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Georges Perec Pages 1-45 --JMurray53?, Tue, 17 Jan 2006 12:57:36 -0500 reply
1. What is Perec trying to say on page 33, when he talks about "A space without a use?"
2. Why does Perec bring up the story about the elder woman that was his neighbor on page 26?
3. On page 37, why does Perec bring up the example of the house without a door?
Reponse to Question 2:
I believe the Perec brings up the story about the widowed woman in his building as an example of how important the space we live in can become to us. In the case of this woman, her husband had died sixty years ago, and she had been living by herself that entire time. All she had to keep her company was her apartment. She had the dining room, the living room, the kitchen, the bathroom, the bedroom, the doors, the walls, the bed, and the furniture that Perec says she spent her time rubbing.
This woman had lived in that same building for seventy years, and Perec says that she did not even venture further than the landing on her own floor. The apartment that woman inhabited was as much a part of her life as any person she had ever come into contact with, perhaps even more. The apartment had been with her through what presumably were happy times with her husband, through the sad times when he passed away, and had kept her company over the course of the past six decades.
Perec was able to convey his message of how important we consider the spaces we live in or even visit to be to us. The spaces we inhabit become like another person in our life, and they tell a lot about the kind of person we are. The woman in this apartment spent practically her whole life there and her life is as much tied to that apartment as it is to anything else in the world. The same can probably be said for many of us, whether it be the home we grew up in, the home we live in now, or the home we will eventually live in.
interesting thoughts --amiller, Tue, 17 Jan 2006 15:16:35 -0500 reply
I like how you tied the idea of the importance of our living spaces to Perec's short example of the widowed woman.
Response to your 3rd Question --amiller, Tue, 17 Jan 2006 15:24:22 -0500 reply
I think that Perec brought up the house without a door to exemplify the importance of our own personal privacy. He mentions how almost everyone has a door to lock themselves away from the rest of the world to maintain this almost prisoner-like feeling of being safe and the very few that don't (the example without a door) still manage to maintain a feeling of privacy and security within their locked gate private country club community.
Georges Perec Pages 1-45 --sbaldwin, Sun, 22 Jan 2006 22:44:28 -0500 reply
John: I'd say you're right about the elderly woman. If the point is that the apartment becomes a part of her life, you seem to be saying that this is one example of something we all share. Fair enough; what are some of the ways a space becomes a part of our lives? i.e. how does our relation to the space change as we incorporate it this way? Also, I'm curious about your other two questions. Isn't the point with the first, a space without a use, to thoroughly consider all the possibilities of space? Similarly with the third question? I mean, isn't he testing the range and variation of a given space / strcuture? What do you think?
"Species of Space" p. 148-155, 174-185, 188-205 --JMurray53?, Tue, 24 Jan 2006 13:13:54 -0500 reply
1. According to Perec, what is the relationship between how we position our hands while reading, and how read? 2. What does where we read say about what we are reading, and why we are reading it? 3. What does Perec mean when he refers to utopias as depressing?
Response to Question 2:
Where we read says a lot about what we are reading and why we are reading it. For example, a person reading a book in a library, is most likely doing so in order to obtain knowledge about a certain topic. When we go to a library to read, we are usually in search of information, whether it be for a paper we are writing, a test we will soon be taking, or just a general pursuit of knowledge. There is an atmosphere of scholastic pursuit at a library, and we are therefore more likely to read educational works there. In the library we are more likely to read from encyclopedias or other scholastic works. This is not what I would describe as recreational reading.
When we read in our homes, we are more likely to read stuff for the enjoyment of reading. This is where we are more likely to read our favorite magazine, the newspaper, or a book we enjoy. There is a more relaxed atmosphere in our homes than there is in a public setting, and we are therefore more likely to read something we find fun and enjoyable when we are in our homes. We may read from a newspaper or a magazine on our way to class, or in the hallway while we are killing time in between classes. This type of reading is not usually done in a pursuit of information, but rather as means of relaxing during our down time. Our surroundings often say a lot about what we are reading and why we are reading it. The more relaxed the situation we are in is, the more likely we are to read something that we enjoy.
"Species of Space" p. 148-155, 174-185, 188-205 --sbaldwin, Mon, 30 Jan 2006 22:17:06 -0500 reply
John: You're right that where we read is an indicater of our purpose and goals in reading, and in turn this influences what we choose to read adn how we take it in. I wonder if "where" includes many other factors as well? Atmosphere is a good word for this, but think of all the things included there - layout, decoration, other people (whom? how many?, etc.), noise/distraction, and so on. We typically think of time as a pretty homogenous thing - time is time - but clearly this sense of time, at least, is heterogeneous and keyed to the setting. Time passing in the library is different to time passing on the street and different again from time in the coffee shop, for example. I find your first question interesting: bodily position is something we don't always think about in reading, but it's important isn't it? We position ourselves in relation to the text differently, hold the text differently, even interact differently (move around, mouth the words), etc.
