Week 6: A Brief History of the Computer and the Internet.

Lecture-
The lecture this week was a lot more informational, than opinionated. A lot of names, dates, and facts were given to us. It was very informative, I learned that the concept of the computer was originated a lot earlier that I originally thought, and were much more useless. The origins of the personal computer were much more seedy as well, everyone stealing from everyone else, and making millions. That aside, the rapidity of the growth of computer performance had always astounded me, I was also unaware that there was a predictable rate of advancement in silicon chip capacity. Alan Turing's involvement in the decoding of the german enigma machine, and his contributions to the modern computer was also interesting.

Readings-
The readings for this week focused primarily on the need , and pattern of the evolution, and development of technologies, most notably personal computers. The question of when current technologies and methods become insufficient, and obsolete, is one we must constantly ask ourselve, in order to stimulate the growth, of this developing and highly essential technology.

Tutorial-
We discussed the development of the physical components of the computer at greater lenght, most notably the German enigma machines.

Wiki page : Final Fantasy 7
The information of this game is quite extensive, as it is a very in-depth story driven game. The plot synopsis is right on the money, as is it's unprecedented critical, and commercial success. There are several dozen links cited as sources which one can use to verify, or procure more data on the subject, and the overview of the game in general is as comprehensive as you can get, without calling it a guide. This Wikipedia page is extremely accurate, and informative. Essentially it tells the reader anything they would need to know about this ground-breaking game.

week 5 - Why I hate Wikipedia

Lecture -
During the lecture prof. Stockwell spent a considerable amount of time on the fake page created about his fictional feud with David Cox. About 20 minutes were spent listening to him read the page to us, pointing out which bits were false. The idea he was trying to convey, although overly detailed on the page was how easily information could be fabricated on wikipedia. Towards the end it became an analogy on all reality and how we can never really trust what we're told without some sort of verification. Although most of his time was spent denouncing Wikipedia I had already had a lot of experience with it, there are several good points about it even though it is not a reliable source of specific information. Uqbar was also mentioned as a comparison of an ancient version of this same misinformation.

Readings-
Uqbar, the name of a seires of stories by Jorge Luis Borges. Through his method of mixing fact with fiction in his stories, the question of whether or not his stories were factual or not has been under dispute since it's inception. It has been suggested that Uqbar is based on the real city of Uqbara in Iraq, or the Uqbar in Algeria. Another story of the clever subversion of the truth , by mixing it with fiction.

Tutorial.
Wikipedia was discussed at greater length, and opinions of the student were introduced, that might have been contrary to prof. Stockwells. If people actually put as much stock into the "facts" written on Wikipedia, as other more official sources then the idea of reality being in question would be more applicable. I think most people are well aware of the flaws of Wikipedia, however it is a great source of general information that is more easily verifiable. If you just want to know the basics about something or someone quickly, Wikipedia is great.

Tutorial task
The idea of keeping art in the hands of a select few to keep art "refined" or above the common man is old and archaic, and one that I believe the world at large does not agree with. The laws of probability dictate that one will get more high quality works of art, if more people are able to practice art. Also having a lot of bad, or unrefined art around will make the exceptional art stand out much more. I would say that a photoshopped image is a form of art as people are adding their own touch of creativity to existing images. Also having art as such a mainstream practice, redefines it's context, as a labor of a professional , to the hobby of someone talented.

Topic 4 - Old Communication Technologies

Lecture:

The lecture was a sort of chronicling of old communication technologies, starting with rock art, and progressing through Phoenician alphabet tablets, telegraphs, etc. Also Walter Benjamin was discussed at great length probably to give us some background on the author for our readings. The majority of the lecture seemed to focus on Walter Benjamin and other related authors than old communications tech. I suppose one I start the reading I will be grateful for it. I did find his life to be an interesting story, and also his death, in my opinion was very heroic.


Readings:

Walter Benjamin's reading, although a bit tough to digest was very insightful. It would seem he had a rather vast knowledge of the film, and photography industries. His constant comparison to Marxist philosophies made it a bit difficult to follow him at times, but once the message was delivered it was rather profound. The idea that mechanical reproduction can lower or numb people's appreciation of fine works of art because they are so commonplace , and readily available is one worth considering. Would all forms of beauty and art then also be enhanced by making them available to only a select few? One can only wonder. I personally would argue that it would enhance the practice of art, making artists strive to stand out in an ocean of mediocrity.


Tutorial:

The topics of the lecture were discussed in finer details, in particular other forms of old communication technologies. Also the authors mentioned in the lecture were briefly discussed. The idea I suppose was to make the students think about what their lives would be like if these old forms of communication were all that was available to us, as opposed to the plethora we have at our disposal today. It may or may not make one appreciate these innovations.