my notes from 10/20 class
There are 3 important venues regarding CONSCIOUSNESS and new media:
--- UC Santa Cruz History of Consciousness program (where Julian earned his PhD)
--- "Toward a Science of Consciousness" biannual conferences at U Arizona Tuscon
--- "Consciousness Reframed" annual conference on art, tech, and consciousness, held at the University of Wales College, Newport, Wales, UK
U Washington's HIT (Human Interface Technology) Lab is an important VR place. Its Director, Tom Furness, claimed in the early 1990s that they would develop VR glasses based on retinal scanning with these specs: 140 x 80 degree field of view per eye, 4000 x 4000 pixel resolution, see-through transmitance adjustable from 0-50%, 50 hertz update minimum, and full eye and head tracking. Total weight: less than 2 oz. Total price: less than $500.
Julian, like Alex Galloway and many others, appear to be forgoing their own art for inventing creative tools. How many "rock stars" are there who are known for inventing tools? (Garrett Brown: Steadicam, Tom Holman: THX sound, who else??)
Using mobile media to "take the streets" has become popular (PacManhattan, Street Memes, Digital Street Game, etc.), but has also spawn a who's-in-control? movement as well (Surveillance Camera Players, Galloway's wireless video sniffer, camera zapper).