1) Who invented the first computer game on the PDP1?
Steve Russel, Martin Graetz, Wayne Witaenem
2) What was the name of the game?
Spacewar!
3) What was the name of Morton Helig's amusement device that let you smell, hear and see in 3D filmed experiences?
Sensorama
4) What early 1970s movie does an arcade console machine of Spacewar appear?
Soylent Green
5) What was the name of the man who developed the first TV tennis game?
Willy Higginbotham
6) Who was the man whose company Atari commercialized the idea of the arcade computer tennis game?
Nolan Bushnell
7) What was the name of this version of the game?
Pong
8) What are vector graphics?
A geometric equation for shapes and images that allows the designer to enlarge or edit the image without sacrificing data.
9) What types of games do vector graphics lend themselves to?
Pong, Asteroids, and Night Driver
10) When home computers were first made available, how did owners load games into them?
It was played on the actual console with the instructions attached onto the console.
11) What is the name of the 1985 film in which a young Matthew Broderick starts World War III with his home computer and modem?
WarGames
12) From what sources did the designer of the Space Invaders aliens draw inspiration?
Octopus, squids, and crabs.
13) What is the name given to the contemporary subculture of 8 bit music made with gameboys and other 80s game technology
Chiptune
14) "Escape from Woomera" was a videogame which was used to draw attention to the plight of inmates at a remote detention center in desert town in what country?
Australia
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Week 6 Questions
1) Steve Mann describes his wearable computer invention as a form of ________ for one person (fill in the blank)
(see youtube link to Mann interview in web resource page)
surveillance
2) Steve Mann's concept of opposing camera surveillance with "Sousveillance" is described as a form of “reflectionism”. What is meant by this?
(in ReadingsF)
He is using reflectionism to describe a way for the person being surveilled to surveil the surveiller. He puts it in terms of “reflectionism” to infer a mirror effect with surveillance. In other words, whoever is imposing surveillance will some how be surveilled by another.
3) In the section of "Sousveillance" called "Performance Two" Steve Mann describes how wearing his concealed device becomes more complex when used in what type of spaces?
Semi-public spaces such as shopping malls.
4) The final paragraph sums up what Mann considers the benefits of "sousveillance" and "coveillance". What are they?
(ReadingsF)
They offer the protection of the village/community or hierarchical organization. In other words, there is a check and balance between the people in charge of surveillance and the people who surveil those people.
5) In William J Mitchell's 1995 book "City of Bits" in the chapter "Cyborg Citizens", he puts forth the idea that electronic organs as they shrink and become more part of the body will eventually resemble what types of familiar items?
(ReadingsF)
They will become more like clothing, soft wearables that fit to the contours of your body such as shoes, gloves, contact lenses, and hearing aids.
6) From the same book/chapter, list two of the things that a vehicle that 'knows where it is' might afford the driver & passengers.
(ReadingsF)
- direct you to the nearest gas station
- supply information about passing buildings and their occupants
7) Mitchell tells the story of Samuel Morse's first Washington-to-Baltimore telegraph message. What was it?
(ReadingsF)
“What hath God wrought.”
8) Donna Harroway in "A Cyborg Manifesto" argues that women should take the "battle to the border". What does she say are the stakes in this border war?
(in ReadingsF)
The stakes are the territories of production, reproduction, and imagination.
9) Harroway posits the notion that:
"We require regeneration, not rebirth, and the possibilities for our reconstitution include the utopian dream"
What is this dream?
(in ReadingsF)
The dream is “the hope for a monstrous world without gender.”
10) Many have argued that 'we are already cyborgs' as we use devices such as glasses to improve our vision, bikes to extend the mobility function of our legs/bodies etc, computers and networks to extend the nervous system etc. What do you think? Are we cyborgs?
(one paragraph)
I believe that we are cyborgs, but not the form of cyborgs that are often depicted in movies and television. We are cyborgs because we are able to perform and unthinkable amount of tasks or gather information using a single device, such as a smartphone. Although I do not believe that it extends to our nervous systems, I think that the technology available has transformed the way we interact and communicate with each other and the rest of the world in a way that a cyborg would without the need for robotic implants or robotic arms like in Terminator.
