I'm impressed, but unsurprised, about the explosion of micro art being created on the tiny frame of a cell phone. One of the most amazing things about art is the diversity of inspiration of the artist. Urban graffiti artists can use their talent to transform the most mundane and sometimes downright ugly objects: the side of a building, a dumpster, the wall of a bridge. This is just another example of an artist being inspired by the most mundane of things, the phones most of us carry. Like another micro art form, the haiku, artists are working under imposed conditions that dictate the form. Also like haiku, the challenges of the form can force artists to new levels of creativity and connection to the work.
Where the world of visual arts can be welcoming to new and innovative art forms, I find that the world of literature seems to be much less hospitable. This point is borne out in the New Yorker article describing the rise of the cell phone novel in Japan. The article describes a well-known critic's assessment, saying " 'I don't even want to use the word literary ' " to describe the novels. However, despite the literary condemnation they receive, the popularity of the cell phone novel, both in reading and writing them, should stand as a testament that the written word is not dead. It's merely taking a different form.
Art is such a reflection of time and culture, it only makes sense that the newest works of art are produced electronically. After all, it's how many of us live our lives. Just like my mother's grandfather predicted the decline of civilization with the advent of rock and roll, there will be naysayers. However, rock and roll is still alive and kicking, as are Bach and Mozart, as is civilization. Just sayin' :).
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Power to the People!
The concept behind Creative Commons seems refreshingly innovative: there are artists and creators in the world who WANT to share their work with others, and allow reasonably controlled use by other artists for other purposes. This organization demonstrates that it is possible to retain control of your original content while inspiring others through their use.
Because there are so many options for licensing through Creative Commons, all written in plain English rather than legalese, the creator of original content can clearly communicate their intentions and requirements to anyone interested in using all or part of the work for their own purposes. For example, the Attribution option allows work to be shared, copied and distributed by someone other than the original copyright holder, provided that the work is properly attributed to the creator. The system also allows creators to spread the Creative Commons philosophy via the ShareAlike option, which requires that any derivative works created be shared under the same terms of the original work.
In the past many artists and creators have followed the "mine mine mine" philosophy of control, as demonstrated by J.K Rowling in her lawsuit against the Harry Potter Lexicon, working toward a more restrictive interpretation of the law. By searching for ways to become more collaborative, Creative Commons is better poised to function in this world of digital media as we know it today.
Because there are so many options for licensing through Creative Commons, all written in plain English rather than legalese, the creator of original content can clearly communicate their intentions and requirements to anyone interested in using all or part of the work for their own purposes. For example, the Attribution option allows work to be shared, copied and distributed by someone other than the original copyright holder, provided that the work is properly attributed to the creator. The system also allows creators to spread the Creative Commons philosophy via the ShareAlike option, which requires that any derivative works created be shared under the same terms of the original work.
In the past many artists and creators have followed the "mine mine mine" philosophy of control, as demonstrated by J.K Rowling in her lawsuit against the Harry Potter Lexicon, working toward a more restrictive interpretation of the law. By searching for ways to become more collaborative, Creative Commons is better poised to function in this world of digital media as we know it today.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
The One: Inspired by Kevin Kelly
I was really blown away by Kevin Kelly's thoughts on the next 5000 days of the internet. His words prompted a lot of reflection about where we are now, and where we will be.
The photo of the man with the cell phone rubber-banded to his head made me giggle, but in reality, isn't that where we're headed? As devices, or "portals into the one machine", as Mr. Kelly calls them, get smaller and more portable, there will be no reason to disconnect from a device for any reason.
Right now, when I log into Facebook, I see a sidebar of people and pages I might know and like, based on my current and likes and friends. Amazon and Netflix also display things that I might enjoy, based on previous purchases or rentals. Isn't it a natural extension of that to anticipate that the cloud will monitor all my habits to anticipate my preferences? Will my screen automatically redirect to Burlington Free Press at 12:00 PM, because I usually scan the paper while I eat lunch at my desk?
Early on in the discussion, Mr. Kelly mentioned artifacts in a casual way, referring again to our various portable devices. That word triggered a revelation for me. Right now, the majority of our culture exists in bits and bytes, not tangible artifacts. We can look back at the pots and tools and structures of an earlier time, and begin to form a picture of how people lived, and what their lives were like. For us, almost all of that will be electronic. In one hundred years, someone could find my computer and phone, but without the electronic media that those devices capture, they could not understand me and my cloud, which I illustrated last week. How will we preserve the anachronisms of "now" when it can be erased or dissolved in a flash?
The photo of the man with the cell phone rubber-banded to his head made me giggle, but in reality, isn't that where we're headed? As devices, or "portals into the one machine", as Mr. Kelly calls them, get smaller and more portable, there will be no reason to disconnect from a device for any reason.
