Firefox - Rediscover the web

Link to Firefox

In case anyone hasn't done this yet, I just switched to Firefox and its pretty damn user friendly. It took about one minute to download and install the software, and it will even apply all your old Internet Explorer settings (like favorites files) if you want it too. Quite cool.

I did it because I was having trouble adding the "Blog this" button that Jenny mentioned in her January 11th post.

Live Well and Play Nice,
Santos

Oh, yeah, I re-worked my website. Still got some personal stuff to do, but the 106 stuff is pretty done. One question: I used some different fonts when I composed the site, so while it looks a-o.k. at school, its a bit different for me at home. I'm pretty sure there's a way to download and add fonts to my computer's browser, but I don't know where... any help?

McLuhan et al.: The Mode is the Message--The Code is the Collective

After our conversation(s) last Tuesday and Thursday about content and form/channel/medium, I came across an website, obn.org, that offers an interesting twist on the message/medium discussion. What are people's thoughts on this?

Obn.org (or Old Boys Network) claims to be one of the first international Cyberfeminist alliances and is set up exculsively for women.

A paper call

I came across a “call for papers” today that invites presentations addressing the topic of pornography in light of (among other inflections) media studies. Comments from our first class period came to mind when I read this call. If you’re looking for a conference and an opportunity to present some of your work, you might want to give this paper call a quick read.

Private becoming Public

I find it interesting that some of us have not created a profile for blogger (myself included). Manovich discusses the modern desire to “externalize the mind” on p.60-61. He writes that “What before had been a mental process, a uniquely individual state, now became part of the public sphere” (60). Perhaps this concept explains our decisions whether or not to publish personal information on the web. In a way, publishing a profile on the web allows us to become the center of attention for a short bit. It’s a small claim to fame. I recently noted on Yahoo, that people can create up to 5 different profiles. My question then becomes one of the trustworthiness of such profiles (not uncommon I’m sure). Can reality be accurately portrayed? Or, perhaps creating different personas is merely an escape from reality for some people. Is this a way we can create an ideal definition of who we are in a highly public sphere?

new media examples

Since most of my life is spent in front of a screen, I thought I'd pass along a link or two of interesting new media:

Rockstar Upload

Sonja Peng's Superelectronic is my personal recomendation (make sure you have speakers). The fusion of artisitc styles and internet tropes is interesting.

Another worthwhile interent artifact is NO CIRCLES:

NO CIRCLES

Both versions are basically games, although they are without explicit instructions or goals. Thus, the "purpose" of the game is uncovering how to interact with it. This is a concept I explore in my own work, and something manipulated to a great degree in instances such as this one:

Non-Competetive Super Mario Brothers

Word up.
- J. Tirrell

Remember "Paper" ???

I just read an interesting atricle in Communication Arts journal (over in that place called the "library"). Interesting little piece on web desiners using blogs to share info about design and visuals. Also gives lots of web sites to check out. I made a copy (I can make more with "coins" and a "copier"). But if you're interested in checking it out on your own power, here's the info.

"The Blog that Ate the Internet" Sam Mc Milliam. Jan/Feb issue of Communication Arts. Pgs 78-81

M/Cyclopedia of New Media

Via Kairosnews comes this link to the M/Cyclopedia of New Media. Some of the articles are produced by students and faculty at the Queensland Institute, and some are redirected from other websites.

Bolter/Grusin and the EA gaming challenge

…ran across a BBC story discussing the intent of Electronic Arts (EA – a $3b gaming company in 2004) to compete with and overtake the entertainment industry. Much of the language used in this story echoes themes from the Bolter/Grusin discussion, particularly the section on hypermediacy. The BBC piece is a quick read that you might find interesting.

Cyberporn & Society course

Since we won't be focusing too much on new media and pornography this semester, some of you might be interested in this course called Cyberporn & Society.