More Technotexts - Class Response

Today's poet almost certainly can't help but think about how their poem looks on a page. It's easy to change line breaks, stanza breaks, word spacing, line length and fonts with a word processing program. And it's interesting to see hos changing the line length or a stanza break can slightly alter the meaning of the text. But what happens when we take the words out of the poem and the letters out of the words and play with their relation to the page? What happens when the visual form of the poem is as important as the words that make it?
- from "Poems that Go"

I believe that when the artist thinks more about the visual more than the meaning of the words, shaped poetry is created. Perhaps the words do not flow as easily as a more often seen poem in stanza form, but the visual aspect of the poem adds so much to the meaning of the words that are being presented. In a previous class, we played around with taking the meaning of the word and showing its meaning by relating it to its presentation on the page. I believe that when a poem is put in a more visual form adds to the poem's meaning, but perhaps it takes away from the reader's interpretation.

Technotexts - Class Blog Response

"While Chopping Red Peppers" combines all five NLG's (Natural Language Generation) basic modes of meaning - linguistic, audio, spatial, gestural, and visual. Which one of these elements plays the greatest role in your interpretation?

Audio definitely has the greatest effect on the way I interpret "While Chopping Red Peppers". The way the speaker uses her voice to explain how her father has fully influenced her life shows that she took so much from her father. Even though she is now 1000 miles away, she is still being influenced by her father's teachings as a child.

BLOGS AND SOCIAL SITES, March 26: Matthew Snyder and Alissa

The presentation done by Alissa and Matthew about social sites was very good. I thought it was informative and had a lot of good information from the readings as well as outside sources. I learned a lot about the psychology of social sites like Facebook and Myspace. The class discussion was very good as well. I thought that we hit a lot of good topic discussions, like the talk about how one presents themselves on their Facebook. I believe that many people in the class are not being true to themselves because they make sure that the “silly” side does not show on their Facebook. I really do not have respect for those who cannot be true to themselves. I understand completely that future employers look at their employees Facebooks, so one should not have pictures of doing illegal things like underage drinking, but untagging pictures that make you look fat or ones that do not show off your best smile is absolutely ridiculous. I also enjoyed the discussion about the differences of Facebook and Myspace. Even though both social sites are there for basically the same purposes, Myspace seems so much trashier than Facebook. I believe this is due to Facebook being started for college students.

BLOGS AND SOCIAL SITES, March 24: Ashley Scruggs and Scott Mason

I thought Ashley and Scott’s presentation about blogs and social sites was really cool. I very much enjoyed the fact that the presentation was set up as a blog. There was a lot of good discussion because this is a very “now” topic, but there was not as much information as I thought there would be. It was definitely all discussion, which is fine, because I guess that is what we were supposed to be doing for our presentation. I learned that there are blogs that people go to regularly to find new information and posts about current events. I really do not like blogs because I think many of the blogs that are created by teenagers are incredibly dumb. I do not understand why people would want to write about their everyday life and share it with others. Many times there are very personal posts that everybody has access to. I believe that blogs are just a way for emo kids to get attention. Anyway, Ashley and Scott’s presentation was well put together in regards to having a lot of discussion questions. Their topic kept the class interested due to the fact that everybody knew what blogs were. Well done.

TYPEWRITERS AND TYPEWRITING, March 3: Anna Acre and Alex Innes

I really enjoyed this presentation. I thought it was very informative and well put together. There were some interesting facts presented as well as good topic discussions. I thought that the discussion about how new technologies are always viewed with a little hesitance was very good. It is hard to believe that at one time typewriters were thought of as taking over the writing of the person doing the typing. This is much like the discussions we have in all of our classes. We always talk about how physically writing something is more personal and better shows the person's true work than if doing it through a machine. I also liked the presentation that focused on the history of typewriters and what first came out and how it was used. The failed technologies were quite interesting. For example, the eight foot tall machine that printed out text. How is that even practical? I guess it is somewhat like the really, really old computers that once took up an entire room and only printed out small sections of paper. Think of how far we have come in the past 200 years or so. Overall, the presentation was well put together and had a lot of good information to be shared.

