tag:interactive.usc.edu,2008:/members/bjaycox/179 2008-10-08T11:07:01Z Movable Type 3.31 tag:interactive.usc.edu,2008:/members/bjaycox//179.9503 2008-10-08T08:22:38Z 2008-10-08T11:07:01Z

1. Circulation Study: P.O.V. Native/Inhabitant & Visitor/Viewer Just as with current cities, there are few explicit barriers such as walls preventing free movement across districts, city movement is only enforced through social expectations and norms. For instance if you are...

Bryan Jaycox 1. Circulation Study: P.O.V. Native/Inhabitant & Visitor/Viewer Just as with current cities, there are few explicit barriers such as walls preventing free movement across districts, city movement is only enforced through social expectations and norms. For instance if you are a short strand wandering around in long strand districts there will be whispering among the residents surprised to see you straying from your designated district. On sight, an officer of the law will kindly ask you what business you have in the district and escort you back to your proper district. Visitors to the city exist under the same social rules as inhabitants of the city. Entrances / Exits Most areas of the city are fairly permeable with many entrances and exits along all main roads with only a few exceptions. Access is strictly regulated to both the high upper class and lowest class citizens. Explicit boundaries exist around the governmental buildings of both the long seer tower and the seat of government, with physical walls that restrict the public's access. Much in the same way, the short strand light confinement and prison areas are walled off from the rest of the city. Each of these walled areas have one point of entry and exit to facilitate security screenings of people entering and leaving. Paths The paths of the city vary greatly with respect to the districts. The Long Strand districts are built under strict urban planning, with all streets radiating outward from the Long Seer Tower to facilitate their sight of the city. The government districts lie at the center, surrounded by long strand residential neighborhoods, which are surrounded by the business districts that provide a buffer zone between the long strand districts and short strand districts. The business districts and short strand districts are much more chaotic, with random paths as a messy web among the urban sprawl. The short strand paths were not built as with grand oversight, but simply arose as those lanes most travelled by the people from one location to another. -- 2. Laws/Rules/Authority Physics -A new sense has emerged in the human public which allows them to see their potentials for action (referred to as strands) a short range into the future, varying from several seconds into the future to several days. -This foresight is divided into two distinct abilities: the length of a person's strand, and their ability to see their's and other's strands. So for instance if a person's strand projects only 5 minutes into the future, if their strand sight is the norm they will see 5 minutes of the strand, if below average they may only see 2 minutes of the available strand, or if their vision is way above average, they may see even more of the strand than is available to the average citizen, seeing almost 10 minutes into the person's potential futures. -There are regional zones which carry a greater affinity for the new sight, much like the idea of ley lines. Many of the newest cities such as Delphi, NC where the Long Seers reside and New Geneva, UT were built on these regional sites that amplify this foresight. Religious -The new sight is seen as a gift of God, and society has come to be led by a theocracy of sorts which is a melding of Christian extremism and new age spiritualism surrounding the new sight. -Those people with way above average strand sight are referred to as long seers. They are seen as oracles to the government and are revered almost as religious leaders. What they see of the potental futures guide the path this society will take. -It is an implied law that the words of the long seers is truth. Since they have the potential to see further than any others, their version of the future cannot be disputed. Governmental -Those people who have visible strands shorter than ten seconds into the future due to their unpredictability make law enforcement of their actions difficult and as such are to be relocated to a light confinement walled district of the city, so that their special needs may be met. -Education is given based upon your potential for future success, namely your strand length. -Anyone who acts out or speaks out against the long seers or the seat of government are to be seen as enemies of the state and will be imprisoned as such. -Those citizens born with exceptional strand sight are to be trained in long seer tower to be trained to fill their future role as long seers. Societal -It is expected that short strands will not stray from the short strand and business districts. -It is expected that long strands will remain in the long strand districts. -Due to both educational restrictions imposed by law and their own lack of foresight into their futures it is a societal expectation that short strands will grow up to fill lower working class jobs. -Long strands are generally expected to fill upper class and high government roles due to their good foresight into their own potential futures and their own ability to choose the best possible path for their lives based upon this foresight. -- 3. Blank Space The current blank spaces of this world are most of the areas outside of the city limits. They are populated cities and suburbs under this same governmental regime, but the area of interest is this primary city of Delphi, NC since this is where the government and religious center exist. Much of what happens in Long Seer Tower and the Seat of Government is not made open to the general public making this a blank space for the average citizen. ]]> tag:interactive.usc.edu,2008:/members/bjaycox//179.9443 2008-10-01T09:51:10Z 2008-10-01T11:13:54Z

