tag:interactive.usc.edu,2008:/members/jbrennan//129 2008-07-11T22:47:27Z Anticipatory Retaliation -- John Brennan Movable Type 3.31 tag:interactive.usc.edu,2008:/members/jbrennan//129.9092 2008-07-02T10:14:16Z 2008-07-11T22:47:27Z

"We never intended for any character to be stronger/weaker than another based on its gender." -Age of Conan designer Svein Erik Jenset - In response to a combat system bug in the recently released MMORPG...

John Brennan -Age of Conan designer Svein Erik Jenset - In response to a combat system bug in the recently released MMORPG]]> This could only be a bug. " Of course! Why allow something as compelling as sex differentiation or physiology to play a meaningful role in virtual space. Why should choice of avatar gender be meaningful when it need only be aesthetic? I think we do deep disservice to femininity when we dissociate gender - when we allow it to be a point of no distinction in our minds and a null value in our simulations. By avoiding the very real and interesting concept of gender difference we typically default, in service of 'equality,' to a male valuation over which we construct a female facade. The problem? It is far easier to embrace an artificial (and safe) sameness than to design for the natural implementation of gender equality: complementarity. At issue is Age of Conan's most recent bug: A problem exists in the basic combat system - female characters deal less damage than their male counterparts when engaging in combination attacks: "The main reason for the discrepancy in damage output that you're seeing is that the length of an animation isn't equal for both Male and Female characters in many cases" The sweet irony of the mistake is its basis in the animation system. In pursuit of physicality and compelling human movement the developers created a bit of gendered physiology. Deep down I wonder if they weren't intending for the female set of movements to be more "graceful" or dance-like. Nevertheless, now things are interesting. Like most happy accidents , this bug, at its best, hints at possibility. In its current form the game offers no upside (complement) to gendered combat inefficiency. In the context of the Conan universe why not add a seduction component or substitute dexterity, intelligence, or craft superiority to offset the weakness? Knowing this game's demographic, there may already be a social distinction to choosing a female avatar: A previous bug, that had the unfortunate side effect of a global breast reduction procedure on the female avatar population met with cries of outrage and threats of account cancellation. I see in this outcry the notion of a breach of contract (who are you to change the appearance of an entity i identify with?) as well as the deprecation of curves as an aesthetic and social currency (in a virtual world that knows its audience). Obviously, Conan isn't looking for femininity to be approached in design terms, and an effort will be made to force gender differentiation back to the realm of aesthetics - where the female form is pure visual flair. Conceptually, this is representational Hysterectomy; it's also boring, plain, and increasingly standard. ]]> tag:interactive.usc.edu,2008:/members/jbrennan//129.9081 2008-06-26T03:04:08Z 2008-07-02T13:56:54Z

If you have any interest In Art, Technology, and Philosophy......

