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.