Final Project

My Final Project for English 344, One Degree of Separation, is complete. It can be viewed here:

http://sites.google.com/site/english344project

Revised Manifesto

As I re-read my Manifesto, there were several phrases that struck me as being particularly relevant as I consider the scope of the information contained in the course over the past semester. I would not make any changes to any of the information contained in the Manifesto, but would definitely re-emphasize the following phrases if I were to re-write it:

“the buying and selling of knowledge (which is inherently intangible), serves only to inhibit serious intellectual development and growth which may in effect lead to an empire in creative thought.”

The example that comes to mind when re-reading this statement is the debate over MIT Open Courseware. MIT feels that while information can be free, there are still certain procedures in place when it comes to obtaining a degree from their institution. While technological developments in empires such as the internet have led some to admit that certain practices are outdated and ineffective, changes do not have to take place within the hierarchical structure of obtaining a formal degree.

“we reject all forms of censorship”

I think the idea of censorship throughout this class goes far beyond the idea of omitting offensive content from novels such as Lady Chatterley’s Lover or 1984. The fact that The New York Times requires subscriptions to site content could be viewed as a form of censorship. Expanding on the last example, professors in the academic setting who choose to restrict the use of their knowledge on the ground that it is their “intellectual property” also becomes a form of censorship when simple information is not made available to the public. The success of the internet is that it thrives on the fact that knowledge and information are both available. Removing either of these essential components would serve only to inhibit the progress that had been made thus far in the technological fields.

Group Project Revised Commentary

Gordon Marshall Bigsby, JD Mink, Elizabeth K.

Video

Watch the video first, and then read about the process:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8jniQLAIEs

Process

Based on the suggestions made in Justin’s review, we decided to utilize the YouTube annotation system as some “choose-your-own-adventure” projects had which he had referenced. This entailed restructuring the end of the video in order to accommodate the alternate endings that we had created. We removed the initial options which had scrolled through the screen in the initial video which had been created and left a black screen over which we added annotations which linked viewers to the alternate ending scenes. Colours were added to the annotations in order to help the viewer distinguish between the three options as they differentiated each option by making them more recognizable.

We attempted to integrate various forms of multimedia by making use of different formats in creating our alternate endings. Option 1, Keep Playing the Tune, was created by using Louis Armstrong’s “After You’re Gone.” This option is an audio clip; however, we added an image of the artist (found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/dave_finlayson/2988238517/) and turned it into a YouTube video in order to make the structure of the project work. There’s a catch here, though. Instead of allowing the listener to listen to the original tune, I added a sinister audio track from Freesound.org (all CC licensed content. Credit to James Duckett: http://www.freesound.org/samplesViewSingle.php?id=55082) to the beginning. Listeners will not actually be able to listen to the original tune as they had hoped. Instead, they are tricked into listening to a “butchered” version of the song (the tune has been reversed and chopped up using Audacity, the free audio-editing program). I picked a “dark” image of Armstrong to go with the evil laugh that plays in the beginning.

Option 2, Let the Cat Get Revenge on the Stooges, is a video clip spliced together by using various scenes from The New Three Stooges’ “Aloha Ha Ha” cartoon, and “The Hep Cat Symphony.” In this clip, it appears that both the cat and the Stooges are outside and the cat is chasing the Stooges off into the sunset.

Option 3, I Want Popeye Back, is a still image (found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/dominicspics/1128401985/sizes/l/) which was edited with audio. The audio which plays in the clip was created using Vozme (a CC-like license, explained here: http://vozme.com/licenses.php?lang=en). I picked computer generated audio to give the viewer/listener a distanced feeling. In other words, while the viewer wants to have Popeye back, he/she can’t truly have him back. In a cold/unfriendly computerized voice, Popeye rejects the viewer by saying, “Listen, you can’t have me back…my girl’s name is Olive Oyl. Got it? If you’re a guy, understand this: I don’t swing that way.” You can’t have him back. Why? He already has a girl.

