Saturday, January 27, 2007

As We May Think

"As We May Think" is an essay, to me at least, to thank Science and appreciate the intellect of man-kind. Written in 1945 By Vannevar Bush, long before computer or internet was invented, this essay was written to purpose an machine named Mimex to help human store and retrieve data in rapid speed.

As Bush stated humans memory and knowledge are vulnerable as our memories are not permanent and if we cannot find a way to store our knowledge, we would not be able to grow from expanding our knowledge only based on our memory. So, there was a need to create Mimex, to not only store a large amount of data into tiny space, also select and read these data in high speed and use them to our advantage.

Without Bush's Mimex idea, personal computers probably would not existed. Since a lot of our ideas were invented from expanding and building on an existing idea. The Mimex's influence on personal computers are the same way. Technologies and computers, if used wisely, are built and made to greatly assist human beings lives; we should not fear technologies. Thanks to the invention of the Internet, we are now able to not only store the data, retrieve and share these data on the fly with those who has internet access in the world. I cannot imagine the amount of impact Internet plays in the expansion of future human's knowledge.

Reading this essay that was written back in 1945, Bush was able to predict or foresee the technologies in the future. His essay amuses me and I cannot help myself to think all the new ideas and theories that we have today, such as living in Mars, traveling back in time - maybe, they might all come true. I have yet to hear a machine to operate and react based on total creativity or emotions. And perhaps, this day is not too far. I cannot help myself to fear this type inventions but I guess all things can be evil if used in the wrong way.
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My thoughts on technology


Technology Fast is limiting ourselves from the use of modern technologies and use the basic ways to achieve our objectives. While I understand there are certain reasons for Technology Fast, such as the need of understanding basic ways of doing things or using basic tools to create art that is totally human. Besides the reasons I mentioned, I am not certain on the idea of technology fast.

Technology is human invention aims to make use of our time more efficient and make our lives easier. Cell phones, computer, light bulbs, even electricity itself are technologies, to me even a piece of charcoal is a product of technology. If I must define, perhaps the use of our hands without the help of any tools such as cooking a piece of meat on fire is not.

Friday Jan 19th

5:30am - Alarm Clock - 10 seconds
5:31am - Turn on Light - 2 hours
5:32am - flush toliet, use water sink/tab - 10 mins
5:42am - Flat Iron - 10 mins
5:43am - TV - 45 mins
5:45am - Microwave - 2 mins
6:45am - Car, travel - 46mins
7:30am - elevator - 3 mins
7:35am - Computer at work - 10 hours
7:35am - light at work - 11 hours
7:35am - refrigrator - 4 hours
8am - phone - 5 mins
11:25am - phone - 3 mins
11:10am- printer - 3 mins
11:55am - Microwave - 6 mins
12:35pm - phone - 2 mins
13:25pm - project - 1 hr 25 mins
13:05pm - phone 4 mins
14:30pm - phone - 10 mins
15:23pm - printer - 5 mins
14:56pm - phone - 2 mins
16:23pm - printer - 2 mins
16:34pm - phone - 3 mins
17:34pm - phone - 7 mins
18:05pm - car/travel - 1hr 25 mins
19:30pm - light - 3 hours
19:33pm - TV - 3 hours
19:45pm - strove, oven - 45 mins
19:45pm - ricecooker - 22 mins
20:45pm - sink - 20 mins
20:45pm - diswasher - 30 mins
21:45pm - bathroom - 30 mins
22:30pm - alarm clock set - 1 mins

I don't believe I can go Techology Fast for longer than 1 hour. My day-to-day life/survival from eating, traveling, getting warm, making money, are all heavily involved technologies. I think the only way I can prepare myself for a techology fast is to study history and learn how human used to live in a cave.
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Response to Total Artwork

Richard Wagner's Total Artwork concepts has broaden my idea of multimedia beyond computer and user interaction. Wagner created the Festpielhaus Theater with creating great impact and experience on his audiences in mind. By integrating all art elements and paying equal attention all from lighting, sound, poetry to actors and stagecraft, he was able to utilize these arts and delivered full range of human experiences.

Computer graphics and multimedia applications such as Director, Photoshops are tools/components just like music instruments and script in a theater, but what matters the most are what we create with these tools and how we utilize them to achieve our objects.
From Wagner's idea, I have learned that in order to give my audience great impact from my ideas, I must put equal amount of considerations and designs into every single elements within my work.

In computer multimedia, all elements within the application should be considered. From my choice of music, background settings, tempo, to where the user interactions should happen and when they should happen, all these components will greatly effect the final delivery of realistic experience of my application to users.
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