Digital Syndicate

fall2010 - ART 5953/6033: Digital Tools

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Pirate Bay appeal falls on deaf ears

In another blow to online file-sharing, a Swedish appeals court upheld on Friday the copyright convictions of three of the four founders of The Pirate Bay--perhaps the world's most well-known and notorious file-sharing Web site.

Read more: 
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-20023915-93.html#ixzz16Vfo4gxJ



see also:

"U.S. seizes sites linked to copyright infringement"

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-20023918-93.html

Friday, November 26, 2010

5953 final portfolio

DUE by 3PM Monday, December 6
(in my box in the art office)

requirements
CD-ROM
    web – screenshots of each page of your site
    final project – digital images &/or video files
&
PRINTOUT
    minimum 8 blog entries (250 word minimum)



Thursday, November 11, 2010

please answer my poll!

please visit my blog, and answer my poll question! i'll have more up shortly!.. keep an eye out!
thanks so much!!

Monday, November 1, 2010

Monday November 8 at UIW

Presentation: The Internet is Broken. Let's fix it! Cryptographic Activism, Copyright Culture, and Disruptive Optimism.

Presentation by: Brandon Wiley



Date: Monday, November 8th, 2010
Time: 6:30pm to 8:00pm
Place: University of Incarnate Word, Administrative Building (look for #12 on this map), AD331 (Third Floor)


Convergent Media @ UIW would like to invite you to attend The Internet and Beyond by Brandon Wiley. Brandon has first hand experience with the current social media movement and much more. His work in software development and peer to peer theory is world renowned. Be prepared to hear a truly special talk about his current projects and be ready to ask your own questions. Come and be part of the dialog!

Brandon Wiley is currently a PhD student at the University of Texas at Austin in the School of Information. He is also a former ACTLab teacher as well as student. His work spans multiple disciplines and fields with his current work looking at censorship and the internet, anonymity and the internet, hardware and software digital Art, tech start ups and much more.

For more information visit his personal website at: http://blanu.net/

Here is the facebook invite:

http://www.facebook.com/event.phpeid=115368161861118&index=1

this Wednesday November 3, 7:30pm

We'll go during class on Wednesday.
Please check these out to prep for Mark Hosler's visit:



Negativland website

more



Sunday, October 24, 2010

web as art

Olia Lialina
My Boyfriend Came Back From the War


mouchette


Brian Piana


net.art (wikipedia)


http://www.net-art.org/


http://artport.whitney.org/


(a link is to the beginning of this article from "The Believer" magazine.  I have the issue & will provide photocopies)
My Artworld Is Bigger Than Your Artworld  THE DOMINANCE OF THE ART MARKET— NOT TO MENTION THE ART OBJECT—IS BEING CHALLENGED BY HACKERS, CODE WARRIORS, AND ARTISTICALLY MOTIVATED NERDS WHO PREFER NETWORKS, WEBSITES, AND $19.95 POSTER SALES TO GLITZY SHOWS AND ART-STAR FAME

2 new googledox in FA10_5953/6033



Rhizome | All My Life for Sale.pdf
Rhizome | TGN 2001 (Ebay Performative Project).pdf

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

facebook as a medium...?

"The Social Network"
directed by David Fincher
Columbia Pictures 2010

"Conceptual Art on Auction Site Calls Attention to Culture of Consumption"
Melissa Mitchell
News Bureau Illinois, 10/16/06

"Crowdsourcing: What Does it Mean for Artists Today?"
Daniel Linver
National Alliance for Media Art + Culture Newsletter, 16 JUL 2010

"Teenage Insults, Scrawled on Web, Not on Walls"
Tamar Lewin
New York Times, May 5, 2010

"What if the Facebook (Un)Privacy Revolution Is a Good Thing?"
Fred Vogelstein
Wired Magazine, May 29, 2010


"The Many Faces of You"
Claire Cain Miller
New York Times, October 16, 2010


Rhizome Artbase
Browse by tag: ebay
All My Life for Sale (2001) by John Freyer
Internet Soul Portraits (I.S.P) (2005) byMark Callahan

Monday, October 18, 2010

finally!!

hey guys, sorry for the HUGE inconvenient delay. I was finally able to upload enough of the site for you to see what I'm going for, although, its definitely still a work in progress. I did it on yahoo sitebuilder, totally from scratch, (I lost all my previous edited files when I lost my external hard drive), and sans templates. On weebly, I was frustrated about the tabs issue that I think Jennings is experiencing, and I didn't like how I couldn't make a link to another page out of an image or text. Or layer elements. As of now only the first two galleries are operable, there's nothing under 'upcoming,' and I still need to edit my resume quite a bit. I would really like to know if it navigates well, and if its simple and professional enough.