John Brennan If you have any interest In Art, Technology, and Philosophy... Part one and Part two Hubert Dreyfus -- Introductory lecture on philosophy, phenomenology, and virtual space (Focus - Second Life). Philosophy: Who is relevant and what would they say about Second Life? Pascal -- Obsessed with the "wretchedness of the real world." Second life, and virtual space, would be seen as diversion: Clean, controlled, without the teeth of life or frailty of the body. Nietzsche -- Would point to the masquerade: assume new sexes, jobs, roles, persona, etc. However, there can be no 'bold experimentation' in virtual space, where as of yet Risk does not translate from the real. Heidegger -- Second Life as a community of communities, preserving the focal occasion (Paper Here). Borgmann -- In dialogue with Heidegger: See Technology and the Character of Contemporary Life: A Philosophical Inquiry (1984) There was a focus on interpersonal/emotional communication (What can Second Life bring to focal practices such as memorial events - How can one transmit grief?) Do Proxemic (interpersonal space) relationships translate to Second Life interaction? Yes : Embodiment/avatar identification leads to perpetuation of interpersonal distance trends in online space. Does mood transmit into second life? While the founder of Linden brought up a good point regarding avatar gaze following clicking behavior, the precision and nuance of gaze is not transmitted. The current mode of emotion is to command an avatar to signal a private mood with a public gesture. So what is nuanced and subconscious in life becomes grotesque and exaggerated. However, Linden is now working on webcam software to transmit facial data to avatars. In essence: taking the avatar from muppet to mirror (a more subconscious indicator). Yehuda Kalay -- "Remembering 7th Street" Recreating an account based version of 1950s Oakland, with a focus on the culture that flourished there. This is a robust space that goes beyond architecture - complete with npc interaction,virtual actors, and relevant music/radio. A quest dialogue and completion system, arguably similar to World of Warcraft, is in the works to motivate exploration. Note: One immediate frustration i had with the project was with a technological reality that will strangle it: Due to the ambition of the project, a specialized engine was used. This constricts modification to the term of the development cycle - the public at large hasn't the patience to steward each and every proprietary or obscure virtual environment. I fear that this Oakland, whose ambition is perpetuity, will face a new breed of disrepair. Were it to be incorporated into an existing, nurtured space with a pulse of user activity (like Second-Life) it would have a better shot at persistence. Panel Discussion: Arts' effect on science (nod to the distinguished Mr. Perry Hoberman) See Leonardo: Journal of Arts/Science/Tech Panel Info: "Osmosis": What Can the Arts Do for the Sciences? Art-Science interaction is a two way process. The impact of science and technology on the arts is much discussed and well documented. This panel seeks to examine the influence of the arts on the sciences, and the benefits that science can derive from the arts. * Bronac Ferran, Writer, Researcher, Instructor at Royal College of Art in London, Past director of the Interdisciplinary Arts at Arts Council England * Melinda Rackham, Executive Director of the Australian Network for Art and Technology * Jim Crutchfield, Complexity and Chaos Researcher, Professor of Physics at UC Davis, Co-founder and Scientific Director Art and Science laboratory * Chris Chafe, Composer, Duca Family Professor at Stanford University, Director Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics One recurring question: How does the dream get you there (to a significant discovery or advancement) before the rational process? The recurring theme seemed to be Art/Tech residencies for artists (offered by both Ferran and Rackham) Jim Crutchfield, a physicist (and awesome guy), offered this insight into working with his artist partner: "Having to explain yourself" means taking nothing for granted; a secret benefit of collaboration. Many of the companies/research sites involved in the residency programs use the artists to supply possibilities and implications for their work - sometimes resulting in objects/performances that project a tangible public image for the work. All in all a great time - if you want to stay on top of events like this, you should hit up DMAX]]> tag:interactive.usc.edu,2008:/members/jbrennan//129.9068 2008-06-19T08:43:04Z 2008-07-02T13:58:00Z

View image...

John Brennan View image]]> gradient of light that introduces color (the page is black and white in tangible form) and selectively accentuates texture. If you look closely, you can see that pencil density is at its greatest where the figures kiss and it trails off at their lower bodies. This was my attempt to have the couple fade out into the larger body of the paper. When i look at this digital image, I see an accidental introduction of elements that trump (or even augment) my original formal conceit. OK, so it's serendipity - Why should we care?? The digital form is precise; it insulates our information from the world - from risk - so that we can best control what manipulations, if any, will occur. This suggests a stasis, where the nuances of the tangible object and its place in the world are lost. But there is a trade-off...we do gain something: We gain a master copy, a digital form from which many transformations of our object can take place. Our objects (in digital form) are pregnant with potential. Every transformation they enable is another opportunity for serendipity to introduce itself. The digital photo of my drawing is useful to me because the setting (coffee shop interior) had an effect on the object during the act of picture taking. Happy discovery requires variability. I can imagine a practice of exploiting the digital form to realize and observe work in as many real-world forms and settings as resources allow. We could also model and simulate how permutations of the digital form interact with environments. In the meantime I think the advantage goes to those with imagination and an intuitive appreciation for scratch files. ]]> tag:interactive.usc.edu,2008:/members/jbrennan//129.9065 2008-06-17T23:25:48Z 2008-06-19T12:10:31Z

"The era of procrastination, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays, is coming to a close. In its place we are entering a period of consequences."...