Note that the original video says, “Choose Wisely.” These three options only leave option 2 as the most “wise” choice, because the other two mess with the viewer’s mind. In the first option, the listener gets an unfaithful rendition of the tune. In the third option, he/she is rejected by Popeye.

Conclusion

The whole process was terribly difficult. We spent hours and hours trying to figure it all out, and ultimately, we conquered the Internet and YouTube. Call it a digital exploration. We explored, witnessed good and evil, and declared ourselves triumphant.

Group Project Critique

For the group project critique, I chose to examine the Copyright project, the “Official Site of the ‘GMU Copyright Education’ Team.”

I thought this project was extremely well done. I really like the main page of the website that the group created; it’s simple, clean design makes it easy for users to navigate, and the white copyright logo is featured prominently on the site as it contrasts with the black background, again clearly stating to viewers the purpose of the site. The site is broken up into four other pages—Information, History, Modern, and Interviews. Each of the site’s pages is just as sleek and navigable as the main page—users are able to readily identify important content and locate information.

The information and history sections of the site are useful as they provide contextual information through which to frame the site. The mission statement manifesto adds humor to the issue, but clearly indicates the complexities and stipulations of copyright. The history section that the authors have provided is useful, as it is important to know the origins of copyright to understand its complexities and affect on consumers in today’s society. The site creators have also provided information on copyright in modern society. The addition of the screenshot with the broken YouTube video is perfect—so often we visit YouTube expecting to watch a video only to find that the content has been removed for one reason or another. This is often a sobering experience, reminding us all of the reality of copyright claims. The inclusion of this was a well-planned move on the part of the site creators. The final interviews section ties the site together and makes site users aware of peoples’ knowledge of copyright. It is always interesting to see whether the average person really understands what copyright is and means for them.

This project is well-designed and the site provides plenty of useful information about the subject of copyright law and infringement. The website design is excellent and humor is well-used as it makes a difficult subject such as this easier to handle.

Group Project Commentary

J.D. Mink:
My process in selecting video clips was rather simple. I decided first to strictly use cartoon clips in the video project. I searched the Internet Archive (www.archive.org) for cartoon clips which were in the public domain. I compiled cartoons by searching the Archive for themes rather than by identifying particular cartoons or characters to include prior to selecting specific clips. I had no intention of selecting cartoons for inclusion which I found to be thematically related.
As I watched the cartoons, I made note of scenes which particularly seemed to stand alone—in other words, scenes which had self-contained plot content not crucial to the overall plot of the story. I found many of these in each selection, especially as the early 20th century cartoons were sporadic in nature, constantly shifting from general plotline to subplot and secondary material.
I first wanted to select a cartoon that had something to do with adventure. Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba’s Forty Thieves (1937) came up as a search result. I was familiar with the cartoon, but had not watched in sometime prior to reviewing it for the project. I felt that the scenery and detailed illustrations made the cartoon a particularly worthy selection.
I looked at both the Little Audry cartoon, “Goofy Goofy Gander” (1950) and the Max Fleischer’s Superman cartoon “Billion Dollar Limited.” (1942). Due to their age, I think there is a great deal of similarity in their animation and artistry; their content however is quite different. I found the teacher in “Goofy Goofy Gander” to have particularly noir qualities. There was something quite dated about her appearance and mannerisms which paired well with the portrayal of Lois Lane in “Billion Dollar Limited.”
I also found rewarding scenes in “Hep Cat Symphony” (1949), a cartoon about a fight between musically-inclined animal housemates…a saxophone-playing cat and an orchestra of mice who live in the wall.
The content and nuances in the Popeye selection were unmistakably representative of the Popeye series. Popeye contains humor unlike any other cartoon. The animation was quite similar to that in the Felix the Cat cartoon, “Neptune Nonsense” (1936).
I also attempted to gather scenes which did not feature the main characters in the cartoons. This was an especially important technique in cartoons such as Popeye—it allowed me to focus specifically on the secondary scenes which would stand out in our presentation if isolated. I also feared that the cartoon’s secondary qualities and the artists’ undertones might be overshadowed if I attempted to portray characters in scenes which contained main characters such as Popeye or Olive Oil.
I made few suggestions about connections which I found between specific clips. As I did not make the final determination on which clips would be included in the cut, I left that to the discretion of Elizabeth, who volunteered to edit the video. I did not consult other members of my group prior to selecting specific clips. We each located clips independently which we thought would be best suited to the theme of the project.

