created a hybrid art which has been chronicalled by The Powerhouse Museum in Sydney in an exhibition called Beta-space; which "shows interactive art works at different stages, from early prototype to the end product." This exhibition is a fantastic educational tool about interactive art but it also allows up and coming interactive artists to showcase their work to the public and to be able to gain valuable feedback in return. When interacting with an interactive art piece there's a phenomenon of embodiment and disembodiment in the object which is much like the experience of customizing and individualizing a mobile phone. The paper entitled "Understanding the Experience of Interactive Art: lamascope in beta-space" describes the experience of the participant in four stages.

Stage one consists of the initial response of the participant in relation to the artwork is self. This stage is when the participant percieves the object as seperate or disembodied from the self. "The person interacts with the object and waits for a response before deciding how to interact further". The second stage is called control and this is when the participant assumes full control of the creative output of the artworks' interactive capacity and thus "plays it like a musical instrument". Therefore the participant grows comfortable and feels a power and mastery when interacting with the art piece and concluding allows self embodiment in the object or work to take place. The third stage is a non interactive stage that deals namely with the participant in a disembodied state with the object and in a practice of contemplation. This stage is one of evaluation and an analysis of the experience in order to decided to continue the experience or abandon it. Stage four is one of complexity and often in the result of stage three feels almost controlled by the interactive artwork. Upon realization of this the participant then gains pleasure in being controlled and thus allows the embodiment in the artwork or object once again.

After reading this paper it became almost impossible to seperate the compatability of these stages of interactive experience, to that of the experience of using and individualizing a mobile phone. Stage one represents the initial purchase of the object and taking it out of the box and packaging for the first time. There is anticipation and surprise while turning it on for the first time and it creates an ununified experience with the object and participant, therefore creating a disembodied experience. Stage two is that of control, and something that comes with knowing exactly how to use the handset. There is no more suprise or anticipation and while using the handset the self embodies itself in the object, exactly as it would while interacting with an interactive art piece. Stage three is that of contemplation or in our case evaluation. This is the moment that you assess and rate the mobile on its usability, applications and the user experience that it provides you. Stage four is when the mobile user realises the limitations of the mobile and its applications and begins to understand the control that the mobile has over them. When a mobile phone rings, you answer it, when you recieve a message you read it and when it beeps to tell you that it is out of battery you charge it. In the end it seems the mobile phone is controlling us, but because of the functionality, applications and necessity in modernity of the mobile phone; society and us as mobile phone owners are willing to overlook it and rather get pleasure from it.

In concluding even though interactive art and the common mobile are on much different scales to one another, in comparison to interactive experience theory they are rather similar. Through the utilization of this theory it has been demonstrated how the stages of response, control, contemplation and belonging can easily be associated from the mobile phone to grand scale interactive art works. This essay has made me look differently at my mobile phone and I hope it does the same for you.

Bibliography

Kreuger M 2008, Artificial Reality, viewed 16 October 2009,

Costello B, Muller L, Amitani S & Edmonds E 2005, Understanding the Experience of Interactive Art: Lamascope in Beta_space Creativity and Cognition Studios Press; Sydney. Pp49- 56

Cason N 1998 Interactive Multimedia: An Alternative Context for Studying Works of Art Studies in Art Education- A journal of issues and research. National Art Education Association: pp 336- 349

Huhtamo E 2004 Trouble at the Interface, or the identity Crisis of Interactive Art, University of California Los Angeles, Pp1- 9.

Edmonds E, Mulle L 2009, Living Laboratories: Making and Curating Interactive Art, Creative and Cognition Studios Press; University of Technology Sydney. Pp 1- 4.

Jenkins, H 2006, Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide, New York University Press; London and New York.

Penny S, 1996 From A to D and Back Again: The Emerging Aesthetics of Interactive Art, Leonardo Electronic Almanac pp 1- 5.

Dominic. M McIver Lopes 2001, The Ontology of Interactive Art, Journal of Aesthetic Education Vol. 35 No.4 University of Illinois Press.

Huhtamo E 2004, Seven Ways of Misunderstanding Interactive Art, Media Studies University of Lapland. Pp 1-4.

Nagashima Y 2002, Interactive Multimedia Performance with Bio-Sensing and Bio-Feedback, Shizuoka University of Art and Culture, Japan pp 1- 4.

Week 9 Task

So from what I hear for the week nine tutorial task was to scan a piece of art that we have created in the past or recently. I am currently doing a degree in theatre and contemporary arts, so the amount of art projects that I have comoleted are in the many.

Firstly before I show you the kind of art that I have done in the past I would like to show with you how new communication technologies have taught me to not only be a better artist but they have actually taught me step by step how to use entire programs such as Photoshop and Illustrator.

