Alternative Map Critique

It seemed like lots of the class liked my overall theme. I wish I would have been able to get all of my elements to show up. I also wish that I had a more powerful laptop, that way I could have worked on my project outside of lab. This is probably the project that I worked on most outside of the lab. I did what I could by researching ideas and collecting images. Bart's idea about using the sort of constellatin view. Maybe I could have inserted the entire campus into the sky. Or use the mac feature and cut the starry sky out of google earth and use it as an entired screen overlay.

New Media Artist # 10 Rafael Lozano-Hemmer

What I like the most about Vectorial Elevation is how "big" of a project it is. I am certain a considerable amount of funds were needed to construct this project. In addition, there is use of technology that I had not read about in new media art, but was already familiar with, like global positioning satelites. I also like that there is such a wide majority that can appreciate this art inside of the space it exists. Most new media art is either created on or exists on the web. Contrary to what some parents may think, we cannot live on the web. The space where Vectorial Elevation was created was a public square.
The feature that allows people to arrange their own sequence with the lights reminds me of the Telegarden. Having an online queue is a good way ordering who's design is next to be displayed.

New Media Artist # 9 Vuk Cosic

Matrix! That is the first thing I think of when I see Vuk Cosic's creations. It is ironic that there is this futuristic feel feel to the scenes when in fact, they were made using outdated technology. One of favorite images from the web is this picture of Neo displayed in the same kind of green code. Another interesting thing to think about is how Neo was seen as a superior being, and when Neo was reaching his full potential he started to see things in the green code. Maybe the metaphor here is that he had the ability to break things down and see things in their simplist form.

New Media Artist # 8 Raqs Media Collective

The cool thing about this website is that the creator lets everyone use the code. The site can then be altered by anyone who knows how to use it. Because Raqs is operating by himself on this project, it makes sense to have open source code. People who choose to display their artwork in whatever way they choose. I think this shows a lot of respect for the artist because they have the creative leeway to allow everyone to enjoy their work the way they meant for it to be enjoyed. I can see this genre of new media art becoming more popular as our technology changes everyday. There are more convenient ways to post work. Blogger itself can be used as this sort of virtual art gallery. Who knows, maybe in the future there will be an Apple app for uploading/viewing new media art.

New Media Artist #7 John Klima

John Klima was one of the more interesting media artists I have read about. It was cool that he thought about alternatives to the way that windows organizes and access files and folders. I too, have tried to imagine alternatives. His Glassbead creation, could probably be applied to an operating system. I imagine the membrane being the main harddrive and as programs are launched and files are accessed, new stems and pistils pop out.
The overall idea of collaboration with out being there live reminds me of the Telegarden. The group The Postal Service creates their music this way. They record vocals and instruments seperately, and then mail the parts of the music to the respective members, so the next part can be done. They don't actually appear in a studio together. This is also where they got their name from because they rely on the U.S. postal service for their band to run.

New Media Artist #6 Ken Goldberg

The Idea of Telelgarden really makes me think about a few things. First, is transition. By that I mean the transition from television to the internet being the all knowing Oracle. Not too long ago people would believe just about anything they see on tv. Because if it was allowed to be shown or said on tv then it just had to have some legitimacy. Nowadays, not only do people believe what they see on the internet, when there is debate or confusion on a subject it is settled by asking the world wide web. Telegarden also made me think about those infomercials asking you to call in and adobt a child in Africa. Much like one may wonder if they actually have an part in the cultivation of the garden, I wonder where does this money really go? Is my five dollars a day really helping this poor child live a better life? Is my green thumb being applied to the cultivation of this garden. The idea is cool, but i dunno how much real gardeners would appreciate the engineering aspect. Likewise, engineers don't really know that half of the enjoyment in gardening is being in the trenches. Sometimes literally.

New Media Artist #5 Electronic Disturbance Theater

EDT are a group of activists. The Zapatista rebels of Chiapas, Mexico. They are in opposition with the Mexican government. I think reading up on this now is pretty ironic with the current situation in Mexico. Druglords are controlling much of the control country and there are rumors that if things get much worse then Mexico could be a failed state, but that is neither here nor there. The EDT is mainly concerned about government oppression. Floodnet is a downloadable java applet. The function of the program was to search for non-existent webpages on specifically targeted servers. The targeted servers were connected to popular government sites. An error message will show up on the serverLike those of the U.S. and Mexican president. The idea is that if enough people used this program to type in "bad urls" it would overload the servers. The sites that people were asked to key in were names of those killed by the Mexican Army.