http://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=Alex&feedformat=atomDead Media Archive - User contributions [en]2024-03-28T21:37:44ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.25.2http://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Abacus&diff=14123Abacus2012-01-03T00:30:15Z<p>Alex: Reverted edits by Alex (Talk) to last revision by Boaznruth12</p>
<hr />
<div>== A Brief Historical Sketch on the Abacus ==<br />
<br />
[[File:abacus1.jpg|200px|thumb|left|'''“An Ukiyoe woodblock print of the Edo Period (1603-1867) shows a youth calculating on a soroban”''' From “The Abacus Today”, Mathematics in School, 4(5), 1975:19”]]<br />
From a historical point of view, human beings have evolved for many reasons. In thise sense, all materials in our daily life are easily adapted by those who are good at applying brand new technologies. Mathematics is no exception to these undeniable rules. Before accepting these rules, we might have been able to calculate simple things - which included adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing to a certain level - in our head. Beyon the Point, we are still working on a certain level of simple calculation. Even though we could easily have done the calculation in our head, we certainly could not have done it as accurately or as quickly. For some reason, we try to get the correct answer by doing less work.<br />
“Nothing could be further <br />
from the truth. The Abacus is at once one of the oldest, most enduring, and efficient products of the human mind. The Abacus has served mankind well, aiding him in commerce and invention. It is likely that the abacus was developed independently at different times in different civilizations; The Peruvian Indians, for instance, used a form of abacus for rapid calculation even before the arrival of the white man. The results of computation were recorded by knots tied in a cord.” (Haga, 1964:398) According to the Mathematical Association, a brief history of the abacus is as follows. “The principles of Abacus arithmetic were first developed in the Middle East over 5000 years ago by the Sumerian civilization. This civilization was probably the first to develop the subject of mathematics and their sexagesimal number system which is based on 60 is still with us in the way that we measure angles and time” (The Mathematical Association, 1981:2-3)<br />
<br />
[[File:abacus2.jpg|300px|thumb|right|'''“A collection of various types of Abacus is displayed at the Museum of Monetary History in the Fuji Bank’s head office in Tokyo”''' From “The Abacus Today”, Mathematics in School, 4(5), 1975:19]] Through this practice, we could simply get a correct answer through our own cognitions. “In its earliest form the Abacus was probably a sand table with pebbles being used as counters. From this form it evolved to its modern design with beads moving on rods. This version dates from the Greek and Roman civilizations. The Abacus in its various forms continued to be used in Western Europe until the Middle Ages.” (The Mathematical Association, 1981:2-3)<br />
<br />
[[File:abacus3.jpg|400px|thumb|'''“A clerk in the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank''', From “The Abacus Today”, Mathematics in School, 4(5), 1975:19]]In this sense, we may also need to get a sort of advanced tools to aid our insufficient analytical system. Moreover, we take it for granted that we can easily add, subtract, multiply and divide numbers. Today is difficult to find people who use the Abacus for any reason. Especially, it would be difficult to find any institutions who would teach and learn the Abacus. It seems like the heyday of the Abacus was around 1960~1990, before being the computerization of society. Why was the abacus so popular at that time? We are already getting sick of the answer to this question: to provide efficiency at certain levels of calculation.<br />
<br />
Even if the spread of the abacus was focused on Asian cultures, it is not completely. According to Haga(1964:398) “At one time the abacus was used in American schools to teach addition and subtraction. It has much to recommend it; it is pretty much cheap, fast, efficient, and versatile.” Furthermore, “one school in California, the abacus was introduced in all second and third grade classes as part of a project to improve speed and accuracy in the handling of numbers.” (Haga, 1964:398)<br />
<br />
As we could easily assume, we do not think of the Abacus as a technology to improve speed and accuracy in the handling of numbers. It was just one of the many historical tools for numerical analysis.<br />
<br />
== How it works ==<br />
<br />
=== Tell me about Abacus: How to use it? ===<br />
<br />
The Abacus consists of five to seven beads on each row. “Two of the beads are above the bar (upper beads) and five are below the bar (lower beads). The upper beads are worth “5” and the lower beads are worth “1”. Each row represents a decimal place. The right-hand row shows 1s (1 to 9) the second row 10s (10 to 90) and so on. To show a number beads are placed against the bar. “(Maxwell, 1981:3) Unlikely the Chinese Abacus, “the Japanese Abacus has only 1 upper and 4 lowers beads.” (Maxwell, 1981:3) <br />
<br />
[[File:abacus4.jpg|“The component parts of the Chinese Abacus” (Maxwell, 1981:3)]]<br />
<br />
It is because these two beads -- which are located in the most top and bottom -- are not needed at all in terms of the double meaning. Even if the abacus is used to calculate numbers, it is carried out in a series of calculations in terms of “addition and subtraction, simple and long multiplication, and simple and long division, and finding square and cube roots.” (Maxwell, 1981:3)For instructions on how to calculate using the abacus -- see the article [http://www.jstor.org/stable/30213599]. <br />
