digital new media

NMR pp 599-798

2008-12-10T07:19:00.000-08:00

In this portion of the text, one commonality I found was that of how the computer alters the way we write. Authors such as Robert Coover, Espen J. Aarseth, and J. David Bolter examine how the computer (and specifically web) allows for writing similar to a hypertext novel. The ability to link to other sites, pages, and related stories is the closest we have come to creating a hypertext, and the "novel's" narrative is up to our choosing. No longer does text bear a fixity or illusion of permanence. Now, we're seeing the opposite occur. Our old emails are deleted or disappear into the realm of cyberspace, and blogs, comments, and contributions on the web can be easily altered or cancelled.

Reading hard-copy novels provide an in-depth account of a story or idea. To read a book requires an investment of time and patience, and trust in the author. By reading on the web, the "scrolling" nature of webpages lets us skim at ease. We're also able to quickly link to other pages that contain similar ideas or content, and we can find more background information about the author and his or her sources.

Writing on the web is easy to do, with sites like Blogger and the ability to comment on almost any article. Yet the notion of audience has affected how we write, as millions of people can read your web post. The notion of author has also changed, since our name can be changed to a pen name or screen name. In this sense, our writing is more powerful and liberated, yet the impermanence of the format and massive volume of entries makes it hard to stand out from the rest.

nmr pp 515-598

2008-11-26T15:35:00.000-08:00

Langdon Winner's essay "Mythinformation" looks into the vast social changes brought about by pervasive technology. For the most part, his predictions seem on the mark especially when he discusses the public's reliance on technology, and because of the need for it we begin to overlooks some of its potential flaws. Privacy is an issue that Winner discuses, "Unless steps are taken to prevent it, we may develop systems capable of a perpetual, pervasive, apparently benign surveillance" (596). This surveillance is what he believes society will submit to because of a collective feeling of "passivity" and "compliance." I think his words here are telling because I find myself in situations online where I enter personal information or details casually, without thinking of who is going to be looking at my information. So much of the web can be accessed only with an email address and user information, and we readily hand it out without considering the dangers of releasing personal details.

I really like his last line:
"Some observers forecast that 'the computer revolution' will eventually be guided by new wonders in artificial intelligence. Its present course is influenced by something much more familiar: the absent mind."

nmr pp 441-513

2008-11-19T09:52:00.000-08:00

In my class Culture and Communication, we read an excerpt from Marshall McLuhan's "The Global Village." In the chapter entitled "Global Robotism: The Satisfactions," McLuhan writes that the model for easier instant peer-to-peer communication will foster coming together, of both people and companies. Today, we're seeing the rise of conglomeration and business mergers, with the online format making it easier to undergo this process.

Bagdikian predicted what has become a world where only a few companies own just about everything. They have stakes in both major industries and media outlets, which jeopardizes content because of conflicts with self-interest and biases. The internet, which has broken all the rules by being completely free and supported by its individual users has spawned giant companies such as Google, YouTube (now owned by Google), Blogger (also owned by Google) MySpace (owned by NewsCorp) and Facebook.

The internet can slowly turn into a network of highly-trafficked sites that own and record all of the information that is published on them. Google's searches are manipulated by clicks and dollars, but there isn't a search engine at the moment that would be an effective alternative. Being bought-out is often a dream for those who create internet-start ups, as they are awarded a lump sum for something that was first created with money out of their own pocket. It's important to be aware of these mergers and acquisitions in webspace, because we so readily assume that the internet is a perfect service, while in fact cyberspace can be very much privatized.

nmr pp 377 - 439

2008-11-19T08:16:00.000-08:00

In this section of the New Media Reader, the computer is already a familiar concept (late 1970s) and people are beginning to envision a world that is increasingly reliant on these machines. Several chapters in this selection (namely Ch 25 "Responsive Environments" and Ch 28 "From Mindstorms Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas") introduce the idea of the computer as a teaching mechanism for children.

This concept is novel at the time, for media learning was limited to television shows such as Sesame Street, which began in 1970. The benefits of watching this program is debatable, as a child will stare at animated letters but might not gain an understanding. Both Krueger and Papert believe that the artificial realities and programs on the computer can stimulate the child's mind in ways that cannot be taught in real life. Being able to use the computer adeptly is a strong skill set to have, especially in these early digital days. However neither author examines the downsides to this method of learning. I don't think either of them support an education based around the machine, but rather to supplement learning.

