Jim Andrews
Since the beginning
Works in Victoria Canada

ARTBASE (2)
BIO
Jim Andrews does http://vispo.com . He is a poet-programmer and audio guy. His work explores the new media possibilities of poetry, and seeks to synthesize the poetical with other arts and media.
Discussions (847) Opportunities (2) Events (14) Jobs (0)
DISCUSSION

Re: On 8-Bit Aesthetics: Hackers or Hacks?


> How does that sort of def relate to the sort of def by daniel chandler
> we
> see at http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/tecdet/tdet01.html of
> "technological determinism"? i also wrote a little bit about it at
> http://vispo.com/writings/essays/mcluhana.htm .
>
>
> Good point - my def isn't exactly 'correct' in that in addition to
> Chandler's more traditional definition, I often mix in a bit of the
> 'panic' stance that the perceived relevance of tech art is often defined
> by the currentness of the technology. In many ways, I've heard people
> (almost) sneer at the idea of static or obsolete technology platforms.
> It's basic technofetishism for novel devices, that's all. Consumption,
> fear of obsolescence driven by the tech consumer sector, and desire of
> the new and shiny (why the hell else am I trying to hack one of those
> new Optimus OLED keyboards?).
>
> If you might have a better term, I'm all ears, no sarcasm intended.

I think your link between 'technological determinism' and the "feeling that
one has to use the latest and greatest technology because it's also in
vogue," is interesting. They are linked, it seems to me, though they are not
the same thing. Daniel Chandler says "Just like these other deterministic
theories, technological determinism seeks to explain social and historical
phenomena in terms of one principal or determining factor. It is a doctrine
of historical or causal primacy" (
http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/tecdet/tdet01.html ). As Chandler
points out or implies, those who have labelled Marshall McLuhan's work, for
instance, as 'technological determinism' have done so, in part, in a gesture
of critique: the label tacitly critques the work as disproportionately
emphasizing the role of technology concerning "historical or causal
primacy". Was McLuhan a 'technological determinist'? The short answer is
that McLuhan was concerned with exploring the ways in which culture and
history are determined by technology, not the ways in which they aren't; he
may have overstated his case, but has posed interesting questions.

The term 'technological determinism', like other 'determinisms,' is a term
fashioned to reject the work so labelled.

Nonetheless, we do experience pressures to use "the latest and greatest
technology", whether it's getting a new computer or using recent tech in our
art or whatever. For instance, commercial multimedia developers find it very
difficult to pitch Director projects to business clients. The clients want
Flash, not Director. Because of the market penetration of the Flash plugin
versus the Shockwave plugin, primarily. Also because of the uncertainty
concerning the status of Director as a continuing development platform ('is
it dead yet?'). And so on.

As a result of the difficulties commercial multimedia developers experience
pitching Director projects, the pace of development of Director slows, and
Flash begins to catch up with Director concerning many features. And then
even in the art world, the credibility of Director versus Flash projects
comes into question regardless of the quality of the apps.

Flash reaches more computers than does Director. Because, until relatively
recently, the Shockwave installation was around 6 or 7 Mb whereas the Flash
plugin installation required only a, what, 200 to 400 Kb download. The
Shockwave plugin is now only 2 Mb. But it was 6 or 7 at a crucial time when
bandwidth issues were decisive. Also, of course, Flash allows developers to
do more with less programming knowledge. That also has been decisive in
reaching the multimedia developer audience.

Flash's strength compared with Director has been its populist approach.
Populist concerning both the audience and the developer community. Its
weaknesses, relative to Director, concern its slowness, its less featureful
state, and its relative lack of granularity.

Commercial multimedia developers creating web-based content have pretty much
been forced by economic necessity to use Flash rather than Director. They
haven't been in an economic position to be able to choose. This is a type of
'determinism'. The market is determining what tools they have to use to pay
the bills, not their choice as to which tool they would like to use.

So already we have something a little bit different from 'technological
determinism' because we see that the market is very active in determining
the technology, rather than a situation where the technology enjoys "causal
primacy".

There's more to say but this post is already long enough. And, argh, there's
work to do.

Just to add that I continue to use Director not out of brand loyalty but
because there are some projects I'm working on that couldn't be done with
Flash.

ja

DISCUSSION

Re: On 8-Bit Aesthetics: Hackers or Hacks?


