Monthly Archives

July 2011

Wired93: third read

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Pages 32 – 46:

  • a multi-sensorial bed at the Yucatan Interspecies Research foundation that allowed users to interact with dolphins visually and mentally (what was the fascination with dolphins, 1993?)
  • (above) the Xerox PARC Liveboard, a $50,000 device that allowed simultaneous videoconferencing, white board writing, interactive interface overlay and control from a pen – all in a gargantuan slab case – notable because I was looking at a $19.90 piece of software recently that does all of this and more
  • the Apple Multimedia Orientation Kit, some sort of membership that provided access to professional support for media creation (it’s probably safe to say that multimedia in 1993 = multitouch in 2011, at least in spirit)
  • Thunder 7, an OS-wide Mac spellchecker that instantly changed all typos while still inputting text – like Lion’s iOS-inspired implementation
  • article on the exploding economy of homemade BBS  businesses

Wired93: part the second

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Wherein we discuss pages 20 – 31.

  • a letter to the editor from Eric Kettunen (posted on America Online) discussing how wired his family home is with a 486 PC, a Mac, two phone lines and a 9600 baud modem
  • an ad for Dysan brand floppy diskettes – 5.25″ and 3.5″
  • a Tired/Wired inset featuring Schwarzenegger/Mystery Science Theater 3000 (still accurate)
  • the launch of a proliferation of cable channels including “Television Food Network”
  • interview with James Parry, who seems to have been a precursor to the likes of 4chan while operating his Kibo personality (which is still going strong)
  • DCC – Digital Compact Cassette – from Philips:  I had no idea what this was, either
  • Digital Queers:  “We’re here, we’re queer and we have E-mail.”

Really, It’s Not Scary

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dontfeartheinternet.png

The wonderful Ms. Lauren Beal found this resource for learning the very basics of how the modern web works – and is written.  With a hint of sarcasm and a completely approachable attitude, the video modules on Don’t Fear the Internet are perfectly suited to explaining this new language of webcode to those who really don’t want to learn it any farther than they have to.  Just yesterday, Carla was bringing herself up to speed with some tutorials on the matter so I’m sure she’ll be excited to see these videos.  And you’d better believe that I will be showing clients – PSU and freelance alike – the training very frequently from here on out.

Wired93: the idea

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I recently had the happy surprise of stumbling upon a September/October 1993 (pictured, too, in the Wikipedia entry) issue of Wired magazine – with William Gibson on the cover, no less.

Since I owe a very large part of who I am to reading this publication religiously from an evening in detention in 2000 until today, I thought it would be a good idea to take a look at what was going on during the innaugural year of Wired. It could be said that little is accomplished in the world of technology by way of nostalgia, but I think that there is something to be gained from a bit of reflection just the same as in the art writing.

Besides, there will be lots to laugh at as we trek through technology from 18 years ago.

So, after only the first few pages (it’s late), what have I uncovered?

  • “I can record on a disc!” MiniDisc ad from Sony
  • classified style ad for Microsoft looking for a Visual Interface Designer and listing an actual postal address complete with Attn: instructions for submitting a résumé
  • “I want to discuss another dinosaur, one that may be on the road to extinction. I am referring to the American media…” (Not bad, not bad.)
  • Global Village fax/modem two page spread

If the next 101 pages keep up the pace set by the first 19, we are in for some real treats.

My windows, my choice

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As much as I hate to imagine children touching the windows of my car, this concept from Toyota called “Window to the World” is pretty darned cool.  Really reminds me of the recent-ish Corning future of glass video.  The YouTube commenter on that one earns another point in my book with his suggestion of buying stock in Windex.

Games that Teach (not Preach)

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sweathshop.png

Well, I just lost about half an hour of my morning to learning about sweatshops.  And I never even opened a single blog, Wikipedia article or YouTube video documentary.  Instead, I dove in head first to Sweatshop, Channel 4’s newest games for youth project.  It is addictive – as all games should be – so you have been warned.

I had the pleasure and privilege recently of hearing former Editor of Education for Channel 4, Alice Taylor speak about the genesis of games like Sweatshop.  Her keynote at DML 2011 was inspiring and eye-opening:  the idea that the BBC would turn over an entire television budget to the development of rich, educational games was so outside the norm for the colonies.  Imagine having millions of £s to throw at developing content that teaches kids instead of just distracting them!

Just like games such as 1066, Cover Girl and The Curfew, Sweatshop is smart, well-produced and highly engaging.  It doesn’t hit players over the head with information but the learning is still there.  Most importantly, it treats the player like a young person of the modern world – so much so that it’s not so far below an adult level that it’s clearly a “kid’s game.”

Creat[ive/ing] Stories

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Stories Across Platforms, with Metro Screen from Metro Screen on Vimeo.

An hour-long video from the opening of Creative Sydney 2011 on the art of engaging modern viewers in stories.  As the audience becomes more sophisticated to adapt to increasingly involved and evolved narratives, it’s critical to take a hard look at what makes our media projects worth watching in the first place.  Great to hear from our neighbors to the (far) South!