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This is it

this-is-it

This is it – this will be the last brief in the semester.

Wiki Marathon

For week I would like you to work on the wiki and make sure the structure and content of the wiki together with your contribution pages reflects the hard personal and collective work you’ve been doing. I want you guys to do more work earlier and not wait for the last moment on this as collaboration is hard and the process should be given some time to take shape and materialize. Please make sure you make most of your contributions by Saturday and devote Sunday-Tuesday to edit, structure and further substantiate the collective work of the class.

Next week’s reading will focus on the potential (?) of Postnationalism presented by the networked public sphere and on the digital divide through the case study of the OLPC.

Required Reading:

  • Nicolas Negroponte, “Interview with Riz Khan” Al-Jazeera October 2007
    YouTube Preview Image (by the way, Riz’s show is recommended in general)
  • One Laptop per Child Doesn’t Change the World / John C. Dvorak
  • Give me rice, but give me a laptop too / Bill Thompson
  • Frost, Catherine “Internet Galaxy Meets Postnational Constellation: Prospects for Political Solidarity After the Internet” (a pdf will be emailed to you, please do not share, sorry)
  • Sara’s summary + your comment

Recommended Reading:

Sara:

  • Read the essay & articles and view the presentation
  • Optionally Highlight and annotate the reading to help its accessibility for the rest of you.
  • Summarize it for us in a nicely accessible post to be published by Sunday 4pm, ideally running some threads between them.
  • Be prepared to present the article and lead the discussion in class.
  • Think of questions to lead off the discussion
  • Post to del.icio.us some links that expand the discussion either about the text or about key themes in it.
By Mushon 20:00, Dec 8th, 09 4-travelogue brief 6 Comments

Get ready, here it comes / New Media Embed Program

We are reaching the end of our journey(s) and now we want to extract our experience in a constructive way. You have worked to tag your posts and we can already reflect on the topic trends in the tag-cloud and through the (often somewhat obscure) “Possibly Relevant Posts” feature. In these coming two weeks we will all work together to start and complete the New Media Embed Program. For those of you who are fishing for a better grade, this is your bonus round, so leadership and good work on this class assignment will be appreciated and rewarded.

The New Media Embed Program (a manual)

This one is a group assignment. And by group I mean the whole class. We are going to write a manual for the new media researcher, based on the experiences and themes we have gathered in this class, all in wiki format. I have deliberately not structured the wiki as I want to see how will you guys work together to make the structure emerge from the group activity. What we can expect to have in a manual like this might be (just suggestions, you are welcomed to come up with other ideas):

  • Topics we discussed through readings: trust, community, CBPP, open source, social software, network theory, interface, fun, the long tail, representation/simulation, control, remix culture, game theory, copyright laws, net neutrality…
  • Topics we discussed in class: mash-ups, twitter, religion, Google Wave, Facebook activism, music business, crowdsourcing…
  • Do’s and Don’t for conducting a networked research, posting, commenting, tagging, podcasting, vodcasting, screencasting, interviewing, using rich media, embedding yourself in a media environment, choosing a starting destination…
  • Best practices for travelogues
  • Recap of key travelogues conducted through the semester.
  • What does “New Media” or “Digital Media” stand for anyway?
  • You name it…

To get started:

  • Log in with your username/password from the blog (if you’re not already logged-in, check under the ‘Personal tools’ sidebar)
  • Learn the MediaWiki syntax (if you don’t already know it)
  • To start a new page simply write its name after the tdm/wiki/index.php/_______ and then, when it says the page does not exist yet, edit it to bring it to life.
  • Make sure to link between the pages using this syntax [[Page_Name]] or link to external links (including our blog) using [http://www.somesite.com the text you want to be linked]
  • When saving, write what was the content of your change, so we can easily track it
  • Use the talk pages to coordinate when it makes sense.
  • Track changes through the new sidebar on the blog or through RSS feeds.
  • Enjoy…

Some Tips:

  • We need structure, try to work on the main page to formalize the architecture of the travelogue
  • Feel free to link to currently non-existing pages like that: [[Trust]] if you think it makes sense for someone (maybe even you, but not necessarily you) to write them, and then for someone else to help edit it.
  • Work on pages together, start something, make some subheadings that you think should be filled by someone, invite them to help you, even comment on their posts with something like: “Hey Gordita, I started this page on our wiki about Twitter and I thought you might have a lot to add to it” – that way the wiki will collaboratively evolve.
  • Check out the History pages to see what edits have been made on a page.

* I’m expecting each of you to make at least 35 edits this week, or in other words, make sure you edit so much that you stop counting. This wiki is what we leave behind this class and will be what you take with you from it.