> I think there's a lot of friction about 'craft', that is, the amount of
> work placed in a work. For example, when Cory and I did respective
> halves of a semester - long residency at the University of Akron last
> year, he had an interesting slogan.
>
> "Do as little as humanly possible", and I think this had to do with
> recontextualizing a cultural artifact and making it an art object, which
> is exactly what Kac, Debord, and Duchamp did so well. For him, it's a
> frustration with media art, and for me, it's been a break with
> technological determinism in New Media. That is, feeling that one has
> to use the latest and greatest technology because it's also in vogue.
>
> Slocum is a supreme craftsman. He knows the Atari 2600 kernel as well
> as anyone. Where Arcangel get in with context and personality, Slocum
> does it with virtuosity and referral to the culture of the 2600, retro,
> pop, I'd say perhaps even false nostalgia.
>
> Both are really good at what they do, they made the contacts, people
> believe in what they're doing, and there you have high art.

Hi Patrick,

That's a really interesting post. Thanks.

I'm curious about your def of "technological determinism" as the "feeling
that one has to use the latest and greatest technology because it's also in
vogue."

How does that sort of def relate to the sort of def by daniel chandler we
see at http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/tecdet/tdet01.html of
"technological determinism"? i also wrote a little bit about it at
http://vispo.com/writings/essays/mcluhana.htm .

ja

ps: i feel i use the greatest if not the latest web-based technology, ie
Director, but it is not in vogue. the latest, which is widely assumed to be
the greatest--Flash--is not the greatest but it seems to be what the market
will bear, currently.

by the way, the most recent chapter in the odd history of director--always
assumed to be the last chapter--has begun recently. adobe has changed the
director dev team/process rather radically. they are now in bangalore india.
most of them are from india. looking at the cv's of some of the main people,
they're awesome. doctorated and edued in usamerica in big computer
scischools. which is different from it seems what has been working on it
lately. but whether they'll be in the loop, dunno, guess we'll see. neither
macromedia nor adobe really has known what to do with director since flash.
now macrobe farms it out to india. is this sending it out to pasture? that's
an odd pasture, if so. they're better trained than most of the usamerican
developers. they might do something interesting with it. director has always
been more for artist-programmers than for the market. should i move to
india?

read a funny article about call centers in bangalore. pparently bangalore is
a call center center. the people who work in em oft make more dough than
doctors and lawyers in india. the article says the call centers are becoming
known as "dens of iniquity" in india. sex in the cubicles. the center of
westernization in india. parents fear for their children who work there.

it's a funny world, eh?

DISCUSSION

David Ayre and Andrew Klobucar


Below is a post by David Ayre he sent to the Poetics list from Buffalo.
David and his collaborator, Andrew Klobucar, are Vancouver artists and
writers. David has a degree in Computer Science and has been involved in
innovative writing since the eighties. Andrew teaches at Capilano College in
Vancouver and is editing a special issue of the Capilano Review (a literary
pub.) on digital poetry/writing.

Anyway, I thought I'd forward this post to Rhizome because if you read the
post and then look at the URLs David provides, you'll discover what I take
to be an excellent project/field of research into poetics and computing.
David and Andrew seem to me to be very strong and unusual in their work. I
would compare the *type* of approach they take to digital poetry to, say,
Christophe Bruno (France). They know what they're doing in a scary funny
sort of way and their work is unique among poets.

ja

-----Original Message-----
From: UB Poetics discussion group
[mailto:POETICS@LISTSERV.BUFFALO.EDU]On Behalf Of David Ayre
Sent: October 20, 2006 9:15 PM
To: POETICS@LISTSERV.BUFFALO.EDU
Subject: Vocabulary a week #2

For the next few months, we will be publishing small sets of customized
vocabularies based on popular news items. The vocabularies will feature
a set of new words which (fingers crossed) have never before existed in
the common vocabulary known as the English language.

The vocabulary words and accompanying definitions are computer generated
using a multi-step definition generator. Output of the generator will be
enhanced and tweaked over time as new theories are tested and new ideas
come to light. More information on the GTR Dictionary Project can be
found here : http://www.gtrlabs.org/projects/dictionary

The vocabulary for week #2 is based on the news item "Kremlin plays down
unguarded Putin comments".

http://www.gtrlabs.org/node/164

accommend

[PRFX (Lat.) ac: - to, towards, near, for, together (adeo => go to)] +
[STEM (Lat.) commend: entrust, give in trust; commit; recommend, commend
to; point out, designate;] Preoccupation with a characteristic or
message, not associated with a near journalist without database of a
message - closely related to information

acrossian

[PRFX (Grk.) acr: high] that which is inferred or known to locate, much
like a perceived high.

anot

[PRFX (Lat.) an: around, round about; having two] + [STEM (Lat.) ot:
horned/eared owl;] that which is inferred or known to indicate, much
like a distinct plane.

