ARTBASE (3)
PORTFOLIO (2)
BIO
Rob Myers is an artist and hacker based in the UK.
I have been creating images of the contemporary social and cultural environment through programming, design software and visual remixing since the early 1990s. My work is influenced by popular culture and high art in equal measures. My interest in remixing and sampling has led to my involvement in the Free Culture movement. I have been involved in the public consultation regarding the Creative Commons 2.0 and CC-UK licenses. All my visual art is available under a Creative Commons license.
My interest in programming has led to my involvement with the Free Software movement. I developed the Macintosh version of the Gwydion Dylan programming language compiler. All my software is available under the GNU GPL.
I have been creating images of the contemporary social and cultural environment through programming, design software and visual remixing since the early 1990s. My work is influenced by popular culture and high art in equal measures. My interest in remixing and sampling has led to my involvement in the Free Culture movement. I have been involved in the public consultation regarding the Creative Commons 2.0 and CC-UK licenses. All my visual art is available under a Creative Commons license.
My interest in programming has led to my involvement with the Free Software movement. I developed the Macintosh version of the Gwydion Dylan programming language compiler. All my software is available under the GNU GPL.
Re: liberty from freedom to
On Tuesday, August 10, 2004, at 09:20AM, Jim Andrews <jim@vispo.com> wrote:
>liberty from
>freedom to
>
>(from George Woodcock)
http://homepage.mac.com/robmyers/weblog/C1592552572/E1753474044/index.html
- Rob.
>liberty from
>freedom to
>
>(from George Woodcock)
http://homepage.mac.com/robmyers/weblog/C1592552572/E1753474044/index.html
- Rob.
Re: morals & values
On Tuesday, August 10, 2004, at 05:44AM, jeremy <jeremy@silencematters.com> wrote:
>what is the difference between "values" and "morals"?
A corporation has values. It has no morals.
- Rob.
>what is the difference between "values" and "morals"?
A corporation has values. It has no morals.
- Rob.
Re: Programming Survey
On Thursday, August 05, 2004, at 08:47PM, Lemmy Caution <llacook@yahoo.com> wrote:
>1.) What programming languages do you use?
Mainly Lisp at teh moment. In the recent past I've used Dylan, Python and Prolog.
>2.) Why did you choose the language(s) that you use,
>and how did you learn it/them?
Lisp because Harold Cohen and all the coolest hackers use it. Dylan because it facinated me historically. Python because I feared Perl. prolog because it intrigued me and it's very good for structured data and graphics(!).
I was self-taught for all of them, from books and web articles. C and C++ I learnt overlapping my time at the CEA.
I spent five years as a Java developer and came to hate the language. I can also program Perl, AppleScript, Objective-C, JavaScript/ActionScript, Hpertalk/Lingo and others. I'm useless at the score/timeline for Director and Flash, though.
>3.) Were you university-trained in programming or
>self-taught? What advantages and disadvantages do you
>see in this method of learning?
I've been programming since I was a kid, with a one year art & programming MA at cea.mdx.ac.uk . I've always had the luxury of time to learn languages. The Uni education gave me the support to learn things like Handles that I couldn't crack on my own, and helped with the cultural side of coding.
>4.) How concerned are you with a language's political
>implications, i.e. with whether the language is open
>source or not? Why?
Very. I have invested hundreds of hours into coding, I don't want that wiped out by a takeover or a cool new version of a language with no backward compatibility. I also don't want a language that will bloat wuickly, like C++ and Java.
>5.) Does your choice of programming lamguage effect
>the way you approach a problem you wish to solve with
>that language?
Yes. C++ feels like a straitjacket after using more dynamic languages like Dylan/Python/Lisp. And using a compiled langauge after ascripting language is so slooooow to develop and test in.
I went through a phase of prototyping in Prolog then moving it to another language when the code became too complex. It can be good to move between multiple languages, like sketching in pencil and acrylic before breaking out the oils.
>6.) Did you come to New Media Art from Computer
>Science or from the Arts? Discuss the transition.
From art, although as I say I'd done hobby programming (BASIC, Logo) from an early age. I became interested in computer typography which led to PostScript and then on to more programming.
>7.) What does programming add or subtract from an art
>object? Is the artist-programmer giving up control of
>the object by coding it, or introducing more control?
I regard computing as a print-making medium. The freedoms and limitations are comparable.
>8.) Does each programming language imply an ontology?
Each *family* of langauges does, although there may be ontological units eg prefix/infix oo/functional dynamic/static strongly typed/manifest typed etc.
>9.) Have you ever dreamed in code?
Ugh, no. I don't think I've ever even dreamt of a computer. My dreams are mainly architectural and dramatic.
>10.) Can one code art objects that produce catharsis
>in the user?
Yes. I wrote a small script to print "I am drunk" repeatedly the other night. It was very cathartic.