A young child needs to develop socialization skills by playing with their peers and taking cues from adults, not spending hours on the computer. When I was younger, we used educational computer games both at school and at home. A Mario program taught me how to type properly, and Math Blaster taught simple algebra. These games were designed specifically for the single player, and would reward progress by granting access to the next level. Today these games are more advanced in stories and design, and can support multi-player formats. They are more addictive than ever, and educators and parents alike should be aware of the drawbacks of children who spend too much time in front of the screen, rather than outside playing with their friends. Experiential learning cannot be measured like a game can track progress, but I think the socialization skills become more apparent as the child grows older.

mcluhan's wake dvd

2008-11-15T21:41:00.000-08:00

Reading McLuhan, his beliefs are strong but often disconnected between one chapter to the next. He devoted his life to creating awareness about the effects of media on our society, almost a warning to the future that is to come. "McLuhan's Wake," narrated by Laurie Anderson sheds light into the personal life of McLuhan in an attempt to understand his thinking. A notable feature of his life is his devotion to the Christian faith, a decision he chose to make later in life. This news makes me reconsider many of his statements. To choose to study the bible as the word of god and to let the writing dictate his life is very similar to the one-way transmission of television that he so adamantly warns against. In addition, he continues to fight throughout his life just to preach his message about media, despite university colleague's disapproval and major illness. His books and ideas seemed to him as a way to "save" the public from the evils of media.

It's interesting to analyze his thoughts now, in the internet age, as the democratized internet format turns the one-way television message upside down. Though, his concerns about advertising are still very relevant since agencies are increasingly trying to find more insidious ways to integrate their ads.

new media reader pp 301-375

2008-11-04T19:45:00.001-08:00

When I stumbled across the chapter on Nicholas Negroponte, I was only familiar with his name from the One Laptop per Child campaign. This organization aimed to give children in developing countries low-cost, durable and wi-fi connected laptops. With this technology, these underprivileged children would be given an education previously unthinkable, and hopefully provide inspiration for them to better both themselves and their communities.

Reading the thirty year old article from the New Media Reader, I saw an underlying theme of user empowerment through software–a belief that ultimately led to the OLPC intiative. His architecture program made it possible for residents, not just the architects to have a say in the creative design and vision of the final structure. By adapting advanced procedural and often professional tasks to simple computer programs, it empowers the computer user (who is often self-taught) and makes it easier for individuals to achieve success and create change.

g.h. hovagimyan lecture + demo

2008-11-04T18:15:00.000-08:00

G. H. Hovagimyan began his lecture by
distributing newspaper handouts. The papers described demonstrations by a group of artists (artistsmeeting.org) including G.H. that brought attention to the irony and injustice that is privately owned public space. Outside of every major office building is a space with benches and some neatly planted trees or plants. Very rarely does anyone ever use this space, to sit in or otherwise, even by the people who work in the overshadowing building. What G.H. and other artists try to demonstrate, or draw light to, the heightened security that these sites maintain in a post 9/11 world. Simple and innocent acts such as putting up posters, using a video camera, or conducting an experiment constantly draw negative attention by these guards. Herein lies the contradiction that is privately owned public space--where the private interests of protecting and safeguarding their property comes into direct conflict with the public who try to utilize it. By uploading videos of these accounts to YouTube, more people are being made aware of this irony and ultimate unfairness, leading to possible social and legal improvements.

Living and Working with Rauschenberg - a conversation.

2008-10-30T08:46:00.000-07:00

On October 26, the Museum of Modern Art honored the life contemporary artist Robert Rauschenberg, who passed away earlier this year. The evening consisted of a panel discussion of "Bob's" close friends and collaborators, each of them with artistic legacies of their own. Panelists were as follows:

Glenn Lowry- Panel moderator and current director of the MoMA.
Barbara Rose- Art historian and critic
James Rosenquist- Contemporary artist
Julie Martin- Artist, produced 9 Evenings (married to Billy Kluver)
Trisha Brown- Choreographer (including "Set and Reset," of E.A.T.)
Merce Cunningham- Choreographer
Susan "Sue" Weil- Artist once married to Rauschenberg
Brice Marden- Contemporary artist, once assistant to Rauschenberg
Dorthea Rockburne- Artist
Darryl Pottorf- Artist, former assistant

The discussion began with Barbara Rose's thoughts on artistic greatness. She explained Rauschenberg's admiration of Leonardo da Vinci, and how both 'personalities' lived and worked in the right moment for their ideas to fully take effect. Each artist's intent was not to merely produce physical works, but to inspire the hearts and minds of the public and challenge our thoughts on politics, society, and the world.