Response to Vannevar Bush's "As We May Think" --JMurray53?, Tue, 31 Jan 2006 12:33:39 -0500 reply
1. According to Bush, what are the main benefits of science? 2. What scientific advances does Bush expect us to experience in the future? 3. According to Bush, how does one make a new trail?
Response to #1:
Science has changed everything about modern life. Advancements in science has improved the way we live, the way we eat, the way we dress, even the way we think. Recent advancements have allowed us to feel safer wherever we are, whether in our homes, our schools, or in a public setting, such as a mall or movie theater. However, science has done far more important things than just making life more comfortable.
Perhaps the area in which science has benefited us the most is in the way it has made it easier for us to communicate with each other. At the time Vannevar Bush was writing “As We May Think,” he could have never imagined the advancements in communication that would take place at the end of the century. Today we can talk to friends and relatives in all corners of the world, simply by picking up a phone, or logging on to the internet. When Bush wrote that “Science has provided the swiftest communication between individuals,” he had no idea how prophetic he really was.
Scientific advancements have not just improved our lives, they have improved the lives of future generations, as they have given us a better understanding of the world around us. The many studies and surveys our scientists have conducted over the years have been recorded and saved, with the valuable information they hold available to anyone who wants them. The information that scientists have discovered, can help change or even save lives. In the future, our scientists will be able to cure horrible diseases like AIDs? and cancer that afflict our current society, and therefore will be able to increase the life expectancy of the entire human race.
response by sandy --sbaldwin, Tue, 07 Feb 2006 01:19:33 -0500 reply
John: This is much to vague a response. You don't really address his essay at all! Yes, he discusses communication, but in very specific ways. While he is prophetic, it's important to see how the internet does and does not fulfill his prophecy. What kind of communication ws he calling for? I mean, there already was swift communication in 1945 via telephone and others means; what was he seeking? Similarly your last paragraph is much too general - focus on the text!
Response to Poetics of Augmented Space --JMurray53?, Tue, 21 Feb 2006 19:58:42 -0500 reply
1. In what ways is the world wide web really just a huge cybermall? 2. How will surveillance advancements affect the future both positively and negatively? 3. What exactly is meant by the phrase augmented space?
Response to #1:
The world wide web may have originally been created as a way for universities to exchange information, but it has evolved into a global marketplace unlike anything it's creators could have ever envisioned. Today, the internet serves as a giant mall, in which one can purchase anything they want without even getting dressed. Each private website serves as a market, offering its goods or services to the consumer, not unlike the individual stores that you find at your neighborhood mall. In order to get traffic to a website, the creators of the site use the same methods that stores in a mall use. Carefully placed advertisements, sales offering great deals, and word of mouth, are things that usually bring consumer traffic to stores in a mall. Likewise, websites use pop-up ads offering unbeatable deals in an effort to draw people in. The overall world wide web has a number of similarities to a shopping mall. The web is a bigger, more efficient place for one to shop. The world wide web offers everything one could need from clothes to electronics. It is also easier to navigate than a suburban shopping mall. If you enter into a mall you are unfamiliar with, you must first check the map to see where you need to go. However, when you are searching for something on the world wide web, you can simply use a search engine to point you in the right direction. The world wide web has evolved into a global marketplace that may one day make shopping at a suburban mall obsolete.
Response to Ambient Findability, Chapters 3-5 --JMurray53?, Wed, 01 Mar 2006 16:18:38 -0500 reply
1. What does intertwingled mean? 2. What is meant by the term "information retrieval"? 3. What is the difference between "push" and "pull", and where can I find examples of "push" and "pull" in action?
Response to #3:
The terms "push" and "pull" as used in our textbook, Ambient Findability, refer to two different methods that websites use in order to draw consumers in. "Push" and "pull" can both be very effective, and you can find examples of them both on just about every website on the world wide web. The term "push" refers to the headings that greet you when you first visit a website. This is supposed to draw your attention to something, and invite you to investigate it further. The front page of the website I visit most frequently, www.espn.com, has a picture of Atlanta Falcons running back Warrick Dunn being "pushed" out at me. Underneath this picture, there are various links to articles about Dunn, as well as other NFL players in the same situation he is in, a free agent to be. These links are attempting to pull me, to explore the issue further, and find out more about Dunn and the other players that are being pushed at me. Needless to say, I could not resist and I was pulled into reading each article, starting first with the one about Dunn. The same types of "push" and "pull" techniques can be found all over the world wide web, as well as in our everyday lives. The "push" is used to get our attention, make us feel like we are interested even if we are not. The "pull" is used to close the deal, and often times it will offer us a variety of different options to be pulled into.
Response to Poetics of Augmented Space --sbaldwin, Fri, 10 Mar 2006 11:59:18 -0500 reply
John: The idea of the web a "really just a huge cybermall" emphasizes the commercial aspects of the web. Something like: we think this is about communication, exchange, invention, but it's really about selling, commerce, pricing, markets, and so on. It's like television - we think it's about shows, about content, but really it's about selling and the shows are there to get us to watch the ads. This might mean that we view the personal web site as a kind of minor phenomena, really insignificant. We might also focus on the move to tax websites - the government wants revenue from the web - and this might mark the true end/shutting down of the private / personal web.