Paul Graham (www.paulgraham.com) is good on the relative merits of programming languages.
- Rob.
>1.) What programming languages do you use?
Mainly Lisp at teh moment. In the recent past I've used Dylan, Python and Prolog.
>2.) Why did you choose the language(s) that you use,
>and how did you learn it/them?
Lisp because Harold Cohen and all the coolest hackers use it. Dylan because it facinated me historically. Python because I feared Perl. prolog because it intrigued me and it's very good for structured data and graphics(!).
I was self-taught for all of them, from books and web articles. C and C++ I learnt overlapping my time at the CEA.
I spent five years as a Java developer and came to hate the language. I can also program Perl, AppleScript, Objective-C, JavaScript/ActionScript, Hpertalk/Lingo and others. I'm useless at the score/timeline for Director and Flash, though.
>3.) Were you university-trained in programming or
>self-taught? What advantages and disadvantages do you
>see in this method of learning?
I've been programming since I was a kid, with a one year art & programming MA at cea.mdx.ac.uk . I've always had the luxury of time to learn languages. The Uni education gave me the support to learn things like Handles that I couldn't crack on my own, and helped with the cultural side of coding.
>4.) How concerned are you with a language's political
>implications, i.e. with whether the language is open
>source or not? Why?
Very. I have invested hundreds of hours into coding, I don't want that wiped out by a takeover or a cool new version of a language with no backward compatibility. I also don't want a language that will bloat wuickly, like C++ and Java.
>5.) Does your choice of programming lamguage effect
>the way you approach a problem you wish to solve with
>that language?
Yes. C++ feels like a straitjacket after using more dynamic languages like Dylan/Python/Lisp. And using a compiled langauge after ascripting language is so slooooow to develop and test in.
I went through a phase of prototyping in Prolog then moving it to another language when the code became too complex. It can be good to move between multiple languages, like sketching in pencil and acrylic before breaking out the oils.
>6.) Did you come to New Media Art from Computer
>Science or from the Arts? Discuss the transition.
From art, although as I say I'd done hobby programming (BASIC, Logo) from an early age. I became interested in computer typography which led to PostScript and then on to more programming.
>7.) What does programming add or subtract from an art
>object? Is the artist-programmer giving up control of
>the object by coding it, or introducing more control?
I regard computing as a print-making medium. The freedoms and limitations are comparable.
>8.) Does each programming language imply an ontology?
Each *family* of langauges does, although there may be ontological units eg prefix/infix oo/functional dynamic/static strongly typed/manifest typed etc.
>9.) Have you ever dreamed in code?
Ugh, no. I don't think I've ever even dreamt of a computer. My dreams are mainly architectural and dramatic.
>10.) Can one code art objects that produce catharsis
>in the user?
Yes. I wrote a small script to print "I am drunk" repeatedly the other night. It was very cathartic.
Paul Graham (www.paulgraham.com) is good on the relative merits of programming languages.
- Rob.
Re: Fwd: RE: RHIZOME_RAW: Re: Re: 9 out of 10 muslim anarchists agree...
On Monday, August 02, 2004, at 01:34PM, Plasma Studii <office@plasmastudii.org> wrote:
>>why do artists care about what happens to their work after they die? of
>>course they don't care after they die. but before. is it that they care
>>about the betterment of humanity or their own life after death? they want
>>their silent running soul devices to keep running. but why?
>
>actually, it would be just as difficult to pin point any precise
>answer to why any person would care, even while they are alive.
IMHO not really. You need your reputation to sell work to get cash to eat (or to pull newbies at private views; whatever). If your work is mistreated it'll affect that.
As for immortality, humans are genetic and memetic and so seek to propagate. A social legacy is one way of doing this. If it's not good for society it's not good for you. :-)
- Rob.
>>why do artists care about what happens to their work after they die? of
>>course they don't care after they die. but before. is it that they care
>>about the betterment of humanity or their own life after death? they want
>>their silent running soul devices to keep running. but why?
>
>actually, it would be just as difficult to pin point any precise
>answer to why any person would care, even while they are alive.
IMHO not really. You need your reputation to sell work to get cash to eat (or to pull newbies at private views; whatever). If your work is mistreated it'll affect that.
As for immortality, humans are genetic and memetic and so seek to propagate. A social legacy is one way of doing this. If it's not good for society it's not good for you. :-)
- Rob.
Re: Track "Postpone/Cancel" Election Legislature through Congress
On 14 Jul 2004, at 07:17, Lee Wells wrote:
> May whatever form of divinity each of us holds dear give us guidance,
> wisdom
> and strength as we consider this.
And this is why Bush will win.
- Rob.
> May whatever form of divinity each of us holds dear give us guidance,
> wisdom
> and strength as we consider this.
And this is why Bush will win.
- Rob.