After reading the article, "Planetary Technoetics: Art, Technology and Consciousness" by Roy Ascott, I reflected on the idea that human beings are all connected and we should attempt to realize that we are all the same species. It is a challenging task to come to greater understanding of one another to overcome our differences, and Ascott treats the advances of technologies as a fix that will easily hold the solutions.
While quite an idealistic stretch, I have had thoughts like this before, and they come from my interests in space and science fiction. While it is hopeful to believe that a new form of art or technological engineering can work to expand our consciousness, the niche of people who are the forerunners in this type of lifestyle and research are few and far between, well outside of the mainstream, and generally lacking the political influence to raise their concern on the national or global agenda. Espseically when it comes to Narby's idea of vegetal reality, and the concept of getting in touch with our consciousness through DNA signals seems to be quite a stretch. It is more likely in my opinion to take some kind of external event from our planet, the discovery of another life form, of another intelligence, to really awaken the billions of people on this planet to a form of planetary consciousness!
However, I believe there can be an impact through interactive art. I believe that it does have the ability to bring people back together, to bond them to come closer to the human potential. The more we can interact and share experiences that are beyond our normal state of awareness together, the more chances we have to understand eachother. To move away from the television, and create the nightly family activity into a creative, interactive endevour may move the scale in the right direction. I agree with Ascott when he mentions that "meaning is created out of interaction" and the jobs of an artist are to "offer new creative contexts in which meaning can be built." However, access to these type of experiences will remain limited to the few.
In the part of the article that talks about terror as a medium of design-built strategy, Ascott just seems to believe we can easily change our paradigm of thinking. The fact is, it takes a lot of energy and knowledge to think along these broad lines on a regular basis. To understand the larger forces behind what is going on when it comes to terrorist attacks instead of the day-to-day events that become forgotten and just add to the amount of deaths and suffering for the people does not come naturally. That we need a "sensibility to culture that lie outside the Western paradigm" is true, but our brain can only hold so many pieces of information at one time, and when we have to attend to our immediate realities and the daily demands placed on us, it is very hard to stay attuned to people's lives and cultures that are outside our immediate awareness.
When "two world views are so fundamentally opposed to interaction between eachother," it is going to take more than any one conversation to begin to allow for forgiveness of the others' thoughts and actions throughout the course of time. It makes me believe that it will be in the work of the artist that can symbolically show what we are in the larger scale of the universe to begin to move the ones with political influence.
The issue is in what medium will this art be? A medium that already exists, such as film? Or one that has yet to be created? Even the most wisdom-filled, conscious works of art never end up reaching their entire intended audience, and the metaphor is generally lost along the way and not even comprehended by many. At what point will the new media art actually "take its place in the world," if ever?
Monday, September 14, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Avatars for Social Responsibility
Image Source:http://graphico.free.fr/hfr/pollution.jpgAs Yann Arthus-Bertrand (a famous aerial photographer, author of Earth from Above) says in his TED talk "...we don't want to believe what we know". He starts by mentioning that even though he came to talk about ecology, he flew from France to California, thereby producing 9 tons of CO2, the equivalent, he says, of two elephants!
For those of us who work with digital technologies and virtual worlds, it is easy to disregard such concerns, as if they only applied to the "real world". But what about the carbon footprint of our avatars?. An article published in the Near Future Laboratory blog mentions some interesting numbers that gave me pause:
According to professor Julian Bleecker Ph.D of USC and cofounder of design think tank the Near Future Laboratory, "a Second Life avatar produces 1,685 pounds of CO2 and an acre of real estate in Second Life produces 99 tons of CO2.
Power Consumption Per Avatar Per Year (Second Life Servers): 153 kWH
Power Consumption Per Avatar Per Year (Home User’s PC): 1,095 kWH
Total Power Consumption Per Avatar Per Year: 1,248 kWH CO2 Emissions Per Avatar Per Year (Second Life Servers): 207 lbs (94 kilos)
CO2 Emissions Per Avatar Per Year (Home User’s PC): 1,478 lbs (670 kilos)
Total CO2 Emissions Per Avatar Per Year: 1,685 lbs (764 kilos)
...Some equivalence for perspective:In 2003, the per-capita power consumption in the United States: 13,242 kWH
In 2001, the per-capita power consumption in Iceland: 26,947 kWH
In 2001, the per-capita power consumption in Keyna: 118 kWH
(World Resource Institute, EarthTrends — )
...Every year, every Avatar in Second Life produces CO2 emissions equivalent to a typical, honking, bloated, arrogant SUV driving 1,293 miles, based on the assumption that this kind of SUV generates 1 lbs of CO2 per mile".
We all know that we will have to make substantial changes to our lifestyle if we want to do our part in saving this "spaceship earth" like Bucky called it. If we don't we will leave the planet to our avatars instead of our grandchildren...
Virtual Economics
No offense to the previous week’s reading assignments, which I found interesting, but this weeks article “Virtual Worlds: A First-Hand Account of Market and Society on the Cyberian Frontier” by Edward Castronova was more what I'm accustomed to reading. It lacks the philosophically stimulating questions and simply summarizes some data on the money and time spent by people either "living in" or "visiting" a virtual world. I think what kept my attention were the journal entries of the author’s first hand accounting of his initial experience in the land of Norath. I’m happy to say that Second Life is not nearly as hostile and I’m thankful that we do not have to start out fighting for our lives and working! In fact one thing I like about Second Life right now is that I don’t have to work there! What I find amazing about the article is that although it is over 7 years old (and systems have increased in popularity in his time) the amount of time and money that people spent in a virtual existence is mind-blowing. I checked for some updated statistics on the economics of virtual reality games and there are plenty of articles to be found, especially since the popularity of World of Warcraft has spun off many first person game systems for children.
Even in 2001 Edward Castronova calculated the GNP of Norath to be about $135 million and the 77th richest country (roughly equal to Russia at that time). I found this amazing so I looked for some more up to date information. It seems the author has just recently published updated work, in a peer reviewed journal http://dmitriwilliams.com/EconVW.pdf/ (July 2009). In this work he comes to a bit different conclusions. He has three conclusions (taken in part from his blog): http://terranova.blogs.com//
1.) Real world economic analysis works to evaluate the virtual world (that he studied): could possibly be used to test Real world economic research & policies?
2.) Results were not particular to one server
3.) This analysis is a better real-world assessment of Value (the GNP of the virtual world now comes to one of the poorest nations!).
Even though the one society he looks at had a much lower GNP than originally calculated – I imagine if you could add up all VRs as a single country that their GNP would be significantly higher. I also believe that his conclusion #1 is fascinating and can hopefully lead others to looking at the VR as a means of testing potential economic policy and theory; prior to implementation. At least it may provide another tool for evaluating how changing the “rules of play” may affect the GNP both of our virtual existence and our existence in Earth.
