responses

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Wiki Response 2    Perec pg. 1-45

Questions:

1. What is Perec trying to accomplish by writing words vertically and diagonally and in the margin?

2. Considering the comparison between a page and a bed, what kind of conclusions is Perec trying to draw?

3. As you live in a room, do you live on a page?

Analysis of Question 2: In this section of the book, Perec seems to be very focused on living spaces. He describes beds, bedrooms, apartments, etc. These are all very personal places where the owner can be his or her self; completely comfortable in their own space surrounded by familiar objects. I believe these places are of interest to a writer because the act of writing itself is very personal. It involves one person, with one piece of paper, sitting at one desk, with one pen, and only their mind to guide them. What is left on the paper is a reflection of that writer and can often identify that person based on style or content. Perec is breaking down the elements of personal space with brief analyses of each object and the space the object occupies. But what is more interesting to me is the bridge he is trying to draw between these spaces and the act of writing or the result. More specifically, I found the comparison between a bed and a page to be the most interesting. He compares them in shape and size, of which they are very much alike. He then goes on to discuss the inhabitants of a bed, keeping in mind that he is also talking about a page (using the terms interchangeably). He says that is it disastrous if too many people sleep in one bed. Is he then also saying that is equally disastrous if too many people put their ideas on one page? Is it a kind if "Too many cooks" analogy? Perec also talks about the time spent in bed. He starts out with the fact that we spend more than a third of our lives in bed. Do writers spend this much time staring at pages? A person forms a bond with their bed, a comfortable nurturing relationship. A bed is there to catch you when you’re tired, upset, happy, and angry. It has always been there and will remain there as long as you wish it to. As in a bed, lying in your own thoughts and feelings, does a writer lay on a page with their ideas and thoughts swimming around them in the comfort? I believe these are some of the questions I believe Perec is trying to bring up, but not necessarily answer is any clear manner.

Wiki Response 3  Taxonomy of a Room

Questions:

1. Why does he feel the need to create the taxonomy of his room online?

2. If one wanted to create a model of life, wouldn't it actually defeat the purpose of creating a model if it was so life-like that instead of modeling life, it became an example of life? Why wouldn't one just set out to create life then?

3. By publishing a taxonomy of his room online, is he truely trying to put himself, and not his bedroom, out there for all to see?

Analysis of question 3:   I chose to focus only on the "Taxonomy of My Room" for this response because I found it to be the most interesting. At first glance, I decided I wasn't even going to give the piece enough credit to taje the time to read it. It seemed pointless, irrelevant, and by far the geekiest thing I had ever seen. However, in my effort to be a "good student" I decided since I had read the other I might as well read this, it was short enough anyway. I immediately identified with his statement about his room being a very important place to him. I personally cherish my own space and try very hard to make it exactly as I want it. I then understood his purpose, after he admitted he was nerdy... It wasn't to show everyone on the imternet how his room was set up, but to convey an important place in his life and by describing its contents to hopefully reveal more of himself than the actual space of his room. Looking at the actual taxonomy itself, I get the impression that what he is trying to convey is that everything around him, from the weather to the spare light bulbs effect him. These effects the in turn effect how he arranges the things in his live, most notably his room. By giving the taxonomy of his room, he is trying to show what effects life has had on him by what is in his room and why he chose for it to be there in the hopes that these details will give the insightful reader a peak into his true self, not just his room. I also found it interesting when he brought up the idea of being able to visit the taxonomy in other locations so that he could feel at home. Even more intriguing though is the fact this his friends may do the same and they could form a house to party in while they are actually working. This is very interesting, and slmost too abstract to understand. It may seem like a clever idea, but it would only be an idea. Never a real house with the actual rooms, so why go to that trouble at all? The only conclusion I can come to is to get to know your friend's rooms as a way of getting to know them better. But if you are truely their friend, then you've most likely been in the actual room and got a first hand look at their true selves, so why look at the skeleton online? Obviously I don't believe the soul of a room can be captured online to create an experience rather than just space. A room has too many other sensory factors to be able to recreate, especially online. Just as a side note, it pretty much freaks me out that in the future my house could know where I am at and what I am doing at all times.

Response 4 - Vannavar Bush

Questions:

 1. Why does Bush feel there is a need for a memex?

2. Who would use the memex?

3. Is the memex just the first idea of a computer?

Response to Question 1:  Vannevar Bush begins by talking about the advances the human race has made in science and thus the new ideas and objects in existance today due to our advanced knowledge of science. As anyone who has been through a basic science class knows, it is all about the Scientific Method, or more generally, research. Science is nothing without research and it can be argued that research and science are the same thing. Scientists exist to theorize, hypothesis, experiment, and resport the results for other scientists to test and use. With all of this research, it seems almost impossible for someone to manually search through books or scholoarly journals to look for pertinent information. It is inefficient, frustrating, and can lead to flaws. Bush realizes this and wants to, in a most scientific way, theorize a solution for this immense waste of time. He goes on to include everyone is the use and benefit of such a machine: "Whenever logical processes of thought are employed - that is, whenever thought for a time runs along an accepted groove - there is an opportunity for the machine." His solution is what I would consider a stone-age computer, or what he refers to as a memex. More specifically, it is a device where someone can store an unlimited ammount of information in a small space, in this case a desk, and can be consulted quickly and effieciently. In the words of Bush, "it is an enlarged intimate supplement to his memory." The information would be encoded onto a microfilmwhich could be purchased to need. It acts as a sort of mehcanical card catalogue, but contains pictures and documents as well as books. Levers on the desk allow the user to browse or surf through the material page by page. However useful these functions, the most important would be the memex's ability to link two items. Creating a trail through certain material, the user can then save that trail so it can be brought up easily and quickly when needed again. This permanently links two documents or items so that when one is requested, the other will be automatically included in the results. There was definitely a great need for a device such as a memex and that need has not lessened with the invention of the computer, but only grown. Although the computer is different from what Bush proposes, it has many of the same abilities and was primarily created for the exact problems he was pointing to. Bush was definitely on to something as exemplified by the intelligent information systems we have today. It is hard to imagine a world without these machines that we take so greatly for granted today. However hard is is to imagine a world without computers, it must have been even harder for someone to imagine such a sophisticated system in a manual world.

Response 5 -desktop environment

Questions:

1. Was Xerox is the computer business at one time? I always think of them as a copy machine company.

2. With all of the options for computers and programs that came out in 1984, why did Microsoft prevail over them all?

3. Was the modern computer really designed to resemble/have the same functions as an actual desktop? Why?

Analysis of Question 3:  I strated reading this article without look at the date first, but it was all too obvious this article was written in what can be seen as the stone age by people of my generation. Actually, it was written the year I was born. It is very intersting to see how archaic computer systems were only 21 years ago. I couldn't believe that only one "Window" or program could be run at one time and that there wasn't always a mouse. But the realy question I had is why is this "desktop metaphor" a revolution in the industry... why is it an accomplishment to make an extremely sophisticated machine (at least they thought so at the time) more like a desk top: an inanimate object made of wood or metal with no function other than to hold you work. After saying that, I guess a computer really has no other function than to hold your work. Without that interaction between a person and their desk or a person and their computer, they are both inanimate and purposeless unless given a job. I guess what I'm saying is that the purpose or function of a space or object is what really gives it meaning. Without those defining qualities, what is a desk other than a flat surface ot catch clutter and what is a computer other than a box to catch dust? The article does answer my question somewhat in its answer to why this software has become so popular: There are two main driving forces behind the desktop metaphor. One is the need and urge to somehow expand that limited screen area to give the user more functionality and viewing capability. The other is the need to present a better system for putting information in order.” Again, to bring back the similarities of the desk and the computer, what this quote is saying in my opinion is that it's like getting a bigger, more functional desk. Would you choose to havea desk the size of a sheet of paper or would you rather have a desk that could hold 10 papers side by side on it? Of course you would choose the bigger desk because more work could be done more efficiently. The same is true of the computer. It;s just hard for me to think about this article in terms of the time period because the ideas and new developments they are discussing are the norm now, and far from new.

Response 6 - The Poetics of Augmented Space

Questions:

1. does the high tech environment we live in today with electronic walls, like in Tokyo, make the space invisible or give the space added function?

2. DO PDAs?, cell phones, or MP3s also change the space you are in making it less visible and functional?

3. Has agumented space become a cultural staple of our society?

Analysis of question 1:   Manovich makes a good point when he says that in the 90s the new dot-com virtual world became domesticated, the new baecame the norm. With each passing year, the new has no other choice but to become the old. Is that why our culture must find ways to keep to old updated so that in theory it never gets old at all? Our obsession with youth parallels the conclusions I am trying to get to thorough this response. When confronted with a choice, we would all choose the shiniest, freshest, must up-to-date model because thats what we are taught from a young age. This does not goes unnoticed by marketers who are faced with the challenged to make their messages fresh and new to appeal to everyone. This is where the "need" for constantly updating advertisements and information was born and the high tech walls of the future weren't far behind. But the question remains, do they give added function or make the actaul space invisible? My first reaction is that it gives the space added function... but I think my opinion is highly biased because I am an advertising major. Stepping out of this role, I can see the other side of this question as well. However, I feel that the constantly updating walls add more function to the space by giving what was before a simple room, a new function: information. Now a plain wall can tell you the weather, the news, and the newest running shoes on the market. What more could we ask for?

Response 7 - Moreville chap 3-5

Questions:

1. How has technology changed information?

2. If relevance is still a challenge to information retrieval, what is a possible solution?

3. How did mass texting lead to mobs and demonstrations?

Analysis of Question 1:   I agree with the statement Moreville makes in chapter three that inofrmation and genre are intertwined. Information is classified by genre in order to define the information so that it can be found and processed more quickly. Now comes technology, reinventing the way we find and interpret information all together. It has created new, and often improved, genres as well as modified existing ones. For example, we now have websites, blogs, online libraries and scholarly journals, text messages, phones that double as computers, etc. Technology has modified our exisitng genres by making almost every type of information able to be recorded on paper, available in an array of electronic sources. Technology, which can hardly be considered new anymore, has changed the way we interact with and recieve information. It is ever evolving and I'm sure by the time my kids are my age, everything will have changed. Moreville again makes a strong statement in chapter three regarding information and technology that I highly agree with: "The way we experience the message is shaped by the medium. And the ways we define info are shaped by the properties of that medium and the context of use." But the question remins, does the way we experience information change the meaning or its legitimacy?