I bought a magazine that was basically a tutorial program about how to use Photoshop CS2 and it also gives you a few projects to attempt. After completing these I searched the internet and founf that there was numerous sites that taught step by step how to do particular things on photoshop and to create images from nothing.


A few websites to have a look at are:

http://www.good-tutorials.com/


This site has tutorials for Flash, Illustrator, Photoshop, Java, CSS, HTML, Java script, php, ruby, ruby on rails, 3D's max. This is definately the one stop shop for all of your tutorial needs. This site is the google of tutorials but for more specific tutorials take a look at the other sites below.


Tutorialized


This is also a site that I visit frequently and I find that it is very user friendly. These tutorials are a great way to see somethng that you like and then be able to create it.
I would suggest having a look at a couple other sites, but the top two are very recommended by me.


So here is some of my work:

This is my most recent piece of art. It is a collage based on the fairytale of Alice in Wonderland. I created this image because I was building a website that looks exactly like this only it is fully animated and there are a couple of embellishments. I learnt how to do this image by a simple tutoial that I found through Good-tutorials.

This is one of my headshots that I manipulated so it looks like a negative. I was just playing around with photoshop when I created this one.

I hope you like them...

The Electronic Cigarette?

The Electronic Cigarette

It all began with this blurb:

Imagine once again being free to smoke in your favourite

nightclub, restaurant, or shopping. Movie theaters, sporting events,

Taxis and even aeroplanes and all free smoking zones as long

as you have Cigrati Electronic Cigarette...

Imagine all these benefits in a product that looks, feels, tastes

and smokes like a tabacco cigarette.

So this got me interested and a little curious. I had never heard about one or seen one so I decided to investigate. I found the original link on Facebook and I had a look at two films.

The first film is a promotional video about how the video works and one that got me very interested (by the way I do not speak).

So after watching this video I was even more intrigued, and it looked really interesting; alien in fact. So then i found this film from an Australian who had but the Cigrat cigarette and was talking on a web cam on Facebook about his first impressions of the product.

So basically if you can notbe bothered watching a 10 minute video this is a cigarette that was a purchased off the internet site for $140 AUD and Luke 9 (the man on the video) says very straight that this not a healthy cigarette, but it is just a healthier alternative. With this kind of cigarette you have to suck much harder to get the level of smoke that you usually would have with a cigarette. There is a major saving with buying one of these but still I don't think it is that great.

For me it is like going to a candy store and seeing a a great candy bar and then trying it and then reaizing that it tastes like crap. I think this is what is going to happen if I bought this cigarette. I do not smoke but when I looked at the video of the first impression I decided that this is definately not the thing for me.

I thought that it was important to include in my blog because this is the kind of new technologies that I am interested and I had never heard about the electronic cigarette.

I hope you enjoyed it.

Consumption and Production Lecture Week 8

In the lecture in week 6 we discussed consumption and production and the how we consume produced content. We looked at how this is done in "The Big Screens of Life" and in "The Small Screens of Life".

Big Screens of Life

In the "Big Screen of Life" society consumes the content of cinema. It is something that is attended to, and something that is consumed in relation to content. It is not something that the society as a whole has produced, but it is something that is a shared experience with members of the public in way of an audience. We can also mention the Television as this is something that is shared privately in the home. The PC is also in the Big Screen of Life because it is made of content that has been specifically designed for the user.

Small Screens of Life



As described in the lecture notes the small screens of life is in relation to "consumers becoming increasingly involved in the production of products, and they also produce their own identities in the process of consuming and producing products. (Facebook, YouTube).

The Personal Media Player is a platform that allows the used to personalize the device to the degree of the importing of music, songs and videos. There is also an availability for some brands to attach a new skin to the exterior of the Personal Media Player.
To a more extreme extent you can also mention the mobile phone, or the smart phone. Mobile phones and smart phones are also important to consider as they allow the creation of an identity through collation of photos, video, phone book, collection of messages, sent, received and drafted. There is also the ability to adapt the dashboards and widgets to your own personal theme.
It was also mentioned in the lecture tat most of the entertainment we produce is in a form that is too long and not readily accessible via mobile networks. As time and technology has furthered, so has the need for mobile phone accessible pages; and slowly this has come in to fruition. You can now access your bank of choice, YouTube, Twitter and many more. Currently news and information through mobile internet and 3g Portal News and Sport services are very popular and readily available to users; however there is a major lack of entertainment services.