(see youtube link to Mann interview in web resource page)
surveillance
2) Steve Mann's concept of opposing camera surveillance with "Sousveillance" is described as a form of “reflectionism”. What is meant by this?
(in ReadingsF)
He is using reflectionism to describe a way for the person being surveilled to surveil the surveiller. He puts it in terms of “reflectionism” to infer a mirror effect with surveillance. In other words, whoever is imposing surveillance will some how be surveilled by another.
3) In the section of "Sousveillance" called "Performance Two" Steve Mann describes how wearing his concealed device becomes more complex when used in what type of spaces?
Semi-public spaces such as shopping malls.
4) The final paragraph sums up what Mann considers the benefits of "sousveillance" and "coveillance". What are they?
(ReadingsF)
They offer the protection of the village/community or hierarchical organization. In other words, there is a check and balance between the people in charge of surveillance and the people who surveil those people.
5) In William J Mitchell's 1995 book "City of Bits" in the chapter "Cyborg Citizens", he puts forth the idea that electronic organs as they shrink and become more part of the body will eventually resemble what types of familiar items?
(ReadingsF)
They will become more like clothing, soft wearables that fit to the contours of your body such as shoes, gloves, contact lenses, and hearing aids.
6) From the same book/chapter, list two of the things that a vehicle that 'knows where it is' might afford the driver & passengers.
(ReadingsF)
- direct you to the nearest gas station
- supply information about passing buildings and their occupants
7) Mitchell tells the story of Samuel Morse's first Washington-to-Baltimore telegraph message. What was it?
(ReadingsF)
“What hath God wrought.”
8) Donna Harroway in "A Cyborg Manifesto" argues that women should take the "battle to the border". What does she say are the stakes in this border war?
(in ReadingsF)
The stakes are the territories of production, reproduction, and imagination.
9) Harroway posits the notion that:
"We require regeneration, not rebirth, and the possibilities for our reconstitution include the utopian dream"
What is this dream?
(in ReadingsF)
The dream is “the hope for a monstrous world without gender.”
10) Many have argued that 'we are already cyborgs' as we use devices such as glasses to improve our vision, bikes to extend the mobility function of our legs/bodies etc, computers and networks to extend the nervous system etc. What do you think? Are we cyborgs?
(one paragraph)
I believe that we are cyborgs, but not the form of cyborgs that are often depicted in movies and television. We are cyborgs because we are able to perform and unthinkable amount of tasks or gather information using a single device, such as a smartphone. Although I do not believe that it extends to our nervous systems, I think that the technology available has transformed the way we interact and communicate with each other and the rest of the world in a way that a cyborg would without the need for robotic implants or robotic arms like in Terminator.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Vintage Gameplay Activity
Student Name: Marielle Atanacio
Today’s Date: March 6, 2011
Game Title Examined: Centipede
Year of Publication: 1980
Game Publisher: Atari
Game Developer: Atari
1 - What is the game genre (e.g. shoot-em-up, racing, sports, puzzle, MMORPG, ‘sandbox’, music sequence following game (e.g. DDR, guitar hero)
Arcade Classics
2 -What is the type of game ‘world’ or environment (e.g. flat environment, puzzle/maze space, 3D world?)
Puzzle/Maze
3 - What is the perspective taken by player (e.g first person, third person perspective, top down, isometric) in relation to main player controlled character.
Top Down
4 - What is the actual gameplay – what does the player have to do?
The player has to avoid or destroy the insects as they come down the playing field.
5 - Is the gameplay intuitive? (i.e. is it easy to understand what to do without instructions?) describe.
It is easy to understand because there are only directional controls and a firing button. All you need to do is attack the only other moving objects in the screen that are headed towards your way.
6 - Is the gameplay patterned (game does the same thing over & over) or is it random (happens differently every time?)