Gordon Marshall Bigsby:
Our project was somewhat ambitious in that we had intended on putting together various, unrelated scenes from different movies/cartoons to see if we could create an output that flowed quite nicely. The catch is that this was completely uncoordinated since our project was divided into several parts. After JD and I independently selected our scenes, Elizabeth would put them together without input from us. Elizabeth had no way of knowing what we were going to send to her, and we had no way of knowing how she was going to arrange the scenes. The same applies to the work that JD and I did: he did not know what I was working on and the same was true for me.

To stay within legal limits, I stuck to Archive.org and found a mixture of movie and cartoon scenes. JD and I were only required to find a total of five scenes, but we were not told to find any particular scenes from any time period or place. It was, as you might imagine, a stab in the dark. My emphasis was on finding scenes that would make sense on their own—exactly what JD had done. I went for a combination of different factors. I knew I wanted to find ones that would work well as intro and ending scenes. Furthermore, I tried to locate scenes that contained different emotions (happy, sad, etc.) along with humorous and scary content. I was hoping Elizabeth would have a good range of material to work with. To make things a little easier, I noted the scene start and end times so she would be able to locate the exact scene immediately.

Critique Three: Online Literary Journal Review—Clapboard House

I wanted to examine Clapboard House, found online at www.clapboardhouse.wordpress.com. When this journal was mentioned in class, I thought of Dorothy Allison, author of Bastard Out of Carolina. I may actually have come across this journal once before while researching Allison, because it turns out that she is judging a contest that is to be featured in the journal. I also found the title of this journal inviting; I thought it would be a nice opportunity to examine the genre of fiction which the journal includes. Stories written about Appalachia—or, as the journal puts it, the American South, are predominant here.
I am not sure whether Clapboard House is available in print form. I suspect, though, that those in charge of the publication are most familiar with print writing as their primary means of storytelling. I say this because the website includes little in the way of innovations as far as digital writing or non-linear forms of fiction. The website is little more than an online site through which to store print work. For its purposes, though, the site is effective. I don’t imagine that much fiction dealing with the American South ventures into digital and technological formats.
I was concerned about the impact of the Wordpress blog format on the content, but the site creators have effectively utilized Wordpress’ service in formatting their site. Comments have been disabled, and the links on the sidebar are used for directing readers to different authors’ work. The page has a clean looking design—it is sparse in content and easy to find authors’ work. However, the site only seems to include current work and not back entries.
I would be honored to have my work published in Clapboard House; however, I do not generally write fiction and do not write fiction that deals with the American South. I would consider this a respectable venue for anyone who writes within this genre. This site courteously provides links to other journals which contain work within this sub-genre. I am impressed with the selection of fiction and poetry I have found here, and hope to take advantage of the contents of this site and others which contain fiction related to the American South.

Remix Project Review

I chose to examine Angela Hart's Remix Project. I really liked the techniques she used and the way she transformed pieces of the setting. I would hesitate to say that there are pieces of this project that didn't work. I think the alteration of this image goes to show that when the GIMP techniques are applied to already-existing images, then the alterations look most professional. For example, the alterations to the hair and railing, already-existing "structures," seem to work better than the writing. I must add here that I'm not familiar with the GIMP program, and it seems that the writing application may be a completely different type of effect than what was used on other aspects of the photo.
I really was inspired by how true to life the alterations in the hair and railing were. The hair colors were the same shade as dye would be. I was most impacted by the change in the railing and the alteration of the black iron to brown with ivy. The railing retained all of the same properties as in the original photo, and it appeared as if there was sunlight on the railing.
The most interesting effect was that which was used (or, perhaps expanded if it was a sun glitch in the photo) to create the heart. I would love to see what kind of qualities an object or a shape would take on if it were applied over top of that. (For example, a heart shaped box.)
I thought this was a very nice project. I hope that such techniques might be applied in other situations in order that they might assist in providing re-interpretations of seemingly mundane images.