We should also take a look at the "niche-market" of fan made sites and trailer mash ups. It is interesting to note that the consumer has become so interested in the content of a film or a comic etc that they have created an homage to the original or a spoof. The example that was given in the lecture was Star Wars fans producing "Troops" which is a star wars fan-film that is now consumed by Star Wars Fans. Embarrassingly enough I am a Twilight fan and after looking on YouTube for the latest video leaks I have come across numerous fan made trailers and spoofs.

New Moon Fan Made Trailer



Twilight Fan Made Spoof


Although these are fabulous and a great example of the work what was being discussed in class I found that it is sometimes very annoying in the instance that some YouTube users masquerade these files as the 'real' trailers and I have clicked on them not knowing that they are spoofs.

The Trailer Mash
The Trailer Mash is also a website totally devoted to collecting recut trailers and trailer mash-ups. Here is one of the Notebook that I found on this site. It is a Youtbe clip.



News

As stated before news is a booming area for mobile content production. "News Junkies" are responsible for a multitude of mobile news broadcasts and we can sometimes even see "shot- on - a mobile- phone' on actual TV news programs. Examples of this can be seen on ireport.
However there is an issue with content that has been produced from the camera on mobile phone. Not only does it sound terrible but the resolution is not so great either. Many 'cell-phone-movie' festivals have sprung up over the last 5 years and they have disappeared just as quick as they appeared for the same reason.

Here is an example of a short film that was shot on a mobile phone.

Midnight Paranoia



Overall this was a great lecture and I have learnt alot from this lecture. Actually prior to this lecture I had no idea that there film festivals dedicated to short films that were shot on mobile phones. It is fabulous. I heard of one and I think that it was for Toyota. Oh and I think Coca Cola did one too.

Peace!

The Low Down on Week 7

Today Jason took the lecture, and you know that when he takes the lecture it is going to be a combination of incredible facts, unusual anecdotes about Oklahoma and a crazy American thrown in. Up to his usual stuff, Jason did not put up any lecture notes, so I had to take notes like crazy... So here is the low down...

Today we talked about various "Free Download" applications available on the internet. We also discussed Open Source Software and Freeware. In needing a better and more defined definition, I scowered the internet for a definition that would best sum up what I had not origanally been so clear on.

Open Source Software

Open Source Software is a program or application that is free for distribution and does not pay any royalties or fee for sale. The rationale as quoted on this web site is :

"By constraining the license to require free distribution, we eliminate the temptation to throw away many long-term gains in order to make a few short- termn sales dollars. If we don't do this ther would be lots of pressure for cooperators to defect."


Freeware

Although "Freeware" is indeed free it does come with a EULA licence which stands for End User Licence Agreement. Each agreement is different however these agreements often don't allow any altering of the program, repackaging or to sell it. These programs do not often offer technical support or a help menu. These programs are also only available for personal and non commercial use; and if used commercially it would break the agreement unless the coporation payed for the program.

In class we also discussed 5 application sites that include Open Source Software and Freeware or Shareware.

• Mininova
• Sourceforge
• Freeware Genius
• Portable Apps
• Download.com

I also found these too.

• TuCows
• ZDNet
• Snap Files

Mininova

Mininova is a torrent downloading website that I have used in the past and one that many of my friends also use. It is user friendly and it even gives you instructions on how to get started. You can download the latest films from this site, computer programs, games, plug-ins and spyware. Depending on the file size and your internet speed you may have to leave the file to download over night but normally by the next day it should be ready to install.

Sourceforge

Sourceforge is also a site that I have used in the past and one that I often still go to now and then. What I like about this site is that it has been divided up into folders that hold the downloads for specific programs, such as networking, database, education and gaming. This makes the downloads easier to find and much easily accessible. This site does not work off torrents like Mininova and you can not download films, but it is still a go to website.

Freeware Genius

Admittedly this is a site that I have never heard of before, but I have enjoyed looking through it. On first looks, it is a much nicer and appealing site than the last two. While looking at this site I found one program that caught my eye; "Viewer 2". It is a photo viewing program that allows you to group photos of similar size or by tag, and allows the way in which you view photos to be up to the user. I decided to download it and within 2 minutes I was playing with it. It is easy to use and a programe that I will not be erasing any time soon.

Portable Apps

This site says that the programs that are available on this site are:

"PortableApps.com provides a truly open platform that works with any hardware you like (USB flash drive, iPod, portable hard drive, etc). The entire platform is open source built around an open format that any hardware or software provider can use."

I took a look at the applications that are available and decided to download a game Jooleem Portable and I am downloading this while I speak .
This is another attractive site and one that I think I am going to take a serious look at. You can also download open office from this site.
Alright so I have taken a look at Jooleem Portable and it is an honestly addictive game. It is great that these are programs that you can put on your USB or removable Hard-drive. I think thse kind of programs would be great for academics and students who have alot on their USBS and need some programs to be portable. For example there are some computers at uni that do not have programs that others have, so these particular students are limited to particular computers that they can access and fulfill the requirements of their work.