John Brennan "The era of procrastination, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays, is coming to a close. In its place we are entering a period of consequences." In the study of history, one area to find consistent, instant gratification is that of rhetoric - the great speeches. There is Churchill ( as above ), JFK's inaugural, Lincoln's Gettysburg address, Pericles' funeral oration... To cut to the chase, I have a problem with statesmen whose speeches are not predominately theirs - it's a missed opportunity; we shouldn't be electing people who need a team of writers to generate an attempt at powerful language. This said, I realize that there is a sliding scale of outside involvement. Obama's (self-authored) speech on race was OK (yes, just OK), made more blah by the occasion which it addressed: him artfully distancing himself from a minor scandal. Somehow I'd be more impressed if it wasn't a defensive move. Furthermore, I've read 'Politics and the English Language' too many times not to gag on these mantras of change and hope - I don't know whether to chant them before I go to bed, as I sit down to dinner, or while my plane taxis on the runway (an anxious time for me). I hope for more specifics (and i think we're starting to see some of this). Obama does use speech writers, but they vouch for his involvement (slippery slope?) http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/20/fashion/20speechwriter.html?_r=1&oref= http://www.newsweek.com/id/84756 Before anyone launches into a counterpoint on how authorship is overrated and delivery is ultimate: 1. Authorship influences delivery (as stake and accountability for what is said) 2. Divorcing authorship from the spectacle of oration over-emphasizes the ability to manipulate a crowd (which brings to mind an orator like Hitler) 3. Lets face it: Neither candidate is 'Wowing' us with their deliveries at this point. So, an admission: I'm being kind of hard on Obama. I realize JFK didn't write all of his own speeches ( though the inaugural address was his), and I also recognize that Obama is one of the more eloquent statesmen we've seen in a while. There is no disputing that writing partners are a fantastic tool. Did anyone see Gore's endorsement? Even now, as legitimately righteous as he's become, the man somehow manages to evade passion when he speaks publicly. PS - To be continued. I think a survey of famous movie speeches, and how they all make me cringe (especially braveheart) is in order. tag:interactive.usc.edu,2008:/members/jbrennan//129.8926 2008-04-10T20:14:43Z 2008-04-10T20:16:32Z

More...

John Brennan More View image View image View image kid View image View image View image bomb View image View image View image View image directed by the author, but not without agency for the viewer Why dont i just do what i want to? I want to have the freedom to work: one off, vignette, explore, accumulate machinima single viewpoint compositions political cartoon portfolio cartoon on doorway View image I Want obama listening to one of his speeches. View image Some things i want to do in hammer: psych studies/encounters...one offs....dissecting interactions]]> tag:interactive.usc.edu,2008:/members/jbrennan//129.8925 2008-04-10T05:36:06Z 2008-04-10T07:07:52Z

Some things to keep in mind:...

John Brennan Some things to keep in mind: From COD4, Basically - This is your death scene. Kind of Graphic, but watch it to the end - You are Restrained while undergoing an alien process You should only watch the first two minutes of this, it is similar to the second example Of all of these, the first is my favorite. If I am going to do another 'serious/doc' interactive project, then these would be my guidelines: -I don't necessarily believe in informing - I believe this is a clean word and that it implies distance and analysis - I want to provoke....distance and analysis can come AFTER you have engaged with something legitimate and REAL (aka your reaction to my fakery). -I don't necessarily believe that a serious 'game' is respectful, especially since I view games as relying on very (awesome) low level, compulsive behavior for progression. As a compromise, I believe that the game mechanics should be minimal. -I don't want to show pivotal moments, I believe that you can and should experience them -- to this end I don't see why you ( the user) should be limited to a single viewpoint, or even a human viewpoint. -I want vignettes that are short enough to be nuanced and doable, while still bookending a relevant experience -I want to explore positions of weakness and limitation (rarely explored) in addition to those of power and freedom ]]> tag:interactive.usc.edu,2008:/members/jbrennan//129.8834 2008-03-18T01:13:31Z 2008-03-18T01:38:06Z

For my first post to main i have some content for you all: My recently finished Machinima! Watch it here Let me know what you think. Also, please go and rate it at the Ivy Film Festival (check out some...