The game is patterned, however, as the levels advance, so does the speed of the opponents.
7 - What does the type of graphic approach used as well as the audio tell you about the limits of the technology at the time the game was published?
The graphics and audio of the game tell me that the 80's did not have very many audio effects as well as the graphic capability to create anything near the games that are released today. The games they created were really pixelated and the simple.
8 - Describe your views about the game from the point of view of
1. ease of play: It is very easy to play and needs very little explanation.
2. enjoyability: It is a very classic and simple game that is easily enjoyable, but may also not provide enough thrill to today's gaming society.
c) level of engagement/immersion
9 - Had you played this game prior to this time? If so, when?
I have this game at home, but do not play it because I prefer Galaga more, but I was interested to see if the concept is any different from Galaga.
10 - what does playing the game remind you of in terms of other games/media?
This game reminds me that concepts of games in the 80's were very simple in that there is you and the opponent and it is either that you avoid or destroy them such as in pacman and galaga. It also reminds me how complex games have become or evolved to and now people play with others all over the world and come up with tactics and strategies on how to defeat their opponent. (ie. Modern warfare, gears of war, etc.)
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Week 4 Questions
1) According to the text "Remediation" the author uses the phrase (in relation to Hollywood's use of computer graphics)
"remediation operates in both directions" - what is meant by this?
He explains this as the user of traditional media, like film n television, being able to “ seek to appropriate and refashion digital graphics, just as digital graphics artists can refashion film and television.”
2) What does Michael Benedikt, author of "Cyberspace the First Steps" introduction argue had happened to modern city by the late 60s, having become more than 'a collection of buildings and streets'?
He argued that the modern city is an “immense node communication.” Not only do the structures and parks become more improved, but everywhere you turn contains some form of communication liaison or device, which also involves some sort of media.
3) In his short story "Skinner's Room" William Gibson describes how Skinner watches a tiny portable 'pop-up' TV set. What can skinner no longer remember? (remediation in relation to television as an idea is neatly summed up in this sentence!)
He can't remember the differences between commercial and programming.
4) Author of the famous pamphlet "Culture Jamming" Mark Dery paraphrases Umberto Eco and his phrase "semiological guerrilla warfare". What does this mean?
He talks about how the person who receives the information has the freedom to interpret it any way they choose, but some “communication guerillas” affect how people interpret a message by giving a pre-determined interpretation of their own.
5) From Mark Dery's pamphlet, briefly describe "Subvertising"
Subvertising is basically a form of graffiti advertising. Some street artist have a message that they want the public to know, or they want to alter a message of a billboard, poster, etc. Subvertising is the illegal practice of public advertising used by the street artists to project a specific message.
"remediation operates in both directions" - what is meant by this?
He explains this as the user of traditional media, like film n television, being able to “ seek to appropriate and refashion digital graphics, just as digital graphics artists can refashion film and television.”
2) What does Michael Benedikt, author of "Cyberspace the First Steps" introduction argue had happened to modern city by the late 60s, having become more than 'a collection of buildings and streets'?
He argued that the modern city is an “immense node communication.” Not only do the structures and parks become more improved, but everywhere you turn contains some form of communication liaison or device, which also involves some sort of media.
3) In his short story "Skinner's Room" William Gibson describes how Skinner watches a tiny portable 'pop-up' TV set. What can skinner no longer remember? (remediation in relation to television as an idea is neatly summed up in this sentence!)
He can't remember the differences between commercial and programming.
4) Author of the famous pamphlet "Culture Jamming" Mark Dery paraphrases Umberto Eco and his phrase "semiological guerrilla warfare". What does this mean?
He talks about how the person who receives the information has the freedom to interpret it any way they choose, but some “communication guerillas” affect how people interpret a message by giving a pre-determined interpretation of their own.
5) From Mark Dery's pamphlet, briefly describe "Subvertising"
Subvertising is basically a form of graffiti advertising. Some street artist have a message that they want the public to know, or they want to alter a message of a billboard, poster, etc. Subvertising is the illegal practice of public advertising used by the street artists to project a specific message.