On a side note: I found an link to a new peer reviewed journal of for papers on VR and Education for anyone who is writing something or plans to publish on these topics.http://www.jvweducation.org//
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Verbiage versus Wisdom
After reading Roy Ascott's article "Planetary Technoetics: Art, Technology and Consciousness," I found several points to agree with. I agree that, in order to survive as a species, we will need to move toward an expanded sense of connectedness with the other inhabitants of the earth. I also agree that artists can facilitate this process, as can technology. And, yes, the wisdom of indigenous cultures has largely been ignored, especially by Science.
However reasonable these points sound, Ascott conflates them with conjecture, such as when he seems to assume that the "Mixed Reality" of indigenous cultures are all based on plant-based drugs. He also sites Narby's hypothesis that the visions of shamans are from their ability to communicate with their own DNA, because we don't yet know what that annoying 97% is for. This is presented with reference to DNA's photon emission as a possible origin of shamanic imagery, which is so much easier to explain this way than something science has no real grasp of.
Perhaps the most dangerous idea presented here is the merging of biological organisms and technology. In my view, scientists should not be the ones deciding what they think they can control. I don't believe any of us are bright enough for that kind of power. If I have to choose, though, give me the shamans any day, preferably female.
Friday, September 11, 2009
September 11 Memorial
While checking some news today and also reflecting on the historical happenings from eight years ago I came across this article that talks about some folks who have created a September 11 memorial in Second Life. More information is in the article from the Link above.
To visit the memorial you can teleport to: slurl.com/secondlife/dAlliez%20Land%20Headquarters/108/149/26
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
Museo Del Prado
I was researching Google Earth when I ran across an article about the Prado Museum in Spain using Extremely high resolution cameras to photograph 14 of the most famous works in its collection and include them in their Google Earth building. The image posted is a screenshot of a detail from Hieronymus Bosch's triptych entitled "The Garden of Earthly Delights". I thought how appropriate it is to have this particular artist's work displayed in this way, since his was a virtual world of his own creation which was far ahead of his time. The incredible zoom capabilities offered by this technology make it possible to see every tiny detail, which is especially useful in a painting replete with them.
Whad’ya Know?
In his work “Planetary Technoetics: Art, Technology and Consciousness” Roy Ascott describes a paradigm shift that needs to take place as combined reality research continues. Of striking interest to me is that within the definition of technoetics (the combination of art, technology and consciousness) that as difficult as it has historically been to answer the question “what is art?” It may be significantly more difficult to answer the question of “what is consciousness?” The author sites work of Jeremy Narby who studied the subculture within indigenous peoples of South America. He believes that the ability of the shaman to “know” possibly comes from their connection to their own DNA. The idea is that the DNA carries information and the ability for cells to communicate with each other. The cell to cell communications are being studied as scientists have identified quanta of energy emitted from various plant cells termed biophotons. Roy further goes to term this as a part of various Mixed realities he terms vegetal reality.
In trying to uncover further information about vegetal reality I came across another author and “Consciousness as Evolutionary Process based on Coherent States”
http://www.lifescientists.de/publication/pub2003-04-11.htm. Similar to Ascott the author is concerned with defining consciousness. His thought is to use physical and biological structure in order to define consciousness. After many physical comparisons the author summarizes with the following conclusions which I found quite interesting.
“These interactions between actual and potential information, based on this reference point of Descartes, opens the way for understanding the basis of the human consciousness and probably also the steps of further developments into "global" forms of consciousness. We may distinguish 4 different basic forms:
(1) Self confidence according to the reference point of Descartes: I am, resulting from the transformation of the physical existence of the body into "doubts" and back to the control, and so on.. The end of this process is the adjustment of actual and potential information.
(2) Identification (awareness) according to the transformation of the actual information of the physical existence of matter or radiation into "doubts" and back to the control, and so on. This leads after adjusting actual and potential information to the confirmation of You are or It is.
(3) Prediction: Repeated transformations of the actual information of the physical existence of different objects into the possibility field of the potential information under adjustment of the potential information of the memory which provide boundary conditions in the control processes. The transformations are again finished as soon as there is an equality of actual and potential information. The result is a statement: It will be.
(4) Memory and Inspiration. Repeated transformation and re-transformation of potential information of the past and the presence. After adjustment of these probability distributions the statement will follow: It could have been or It could become.
Step (1) is very basic for the reference system of consciousness itself, step (2) allows social interactions, step (3) is the basis of scientific development and step (4) is most necessary for creativity and responsibility within a society. The consciousness develops under natural conditions from step (1) to step (4), and it involves more and more non-local actual information into this process. Insofar, evolution is the development of coherent (probably even squeezed) states into an increasing framework of a global ethics. To some extent it seems that this contradicts the Darwin principle. However both principles, Darwin´s and consciousness evolution, work for the "survival of the fittest". While these "fittest men" are not known in Darwinism, before they have died, a clear picture of them is known in this approach of consciousness development.”
Lenoir, Heilig, Bush, Mayo - Reflections
I read “All but War is Simulation: The Military-Entertainment Complex” with mixed reactions. On one hand, I was enchanted by the possibilities of experiencing time and space and the use of our bodies in completely new ways due to emerging technologies. On the other, I was concerned by the prospect of taking a metaphorical super jet into the future, without a clear idea of where we are going or who exactly is flying that jet.
Is this jet, fueled by information technology, taking us into the new Renaissance that Lenoir spoke of (290)? If so, we will likely find the environment of our destination(s) altered along with how we interact with and experience our place within it (them). Biomimetic technologies, smart structures, wearable computers, augmented reality, virtual environments and embedded information technologies in the world around us will be a part of the new terrain. And as Lenoir points out, if this new environment leads to a “post”-human state, then there will “...be a fundamental shift in our notions of material reality...because materiality is deeply tied to technologies that affect how we experience space and time and how we use our bodies” (290).
If we are indeed entering a new Renaissance, and the inertia of technological development is pushing us into the new terrain of the post-human, then I think it important to pay heed to Heilig's statement about the cinema of the future. He says that because the cinema of the future will have such great power, the “ability to destroy or build men's souls will depend purely on the people behind it” (Heilig 247). Though Heilig was talking specifically about the development of an immersive environment that could completely lead man's attention by engaging all of his senses, I think it would be wise to apply the same statement to the modern technological world that is being built around us. In a sense, we are living in an immersive environment of our design that exists beyond the 5 walls of a cinema. The walls may not be made of concrete, but are instead made of modern technologies that create barriers between man and nature and the natural rhythms of life. And these technologies have the ability to direct man's attention. Thus, one walks with headphones, rather than listening to bird songs. Or, one watches videos on an iphone, rather than engaging in conversation with a person at the bus-stop. And on and on.