Schedule: Oct 1 - Oct 8 -Finish Defining visual style. -Define the aesthetics of space design for an entity whose potentialities can be seen. ---ie. Open spaces so you can see where your potentialities are travelling. ---ie. Spaces for quiet...

Bryan Jaycox Schedule: Oct 1 - Oct 8 -Finish Defining visual style. -Define the aesthetics of space design for an entity whose potentialities can be seen. ---ie. Open spaces so you can see where your potentialities are travelling. ---ie. Spaces for quiet resting where you can see yourself without your potentialities. -Produce initial concepts for building designs. -Finalize the map. -Start fleshing out storylines for the text in the politics and history sections. Oct 8 - Oct 15 -Model and create images for the key buildings/locations in Maya and Photoshop. -Finish writing storylines for the politics and history sections. Oct 15 - Oct 22 -Layout the atlas physical structure (linking strands between pages, transparencies, etc.) and graphic layout of the individual pages. -Write up philosophical ideas and physics of plurality sections. -Create images to accompany each of the sections of the atlas. Oct 22 - Oct 26 -Wrap up any final loose ends and finish the atlas. -- Visual Style: -I would like to keep the look and feel of much of the world consistent with present day urban landscapes, not a huge deviation with flying cars and shiny chrome like many sci-fi depictions. It is people in the urban setting of today, but with the newfound ability to see their potentials for action. -I am imagining the visual look of individuals with their potentialities spread out ahead of them looking like a transparent rotoscoping of their movements spread out ahead of them, much like ("http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1411/570698178_03c5dbfaee.jpg?v=0"), or like an exagerrated motion blur of sorts ("http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d65/minus243degreesc/shiftingreality.jpg"). -Places of closely overlapping realities like the nuke site of New Geneva I imagine looking somewhat like a ghosted overlay of the real world, much like ("http://www.screenhead.com/funny/LarsenLarsenLarsenLarsen4444.JPG") -The Long Strand areas would be typically newer architecture, designed around the aesthetics of individuals who are entities extended through time. This would include design around large open areas allowing the long strands to see their potentialities far into the distance ahead of them, like ("http://www.thyssenkrupp.com/ml/pb/bilder/699/07_quartier_atrium_headquarter_large.jpg"), and ("http://uk.cbs.dk/var/cbs/storage/images-versioned/32288/2-dan-DK/kilen_atrium1.jpg"). Other aspects would be construction using transparent glass walls and doors also to facilitate seeing your strand far into the future such as ("http://www.arcat.com/photos/kwikwall/113046.jpg"), and designing space to allow for orderly flow of traffic so your view of your strand is not lost among the crowd. -The short strand areas are much different due to their low class status. Buildings are old, badly maintained and neglected like modern day ghettos ("http://www.stillsecureafteralltheseyears.com/photos/uncategorized/ghetto.jpg"). This area is walled off from the long strand districts along much of their border ("http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Berlin-wall.jpg") and movement is highly restricted.]]> tag:interactive.usc.edu,2008:/members/bjaycox//179.9406 2008-09-27T05:24:49Z 2008-09-27T08:19:36Z

Data Aesthetics Each of the artists below analyze the structure of data in the creation of their artworks. This algorithmic approach to art may be used to analyze existing aesthetics, appreciate the aesthetics in pure data, or use a program...