Required Reading:

Recommended Viewing:

For Melissa:

  • Read the articles and view/listen to the presentations
  • Optionally Highlight and annotate the reading to help its accessibility for the rest of you.
  • Summarize it for us in a nicely accessible post to be published by Sunday 4pm, ideally running some threads between them.
  • Be prepared to present the article and lead the discussion in class.
  • Think of questions to lead off the discussion
  • Post to del.icio.us some links that expand the discussion either about the text or about key themes in it.
By Mushon 20:00, Dec 1st, 09 5-New Media Embed Program brief No Comments

Concluding the 4th travelogue and this evolutionary step

Hey guys, the 4th travelogue is working out pretty well I (though we have seen some slow-down on blog activity) think and we will be concluding it in the coming week.

T4 – Final week:

I realize it is holiday weekend, so let’s focus on the concluding post. Either way, each of you please comment 4 times this week on your friend’s posts (including the ones posted only 15 mins ago).

Cleanup:

Since the class will be done in three weeks from now, I want us to do some preparation work towards the final assignment:

  • Click on your author link on our sidebar to review all of your past posts.
  • Make sure that every post is assigned the right category (1-travelogue, 2-travelogue, fyi…)
  • Make sure you are using tags to describe the themes your travelogue deals with (privacy, journalis, uncanny valey, wow gold farming, economics…) feel free to use several tags on any post. Try to use tags that have been used before, this will help us make the tag cloud more representative of what we’ve been doing this semester.
  • I am adding a ‘related posts’ plugin which will do some networking based on the tags that you use, probably between your own posts but possibly between yours and others.

Required Reading:

Recommended Reading:

Lauren:

  • Read the review, the article and watch the talk video.
  • Summarize it for us in a nicely accessible post to be published by Sunday 4pm, ideally running some threads between them.
  • Be prepared to present the article and lead the discussion in class.
  • Post to del.icio.us some links that expand the discussion either about the text or about key themes in it.

Enjoy!

By Mushon 20:00, Nov 24th, 09 4-travelogue No Comments

3rd week of 4th travelogue: Network, Network, Network!

We’re all well ahead in our third and rich travelogue, two weeks in, two more to go + Next week’s subject is Network Theory!

I am not giving you any general instructions this week, as you’re each doing your own thing. I do expect one post from you though, for some it would be a weekly audio / video / visual / locative post, and for some just an update on your longer (video/software…) project (ask me if you feel unsure about what’s expected from you). Either way, each of you please comment 4 times this week on your friend’s posts.

Some important tip for video & audio podcast

  • Video / Audio Formats – iTunes (for both Mac & PC) has an option to ’save for ipod & iphone’ (for video) & to ‘convert to MP3′ (for audio). Both of these options will make your podcasts compatible with most podcasting devices and more accessible by all of us. By the way, to subscribe to our podcast feed use this link with iTunes (or other podcast aggregation): 
    http://cultureandcommunication.org/f09/tdm/feed/podcast
  • Be casual, not too casual – I found that some of you have written your text in advanced and are simply reading it out. It works for some of you (most of you actually), but less for others. On the other hand some of you were making it up as you went, which again, worked for some, not for all. I think the recommendations on this site might be relevant both for screencasts, vodcasts and for podcasts. Either way, building a bullet-pointed scenario cannot be a bad idea, as it would leave you some more freedom from the tight text while keeping you on the right track. Remember, you are not making an audio-book.
  • You are beautiful – But ask yourselves, do we really need to see your faces? Maybe we do, but maybe the frame can be better used to support your content visually, screencasts are a good example for that, when they fit. If you don’t really have anything to show, maybe video is not the medium you need, maybe stick to voice only… think about it.
  • Support your media – rich media is rich, but it can’t do everything, for example, it usually cannot link to a site. If you want us to get more informed, link to the relevant content in your posts.
  • Share your experiences – Feel free to comment on this post, or even write a whole new one if you think there are other things you’ve learned that others can enjoy from.
  • Add to the Resources page – Some of the titles there are still unpopulated, we want to document the techniques you are using so they can be shared by all. Please edit the page.

Required Listening + Reading:

Recommended Reading:

Sava:

  • Read the excerpt reviews & response and listen & flip through the slides of the talk.
  • Summarize it for us in a nicely accessible post to be published by Sunday 4pm, ideally running some threads between them.
  • Be prepared to present the article and lead the discussion in class.
  • Post to del.icio.us some links that expand the discussion either about the text or about key themes in it.

Enjoy!

By Mushon 20:35, Nov 17th, 09 3-Travelogue 4-travelogue brief No Comments

Representation, Simulation, Fun & filthy rich media

Ok,

Travelogue

We’re deep in Travelogue 4 with some really fascinating researches proposed and some very interesting ideas for uses of the media. The rich posts are sometimes more time consuming, both on the producer and the consumer, so I want us to have enough time to explore and comment on them. That’s why I recommend you guys to post by Sunday (preferably earlier) and leave Monday and Tuesday for commenting. Here are some optional deadlines:

By Sunday: Post your new rich travelogue post. Remember, the content needs to be mainly non textual. By that I mean, non-typed posts. Verbal podcasts are legit. Including transcripts is more than recommended.