As much as new technologies extend the possibilities of man, they also create new social landscapes, whose effects may not be fully understood until the results are felt a few years or decades later. Marshall McLuhan expanded on this point and summarized his insights in these five words: “the medium IS the message”. In the Backstory of Digital Aesthetics, Mayo referenced Virilio who was wary of an “information accident”. What do these phrases mean and why should we care? Well, for example, the television did more than broadcast football games, soap operas, and newscasts. Though the TV may have brought people together in living rooms, the larger effect of the TV, was that people became more passive, choosing to be entertained rather than entertain. In a similar vein, the television influenced the growth of a materialistic culture as advertisements so seductively flowed into houses across the nation. And really, THOSE effects, WERE the message – not what Suzy said to Billy on the 100th soap opera episode.
Similarly, Virilio gives voice to the possibility of an “information accident”, pointing out that such an accident may not be immediately apparent, but may be developing nonetheless. In an information age, information is obviously key and Heilig credits information with taking us into the next Renaissance. And as much as such information may take us to where no man has gone before, how will it effect the individual along the way and society in general? Granted, we may well become post-human and in time our relation to the material world will change, but along the way, what will the detrimental effects be to humans, animals, and plants? As much as this age will open new gates to expansive amounts of knowledge and, in referencing Vannevar Bush, elevate man's spirit by giving him access to information that will allow him to “review man's shady past and analyze more completely and objectively his present problems”, how will stress from too much information affect people? How are the electromagnetic forces created from the new technologies effecting the environment and humans? How will our bodies be effected? Our bodies are 70% water and this water carries patterns within us. Might there be a direct physiological affect from sound pollution through the water patterns created within our bodies? Though cell phones allow us to connect with loved ones hundreds of miles away, those same electromagnetic signals cause cancer, can be used to control populations, and affect the flight patterns of birds and bees, which is not something to be taken lightly considering Einstein's quote “Without bees, we've got four more years”. Military drills using sonar have ruptured the ear-like membranes of whales causing them to beach and die. And these are but just a few of the examples.
Though we think of our developing technologies as modern, I wonder if they are not in some ways primitive? Shouldn't developments work with the natural world, and not against it? And maybe, this is what the information age will allow. It may allow us to correct our past mistakes by learning from what has not worked and allow the easy access to information necessary to create new paradigms in a time-sensitive manner considering the many problems that will be faced over the next few decades – droughts, rising seas, population overload, and shortages of food, oil, and water etc....
However, back to Heilig's point about the people behind the cinema having the ability to destroy or build men's souls. If the new Renaissance is to be truly modern, then people behind the developing technologies have a large responsibility if they are to move humanity in a direction that “builds mens souls”. Of course there is no easy answer for this, as any one technology may have a variety of individual, political and business interests and thus a variety of intentions behind it. Considering that technological development is driven by the military, porn, and games, only reinforces the fact that often such an aim is not the focus of technological development. Often profits are made by appealing to the lowest common denominator or by turning the other way and collaborating on projects that may have questionable aims. Therefore, it seems to me, that if the new Renaissance is to be truly a success, it must be measured in terms of the harmonious effects that it enables between man, machine, and nature. Societies will need to move in a direction that measures “success” in terms of a net effect – which specifically aims to satisfy two parts of an equation: How the new development solves an existing problem AND whether or not the development creates NEW problems in areas of health, social functioning, environment, etc... The development of biomimetic technologies may be a step in that direction. Individuals who are conscious of the effects of their actions on the planetary web that we are all apart of , will no doubt help too. And last, but not least, like Mayo states, “the ability to communicate and socially organize in new ways subverts previous models of information distribution and social control” (Mayo 106). So, such developments as social networking sites, You Tube and the like enable a more diverse range of voices be heard. Information need no longer come from the top down and consumers need no longer remain passive, but can step more easily into an active role of producer. Such development will be necessary to move into a truly successful future.
We need only look at a flower to appreciate a very sophisticated design and generate ideas for the new Renaissance.
This excerpt is from:
http://healingwaterinstitute.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=55:part-five-water-a-guide-to-better-technology&catid=36:newsletters&Itemid=64
“Let us look at a simple plant to get a glimpse of nature's amazing technical intelligence. So, let's consider the water iris. Its flower has six beautiful curved petals, three rolling down,three rising up in blues and yellows with a light green stalk and vertical leaves, and a soft subtle scent.
Yet this plant is a small, super-effective factory that:
1/ makes sugars out of sunlight.
2/ transforms carbon dioxide into oxygen.
3/ cleans the water it drinks, passing it into the air.
4/ helps micro-organisms enrich the soil.
5/ is alive!
6/ reproduces itself.
7/ has a sublime geometric form.
8/ is beautiful living art, an inspiration to millions.
No technical inventions of human beings can do this.
All of nature's creations and their deeds, working together, are filled with an intelligence, a wisdom that we are only beginning to understand. Such a perfect and living technical design solution is something we humans can only dream of creating. Yet this is the sort of example we must aspire to.”
I'd like to end by saying, that in synthesizing the information presented in the texts, I've come to better understand the complex nature of forces at play in the world that we are creating and how science/business/university research/entertainment/military all play their part. At times I've wondered if our ipods, cellphones, and theme park rides are but ornaments on a very ugly tree. Microwaves can be used to cook food (any give cancer) just the same as they can be used for crowd control. The same technologies that are used to shoot zombies in pixel land can be used to aid in the shooting of real people in Iraq and Afghanistan, or as in the case of the previously mentioned article, steer the microwave beams electronically. But, then I must acknowledge that though Einstein's E=mc2 led to the atomic bomb, it also helped further our understanding of the world we live in. The Department of Defense's creation of ARPANET became the internet that I use today to learn about the world around me and connect with friends through Skype. A chip implanted in the brain could be used by the government to control people as much as it could be used to extend the capabilities of a paralyzed woman by allowing her to move a computer mouse with her thoughts.
So, here we go on this information jet....
And as we go into the future on this jet, I cannot help but ponder this Thoreau quote:
“Men have become tools of their tools”.
I will no doubt keep exploring the two sides of the coin - how we have become tools of our tools AND how tools expand our capabilities.......
Toodles ~Shamar
Is this jet, fueled by information technology, taking us into the new Renaissance that Lenoir spoke of (290)? If so, we will likely find the environment of our destination(s) altered along with how we interact with and experience our place within it (them). Biomimetic technologies, smart structures, wearable computers, augmented reality, virtual environments and embedded information technologies in the world around us will be a part of the new terrain. And as Lenoir points out, if this new environment leads to a “post”-human state, then there will “...be a fundamental shift in our notions of material reality...because materiality is deeply tied to technologies that affect how we experience space and time and how we use our bodies” (290).