<br />
[[File:abacus5.jpg|“A Japanese Abacus”, From “The Abacus Today, Mathematics in School, 4(5), 1975:18”]]<br />
<br />
== Remediation ==<br />
<br />
=== Technically Speaking on the Abacus ===<br />
<br />
In an information era, we do not need to take notes or memorize advanced rules,since we can use advanced technologies that provide “efficiency and accuracy”. Experts on the abacus know how to encode each number and could easily get the result as well as we could on a modern calculator.There are some limitations regarding the abacus. It cannot calculate every single number. As we already recognized,the Abacus cannot address unlimited nature of numbers. Even if the abacus has been used such an efficient calculator, it is not good enough to use it today.<br />
<br />
Even professional specialist working with numbers;may not need to purchase a calculator today.Even more advanced tecehnolgies, like Excel and other programs, have calculating systems embedded. [[File:abacus6.jpg|thumb|'''calculator on smartphones''']]Most mobile phone companies a great function on their phones,for exmaple on smart phones. If you are smart phone user, you could get many of versions of calculators at the application store. (See attached images:Calcultators on one of smart phones)<br />
<br />
=== Digital vs. Analog: To Cybernerd ===<br />
<br />
When we work in analog, we must work on with certain level of commitment and performance to get the results. After going Digital, we may just be a "cybernerd."Even if we have to solve a complicated calculation, we do not need to follow rules on the Abacus. It is easy to just 'click' it and there are no more complicated rules. In this sense,going digital means the part of the process that must be perfomed by the user is becoming less and less than before.<br />
<br />
According to Buck-Morss (1989:5), “Benjamin took seriously the debris of mass culture as the source of philosophical truth”(5). “For Benjamin the various remains of nineteenth century culture –buildings, technologies and commodities, but also illustrations and literary texts – served as inscriptions that could lead us to understand in ways in which a culture perceived itself and conceptualized the “Deeper” ideological layers of its construction. As Tom Gunning puts it, “If Benjamin’s method is fully understood, technology can reveal the dream world of society as much as its pragmatic rationalization.” (Huhtamo, 1997:221) <br />
<br />
For those who do formal research on history,they cannot dwell on history itself anymore. “In this sense, history belongs to the present as much as it belongs to the past. It cannot claim an objective status it can only become conscious of its ambiguous role as a mediator and a “meaning processor” operating between the present and the past. “(Huhtamo, 1997:221)<br />
<br />
== Historical "Arbitrary" ==<br />
<br />
=== Between “Obvious” and “Arbitrary”: What is a biased on the Abacus? ===<br />
<br />
<br />
[[File:abacus7.jpg|left|“The component parts of the Chinese Abacus” (Maxwell, 1981:3)]]Usually we have have challenging experiences with different cultures and we little understanding of "otherness." In this sense, we are not deeply aware of why Western writing runs not right to left but left to right unlike Islamic writing styles. We simply take it for granted as our way of living and just apprehend it as “the otherness: which is based upon a totally heterogeneous cultural system.” As we already recognized the former section; “how to use it, there is a certain rule which is absolutely biased upon right-handed men. Figure 2 above let us know the number 6,427. <br />
<br />
Especially, it is obviously good for right-handed people. (See how to multiply on abacus as below)<br />
<br />
“…to multiply one need to know ones multiplication tables and how to add on the Abacus. Simple multiplication is fairly straightforward. One puts the multiplier on the left-hand row to remind one what it is and puts the multiplicand on the right-hand side of the Abacus, <br />
leaving the right-hand row clear. Then multiply the right-hand digit of the multiplicand.Remove this digit and place the product on the right-hand row that you have left clear.Multiply the next digit of the multiplicand.”(Maxwell,1981:4)<br />
<br />
And also in a certain sense, most Asian cultures which have used the Abacus did not much care about left-handed people. What if some little child was left-handed, it is considered an unusual behaviors to fix. In this sense, it is a kind of design convention resulting from the prevalent tendencies of the historical situation. In a common belief in technology, we easily accept technology as a significant force in society. “Referred to as “technological determinism”, this belief affirms that changes in technology exert a greater influence on societies and their processes than any other force.” (Smith, 1994:2) In other words, some sort of “technological determinism” alters the way of thinking within human beings. That paradigm affects the invention of the abacus which is biased for right-handed people.<br />
<br />
=== The Pedagogical action: The “Arbitrary” Effect ===<br />
<br />
Based upon the idea of “Obvious”, Moore (2004) writes which is a quite reasonable statement below:<br />
<br />
“By designating the cultural as arbitrary, Bourdieu reverses the normal perception of things, which is that the sacred objects of high culture are such because of some quality intrinsic to them. From this essentialist point of view they deserve their place and their veneration because of something about them that is ‘real’ – they really are beautiful in the way that knowledge is really true. This, in fact, Bourdieu argues, is an illusion. In truth, the field of culture is arbitrary in that its positions, and the objects that mark them, have no intrinsic justifications or qualities.” (Moore, 2004:447)<br />