Bryan Jaycox Data Aesthetics Each of the artists below analyze the structure of data in the creation of their artworks. This algorithmic approach to art may be used to analyze existing aesthetics, appreciate the aesthetics in pure data, or use a program to create art driven by an aesthetic defined in algorithm. Jason Salavon ("http://salavon.com/") Jason Salavon's artworks treat the image as data as a means of exposing the underlying aesthetic of a genre. In his "amalgamations" series ("http://salavon.com/work.php?sort=ama") this involves averaging the pixel values of a sequence of related images to create a blurred impression of the sequence as a whole that reveals the underlying similarities within the sequence. Other works such as "The Top Grossing Film of All Time" ("http://salavon.com/TGFAT/Titanic.shtml") averages reduces the frames of a movie to a single color averaged pixel to show the shift of the film's color from beginning to end in a single image. DNA 11 ("http://www.dna11.com/") DNA 11 is a site that frames your personal biometric data as art. They offer services that capture images of your personal DNA sequence that are framed and sold as artworks. Scott Draves ("http://draves.org/") "Dreams In High Fidelity" ("http://hifidreams.com/") Scott Draves's "Dreams in High Fidelity" is a progression of fractals through time derived by his software "Electric Sheep". This artwork projects the artist's design aesthetic through software to create an infinite progression of images in line with his original aesthetic design choices. It is a means of framing the aesthetic choice as data, actualized into artwork through software.]]> tag:interactive.usc.edu,2008:/members/bjaycox//179.9403 2008-09-26T11:31:59Z 2008-09-26T11:42:14Z

The relationship between media and content seems very similar to the relationship of form vs function. If the intent of a work is to best express it's content/message (the artwork's function) a media form that is synonomous with this message...

Bryan Jaycox Art Hacktivism and Reappropriation Each of the artists below reflect some aspect of software/hardware hacker culture in their artworks. Their use of preexisting content and its recontextualization into a new and original entity is similar to the remix culture of the mediums of video and music, but the remix is instead performed on electronics or computer programs. The electronic remix is used as a form of social commentary on the nature of the original source material, as a commentary on the stigma attached to hacker culture, or simply to bring forward the aesthetics and beauty of the unseen code that underlies the everyday technology we use. Natalie Jeremijenko ("http://www.nyu.edu/projects/xdesign/") "Feral Robotic Dogs" ("http://www.nyu.edu/projects/xdesign/feralrobots/") This artwork takes the typical benign robotic dog and hacks its circuitry to both upgrade its functionality and redesign its purpose into a device that sniffs out sources of nuclear waste contamination. This hack is in one sense a commentary on the inane nature of the original device (a machine designed with no other function than to act out the needs of a living pet. Needs that are totally absent in a machine). The reappropriation also creates a new message for the hardware, the machine is turned feral. The machine becomes a machine again, used as a tool for activism, in this case sniffing out radioactive emissions in nuclear dump sites. Mark Napier ("http://www.potatoland.org/") Mark Napier has produced a variety of net.art pieces such as "Shredder 1.0" ("http://www.potatoland.org/shredder/") and "FEED" ("http://potatoland.com/feed/") that take the content of a source webpage and rework it in such a way as to create a new aesthetic. This reworking of the webpage is one that pulls from the aesthetics of the underlying source code, reworking the beauty of the underlying functionality of website into its outward form. Joseph Nechvatal ("http://www.nechvatal.net/") Joseph Nechvatal's works employ the release of a computer virus into a digital image or piece of music to produce an aesthetic derived from both the mechanical virus and the biological creator of the original unhacked work. It is both a look into the aesthetics of the machine acting as machine (as a reproducing almost living data entity embodied in the virus) and it is a recontextualization of the malevolent computer virus that is now being used to create art. 0100101110101101.org ("0100101110101101.org") The group "0100101110101101.org" has employed a variety of techniques from hacker culture in their artworks, such as the use of computer viruses and social engineering tactics. These hacker tactics are repurposed and are no longer used as a means for personal gain or destruction, but are instead used for artistic intent to express a message to bring about social change.]]> tag:interactive.usc.edu,2008:/members/bjaycox//179.9400 2008-09-25T05:43:29Z 2008-09-25T08:58:22Z

Machine Performance Art These artists embrace the machine as artificial life in their artworks. These machines that mimic organic life are typically used as a means of commentary that questions the assumed division between the living organic creature and the...