If we are indeed entering a new Renaissance, and the inertia of technological development is pushing us into the new terrain of the post-human, then I think it important to pay heed to Heilig's statement about the cinema of the future. He says that because the cinema of the future will have such great power, the “ability to destroy or build men's souls will depend purely on the people behind it” (Heilig 247). Though Heilig was talking specifically about the development of an immersive environment that could completely lead man's attention by engaging all of his senses, I think it would be wise to apply the same statement to the modern technological world that is being built around us. In a sense, we are living in an immersive environment of our design that exists beyond the 5 walls of a cinema. The walls may not be made of concrete, but are instead made of modern technologies that create barriers between man and nature and the natural rhythms of life. And these technologies have the ability to direct man's attention. Thus, one walks with headphones, rather than listening to bird songs. Or, one watches videos on an iphone, rather than engaging in conversation with a person at the bus-stop. And on and on.
As much as new technologies extend the possibilities of man, they also create new social landscapes, whose effects may not be fully understood until the results are felt a few years or decades later. Marshall McLuhan expanded on this point and summarized his insights in these five words: “the medium IS the message”. In the Backstory of Digital Aesthetics, Mayo referenced Virilio who was wary of an “information accident”. What do these phrases mean and why should we care? Well, for example, the television did more than broadcast football games, soap operas, and newscasts. Though the TV may have brought people together in living rooms, the larger effect of the TV, was that people became more passive, choosing to be entertained rather than entertain. In a similar vein, the television influenced the growth of a materialistic culture as advertisements so seductively flowed into houses across the nation. And really, THOSE effects, WERE the message – not what Suzy said to Billy on the 100th soap opera episode.
Similarly, Virilio gives voice to the possibility of an “information accident”, pointing out that such an accident may not be immediately apparent, but may be developing nonetheless. In an information age, information is obviously key and Heilig credits information with taking us into the next Renaissance. And as much as such information may take us to where no man has gone before, how will it effect the individual along the way and society in general? Granted, we may well become post-human and in time our relation to the material world will change, but along the way, what will the detrimental effects be to humans, animals, and plants? As much as this age will open new gates to expansive amounts of knowledge and, in referencing Vannevar Bush, elevate man's spirit by giving him access to information that will allow him to “review man's shady past and analyze more completely and objectively his present problems”, how will stress from too much information affect people? How are the electromagnetic forces created from the new technologies effecting the environment and humans? How will our bodies be effected? Our bodies are 70% water and this water carries patterns within us. Might there be a direct physiological affect from sound pollution through the water patterns created within our bodies? Though cell phones allow us to connect with loved ones hundreds of miles away, those same electromagnetic signals cause cancer, can be used to control populations, and affect the flight patterns of birds and bees, which is not something to be taken lightly considering Einstein's quote “Without bees, we've got four more years”. Military drills using sonar have ruptured the ear-like membranes of whales causing them to beach and die. And these are but just a few of the examples.
Though we think of our developing technologies as modern, I wonder if they are not in some ways primitive? Shouldn't developments work with the natural world, and not against it? And maybe, this is what the information age will allow. It may allow us to correct our past mistakes by learning from what has not worked and allow the easy access to information necessary to create new paradigms in a time-sensitive manner considering the many problems that will be faced over the next few decades – droughts, rising seas, population overload, and shortages of food, oil, and water etc....
However, back to Heilig's point about the people behind the cinema having the ability to destroy or build men's souls. If the new Renaissance is to be truly modern, then people behind the developing technologies have a large responsibility if they are to move humanity in a direction that “builds mens souls”. Of course there is no easy answer for this, as any one technology may have a variety of individual, political and business interests and thus a variety of intentions behind it. Considering that technological development is driven by the military, porn, and games, only reinforces the fact that often such an aim is not the focus of technological development. Often profits are made by appealing to the lowest common denominator or by turning the other way and collaborating on projects that may have questionable aims. Therefore, it seems to me, that if the new Renaissance is to be truly a success, it must be measured in terms of the harmonious effects that it enables between man, machine, and nature. Societies will need to move in a direction that measures “success” in terms of a net effect – which specifically aims to satisfy two parts of an equation: How the new development solves an existing problem AND whether or not the development creates NEW problems in areas of health, social functioning, environment, etc... The development of biomimetic technologies may be a step in that direction. Individuals who are conscious of the effects of their actions on the planetary web that we are all apart of , will no doubt help too. And last, but not least, like Mayo states, “the ability to communicate and socially organize in new ways subverts previous models of information distribution and social control” (Mayo 106). So, such developments as social networking sites, You Tube and the like enable a more diverse range of voices be heard. Information need no longer come from the top down and consumers need no longer remain passive, but can step more easily into an active role of producer. Such development will be necessary to move into a truly successful future.
We need only look at a flower to appreciate a very sophisticated design and generate ideas for the new Renaissance.
This excerpt is from:
http://healingwaterinstitute.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=55:part-five-water-a-guide-to-better-technology&catid=36:newsletters&Itemid=64
“Let us look at a simple plant to get a glimpse of nature's amazing technical intelligence. So, let's consider the water iris. Its flower has six beautiful curved petals, three rolling down,three rising up in blues and yellows with a light green stalk and vertical leaves, and a soft subtle scent.
Yet this plant is a small, super-effective factory that:
1/ makes sugars out of sunlight.
2/ transforms carbon dioxide into oxygen.
3/ cleans the water it drinks, passing it into the air.
4/ helps micro-organisms enrich the soil.
5/ is alive!
6/ reproduces itself.
7/ has a sublime geometric form.
8/ is beautiful living art, an inspiration to millions.
No technical inventions of human beings can do this.
All of nature's creations and their deeds, working together, are filled with an intelligence, a wisdom that we are only beginning to understand. Such a perfect and living technical design solution is something we humans can only dream of creating. Yet this is the sort of example we must aspire to.”
I'd like to end by saying, that in synthesizing the information presented in the texts, I've come to better understand the complex nature of forces at play in the world that we are creating and how science/business/university research/entertainment/military all play their part. At times I've wondered if our ipods, cellphones, and theme park rides are but ornaments on a very ugly tree. Microwaves can be used to cook food (any give cancer) just the same as they can be used for crowd control. The same technologies that are used to shoot zombies in pixel land can be used to aid in the shooting of real people in Iraq and Afghanistan, or as in the case of the previously mentioned article, steer the microwave beams electronically. But, then I must acknowledge that though Einstein's E=mc2 led to the atomic bomb, it also helped further our understanding of the world we live in. The Department of Defense's creation of ARPANET became the internet that I use today to learn about the world around me and connect with friends through Skype. A chip implanted in the brain could be used by the government to control people as much as it could be used to extend the capabilities of a paralyzed woman by allowing her to move a computer mouse with her thoughts.
So, here we go on this information jet....
And as we go into the future on this jet, I cannot help but ponder this Thoreau quote:
“Men have become tools of their tools”.
I will no doubt keep exploring the two sides of the coin - how we have become tools of our tools AND how tools expand our capabilities.......