<br />
Moreover, Bourdieu and Passeron (1977:5) assert “All pedagogic action is, objectively, symbolic violence insofar as it is the imposition of a cultural arbitrary by an arbitrary power.” With the heyday of the Abacus, we could assert all pedagogic action -- related with making an expert which is good at calculating on the Abacus -– contains entirely motivated and explainable traits unlike “cultural arbitrary”<br />
<br />
== Number Representation ==<br />
<br />
=== Meanings of Skill: Cognitive development Vs. Competition ===<br />
<br />
[[File:abacus8.jpg|thumb|400px|'''A Primary school child at a private lesson''', From “The Abacus Today”, Mathematics in School, 4(5), 1975:19]]Why are primary school students working on the Abacus to acquire a skill? Could we say there is an intended purpose or not? How do we figure out the purpose of training children as “calculation experts”? After reaching a certain degree of level, what dose it mean for the cognition of children? How do we configure out the meaning of the number on the Abacus? These are the questions address in this section.<br />
<br />
If you want to be an expert on the Abacus, you need to be well-trained. According to previous research, “a general orientation toward the study of skills and their development is outlined, in which analyses of representation, transfer, and context are used to explore the consequences of developing a specific skill. This general approach is then applied to the study of abacus training and its implications for school achievement and cognitive development.” (Stigler, Chalip and Miller, 1986: 447) There is no exception to the Abacus as well. To develop these skills, there is no way to publicize the abacus as much as possible at the governmental level. (see a picture as below)<br />
<br />
[[File:abacus9.jpg|thumb|left|'''“The Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s examination for soroban(The Japanese Abacus) grade certificates.”''' From “The Abacus Today”, Mathematics in School, 4(5), 1975:19”]]<br />
“Indeed, in Japan, where abacus lessons are mandatory for third and fourth grades of the primary school, a skilled student can add and subtract faster than by press the buttons, the light wooden beads have been skillfully flicked to give the answer. To gain high skill in the use of the abacus, Japanese children attend private schools and take nationally organized examination” (The Mathematical Association, 1975:18) Even though, slementary schools in Japan have a mandatory course just for the Abacus, it is not good enough for making abacus experts. <br />
<br />
Some students who pursue additional training attend after school classes as private lessons. As we get a sense of the competition, “Children who pursue this additional abacus training use their skill primarily for competition, both national and international.”(Stigler, Chalip and Miller: 1986:448) <br />
<br />
According to Spitzer (1942:450-451), there are absolutely significant characteristics related to the representation of quantities on the abacus.<br />
<br />
* “The markers (beads) can be used to represent various concrete objects – to aid the children secure an understanding of these efficient abstract uses of number.”<br />
* “The value of a number depends on its position – “consider how much more easily position can be explained on abacus.”<br />
* “Closely associated with the ideas discussed in the preceding paragraphs is the abacus can be used to illustrate, namely, the idea of a place-holder or the function of zero.”<br />
* “The number system illustrated by the abacus is the idea of collection.”<br />
* “The use of the abacus is teaching is to illustrate the true nature of carrying and borrowing.”<br />
<br />
Even if the Abacus itself is significant to develop cognitive systems, it is not good enough as times go by. As technologies show us what efficiency is.<br />
<br />
== Conclusion ==<br />
<br />
=== Where do media go to die? ===<br />
<br />
“In this sense, I would like to review Michel Foucault’s determination “to substitute for the enigmatic treasure of ‘things’ anterior to discourse, the regular formation of objects that emerge only in discourse.” (Foucault, 1982:47) Furthermore, Huhtamo(1997:222-223) also asserts “these ‘discursive object’ can, with reasonable purpose, claim a central place in the study of the history of media culture.” and then “Kittler traces the gradual shift form one discursive system to another, drawing on a great variety of inscriptions.” Moreover, “Registering false starts, seemingly ephemeral phenomena and anecdotes about media can sometimes be more revealing than tracing the facts of machines that were patented, industrially fabricated and widely distributed in the society – let alone the lives of their creators – if focus is on the meanings that emerge through the social practices related to the use of technology.” (Hugtamo, 1997:223)<br />
<br />
Especially, Marvin asserts “Media are not fixed object: they have no natural edges. There are constructed complexes of habits, beliefs, and procedures embedded in elaborate cultural codes of communication. The history of media is never more or less than the history of their uses, which always lead us away from them to the social practices and conflicts they illuminate.” (Marvin, 1988:8)<br />
<br />
To better explain what I have, we could assert the abacus is not used anymore, and also it seems like almost dead and we do not see a variety of remediated ones. Weinberg (1991:43) asserts as below:<br />
<br />
