Week 8: Presentation Magic

   In the past I have strongly disliked animations used during presentations and on websites. I viewed them as cheesy and thought that they distracted onlookers from the main objective. My opinion has turned 180º this week.
   After watching a presentation done by a Swedish man named Hans Rosling, I am now able to see the value of animation. Rosling executed his presentation with a perfect balance of humor, animation and simplicity. The animations he used did a phenomenal job of illustrating change on a chart. Rather then showing the typical before and after slides of different charts Rosling used animation coupled with an entertaining, live announcement to draw his viewers in and point out the facts.
   Rosling uses technology to bring statistics to his audience in a whole new way. He has three key elements for his technique. Animate, liberate and make it searchable. I hope to mimic his method in my future presentations so that they might be successful too.

Week 7: Kindle Kontroversy

   If robotic voices are considered performance then I do believe in the possibility that many AI  are existing among us under a humanlike skin. Seriously, the lawsuit between the Amazon Kindle 2 and The Author's Guild is riddonkulus. The audio reading that the new Kindle 2 offers is in no way infringing on a market. If a person wants a book read to them they are not going to seek out one of those horrible monotone computer voices. Anyone wishing to be entertained will gladly dish out the extra bucks for the author's audio version.
   I think what Kindle 2 has to offer is fantastic. I've always had an issue with disabled people having to shell out more money because they need special accommodations in life. What Kindle 2 has incorporated into the base price of an ebook is simply humane. Through the audio feature it is now possible for blind people to have a book for the same price as seeing people. It makes it more affordable for many disabled populations to enjoy books at a fair price.

Week 6: A New Hope

   Today we are discussing whether or not the street artist Shepard Fairey infringed on a copyright of an image owned by Associated Press in order to create the Obama HOPE poster. Mannie Garcia is the actual photographer of the Obama picture in question. "Garcia seems perfectly happy that his photo was used" according to an article in tech dirt. It is absurd for AP to be filing a lawsuit against the artist.
   I for one think that the whole matter falls under fair use. The art that Shepard created was considerably altered from the image he referenced. Also it was not done for $$$, rather a combination of recognition for his art and promotion on his political stance.
   I chose the image and command SIT for my "Obominized" poster for two reasons. The first being the shear stupidity of the matter. The second as a tribute to the street artist. (SIT like OBEY) 

Week 5: Creating Art in The Cloud

    Creating art in the Cloud, not only does it sound amazing, it is! Artists no longer have to lug heavy easels, paint, brushes and cleaning supplies around with them. With applications like Brushes, SketchBook Pro for iPad, SketchBook Mobile, Colors, Layers , my personal favorite, Vellum, Artisan and many many more, artists are now able to draw, doodle or paint just about anywhere, anytime.  
    French artist and videographer David Lasnier claims that iPod art has inspired him to pick up his acrylics and start painting agin after a 10 year break. Art Apps are convenient and easy to use. They are a great way to sketch out an idea quickly for reference use in another work of art later. 
   Cloud artists like David Lasnier enjoy the challenges that come with the medium. For example, working on such a small screen and having limited accuracy with brush placement. Lasnier doesn't find himself working too much on his images due to small size. He also takes advantage of saving images so that he can revert back if he doesn't like his alterations. 
   I am totally pumped about creating art in the Cloud and really want to buy one of the aforementioned apps for my iPad2. I know I said that I wanted to remove my presence from the Cloud in Week 2's post but...
What can I say, I'm an artist.


P.S. I liked this quote from David Lasnier.
"I choose objects just because of how I think they will catch the light, not because of their inherent nobility or aura as an contemporary icon."
Ditto homeboy! 

Week 4: Creative Commons

Creative Commons is an awesome nonprofit organization. It allows artists, publishers, musicians and authors to determine the level of duplication/usage protection they wish to place on their work.

John Buckman, founder of Magnatune has also found a way to capitalize on this sense of empowerment the starving musician gains from places like Creative Commons. I believe John's idea to create an environment to help the artist was done with good intention but I cannot help but dislike the direction he is taking it. John Buckman is just as bad as the record labels. Yes, he is sharing other people's hard work for free (what a nice guy) but he is also taking 50% of all their sales. As a musician I couldn't stand listening to this guy going on and on in his faggy little voice about how wonderful he is and how evil all the other record companies are. Vomit! I guess what I have taken away from this weeks lesson is "honk your own horn or someone like John will take at least half of your credit."

Week 3 Assignment

   Kevin Kelly introduced me to new thoughts and a better understanding of the web. At the time of his speech, (December, 2007) the web was almost 5,000 days old. Already it had grown so much. People were able to watch movies, socially network, utilize satellite imagery and check the weather with just a few simple clicks.
   Kevin presented the web as a well oiled machine that functioned as an extension of our collective knowledge. "We are the web" he said. I think it is so cool that people are willing and able to share so much with each other for free!
   The web is an ever growing global machine or "brain" that doubles in capacity every year. By 2040 the web is expected to exceed humanity in processing power. Kevin Kelly states that "We have to start believing in the impossible." Who knows how the web will change in the next 5,000 days. Perhaps we will be webporting (the web version of teleporting) around 2040.

NETZI EARTH!

   This weeks assignment was to watch a lecture by Kevin Kelly about the web and how far it has come in just 5,000 days. Kevin tries to present the web as an amazingly well oiled machine that works as an extension of our very being. 

   I for one am no fool and see right through it! Kevin Kelly is a machine. He is the first AI of many to come with this message of "Let the machine read you." The machine (the web) is getting to know us. Our likes and dislikes, our friends, addresses, the kind of toothpaste we use etc. It is tracking us through our devices and soon will be in all of our everyday items such as sneakers, a watch, a couch. 

    Kevin says that "in the future, EVERYTHING will be connected to the web." I am one being AI will not have it's oneness with! It is time we all start making our own possessions. We cannot trust anything we don't make ourselves. 

   Kevin clearly states that "we have to get better at believing the impossible." This may sound funny but we are headed straight into the real Terminator! By 2040 the web will exceed humanity in processing power. Kevin likes to say that "humans are the extended senses of the machine." In the next 5,000 days I predict humans becoming more and more enslaved to the machine.