Right now, when I log into Facebook, I see a sidebar of people and pages I might know and like, based on my current and likes and friends. Amazon and Netflix also display things that I might enjoy, based on previous purchases or rentals. Isn't it a natural extension of that to anticipate that the cloud will monitor all my habits to anticipate my preferences? Will my screen automatically redirect to Burlington Free Press at 12:00 PM, because I usually scan the paper while I eat lunch at my desk?
Early on in the discussion, Mr. Kelly mentioned artifacts in a casual way, referring again to our various portable devices. That word triggered a revelation for me. Right now, the majority of our culture exists in bits and bytes, not tangible artifacts. We can look back at the pots and tools and structures of an earlier time, and begin to form a picture of how people lived, and what their lives were like. For us, almost all of that will be electronic. In one hundred years, someone could find my computer and phone, but without the electronic media that those devices capture, they could not understand me and my cloud, which I illustrated last week. How will we preserve the anachronisms of "now" when it can be erased or dissolved in a flash?
Thursday, February 3, 2011
One Snowy Day in The Cloud
Let me give you an example of my life in the cloud:
Yesterday was a snow day. How did I know? I logged into WCAX.com to check on school closings. I work as a recruiter and supervisor specializing in substitute teachers, so when I saw all my customer locations closed, I logged into the external website used for scheduling to cancel all posted absences, as well as send out automatic IMs to anyone scheduled to work. I also logged into my work email account to set up an out of office message to notify the world that I would be unavailable, and respond to all messages that came in the previous evening.
Once my professional obligations were dispatched for the day, I set up a streaming video on Netflix (through the PS3) for the kids, and logged into WaltDisneyWorld.com to finalize plans for a spring trip I'd been pondering. In a few clicks, I reserved a room, a flight, bought park tickets, and made dining reservations. Sweet!
Next, the kids and I played a little Wii. While they were outside playing with their Dad, I caught up with friends on Facebook, logged into Blackboard to do some homework, logged into my online banking account and transferred some money, killed a bit of time on the Television Without Pity website, downloaded some of the "winter fun" photos my husband took into Picasa, created and shared them on a Web album for those relatives that are not on Facebook.
After dinner (which featured a side of sweet potato hash from a recipe I'd downloaded to my phone from RealSimple.com), the kids were tucked in, and I was ready for sleep. I read for a bit on my Kindle, a new book that my brother had gifted directly to my account via Amazon.com, and then queued up an episode of Brothers and Sisters on Netflix to watch before falling asleep.
So there you have it; in one day, my work, my vacation, my money, my communication, my education, my dinner and my entertainment were all directly impacted by or utilized The Cloud. It's all integrated so seamlessly into my everyday existence that it's hard to separate the individual impact. Five years ago, I don't think I would have been able to predict how involved I would be in something like Facebook, which existed but did not have the overwhelming following that it does today. I hesitate to even speculate where I will be in the future!
Yesterday was a snow day. How did I know? I logged into WCAX.com to check on school closings. I work as a recruiter and supervisor specializing in substitute teachers, so when I saw all my customer locations closed, I logged into the external website used for scheduling to cancel all posted absences, as well as send out automatic IMs to anyone scheduled to work. I also logged into my work email account to set up an out of office message to notify the world that I would be unavailable, and respond to all messages that came in the previous evening.
Once my professional obligations were dispatched for the day, I set up a streaming video on Netflix (through the PS3) for the kids, and logged into WaltDisneyWorld.com to finalize plans for a spring trip I'd been pondering. In a few clicks, I reserved a room, a flight, bought park tickets, and made dining reservations. Sweet!
Next, the kids and I played a little Wii. While they were outside playing with their Dad, I caught up with friends on Facebook, logged into Blackboard to do some homework, logged into my online banking account and transferred some money, killed a bit of time on the Television Without Pity website, downloaded some of the "winter fun" photos my husband took into Picasa, created and shared them on a Web album for those relatives that are not on Facebook.
After dinner (which featured a side of sweet potato hash from a recipe I'd downloaded to my phone from RealSimple.com), the kids were tucked in, and I was ready for sleep. I read for a bit on my Kindle, a new book that my brother had gifted directly to my account via Amazon.com, and then queued up an episode of Brothers and Sisters on Netflix to watch before falling asleep.
So there you have it; in one day, my work, my vacation, my money, my communication, my education, my dinner and my entertainment were all directly impacted by or utilized The Cloud. It's all integrated so seamlessly into my everyday existence that it's hard to separate the individual impact. Five years ago, I don't think I would have been able to predict how involved I would be in something like Facebook, which existed but did not have the overwhelming following that it does today. I hesitate to even speculate where I will be in the future!
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