SketchUp
My scene is an interpretation of the future city that can be used in a movie set in the future. This city is a metropolitan city such as San Francisco or New York. The role this scene would play in the movie would be to show what everyday life in the future may be like based on what the past perceptions are of a future world mixed with what people are striving to look for in a future today. This is an interpretation of the mixture between the fast-developing technology and the global strife for conservation, safety, and balance between digital and analog.
The scene takes place in a small park in the middle the city. Technology has fast-forwarded into a time where flying cars exist, but with popular hobbies such as skateboarding and cycling, the flying cars allow the street to be safe enough for those mobile hobbyists. In the park, there are also plenty of people enjoying the afternoon with dogs and company. Even with technology such as flying cars, people still strive for an analog life to balance out a world that is not completely run by technological development. The green grass, plants, and the plaza's water fountain infere that this is also a much greener future thanks to today's efforts in building a greener environment.
The scene takes place in a small park in the middle the city. Technology has fast-forwarded into a time where flying cars exist, but with popular hobbies such as skateboarding and cycling, the flying cars allow the street to be safe enough for those mobile hobbyists. In the park, there are also plenty of people enjoying the afternoon with dogs and company. Even with technology such as flying cars, people still strive for an analog life to balance out a world that is not completely run by technological development. The green grass, plants, and the plaza's water fountain infere that this is also a much greener future thanks to today's efforts in building a greener environment.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Week 2 Questions
1) Why was the period at the turn of the 20th century so important?
New innovations were being invented everyday. It was said there was more changes within their 30 years than any before.
2) What aspects of the Dada art movement are important from the point of view of the rise of the computers and digital visual media? (for example Marcel Duchamp's "readymades"?)
Dadaism symbolized starting from scratch or starting a new culture all over again. It was art that symbolized a simple form to contrast the new innovations.
Marcel Duchamp showed a new radical artform that symbolized that the world was already full of objects and he did not need to add to it, he could just pick one. There was an abundance of new things. He was just sampling the world around him.
3) Name one aspect that links "The Man with a Movie Camera" with digital media according to Lev Manovich (ReadingsB)
It is possible to turn effects into meaningful artistic language. (ie. Camera jiggering and cinematography effects of cutting and pasting stills.) The film showed new innovations, assembly lines, and a representation of the new culture that was technology based.
4) What was 'constructivism'?
It meant to construct your own world or the world as you see it.
5) Read pages VI (6) to XXII (22) of "The Language of New Media" in ReadingsB:What does Lev Manovich suggest are the 'three levels' of "The Man with a Movie Camera"?
The three levels were the man who was shooting the film, the audience watching the film, and the film itself.
6) Who first developed the idea of "Cybernetics"?
Norman Weiner
7) In "Computer Lib" Ted Nelson describes Hypertext as "Non ___________" writing (fill in the blank)
Non-sequential writing
8) (Lecture) why were transistors, even though 100 times smaller than vacuum tubes considered impractical for building computers in the 1960s?
It was too expensive to reproduce.
9) What was the name of the first commercial available computer (kit)?
Altair
10) Write a paragraph: In your own words: What are things going to look like in 20 years from now in the average living room in terms of digital visual media? What types of digital media will your kids be using around 2030?
20 years from now, I can see children having mobile smart phones and new innovations of our day, such as tablets, as young as toddlers. In the average living room, televisions will be replaced with some sort of touch screen mechanism with a more universal function. Just as some celebrities have a touch screen universal remote to control their home's lighting and television, I see that becoming more accessible to the common living room. With innovations such as 3D-TV, although expensive today, will become easy to access for the common family and will be easier to enjoy without the cost and appearance of the glasses it comes with today. Digital visual media will enhance interactive games such as the Wii or Xbox Kinect and allow that to transfer into other functions besides just gaming. I believe the future will be more interactive and that the average living room will look a lot more like the Metreon than a cozy, country home.
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