Response to Ambient Findability, Chapters 3-5 --sbaldwin, Fri, 17 Mar 2006 16:13:28 -0500 reply
John: First off, work on your questions more! Don't simply formulate "what does
Response to David Garcia --JMurray53?, Mon, 03 Apr 2006 19:41:58 -0400 reply
1. Who is David Garcia referring to when he says "The Masses"? 2. How did Tactical Media as we know it come about? 3. What is the purpose of website blogs such as the one on McSpotlight??
Response to #3:
The purpose of McSpotlight? is to inform the public of all of the negative aspects of the McDonalds? corporation. You cannot watch television for very long without seeing a commercial for McDonalds? and, when you are reminded of how cheap their food is, it is very tempting to drive over there and pick something up. McSpotlight? literally shines the spotlight on all the bad things McDonalds? does, such as serving its customers very unhealthy food.
McSpotlight? is far from the only site of its kind. There are many people all across the world who have chosen the internet as the perfect medium to speak out against a company, or even another person. The reason that blogs are such a great way to convey a negative message is that they are uncensored. People writing in blogs can say things that they could not say on television or on the radio without being sued. There is no doubt that there are millions of people in America, as well as millions more across the world, who are naïve to a lot of the negative things that McDonalds? and other corporations like it are doing. McSpotlight? and other websites of its kind are doing those people a service by giving them an opportunity to see another perspective.
There are blogs all over the world wide web where people speak about things far important than fast food chains like McDonalds?. Protestors will take to the internet to object to pretty much anything they want. However, there are also many websites that give people an opportunity to positively discuss topics such as politics, sports, television, movies, or music.
Response to Guy Debord --JMurray53?, Thu, 06 Apr 2006 11:56:37 -0400 reply
1. What role does chance play in derives? 2. What outside forces could affect or prevent you from experiencing a derive? 3. If you were to participate in a derive yourself, what would you hope to experience?
Response to #3:
I am sure that most people have at least occasionally wished they could drop everything for a day or two the way that people do when they participate in a derive. Life can be stressful and there are many times when we forget to stop and look around. A derive could prove to be a perfect release from this and might leave one feeling rejuvenated afterwards.
My life can seem very repetitive at times. I hang out with the same people every day. I go to the same classes every week. I go to the same places every night or every weekend. Around the house, I do the same things every day. Don’t get me wrong; I am definitely not complaining. I choose to do these same things because I truly enjoy them and I choose to hang out with these same people because I truly enjoy being around them. However, I wouldn’t be against taking a one or two day derive to experience that as well.
If I ever was on a derive I would imagine there would be a lot of time for reflection. I think that such a period of reflection would be good for me as I am on the verge of closing a major chapter of my life (my undergraduate education) and beginning another even bigger chapter of my life (everything that follows my schooling) in the fall. I would enjoy having a period, albeit a short one, where I could reflect on all my experiences not just in college, but even back in high school and elementary school. The many friends I have had over the years, some of whom I still talk to, many of whom I have lost touch with. It would be great to have the opportunity to focus on what is really important in life, without being consumed by due dates, bills and other things of that nature. I think a derive could be really good for me.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go get ready for class.
Response to Amsterdam Project --JMurray53?, Thu, 06 Apr 2006 12:33:47 -0400 reply
1. What could we potentially gain from a project like the Amsterdam Project? 2. Who, besides the fathers of teenage daughters, would be interested in participating in a project involving tracking devices on human beings? 3. What are some better ways to use the GPS tracking devices than the ones proposed by the conductors of the Amsterdam Project?
Response to #3:
Whether or not you feel that attaching Global Positioning System devices to a human being is ethical, you have to admit that such a proposition is at least intriguing. The idea of using these tracking devices to create a more advanced map of the city is all well and good, but there are lots of other things you could with such devices.
For example, if everyone agreed to wear the GPS devices it could prove to be a great crime deterrent. Sure, it would be an unbelievable invasion of privacy, but if a major crime was committed the perpetrator(s) would be behind bars in a matter of hours. It may sound extreme but it really could prove to a very valuable innovation. Such a massive undertaking would have to be required by law and be orchestrated by government officials. It is highly unlikely that this would ever occur, but it is interesting to contemplate.
It may not be possible to get everyone to agree to wear tracking devices. However, a more realistic plan would be to strap them onto everyone who has recently been released from prison. If we had tracking devices on all ex-convicts it would be impossible to commit crimes once they have been released from prison without being hauled right back in. These people would also be arrested if they violated the terms of their parole by leaving the state or if they removed their tracking devices intentionally.
A high percentage of ex-convicts commit equal or worse crimes after they are released from prison, and human tracking devices could be a great way to prevent them from doing so. This could be good for both the innocent people they come across and the ex-cons themselves. While it may not seem ethical to attach a human tracking device to any person, even an ex-convict, they gave up a lot of their human rights when they committed the crime that got them behind bars in the first place. There could also be an understanding wherein a person who has worn the tracking device for a certain period of time, say three years, without causing any trouble, could have their device removed.