In his early career, Rauschenberg attended Black Mountain College in North Carolina. The school focused on art education with a liberal arts background. During its operation between 1944 and 1956, notable alumni and teachers included Rauschenberg's idol Willem de Kooning, Cy Twombly, Susan Weil, Dorothea Rockburne, Merce Cunningham and John Cage. Relationships formed here influenced many of these artists' later work.
A collaboration between Merce Cunningham, composer John Cage, and Rauschenberg resulted in the first happening, Theatre Piece #1 staged in 1952. Later Rauschenberg would collaborate with Cy Twombly, on a happening performance in which the two rewrote the play Hamlet. One notable work created in part by a Black Mountain connection is "Erased de Kooning" (pictured, left). De Kooning was both a professor at the school, as well as one of Rauschenberg's main influences. For this piece, Rauschenberg asked De Kooning for a drawing which he would then erase. De Kooning complied with an especially difficult work.

E.A.T. (Experiments in Art and Technology) was a 1966 collaboration with Bell Laboratories engineer Billy Klüver, Robert Whitman, Fred Waldhauer, and Robert Rauschenberg which used new technologies in a series of exhibitions around the world. Their intention was not to simply showcase technology with art, but to encourage audience participation where their actions influenced the work, much in line with the non-hierarchial and cooperation values of the 1960s. In effect, these experiments could create a societal revolution by humanizing technology previously unavailable to the public, where its uses and implications could change the way we live and think.

One of the first E.A.T. exhibitions was the "Machine That Destroyed Itself" (1960), Klüver's collaboration with Swiss artist Jean Tinguely in which a kinetic sculpture machine destroys itself in the Museum of Modern Art sculpture garden. Another example is "Oracle," (1962/65) or five radios embedded into sculptures which the viewer can "orchestrate" through interaction. For this piece, Rauschenberg demanded radios without wires, three years before this technology was invented. As a result of this artistic vision, Klüver was forced to come up with this technology. "9 Evenings" (1966) theater and engineering performances at the Armory in New York brought together over thirty artists. "Soundings" (1968) relied on the audience's clapping or yelling to trigger lights that illuminated works behind a series of plexiglass panels.

Pepsi Pavillion at Expo '70 in Osaka, Japan is viewed as the culmination of the E.A.T. project, where they designed and programmed a multimedia immersive dome (pictured, left). The dome's design is an origami rendition of a geodesic dome. The exterior is shrouded in a fine mist sculpture, that changes with the weather. Inside, the exhibition predates experiments in virtual reality and audience participation. Installations included laser beams and a 210-degree spherical mirror inside an airtight vacuum, that reflected what looked liked hologram images. In addition, a multi-channel surround-sound system played real-time music compositions. Floats by Robert Breer roamed the area, emitting various sounds like sawing or singing humpback whales, and would reverse direction when pushed.

This expo helped show the world how it is possible to interact with technology, and how in a multitude of ways it can alter our perceptions of ourselves and surroundings, ultimately changing our preconceived notions of how we live and collaborate.

Robert Rauschenberg dedicated much of his later career to philantrophic efforts. He passed away on May 12, 2008 on Captiva Island, Florida after making the personal decision to be taken off of life support. He was 82.

A memorial on the following Monday was held for Rauschenberg at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which included a brief speech by former President Bill Clinton.

new media reader pp 230-300

2008-10-29T19:26:00.000-07:00

Hans Magnus Enzenberger's essay, Constituents of a Theory of the Media, exactly predicts the beginning of the end for the entertainment industry. He argues that big media conglomerates push their messages down our throats, and make us accept an unjust society. Television advertising, especially during the 1970s became obsessed with what you didn't have, and played off of fear for you to buy it, contradicting the earlier model of just selling a product by praising its uses. Advertising began to be something like, "if you don't buy this whitening toothpaste, you'll look ugly and have no friends," essentially inventing a 'need.'

Enzenberger says that the only way for the media conglomerates to fall would be to pick up our own camcorders and begin documenting, or creating our own media, of the injustice ourselves. Fast forward thirty years later and the YouTube generation is doing just that. The internet is rampant with piracy and self-produced (free) content that is becoming more popular than big-business produced media. The big guys can't get their heads around a business model to make this stuff profitable, and "joe the plumber" types are getting their fifteen minutes of fame. The years of skepticism and resentment toward standard tv programming and movies for that matter are experiencing the backlash of money-hungry people they make themselves out to be. $12 each for a theater ticket plus snacks is not a casual date anymore.

