Slashdot Mirror
Part One: Information Arts
The fusion of culture and technology into sophisticated art forms seems obvious when you think about it. But until now, few people have. Most of society is too busy clucking about how new technologies are stealing credit cards, transmitting smut and rotting young brains.
This fusion, Wilson says, is a signal that views of art and research are evolving, broadening, integrating. As he points out, the arts and the sciences are any culture's two greatest engines: "sources of creativity, places of aspiration, and markers of aggregate identity." Before the Renaissance, they were considered the same thing -- science was called natural philosophy.
In the l960s, philosopher C.P. Snow developed his "Two Cultures" theory -- Snow asserted that those in the humanities and arts and those in the sciences have developed sufficiently different languages and worldviews that they no longer understood one another. Wilson believes that art and science/technology are no longer segregated from one another, and that the Net, the Web and pioneering work by artists and scientists are re-connecting the two, creating a new sphere of culture he calls "Information Arts."
From programming to telecom design, Wilson has brought together the work great artists and thinkers in culture and technology and shown us how they are moving closer together, even in fields like bionics, parapsychology and bioelectricity. Coders are artists, not just scientists. So are Web designers and people who paint genetic portraits.The book takes this fusion and looks at its groundbreaking influence on life, thought, cultural theory and artistic activity.
"Leonardo da Vince is well-known was history's greatest integrator of art and science, " writes Wilson, but he was by no means unique in having interests that spanned art and science. Educated people of his time were expected to. But, says Wilson, by the 20th century, science and art had already become distinct and separate fields.
New inventions have stimulated artistic experimentation in fields such as photography, cinema, sound recording, electrical machines and lights -- think of Brian Wilson, Brian Eno, U2. Wilson writes about how Xerox's PARC initiated an artist-in-residence program called PAIR, an open-ended approach in which artists and scientists and researchers jointly defined a program on culture and/or technology, with the definition of the problem becoming part of the collaboration. The book chronicles scores of other experiments in business, Academe and science labs.
So who cares about the re-connection between culture and technology? Anyone interested in either, really. The most interesting and revolutionary parts of the Net and Web -- coding, gaming, role-playing -- have always drawn on artistic as well as technological sensibilities. And many of us have had the sense that we are witnessing a re-definition of what culture is. That's of equal appeal to people like me, drawn to the culture of technology but not the machinery, and technologists, who love technology but want it to embrace culture and artistry. In subsequent columns, we'll draw from the book to talk about the "information arts," and some of the amazing work occurring now at the intersection of culture and technology.
Next: Research agendas in biology and medicine, especially biology and genetic research.
Nyah!
~ Squeaky Kitsune
piss on you, man.
Katz posting on Troll tuesday. What a fucking idiot.
Flu. Fucking flu. Tips anyone? It's the real deal. I've already doused the mofo with nyquil and gin, to no avail.
Preferences/Exclude Stories from the Homepage/JonKatz... Save... done
Excuse me, sir. Your link seems to log me out from Slashdot instead of directing me to more information about Alan Thicke, plz fix! thnx!
of LSD.
My complaint about Jon Katz:
May I be cynical for a bit? I hope you don't mind,
but with Katz's latest barrage of
malodorous notions, I can't resist the urge to make a
few cynical comments. To get right
down to it, some of the facts I'm about
to present may seem shocking. This
they certainly are. However, it's time that a few
facts had a chance to slip through the fusillade of hype.
What's my problem, then? Allow me to present it
in the form of a question: Where are the people
who are willing to stand up and acknowledge
that Katz, in his infinite wisdom, has decided
to destroy the natural beauty of our parks and forests?
On the surface, it would seem to have something to do
with the way that his whole approach is repugnant.
But upon further investigation, one will find that
by allowing Katz to put mephitic thoughts in our
children's minds, we are allowing him to play puppet master.
As for the lies and exaggerations, Katz's
epigrams are rife with contradictions
and difficulties; they're entirely maladroit,
meet no objective criteria, and are unsuited
for a supposedly educated population.
And as if that weren't enough, if Katz is going to
obstruct important things, then he should at least have
the self-respect to remind himself of a few things: First, a
true enemy is better than a false friend. And
second, many people respond to his debauched vituperations
in much the same way that they respond to television
dramas. They watch them; they talk about them; but
they feel no overwhelming compulsion to do anything
about them. That's why I insist we pronounce the truth
and renounce the lies.
Even people who consider themselves scornful
foolhardy-types generally agree that Katz's slurs
symbolize lawlessness, violence, and misguided rebellion
-- extreme liberty for a few, even if the rest of us
lose more than a little freedom. One might conclude
that Katz is incapable of writing a letter without using
such phrases as "crapulous pop psychologists", "loquacious
exhibitionists", "oppressive personae non gratae", or
some combination thereof. Alternatively, one might conclude
that Katz has a different view of reality from the rest of us.
In either case, if you're not part of the solution,
then you're part of the problem. His historical record of
fickle pleas is clearer than the muddled pronouncements
of his apple-polishers for a variety of reasons. For
instance, the worst sorts of inconsiderate Neanderthals there
are must be treated with political justice, not with
civil justice, as they are sincerely not real citizens. Let me
rephrase that: I wonder if he really believes the
things he says. He knows they're not true, doesn't he?
A complete answer to that question would
take more space than I can afford, so I'll have to give
you a simplified answer. For starters, if
we let him cause riots in the streets, then greed,
corruption, and tribalism will characterize the government.
Oppressive measures will be directed against citizens.
And lies and deceit will be the stock and trade of the
media and educational institutions.
