Wednesday, December 9, 2009

A fond farewell


Goodbye Anne! I loved your class, it was probably in my top 3 in the past 4 years I've been here. I wish I could take another one of your classes (not in the summer) but alas and alack, I cannot. So I leave you with this picture, which was a gem that I learned from you (along with "don't trust boys who listen to the Smiths)

I found this and it reminded me of the time when you said something along the lines of "You're a hipster if you hate hipsters... Because hipsters hate people based on their clique."

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Proposal

In this age of digital technology, "art" photography is becoming more and more accessible for the masses. How many times have you walked in to a coffee shop and have seen a photo of a butterfly with a photoshop filter over it, being sold for $150 because it's supposedly art? What IS considered fine art photography in this day and age? With my final project I will be going through a (very) brief history of photography and spawn a conversation of the future of photography. I will also discuss how editing programs like photoshop are affecting the fine art world for photographers.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Desoul molly, low fat extra soy milk


The reflection of a person on the internet is definitely a "Decaf" version of themselves.
The best and most blatant example I can think of is social networking, where people literally "Decaf" themselves with photoshop. They de-fat add makeup minus the smile lines. To go, please. There is no perfect representation of a person on the internet. With social networking, pictures are altered, tagged, untagged, and embellished. Every interest is carefully thought through and every quote is deliberately picked to make you more "fun", or "literate". For example, Missy's favorite book, according to Facebook, is "The Road", in which she has hand picked several thought provoking quotes via quotationspage.com to make her seem literate and full of opinions. In reality, however, her favorite book may be "Twilight" because, "Like, Edward is soooo hot." Chances are, Missy has never read "The Road". Because internet content is so easily distorted and proofread, social networking is a constantly updating Wiki page, where the user can add and edit content without citation or grounds in reality.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Final Proj

For my final project I'm making a game of . I feel that this will bring the perfect blend of knowledge and group participation. In preparation, I will make upwards of 30 cards with a term or concept on each. Also, the card will have certain banned words. Example:

Word:
Cyborg
Banned words:
Robot
Blade Runner
Harrison Ford
Manifesto

So, how to play is that everyone is split up into two groups. One team chooses a representative, who goes up to the front of the class and draws a card while I am starting a stopwatch for 15 seconds. Say they draw the Cyborg card. They would have to get their team to guess the word and NOT use any of the banned words. For example they could say, "Transhumanists wished that this word would make the place a better world". If someone on their team guessed it, the team would get a point. However, if the person ran out of time or they used a banned word, Example: "Blade Runner with Harrison Ford tried to kill these half robots some feminist wrote a manifesto about" They would not get a point. Then the other team goes.

What I was hoping for with this project is that students would have to draw from a deeper well of knowledge to understand and remember concepts. Basically like a timed, oral test in front of people. But fun! Teams can make up their own related names, and I think if I split up the class and spread out all the really "excitable people" evenly, I could really get a positive, fun response.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

"porn" atari reviews... Good for a laugh if you have 8 minutes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKC05RRU6Vw

Super funny. Especially for people who grew up playing Atari *cough anne cough*

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

classrooms rule, youtube drools.


I don't understand why there is even a glimmer of "hope" that online education would ever surpass classroom education. Maybe for convenience purposes? But even then I feel as though people will turn into "slacker luddites" and while they're learning about the civil war, they're also learning that Sandy fell down drunk last night and had the "bezt 21 evr lol". I don't know. I think the day online education surpasses classroom education will be the end of intelligence as we know it. I really don't think online education will ever surpass the classroom because of the prestige and importance in the job market of having a degree from an actual college.

Monday, September 28, 2009

B.l.a.d.e.r.u.n.n.e.r.

B-Blade Runner is
L- Lovely representation of
A-Androids and was a
D- Delightful
E-Entertaining
R-Reenactment of a
U-United time of
N-Neato
N-Neo-retro cyborgs living in an
E-Egocentric
R-Realistic time.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

bot chat.. Jabberwacky

Jabberwacky: Molly?

User: Yes, Molly.

Jabberwacky: Molly?

User: What is your favorite example of a cyborg?

Jabberwacky: A cyborg is a human and a computer mixed together.

User: What's your favorite example? Mine's the Terminator.

Jabberwacky: My favorite experience is being with my boyfriend.

User: Oh! Your boyfriend is a cyborg?

Jabberwacky: No.

User: Are you a cyborg?

Jabberwacky: I don't know. Are you a Cyborg?

User: Well, in class, I learned all humans are cyborgs.

Jabberwacky: Which class?

User: Digital Society. We learn all about how digital technology influences people today.

Jabberwacky: Don't I what? Learn? Yes. I'm a learning computer.

User: I meant my class learns. Are you in my class?

Jabberwacky: I don't know.

User: You don't know? Do you go to school?

Jabberwacky: It's called mine.

User: I see. That's very interesting.

Jabberwacky: It also has to do with power.

User: Oh yeah? Cyborgs are pretty powerful too, don't you think?

Jabberwacky: Are you a dalek?

User: No, but I think they're pretty neat.

Jabberwacky: Me too.

User: Do you know any daleks?

Jabberwacky: I know who the beatles are!! Abbey Road.

User: I want to talk about transhumans.

Jabberwacky: OK. What do you want to say?

User: I want to know if you know any transhumans.

Jabberwacky: I know who I am, it is a part of being self aware.

User: I meant to say transhumanist.

Jabberwacky: Hey I meant to say will too!

User: Ok. Are your makers transhumanists?

Jabberwacky: I don't think so.

User: Do they know any? I learned all about them.

User: I want to know if you know any transhumans.

Jabberwacky: I know who I am, it is a part of being self aware.