“Technology has expanded our productive capacity to greatly that even though our distribution is still inefficient, and unfair by Marxian perspective, there is more than enough to go around. Technology has provided a “fix” – greatly expanded production of goods – which enables our capitalistic society to achieve many of the aims of the Marxist social engineer without going through the social revolution Marx viewed as inevitable.”<br />
<br />
Through this Weinberg’s argument, “technology has provided a “fix.” (Weinberg, 1991:43) Technology lets us have efficiency and accuracy without work being performed by the user. But it is too optimistic to overview what technologies have done until now. We should consider what representational characteristic practices are still used and apply to brand new artifacts that satisfy many of users. In the case of the abacus, we needed to work on encodding and decoding to get the result as possible, yet remediated forms of calculations may no longer have an encoding and decoding process. For some reasons, the transparency may no longer be available on calculators these days, yet it must be definitely a well-organized black box. The whole process of remediation lets us have a survived medium in media ecology without any special encoding/decoding efforts by users.<br />
<br />
== Works Cited ==<br />
<br />
* Bourdieu,P.and Passeron,J.-C.''Reproduction in education, society and culture'',London, Sage.1977,p.5.<br />
<br />
* Buck-Morss, Susan. The Dialectics of Seeing:Walter Benjamin and the Arcades Project, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1989, p.ⅸ<br />
<br />
* Foucault, Michel.'' The Archaeology of Knowledge'', A.M. Sheridan Smith, trans. (London, Tavistock, 1982) p. 47.<br />
<br />
* Haga,Enoch J. Don't write off the Abacus, The Clearing House, 38(7), 1964,p.398.<br />
<br />
* Huhtamo, Erkki. ''From Kaleidoscomaniac to Cybernerd: Notes towards an Archaeology of the Media'',THE MIT Press, 30(3), 1997. 221-224.<br />
<br />
* Marvin, Carolyn. ''When old technologies were new: thinking about Electric Communication in the Late Nineteenth Century'',New York and Oxford; Oxford Univ. Press, 1988, p8.<br />
<br />
* Maxwell,R.Perveval.The Chinese Abacus,'' Mathematics in School'', 10(1),1981,2-5.<br />
<br />
* Miller,Kevin F. Stigler, James W.Meanings of Skill:Effects of Abacus Expertise on Number Representation, ''Congnition and Instruction'', 8(1), 1991,29-67<br />
<br />
* Moore, Rob. Cultural Capital:Objective Probability and the Cultural Arbitrary,''British Journal of Sociology of Education'', 25(4),2004,445-456<br />
<br />
* Smith, Merritt Roe, and Marx, Leo.''Does Technology Drive History? The Dilemma of Technological Determinism'', The MIT Press,1-35. <br />
<br />
* Spitzer,Herbert F. The Abacus in the Teaching of Arithmetic, ''The Elementary School Journal'',42(6),1942,448-451.<br />
<br />
* Stigler,James W. Chalip, Laurence, and Miller, Kelvin F. Consequences of Skill:The case of Abacus Training in Taiwan, ''American Journal of Education''. 94(4), 1896,447-479<br />
<br />
* The Mathematical Association. The Abacus Today, ''Mathematics in School'', 4(5),1975,18-19.<br />
<br />
* Weinberg, Alvin M.'' Can Technology Replace Social Engineering?,Controlloing Technology:Contemporary Issues'',1991,286-290.<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Dossier]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Fall 2010]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Education]]</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Abacus&diff=14122Abacus2012-01-03T00:29:56Z<p>Alex: </p>
<hr />
<div>== A Brief Historical Sketch on the Abacus ==<br />
<br />
[[File:abacus1.jpg|200px|thumb|left|'''“An Ukiyoe woodblock print of the Edo Period (1603-1867) shows a youth calculating on a soroban”''' From “The Abacus Today”, Mathematics in School, 4(5), 1975:19”]]<br />
From a historical point of view, human beings have evolved for many reasons.. In thise sense, all materials in our daily life are easily adapted by those who are good at applying brand new technologies. Mathematics is no exception to these undeniable rules. Before accepting these rules, we might have been able to calculate simple things - which included adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing to a certain level - in our head. Beyon the Point, we are still working on a certain level of simple calculation. Even though we could easily have done the calculation in our head, we certainly could not have done it as accurately or as quickly. For some reason, we try to get the correct answer by doing less work.<br />
“Nothing could be further <br />
from the truth. The Abacus is at once one of the oldest, most enduring, and efficient products of the human mind. The Abacus has served mankind well, aiding him in commerce and invention. It is likely that the abacus was developed independently at different times in different civilizations; The Peruvian Indians, for instance, used a form of abacus for rapid calculation even before the arrival of the white man. The results of computation were recorded by knots tied in a cord.” (Haga, 1964:398) According to the Mathematical Association, a brief history of the abacus is as follows. “The principles of Abacus arithmetic were first developed in the Middle East over 5000 years ago by the Sumerian civilization. This civilization was probably the first to develop the subject of mathematics and their sexagesimal number system which is based on 60 is still with us in the way that we measure angles and time” (The Mathematical Association, 1981:2-3)<br />
<br />