Global Warming

Global Warming

Very real

o Not necessarily due to pollution

§ Pollution helping out the process, but not the entire reason for climate change

o Earth has gone through many fluctuations in temperature throughout its existence

o Just another phase in the Earth’s life

o We can do our part slow down the process by trying to be more green, but the warming in climate will occur anyways.

Word Processors - Class Blog

Oral cultures: always "referred to as socialized communication" (Heim, 113).

What benefits do preliterate cultures experience that literate cultures cannot?

How do word processors have an effect on our oral and literate culture?

I believe that oral cultures were able to experience much more intimate communication. Within a literate culture, the personal interaction does not occur as often. I also believe that the memories existing in an oral culture are much more able to retain information than in a literate culture. Because everything had to be passed along verbally, the information had to be memorized. Now, in a literate culture, we do not have to remember anything, it can just be written down.

Cell Phones as an Extension of Ourselves - Class Blog

Cell phones are most definitely an extension of ourselves. How many people can say that they can live without a cell phone? I know that there are the lone few who believe this and could achieve it, as well, but we as a society are so attached to our cell phones that they basically become who we are. Even in our choice of cell phones, we can see the self emerge. Also, in the ringtones we choose for certain people or even in general, the self is able to be seen. Cell phones have become a staple in this society and many people could not live a day without their cell phones. They have become who we are and it would take a long time or another better and more convenient invention to cut the cell phone out of society and ourselves.

Writing Prompt - Spimes

"Spimes are coming anyway, because every one of those menaces is also some kind of opportunity. Spimes will change everything because everything needs to change. Things need to change quickly and radically, because the industrial system we have today cannot persist. It cannot find enough energy and raw materials."
-Bruce Sterling

Do you think Spimes are benficial or an intrusion? Why? Are they an evolution from artifacts, machines, products and gizmos?

I believe that Spimes are very intrusive, but in some cases they can be beneficial. Spimes seem to have the potential to track people and have access to very personal information. This definitely pops my personal bubble. The thought of the capability of Spimes truly scares me. However, I do think it is beneficial due to the convenience (like having the credit card inserted in your finger) or having your child own a cell phone that is able to track them down if they happen to be kidnapped. Even though Spimes are beneficial in this aspect, there is too much personal space being violated.

When I become a parent, I would rather not have the constant vigilance of my child because I believe in learning from your mistakes. However, I might get the cell phone GPS tracker just in case my child is abducted. I would not try and use it to see where my child is at all times because I want to be able to have my child trust me enough to tell me the truth and not be punished for telling the truth.

Uncreative Writing Class Blog 2

I still see uncreative writing as a work that is completely copied, word for word, just in a different format. I don't believe my definition has changed at all. In writing my own piece, I made sure that I didn't leave anything out because I did not want this piece to become my own. I wanted it to be exactly like it's original copy just in a word document instead of clothing labels. The one thing that I did view differently about uncreative writing was the creativeness of the ideas to be uncreative with.

Uncreative Writing Experiment

Columbia Sportswear Company ®. PORTLAND, OREGON U.S.A. CORE. M. WOMEN’S. INTERCHANGE. MADE IN CHINA . FABRIQUE EN CHINE. F1 XL7255. SHELL/EXTERIEUR: 100% NYLON/POLYAMIDE. LINING/DOUBLURE: UPPER BODY/POITRINE: 75% POLYESTER/25% RAYON/RAYONNE. LOWER BODY/PARTIE INFERIEURE: 100% NYLON/POLYAMIDE. INSULATION/ISOLATION: 100% POLYESTER. MADE IN CHINA. FABRIQUE EN CHINE. RN 69724. CA 05367. CARE ON REVERSE SIDE. INSTRUCTIONS D’ ENTRETIEN AU VERSO. MACHINE WASH COLD IN MILD DETERGENT WITH LIKE COLORS. REMOVE PROMPTLY. DO NOT BLEACH. TUMBLE DRY LOW. TOUCH UP WITH WARM IRON. FACE SIDE ONLY. DO NOT DRY CLEAN. DO NOT STORE WET. LAVER EN MACHINE A L’EAU. FROIDE ET AVEC UN DETERGENT. DOUX AVEC DES VETEMENTS DE MEME COULEURS, RETIRER PROMPTEMENT, NE PAS JAVELLISER, SECHER EN TAMBOUR A TEMPERATURE MODEREE REPASSER AU FER TRES CHAUD SUR UN SEUL COTE, NE PAS NETTOYER A SEC, NE PAS RANGER HUMIDE. CTX.