Remix Project: Shakespeare's Sonnets

For the Remix Project, I chose to use the Cut Up Machine (available at http://www.languageisavirus.com/cutupmachine.html to “re-mix” the first five sonnets of William Shakespeare. Although the tone and specifics of the sonnets varied, I identified beauty as being an overarching theme when the sonnets were presented in their original form. I wanted to see how the theme changed once the passage was scrambled.
Once remixed, I organized the sonnets so that their form would be accommodating to the messages which I saw in them. I left all original punctuation intact, however.
I have presented each sonnet here in its original form followed by the cut up in its raw form, and then the cut up in its organized, final re-mix version. I have limited my analysis strictly to the re-mixed versions; however, readers are free to alter my interpretation, add their own, and draw connections between the original sonnets and the re-mixes if they choose.

Sonnet 1

FROM fairest creatures we desire increase,
That thereby beauty's rose might never die,
But as the riper should by time decease,
His tender heir might bear his memory:
But thou, contracted to thine own bright eyes,
Feed'st thy light'st flame with self-substantial fuel,
Making a famine where abundance lies,
Thyself thy foe, to thy sweet self too cruel.
Thou that art now the world's fresh ornament
And only herald to the gaudy spring,
Within thine own bud buriest thy content
And, tender churl, makest waste in niggarding.
Pity the world, or else this glutton be,
To eat the world's due, by the grave and thee.


Sonnet 1 Cut

desire thy might as else else eat churl, to flame in the the a as the eat sweet grave bear famine the world's and glutton the his by famine foe, world's thou, as might in bear the and bud glutton thy or makest contracted ornament And thy his world, increase, That self-substantial thou, gaudy spring, Within should bright bud desire contracted memory: But flame be, To as bud own waste fresh thy self to buriest world, spring, Within thou, bud this world's eat From riper fuel, Making world, own own rose eyes, Feed'st self-substantial should desire by fuel, Making bright world's

Sonnet 1 Organized and Explained

desire thy might as else else eat churl,
to flame

in the the a as the

eat sweet grave
bear famine the world's and glutton the his by famine foe,
world's thou, as might in bear the and bud glutton
thy or makest contracted ornament

And thy his world, increase, That self-substantial thou, gaudy spring,
Within should bright bud desire contracted memory:
But flame be, To as bud own waste fresh
thy self to buriest world,

spring, Within thou,
bud this world's eat From riper fuel,
Making world, own own rose eyes,
Feed'st self-substantial should desire by fuel,
Making bright world's


This first sonnet turns into a series of disconnected thoughts and images. The created third line, which reads, “in the the a as the, ” represents the image of the flame which is mentioned in the second line. The third stanza is clustered together because the created lines seem to focus on a wide spectrum of world problems: gluttony, famine, and death. The last stanza returns to a positive tone, as the line “spring, Within thou,” sets the pace for a positive awakening, as the stanza continues by employing natural imagery related to new birth (“bud”, “rose”) and the last two lines seem to regard self-sufficiency as a means of improving the world around us: “Feed’s self-substantial…/Making bright world’s”


Sonnet 2

When forty winters shall beseige thy brow,
And dig deep trenches in thy beauty's field,
Thy youth's proud livery, so gazed on now,
Will be a tatter'd weed, of small worth held:
Then being ask'd where all thy beauty lies,
Where all the treasure of thy lusty days,
To say, within thine own deep-sunken eyes,
Were an all-eating shame and thriftless praise.
How much more praise deserved thy beauty's use,
If thou couldst answer 'This fair child of mine
Shall sum my count and make my old excuse,'
Proving his beauty by succession thine!
This were to be new made when thou art old,
And see thy blood warm when thou feel'st it cold.