John Brennan Watch it here Let me know what you think. Also, please go and rate it at the Ivy Film Festival (check out some of the other entrants too - great stuff) p.s. - Not as vicious as version 1, let us never speak of it again... ]]> tag:interactive.usc.edu,2008:/members/jbrennan//129.8797 2008-03-02T09:22:42Z 2008-03-02T09:29:56Z

:]...

John Brennan :] View image ]]> tag:interactive.usc.edu,2008:/members/jbrennan//129.8737 2008-02-07T21:51:24Z 2008-02-07T21:52:31Z

Too wordy, but its broad enough to describe something i am interested in...

John Brennan Too wordy, but its broad enough to describe something i am interested in I am investigating limitations on Viewpoint and agency because i want to demonstrate how the dramatization/experience of disparate, affective viewpoints can be used to facilitate understanding of a polarizing situation. tag:interactive.usc.edu,2008:/members/jbrennan//129.8668 2008-01-24T19:38:31Z 2008-01-24T21:26:12Z

Part 1: My 3 Objects a) Sticker - "Weepies, the Breakfast of failures" b) Book - "The function of Orgasm c) My Santa Barbara (post undergrad) sketchbook...

John Brennan Part 1: My 3 Objects a) Sticker - "Weepies, the Breakfast of failures" b) Book - "The function of Orgasm c) My Santa Barbara (post undergrad) sketchbook http://www.kleemanandmike.com/ As for the Reich book, of particular interest is how it departs from Freud and inner circle of psychoanalysis (of which Reich was a part before being excommunicated for his work - I'm not sure if i just invoked Galileo). While traditional psychoanalysis functioned mostly on the subconscious and manifestations in the relationship with the analyst, Reich's work is interesting for its attempt to see the work of the psyche manifest itself in the body and its attitudes. Though the work speaks with authority, a rational skeptic wont see it as a Bible, but as a source from which certain pieces ring very true. Or principal interest in the book is society's attitude towards sexuality. From the reading, we can infer much about the Germany that Reich grew up in, and see why the 60s counterculture movement embraced him and his work. Unfortunately for the counterculture, there must have been a misunderstanding as in my opinion Reich was not espousing free love and free sex, but the development of individuals who are not locked in combat with themselves. In fact, i believe this self-acceptance, and lack of dissonance is what is so compelling about the book. I admire it for its humanity and i think i would like to think that i chose it because its a line of thought that seems to have all of our best interests at heart. The sketchbook is compelling as an assemblage. There are drawings, writings, newspaper clippings, movie tickets, flyers, gifts, and basically anything that could have come my way at the time. As its creator, I can use it as a memory aid...I assume for anyone else it could be a look into my personality or a sign of the times. I think its primary value is as a document with a place; with context. One page would be confusing, but the sum of every page takes form. If anything of mine were to survive into the future, I hope that it would be one of my sketchbooks and in particular this one. This is not because they put my best foot forward in any way, but because they are quite real and legitimate in the sense that any student of history could appreciate (they border on embarrassing). I have photo album's of my Grandpa during the war, from about the same age, and to contrast: I don't really shoot photographs of myself, but i think that this book could be a worthy substitute. D) The Sticker - I dont know how to make a sticker. I want to make a sticker. What would my sticker be? Do i even have anything to advertise? The Book - I dont know why, after his early career, this guy went on trying to seed clouds and create orgone boxes. I would like to find out why he became so 'disreputable' and see if I agree. I also dont know if the lab from which i took this book knows if its missing. It meant a lot to me, and so I justified stealing it with the fact that it was sitting unread is some dank corner of the college, but i wonder if someone misses it. The Sketchbook - I wonder how someone besides me really percieves it. I wonder if lack of conscious authorship can really yield anything? I wonder if i could user test my sketchbook? I wonder if anyone would even be interested? (i like this) Part 3: Similarities - I think these are all personal works, or at least reflect the personality of their authors. Actually, i think at the VERY least they have a real vantage point, a real viewpoint, and i find that compelling. They are oriented and unashamed while at the same time avoiding narcissism because they have a literal purpose aside from communicating the author. Area of interest/questions - Receding into the background while still being seen, playfulness, insight, humor, humanism]]> tag:interactive.usc.edu,2007:/members/jbrennan//129.8504 2007-12-06T21:08:56Z 2007-12-19T00:37:36Z