[[File:abacus2.jpg|300px|thumb|right|'''“A collection of various types of Abacus is displayed at the Museum of Monetary History in the Fuji Bank’s head office in Tokyo”''' From “The Abacus Today”, Mathematics in School, 4(5), 1975:19]] Through this practice, we could simply get a correct answer through our own cognitions. “In its earliest form the Abacus was probably a sand table with pebbles being used as counters. From this form it evolved to its modern design with beads moving on rods. This version dates from the Greek and Roman civilizations. The Abacus in its various forms continued to be used in Western Europe until the Middle Ages.” (The Mathematical Association, 1981:2-3)<br />
<br />
[[File:abacus3.jpg|400px|thumb|'''“A clerk in the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank''', From “The Abacus Today”, Mathematics in School, 4(5), 1975:19]]In this sense, we may also need to get a sort of advanced tools to aid our insufficient analytical system. Moreover, we take it for granted that we can easily add, subtract, multiply and divide numbers. Today is difficult to find people who use the Abacus for any reason. Especially, it would be difficult to find any institutions who would teach and learn the Abacus. It seems like the heyday of the Abacus was around 1960~1990, before being the computerization of society. Why was the abacus so popular at that time? We are already getting sick of the answer to this question: to provide efficiency at certain levels of calculation.<br />
<br />
Even if the spread of the abacus was focused on Asian cultures, it is not completely. According to Haga(1964:398) “At one time the abacus was used in American schools to teach addition and subtraction. It has much to recommend it; it is pretty much cheap, fast, efficient, and versatile.” Furthermore, “one school in California, the abacus was introduced in all second and third grade classes as part of a project to improve speed and accuracy in the handling of numbers.” (Haga, 1964:398)<br />
<br />
As we could easily assume, we do not think of the Abacus as a technology to improve speed and accuracy in the handling of numbers. It was just one of the many historical tools for numerical analysis.<br />
<br />
== How it works ==<br />
<br />
=== Tell me about Abacus: How to use it? ===<br />
<br />
The Abacus consists of five to seven beads on each row. “Two of the beads are above the bar (upper beads) and five are below the bar (lower beads). The upper beads are worth “5” and the lower beads are worth “1”. Each row represents a decimal place. The right-hand row shows 1s (1 to 9) the second row 10s (10 to 90) and so on. To show a number beads are placed against the bar. “(Maxwell, 1981:3) Unlikely the Chinese Abacus, “the Japanese Abacus has only 1 upper and 4 lowers beads.” (Maxwell, 1981:3) <br />
<br />
[[File:abacus4.jpg|“The component parts of the Chinese Abacus” (Maxwell, 1981:3)]]<br />
<br />
It is because these two beads -- which are located in the most top and bottom -- are not needed at all in terms of the double meaning. Even if the abacus is used to calculate numbers, it is carried out in a series of calculations in terms of “addition and subtraction, simple and long multiplication, and simple and long division, and finding square and cube roots.” (Maxwell, 1981:3)For instructions on how to calculate using the abacus -- see the article [http://www.jstor.org/stable/30213599]. <br />
<br />
[[File:abacus5.jpg|“A Japanese Abacus”, From “The Abacus Today, Mathematics in School, 4(5), 1975:18”]]<br />
<br />
== Remediation ==<br />
<br />
=== Technically Speaking on the Abacus ===<br />
<br />
In an information era, we do not need to take notes or memorize advanced rules,since we can use advanced technologies that provide “efficiency and accuracy”. Experts on the abacus know how to encode each number and could easily get the result as well as we could on a modern calculator.There are some limitations regarding the abacus. It cannot calculate every single number. As we already recognized,the Abacus cannot address unlimited nature of numbers. Even if the abacus has been used such an efficient calculator, it is not good enough to use it today.<br />
<br />
Even professional specialist working with numbers;may not need to purchase a calculator today.Even more advanced tecehnolgies, like Excel and other programs, have calculating systems embedded. [[File:abacus6.jpg|thumb|'''calculator on smartphones''']]Most mobile phone companies a great function on their phones,for exmaple on smart phones. If you are smart phone user, you could get many of versions of calculators at the application store. (See attached images:Calcultators on one of smart phones)<br />
<br />
=== Digital vs. Analog: To Cybernerd ===<br />
<br />
When we work in analog, we must work on with certain level of commitment and performance to get the results. After going Digital, we may just be a "cybernerd."Even if we have to solve a complicated calculation, we do not need to follow rules on the Abacus. It is easy to just 'click' it and there are no more complicated rules. In this sense,going digital means the part of the process that must be perfomed by the user is becoming less and less than before.<br />
<br />
According to Buck-Morss (1989:5), “Benjamin took seriously the debris of mass culture as the source of philosophical truth”(5). “For Benjamin the various remains of nineteenth century culture –buildings, technologies and commodities, but also illustrations and literary texts – served as inscriptions that could lead us to understand in ways in which a culture perceived itself and conceptualized the “Deeper” ideological layers of its construction. As Tom Gunning puts it, “If Benjamin’s method is fully understood, technology can reveal the dream world of society as much as its pragmatic rationalization.” (Huhtamo, 1997:221) <br />
<br />