perfect fit. OLD NAVY BRAND. L. MADE IN VIETNAM. OLD NAVY. 75% COTTON/COTON. 25% POLYESTER EXCLUSIVE OF DECORATION/A L’EXCEPTION DES CARNITURES. MACHINE WASH COLD. GENTLE CYCLE. WASH AND DRY WITH LIKE COLORS. ONLY NON-CHLORINE BLEACH WHEN NEEDED. TUMBLE DRY LOW. COOL IRON. DO NOT IRON ON DECORATION. DO NOT DRY CLEAN. RN 54023/CA 17897.

FRUIT OF THE LOOM ®. HEAVY cotton. G. 100% ALGODON PRE-ENCOGIDO. HECHO EN EL SALVADOR CON TELA IMPORTADA DE LOS E.E.U.U. G. 100% COTON PRE-RETRECI. FABRIQUE AU SALVADOR AVEC TISSU IMPORTE DES E.U. L. 100% COTTON PRESHRUNK. MADE IN EL SALVADOR OF U.S.A. FABRIC. MACHINE WASH COLD. WASH DARK COLORS SEPARATELY. USE NON-CHLORINE BLEACH ONLY IF NEEDED. TUMBLE DRY LOW. DO NOT IRON DECORATION. DO NOT DRY CLEAN IF DECORATED. RN 13765. LAVAR A MAQUINA O A MANO CON AGUA FRIA. LAVAR COLORES OSCUROS SEPARADAMENTE. USAR BLANQUEADOR SIN CLORO SI ES NECESARIO. SECAR A TEMPERATURA BAJA. NO PLANCHAR LA DECORACION. NO LAVAR EN SECO SI ES DECORADE. RFC DFL-921106-CT1. LAVER A LA MACHINE A L’EAU FROIDE. LAVER LES COULEURS FONCEES SEPAREMENT. UTILISER UN JAVELLISANT SANS CHLORURE SEULEMENT SI NECESSAIRE. SECHER A BASSE TEMPERATURE. NE PAS REPASSER LES IMPRIMES. NE PAS NETTOYER A SEC SI DECORE. CA 18345.

Maidenform ®. Body & Lace/Corps et Dentelle/Cuerpo y Encaje: 84% Nylon/Nylon/Nilon, 16% Elastane/Elastane/Elastano. Made in China/Fait en Chine/Hecho en China. 7749/SCC. RN# 27701. 38C/85. 107 357.

OLD NAVY. GENUINE ITALIAN LEATHER. CUIS VERRABLE. MADE IN U.S.A. FABRIQUE AUX ETATS UNIS. RN# 54023. CA# 11897.

12 REG. RN 54485. CA 03873. MADE IN HONG KONG. FABRIQUE A HONG KONG. 99% COTTON 1% SPANDEX. 99% COTON 1% SPANDEX. MACHINE WASH COLD WITH LIKE COLORS. USE ONLY NON-CHLORINE BLEACH WHEN NEEDED. TUMBLE DRY LOW. REMOVE PROMPTLY. COOL IRON IF NEEDED. OVER/VERSO. LAVAR A LA MACHINE A L’EAU FROIDE AVEC DES COULEURS SEMBLABLES. UTILISER SEULEMENT UN AGENT DE BLANCHIMENT NON CHLORE AU SESOIN SECHER PAR CULBUTAGE A BASSE TEMPERATURE RETIRER DES QUE SEC REPASSER A TEMPERATURE BASSE AU BESOIN.

