transmediale 2008, la fin de revver, les auteurs de jeu vidéo, etc.
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CULTURE Review of transmediale.08 - CONSPIRE
transmediale.08 invited attendees to "conspire" and, over the course of the festival, the possibilities inherent in this invitation were thoroughly explored. From semi-secret off-site events to the constantly idling black cars at the entrance to invoking the name of the mysterious Bilderberg Salon to key works in the exhibition and topics in the conference, the many nuances of the theme presented themselves with clarity and consistency. Some of the themes discussed in the conference were perennial topics such as privacy, war, and fear. Others were more timely, like web 2.0, (or 3.0 as the case may be), copyright issues, and the current political climate. The panel "Embedding Fear: The Internet And The Spectacle Of Heightened Alert" launched the series of talks and was particularly timely in its expression of the irrational paranoia driving the current emphasis on security and national attempts to prevent terrorism. Moderator Brian Holmes laid bare this paranoia by quoting a hawkish blog, which warned of "the ability of one man to declare war and win", and by quoting military strategist Thomas Barnett, who suggested that one aim of the American military should be to develop the ability to "find, recognize, and kill one person." To lift a phrase from Michelle Teran's presentation in the Web 3.0 panel, these quoted statements could easily be described as "ethically fragile".  Teran also noted in her discussion of game theory developed by scholar Brian Massumi that what is key is "pushing the rules without breaking them." Game play is a strong way of contextualizing the transmediale.08 theme, particularly as it pertains to conspiracy among the powerful and wealthy. The game of international politics and trade goes by its own rules, and while we - artists, scholars, and activists - may push the rules, breaking them interrupts game play, and therefore has harsh consequences. Knowing the rules and streamlining one's behavior to fit snugly within them was a strategy highlighted in Naeem Mohaiemen's presentation, where he described how, when crossing borders, he smiles and says "hey how's it going?" to border guards, wears a bright, cheerful scarf, and makes sure his iPod earphones are dangling "jauntily". A lighter tone emerged in several other presentations, especially the inaugural lecture by Marshall McLuhan at the Canadian embassy. Canadian architecture historian and critical theorist Alberto Perez-Gomez invited attendees to "conspire" by thinking critically, trusting our perceptions, and allowing imagination to triumph over plodding utilitarianism. His elegant lecture provided a counterpoint to equally legitimate but darker visions, finding hope in the words of Socrates and other philosophers that have withstood the test of time. The keynote by artist and experimental architect Einar Thorsteinn was refreshingly candid and casual, and also provided a healthy dose of hope delivered in the form of practical advice. To a roomful of seated attendees, many with laptops open, he offered evidence that nerve connections in the human brain develop as a result of physical action, and noted that it is "just not enough to push a mouse." By showing dozens of images of the physical things he has created, his presentation served to underline the point that we can be energized and advance further through acts of creation, and provided a firm endorsement for the acts of artists in their studios.  The exhibition and lounge space at the House of World Cultures hummed with activity and, again, mostly evoked a sense of warning and caution. The clusters of works made clear that whether you are in a conspiratorial pact or being conspired against, you are delivered equal measures of fear. Symbology (2006) by Trevor Paglen untangled the warring desires of military pride and secrecy. A framed series of patches, worn by members of the American military engaged in secret activities, illustrated the stark visual identities of these shadowy projects. One patch, white on black and bearing a large question mark in the center, was also inscribed with N.O.Y.F.B ("None Of Your F****** Business"). PleaseSpam.Us (2007) by Jonah Brucker-Cohen in the lounge space offered a space for participants to suggest people worthy of being sent spam, along with justifications for doing so. The PleaseSpam.Us website acts as a locus for conspiring against those who have been deemed to have done wrong, and revealingly, the President of the United States is at the top of the list of potential spam recipients. LADOMIR AB 7th SURFACE (2008) by Marko Peljhan, meant