Download.com

Well another aesthetically pleasing website. An attractive nature to this site is that it displays the top 20 downloaded programs, which gives me an idea of what the site has. There are programs in this list that I never would have thought existed, like a youtube clip downloader and Virtual DJ.

I have literally spent hours playing some programs on here and I must say that as a computer user you can not say that you are bored. There is so much out there to play with that there should never be a dull moment on the internet or with your USB.

That is all for now...
Take Care all

The Plan.... mwwaaaahhhhaaahhhhaaa week 7

OK... So Today I am going to be planning an internet hoax, but before I can do that I want research who has done what... what has worked... and basically what have been the real doozies.

Sidd Finch 1985

In 1985 Sports Illustrated published an article about Sidd Finch who was a rookie baseball player who had plans of playing the Mets. What made this story so interesting is that Sidd Finch has never played Baseball before and he could through a baseball not only with pin-point accuracy but he could also throw it at 168mph which is 65mph longer than the world record holder. The article noted that he was soo talented because of his work with Tibetan Monks that he had mastered the "art of the pitch". After this article was published there was a large amount of people that were interested in the article and alot of people asked for more information...
What this article does not tell you is that there is no such person existing. Just someone the author thought up...

The Taco Liberty Bell

In 1996 the Taco Bell Corporation reported that they had bought the Liberty Bell and that they were going to re-name it the "Taco Liberty Bell". Alot of people called to express their anger at the selling of the monument. A few hours later they explained that it was a practical joke but it is still priceless.

The Left Handed Whooper

In 1998 Burger King published a full page article in USA Today about the introduction of a new burger: the Left Handed Whooper, designed for the other 32 million other left handed American's. However there was no change to the contents of the whooper, it stayed the same however all of the sauces were rotated 180 degrees. Thousands of customers has gone into Burger King to request the Left Handed Whooper and it has also been noted that many people requested the right-handed whopper.
This is hilarious. Deffinately something that I am interested in doing. I think that this is the kind of way I am going to go about the video task....

Virgin Cola

In 1996 Virgin Cola released a statement of intent for the new technologically advanced can of coke. The can had been created with new technology so that when the contents of its can had passed its use by date, the contents in conjunction with the can would cause it go blue. This however was false and was made to attempt to overshadow the release of the new Pepsi Can that was blue.

All of this information has been provided by the museum of hoaxes and it is reference to April Fools Hoaxes. The reference can also be found on the links above.

As for what I will do.... to be honest I am not sure... I am considering going for something insignificant like the left-handed whooper and the blue coke can. Something that only a few people would be interested in, and something that is based on consumerism. hmmm, I am not sure. But I will keep you posted.

Week 3 Film and Shot definitions.

This week we have been focusing on film and composition or for all of those film buffs "mise en scene". So here are the definitions that you asked for:

1. VLS/WS = Very Long Shot and Wide Shot

The very long shot and the wide shot gives the viewer an overview of geography or setting. (Fox, 2003, http://www.urbanfox.tv/creative/shotsizes.html)

2. LS= Long Shot

The long shot takes the whole height of the person in the shot. It does not show as much background as the VLS but it does show enough that you are able to distinguish the location. (Fox, 2003, http://www.urbanfox.tv/creative/shotsizes.html)

MLS= Mid Long Shot

The Mid shot cuts off at the waist. It is a good shot to introduce people to your audience. You can also get a good image of the subject in their surroundings. (Fox, 2003, http://www.urbanfox.tv/creative/shotsizes.html)

MCU= Medium close up

The medium close up is the standard news interview shot (atleast in the UK). It is cut off at around the breast pocket. (Fox, 2003, http://www.urbanfox.tv/creative/shotsizes.html)

CU= Close Up

This is a shot of the full face. Sometimes used for interviews- especially when things are getting personal. It also pays more attention to facial expressions. (Fox, 2003, http://www.urbanfox.tv/creative/shotsizes.html)

BCU= Big Close Up

This is a very intimate shot. It is used for very dramatic moments, when the actor is giving it their all. (Fox, 2003, http://www.urbanfox.tv/creative/shotsizes.html)

ECU= Extreme Close Up

The Extreme Close Up shows great detail. You would normally need a specific reason to get this close. It is too close to show general reactions or emotion except in very dramatic scenes. http://www.mediacollege.com/video/shots/extreme-closeup.html

Now to all the questions.