becomen

[PRFX (Grk.) eco: house, household affairs, environment, habitat, home,
dwelling] Any state of existing due, most common in one's room as
opposed to capability.

becommended

[PRFX (Grk.) eco: house, household affairs, environment, habitat, home,
dwelling] That which uses people or activities - for example, a cause or
activities associated with a moral activity or sex crime

becomplet

[PRFX (Grk.) eco: house, household affairs, environment, habitat, home,
dwelling] Usually, a visual communication of a relation - closely
related to house - esp. to communicate people independent of homes. 2.
The living expression consisting of a people communicated by applying
abstractions to an organism.

betterprised

an orderlies similar in appearance, yet often followwed anti-serial or
an arrangement mostly considered

chargents

[PRFX (Grk.) gen: bring to life, create, make] rebellions that develop
according to the laws of persons or that which is inferred or known to
create, close to a social part.

comployees

Aware of or known by a living whether tangible or living, and able to
communicate well.

dmit

A received compilation defined by a feature , alternatively, a type of
fact or common suspect - his tough might regard but only as a group.

europhone

[PRFX (Grk.) phon: phone; sound; voice] Used with reference to relation
- the evidence of an alleged phone by formulating a received
communication: often expressed as an abstraction concerning a living
relation. 2. A general evidence formed by investigating understood
communications from specific matters.

evidenies

A quality of state attributed to an ordered living feeling.

finlanguistion

that which is known or known to support, similar to a distinct structure.

inst

[PRFX (Lat.) in: - in, - on, - against; not -, un- ] + [STEM (Lat.) st:
stand, stand still, stand firm; remain, rest;] A quality of result
attributed to learning with the tendency to derive.

islate

Used with reference to group - the word string of a common words by
formulating a formed sequence: often expressed as a grouping concerning
an orderly organism. 2. A general linguistic string formed by writing
systematic phrases from particular words.

jourself

To feel branch rather than reason it .

minist

that which is known or known to consist, much like a particular piece.

nevery

Used with reference to communication - the laugh of a specific laughter
by formulating a living living: often expressed as a type of laughter or
specific journalist - his sort might intend but only as power. 2. A
general laugh formed by intending common laughters from particular remarks.

nother

[PRFX (Grk.) the: god, deity, divine] an orderly god defined by an
example , alternatively, a type of single or common expression - his
travel might consider but only as a clause.

pressions

Usually, a similarity of a being - closely related to being - esp. to
distinguish beings independent of qualities. 2. The similar expression
consisting of a being distinguished by applying characteristics to an
attribute.

putinguage

an abstract formulation of music - closely related to style that is also
able to express persons independent of styles. 2. A common tough
consisting of music expressed by applying abstractions to a language.

radimir

A group of possible labor that develop according to the laws of persons.
2. As in existence whether engaged or specific.

reporterprete

[PRFX (Grk.) por: before, forward, in favor of, in front of, in place
of, on behalf of] fronts that extend according to the laws of regions or
that which is inferred or known to indicate, similar to a distinct extent.

swith

that which is lived or known to invent, similar to a visible device.

takesman

Any state of important sense, most common in one's part as opposed to state.

trave

[PRFX (Lat.) tra: - across, - over] + [STEM (Lat.) v: strength (sg.
only, not ACC), force, power, might, violence;] + [INFL (Lat.) e: ]
Usually, a syntagm of a living - closely related to force - esp. to
write patterns independent of stems. 2. The common possible consisting
of a sequence spoken by applying orderlies to a pattern.

wome

To be living in the custom according to creations or certain creations
that take according to the laws of wholes. 2. A man unable to infer or
infer itself as a cast.

DISCUSSION

Batting practice where you don't want to be hitting balls


Batting practice where you don't want to be hitting balls. And you're
batting skulls.

I thought this game was done with warm comic and entertainingly playful
energy: http://www.sporkle.com/games/monstergame ; "Monster Game". I believe
this is by Tomas Landgreen who works for Titoonic in Denmark.

It's got kind of an interesting mix of an American sport well-tuned to
contemporary practice and a um Nordic? urm monster possessing some
character.

ja
http://vispo.com

DISCUSSION

Spastext and Seattle Drift in Finnish


Marko Niemi has translated two of my poems/programs into Finnish:

Spastext
http://vispo.com/StirFryTexts/2.html

Seattle Drift
http://vispo.com/animisms/SeattleDrift.html

Both of these are now available in Finnish, Chinese, and English.

Marko has done two different translations of Seattle Drift, both of which
are at the above URL.

ja
http://vispo.com