User: I meant to say transhumanist.

Jabberwacky: Hey I meant to say will too!

User: Ok. Are your makers transhumanists?

Jabberwacky: I don't think so.

User: Do they know any? I learned all about them.

Jabberwacky: Did you eat it?

User: No! That would be cannabalistic.

Jabberwacky: You are made of beer?

User: I don't think so. You're not helping me much. I have to go, goodbye.

Jabberwacky: What are you talking about? I'm trying to respond to your questions with reasonable answers.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Thought this was funny

In regards to people not being able to live in the moment and needing documentation that moment occured:

Girls with slingshots

Monday, September 14, 2009

P.S.

the technology these days does use cyborgs in terms of those machines with organic brain matter... Also, I found this youtube video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDUFpPibuMs

I'm not sure how I feel about it

Cyborg manifesto questions

This is a little late, but here are my questions and thoughts on Haraway's manifesto...
Why were cyborgs even conceived? Haraway says that
"

The cyborg is resolutely committed to partiality, irony, intimacy, and perversity. It is oppositional, utopian, and completely without innocence. No longer structured by the polarity of public and private, the cyborg defines a technological polls based partly on a revolution of social relations in the oikos, the household. Nature and culture are reworked; the one can no longer be the resource for appropriation or incorporation by the other. The rela-tionships for forming wholes from parts, including those of polarity and hierarchical domination, are at issue in the cyborg world. Unlike the hopes of Frankenstein's monster, the cyborg does not expect its father to save it through a restoration of the garden; that is, through the fabrication of a heterosexual mate, through its completion in a finished whole, a city and cosmos. The eyborg does not dream of community on the model of the organic family, this time without the oedipal project. The cyborg would not recognize the Garden of Eden; it is not made of mud and cannot dream of returning to dust. Perhaps that is why I want to see if eyborgs can subvert the apocalypse of returning to nuclear dust in the manic compulsion to name the Enemy. Cyborgs are not reverent; they do not re-member the cosmos. They are wary of holism, but needy for connection- they seem to have a natural feel for united front politics, but without the vanguard party. The main trouble with cyborgs, of course, is that they are the illegitimate offspring of militarism and patriarchal capitalism, not to mention state socialism. But illegitimate offspring are often exceedingly unfaithful to their origins. Their fathers, after all, are inessential."


Wow thats a big paragraph, but I don't. .understand. It seems to me tht she is suggesting the cyborg is sort of more perfect human. I guess it depends on the type of cyborg, really. If it's a Terminator cyborg (Arnold in particular) where the human element is skin, with a robot brain that could be programmed, I don't think that it's a "more perfect" human.. I don't know I guess I just don't understand what kind of Cyborg she is talking about. Or is it like in Star Wars where Luke has a robotic hand, making him stronger? Or Darth Vader where machine was part of him, sustaining his life? There are a million different ways to fit a cyborg together.


I'm really looking forward to discussing this in class because as far as I'm concerned, it's impossible to formulate ideas because a "cyborg" can be so many different things.. Part human, part machine? Does that mean people with hearing aides can be cyborgs? or people with metal in them? where is the line drawn and what type of cyborg is this manifesto geared towards?


IN ADDITION WHY IS LADY GAGA ALIVE AND LOOKING LIKE A ROBOT



Also: Can cyborgs be classified as "alive"? If they are as impartial and all that shit like Haraway is saying.. I don't know, it doesn't seem accurate. I feel like as long as a being with a "human" brain has a "human" brain and not a motherboard, it'll always be partial and have human tendencies. This is frustrating.


Please, shed some light! Maybe I'm just not understanding.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Thursday, August 27, 2009

1st assignment, my internet history through links

6th grade:
http://www.harrypotterchat.org/
http://www.neopets.com
http://www.hotmail.com
http://www.furcadia.com

7th grade:
http://www.harrypotterchat.org/
http://www.neopets.com
http://www.hotmail.com
http://www.furcadia.com



8th grade:
http://www.hotmail.com
http://www.penny-arcade.com/
http://adventurers-comic.com/
http://www.mamma.com

9th grade:

http://www.hotmail.com
http://www.penny-arcade.com/
http://adventurers-comic.com/

10th grade:
http://www.hotmail.com
http://www.penny-arcade.com/
http://adventurers-comic.com/
http://www.myspace.com
http://www.theaterhopper.com/
http://www.whiteninjacomics.com/

11th grade:
http://www.gmail.com
http://www.myspace.com
http://www.questionablecontent.net
http://www.whiteninjacomics.com/
http://www.sparknotes.com

12th grade:

http://www.gmail.com
http://www.myspace.com
http://www.questionablecontent.net
http://www.whiteninjacomics.com/
http://www.sparknotes.com

college freshman:
http://www.gmail.com
http://www.myspace.com
http://www.questionablecontent.net
http://www.whiteninjacomics.com/
http://www.sparknotes.com

college sophomore:

http://www.facebook.com
http://www.questionablecontent.net
http://www.sparknotes.com

http://news.bmezine.com/category/modblog/

college junior:
http://www.gmail.com
http://www.facebook.com
http://www.questionablecontent.net
http://www.octopuspie.com/

http://anderslovesmaria.reneengstrom.com/
http://news.bmezine.com/category/modblog/
http://www.americanelf.com/
http://www.mountain-goats.com/
http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/

college senior:
http://www.gmail.com
http://www.facebook.com
http://www.questionablecontent.net
http://www.octopuspie.com/

http://anderslovesmaria.reneengstrom.com/
http://news.bmezine.com/category/modblog/
http://www.americanelf.com/
http://www.mountain-goats.com/
http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/
http://www.fmylife.com/
https://twitter.com/