Will And Grace (TVS)

Who: Will (Erick McCormack) is a gay Layer, Grace (Debra Messing) is an interior designer, Karen Walker (Megan Mullally) is the Grace's assistant and filthy rich, Jack (Sean Hayes) is the gay unemployed actor and Rosario (Shelley Morrison) who is Karen's maid.

What: the show is about lives of Will and Grace and their search for love while still trying to maintain their "fag hag" relationship.

Where: It is based mainly in the apartment block of Will and Grace and their offices in New York, Manhattan.

When: It is based in current time, however it is no longer being shot anymore, however you can buy the episodes on dvd, watch them and other related videos on youtube and you can also so them as re-runs on cable and standard tv.

Why: The show is one of its kind showing comparatively the lives, social stigma's and the loves of gay men and straight women and more importantly the way they maintain not so common relationships with each other.

How: The do this by openly showing audiences the kind of oppressions that are put upon gay men and woman whilst at the same time putting a humorously light on it.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0157246/

Short Film Critiquing week 5/6

Miniscule Series- Pique Nique

Miniscule" is a french animation series aired on ABC on Saturday Nights and was one that purely enchanted me. It was introduced to me in a class just this semester and its attention to detail and its beautiful treatment of humour. The animation allows us to see the world as we saw it as a child. However animation has come along way since 1890 when the first comic strip emerged called" Humorous Phases of Funny Faces by cartoonist Stuart Blackton. This was also the catalyst for the first fully animated french film by Emile Cohls called "Fantasmagoria" which was produced in 1908. It was created through simple drawings that looked like stick figures.

This paved the way for Pixars first fully computer animated film in 1986 and then theatre goeers were introduced to live action and animation in the same film. It broke new technological ground with its remarkable blending of animated imagery and live action human characters.

If it was not for this critical step in technology taken to create this cross art film making films or animated series like "Miniscule" that also incorporate animation and real background sounds and plates. What an incredible series. There are over 60 episodes. Happy watching!!!

DV8 Physical Theater Company -The Cost of living.

The Cost of Living is quite a popular film piece for DV8 Physical Theater Company, and one that you can find alot of snipits on youtube. This particular excerpt is a pas de deux by Lloyd Newson for the short film The Cost of Living that runs for approximately 30 minutes, however this is only a two minute segment.

"When the body is not more linked to our mind and seems to be unused

less weight to managae art provides with an immense flash of purity"

-DV8

DV8 is a world renowned physical theatre company that has its routes in London. The Company was created in 1986 and led by LLoyd Newson and over the past 13 years they have created 16 dance pieces and toured internationally. There current project is called "To be straight with you" and it is a multi-ethnic cast that aims to explore tolerance, religion and sexuality. It is also a cross arts piece blending both dance, text, animation, documentary and film and is currently touring this year.

The internet has a long standing relationship with dance and it has been used as an experimental medium through video art and for documtary reasons. Through use of the internet a dance perfomance can not just be an ephemeral experience but one that can be experienced from the other side of the world. Dance companies are relying on video documentation not only as a marketing tool but for exposure for the company and its dancers.

Flight of the Conchords

This is the episode of Dave's Party and they are singing the song "most beautiful girl in the room". It is a humorous video clip from the New Zealand duo that not only have their clips on youtube and have become a household name for younf internet users. They also have a radio show for BBC in New Zealand.

This brings me to the advent of the music video clip. The most notable of these to discuss is "Thriller" video clip by Michael Jackson who created the first 20 minute music video clip which her recieved numerous accolades for. This then opened up the possibilities for other artists to break the boundaries and then Prince went on to make a film based around his music and then so did Michael Jackson with "Moonwalker".

It is also notable to mention the life that a music video or series takes on in the youtube and also its ability to turn the young girl with her bedroom webcam into a famous superstar, however this can only be considered 15 minutes of fame as the media world will soon be caught up in another new piece of youtube flesh and will grow tired of the previous talent.

Artists would also not be able to create music videos expecially for internet usage, without the computer, the advent of sound in film, film itself and the internet. Without all of these things getting your band noticed, getting exposure as an actor and showing the world your new video clip would be impossible.

This is Week 6... stop Freaking out Selina

First of all I want to start with the Persona's task and tell you a little bit about what I think about the results.
Because you can not see the image very well... here is a key to explain what the colours mean.
red= online orange= books peach= fame teal= genealogy soft brown= fashion
khaki= family soft orange= movies maroon= domestic green= illegal blue= professionalsm

My Persona

Well my persona as dictated by this website is correct in terms of the amount of information on my on the internet. My last name is Nisbet can be dated back to quite a while back. With its history starting in Scotland, there was an entire Nisbet Clan and we even have our own plaque. crazy huh. I found a photo for you... here it is...