My presented pics + divx -- Check this out after my world's manifesto...

John Brennan My presented pics + divx -- Check this out after my world's manifesto 1TheWorld 2ContainedInHighRises 3AdoptingTheGlasses 4TheTower 5OnlyOneWindowHasTheView 6Ceremony 7Planting.jpg Forest Canopy at Ground Level The Living Room Fashion ]]> tag:interactive.usc.edu,2007:/members/jbrennan//129.8481 2007-11-29T21:17:04Z 2007-11-29T21:54:38Z

Atlas: The Looking Glass...

John Brennan Atlas: The Looking Glass The Roundabout Way of Things: A Manifesto Populus vult decipi (the people want to be deceived) --Ancient Roman saying Media Introduction Queue Music: Not classical or sweeping, but kitsch - wistful and naive. Introduction is in time with the eighties Altered Images song "I could be happy." The introduction begins with a very young girl in a crib. From a first person viewpoint we/she look out from the bars at a dim, neglected grey nursery room. There is a single window, with a series of slight cracks, through which we can make out a miserable and hazy urban block. After a short time to establish the newborn in this austere setting, a parent enters (looking extremely plain in shades of grey and without personal embellishment of any sort) and whisks us away. Cut away to a bright flash of white light as an optical technician, one eye impossibly large due to magnifying instrument, reaches forward into our viewpoint with something transparent at the end of an instrument. Once again we fade to white, but not before a close-up of the child's eye - it dilates as the technician carefully inserts a shimmering lens. Back in the nursery room, a 3rd person viewpoint reveals the child giggling, through the bars of her crib, at the wall with the cracked window. Her eyes emit a faint glow in the dim light, and we are compelled to ghost through the back of her head to see the world as she does. In quick succession scene elements begin to change: cracks on the wall begin to smooth over from the ends inward, dents disappear, cobwebs vanish, a rosy hue fades over the room's midtone grey, and finally an animated bear begins to dance on the wall surface. We leave the girl and begin to move towards the window as it mends itself. Just before we pass through the glass the outer haze recedes and sunlight bursts into the room. Outside we find an urban block in the middle of a miraculous renewal: plant life is sprouting, trash shriveling as if melted by the intensifying sunlight. A parched fountain sprouts water and becomes ornate as a haggard old man huddled on the sidewalk first becomes a featureless grey form, then a symbolic frowny face, and finally vanishes. We track into one of many looming high-rises and pass upward through its floors. Each room is pure magic - images dance across surfaces, textures shimmer impossibly. Occasionally a flicker streaks across our view, and the scene is stripped of its embellishment. At these moments, a midtone grey covers everything: people, objects, furniture, and walls - all become minimal and diminished. Inconsistencies may be noticed...say between the belly of a grey-clad inhabitant and the Adonis he emerged from. Our ascent ends on a balcony many floors up. Vivid surfaces distinguish each high-rise in view. They are all quite tall, but in the distance one monumental spire pops. A brief flicker and it vanishes momentarily - its not real. Trompe l'oeil (To fool the eye) The eyepiece, or looking glass, is a socializing instrument, for it provides access to contemporary society. While participation in the communal illusion is not explicitly mandatory, the eyepieces are ubiquitous and thus taken for granted. Those who choose to live away from the sterility of a high-rise, where spaces are not conceived to facilitate illusion, are alone with a bleak reality. Ground level is a cluttered, neglected place that is, along with the sky, aggressively redesigned in the standard projected perception. Those actually on ground level, as with most undesirables, will likely be removed in the layering of the experience filters, or even transformed and interpolated as some sort of wandering animal, since no party to the robust illusion will ever be in a position to physically touch an object on ground level and dispel the artifice. The infrastructure of society, referred to as an "infostructure" by technicians, has evolved to facilitate the delivery of an ambitious overlay of experience. Cutting edge design aggressively overlays the outside world, while carefully re-imaging, and allowing personal customizability for, the blank surfaces, props (cups, seats, anything tangible) and appearances of the people that are found in a high-rise. As a result, the physical possessions of the typical citizen are very austere, and often show signs of neglect that are simply "patched up in post." A cup without the eyepiece is a boring affair that becomes capable of any number of permutations "through the looking glass." The uniform, limited space of everyday activity is an affordance – functioning much like a green screen did in the cinema. This standard organization allows for communal experience design, where social interaction adds