By Classtime: Comment on at least 4 posts. Rich comments are also legit (though not a must).

Skillshare Workshop

We will meet on Thursday, 3:30pm in the conference room in the MCC offices (). Some of the optional things we can discuss:

  • Screencasting
  • Audio recording
  • Podcasting
  • Slidesharing
  • Embedding image galleries in the blog
  • User generated maps
  • How to get your own blog
  • How to find geeky stuff online and make yourself an eternal self-sufficient learner
  • _________

I want this to be a collaborative effort, so please bring your laptops and do some research on the media you might want to use so you can bring some more knowledge into the classroom. Each of you please make sure you have at least one tip to contribute to the class, even if it’s not techie (how

Next Week’s Topic

Required Reading:

(Very) Recommended Listening:

 

Harlo:

  • Read the two articles and listen to the talk.
  • (if you want) Highlight and annotate the article to help its accessibility for the rest of you (one § highlights shift can include more than a single highlight range).
  • Summarize it for us in a nicely accessible post to be published by Sunday 4pm, ideally running some threads between them.
  • Be prepared to present the article and lead the discussion in class.
  • Post to del.icio.us some links that expand the discussion either about the text or about key themes in it.

Play,

Enjoy.

By Mushon 20:00, Nov 10th, 09 4-travelogue how to No Comments

Wed, 7pm: Crowdsourcing Labor – Distributed Democracy or Centralized Sweatshop?

November 11, 2009; 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.
The Change You Want To See – 84 Havemeyer Street, Brooklyn

Stephanie Rothenberg & Jeff Crouse - Invisible Threads

Stephanie Rothenberg & Jeff Crouse - Invisible Threads

Upgrade! NY continues its series on open source as it relates to activism and creative practice.

Within activist and creative practice there is a range of models for mobilizing the labor and creativity of the crowd (aka “crowdsourcing”). Both practices experiment with a spectrum of autonomy and control within those models. From distributed design to distributed fundraising, MoveOn to Mechanical Turk, a crowdsourcer issues a call and creates structure for participation.

What role do individual motivations and collective goals play within these structures? What are the ethical, social and political implications of distributed labor?

Panelists include xtine, artist, educator and creator of the Mechanical Olympics; Jeff Crouse, Eyebeam senior fellow, artist, technologist and co-creator (with Stephanie Rothenberg) of the Invisible Threads virtual jeans factory; and Beka Economopoulos, online organizer, consultant and curator at The Change You Want To See Gallery.

This event will take place at The Change You Want to See, 84 Havemeyer Street, Brooklyn.

Upgrade! NY is co-produced by Eyebeam and Not An Alternative.

This is a prelude event to the conference, The Internet as Playground and Factory: a conference on digital labor at the Eugene Lang College, The New School, New York, NY, November 12-14.

By Mushon fyi No Comments

I CAN HAZ POLLZ

We can now use polls on our site (built in):

Here’s how to use it:

By Mushon 17:59, Nov 5th, 09 how to tools No Comments

Today: BurdaStyle.com – The road to collaborative fashion design

BurdaStyle event poster by Mirna Raduka (AAS Graphic Design student)

BurdaStyle event poster by Mirna Raduka (AAS Graphic Design student)

November 4, 6:30PM
Parsons School of Design, Kellen Auditorium, 66 Fifth Avenue, Room 101, NYC
Web Streaming available during the time of the event

A talk by Nora Abousteit and Benedikta Karaisl

Nora Abousteit and Benedikta Karaisl, founders of Burdastyle.com will share their experience of the past three years–building an active creative community based on open source sewing. The BurdaStyle community consisting of over 260,000 registered members that uploaded almost 25,000 designs.

BurdaStyle is a collaborative DIY fashion platform inspired by the open source philosophy: the sharing of intellectual property and allowing the public to adapt it to their specific needs. BurdaStyle encourages its members to remove copyright restrictions from their designs. These open source sewing patterns are free to be used as the basis for a new design that can later be sewed and even sold by other community members. Nora and Benedikta will share their attempts to balance between open collaboration and authorship – maintaining the relations and connections of each work and its modifications to the members who created it. They will share thier stories, successes and failures attempting to enable a true networked design process by building a platform for sharing instructions and techniques for a creative community. Read More »

By Mushon 09:28, Nov 4th, 09 fyi No Comments

Interface and get rich with your 4th travelogue

Now that we’ve concluded our third travelogue. We can start the fourth, last and richer travelogue.