The Nisbet Coat of Arms

it is pretty nice isn't it. I have one of these on a mug and on a plaque. The Nisbet's even have their own tartan. It is hard to find but I managed to find it in the Edinburgh Castle Gift Shop. It was a little expensive though.

Google Maps

Here is a map of my Japan trip that I did in Japan... I hope you enjoy it.


View My First Overseas Trip in a larger map

Welcome to Sketch Cast

This is my first attempt at doing one of these things so do not judge me...
can you guess what it is going to be?

Cory Arcangel

I have heard of his work before... namely is project called clouds... were he took the super nintento cartridge of the Super Mario game and he found a way of taking out all of the animation apart from the clouds. He has used his work for installations and also on the internet.
Here is another example of his work that I did not know of until now.

Shipping Dog Food is Expensive?

Finding information on this was not easy... so I did all I could and found the very interesting information that if you buy dog food from k9 cuisine and spend over $50 the shipping is free. So if you buy in bulk you will be just right.
lol good question Jason!!!

Vampire Rave

Ok first of all let me let out a slight sigh when I look at these sites. I would much rather be outside checking out a waterfall, or going to a pub, or having a BBQ with friends than playing this game. It is a like world of War Craft. Unless there is a pot of gold at the end of the game than no thanks. These kind of games makes something like this happen:





don't laugh... play vampire rave and this will happen to you!

This is a bucks night (sam)



I was not there... I think this is what I had to do right?


The Dark side of networking websites

Article Be sure to check out this article... and have a look at how bad cyber-bullying really is. With new technology, there is always someone who finds a way to exploit it. There has been a lot about it on the media and it is utterly disgraceful.

Well that is me..... over and out till next time

Turning back time to review lecture two

Well when this class was taking place, I was at a funeral and I have not had the chance till now to complete these tasks so here it goes. From what I have read of the lecture notes the class had a basis in the history of the interent and the computer. We also spoke briefly about convergence but before we can discuss what convergence means to us and what are the kinds of convergent technologies out there t0day, we must define the meaning of convergence.

Convergence

convergence means the act of bringing two things together; it is the act of joining as one.

A perfect example of this is by looking at some examples:

The iPhone

Well if you are looking for just a phone than this is not the phone for you. Not only does the iPhone allow you to choose how you want to communicate with others (eg. call, sms, email, access by internet) but it can also be a games console, it can be a virtual compass and map, it can take photos, it can be used as an mp3 playing device and can also tell the weather and allow you to schedule appointments into your calendar... What did I tell you it is not just a phone.

The IHouse SmartFaucet

This is not your ordinary faucet, it has facial recognition that allows the tap to recognise who is getting into the both and to load personal settings such as how hot the water should be and the degree of flow. It also allows you to check your emails on the touch screen monitor and to check upcoming appointments in your calendar. It is also equiped the LEDS that change depending on the temperature of the water. lol what will they think of next...

The Navman

The Navman Sattelite Navigational has taken navigation to a whole new level with the ability tp be used in a car and by foot, it can tell you where the red light cameras are and if there is much traffic congestion and you can even store your music on it. Who needs a car radio right. A little walking music. There is one that has just been brought that allows you to take photos and your navman will not only store it for you, but it will also tell you were you took it just in case you want to come back some time soon and check the same spot out. Nifty huh.

The PSP

The PSP is another perfect example of convergent technologies. The PSP is not only a gaming console but it can also be used a storage device for video, and photos. It can also be used to play movies, not only ones that are specially designed for the consoloes themselves called cmd's but it can also play the ones that you have stored on it as long as it has the right file format. You can also access the internet throught this little piece of gaming equipment and you can eve talk on skype, with its built in speakers. What more could you ask for?

Here is a video example of Convergent technology: the ICE Phone

Here is one of my personal favourite videos at the moment: Sand Art

Now to a little bit of editing: i did it through picnik which is a very simple online editing suite.

Original Image 1.

Edit of Image 1

Original Image 2.

Here is the edit of Image 2.

Here is the original image for image 3.

Here is the eddited version of image 3.

Finally Image 4.

And here is the edited version of image 4.

And that is me over and out...

Take care and stay tuned to the next back to the future episode.

Peace

This is how I would like to show my interaction with the history of the internet and the computer:

Turning back time to Review Week One Lecture Content

First of all I would like to discuss the suggested readings which I found completely interesting.