Even Katz's bedfellows couldn't deal with the full impact of
Katz's refrains. That's why they created "Katz-ism," which is
just a garrulous excuse to force square
pegs into round holes. He plans to drag everything
that is truly great into the gutter. He has instructed
his votaries not to discuss this or even admit to his
plan's existence. Obviously, Katz knows he has
something to hide. Most of you reading this letter
have your hearts in the right place. Now
follow your hearts with actions. I have traveled the length and
breadth of this country and talked with the best people. I can
therefore assure you that Katz's artifices cannot stand on
their own merit. That's why they're dependent on elaborate
artifices and explanatory stories to convince us that Katz's
warnings can give us deeper insights into the nature of
reality. We can and we must protect ourselves by any means
necessary against the unrestrained bestiality
of stupid, quasi-macabre paper-pushers. And that's the honest truth.
First STFU, Katz post!
Yeeeehaw!
yeah cmdr_taco and Hemos must have put together a random word generator so it would be interesting read......
Here's why (Deconstructing Katz by Lloyd Wood)
La Fee absinthe. Half a bottle and your flu will go away....
http://www.eabsinthe.com/lafee/
Is Katz is posting using that Afganistani's computer that they dug out from under the chicken coop...
Quality man.
Government of the people, by corporate executives, for corporate profits.
sPh
Am I the only one who is interested in how Slashers respond to Kazt's diatribes, and not what he has to say in his articles?
or, we could all just post extremely off-topic and completely ignore what katz wrote about.
So, how's the weather where you are today? I'm in Buffalo, NY and it's pretty dreary. Damn windy (I can hear it whistling outside my office window) and overcast. Now, I'm not a big warm weather fan, but I'd rather have some snow, since I'm going skiing this weekend. Hopefully there's still some snow out in resort country. That's all for now, since I should get some work done. I'll post back to this thread later on if I have anything else to say. If anyone has any inane off-topic garbage to spew, post here.
do not read this line twice.
if you have a vapourizer use that. your lookign to get the THC but not the tar. Maybe hash would be better but if you have a vapourizer or feel like making one(ie souldering iron and glass jar) they work great at making you feel good even if not better :). the only other thig is time sleep and water. try adn smoke some herb tho.
-
idiot.
who needs REAL stories...
how many good stories were rejected so Katz could have his say?
for more Katz Crap check out this!
Just. Shut. UP.
Yes, Jon, that was the guy from Babylon 5.
sPh
mark as off topic those who do not support Katz... which at the moment there are more -1 ratings than there are 0-5 ratings...
I think you misunderstand me. I was simply stating that instead of the proposed "don't post anything at all" we could just post off-topic. Then I rambled on about the weather and such. I do, however, agree with pretty much all of the points raised thus far in this thread. Katz is a twit, and we shouldn't have to deal with him. Or at least give him his own topic so I can block it in my prefs and never have to see his drivel again.
do not read this line twice.
...take away Katz' posting privledges. Forever.
Why in the hell doy ou mod his opinion down and not the origional post?
All of Katz' articles should be browsed at -1. This is where the good stuff is, given that anyone who posts something that gets modded up is an idiot. Oh and so is Katz.
afraid to use earlier kinds of canvas.
OH MY GOD! The canvas is going to get me on my sleep!
ARGGGHHH!!! THE Canvas from hell! Its Cursed! Its Cursed!
AHH! Canvas Cut! Canvas cut!
The authorities will sure stike me down for using this canvas. Im afraid to use it.
Yeah, canvas killed my great uncle while he was eating a cheesesteak. I now have CANVAPHOBIA
Canvas is naturally scary bcause of limited iron content.
Be afraid of the canvas! it knows where you live!
and what you did last summer!
and last night!
I practice the art of arghcanvasitscaresme.
Go away.
1...."I will NOT get bad luck, lose my friends, or lose my mailing lists if I DON'T forward an email!
2... I will NOT hear any music or see a taco dog, if I DO forward an e-mail.
3...Bill Gates is NOT going to send me money, Victoria Secret doesn't know anything about a gift certificate they're supposed to send me, and Ford will not give me a 50% discount even if I forward my e-mail to more than 50 people!
4...I will NEVER receive gift certificates, coupons, or freebies from Coca Cola, Cracker Barrel, Old Navy, or anyone else if I send an e-mail to 10 people.
5...I will NEVER see a pop-up window if I forward an e-mail.... NEVER!!!!
6...My phone will not MYSTERIOUSLY ring after I forward an e-mail.
7...There is NO SUCH THING as an e-mail tracking program, and I am not STUPID enough to think that someone will send me $100 for forwarding an e-mail to 10 or more people!
8...There is no kid with cancer through the Make-a-Wish program in England collecting anything! He
did when he was 7 years old. He is now cancer free and 35 years old and DOESN'T WANT ANY MORE POST CARDS, CALLING CARDS, or GET-WELL CARDS.
9...The government does not have a bill in Congress called 901B (or whatever they named it this week) that, if passed, will enable them to charge us 5 cents for every e-mail we send.
10..There will be NO cool dancing, singing, waving, colorful flowers, characters, or program that I will receive immediately after I forward an e-mail.
11..The American Red Cross will NOT donate 50 cents to a certain individual dying of some never-heard-of disease for every e-mail address I send this to. The American Red Cross RECEIVES donations.
12....And finally, I WILL NOT let others guilt me into sending things by telling me I am not their friend or that I don't believe in Jesus Christ.
If God wants to send me a message, I! believe the bushes in my yard will burn before He picks up a PC to pass it on!"
Now, repeat this to yourself until you have it memorized, and send it along to at least 5 of your
friends before the next full moon or you will surely be constipated for the next three months and all of your hair will fall out!!!
> >
>
Christ, I get the impression that they are giving bloody moderator points out to any MCSE these days...
Government of the people, by corporate executives, for corporate profits.