For those who do formal research on history,they cannot dwell on history itself anymore. “In this sense, history belongs to the present as much as it belongs to the past. It cannot claim an objective status it can only become conscious of its ambiguous role as a mediator and a “meaning processor” operating between the present and the past. “(Huhtamo, 1997:221)<br />
<br />
== Historical "Arbitrary" ==<br />
<br />
=== Between “Obvious” and “Arbitrary”: What is a biased on the Abacus? ===<br />
<br />
<br />
[[File:abacus7.jpg|left|“The component parts of the Chinese Abacus” (Maxwell, 1981:3)]]Usually we have have challenging experiences with different cultures and we little understanding of "otherness." In this sense, we are not deeply aware of why Western writing runs not right to left but left to right unlike Islamic writing styles. We simply take it for granted as our way of living and just apprehend it as “the otherness: which is based upon a totally heterogeneous cultural system.” As we already recognized the former section; “how to use it, there is a certain rule which is absolutely biased upon right-handed men. Figure 2 above let us know the number 6,427. <br />
<br />
Especially, it is obviously good for right-handed people. (See how to multiply on abacus as below)<br />
<br />
“…to multiply one need to know ones multiplication tables and how to add on the Abacus. Simple multiplication is fairly straightforward. One puts the multiplier on the left-hand row to remind one what it is and puts the multiplicand on the right-hand side of the Abacus, <br />
leaving the right-hand row clear. Then multiply the right-hand digit of the multiplicand.Remove this digit and place the product on the right-hand row that you have left clear.Multiply the next digit of the multiplicand.”(Maxwell,1981:4)<br />
<br />
And also in a certain sense, most Asian cultures which have used the Abacus did not much care about left-handed people. What if some little child was left-handed, it is considered an unusual behaviors to fix. In this sense, it is a kind of design convention resulting from the prevalent tendencies of the historical situation. In a common belief in technology, we easily accept technology as a significant force in society. “Referred to as “technological determinism”, this belief affirms that changes in technology exert a greater influence on societies and their processes than any other force.” (Smith, 1994:2) In other words, some sort of “technological determinism” alters the way of thinking within human beings. That paradigm affects the invention of the abacus which is biased for right-handed people.<br />
<br />
=== The Pedagogical action: The “Arbitrary” Effect ===<br />
<br />
Based upon the idea of “Obvious”, Moore (2004) writes which is a quite reasonable statement below:<br />
<br />
“By designating the cultural as arbitrary, Bourdieu reverses the normal perception of things, which is that the sacred objects of high culture are such because of some quality intrinsic to them. From this essentialist point of view they deserve their place and their veneration because of something about them that is ‘real’ – they really are beautiful in the way that knowledge is really true. This, in fact, Bourdieu argues, is an illusion. In truth, the field of culture is arbitrary in that its positions, and the objects that mark them, have no intrinsic justifications or qualities.” (Moore, 2004:447)<br />
<br />
Moreover, Bourdieu and Passeron (1977:5) assert “All pedagogic action is, objectively, symbolic violence insofar as it is the imposition of a cultural arbitrary by an arbitrary power.” With the heyday of the Abacus, we could assert all pedagogic action -- related with making an expert which is good at calculating on the Abacus -– contains entirely motivated and explainable traits unlike “cultural arbitrary”<br />
<br />
== Number Representation ==<br />
<br />
=== Meanings of Skill: Cognitive development Vs. Competition ===<br />
<br />
[[File:abacus8.jpg|thumb|400px|'''A Primary school child at a private lesson''', From “The Abacus Today”, Mathematics in School, 4(5), 1975:19]]Why are primary school students working on the Abacus to acquire a skill? Could we say there is an intended purpose or not? How do we figure out the purpose of training children as “calculation experts”? After reaching a certain degree of level, what dose it mean for the cognition of children? How do we configure out the meaning of the number on the Abacus? These are the questions address in this section.<br />
<br />
If you want to be an expert on the Abacus, you need to be well-trained. According to previous research, “a general orientation toward the study of skills and their development is outlined, in which analyses of representation, transfer, and context are used to explore the consequences of developing a specific skill. This general approach is then applied to the study of abacus training and its implications for school achievement and cognitive development.” (Stigler, Chalip and Miller, 1986: 447) There is no exception to the Abacus as well. To develop these skills, there is no way to publicize the abacus as much as possible at the governmental level. (see a picture as below)<br />
<br />
[[File:abacus9.jpg|thumb|left|'''“The Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s examination for soroban(The Japanese Abacus) grade certificates.”''' From “The Abacus Today”, Mathematics in School, 4(5), 1975:19”]]<br />
“Indeed, in Japan, where abacus lessons are mandatory for third and fourth grades of the primary school, a skilled student can add and subtract faster than by press the buttons, the light wooden beads have been skillfully flicked to give the answer. To gain high skill in the use of the abacus, Japanese children attend private schools and take nationally organized examination” (The Mathematical Association, 1975:18) Even though, slementary schools in Japan have a mandatory course just for the Abacus, it is not good enough for making abacus experts. <br />