I will start from the top and the work my way down to the bottom. These being:

• Cocaine Jesus- (youtube video) by Stefano Boscutti



• Building a Creative Innovation Environment



• Resource centre for Cyberculture Studies (RCCS)



• Babel- Glossary of computer abbreviations



• American Communication Journal

Cocaine Jesus

Cocaine Jesus is an insane mental video that becomes alomost impossible to keep up with. Its pace mimicks the pace of the textual narratives, and its soundtrack is one that not only gives the viewer a sense of placement but it also works on a subconscious level, as soon it simply becomes a humming in the background until you reach the end of the video and a loud "Bang" ends the music that you had tried to not consciously forgot about. It is an incredible piece, and one with unique qualities. There are artitsts out there that are also doing similar works that are based on text that exploit the video medium.

Building a Creative Innovation Evironment

As thrilling as the idea of sitting down on a Monday night and reading a 58 page file about a future government concept on creative innovation, well it just wasn't excitng so I read the summary. What I gained from the summary was that this was aimed at the people of Australia and New Zealand and it was about highlighting the importance of communication technologies and putting a systen in place that better educated people on the potential benefits of using these technologies and to also spear head a way that people can gain better access to these technologies. It is interesting but I imagine that this kind of thing would be at the bottom of the government agenda.

Resource Center for Cyber Culture Studies (RCCS)

This is an non for profit organizations that serves as a stepping stone to learning about cyberculture. Through this site you can have a look at book reviews, look at courses that you can complete in Cyberculture and you can also see upcoming conferences on the subject and have a look at some links that they have given. I believe that this is deffinately a stepping stone to knowledge and a site that I would be hapy to refer others to.

Babel- Glossary of Computer Abbreviations

The thing that interests me the most, is why are there so many abbreviations in the computer world? Is it because the computers can tun soo fast that big words would slow it down? Well anyway this site is a comprehensive dictionaty on all of these terms.

The American Communication Journal

This site is deffinately one that I will return top in concerns to new communication technologies and its effects on the arts and the world as we know it. I have a couple of other subjects that would also be useful to use this resource. Thanks for the link.

In the lecture, a thing called the Antikythera Mechanism came up, and since I was not in the lecture I was on a mission to find out what this thing was and what did it have to do with the lecture and this is what I found:

The worlds first computer was found of the island of Antikythera and thus was named the Antikythera Mechanism. Science shows that it has the ability to predict eclipses and track the paths of the sun and the moom through the zodiac. It is said that it probably even showed astronomers the movement of the planets.

Which brings me to the question that was posed to the students in the lecture: "How do we distinguish between old and new communication technologies?"

I think that the word technology is integral to answering this open-ended question. Technology is formed out of necessity and cultural want. The hammer and nail were not made for purely aesthetic reasons... they were made so they would form a function. I belive that the answer to this question is the level of technology. You can tell that a full HD tv colour is far superior in technology and is much newer than a small black and white tv made of a wood exterior.

This can be seen in a beautiful example in the lecture notes, in relation to communication and you can see how time has not only progressed technology but it has made it even more complicated as can be seen from this example:

"The speaker produces a message that is heard by the listener"- Aristotle

"The speaker produces an effect on the transmitter which sends a message (which is degraded by the noise of the transmission process) that is intercepted by the reciever which converts in into an effect that is heard by the listener". - Shannon and Weaver

I believe that this a perfect example of the above question....

I would also like to mention Stelarc who also came up in the lectures due to his idea of the extension of the body through technology. I had a look at his site and I found a beautiful quote from him in concerns to his work.

"Bodies are both zombies and cyborgs. We have never had a mind of our own and we often perform involuntarily conditioned and externally prompted. Ever since we evolved as hominds and developed bipedal locomotion, two limbs became manipulators and we constructed artifacts, instruments and machines. In other words we have always been posthetic bodies. We fear the involuntary and we are becoming increasingly automated and extended. But we fear what we have always been and what we have already become zombies and cyborgs".

Stelarc also cam up with the idea of the third hand which is a prosthetic addition to the body. The third hand is activated by EMG signals from the abdominal and leg muscles and it also has 290 degrees of rotation, both clock wise and anti clock wise.

His work is incredible and his use of technology is extremely inventful and his work seems to follow this same concept.

Even though I did not go to the lecture I found the lecture notes very interesting and I learnt alot. See you soon... more from my time travel.

I have a little confession

For those of you that are reading this, you are probably thinking who is this person?... Are they even in my class? what is going on? Well I am here to explain it all.

The beginning of this semmester has been a terrible one. The beginning of week one was excting, a little like getting new school shoes really, you can't wait to wear them but soon they give you blisters and by the end of the year you hate what they represent. Well it all started well and then a very good friend of mine very suddenly died of cancer, which was not only something that I was not prepared for but something that is still taking me a while to get a handle over.

The Following week... uni week 2 I took some time off to go to his funeral.... so I missed out on alot of work and was not in any state to deal with uni work.