to represent a "spatial and temporal topography of zones that define the Makrolab project," was a beautiful object consisting of glass plates inscribed with symbols, images, and text. The layering of the plates made reading the material more difficult, and this visual palimpsest effectively evoked the density and complexity of the project. LADOMIR AB 7th SURFACE stood out as an example of how several works in the exhibition and lounge acted almost as cryptography, presenting pieces of evidence that may be decoded by some and not others. The curatorial theme was well-served by the inclusion of these works, which emphasized the ability of all art forms, but particularly digital art, to cloak its intentions, background, and references when and if necessary. Nowhere was the demonstration of the conference theme stronger than in the events which took place off-site. The creators of "the Moving Forest" (directed by Shu Lea Chang and Martin Howse) literally invited attendees to conspire along with them through an epic twelve hour, five act sonic performance using WiFi and mobile technology. A mysterious base was set up in the House of World Cultures, with PD patches being tweaked, equipment being distributed, and various agents prowling about. As part of one of the acts, participants armed with what the artists described as "radio guns" stormed landmarks and maneuvered through the city. As an exclusive event to transmediale.08, the Urban Media Salon acted as a platform for discussion and exchange, but fittingly operated largely under the radar. Locations for the salons, hosted in private apartments, were revealed at the last minute, and guests were invited to share meals with other participants. Conversation flowed, and new bonds were formed over discussion of not only the transmediale.08 events but also other diverse topics that emerged over the course of the evening. Sitting at the dinner table in a stranger’s apartment, I experienced the strongest sense of potential for the conspire theme. Conspiracy in action, after all, can only happen behind closed doors, at a series of intimate gatherings scattered across the city, in locations that were learned a few hours before and scrawled on a scraps of paper, to be forgotten later. Overall, the tone was sombre indeed, but also bubbling underneath was a call to arms: if "they" can conspire in seats of government and corporate boardrooms, we also can meet and conspire to advance our own objectives. - Michelle Kasprzak Michelle Kasprzak is an artist, writer and curator. Her practice in these three areas is primarily focused on artistic activities that incorporate technology, with coincident interests in performativity and site-specificity. She is currently based in Edinburgh, UK, and is the Program Director of New Media Scotland. • Email to a friend • Related • We've lost a giantPosted by Vint Cerf, Chief Internet Evangelist • Email to a friend • Related • Moore: "I Am Morally Prohibited From Voting For Hillary"Michael Moore on Larry King the day after Super Tuesday 2008: "I am morally prohibited from voting for Hillary in the primaries because of her war votes, I mean that not as a personal attack against her, but I simply can't side with somebody who participated, whether willingly or unknowingly, as she claims, in something that has been so evil." Watch it:
    • Email to a friend • Related • Barack Obama Beating Hillary Clinton In Intrade Prediction MarketIn the wake of Super Tuesday voting, the Obama campaign has recieved a bump from the Intrade prediction markets. For the first time since the day before the New Hampshire primary, Sen. Barack Obama leads Sen. Hillary Clinton in the Intrade Prediction Market, a political futures trading exchange. On February 6, the Illinois Democrat closed the day priced at levels that give him a 53.7% chance of winning the nomination. His counterpart, in contrast, closed out with a 47% chance. Yesterday, Clinton's probability hovered in the low 60s. Intrade markets, for those unfamiliar, are aggregations of public perceptions. They tell you not whether Obama or Clinton is more electable, but whether or not people think they are electable. And while a reliance on collective wisdom can often prove wrong (Obama, after all, was predicted on Intrade to win the New Hampshire primary), oftentimes it is right. In 2006, Intrade markets foretold every individual Senate race result, though its traders predicted the GOP would keep the Senate. Below is the Intrade chart showing how the Democratic candidates' perceived electability has fluctuated over the last year. It's interesting to note that Al Gore's electability remains stronger than John Edwards', even though he never declared his candidacy.