Sonnet 2 Cut

of trenches of all-eating where thou child within mine Shall winters of an a trenches thou in the being my worth beauty's thy beauty weed, art feel'st were own beauty's in field, Thy thou being thy excuse,' Proving lusty now, Will held: Then mine Shall thy in of in thy the youth's own child tatter'd praise and youth's say, thine! This praise deserved it in a the succession count new when his thou so days, To weed, thy within beauty's lies, Where tatter'd ask'd lusty my small see mine Shall praise on old, And excuse,' Proving lies, Where thou lies, Where be beauty's an gazed sum dig new blood now, Will deserved my worth and his

Sonnet 2 Organized and Explained

of trenches of all-eating
where thou child within mine
Shall winters of an a trenches thou in the being my worth
beauty's thy beauty weed,
art feel'st were own beauty's in field,
Thy thou being thy excuse,' Proving lusty now, Will held: Then mine Shall thy in of
in thy the youth's own child tatter'd praise and youth's say, thine!
This praise deserved it in a the succession count new when his thou so days,
To weed, thy within beauty's lies,
Where tatter'd ask'd lusty my small see mine Shall praise on old, And excuse,'
Proving lies, Where thou lies, Where be beauty's an gazed sum dig new blood now, Will deserved my worth and his


The cut up version of Sonnet 2 also places strong emphasis on the nature theme, just as the cut up of Sonnet 1 did. Line five summarizes this undertone of nature: “art feel’st were own beauty’s in field.” The weed is also referred to directly as an object of beauty. This is especially conveyed in line four: “beauty’s thy beauty weed.” Line nine speaks directly to this as well: “To weed, thy within beauty lies.” Although unpolished, line ten mentions things which are still highly regarded yet not pristine: “Where tatter’d,” the line says, “…Shall praise on old…” This too seems perhaps to refer to the weed and the fact that while weeds are not as well kept as well-maintained grass, for instance, they still contain beauty.


Sonnet 3

Look in thy glass, and tell the face thou viewest
Now is the time that face should form another;
Whose fresh repair if now thou not renewest,
Thou dost beguile the world, unbless some mother.
For where is she so fair whose unear'd womb
Disdains the tillage of thy husbandry?
Or who is he so fond will be the tomb
Of his self-love, to stop posterity?
Thou art thy mother's glass, and she in thee
Calls back the lovely April of her prime:
So thou through windows of thine age shall see
Despite of wrinkles this thy golden time.
But if thou live, remember'd not to be,
Die single, and thine image dies with thee.

Sonnet 3 Cut

tomb Of she dost image lovely thee. image husbandry? Or remember'd he is if thy thee. and the time she the of unear'd womb Disdains time. But thou and thine dies thy fond live, is fond shall the tell self-love, that form unbless with in of the will thou mother's fresh April the in if and is fond windows his unbless tillage he self-love, thou so who time. But beguile tillage the fresh mother's repair womb Disdains shall the be thou through the be, Die self-love, if now live, thy of is face his lovely face she back mother's thy thee. and of fresh stop who she self-love, image

Sonnet 3 Organized and Explained

tomb Of she
dost image lovely thee.
image husbandry?
Or remember'd he is if thy thee.

and the time she the of unear'd womb Disdains time.
But thou and thine dies

thy fond live, is fond shall the tell self-love, that form unbless with in of the will thou mother's fresh April the in if and is fond windows his unbless tillage he self-love, thou so who time.
But beguile tillage the fresh mother's repair womb

Disdains shall the be thou through the be,
Die self-love, if now live, thy of is face his lovely face she back mother's thy thee.
and of fresh stop who she

self-love, image


This arrangement was chosen due to the fact that this re-mix lends itself to rhyme. The first stanza uses startling imagery of memories encapsulated in time: “tomb Of she/Or remmeber’d he is if thy thee.” The second stanza seems to say that the memory fades if the tomb is unsealed, as it “Disdains time” and the fact that “thou and thine dies.” The separation of the last line “self-love, image” from the rest of the text seems not to make a specific claim about the outcome and results of self-love as says that love relates also to the self and to personal matters. It shows that self-love influences and is influenced by the people around us.