AMERICAN EAGLE OUTFITTERS. Low rise. L/G. RN 54485. CA 03873. 93% COTTON/COTON. 7% SPANDEX. Exclusive of Decoration. Sans les Decorations. Made in Macau. Fabrique au Macau. over/verso. Machine wash cold with like colors. Only non-chlorine bleach. Tumble dry low. Cool iron when needed. Lavar a la machine a. Feau froide avec couleurs similaires. Chlorure decoforant seulement. Secher par culbutage a basse temperature. Repasser a basse temperature au besoin.

I copied down every word/letter/number on each label on each item of clothing that I wore on 04/08/08.

Uncreative Writing - Class Blog

I believe a creative work must be an original piece or it could use previously created works and publish them in a way that is the author's own. (Sort of like flarf or book arts.) I believe that an original work can never be considered uncreative because it is something new that the author had to create. I just see this as an impossible feat. However, I think uncreative and creative can be quite ambiguous terms because some uncreative writing can be pretty creative. For example, if someone took a previously written work and treated the text, that seems like it could be a piece of uncreative writing as well as a new and creative work.

Writing Response: Why the Book?

For today's project, I decided to do a rendition of treated text like "A Humument". I had a lot of fun doing it. The text that I decided to "treat" was a lab from my ecology class. The lab is designed for the study of the behavior of squirrels in regards to food foraging and food choice. I thought that this would be a good text to treat because it is completely different from what we are studying in this class. I tried to make every page that I treated show as little relationship with the actual topic of the text as possible. I did a couple pages that are very much like "A Humument" and the others simply pick out words or letters that have to do with the same theme. In my Humument-like pages, it sort of turned out a little bit like flarf because I picked and chose words that created sentences. Some were funny and others I just tried to make them understandable. I hope that what I did is correct.

The Pyramid Atlantic Experience

At first, I was a little skeptical about going to Pyramid Atlantic. I did not like the idea of having to drive up to Silver Spring, Maryland (meaning paying for your own gas money) and then on top of the extreme gas prices that are occurring at this very moment, we had to pay twenty-five dollars just to get in the place. I understood that this fee covered our materials and would also pay the artists that would be helping us there, but I was still upset.

When I turned onto Georgia Avenue, I began my search for the ridiculous red building that is Pyramid Atlantic. Well, let’s just say that even though it was red, I missed it about five times. Then, I had to find parking. Fortunately, there was a parking deck right behind the big red building and it was FREE!!! Molly and I walked up to the building and found a door. Unfortunately, that was the incorrect door because it had a “Please use other door” sign on it. So, we walked around the building again and found the correct door. So far, this trip was not going well.

After I got in the building and started looking around while the staff there was clad in colorful rain boots, I asked myself, “What is this place?”

Fortunately, I had a lot of fun doing all of the planned activities at Pyramid Atlantic. I really enjoyed making my art book. I thought the place was really trendy and must be a fun place to work.

With my art book project, I was not completely sure of what I wanted my book to be about. I kept finding cool things in the recycled paper bin and I was trying to figure out a way to tie everything together. I found some really cool blue paper that was similar to tissue paper. It had flecks of gold in it surrounded by different shades of blue all melted together. Then, I found a card that had a white background with red polka dots. After that, I found some prints of flowers that I wanted to use. Suddenly, I thought of my theme. Things we smell. So, I put together my art book with pictures combined with text of things that we smell. It is cleverly titled, “What a nose… knows. I had a lot of fun putting the rest of the book together. It was pretty easy finding stuff to put in there once I was set on my theme.

I also thought the printing press was really interesting. I really enjoyed putting my text together. It was like putting a puzzle together because you had to find the pieces and then fit them in a way that you are not used to (upside down).

I thought that our “poem” came out pretty well, too. Even though they were randomly selected sentences, the poem sort of makes sense in a very odd and twisted way.

I cannot wait for the handmade paper to come in. I thought that was so cool that we got to make our own paper in really pretty colors. I am so excited to see how they came out.

Overall, I had a great time at Pyramid Atlantic and I really enjoyed learning about art book and printing.