You already know the drill, you choose an environment and start exploring, trying to surprise yourselves and to come up with new perspectives and understanding of the issues and debates within the new media discourse.

What do I mean by richer? We are going to extend our weapons of choice. I mean we are going to use more than text for our posts:

  • Audio (podcasts)
  • Videos (vodcasts)
  • Slideshows
  • Comic strips
  • Flash animations
  • Software
  • Annotated Maps
  • Annotated webpages
  • Your (rich) medium of choice here

The post itself would use a “rich” medium as its leading medium for the post (with text used to fill in the blanks), the comments are textual.

I want YOU to be the producers of the rich-media you post.

For next week:

  • Choose a subject. If you want our feedback on your ideas, post them by Saturday 4pm, so you can still create the content in time.
  • Post a short introduction post to your travelogue using using the rich format. Try to present both your area of research and the choice of medium.
  • refer to the how-to page to learn more about how to post different stuff. If you have questions, search the web, if the web has answers, share them with us.
  • If you still do not know how to post your thing, email me, I am very open to adding plug-ins to our Wordpress. If you want me to do that, email me after researching the plugins. (I recommend you try to solve things by yourselves prior to asking me for help)
  • I am open to collaborations (as before – in the price of higher expectations).
  • Post 4+ comments to your fellow students posts. Try to give constructive feedback on both content and use of media.
  • Please notice, there’s an interface critique assignment this week too…

Recommended Reading:

Required reading / viewing / assignment:

  • Social networking, new governing By ANDREW RASIEJ & MICAH L. SIFRY
  • Read the summary.
  • View this ShiftSpace presentation (it’s pretty old, and the quality isn’t great, slightly embarrassing, but still…):
    Please enable Javascript and Flash to view this Blip.tv video.
  • Use ShiftSpace to post a critique of an interface. This could be anything from Wikipedia’s editing syntax, through Google Chrome’s Universal Search-bar to lobbying as an interface to democracy. (reading the paper or summery will help you better understand this assignment)
  • Post a permalink to your shift on our blog (as a comment here, or a new post) with a paragraph about your intervention.
    Here’s how you can reach the permalink to your shift:
    shift-permalink

For H-Man & Jason:

  • Read the article, the essay and watch the introduction
  • Summarize it for us in a nicely accessible post to be published by Sunday 4pm, ideally running some threads between them.
  • Be prepared to present the article and lead the discussion in class
  • Post to del.icio.us some links that expand the discussion either about the text or about key themes in it.

Enjoy, and see you next week!

By Mushon 20:00, Nov 3rd, 09 4-travelogue brief 7 Comments

Thursday: Free as in What?

October 29, 2009; 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.
Eyebeam – 540 W21st Street, New York

What do we mean by ‘freedom’? Should Free/Libre/Open Source Software (FLOSS) necessarily be powered by radical politics of ownership and collaboration? Or is the latching of “Free Software” ideological baggage limiting the full transformative power of “Open Source”. How are these questions informed by licenses? Are some licenses more open than others? More ethical than others? This emotional debate has been in the heart of FLOSS from its early days and has created camps and animosities within the community.

Upgrade! NY continues its program series on open source as it relates to activism and creative practice. Join us for a discussion and debate on what constitutes freedom within the Open Source and Free Culture movements. We will examine the strong ideological differences through a provocative panel discussion with Gabriella Coleman and Zachary Lieberman.

Live streaming and live chat will be available during the panel discussion.

Gabriella Coleman

Gabriella Coleman is an anthropologist who examines ethics and online collaboration as well as the role of the law and new media technologies in extending and critiquing liberal values and sustaining new forms of political activism. Between 2001-2003 she conducted ethnographic research on computer hackers primarily in San Francisco, the Netherlands, as well as those hackers who work on the largest free software project, Debian. She is completing a book manuscript “Coding Freedom: Hacker Pleasure and the Ethics of Free and Open Source Software” (under contract with Princeton University Press) and is starting a new project on peer to peer patient activism on the Internet. She is the recipient of numerous grants and awards, including ones from the National Science Foundation, the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the Social Science Research Council.

Zach Lieberman
Zach Lieberman

Zachary Lieberman’s work uses technology in a playful way to explore the nature of communication and the delicate boundary between the visible and the invisible. He creates performances, installations and on-line works that investigate gestural input, augmentation of the body and kinetic response. Recently, he helped create visuals for the facade of the new Ars Electronica Museum, wrote software for an augmented reality card trick, and helped develop an open source eye tracker to help a paralyzed graffiti artist draw again. In addition to making artistic work, Lieberman is a co-creator of openframeworks, a toolkit for creative coding and teaches at Parsons School of Design.

Upgrade! NY is co-produced by Eyebeam and Not An Alternative.

By Mushon 19:04, Oct 27th, 09 fyi No Comments