Sonnet 4

Unthrifty loveliness, why dost thou spend
Upon thyself thy beauty's legacy?
Nature's bequest gives nothing but doth lend,
And being frank she lends to those are free.
Then, beauteous niggard, why dost thou abuse
The bounteous largess given thee to give?
Profitless usurer, why dost thou use
So great a sum of sums, yet canst not live?
For having traffic with thyself alone,
Thou of thyself thy sweet self dost deceive.
Then how, when nature calls thee to be gone,
What acceptable audit canst thou leave?
Thy unused beauty must be tomb'd with thee,
Which, used, lives th' executor to be.

Sonnet 4 Cut

dost legacy? Nature's thou live? For niggard, with sum abuse The leave? Thy lives tomb'd dost live? For thee, Which, thyself bounteous bequest thou thou yet to why bequest but a leave? Thy thyself thyself lend, And leave? Thy use So why being self a canst when leave? Thy niggard, to must largess deceive. Then when canst th' traffic thou thyself dost bequest deceive. Then dost lives largess acceptable to beauty deceive. Then thee, Which, thou abuse The doth dost to not sum thee to she be live? For yet thou sums, deceive. Then acceptable bounteous be legacy? Nature's legacy? Nature's why to not given used, thou sum

Sonnet 4 Organized and Explained

dost legacy?

Nature's thou live?
For niggard, with sum abuse The leave?
Thy lives tomb'd dost live?
For thee, Which, thyself bounteous bequest thou thou yet to why bequest but a leave?
Thy thyself thyself lend, And leave?
Thy use So why being self a canst when leave?

Thy niggard, to must largess deceive.
Then when canst th' traffic thou thyself dost bequest deceive.
Then dost lives largess acceptable to beauty deceive.
Then thee, Which, thou abuse The doth dost to not sum thee to she be live?
For yet thou sums, deceive.

Then acceptable bounteous be legacy? Nature's legacy? Nature's why to not given used, thou sum


This re-mix is organized like so due to the fact that so many questions are posed in the sonnet. Nature contains superfluous beauty, according to the last lines of this re-mix. The implication of the word legacy is that nature, throughout time, is known for it’s beauty. The way that this poem is organized, the second stanza considers nature and the beauty which it contains. The third stanza serves as a buffer, but the fourth stanza reaffirms that nature contains superfluous beauty.


Sonnet 5

Those hours, that with gentle work did frame
The lovely gaze where every eye doth dwell,
Will play the tyrants to the very same
And that unfair which fairly doth excel:
For never-resting time leads summer on
To hideous winter and confounds him there;
Sap cheque'd with frost and lusty leaves quite gone,
Beauty o'ersnow'd and bareness every where:
Then, were not summer's distillation left,
A liquid prisoner pent in walls of glass,
Beauty's effect with beauty were bereft,
Nor it nor no remembrance what it was:
But flowers distill'd though they with winter meet,
Leese but their show; their substance still lives sweet.

Sonnet 5 Cut

lovely lusty no flowers time which lusty work distillation fairly lovely on To no on To what gone, Beauty very did time work doth glass, Beauty's leaves distillation bareness o'ersnow'd there; Sap and leads was: But quite show; hideous winter play pent substance never-resting cheque'd left, A o'ersnow'd still and excel: For doth but confounds beauty it confounds bareness leaves that but there; Sap it bereft, Nor though not him liquid every with play though time summer gaze excel: For with pent never-resting was: But winter no distillation bareness quite same And where: Then, was: But lovely did doth cheque'd o'ersnow'd eye which pent where frame The

Sonnet 5 Organized and Explained

lovely lusty
no flowers
time which lusty work
distillation fairly lovely
on To no on To what gone,