Toodles ~Shamar
Second Life Weight Management
Second Life has been a very new experience for me as I'm sure it has been for some of the rest of the class. As I have been seeing so many areas for incorporating such an interesting tool into various aspects of research I have also wondered what role Second Life would play in my own personal life and issues. As we have all tried to get our avatars to look like ourselves I noticed myself trying to make my avatar look more like the person that I used to be or would like to become. I found this interesting news clip that addresses how people tend to create avatars to look like themselves except in the area of weight. This seems to be a ripe area for research as gaming systems like Wii Fit try to take advantage of the technology in order to try to improve exercise practices. This particular news clip is interesting because maybe there is a link between creating an avatar to look like how you want to look can help you to achieve those goals. Perhaps by learning (scripting) some fancy dance moves or skills in Second life we will also see ourselves breaking loose or moving more in our real lives?
Saturday, September 5, 2009
¡Ay Machina!
My father, who grew up on a farm, served in WWII as a ship’s navigator. He said that he decided to go to sea because there might be more of a chance to survive the war. Though he was a consummate storyteller, I never heard him talk much about his experiences, except for a few references to sailing up the Thames while watching explosions on either side of the bow. His message was that War is a brutal business, that cruelty and hardship are commonplace, and that it is not to be admired. It wasn’t until much later, after he died, that I heard about the deadly Murmansk Run, and how he navigated his crew to safety, at a time when the a majority of the convoy crews were killed by submarine attacks. In a way, it was not a surprise because he taught me most of what I know about how to navigate this life: how to look beyond the surface, how to listen to the wisdom of others from very different backgrounds, and how to find one’s own moral compass.
As a returning student, artist/designer, and experienced parent, my views on media might come from a slightly different perspective than those who are more enamored with technology for its own sake. From my vantage point, there is a prevalent mindset in the American culture that status, including academic status, is directly related to funding and which areas chosen to receive it. Therefore, it seems to me that Science and intellectual pursuits, which apply scientific methods of inquiry, have come to be treated with a reverence that the Humanities are not (unless we are talking about the famously lucrative entertainment industry). Additionally, it is said by many that the world of academe suffers from what is termed “the silo effect,” which can describe a lack of cooperation between an institution’s departments, or a lack of emphasis on interdisciplinary research due to specialization.
One aspect that I appreciate about New Media is that it straddles many of the realms of knowledge, which have previously been relegated to their respective corners, creating marriages of Music and Physics, such as in the elegantly designed game Auditorium, or melding technology with new ways to present history, art, and storytelling, such as at the Rijksmuseum. The attitudes of some disciplines being more “pure” than others are being challenged and new possibilities are being explored due to an increased ability for interconnection, literally and figuratively.
Therefore, after reading the article by Tim Lenoir, “All but War Is Simulation,” and being asked to express my reaction, I have to say that I found it both revealing and deeply disturbing. I have wondered before why game designers have focused so often on violent games. From what Lenoir has detailed, it has much to do with funding and how the military routinely underwrites and directs projects. This funding pipeline leads research in certain directions, and helps to create cozy business relationships once researchers learn how to jump over the necessary hurdles to become government vendors.
The same week that I read the Lenoir article, I began reading The Language of New Media by Lev Manovich. In the foreword written by the founder of Rhizome.org, Mark Tribe describes the debate, which took place on his email list during the time the book was being written. He recalls that the more theoretical Europeans criticized Americans for having a “ ‘California ideology’ (a deadly cocktail of naïve optimism, techno-utopianism, and new-libertarian politics popularized by Wired magazine)”. I think this criticism still has the ring of truth today since Lenoir’s article does not stray into observations on whether the alliance of the Military-Entertainment Complex has moral complications, training as it does entire generations of (mostly) boys to think of war and gaming simultaneously, death and enjoyment. Perhaps "Military-Entertainment Complex" should also be a psychological term.
Cartoon courtesy of artist and physicist Randall Munroe at www.xkcd.com
Friday, September 4, 2009
Music in the Digital World
I know this is a bit tangential to this class but is a bit of a commentary on the previous post about instruments and relates to some of the other class blogs. I believe that there will be a future for musical instruments in the future, even though the digital age has changed how those instruments will being used. For example, see the video below for a different way in which music and digital media have merged to tell a classic love story. In this particular example an application used through the the social networking site Facebook was used in order to connect digital animators together to construct a short film. Musical talents of Steve Vai and Ann Marie Calhoun provide the "language" for the piece and I believe this is a reflection of the use of new media, and musical talent to tell an old story. Plus, I think Steve Vai is amazing! Here is the press clip from the Steve Vai website. http://www.vai.com/News/index.html
"Mass Animation, Sony Pictures and Intel Corporation today announced that the ground-breaking animated short film Live Music, a worldwide collaboration by animators using a unique application built on the Facebook Platform, will be attached to TriStar Pictures' animated feature Planet 51, scheduled for a Nov. 20 wide theatrical release in North America.
Live Music is directed by Yair Landau, former president of Sony Pictures Digital, and produced by Landau and Jacquie Barnbrook (producer of the Oscar-winning short, "The Chubb Chubbs"). It is the first production from Mass Animation, an effort sponsored by Intel Corporation that brings together the worlds of computer graphics, Hollywood and Facebook.
The 5-minute computer-generated animated short is inspired by Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" and early CGI films. Set in a musical instrument store, the story follows Riff, a rock 'n' roll guitar, who, as Landau describes it, "falls in love to the wrong song but ends up with Vanessa, the classical violin of his dreams." The story is conveyed through the universal language of music, allowing the expressions and actions of the characters to be instantly relatable globally. The instruments are brought to life through original compositions and familiar rock tunes played principally by legendary guitarist Steve Vai as Riff and acclaimed violinist Ann Marie Calhoun as Vanessa.
Below is the clip from YouTube:
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
What is a musical instrument? (A question in 50 years)
Where did the musical instruments go (The disappearing musical instruments)?
My first thoughts on viewing Pat's demo during the Digital Salon for Fall 2009 DAS program at UF was "Musical instruments are going away". Before A.R. Rahman - Music Director for "The Slum Dog Millionaire" won the Oscar award, many musicians and individuals with background in classical music (from India) criticized and debated that A.R. Rahman was a Music Technician; not a Music Director (though he plays Keyboard) and hated his raise as a Music director. Winning an Oscar ended many of those debates! Most of the music by A.R. Rahman seems to be computer synthesized and clips merged from existing Musical chunks!
After viewing the following You Tube video (also available at http://www.siggraph.org/) I am of the opinion that musical instruments will disappear in the next 2 generations (about 60 years) and will become objects in museum. The next 50 years of futuristic music will be synthesized using computer also using copy, paste modify and mix techniques.
My first thoughts on viewing Pat's demo during the Digital Salon for Fall 2009 DAS program at UF was "Musical instruments are going away". Before A.R. Rahman - Music Director for "The Slum Dog Millionaire" won the Oscar award, many musicians and individuals with background in classical music (from India) criticized and debated that A.R. Rahman was a Music Technician; not a Music Director (though he plays Keyboard) and hated his raise as a Music director. Winning an Oscar ended many of those debates! Most of the music by A.R. Rahman seems to be computer synthesized and clips merged from existing Musical chunks!