Bryan Jaycox Machine Performance Art These artists embrace the machine as artificial life in their artworks. These machines that mimic organic life are typically used as a means of commentary that questions the assumed division between the living organic creature and the built machine, and adresses the interactions between these living machines and organic life. Survival Research Labs ("http://www.srl.org/") Survival Research Labs puts on huge performance art spectacles in which machines interact on stage in violent and destructive ways. These performances take away the purpose for which machines were originally produced, allowing them to interact as entities unto themselves for mere spectacle. Ken Rinaldo ("http://kenrinaldo.com/") "Autopoeisis" Autopoeisis is a work that reflects aspects of living creatures in machines. The mechanical tendrils react to humans in the installation space as well as with the other tendrils to produce emergent interactions. Leonel Moura ("http://www.leonelmoura.com/") Leonel Moura has several works that comment on the division between the organic and the mechanical. "Robotarium X" ("http://www.leonelmoura.com/robotarium.html") exhibits a variety of mechanical creatures in cages much like we exhibit living creatures in zoos. "TARA" is a robot that produces art, displaying creative behaviors in artificial life. Bill Vorn ("http://billvorn.concordia.ca/") "Grace State Machines" Bill Vorn's "Grace State Machines" is an interactive performance piece of responsive machines that react to a dancer's movements. The overall performance of the piece expresses an ideal of machines functioning in harmony with humanity in an almost symbiotic fashion.]]> tag:interactive.usc.edu,2008:/members/bjaycox//179.9386 2008-09-24T10:31:28Z 2008-09-24T10:53:40Z

Player Experience Goals: My primary goal is to give the player a unique experience of what it is to know all of your possibilities for action before you act. It will be interesting to see if this results in a...

Bryan Jaycox Player Experience Goals: My primary goal is to give the player a unique experience of what it is to know all of your possibilities for action before you act. It will be interesting to see if this results in a percieved loss of free will or agency. I would like to provoke players to respond to their predefined paths in the game either by embracing the paths and following their virtual fate, or trying to rebel against their predefined paths simply to exert some sense of free will. Will having their actions predefined for them give them a sense of ease in knowing what their future holds or a feeling of being caged by the predefined possibilities of their action. My overall goal for the player would be to provoke questions in them as to the extents of our own freedom for action in the real world, such as whether our paths through life are as predefined as those paths that are made visible in plurality. I would also intend for the user to question topics of social inequality, and the importance of free choice based upon the disequalities that are exagerrated in this society. What will it take to accomplish this? Creating a novel experience in foreknowledge of their own events can be accomplished easily simply through immersion in a world in which your possible actions are already known. This occurs in Plurality by the existence of the spacetime worms of players' potentialities. Discourse about the topics of social inequality and free will will hopefully be accomplished through the "short string" vs "long string" disequality in the world, and the idea that the "long string" foreknowledge of their own actions negates and is seen as superior to free will. How will I evaluate my success? If players interact with their known potentialities in playful ways such as rebelling against the potentialities they see on screen, or following a potentiality down a hazardous path just because it is their "fate" I would evaluate my primary goal as successful. If they are intrigued by the storyline and relate some of the concepts to real world problems this would be satisfactory for my secondary goals. Atlas: Form The atlas will take the form of a tree of branching decisions. Just as there are interconnected spacetime strings between parallel worlds in plurality, there are also strings that interconnect between the pages of the atlas. These strings show both interconnections between the topics covered in the atlas, as well as showing interconnected branching decisions that occured in the world, such as the connection between the undestoryed New Geneva, and the crater of New Geneva. These strings also map the reader's choice potentialities in a way. Just as a human in the world of Plurality can see all of their potential choices, the atlas reader can also see their potential paths from the table of contents through the contents of the atlas laid out before them. Table of Contents -Philosophical Ideas ---Determinism vs Free Will ---Multiple Worlds Theory -Physics of Plurality ---Potentiality Spacetime Worms and seeing into the future ---Planetary Locations of strong inter potentiality connection -Politics ---Long & Short Strand Law ---Governmental Appointment ---The Seers Word ---Relay Stations -History ---The Emergence ---Vision of a Better Tommorow ---The Rise of the Seat of Governance ---The Seers ---The Construction of the Relay Station Infrastructure ---The Tragedy of New Geneva ---Short Strand Apartheid for the Greater Social Good ---Current Social Tension and Civil Disobedience ---The Reemergence of No Strands -Map ---Overarching map ---Key Locations with 3D depictions -----Seat of Governance -----Long Seer Tower -----Short Strand Light Confinement -----Prison -----Nuke Site of New Geneva Assets to produce: Artwork for depicting how a person would see their own spacetime worm potentialities. Enumerated laws of segregation that short strands must follow. Fleshed out storylines for the history of Plurality. Map of the world. 3D mockups for key buildings in the world. Atlas Structure Mockup: (Click Images for Fullsize)]]> tag:interactive.usc.edu,2008:/members/bjaycox//179.9381 2008-09-24T07:05:01Z 2008-09-25T08:59:01Z