Beauty very did time work doth glass,
Beauty's leaves distillation

bareness o'ersnow'd there;
Sap and leads was: But quite show;
hideous winter play pent substance
never-resting cheque'd left,
A o'ersnow'd still and excel:

For doth but confounds beauty
it confounds bareness leaves that
but there; Sap it bereft,
Nor though not him liquid every with play though time summer gaze excel:
For with pent never-resting was:
But winter no distillation bareness quite same And where: Then, was:

But lovely did doth cheque'd o'ersnow'd eye which pent where frame The


I felt that these lines could be separated into two topics. These lines discuss both beauty and natural elements which seem to lack the emotion which is here portrayed as being so positive. In the Sonnet 2 Remix, beauty was connected to nature; specifically, weeds. Here, in contrast, beauty is not connected to such things: line two of the first stanza simply reads, “no flowers.” In the fourth stanza, the first three lines read, “For doth but confounds beauty/it confounds bareness leaves that but there…”


The works of William Shakespeare are in the public domain and are free for use, and I located Sonnets 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 on the internet via the following links:
http://shakespeare.mit.edu/Poetry/sonnet.I.html
http://shakespeare.mit.edu/Poetry/sonnet.II.html
http://shakespeare.mit.edu/Poetry/sonnet.III.html
http://shakespeare.mit.edu/Poetry/sonnet.IV.html
http://shakespeare.mit.edu/Poetry/sonnet.V.html

Know Your Rights

Text:

"Gravity of Love"

One day, one day I asked myself
What is the right number or symbol?
What is the perfect equation?
What truly is LOGIC?
And who decides right reasoning?

In cause of no answer to my quest,
I traveled through the physical and metaphysical,
I traveled through the delusional and mystical
And at last back to the physical.

I made most important invention of my life career
That it’s only in the mysterious equation; logic of love
Any logical; mystical and psychological reasoning can be found.
It’s you in me I only believe that’s true and real


Accessed through Creative Commons Search > "poems" > Taint.org > Justin Mason's Weblog

Taint.org License Information: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic (This allows users to share and remix the work, under the conditions that they are attributed to the author and/or with the stipulations of a Share Alike agreement.)

Site Author: Justin Mason

Image:



Accessed through Creative Commons Search > "pictures" > ponderer.org/pictures.pl (Tony's Pictures) > Hiking In Montana

Direct Link: http://www.ponderer.org/pictures/20050703-hiking/img_2987.jpg

Ponderer.org License Information: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (This allows users to share and remix the work, under the conditions that they are attributed to the author.)

Site Author: Tony Chang

Video:



Video Title: "Virgin Americans: Nature"

Direct Link: http://blip.tv/file/367309

Accessed through Creative Commons Search > "nature video" > blip.tv/file/367309

Blip.tv video License Information: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (This allows users to share and remix the work, under the conditions that they are attributed to the author.)

Site Author: Virgin America (corporate author)

Review: The Dreamlife of Letters

I believe it was in the introduction to The Dreamlife of Letters that the author said that putting the poem into its present digital format allowed it to invoke new meaning because of its digital dimension. (The poem had previously been written in a more conventional format.) Despite whatever implications either format may have had for the poem, readers—or, perhaps viewers in a case like this—are allowed to create their own meaning from what they see in the movement of the letters. This poem, in its digital format, relies primarily on the technique employed in the letters.

I found many nuances in the poem inspiring. Aside from the more basic techniques, such as spinning letters (C), and raining letters, one of the main things that I found interesting was how the author twisted so many of the standard perceptions we have of language. There were the more basic examples of wordplay—for example, with the letters b and d, multiple words were shown with the same letter. The author also created effects which were representative of certain words. For example, words such as “drip” fell in a dripping effect on the screen, and a bold black “ink” moved slowly across the screen creating a trail-effect reminiscent of an ink spill. My favorite technique involved the word “enterprised”—three more words emerged in a fountain-like effect from the beginning letter “e”. In other instances, the author essentially reduced the letters in some cases to mere lines—allowing, for example, Is (i) to turn into slashes (/). The letter “Y” seemed to “fill-up,” essentially turning the character into a stylized martini glass. These are examples of what I’d call “letter-play” or “punctuation-play.” In another case, the words “Hey” and “Hi” flashed on the screen in sequence as though they were voices in conversation with other.