validity. As a result, a faulty device is experienced as acute anxiety – sudden alienation. "A Vast Tapestry of Lies on which we feed" --Pinter The genesis of contemporary society is rooted in a desire for wellbeing and happiness but an inability to affect meaningful change. Unsustainable modes of life, particularly in the appetite of the first world, slowly eroded the natural balance of the world’s ecosystems. Climate change, flagging biodiversity, and toxicity drove populations indoors and while the larger issue of responsibility always loomed, the immediate frustration of a restricted, fearful population took precedence. At this crucial juncture the first world, eventually the only ones in any position to insulate and maintain human life (at a cost, as we will see), began to campaign against the perception of limitation; against the reality of a world in decline. It is somehow fitting that as mankind diminished the earth we became more proficient at simulating it. Concepts such as the ecological footprint, which predicted insufficient resources and space for privileged lifestyles, failed to foresee the effects of the proliferation of virtual space. Meta-worlds, worlds upon worlds, began to see mainstream use as a remedy for the shrinking boundaries of physical reality. As reality pushed mankind back, society pushed back over the top with its own version of reality – one where materialism could sustain itself without material; consumerism without physical consumption. Production of material goods faltered as the production of experience thrived. Consequently, the grand achievements of modern society are vapor. One in particular: As time passed under the illusion, a great monument rose to commemorate the uniquely talented fabricators. This tower, impossibly high, rises with each successive maestro, who in his turn designs and implements another section to its peak. While the physicality of this tower is treated as an inside joke even among the population (a glance without the looking glass easily confirms this), it has great weight as a symbol of how robust the means of perception have become. While minor details are customizable, this illusion exists on a grand, social scale. The looking glass confers access to all the shared experiences that define culture. The glass became ubiquitous because it offered us an escape from the ruined landscape of our folly – there was no need to force it on anyone. Now, after generations of usage, no formal law yet exists to legislate its usage, but it is an alien urge to want to remove it for any extended period of time. Put simply, without the glass people see the prison that progress has erected around them. On that note, it is worthwhile to comment on ‘modern’ man. Contemporary occupants of the skyscrapers are a contradictory lot. They eat little and only of the barest essentials, drink solely water, and have few physical possessions – Physically, their lives are standardized uniformity. However, through the looking glass their meager possessions become incredibly variant, their fashion striking, their food presentable, and their world painterly. It is an odd mixture of austere and opulent. In fact, while a member of society still lives with little regard for their impact on the real world, they have become practically ethereal… "God dwells in the details" --Van der Rohe So, as generations have lived and passed on “through the looking glass,” a quite unexpected upside has come of our mass exodus from bitter reality. The land is recuperating in our absence - the mixed blessing of the fetish for projection. There is a small but growing movement to safeguard this transformation, and such a movement needs solidarity. We will reveal ourselves in the minute details of the illusion; so that we may organize kindred spirits who seek to venture responsibly back out into the world. This responsibility is of grave importance, as without the burden of accountability one should remain yoked to the eyepiece. While the real world is not yet suitable for habitation, our goal should be to venture out every so often and do what good we can to marry ourselves to what is the basis for all our fantasies. To ensure that those who would join us are dedicated to the world we all left behind, we will leave clues for those who are tempted to remove the eyepiece. Information can be hidden throughout the illusion, but one must be predisposed to find it – anamorphic imagery, glitches in the experience, superimposition of the real – these are all tools for organizing those who would reject the artifice. As with all sacred bonds, a ceremony is appropriate, and I have one in mind. What I propose is a conflation: Each spring, from one window of one room, in a building of our choosing, the impossible tower that embodies the space of our hibernation will collapse through the looking glass. After the dust settles, we will take our eyepieces off (for once not surprised that it does not stand), travel to our best guess of where it would have stood (were it ever to have existed), and tend to a garden. tag:interactive.usc.edu,2007:/members/jbrennan//129.8184 2007-09-20T16:51:24Z 2007-09-20T18:46:57Z