Below is the Intrade chart for the Republican candidates' perceived electability. John McCain's chances have dived and resurged tremendously over the last year. In the last month - no doubt due to string of powerful primary wins, strong endorsements, and Rudy Giuliani's exit - he has managed to break from the pack. As of today, McCain has a staggering 93% chance of winning.
    • Email to a friend • Related • Data retention in IrelandPosted by Iarla Flynn, European Policy Manager - Ireland Edward Tufte's Information Age Rocketship [Art]
Rocket Science is ~32 feet (10 meters) high and ~72 feet (22 meters) long, and is constructed from ~48,000 pounds (22,000 kilograms) of rusting scrap steel . . . The RS symmetry about a central axis combined with the crew headquarters in a capsule at the top is likely the best design for space vehicles (Apollo, and the new post-Shuttle generation of space vehicles carrying humans--Constellation, Ares, Orion). Such symmetry is contrary to the design of the current Shuttle (with its pretend airplane) that has contributed to its chronic difficulties. Better also to place the crew at the top end of the rocket, in front of the launch debris-shower in an unromantic capsule (no landings by astronaut commanders) as is the case for Apollo and the forthcoming Orion/Ares. Thus, RS has the symmetric architecture for the vehicles of the future but RS is crudely assembled, amateur rocket science.Here's a picture of Mike Nitowski, the welder who implemented Tufte's design, looking like a hot commie worker.  And here's the extremely cool shadow cast by the rocket, which Tufte says he'd hoped for, but was surprised by anyway. 
Gore Verbinski: Game Industry Needs 'Auteurs'
Delivering the keynote address at the DICE Summit in Las Vegas, thePirates Of The Carribean director said that control of what goes into videogames needs to be determined by a few creative minds, not by executive decision. He was quick to slam the videogames that were made alongside his movies. "We created value out of nothing, and then I watched as they created nothing out of value," he said of the games based on the Pirates films. Verbinski said that he was pushing for a massively multiplayer online version of Pirates to coincide with the films' release, but "it wasn't in their business plan," he said to an audience mostly comprised of game industry executives. "They actually contractually come under merchandising, they're considered the same as a poster or a wind-up doll." Speaking softly and looking down at the podium, Verbinski nonetheless had some fiery words for the suits in the crowd. His message was that they needed to get out of the creative process and let the talent take over. "On a design level, you need someone to carry the vision. It is time for the auteur of gaming." "Homogenization of voice," he said, is the biggest issue facing the industries today. As a director, "I fight tooth and nail for my opinion because I cannot stand watching a film that has too many of them," he said. Game designers' ideas should make executives "shit themselves," he added. Verbinski called himself a "gamer," but said that over the last few years, when he was making five different movies back-to-back, he hadn't been playing games. But after finally recently picking up a game controller again, he was disappoined in what he found. "Games are no longer dismissable by those who call it a hobby," Verbinski said. "Yet it is so full of potential, and therefore so empty." Verbinski referenced the evolution of the film greenlighting process, which he says has become more "stifled and derivative" over time. He told the DICE attendees to avoid "stasis" -- "How many games have you seen that look too similar?" Bland licensed titles are "flooding your market," he said. "Our audience wants us to surprise them. They demand it of us. When they see something that's new, they will champion it because they discovered it," he said. Interestingly, Verbinski's comments echoed a lot of the things that Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto said during his keynote at GDC last year, and indeed has been saying for a while: "The audience wants us to give them what they can't imagine," Verbinski said, noting that audiences don't know what they want until a creative vision surprises them. "Data is not the villain: It is the statistician who cannot see that the sample group is too narrow to draw an accurate conclusion," he said. Ultimately, Verbinski seemed positive on the potential future of games as a medium. "We're influencing each other," he said of games and film, "and that is exciting and dangerous and in fact a little bit mad." But, he said, "this is a time for madness, a time to go down dark alleys." And yet even though the assembled crowd seemed to be completely behind Verbinski's points, it was clear that with his personal experience with the game industry he was directly confronting many of them and their business plans. "Let's not make games that remind us of a better version of the same thing. There is so much potential in this room. You haven't even scratched the surface of what is possible in terms of the human experience," Verbinski said. "We are at the precipice, and an epiphany is about to occur."        Super Tuesday infographics survey