After viewing the following You Tube video (also available at http://www.siggraph.org/) I am of the opinion that musical instruments will disappear in the next 2 generations (about 60 years) and will become objects in museum. The next 50 years of futuristic music will be synthesized using computer also using copy, paste modify and mix techniques.
Another Blog with similar thoughts:
http://www.dilbert.com/blog/entry/disappearing_concepts/
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
SIGGRAPH
In this weeks reading I was very interested in the history of the ACR SIGGRAPH organization because having worked in the medical profession I have seen fliers and invites to their conference but had not appreciated their long history nor the impact this conference has had on the digital world as a whole. After looking into it a bit I was also disappointed to find out that the conference just past and we missed it! The link shows some of the interesting technical papers that would have been presented. Much more information can be found on their website.
http://www.siggraph.org/
Monday, August 31, 2009
Looking Farther for the Prelude to Digital Media
In Dr. Sherry Mayo's article, "The Prelude to the Millennium: The Backstory of Digital Aesthetics" on the early influences and foundations of digital culture, I was surprised to read that she traced the foundations to the 1960's. Living as we do in the age of Digital Convergence, perhaps some researchers choose to look no farther than mid-20th century or to narrowly define the underpinnings of digital culture to that which was "born digital". This approach omits Joseph Cornell, an self-taught artist who was working in the area of mixed media, visual cross referencing, film, and image appropriation, and who began showing his work at New York galleries and museums in the 1930's. Any serious discussion of image repurposing, visual metaphor in multimedia, or an art historical context for digital media would have to include Cornell. He was both a visual poet, and the artist as "a type of Merlin- a trickster magician" figure that she alludes to. The link provided is to an online exhibit presented by the Peabody Essex Museum and the Smithsonian Institute from the exquisite 2007 exhibition called "Joseph Cornell: Navigating The Imagination." I will never forget it.
Untitled (Cockatoo with Watch Faces), c. 1949
Box construction with inoperative music box
16 1/4 x 17 x 4 7/16 inches (41.3 x 43.2 x 11.3 cm)
The Lindy and Edwin Bergman Collection
Photograph by Michael Tropea, Chicago
© The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation/Licensed by VAGA, New York, New York
Box construction with inoperative music box
16 1/4 x 17 x 4 7/16 inches (41.3 x 43.2 x 11.3 cm)
The Lindy and Edwin Bergman Collection
Photograph by Michael Tropea, Chicago
© The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation/Licensed by VAGA, New York, New York
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Bro, can you spare a cell?
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Saturday, August 29, 2009
The Maps of Our Time
In 1748, Giambattista Nolli, made one of the most accurate ichnographic (ground plan) maps of Rome, the Pianta Grande di Roma commonly known as the Nolli Map.
Pope Benedict XIV commissioned the map in order to survey Rome, and ever since then this map has been used for government planning as recently as 1970!
You can see an "interactive" Nolli map here.
Pope Benedict XIV commissioned the map in order to survey Rome, and ever since then this map has been used for government planning as recently as 1970!
You can see an "interactive" Nolli map here.
“…And then came the grandest idea of all! We actually made a map of the country, on the scale of a mile to the mile!”
“Have you used it much?” I inquired.
“It has never been spread out, yet,” said Mein Herr: “the farmers objected: they said it would cover the whole country, and shut out the sunlight! So we now use the country itself, as its own map, and I assure you it does nearly as well…”
— Lewis Carroll. The complete Sylvie and Bruno. 1893. San Francisco: Mercury House, c1991. pg. 265
In 2006, the SENSEable city lab at MIT created many Real-Time Rome maps as its contribution to the Venice Biennale
The map below shows the movement and concentration of mobile phone users during important events in the city of Rome. In this case the events happen to be the controversial Madonna concert and the World Cup final between Italy and France.
“Have you used it much?” I inquired.
“It has never been spread out, yet,” said Mein Herr: “the farmers objected: they said it would cover the whole country, and shut out the sunlight! So we now use the country itself, as its own map, and I assure you it does nearly as well…”
— Lewis Carroll. The complete Sylvie and Bruno. 1893. San Francisco: Mercury House, c1991. pg. 265
In 2006, the SENSEable city lab at MIT created many Real-Time Rome maps as its contribution to the Venice Biennale
The map below shows the movement and concentration of mobile phone users during important events in the city of Rome. In this case the events happen to be the controversial Madonna concert and the World Cup final between Italy and France.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Friday, December 26, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Si se puede!
This is just a random example: a whooping 11 miles per gallon!
I think it is a well deserved if unwelcome disaster the one that "great American auto companies" are suffering at the present time for their unwilligness to do the right thing and resist the lobby that has destroyed every possibility of doing what is right : the OIL cartel.
In their case (I am referring of course to the management and the "shareholders" who "share" the responsibility as well) greed in disregard for life on earth was mainly the motive and excuse. (not to get us the users off the hook)
Throughout his life, (Buckminster)Fuller was concerned with the question "Does humanity have a chance to survive lastingly and successfully on planet Earth, and if so, how?" Considering himself an average individual without special monetary means or academic degree, he chose to devote his life to this question, trying to identify what he, as an individual, could do to improve humanity's condition, which large organizations, governments, and private enterprises inherently could not do.
Among the many inventions of his extraordinary mind his Dymaxion car is particularly relevant today. Remember that this is 1933!
The car had a fuel efficiency of 30 miles per US gallon (7.8 L/100 km/36 mpg-imp). It could transport eleven passengers. While Fuller claimed it could reach speeds of 120 miles per hour (190 km/h), the fastest documented speed was 90 miles per hour (140 km/h.) Isn't that enough?
I believe that if this particular invention of his had been adopted (and evolve from there) we would not even know the phrase "global warming". Many other inventions of his have of course been so widely adopted that we are not even aware of them since they are so common in our daily life. But that is material for another post.
On a recent trip to NY I was able to see a comprehensive exhibition of Bucky's work at the Whitman. Although it was forbidden to take any pictures (what??? would he agree with that stupid rule? a man who wanted to give the world a better life for EVERYONE?) I was able to snap this shot with a tiny keyholder camera (so go ahead, sue me!)
Another interesting aspect of his work was of course the interdisciplinarian aspect of it. Even though he himself was a superb designer he collaborated with no other than Isamu Noguchi
on the design of the Dymaxion car. Noguchi designed a wind tunnel which was a factor in determining the aerodinamic tearshape car.
So the point is that Si se Puede!, Yes, we can.
My SFX Work
These are some sample scenes of film, special effects, miniature work and computer animation work I have done in the past few years.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
The Power of Drill Baby, Drill!