Maps: Where is it Directions: How do I get there Pictures: What does it look like Dioramas: What does it feel like to be there Physics: How do things move, work? Ecology: What lives there? What sustains them? Economy: What...

John Brennan Static world (24 hours a day, you know what to expect --perpetual fight) Exceptions: gibs, sprays, explosions which fade away after a time View image View image Economy/Ecology How does it perpetuate? The spawn room (a leap of faith) http://secrets.tfccentral.org/graphics/large/well/well0001.jpg http://youtube.com/watch?v=vgFS3Q1ZFng medkits and munitions http://www.planetfortress.com/fort/tfc_reform/medkit.gif http://www.thewall.de/content/media/half-life/tutorials/panzerung_granaten_und_ammopaks/tfc_items01.jpg The possible utopia (replicator technology) This guy can cure everything: http://pnmedia.gamespy.com/screenshots/phl/18510258.jpg Currency? http://www.veteranqc.com/matches/ez69-160401r1.jpg ***Scripts http://www.forum.teamfortress.eu/scripts-vt34.html Geography/mapping http://tfc-overviews.net.ms/ Components:outdoor--->indoor no man's land http://data2.collectionscanada.ca/ap/a/a001020.jpg the back door http://www.planetfortress.com/fort/misc/well_wo_fog.JPG the rampart http://www.ancient.co.jp/~ayano/tfc/maps/2fort.jpg the flag room http://secrets.tfccentral.org/graphics/large/well/well0005.jpg The mirror image ***badlands = everything else Language: how do they communicate "Medic!!" About 5 kinds of "ouch" Faith/Religion/Superstitions: Grenade presents on Dec 25th... The Holy Grail --http://secrets.tfccentral.org/graphics/large/well/well0007.jpg Boundaries - Cartoon War, red vs blue, become ideologies http://youtube.com/watch?v=KsTB6N8RuxI&mode=related&search= http://teamfortresstwo.com/czarnews/uploads/tftwo-2fort-comparison-test.jpg]]> tag:interactive.usc.edu,2007:/members/jbrennan//129.8134 2007-09-13T07:57:15Z 2007-09-13T18:21:39Z

World Brainstorming: 1 garden of eden 2 conscious earth, conforms to man 3 conscious man, conform to earth 4 No more women/men 5 Land of chosen people presided over by an active God 6 Wile E coyote...gods of acme intervene...