<br />
Some students who pursue additional training attend after school classes as private lessons. As we get a sense of the competition, “Children who pursue this additional abacus training use their skill primarily for competition, both national and international.”(Stigler, Chalip and Miller: 1986:448) <br />
<br />
According to Spitzer (1942:450-451), there are absolutely significant characteristics related to the representation of quantities on the abacus.<br />
<br />
* “The markers (beads) can be used to represent various concrete objects – to aid the children secure an understanding of these efficient abstract uses of number.”<br />
* “The value of a number depends on its position – “consider how much more easily position can be explained on abacus.”<br />
* “Closely associated with the ideas discussed in the preceding paragraphs is the abacus can be used to illustrate, namely, the idea of a place-holder or the function of zero.”<br />
* “The number system illustrated by the abacus is the idea of collection.”<br />
* “The use of the abacus is teaching is to illustrate the true nature of carrying and borrowing.”<br />
<br />
Even if the Abacus itself is significant to develop cognitive systems, it is not good enough as times go by. As technologies show us what efficiency is.<br />
<br />
== Conclusion ==<br />
<br />
=== Where do media go to die? ===<br />
<br />
“In this sense, I would like to review Michel Foucault’s determination “to substitute for the enigmatic treasure of ‘things’ anterior to discourse, the regular formation of objects that emerge only in discourse.” (Foucault, 1982:47) Furthermore, Huhtamo(1997:222-223) also asserts “these ‘discursive object’ can, with reasonable purpose, claim a central place in the study of the history of media culture.” and then “Kittler traces the gradual shift form one discursive system to another, drawing on a great variety of inscriptions.” Moreover, “Registering false starts, seemingly ephemeral phenomena and anecdotes about media can sometimes be more revealing than tracing the facts of machines that were patented, industrially fabricated and widely distributed in the society – let alone the lives of their creators – if focus is on the meanings that emerge through the social practices related to the use of technology.” (Hugtamo, 1997:223)<br />
<br />
Especially, Marvin asserts “Media are not fixed object: they have no natural edges. There are constructed complexes of habits, beliefs, and procedures embedded in elaborate cultural codes of communication. The history of media is never more or less than the history of their uses, which always lead us away from them to the social practices and conflicts they illuminate.” (Marvin, 1988:8)<br />
<br />
To better explain what I have, we could assert the abacus is not used anymore, and also it seems like almost dead and we do not see a variety of remediated ones. Weinberg (1991:43) asserts as below:<br />
<br />
“Technology has expanded our productive capacity to greatly that even though our distribution is still inefficient, and unfair by Marxian perspective, there is more than enough to go around. Technology has provided a “fix” – greatly expanded production of goods – which enables our capitalistic society to achieve many of the aims of the Marxist social engineer without going through the social revolution Marx viewed as inevitable.”<br />
<br />
Through this Weinberg’s argument, “technology has provided a “fix.” (Weinberg, 1991:43) Technology lets us have efficiency and accuracy without work being performed by the user. But it is too optimistic to overview what technologies have done until now. We should consider what representational characteristic practices are still used and apply to brand new artifacts that satisfy many of users. In the case of the abacus, we needed to work on encodding and decoding to get the result as possible, yet remediated forms of calculations may no longer have an encoding and decoding process. For some reasons, the transparency may no longer be available on calculators these days, yet it must be definitely a well-organized black box. The whole process of remediation lets us have a survived medium in media ecology without any special encoding/decoding efforts by users.<br />
<br />
== Works Cited ==<br />
<br />
* Bourdieu,P.and Passeron,J.-C.''Reproduction in education, society and culture'',London, Sage.1977,p.5.<br />
<br />
* Buck-Morss, Susan. The Dialectics of Seeing:Walter Benjamin and the Arcades Project, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1989, p.ⅸ<br />
<br />
* Foucault, Michel.'' The Archaeology of Knowledge'', A.M. Sheridan Smith, trans. (London, Tavistock, 1982) p. 47.<br />
<br />
* Haga,Enoch J. Don't write off the Abacus, The Clearing House, 38(7), 1964,p.398.<br />
<br />
* Huhtamo, Erkki. ''From Kaleidoscomaniac to Cybernerd: Notes towards an Archaeology of the Media'',THE MIT Press, 30(3), 1997. 221-224.<br />
<br />
* Marvin, Carolyn. ''When old technologies were new: thinking about Electric Communication in the Late Nineteenth Century'',New York and Oxford; Oxford Univ. Press, 1988, p8.<br />
<br />
* Maxwell,R.Perveval.The Chinese Abacus,'' Mathematics in School'', 10(1),1981,2-5.<br />
<br />
* Miller,Kevin F. Stigler, James W.Meanings of Skill:Effects of Abacus Expertise on Number Representation, ''Congnition and Instruction'', 8(1), 1991,29-67<br />
<br />