If games and virtual environments were not critically influential in "educating" people by drilling into their brain and responsive system whatever message we wish to convey, then we would not spend so much money, time, research etc. in such medium. But the fact is that...
"Manhunt 2" is a video game in which characters kill
and torture using items such as a fuse box and a toilet.
Related Article:
Study Links Violent Video Games, Hostility
and torture using items such as a fuse box and a toilet.
Photo Credit:
Rockstar Games Via Associated PressRelated Article:
Study Links Violent Video Games, Hostility
The Voice of Reason
Abu Ghraib, Fallujah, Haditha and Mahmudiyah, and on and on.It was Goya, who living in the convulsive time of the Spanish Independence War, tried to give us a feeling for the monsters created by what he called the Sleep of Reason. His images, terrible as they are, pale in comparison to our daily diet of the atrocities committed against humanity, not by savage tribes, but by well fed and trained soldiers and mercenaries that follow the orders of those whose reason is not asleep but simply denied.
"I am only following orders..."To awaken from the nightmare where we have been trapped for so long requires an effort that seems beyond our strength, or so we are constantly told, and now that we are half awake we must, like the previous writer says, fight, but we must choose our fight guided by our reason and recognizing that fighting some times requires sacrificing that which in our dream state seemed like worthy of living the lie.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Freedom!
On this election day, I wanted to take a few moments to talk about things that are, to me, very important.
I want to talk about freedom. To me, freedom is not freedom to do what I want, when I want. That is anarchy. Instead, freedom is the ability to act responsibly and morally. This means having the social, economic, and moral freedom to raise my family, pursue a career, and worship any god I choose. It is NOT allowing myself to be led by those who consider themselves as more intelligent and better than myself. It is NOT permitting these self-proclaimed good samaritans to decide what to do with the income that I have worked hard to earn. Freedom is having the ability to decide whom I want to donate money to, instead of having the government remove it from me and make that decision for me.
In short, freedom is a fight against slavery. Whether it be economic, social, or moral slavery, we must fight against it. We must fight those who think they know better than us what we should do with our time, our families, our money, and our worship. I do not pretend to legislate these things to others, and in return do not expect them to legislate them to me.
But let me make one point very clearly - it is my responsibility as a citizen of this country to fight for freedom. I will not be led down a primrose path by those who think that a new world order means taking of the fruits of my labor and giving it to people that they think deserve it. I will also not be led in the direction of supporting unjustified wars for the sake of profit.
I want my freedom! The ability to act responsibly and morally is one that I will not give up without a fight.
I want to talk about freedom. To me, freedom is not freedom to do what I want, when I want. That is anarchy. Instead, freedom is the ability to act responsibly and morally. This means having the social, economic, and moral freedom to raise my family, pursue a career, and worship any god I choose. It is NOT allowing myself to be led by those who consider themselves as more intelligent and better than myself. It is NOT permitting these self-proclaimed good samaritans to decide what to do with the income that I have worked hard to earn. Freedom is having the ability to decide whom I want to donate money to, instead of having the government remove it from me and make that decision for me.
In short, freedom is a fight against slavery. Whether it be economic, social, or moral slavery, we must fight against it. We must fight those who think they know better than us what we should do with our time, our families, our money, and our worship. I do not pretend to legislate these things to others, and in return do not expect them to legislate them to me.
But let me make one point very clearly - it is my responsibility as a citizen of this country to fight for freedom. I will not be led down a primrose path by those who think that a new world order means taking of the fruits of my labor and giving it to people that they think deserve it. I will also not be led in the direction of supporting unjustified wars for the sake of profit.
I want my freedom! The ability to act responsibly and morally is one that I will not give up without a fight.
The day the world changed
When 9/11 happened the vultures that ruled our country went into a rampage of destruction and deception under the cover of fear. That fateful day the world indeed changed for ever. Change in that case meant that everything that was a promise of compassion, understanding and peace would be sacrificed at the altar of greed and intolerance. Thousands of young impressionable American kids have and continue to be slaughtered in the name of geopolitical dominance.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been and continue to be killed for the sin of living in an oil rich region which happens to be at the strategic center of the Muslim world, a very convenient situation that allowed the Bush cartel to portray them as dangerous because of their beliefs in a "wrong" god (as if there was a "right" one), for dressing differently, for having a different shade of brown in their skin. That was portrayed over and over as a threat to be eliminated, and the masses went for it, giving away their sons and daughters and their economic future to fund the slaughter
But today, the world has changed again, in a reaction so powerful that it might, it just might, restore the balance that we have surely lost. Perhaps it is too late and the damage to our world and to our own humanity is beyond rescue, but there is hope, all around the world, in that world largely ignored by the American people as if it did not exist or matter, that the crumbling empire that is the US might allow the birth of an entirely new world citizenship, that might, just might help guide the world into a hopefully brighter future.
And like Obama said, it is OUR task, that of all of us, not the US, but us, the world, to come together and become what we are supposed to be, the stewards of our only ailing planet.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Drill Baby, Kill!
I have been wanting to write this post for weeks now, but I simply had such a bad feeling that I kept putting it off, like a brain operation.
But a few moments ago I heard a snippet of news on the local channel about some assassination plot on Obama. Is this a surprise? Not exactly. The barrage of images and video of Paling shooting high power rifles with a telescopic sight, alongside invective abuse of power and misinformation are very suggestive to the inbred, broad redneck base that finds her so appealing under her disguise. After all don't they say it is our right to bear arms as if this was the wild West? And what would they be for but to enforce our ideas? Vietnam, Irak..., a black man, a dog, our teachers, our neighbors?
The majority is not silent anymore, it feels threatened and shouts kill! kill! at the least prompting, and there is plenty of that. Who orchestrates this aspect of the campaign? who is in charge of the not so subliminal massaging of weak, ignorant and impressionable brains? Who is the new Cheney? the new Rumsfeld? have they ever gone away? Will they?
Television is a powerful medium, producing a mild seizure effect that we have grown accustomed to, but which comes very handy when in the hands of advertisers and marketeers of every bent.
Unfortunately at this point in time with inmmeasurable stakes at play there is no need to resort to mafia connections or intelligence operators (although the knowledge of subliminal control is their domain), but simply to seed the minds of halfwits to execute random and irrational acts of violence, hoping that one of those hits the target, never mind the catastrophic global consequences of such power grab by those who think of nothing else but their own glory under their abominable god.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
The ugly american god
According to vice-president candidate Palin, the war in Irak is god's will and plan. We should be grateful for it:
"Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending [U.S. soldiers] out on a task that is from God. That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for, that there is a plan and that plan is God's will."
God is also apparently a shareholder on big-oil and is very keen on pumping up whatever is left so that total destruction can be assured in time for his glorious second coming. Make sure you have your camera loaded and please post the event on YouTube.
"I think God's will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get the gas line built, so pray for that."
