aRt on an iPod

Have you ever heard of using an iPod for art? Creating pictures that look like they were painted with paints and a brush when in fact they were all created with one finger on an iPod just amazes me. Artist David Lasnier replied when asked how long it takes him to make his paintings: "About one hour; for me, it's hard to spend more time on it" (http://www.wired.com/culture/art/multimedia/2009/02/gallery_brushes). In an hour a masterpiece can be created!

This made me wonder: what would great artists such as Michelangelo and Raphael say about this? Would they approve of this new way of creating master pieces? Artists were always learning more and more about how to make the best paintings. They were progressive and learned about perspective and making realistic paintings. During the Renaissance they thrived on what was new and better. Would they think that this was new and better? Or would they feel like they were being jipped?

In a way I could see them being excited about this new invention. A simpler way to create something just as good. On the flip side I could easily see Michelangelo going, "I didn't finish the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel 'in one hour because it's hard to spend more time on it'! I spent multiple hours and had to stop because it was physically straining to spend more time on it!"

As with most technology there are pros and cons. This new form of art is really captivating and unique, but I can't help but thinking that artists may think that this isn't truly art...

Torn opinions.

I Must Be Under a Rock...

I have never heard of Creative Commons or Magnatune. Apparently this means I "must be under a rock". Regardless I'm slowly coming out from under my rock, and I'm learning quite a bit specifically about Creative Commons and Magnatune this week.

I was really impressed with Creative Commons. I like that it "allows them [artists] to retain their rights to the creative works, striking a balance between ownership, credit and use" instead of feeling like they have to give up their rights completely. I also think it's really cool that they're a non-profit organization. They seem like they really care about artists and gaining exposure. Creative Commons is flexible by offering several license options, but they also are acutely aware of what's legal and what isn't. I'm really glad that Creative Commons is in existence, and I am happy to learn about it.

I'm excited this week in general to be learning about artists works. I love how Magnatune recognizes that musicians do not always have money, and "they should keep their rights to their music" (Buckman). Music is a huge industry that is continually growing in the U.S. John Buckman shared that in the U.S. we have a "12 billion dollar industry"--that's huge! Magnatune is a great way to keep the industry going while not depriving artists of their music and money. I like that they focus on music that isn't mainstream. Magnatune wants to listen to alternative music that people can't find as easily and get it out in the world.

I'm definitely a fan of Magnatune now and its "open music sharing community"(Buckman). I'm glad to be out from under my rock!

Check out these sites to learn more and listen to the interview with John Buckman:

http://www.rss-specifications.com/creative-commons.htm

http://www.rulesfortherevolution.com/2007/07/10/episode-017-the-record-company-that-is-not-evil/

Ohhh Kevin

I love this guy. I think Kevin is really smart, he knows what's up, and he explained what my cloud will look like in the future in a way I can understand. While I enjoyed what he had to say, he also reinstalled fear into my life. It's scary to think how much The Cloud consumes my life especially because "in 5,000 days all this stuff has come and we would have said it was impossible" if someone had tried to explain The Cloud to us 10 years ago. We can open out laptops, cell phones, iPods, etc. and have the world right there. It's really unbelievable. Kevin said that "it's amazing and we're not amazed", and I have to agree. I know that I personally never really think about how incredible this is.

I am able to manage my life all by clicking on a link. This also struck me as a concern. Kevin made three points and the one that I focused on the most was "co-dependency". We are co-dependent on our clouds. When I think of co-dependent I do not think of it in a positive light. We are what make up The Cloud and the web. Doesn't that scare you? We're becoming one and soon will rely solely on the cyberworld. We don't even have to remember things and we lack responsibility because we know "we'll just Google it". I know that it's true that "we are going to be the machine", but I don't know if I'm ready to face that reality...

Week Two-My Cloud?

I have never heard of this "cloud" until now. I am so surprised by the cloud I have. Media is a major part of my life, more than I realized. In one way I'm pleasantly surprised because I'm finding more and more why this class is so important. In the other way I'm a little scared that my life revolves around media so much...

I do not play games online, but I do have a social network (Facebook), I heavily rely on my email for work, relationships, and my social life, and I use it to manage my finances and school.

Five years ago my Web 2.0 experience was not this deep. I still used email and Facebook, but I really didn't use the Web beyond that. Now I depend on it! If I wasn't able to use the Web I wouldn't be going to school, I'd have to find another, and more difficult, way to manage my finances, and I wouldn't keep in touch with so many people.

This cloud is reassuring and frightening all at once!!!

Week One of Multimedia...

So I already posted in the wrong spot!!!

Here's what I posted originally in the incorrect location...

My goals for this class are:

1. To pass with an A (or a B) and learn as much as possible
2. To become more tech savvy
3. To not be so scared of computers and other multimedia tools

I'm really anxious about this class because I'm not very tech saavy. I have taken many online classes, and I find that they're definitely harder than onsite classes. This combination just leads to anxiety no matter what. I think once I become more familiar with the setup and schedule of this class the less I will worry about my lack of computer (technology) smarts.

Thankfully I have already dabbled in blogging before this class. I'm still anxious though... and already overwhelmed with my classes.