Wiki Response 8 - adbusters

Questions:

1.  What is Tactical Media?

2.  Is adbusters too radical?

3.  why does eveyone hate McDonalds? now?

Response to question 2

I was immediately interested in the adbusters website because as an advertising major I see adbusters as a threat to my soon-to-be career.  As I browsed the site, I saw that it's nt only advertising they rip apart, but the corporate world as a whole.  I understand that many people see the corporate world as opressive and evil, but where does the obsession end?  I guess everyone has to have their cause, but not all CEOs? eat babies for dinner.  Yeah there are sweatshops, outsourcing, and all kinds of illegal actions taken by companies everyday, but out of the millions of businesses out there how many are REALLY evil? 

I am definitely biased on the issue, but I just thought that some of the sites, such as McSpotlight?, were stupid.  Have you ever heard that there is no such thing as bad press?  Yeah, McDonalds? might not be the healthiest of restaurants, but I don't remember them claiming to be.  And if their happy meal toys are sewed by vietnamese workers making less than $2 a day, that is wrong and something should be done about it, but enough already.  The left over "hippie" sentiment that "the man" is out to get you is really played out.  I'll admit that some advertising is shady and attempts to sell a product at any cost, but when was the last time you saw a commercial for Nike that really offended you?  Nike has a good product that sells well and if they are outsourcing to foreign children for pennies a day then appropriate actions can be taken instead of treating Nike and its creator like the devil reincarnated... chances are he isn't the one calling the shots anyway.  And about the anti-nike shoes, Blackspot... they are UGLY and overpriced.  No wonder they don't sell.

Wiki Response 9 - Guy Debord

 Questions:

1.  What is psychogeography?

2.  What is the theory of derive?

3.  Am I the only one who doesn't understand Debord/finds him really boring??

Analysis of question 1:

The author himself admits that the word psychogeography is pleasingly vague, but I'm not sure I agree with the pleasing part.  I found it rather hard to decipher what the author was saying and even harder to see the meaning behind the words.  But I'll give it a try... 

If the word psychogeography is broken into its root words, as the author does, it is easier to understand.  Psycho, meaning pscyhology, can be generally summed up as the emotions and behaviors of people.  Geography is harder for me to explain and I will leave it at the effect of natural forces on our environment.  Therefore together, Physchgeography loosely means "the study of the precise laws and specific effects of the geographical environment, consciously organized or not, on the emotions and behavior of individuals."

From what I can understand of all of this, psychogeography attempts to study the effect our environment has on us, which is something I see as important.  Everything we see, hear, feel, and smell effects our emotions, choices, and moods from second to second.  This has an impact on every aspect of everyday life.  For example, businesses and advertisers attempt to take advantage of this and promote their products where many consumers will encounter them and hopefully respond to them emotionally which can lead to a purchase.  In a different setting, psychogeography is important to study because it can help us understand complex feelings and even some psychological disorders that can result in unplesant actions.

It would be unnecessary and close to impossible for me to reword this clsoing statement by the author, so I'll let him end this response... "The research that we are thus led to undertake on the arrangement of the elements of the urban setting, in close relation with the sensations they provoke, entails bold hypotheses that must constantly corrected in the light of experience, by critique and self-critique."

Wiki Response 10 - mobile media

Questions:

1.  What will the tourist of the future look like?

2.  Are these new "interactive tours" psychogeography at its best?

3.  Can this new form of technological touring evolve into a bigger and better use?

Analysis of question 1:

This may seem like an odd question, but it was the first thing that popped into my mind as I surfed these sites.  With the creation of downloadable programs that can be played on a PDA or tablet computer (anything portable really) the tourist of the future may walk into any city in the world and have instant access to maps, historical information, and guided tours throughout the city.  The tourist may change from a small Japanese couple with huge camera's in front of their faces and fanny packs around their wastes, to technologically savy explorers following the directions they recieve through the guided tour on their PDA, they will probably still be Japanese though.

I think this is a great idea, and has similarities to the out-dated automated tours regularly given in museums when I was younger.  I remember going on class trips and seeing people walking around with headphones they could plug into a station at each exhibit.  I guess this is the "wireless" version. 

I thought the Amsterdam project was the most intersting.  Although I'm not sure of the actual purpose, I thought the idea of creating a map based on the movements of the city's residesnt instead of its actual geographic boundaries was a new and innovative idea... thinking out of the box at its best.  The only downfall was the preceived lack of privacy.  More frequently, people around the world are complaining of the lack of privacy an individual recieves as exemplified in an earlier article we responded to, NYC Surveillance Camera Players.  If the project can get past that monster obstacle, I think it could be really fascinating.