Like they say, this strategic candidate has an excellent record on both energy and the environment, issues that are intricately related. And, proverbially, two birds can be killed at once. Since it is her stated belief that human activity has no impact whatsoever on global warming (use the internet to check this outrageous if not plain stupid statement) then it is OK to "drill, drill, drill", "kill, kill, kill" so that we get rid of that inconvenient wilderness full of animals that deserve to be killed, not to mention the rest of humanity. That way we can all enjoy front seats at the Apocalypse. Excellent strategy.
Palin's favorite hobby
It is a sad thing to see the pathetic crowds pumped up by such shows of indifference to life, coming from someone who claims to be on god's side in everything she does. With that consultant who needs Kissinger?
It used to be that the "ugly american" usually referred to some individuals that exemplified the worst arrogance that this country exported abroad. But as of today the global perception has shifted to the "ugly country" which I guess plays very well with the political campaign slogan of "country first". After all our exports were suffering, now we have a true product that we are supposed to be proud of.
Made in America.
"Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending [U.S. soldiers] out on a task that is from God. That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for, that there is a plan and that plan is God's will."
God is also apparently a shareholder on big-oil and is very keen on pumping up whatever is left so that total destruction can be assured in time for his glorious second coming. Make sure you have your camera loaded and please post the event on YouTube.
"I think God's will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get the gas line built, so pray for that."
Like they say, this strategic candidate has an excellent record on both energy and the environment, issues that are intricately related. And, proverbially, two birds can be killed at once. Since it is her stated belief that human activity has no impact whatsoever on global warming (use the internet to check this outrageous if not plain stupid statement) then it is OK to "drill, drill, drill", "kill, kill, kill" so that we get rid of that inconvenient wilderness full of animals that deserve to be killed, not to mention the rest of humanity. That way we can all enjoy front seats at the Apocalypse. Excellent strategy.
Palin's favorite hobbyIt is a sad thing to see the pathetic crowds pumped up by such shows of indifference to life, coming from someone who claims to be on god's side in everything she does. With that consultant who needs Kissinger?
It used to be that the "ugly american" usually referred to some individuals that exemplified the worst arrogance that this country exported abroad. But as of today the global perception has shifted to the "ugly country" which I guess plays very well with the political campaign slogan of "country first". After all our exports were suffering, now we have a true product that we are supposed to be proud of.
Made in America.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
God, Guns and Country: The American Way
After hearing and seeing in the transmission of the Republican Convention the insanity of those who believe that the world was created in 6 days and therefore feel proud of "packing a pistol", killing for fun (or sport!) and sending their naive sons and daughters to war as cannon fodder to defend the black blood of comfort and greed, I think I will share a couple of quotes that coming from minds much bigger than my own are better able to summarize the dangerous situation being manufactured by the political machinery of the "righteous majority".
He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him, the spinal cord would fully suffice. This disgrace to civilization should be done away with at once. Heroism at command, senseless brutality, deplorable love-of-country stance, how violently I hate all this, how despicable an ignoble war is; I would rather be torn to shreds than be a part of so base an action! It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder. - Albert Einstein
Beware of the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind. And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch … the citizenry … will offer up all of their rights unto the leader and gladly so. How will I know? For this I have done. And I am Julius Caesar.
Patriotism is the willingness to kill and be killed for trivial reasons. - Bertrand Russell
So I believe
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
What is a hero?
“In the name of the best within you, do not sacrifice this world to those who are its worst. In the name of the values that keep you alive, do not let your vision of man be distorted by the ugly, the cowardly, the mindless in those who have never achieved his title. Do not lose your knowledge that man's proper estate is an upright posture, an intransigent mind and a step that travels unlimited roads. Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish, in lonely frustration for the life you deserved, but have never been able to reach. Check your road and the nature of your battle. The world you desired can be won, it exists, it is real, it is possible, it's yours.” Ayn Rand
I think this quote above aptly describes what a hero is. Is it someone who is captured in a war? Perhaps, but perhaps not. Is it a political or sports figure? Once again, perhaps.... or perhaps not. Then what is it that makes a hero? I think that it's mostly what a person does in the midst of the unfortunate circumstances in which they find themselves. We may never know the full details of McCain's time as a wartime captive, so we probably can't say anything intelligently about it -- good or bad. No judgment is warranted because of lack of evidence. All we know is that he had the good fortune to somehow get through it alive. For that, I am grateful (otherwise I would be wishing him harm).
Many people want to be a hero, but few desire the hard life that comes with being one. And most heroes I know don't trumpet their accomplishments to the world. Instead, they desire to live a quiet life, free from the difficult circumstances that helped mold them into the heroes that they are.
I think this quote above aptly describes what a hero is. Is it someone who is captured in a war? Perhaps, but perhaps not. Is it a political or sports figure? Once again, perhaps.... or perhaps not. Then what is it that makes a hero? I think that it's mostly what a person does in the midst of the unfortunate circumstances in which they find themselves. We may never know the full details of McCain's time as a wartime captive, so we probably can't say anything intelligently about it -- good or bad. No judgment is warranted because of lack of evidence. All we know is that he had the good fortune to somehow get through it alive. For that, I am grateful (otherwise I would be wishing him harm).
Many people want to be a hero, but few desire the hard life that comes with being one. And most heroes I know don't trumpet their accomplishments to the world. Instead, they desire to live a quiet life, free from the difficult circumstances that helped mold them into the heroes that they are.
The Bottom of the Pit
As I watch and listen in disgust to the body language and the hypocritical language of McCain, trying to present himself as a hero because he was unlucky or stupid enough to be captured by those whom he was trying to destroy, I am reminded of Bertolt Brecht's "Fear and Misery of the Third Reich":
- One Big Family
- Two SS Officers talk about "United Nation" and then start shooting.
- A Case of Betrayal
- A couple have "given away their neighbour" to the SS because they heard foreign broadcasts coming from his house.
- Occupational disease
- An injured man comes to a hospital. The surgeon explains before doing treatment a doctor must ask questions concerning the patient’s private life to check if he deserves treatment.
- The motto
- A Hitler Youth meeting, one boy hasn't learnt the motto "beat stab shoot them till they fall…" He is accused of learning "something different at home."
At a moment when our planet, our "mother earth" is being raped and destroyed by the military-industrial-entertainment complex instead of pulling together as a species to try to survive the catastrophe that is upon us, greedy politicians will go to the depths of their bottomless pit to dig even more oily and bloody dirt to give themselves a beauty bath, to appeal to a public that cannot see beyond the soundbite, who are not able to recognize in the tone of voice, in the look of the eyes that show the darkness of their sick mind.
Like war-criminal Bush said in his "televised" and puppeteered appearance at the Republican Convention, McCain is "ready". He is for sure. Who in their right mind would want to shake the economy even further by disrupting the flow of billions to the war machine? the life and blood of this country?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)