Week 4 Homework Assignment

1) According to the text "Remediation" the author uses the phrase (in relation to Hollywood's use of computer graphics) "remediation operates in both directions" - what is meant by this?

Remediation is the recurrence of both forms of media (old and new) that make use of each other and re-create one another. In new digital media, old media is utilized to create new visual works; in comparison with older media utilizing new digital media to rewrite their films.

2) What does Michael Benedikt, author of "Cyberspace the First Steps" introduction argue had happened to modern city by the late 60s, having become more than 'a collection of buildings and streets'?

According to Benedikt, the city became a large scale center of various forms of media. He states that in the 60s, it had become an “immense node of communications” and a “messy nexus of messages.”

3) In his short story "Skinner's Room" William Gibson describes how Skinner watches a tiny portable 'pop-up' TV set. What can skinner no longer remember? (remediation in relation to television as an idea is neatly summed up in this sentence!)

Skinner can no longer remember if he is able to differentiate between television commercials and television programming.

4) Author of the famous pamphlet "Culture Jamming" Mark Dery paraphrases Umberto Eco and his phrase "semiological guerrilla warfare". What does this mean?

Umberto Eco’s idea of “semiological guerilla warfare” was the notion that those viewing media have the ability to conceive and understand the media’s message in accordance to their own interpretation of the message.

5) From Mark Dery's pamphlet, briefly describe "Subvertising".

According to Dery, subvertising is a form of anti-advertisement. They are a sort of spoof-advertisement that generally reveals a hidden truth of the said product. Dery states in his pamphlet of subvertising as the “production and dissemination of anti-ads.”

Google Sketchup Assignment

     In my project, I decided to create a virtual garage that one could use to learn and practice their automotive skills on. This type of program would be useful to those in the professional business of servicing vehicles and/or building cars and trucks, as well as the individual who would like to learn how to work on their own vehicles. In my virtual garage, I have added various tools and machinery that one could use for a variety of tasks. I have also integrated a virtual computer (as seen in the pictures) that the individual could use to source out information or instructions for whatever task they may seek.
     This type of world will play a role in the further development of virtual reality because it opens up a variety of different scenarios that one would not normally be able to be exposed to in one single place. By utilizing a virtual world for automotive technician garage training, one has all of the tools required at their fingertips. The simple click of a mouse of input of a command and a machine or tool, which may take a while to source in reality, will appear instantaneously. I believe that the virtual world will help in numerous ways towards the advancement of certain skilled trades, as well as the development of newer tools and machinery that could be explored in virtual reality.

1) In Paulina Boorsooks Book "Cyberselfish" she contrasts the development of technologies that were group efforts and thus stand in stark contrast to the myth of the lone 'hero' entrepreneur. Name two such more group-based technologies. (Under the heading "Closer to the Machine")

a) Wikileaks
b) World Wide Web Consortium

2) In the section labelled "Human, Too Human" Boorsook describes one type of technolibertarian - the "Extropians". What do extropians want or yearn for?


The extropians are a group that aim to maximize the human potential by utilizing machines or adapting machine-like traits, similar to that of a robot.

3) In her film BIT PLANE, Natalie Jeremijenko describes Doug Englebart as being a pioneer - of what? (view film via VIMEO link in separate post)

Natalie Jeremijenko describes Doug Englebart of being a pioneer of personal computing.

4) In "Silicon Valley Mystery House" writer Langdon Winner compares the Silicon Valley to the Winchester Mystery House. In what way does he consider them similar?

Winner compares the Silicon Valley as to that of the Winchester Mystery House due to the blending and combination of areas stretching from San Jose to Palo Alto. This ideology represents how the technology, business, and wealth around these areas allow the areas to transform and adapt to one another, similar to that of the winding doors and staircases that engulf the Winchester Mystery House.

5) In Langdon Winner's essay "Silicon Valley Mystery House" he describes East Palo Alto as a very different kind of place from areas such as upscale Stanford and downtown Palo Alto. What type of area is East Palo alto, "just across highway 101"?

East Palo Alto is an area with a high poverty rate and a generally lower standard of living. Winner explains this area as an area that stands in the shadows of the surrounding areas.

6) In her Processed World article "The Disappeared of Silicon Valley" Paulina Boorsook's "Deep Throat" (inside information source) describes some unpleasant realities of most Silicon Valley startups and how they end up. List two.

a) End up in debt and lose just about everything
b) Many do not make it and are bought out by larger companies

7) What is the Long Now foundation and why was it formed?

The Long Now Foundation is an organization that was developed for the sole purpose of establishing and growing long-term thinking.

8) In the documentary DOCUMENTARY - SILICON VALLEY - A HUNDRED YEAR RENAISSANCE (1997) Steve Jobs describes the joy of successfully making "blue boxes" which let he and his friends make free phone calls. What aspect of this experience does he say was so important to the creation of Apple computer?

This notion of creating blue boxes had taught Steve Jobs the sheer power of creativity, ideas, and the influence that they may have on the world.

9) List three aspects of the work of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) - (see the "Our Work" section of their website)

1. Free Speech
2. Intellectual Property
3. Privacy


10) According to Richard Stallman's website, what is his status in relation to the social media site Facebook?