Hopefully this trend away from big media companies will teach them a thing or two. Maybe they'll lower their prices or create some content that's not just a safe sell.

new media reader pp 177-229

2008-10-20T19:08:00.000-07:00

This passage in the New Media Reader brought us into part two of the textbook, titled "Collective Media, Personal Media." The first of the three selections is "Oulipo," a sonnet written while adhering to algorithmic techniques, and followed by part two's Marshall McLuhan excerpts and a passage on Experiments in Art and Technology (E.A.T.). In Gallatin classes prior to this course, Marshall McLuhan has served as the go-to guy for new media studies. He is remembered for saying "the medium is the message," but he saw beyond the fascination 1960s America had for television, and outlined its effects. The tv set was seen as something dangerous for its one-way stream of information, one in which provided no sort of engagement or discourse. This is just one example, but I'm going to veer away from McLuhan since many of us are familiar with his work.

Chapter 14 profiles the Experiments in Art and Technology (E.A.T.), of which I was previously unfamiliar. To combine art and technology seemed like a pivotal step in advancement (for both fields) during this time period, and the group was founded by artists and engineers Robert Rauschenberg, Billy Kluver, Robert Whitman and Fred Waldhauer. Together they staged a series of performance pieces, exhibitions, and open discourse. Their exhibition "9 Evenings: Theatre & Engineering" which introduced new inventions like wireless microphones embedded into tennis racquets during a match. I googled this particular exhibition, and was amazed by the futuristic, ominous sound of the echoing balls, and the inspiration behind the integration of new technologies into art such as this.

Check it out here:

new media reader pp 109-176

2008-10-19T18:37:00.000-07:00

The article that stood out to me the most in this section of the New Media Reader was "The Construction of Change" by Roy Ascott. Inspired by Wiener's cybernetics views, Ascott decided to reinterpret the way art was made and taught. He introduced "procedural technology" to the art making process, from inspiration through creation, and the interaction throughout. This participation by the audience, or behavior, becomes an integral part of the work. Ascott designed teaching situations where Cybernetics are involved, or by paying attention to the behavior of the environment and how each element acts within this realm.

He poses problems to students which test their ability to perceive, reinvent, and interpret. Logic and behavior are also prompted in assignments that test the student's ability to answer abstract questions, and how they react and communicate with their peers. In the second year course, students are asked to change their personality for ten weeks, (i.e. changing from a shy personality to outgoing). Throughout this experiment they must create a visual documentation of the process. This challenges the resourcefulness, awareness, and creative ability of the participants. In so doing, science's study of analyzation and subsequent synthesis is not foreign or unrelated to art, leading to Ascott conducting one of the first studies on 'new media.'

ken perlin lab tour

2008-10-19T17:25:00.000-07:00

Ken Perlin, tech genius whose work we continue to see and use on a daily basis, invited our class to his lab last week. With the help of two of his assistants, he showed us two projects he's been working on. The first project is kind of like a mouse pad, a cheaply-manufactured plastic pad that senses pressure. When touched, a digital representation of pressure is shown on screen. Running your fingertips across the pad generates small moving mounds, while a firm and unmoving press will create a mound that builds higher and higher. Ken pointed out that this technology could be used to create computer graphics, especially landscapes or terrain. It can also be used in architecture to detect how a building's weight is distributed. The same goes for a person who may need special shoes or orthodics. Because it's so cheap to use and manufacture, the applications are limitless.

The second invention he's working on is a gaming controller made of two handles attached to resistance cords which you pull down on from the ceiling. You put one in each hand and pull on them independently, controlling your character on the screen. It can be used for flying games, skiing, or anything that requires this type of pose. The example game was a bird you had to steer through floating circles. It looked fun, though I'm not sure how you can put the controller box on your ceiling at home. Ken pointed out that he could only show us work that is being done in collaboration with NYU, so I'm sure he has more tricks up his sleeve.

It was fun getting to see what his lab looked like, and to hear his thoughts about technology in the future. I was pleased to find someone more down to earth and well-spoken than what I imagined a famous computer innovator/inventor to be.

new media reader pp. 73-108

2008-10-07T19:40:00.000-07:00

Chapters five through eight in the New Media Reader are organized chronologically, taking place in the early 1960s. What I found within this section is that each new media artist or innovator had an underlying theme of creating something democratic, something that brings us closer to equality and is free for anyone to use.