John Brennan The Ark: Vessel that progresses from maternal guide to vigilant God, intervening on the generations in its hold. People Begin to question and threaten the Journey, and the Ark eliminates this dissonance by carefully reverting its cargo to a primeval horde ( social Engineering, social progress). This is a solitary experience. You are one of the few rational minds who had a hand in developing the Ark. Consequently, when the Ark purges what it considers the bad seeds and embarks upon its social re-engineering in deep space, you are isolated but spared. Your character sleeps through the ages, and is revived at various milestones in the Ark's agenda, for a time-lost discourse (centuries are passing). You have access to the various surveillance feeds inside the ark - you get to watch. (social womb) ]]> tag:interactive.usc.edu,2007:/members/jbrennan//129.8064 2007-09-06T11:44:24Z 2007-09-06T13:17:30Z

To stand on the shoulders of a giant... "A list of the items I had on me August 30, 2007 and an analysis of what all of that stuff really means..." * sketchbook with deteriorating front cover, 80% used pages,...

John Brennan * sketchbook with deteriorating front cover, 80% used pages, notes:sketches 3:1, and various notes and phone numbers on back cover. empty plastic water bottle Trader Joe's brand plastic fork soiled with yogurt yogurt container TJs brand mechanical pencil .5 mm - no eraser remaining, plenty of spare lead 2 gb usb drive containing the secret lives of others 500mb usb drive with corporate logo - empty Bottle opener - worn key chain - 3 segments car key - honda house keys (3) - all copies work keys (2) - labelled "do not duplicate" drivers license - not smiling student ID - smiling AAA card - 9 years member gift card ($200 balance) bank card - wells fargo credit card - wells fargo BART card - $5 balance psychoanalyst contact card - email on reverse side torn notebook paper containing "Art Baum's" email and phone number $105 receipt to APA convention Somatic psychologist business card 24 hour fitness card - includes original drivers license photo ( smiling) $5 bill $1 bill (4) Plain blue boxer shorts Worn, foot imprinted sandals Green shorts Laundered white long sleeved shirt Timberland leather wallet with clear viewing midsection for identification, two wings containing staggered card storage, and soft linen money pouch ( TM!@!@! ) ***This List has been through multiple iterations in an attempt to capture as much detail and context as possible - upon noticing its low comparative size, I decided it might be valuable to invest it with more detail*** I think the overall impression is one of mobility and access. This list suggests someone who can travel light and easy with a modicum of compromise. Whereas keys suggest access to private space, cards suggest access to shared resources. Shared resources burden the individual with membership, but allow a user get away with nothing more than a transient interest in the physical realities of the resource....thus 'users' can travel light. These materials suggest someone who can travel lightly due to a reliance on his various memberships. He owns and controls very little. His meal seems hastily thrown together, eaten in transit. His data travels with him, ready for calculation at any number of remote sites. His AAA card insures that his travel will never be interrupted for very long. His psychological contacts insure that his sanity will never be interrupted for very long. What brandscape do these items suggest - is there affinity or contrast? Unity ==> Practicality and 'concerned' consumption are seen in the TJ's food, the Honda vehicle, the mass transit BART card, the length of membership to AAA, the gym membership, and the psychoanalyst contact. Contrast ==> The fork was obviously used to eat the yogurt...suggesting eccentricity or lack of preparation. The psomatic psychologist card is the second mental health professional...suggesting an unhealthy obsession ...aside from the obscurity of such a specialization ( which raises 'new age nonsense' flags). Maybe this person is not as put together as the above section might have us believe. The Diderot Effect Diderot was a French writer who penned a piece called "Regrets on Parting with My Old Dressing Gown." He had been given a fancy new gown, so he tossed his old one. His well-worn furnishings didn't fit with the new gown, however, and soon he was replacing tapestries, chairs, desks, and bookshelves. Finally, he found himself financially depleted, uncomfortable amidst his new possessions, and resenting the "scarlet robe that forced everything else to conform with its own elegant tone." “I was absolute master of my old dressing gown”... “but I have become a slave to my new one … Beware of the contamination of sudden wealth. The poor man may take his ease without thinking of appearances, but the rich man is always under a strain.” The new wallet vs the old wallet ( what a difference a week makes ) ==> out with the old wallet, cards, identity... ]]>