Cybernetic Art: These key artists have focused their works on the close interface between the organic and robotic, as a means for commenting on transhumanism, the relationship between man and machine in the current digital age, and philosophical questions of...

Bryan Jaycox Cybernetic Art: These key artists have focused their works on the close interface between the organic and robotic, as a means for commenting on transhumanism, the relationship between man and machine in the current digital age, and philosophical questions of what differentiates the organic mind from the robotic. STELARC ("http://www.stelarc.va.com.au/arcx.html") STELARC has done multiple performance art pieces in which he directly interfaces his own nervous system with robotics to allow him to directly manipulate the machine, or allow the machine to directly manipulate his own body. The intent is to push ideas of transhumanism and the idea of the obselescence of the human body. Steve Mann ("http://wearcam.org/steve.html") Used wearable computing as a digital prosthetic for augmenting one's life. Coined the term sousveillance to describe the use of lifelogging cameras as a counter to surveillance. symbioticA ("http://www.symbiotica.uwa.edu.au/") "MEART" ("http://www.fishandchips.uwa.edu.au/") symbioticA's MEART is a device that interfaces machine with living brain cells to create a Semi-Living artist.]]> tag:interactive.usc.edu,2008:/members/bjaycox//179.9369 2008-09-23T03:58:08Z 2008-09-23T07:56:28Z

Alright here goes the first of my week of postings for 511: With the discussions on immersion and what seemed to be a debate over "content" (the psychological discourse between the viewer and the work) vs "medium" (the technology), it...

Bryan Jaycox BioArt With bioengineering and biotechnology becoming more and more prevalent in our society today, many ethical questions regarding these research fields have come to the foreground. Many artists have embraced biotech as their medium of choice, this artform being coined BioArt. Whether it is used its as a means of activism to speak out against current biotech practices, as a means of questioning wider social issues, or simply as a new field for artistic experimentation, BioArt artists embrace biotech tools and methodologies for use in creating art. Eduardo Kac ("http://www.ekac.org/") "GFP Bunny/Alba" ("http://www.ekac.org/gfpbunny.html#gfpbunnyanchor") His best known piece, the GFP (Green Flourescent Protein) Bunny named Alba is a rabbit that was genetically altered to produce a protein found in jellyfish. The result: A glowing flourescent rabbit. Tissue Culture & Art Project ("http://www.tca.uwa.edu.au/") This group experiments with the growth of tissue cultures to address various social and ethical issues. For instance "Victimless Leather" is an artwork in which a tiny stitchless jacket was grown from living tissue culture. Orlan ("http://www.orlan.net/") Had a series of unorthodox cosmetic surgeries done on herself in her "self-hybridations" in order to question the norms of the western conception of beauty. Critical Art Ensemble ("http://www.critical-art.net/biotech/index.html") Have done works that test for and question the distribution of genetically modified foods in the American market. Biotech Hobbyist ("http://www.nyu.edu/projects/xdesign/biotechhobbyist/") A project aimed at encouraging the public in tinkering with biotech sciences.]]> tag:interactive.usc.edu,2008:/members/bjaycox//179.9305 2008-09-17T10:44:23Z 2008-09-17T11:04:06Z

"Plurality" (See earlier post for high concept of this world.) Overview: There are two traits in people: 1) The ability to see the potentialities of things and other people. 2) The projection of their own potentialities for action into the...