There was little I found I didn’t like about The Dreamlife of Letters. I was surprised that there was no sound, but sound would have essentially turned the poems into movies. These poems can be viewed as being somewhere in between. I was honestly expecting a more climactic ending—something interesting involving the letter “z,” or perhaps something that worked in all of the letters. Although I’m not sure I would want to explore the technique to the extent that it is employed here, I’m definitely inspired by the intricacies involved here and would consider incorporating some of them into a future project.

Artistic Manifesto

In an age in which information can be freely stored and shared, the archaic restrictions of purchase—that is; the buying and selling of knowledge (which is inherently intangible), serves only to inhibit serious intellectual development and growth which may in effect lead to an empire in creative thought. The output of the collective of creative minds would result in a product which would triumph over anything seen before. Should such inhibiting practices cease and bans on freedom be lifted, a bastion of intellectual thought would materialize for the purpose of illuminating the whole of our culture.

We therefore reject, in its entirety the modern day trend which might effectively be termed, “intellectual trafficking,” in which any form of commercialism acts as a muzzle for the fullest expression and manifestation of true intellectual contribution, and encourages monetary gain instead of social profit.

In addition to the marketing of ideas for purposes which are solely commercial, we reject all forms of censorship, whether primary or secondary. Ideas should be developed to the fullest extent possible, without regard to content and free from regulation. The notion that a portion of an idea must be discarded simply on the basis of its morality is to misapply the virtue of that idea! An idea of any form—whether it be an opinion, a theory, or a vision, must be developed to its fullest with the notion that any of its facets may serve to build on and help a different area of already existing theory.

Once the groundwork is established for the creation of information and ideas that are uncensored and left in their intellectual entirety, these can be utilized in other ways. For example, the intersection of such ideas with other forms of artwork could serve to re-channel already existing ideas and merge them with artwork creating unique points of thought which may never have otherwise been realized. This think-tank of ideas will serve to work with other existing ideas and creations in society to create even further development in thought by merging seemingly unrelated groupings of creativity.

Art is derived from “information”, one of the greatest tools available to man. Information, as it includes human creative expression, has much to offer art as a field and discipline.

We believe that art can be constructed in a variety of ways. The possibilities are, in fact, endless—however, art can only exist in its fullest expression when information is unrestricted and is developed through a natural birth.

The grim reality is that our culture commercializes art as well as intellectual productivity and thought; albeit, in a much different way. We call for the end of this type of commercialism as well, as it serves only to exploit art to no other end than a marketing mentality—the sole purpose of which is to gain consumers. These consumers become complacent toward art in such a form and ultimately entrapped by the notion that art is designed for no other purpose than to accompany and assist in the sale of products. As consumers make up the whole of the populous, it becomes difficult for members of that populous to recognize art apart from for-sale products.

We recognize the need for sale in a consumer society, but call for an end to commercialism as we know it, which serves only to exploit art as an intellectual, creative, and artistic venture by harnessing its power, explaining away its mystery, and re-channeling its purpose to fulfill only one of its many uses and functions. More specifically, we call for the separation of commercialism from art, which needs to remain a separate entity altogether in order to function in its entirety.

We call on all citizens to unite with us in our quest for intellectual and artistic achievement, free from the constraints of commercialism, which has for too long been at the root of American culture. We feel that this was not the intent of the founders of our nation, nor is it even the intent of those who run government today. Only through a few select corporate entities which have for too long prevailed over the face of our stagnant culture has art become entangled with commercialism and prevented from its fullest expression.

People from all professions have the power to assist with the creation of a truly informational and artistic culture, and the skill of all will be utilized should they decide to unite with our cause. We look forward to a world in which human thought and progression is no longer restrained, and the truest expression of complete ideas can prevail.