The first chapter is about J.D. Licklider's idea of computers as facilitating human interaction with speech and handwriting recognition, for more effective and efficient communication. Next, is "The Happenings," or arranged performance events which aim to gather people and artists and break down the performer/audience dichotomy. This is followed by Gysin's Cut-Up method, a form of artistic literary expression that points out, "anybody can make cut ups." The eighth and final chapter discusses Douglas Engelbart's creation of computer interfaces, which are designed to help the user understand how to use the computer and to operate all of its functions.

So although these creators of new media and technology are predicting a heavily technologized, computer-reliant society, their basic aims are on a purely societal level. Each author values the importance of the computer-user, their ability to use and understand the machine, and ultimately their ability to participate in a collective.

to the letter born

2008-10-07T12:56:00.000-07:00

I remember reading this article when it first appeared in the Times. I've admired Barack's stately and dignified yet very 'of the moment' style, and I think his brand managers have perfectly portrayed this through his campaign images. The liberal space on the page gives it a sense of freshness and light, and the serif capitalized OBAMA is very official. My one concern is that the typeface for CHANGE, Gotham bold, is exactly the same face that Chanel uses, and both words share the same four letters. Every time I see CHANGE I think of CHANEL. I like how he uses Comic Sans as an example of making a word seem lightweight and silly. I don't trust anything written in Comic Sans.

helvetica

2008-10-07T12:44:00.001-07:00

I'd always wanted to see this movie, so I was excited when it was presented in class. I've always been interested in graphic design and typography, and enjoy doodling new typefaces of my own. I've noticed how Helvetica has risen in popularity, and is often used as the norm or standard, creating somewhat of a blacklash to find the newest simplistic, most modern typeface. Watching the subtitles at the bottom of the screen was distracting for me, because the interviewees are constantly talking about type, it's hard to ignore the horribly crowded, skinny white letters outlined in black on the bottom. It's exactly what the designers hate.

I liked the interview with Massimo Vignelli, who recently redesigned the NYC subway map for Men's Vogue. His design is easier to read, and the stations are spaced graphically rather than geographically, like most metro maps outside of New York. Here are some examples of his work:
http://www.mensvogue.com/design/slideshows/2008/05/vignelli

The current NYC Subway map was based on a Vignelli design, but reinterpreted by Michael Hertz. Here's the link: http://gothamist.com/2007/08/03/michael_hertz_d.php

eyebeam: joo youn paek

2008-09-28T19:55:00.000-07:00

When I went to the Eyebeam gallery I had to leave early to get to class, so I was unable to see all the works at the Untethered exhibit. Some of the works I was able to enjoy was the interactive large pinball machine and the paper notices on the telephone pole, which told stories of experiences if you called the phone number. I was able to check out some of the artists from the website, and I stumbled upon Joo Youn Paek, whose work "Fold Loud" is currently on display. She has combined the meditative properties in origami to vocals, creating origami paper that sings soothing voices with each fold.

303 gallery: doug aitken

2008-09-28T19:34:00.000-07:00

Upon entering the 303 gallery space, the viewer's senses are overwhelmed by an all-surrounding darkness except for three giant projection screens, spaced behind one another. A booming, undulating bass beat permeates the space and creates a feeling of danger and immediacy, to wake up. Projected onto three rectangular billboard-shaped screens is Doug Aitken's work of wild animals placed in a decidedly commonplace environment: a motel bedroom. The first scene is of an otter washing his face inside the motel's bathroom, filmed with exquisite attention to detail and a strong cinematographic eye. Many of these shots are extremely close-up, making you wonder if the tub water is actually from a zoo's tank. The juxtaposition of the animals in the bedroom generate a strong feeling of uneasiness. They don't want to be there as much as you don't want them there either. A good example of this is the female lion, tearing apart the bed's pillows in captive rebellion.

I thought this was amazing.

nicholas robinson gallery: michael zansky

2008-09-28T19:19:00.000-07:00

"The Western Lands" is Michael Zansky's exhibition at the Nicholas Robinson gallery, which shows spinning still-lifes distorted in through freestanding lenses. The weird and absurd still-lifes show a mixture of broken toys and figurines sitting atop heavy fabric. The lenses can either show the work miniaturized, or many times larger than actuality. In the front of the gallery stood a grouping of these works with a much lighter color-palette. This created the illusion of rain drops, with life slowing moving through them as if on the window of a moving car. My favorite work, however, was of a rapidly moving confection of pink tulle, ribbon, and a fairy wand. Instead of projecting ugliness, this clearly channeled a childhood innocence and was strikingly beautiful as it whirled around. The work spun faster than the rest, and was accompanied by several lenses, distorting it in many ways.