btw: infosthetics is also looking for some footage of CNN's "Magic Wall". did it demonstrate how multi-touch interaction can augment information visualization? [link: livollmers.net]  Google Docs Gets Forms, More Access Like Little By Little
The new service allows users to add data to a spreadsheet without having to enter it directly into the spreadsheet itself, or having to log in to add the data. A form can be set up to include the specific fields, then a link is offered to the form itself. One obvious use for the feature would be to conduct a survey. The forms are not embeddable as yet, however data can be extracted via RSS feed. Although still far from becoming a competitor to Microsoft Access, this basic functionality will appeal to those who use Access as a glorified spreadsheet with forms for data entry, which at least in my previous workplace experience, its a decent portion of Access users. Here’s hoping that SQL querying might come next. Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.      Revver cherche un repreneur désespérément avant le terminus
CNET relate que le site de partage de vidéos, Revver tente de trouver un acquéreur pour $300 000/500 000, un prix dérisoire vu le montant total de fonds levés, $12,7 millions. La société traverse une période plus que difficile, avec plus de la moitié du personnel qui est partie au cours des 18 derniers mois et des dettes qui approchent le million de dollars. Jusque là , la société n’a pas réussi a trouver un acheteur même à un prix très bas. LiveUniverse et Microsoft Soapbox (MSN video) ont considéré le rachat mais sans donner suite. Dernier baroud d’honneur pour Revver? cela y ressemble fortement Promo: Gagnez une XBox et 200 euros sur Zlio        Slide Set to Release Official MySpace Apps
Slide, the photo slide show creator, announced early this morning that it will be launching a number of new applications on the new MySpace Developer Platform. They were in attendance last night during an event held for developers at the MySpace offices in San Francisco, where they along with several other companys, gave demonstrations of applications currently under development. The applications currently slated for near term launch on the new MySpace platform are the SuperPoke and FunWall applications, currently available on the Facebook platform as well. Slide applications will have real estate in five places within MySpace including: * A MySpace application profile (users can “friend†the apps) For a company that made its bones on the MySpace network, it isn’t surprising to see it jump first on the new developer platform. What we’d like to see (and it isn’t clear yet whether or not this functionality is included yet or is even slated for inclusion) is that the data we have on our Facebook installation of our Slide apps carry over to our MySpace versions, truly adding value to the equation.      Browse Front Pages Worldwide at the Newseum [News Aggregation]
Today's Front Pages [Newseum]     Huge night for ObamaObama has, at this point, won 11 states, of 22 in play. Worst-case scenario, he's already won half. If he picks up Alaska, which I suspect he will, he wins the battle of the states. California is looking like it might head SUSA's way, so that'll be good news for Hillary. But the rest of the night is bleak. She didn't exceed expectations anywhere. She lost states she led big in just a few weeks ago. She's hurting for money. The calendar up ahead is tailor made for Obama. The momentum is there. And hey, look at that -- Obama just took the lead in Missouri. The rest of the counties are Hillary counties, so this might still swing back her way. But wow, did the morons who called this one early at MSNBC and Politico blew this one. Update: Never mind, Boone is out, it's a college town, and Obama leads 61-36 with only a quarter in. Obama wins Missouri. Update II: Can people please stop saying certain pollsters are good or bad depending on whether they agree with the results? SUSA was awesome (as usual) and Zogby sucked (as usual). I'll analyze some of the others in the coming days.   |
Edward Tufte is the guy who summed up the field of information design in one amazing book, The Visual Display of Quantitative Information. He's also a sculptor, and last year conceived this behemoth scrap steel piece, called Rocket Science. This is the giant nose of it. Want to see the rest?
Tufte says:
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