Week 3 I went back to classes and with my luck got soo sick that I could not walk down a flight of stairs without having to reach for the asthma puffer because I simply could not breathe. so going to uni was an effort. The walk from parklands took a lot longer than it should have.

As of week 4 I was still having trouble to breathe but that did not stop the assignments from rolling in and for me to not only get confused because of all the missed lectures but also extremely frustrated.

Now I am doing ok... not fantastic but I think that I am well enough to try and get back on track. So I am appologizing in advance if all of these tutorial tasks are out of order, it is simply due to very annoying and coincidental circumstance.

So I am going to do all that I can... keeping in mind that I am doing 6 subjects.....
lol what was I thinking.

Wish me luck!!!

Tutotial Task week 4

Here are the answers for the scavanger hunt for week 4.

1. The worlds largest pumpkin is 1689 pounds, and is from Rhode Island. He began growing it since 2003 and it was judged in 2007.

2. The best way to contact Lilly Allen is to subscribe to Twitter. She is a twitfreak and is always posting information on what she is doing. You can find her under the name lilyroseallen. She averages about a message a day.
3. The length of a giraffes tongue is about two meters in length. You can check out a giraffes tongue on this youtube clip. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oafHw60zds

4. Glycomics in my own words means the study of Glycomes which is sugars and the study of this area is said to be the most difficult in Biology as it releates to DNA and proteins.

4a. Seagull Manager is a term that dates back to Michael Madison used t describe the style in which employees deal with problems, deducing that they make hasty decisions about things that they do not know much about therefore leaving others to deal with the mess that they leave behind. It was used in a 1988 Marketing article.

5. David Cronenbergs first film was Transfer which he directed and wroye in 1966 starring Rafe Macpherson Stefan Nosko and Mort Ritts and it only had a running time of 7 minutes.

6. The original Hacker's Manifesto was written on the 8th of January 1986 and it was written when one a Hacker was caught. There is a great quote in it actually= "I am a hacker and this is my manifesto. You may stop this individual but you can not stop us all... after all, we are all alike." - lol beautiful.

7. Phone numbers in hollywood start with 555 because it was impossible for films to use phone numbers that sounded real and did not actually belong to anyone. They also found that people were calling the phone numbers that they were hearing on the tv. Sadky they were getting real people who soon hounded the production houses for a change, therefore resulting in th use of 555 which is not used in the American phone numbering system.

8. From Virgin Blue you can get cheap travel from the Gold Coast to Sydney from $45 each way. I know cheap right. But this is a special going on at the moment.

9. The 20th of August saw the number one pop song was Girl Happy by Elvis Presley.

10. The name of Stephen Stockwells band was The Black Assassins.

Well that is me for this class. Now lets go and get some lunch. lol

What I lost

Nobody can prepare you for the loss of a friend, especially one that is your age. Three weeks ago I was at is wedding and now I am mourning his death. On wednesday I, along with many of my closest friends will be formerly saying goodbye to a dear friend.
I remember Thursday night so well, I heard the news and I could not breathe. No one tells you how you are going to feel or what kind of physical reaction you will get. I couldn't breathe, I found myself wandering the house searching for something that I would never find... a way to bring him back. I wish there were a manual. I could have prepared for it. So I knew all the right things to say that I knew why I would suddenly start crying while ordering Crispy Creams or why the simple of mention of his name would reduce me to tears. I have not cried today, but that does not mean that I have forgotten what I have to do on Wednesday. I never thought that this day would come, but I am now constantly reminded to cherish everything and take nothing for granted. I lost alot on thursday night, but I also gained a new appreciation for life.
Take care of each other and live every day like it is your last.

Do you ever get that feeling?

Well it is the start of a new semmester and I feel as though I have done this all before. The eager newbees grasp their new text books and hold their new backpacks, scrambling to find a class that never seems to be where the map says. On the other side of the map you have the veteran students that, don't exactly rush to class and quite enjoy watching the new teachers sweating it out talking to new fresh, students who seem to always look blank. Well I am the veteran!

I am in my third year and for some silly reason I need to go back and do first year classes which when you are doing web design, learning how to log onto a computer seems quite monotonous.

The classes are going well so far I have been to 4 so far and 2 have already been cancelled so I think I am on a roll! Who am I?

well I am oppinionated, an actor and an artists. At the moment I am trying my hand in being an entrepaneur which i just realised that I am not so good at spelling. I am not a fan of long walks along the beach but I am imagine if i was being chased and found my way onto the beach running for my life I would not complain about it. What more is there to say?

I think I am a little older than people in this class which is a little weird but oh well....

I am optimistic with this class though. There is nothing wrong with going back to the fundamentals. sounds exciting.

mwah