Bryan Jaycox Overview: There are two traits in people: 1) The ability to see the potentialities of things and other people. 2) The projection of their own potentialities for action into the future. Long Strands and Short Strands - If someone has a projection of their potential actions that stretches far into the future they are referred to as a "long strand", if their projection stretches only a short distance into the future they are referred to as "short strands". This ability to see further into your potential futures and make a decision based upon these visible outcomes are somewhat of a social advantage, and so the "long strands" typically rise to positions of power while the "short strands" are viewed with a stigma of being unpredictable and short sighted in their actions. This has created an extreme class division throughout the society which is reflected in the districts of the city. The unpredictibility of extremely short strand individuals has even caused them to be classified as a danger to society as the inability to see their strands creates a problem for law enforcement officials. Governmental Power - Those blessed with both long sight and "long strands" typically rise to governmental positions as their ability to see far into the outcomes of other's actions and able to see the long term outcomes of their own actions give them insight into the best courses of action for the general public. Seers - Those blessed with particularly long sight but not necessarily long strands gain the title of "seer" and act as advisors to those in governmental positions. Relay Stations - Particular areas of the world are also more strongly attuned to specific alternate world potentialities. These locations are used as contact points for finding out how different the world could have been if certain global events had not occured. These areas are linked by relay stations to the "Long Seer Tower" to both amplify the seers' potential range of vision, and allow them to analyze the course of historical events that led to the current state of the world. Major Zones: Seat of Governance - The residence of the top governmental figures. Long Seer Tower - Residence of the seers. The central hub for all the relay stations that connect to attuned locations of alternate world potentialities. Short Strand Light Confinement - Walled district for those deemed hazardous to society due to the fact that they are extremely short strand individuals, thus unpredictable and difficult to regulate. They can leave the walled district but need governmental papers stating their reasons for transit between districts. Prison - Reserved for true criminals, located within the walled Short Strand Light Confinement District. Nuke site of New Geneva - When the ability to sense potentialities started emerging in people, the city of New Geneva was founded with the hopes that this ability to see the outcomes of potential actions would lead to an era of peace as all catastrophes could be predicted and prevented. The city was founded on one of the relay sites with what was thought to be the strongest connection to an alternate world. However, even with great knowledge of future events not all catastrophes can be prevented, this nuclear wasteland is a testament to the shattered utopia that this city once represented. Many people still flock to the remains of New Geneva as its strong connection to the alternate world allows them to (in a way) contact their loved ones who died in the tragedy by contacting their alternate selves in this parallel world. Boundaries and Access: There are very few strict boundaries at street level, just those of a standard urban sprawl; however, access is regulated to certain areas by social norms. For instance, it would be odd to see a short strand stray from the short strand district, and he/she would most likely get hassled and questioned if found wandering around in the long strand business or governmental district. Access to the Long Seer Tower and the Seat of Governance are restricted access only areas as are the relay stations for strong locations of potentiality connection. The short strand light confinement is a walled in area whose residents need an official governmental clearance to get get privileges to stray outside the wall. Within the light confinement wall is the prison whose residents have no access privileges to the rest of the city. (Click Image for Fullsize)]]> tag:interactive.usc.edu,2008:/members/bjaycox//179.9263 2008-09-11T07:02:28Z 2008-09-16T10:30:28Z

"Plurality" 1) Name it: Plurality is a sci-fi game that embodies the multiple worlds theory. Plurality is a world in which the potentialities of everything causal that can occur is visible. The potential paths a person or object may take...