I have had a chance to see all of your websites, and I will be posting comments tonight!
Thank you all again for your patience!

http://www.vikkyjones.com

Saturday, October 16, 2010

reminder - your blogs

This week marks the half-way point of the term.  That means that everyone should have 4 posts on their blogs by now, and at the end of the term a total of 8.  I will not likely assign specific topics for these posts again, so please make sure to stay on top of your writing!
: )

Thursday, October 14, 2010

I'm getting there...

Hey guys, I apologize, but due to some outside circumstances, (and the fact that I started on weebly, then realized it wasn't doing all I wanted it to, so I decided to stay with the original program I had) I'm lagging on having my new website ready, :( but I'll have it all caught up this weekend. Thanks for your understanding and patience!!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Jennings' website

Each student should add the link to their work as a new post.

This way, all of the critique comments for each person will be consolidated as a single thread of responses to each posting.



I'm copying Jennings' link here (which she originally had as a response to my original announcement for online crit).



Please reply to this post to critique her work.



Hope this is clear!





H. Jennings Sheffield said...

Hey, Hey, Hey, Classmates, here is a link to my new and (what I think is) improved website.

http://www.jenningssheffield.com

Let me know your likes, dislikes, advice, comments, thoughts, and rants.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

next up: online critique

Now let's take a hiatus from the reading and save chapter 3 for later.

We will try this online forum for critique of your works-in-progress.

Create a new post on the class blog with a link to your project by 6pm Wednesday October 13.  (Could be the website many of you mentioned wanting to make, or your new video on vimeo or youtube, etc.)

Use our class time to respond to each student's posting with initial critique comments by 9pm Wednesday October 13.

Discussion/defense/response/etc may ensue through 6pm Monday October 18.  Comment a minimum of 4 times total to your own and other's critique discussion thread.


We will meet as a class for the first time on Wednesday October 20!
I look forward to talking with everyone about how the class has been as an online forum.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Assignment 3

Read
Digital Art, Chapter 2 "Digital Technologies as Medium" (p. 66-137)

Respond
responses due by 6pm Monday September 27


---> Respond with your comment to this post<---


Christiane Paul states that the artistic use of digital technologies as a medium "implies that the work exclusively uses the digital platform from production to presentation, and that it exhibits and explores that platform's inherent possibilities." (p.67)
How does this differ from artistic use of digital technologies as a tool? (as in chapter 1)
Do you think his analysis is useful? Why or why not?
Use examples from the book (&/or elsewhere) to support your answers.
(75-125 words)


---> Respond with your comment to this post<---





Discuss
Conversation options are limited here on blogger (in terms having threaded discussion) but we'll try it out anyhow.

After everyone has responded with their comment to this post
(by class time on Monday Sept 27), participate in discussion with your classmates in this same comment thread with a minimum of two comments.

Please be thoughtful about your comments.  You have a week to engage in this discussion, with all comments due by 6pm Monday October 4. (Needless to say, please do not wait until the last minute).

If you want to indicate that you are responding directly to someone's post, you can start with "@:" in front of their name ("@:Jennings")






Monday, September 6, 2010

Assignment 2





read
Digital Art - Chapter 1 "Digital Technologies as a Tool" (p 26-66)

investigate
Select one artwork from this chapter and find a relationship to 3 non-digital artworks.
Find one correlation that pertains to all four artworks.
This might be a central concept or idea, something specific about the form or expression, or another criteria that you find intriguing and want to explore further.

the artworks you select must include:
one digital (from the book)
one contemporary
one 20th century
one pre-20th century

post
due: by 6pm Monday September 13
Make a new post on your blog with pictures of all 4 pieces.
Where possible, include title, artist, date, medium, and size.
Explain why you selected that particular digital artwork.
Discuss the connection that you see between it and the other artworks you have chosen.

respond
due by 6pm, Wednesday September 15
Access everybody's online journals from here.
Read and respond thoughtfully to each student's posting with ideas, resources, anecdotes, etc.
Please read my feedback about comments in the previous post.

first assignment - general comments

Everyone's got their online journals up and running with introductions about themselves and their ideas about this class this semester.  Good job!  Almost everyone has been successful at getting them linked to this page-- almost there!

I have some general critique for the blogs.  First, I think there is a kind of perception that blogs are a place for casual writing.  I want to encourage most everyone to tighten up their writing style.  Use paragraphs, correct capitalization, and clear structure.  Please do not post the first draft of your writing-- construct and save your post but go back later to proofread and improve.

Please read assignments carefully.  Responses should thoughtfully and specifically address the assignment.

As for the responses, the positive and encouraging tone of everyone's comments is great!  However, I see a tendency sometimes of simply cheerleading or reiterating what the writer has said.  On the flip-side, there have been many good responses made already-- and I consider a "good" response to be one that points the writer towards a useful resource, gives them perspective that they may not have had already, proposes an appropriate direction to explore, or other specifically constructive suggestions.

the next reading is Digital Art Chapter 1, "Digital Technologies as a Tool" (p.26-65)
watch this space--  the assignment is coming soon

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

First Assignment

read
Digital Art, Introduction (p. 6-25)


write
due by 6pm, Monday August 30
Introduce yourself to your classmates on your online journal.
What is your general attitude towards digital tools/why?
What do you hope to get out of the class/why?
And, SPECIFICALLY, which digital skill or tool do you plan to master over the course of the term/why?
(250-350 words).

respond
due by 6pm, Wednesday September 1
Access everybody's online journals from here.  Read and respond thoughtfully to each student's posting with ideas, resources, anecdotes, etc.