sara tecchia: david fried

2008-09-28T19:03:00.000-07:00

David Fried's sound sculptures are amazing because of their design. If there were a simple explanation to the way the balls moved in reaction to sound, it would just look like a bigger version of something you'd find at the Sharper Image. However, because the technology is his own and esoteric, there's a sense of curiosity that makes the piece very fresh. What makes it "interactive" is the human component of generating sound to make the spheres move. I liked what Sara had to say about people yelling and screaming at the balls, completely oblivious to everything else, simply to generate any kind of reaction.

bitforms: politics as usual

2008-09-28T14:25:00.000-07:00

R. Luke DuBois' exhibition "Hindsight is Always 20/20" sheds light on the political and social discourse throughout American history. He developed an algorithm that processes every state of the union address given by each president, and finds which words were used most by each president. DuBois then visually translates this into a pseudo-eye chart, where the most commonly used word is in bold at the top of the chart, and the lesser-used ones are shown smaller towards the bottom. You can see the evolution from words like "emancipation" and "slavery" to "drugs" and "terror." One thing I didn't like was that DuBois omitted words that were common in more than one address, in order to find a vocabulary unique to each president. I find this misleading, since seeing the cyclical nature of history is worth observing.

Also at his exhibition was a sound piece that stretched out the national anthem for four years, creating a white-noise effect. It didn't have enough range for me to want to listen, but the concept was nice. The idea of stretching out a song has been done before though, with Wagner's Ring Cycle opera.

gehry building

2008-09-28T14:07:00.000-07:00

The Gehry building that looms over the westside highway in Chelsea reminds me of an imposing iceberg. It's said to resemble the wind in the sails of ships, though you don't see too many sailboats across the street. I like the dynamism and motion of the building, plus I think the glass facade which looks like frosted or fogged up windows is cool. I wonder what the space looks like inside, since it appears to arch backward. This kind of resembles a non-metallic, slightly less cool Walt Disney Concert Hall, over on the West coast. And when I say slightly less cool, I mean a lot less cool. Check out this photo for comparison:

littlebigplanet

2008-09-28T14:00:00.000-07:00

LittleBigPlanet is a videogame that allows players to alter the design and format, and then upload their work on the web. This customization and web sharing is part of a larger trend, and applying it to videogames seems like a guaranteed success. Not only would it allow for more buzz to keep the game cool for longer, the customization aspect would be a great wealth of knowledge for video game developers. Being able to watch what's being produced and shared is an easy way to find out what the public wants, and in turn they can create games that are better suited to the public's interest.

issuu

2008-09-28T13:49:00.000-07:00

Issuu (pronounced 'issue') is a website that allows magazine creators to upload their pages, expanding their viewer base in a digital format. If you're a magazine editor or creator, having this new venue is great for those who are out of the geographical reach of the hard-paper copy. However, reading magazines online is not the nicest thing to do. Issuu boasts that it's viewing capablities are superb, and maybe they are compared to what else is out there, but I found the viewer frustrating. The cursor jumps around, and you need to zoom in to maginfy the text, which isolates the visuals or what's on the other page. Also, print is designed in columns, so you need to go up and down repeatedly. This is a great tool if you already have a magazine and want others to check it out, but in no way does it replace or substitute the paper copy, unless the format was altered to look more like interactive web pages.

psfk.com

2008-09-28T13:26:00.000-07:00

PSFK is an international trends and innovation company, where they publish stories online that deal with new technologies, social change, and other thought-provoking and inspiring new stuff. I enjoyed reading what was published on their front page. It's varied and allows you to pick and choose what you want to read or watch in further detail. These popular stories are kind of like a more positive and innovative form of Digg. People should find out about this, I just wish the name was a little easier to remember.

cocoon

2008-09-28T13:15:00.000-07:00

The Immersive Cocoon is a full virtual reality experience, where the user enters a cocoon-like pod and is immersed in digital screens and surround sound. A motion-detecter reads your body and eye movements which control your actions. The gaming possibilities would allow the user to become the character that fights off evil and can perform super-human feats. I worry that people would get hooked and spend too much time inside. When you're completely immersed inside this machine, the adrenaline from the game is addicting and you're sealed off from reality. This could lead to the same kind of escapism that drug users look for. Also, the possibilities of these "games" could enter the sadistic or pornographic realms. However, it could also be a teaching device, mimicing historical sites and events. I'm interested to see how this all develops.