Bryan Jaycox "Plurality" 1) Name it: Plurality is a sci-fi game that embodies the multiple worlds theory. Plurality is a world in which the potentialities of everything causal that can occur is visible. The potential paths a person or object may take are present with that person/object in the real world in the form of transparent spacetime worms. The further away the potential reality becomes from the path chosen in the current reality the more transparent the potential becomes until it eventually fades away completely. The ability to see these spacetime worms effectively reveals people's short-term future and past. 2) Place it: There are no additional spatial boundaries in this world that do not exist in our own world. There are the extents of the world and other natural and man-made terrain that cannot be traversed. Temporally you are able to see your spacetime worms only a few minutes into the future and past. This is a temporal distance that varies by how close these potential selves are to your causal branch. 3) Define your audience: This will be designed as a solitary first-person experience. In a way it is also a third-person experience as you are viewing yourself in the spacetime worm potentialities. The viewer's agency will be one in which their paths through the world are already decided for them to an extent by the spacetime worms sprawling out ahead of them as all of their potential possibilities for choice 4) Motivation: My motivation for this world is to create an experience in which the future is a known quantity to a limited extent. This also introduces the possibility for interesting discussion of the philosophical themes of fatalism and free will. tag:interactive.usc.edu,2008:/members/bjaycox//179.9213 2008-09-03T11:42:08Z 2008-09-03T12:14:54Z

Media Rich and Socially Insulated Urban Landscape It seems the general theme of the items I carry with me indicate a society in which we immerse ourselves in technology to maintain our connection to the world, yet at the same...

Bryan Jaycox Media Rich and Socially Insulated Urban Landscape It seems the general theme of the items I carry with me indicate a society in which we immerse ourselves in technology to maintain our connection to the world, yet at the same time we isolate ourselves from the dense social setting we live in by staying disconnected from the sea of people we are constantly surrounded by in our actual physical space. We are trying to interact in a society of thousands when we are more suited to a tribal society of about twenty close knit individuals. As a result we deal with humans as mechanisms of society with whom we do transactions, but shut ourselves off from most of these people emotionally, only reserving friendship and relationships for a select few of the thousands we mingle with over the course of a day. ----- The items I carried seemed to fulfill several purposes: 1) Transhumanism -ie. cellphones & computers -We are striving to reach beyond the physical constraints of our bodies to stay connected through our web of technology. -Our technology is used as a means of connecting with others despite physical limitations. -We are immersed in a sea of fellow human beings in this urban landscape but we screen out most of these interactions as mere ambience. The connections that truly matter to us are maintained through our computers and cellphones. -ie. maps & schedules -We need items to help us record physical and temporal spaces that we traverse that are larger than we can feasibly internalize. -- 2) Mechanisms for streamlining social interaction -ie. cash, credit cards, id cards -These items function as membranes we use to mechanize our interactions with other human beings so that we don't have to get to know people in order to benefit from them. -It's a way of making humans function as cogs in the social machine -ie. i give money to a cashier and he gives me goods, I don't need to know him from Adam, I just need a valid form of identification and currency that we both acknowledge as legitimate. -We live in a society of thousands necessitated by the needs in our lives that these multitudes fulfill, but we don't want the investment needed to actually foster a friendship/relationship with these individuals in order to benefit from the goods they supply. As a result we use money and technology as intermediaries for transaction. -These items ease social transaction while avoiding social investment. It allows you to transact with people without taking the time to get to know whether you can trust them to maintain their end of the trade. -- 3) Fear of others -ie. Keys -We are immersed in this sea of fellow humans, but there are too many out there for us to get to know and trust. -Social disequality and high social density create an environment in which we fear theft and so we protect our goods with locks, necessitating keys. -Our society is composed of public and private space our keys are our means of access. -- 4) Striving for individuality -ie. keepsakes, ipod, clothing -We live in a society where outward appearance is valued, ie. clothing. -We want to distinguish ourselves from the masses, keep a sense of our own uniqueness in this sea of "others". -We want icons of our own little island of personal contacts/friendships/family/relationships so that we can convince ourselves that we have a unique purpose and are not just another cog in a social machine. -These items give us hope, love, and emotional anchors to put our own life and day to day struggles into context. We need these emotional attachments. Even if we insulate ourselves from these attachments with most members of society we still need a small pocket of close friends and relationships. tag:interactive.usc.edu,2007:/members/bjaycox//179.8035 2007-09-04T10:13:51Z 2007-09-04T10:15:12Z

Blog!...

Bryan Jaycox Blog!