-------> keep an eye on this space!!
I will likely get into a regular rhythm of posting the new assignments to coincide with class meeting times, but want to keep a little flexibility at first.




Wednesday, August 18, 2010

August 25 - Welcome to Digital Tools

Dear Grads,

I wish I could be there with you tonight, but am confident that Justin Boyd is going to take great care of you.  If all goes as planned, I should be on the other side of giving birth & at home with my newborn daughter.

We will not meet face to face for the first 8 weeks, but I am available via email-- please do not hesitate to contact me.  We'll spend the first half of the class exploring the text (see below).

My email address is: leslie(dot)raymond(at)utsa(dot)edu
Obviously, replace the (dot) for . and (at) for @

There are a few orders of business to take care of tonight so that we can get everything up and running smoothly.  Though I can't make any promises (never having had a baby before), I will do everything I can to be available by phone/email tonight to insure that we can get our business done.

Last I knew, the password for grads on the machines in the New Media Studio (1.01.30) was: zoetrope

Syllabus-------->do this tonight while in class!<---------
Justin will pass this out.  Look it over, sign the form at the end, tear it off & give it to Justin.  Do not hesitate to contact me with any questions you may have.

Textbook-------->get it tonight at the bookstore!<---------
For the first half of the term we will be reading Digital Tools by Christiane Paul, and having online discussion with some specific lines of inquiry designed to enhance our understanding of digital media.  Please note that you must have the SECOND EDITION of this book.  The bookstore should have it in.  If they do not, let me know right away & I will post a .pdf of the first reading in the shared googledox folder (see below).

Gmail Accounts-------->set this up & email me tonight while in class!<---------
Everybody is going to need a gmail account because I'm going to put all of the class documents into a googledox folder.  If you don't already have gmail, get it set up. Pass along your gmail address to me right away (tonight).  If I'm not online now, know that this is my A-1 priority and I'll be on it later tonight or first thing tomorrow.

Class Website-------->we may be able to complete tonight while in class!<---------
This is it.  I'll use your gmail address (unless you prefer something else for some reason) to invite each of you to be an author to it.  Look for an email from blogger.com with said invitation, and get yourself onboard as an author right away by following the link.  Once everyone is in, I'll make this site private so that only our class can access its contents.

Personal Online Journals-------->set this up tonight while in class!<---------
Everyone will create their own online journal using blogger.com.  You will be posting 250-350 words every 2 weeks, for a total of 8 journal entries this term.  I will assign the first post, but aside from that you will decide what to write about, provided that there is a connection to your work, particularly in relation to what you are doing in here.

If you already have a blogger.com account, use your existing blog or set up a new one for this class.  Once you get your author access to our class website, add the link to the "everyone's blogs" area here on the right by signing in and clicking on the wrench-screwdriver icon.

A Side Note
Why aren't we using Blackboard, the UTSA online web tool, for all of this?
Good question!
The most important reason is that you should all be comfortable using these free, easy, handy and ubiquitous online tools that will continue to serve you long after you leave UTSA.


I have a rough schedule for the first half of class worked out, but want to start out slowly to see how things go.  Please visit this website often to help you stay on top of readings, assignments, discussion, etc.

Again, we will not meet face to face for the first 8 weeks.  I am available via email-- please do not hesitate to contact me.  If you are in need of a phone conference, please let me know.

Feel free to use the New Media Studio (1.01.30).  Your student ID should get you card key access-- if you have any problem after the "census date," send an email to me AND greg(dot)elliott(at)utsa(dot)edu.  New Media equipment is also available for you to check out at the Visual Recourses Collection on the 3rd floor.

When we do begin meeting in person on Monday & Wednesday nights, there will be plenty of studio time, demos and other presentations, experiments, critique, etc. Our first meeting will likely be a work-in-progress critique, so that we can have a look at the direction your work is going in relation to the digital skills/tools you have set out to conquer.  I have lots of plans and ideas, but please do let me know if there is anything special that you want to do.  As always, I aim to tailor the course to suit your needs.

Thanks for pioneering the online coursework with me-- just one more facet of the new digital paradigm to explore.  A bit overwhelming for the first night?  If so, simply slow down, breathe deeply and take your time going through it.  I think it will prove to be simpler than it might seem at first glance.  I am so looking forward to working with all of you this term!


Welcome to Fall 2010!
-Your Prof.
Leslie Raymond

PS - the first assignment is set to autopost at 7:15pm tonight.