Stallman says that he will never become a member of facebook or any other social media sites because they threaten your privacy and have the ability to record everything that you do.

1. Why was the period at the turn of the 20th century so important?

 

In this period of time, a lot of new inventions arose, including the lightbulb, the recording of sound, as well as new technologies in cinema. It was a time of innovation and advancement that encompassed not only the world of media, but science and socioeconomics as well.

2. What aspects of the Dada art movement are important from the point of view of the rise of the computers and digital visual media? (for example Marcel Duchamp's "readymades"?)

 

The establishment of the Dada movement brought forth new ideas and beliefs in the world of digital visual media. In the Dada movement, new movies were being made that were quite expirimental and utilized digital visual media in ways that were never brought forth before.

3. Name one aspect that links "The Man with a Movie Camera" with digital media according to Lev Manovich (ReadingsB).

 

One such aspect that links both the film and the readings is the expirimental combination of random images being used as an art form.

4. What was 'constructivism'?

Constructivism is the idea of wanting to constructing a new society

 

5. Read pages VI-XXII of "The Language of New Media" in ReadingsB:

What does Lev Manovich suggest are the 'three levels' of "The Man with a Movie Camera"?

The three levels consist of the man shooting the film, the audience watching the film, and the film itself.

6. Who first developed the idea of "Cybernetics"?

Norbert Weiner

7. In "Computer Lib" Ted Nelson describes Hypertext as "Non ___________" writing (fill in the blank)

sequential

8. Why were transistors, even though 100 times smaller than vacuum tubes considered impractical for building computers in the 1960s?

 

They were incredibly expensive at that time to make and even more to purchase.

9. What was the name of the first commercial available computer (kit)?

The Altair 8800

 

10. Write a paragraph:

In your own words: What are things going to look like in 20 years from now in the average living room in terms of digital visual media? What types of digital media will your kids be using around 2030?

 

I think that in 20 years, we will have a whole entire new genre of digital visual media. We will have the technological advancements to not only be able to watch films in 3D, but maybe even in 4D. Holographic images and 3-dimensional figures will replace the media that we watch on television sets. We might even have the technology to utilize a special sort of table in which a film will be reproduced in small scale. We may also be able to utilize a newer version of surround sound which will be more clear, more crisp, and will directly replicate whatever form of media that is being televised. I am thinking of something similar to that of the holographic forms of communication used in Star Wars films.

First week homework

1.) what was unique about Charles Babbage Analytical Engine, compared to his original Difference Engine?

The differences amongst the two engines was that the Difference Engine was designed to calculate the squared power of numbers whereas the Analytical Engine was able to lead to the further construction of computers with multiple-purposes that are designated by the user.

2.) what role did Ada Lovelace play in the development of the Analytical Engine?

Ada Lovelace was basically the first computer programmer and acted as a medium between Babbage and the public.

3.) how was the ENIAC computer reprogrammed?

Every time that users wanted to solve a problem, they would need to reset a set of wires connected to 6000 switches, which in turn were routed to hundreds of cables that made up the machine.

4.) name an innovation that helped make programming faster post ENIAC

Cobal, fortran, and other computer languages were developed to transfer human language into binary.

5.) what is it about binary counting that makes it so well suited for commuters?

The binary code only utilizes two numbers, 1 and 0.

6.) in what ways did UNIVAC influence the portrayal if computers in popular culture in the 1950s? Give an example.

Computers were portrayed as evil machines that took over the role of humans in the workplace. However, they were also portrayed as machines that were utilized to make life easier by performing minute tasks that most ordinary people didn't want to do.

7.) code breaking required the automatic manipulation of symbols to unscramble messages during WWII. What was the name of the rudimentary computer at Bletchley Park in England that unscrambles Nazi codes.

The name of the computer was Collosus.

8.) Alan Turing who understood the implications of such machines later went in to describe them as ________ machines.

Universal

9.) describe when you first used computers and what types of tasks you performed on them.

The first time I utilized a computer was back in the late 90s. I remember my uncle had one downstairs at his house and I was using it to play video games. I would play rudimentary video games on a small CRT monitor and I also remember using it when AOL online first came out. 

My uncle helped me set up my own email account (dogbump1@aol.com) and i used it to send messages to my friends and family members. I also remember receiving emails with funny anecdotes and holiday greetings. Little did I know that this first form of online social networking would turn so huge later on.

10.) how restricted do you think computers are in terms of what they can do compared to how they are most often used?

I think that a very small niche of people actually utilize a computer to it's actual potential. These include master programmers and people who require a vast usage of computers to perform daily tasks at work. Computers hold an immense deal of information and knowledge that is now easily accessible via the world wide web. They are also able to compute mathematical functions in a split second that would take the average person forever to do by hand.

Most users utilize the computer for a set purpose or to access the internet. When i talk to people regarding what they use the computer for, the most general replies are for performing work tasks, social networking, accessing information via the internet, utilizing it for all sources of media, and the occasional gaming. I also believe that computers in the future will only become faster, smaller, and much more efficient.