* Moore, Rob. Cultural Capital:Objective Probability and the Cultural Arbitrary,''British Journal of Sociology of Education'', 25(4),2004,445-456<br />
<br />
* Smith, Merritt Roe, and Marx, Leo.''Does Technology Drive History? The Dilemma of Technological Determinism'', The MIT Press,1-35. <br />
<br />
* Spitzer,Herbert F. The Abacus in the Teaching of Arithmetic, ''The Elementary School Journal'',42(6),1942,448-451.<br />
<br />
* Stigler,James W. Chalip, Laurence, and Miller, Kelvin F. Consequences of Skill:The case of Abacus Training in Taiwan, ''American Journal of Education''. 94(4), 1896,447-479<br />
<br />
* The Mathematical Association. The Abacus Today, ''Mathematics in School'', 4(5),1975,18-19.<br />
<br />
* Weinberg, Alvin M.'' Can Technology Replace Social Engineering?,Controlloing Technology:Contemporary Issues'',1991,286-290.<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Dossier]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Fall 2010]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Education]]</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Main_Page&diff=9980Main Page2010-05-19T13:56:13Z<p>Alex: /* Links */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''Media Archaeology'''<br />
<br />
Over the last decade or so, scholars in several disciplines have embarked on a series of media-archaeological excavations, sifting through the layers of early and obsolete practices and technologies of communication. The archaeological metaphor evokes both the desire to recover material traces of the past and the imperative to situate those traces in their social, cultural, and political contexts--while always watching our steps. This graduate seminar will examine some of the most important contributions to the field of media archaeology.<br />
<br />
The course follows a research studio format in which students undertake archaeological projects of their own in the area of forgotten, obsolete, or otherwise "dead" media technologies. This might include papyrus, Athanasius Kircher's seventeenth-century magic lantern, or the common slide projector, discontinued by Kodak in 2004. Our goal is to introduce students to the skills and resources necessary for producing rigorous research on such obsolete and obscure media. It will include an exposure to scholarship in media archaeology; an intensive introduction to research methods; instruction on the localization and utilization of word, image, and sound archives; and an emphasis on restoring media artifacts to their proper social and cultural context. The course stems from the premise that media archaeology is best undertaken, like any archaeological project, collaboratively. Hence the course follows a research studio model commonly used in disciplines such as architecture or design. <br />
<br />
[http://cultureandcommunication.org/galloway/2010spring-Media_Archaeology_syllabus_v6.pdf Media Archaeology course syllabus] (Spring 2010) <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= New Dossiers--Spring 2010 = <br />
<br />
<!--<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Hi, this table of contents is now auto-generated from the category tags. So if you wish to add a new dossier follow the instructions on the "Start a New Dossier" page. If you categorize your new dossier correctly, it will automatically show up here. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
--><br />
<br />
<categorytree mode=pages hideroot=on>Spring 2010</categorytree><br />
<br />
= Browse the Archive =<br />
<br />
* by [[Special:Categories|category]]<br />
* by date: [[:Category:Spring 2010|Spring 2010]]<br />
* by [[:Category:Dossier|alphabetical list]]<br />
<br />
<br />
= Start a New Dossier =<br />
<br />
* Read how to [[Start a New Dossier]]<br />
* Browse through a list of [[:Category:Proposed Dossier|proposed dossiers]] that are available to start<br />
<br />
<br />
= Critical Techniques =<br />
<br />
As a group we are developing a series of [[Critical Techniques]] that help facilitate the analysis of dead media artifacts.<br />
<br />
<br />
= Background =<br />
<br />
Some entries in the archive are drawn from the [http://www.deadmedia.org Dead Media Project], an email list devoted to the topic started by [http://www.well.com/conf/mirrorshades Bruce Sterling] and more recently moderated by Tom Jennings. The email list is now dead.<br />
<br />
<br />
= Links = <br />
<br />
[http://www.experimentaljetset.nl/lostformats/01.html Lost formats]<br />
<br />
[http://obsoleteskills.com/ Obsolete Skills]<br />
<br />
= Special Pages =<br />
<br />
[[:Special:Upload|Upload a File]]<br />
<br />
[[:Special:Allpages|All Pages]]<br />
<br />
[[:Special:Imagelist|All Uploaded Files]]</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Main_Page&diff=9979Main Page2010-05-19T13:55:59Z<p>Alex: /* Links */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''Media Archaeology'''<br />
<br />
Over the last decade or so, scholars in several disciplines have embarked on a series of media-archaeological excavations, sifting through the layers of early and obsolete practices and technologies of communication. The archaeological metaphor evokes both the desire to recover material traces of the past and the imperative to situate those traces in their social, cultural, and political contexts--while always watching our steps. This graduate seminar will examine some of the most important contributions to the field of media archaeology.<br />
<br />
The course follows a research studio format in which students undertake archaeological projects of their own in the area of forgotten, obsolete, or otherwise "dead" media technologies. This might include papyrus, Athanasius Kircher's seventeenth-century magic lantern, or the common slide projector, discontinued by Kodak in 2004. Our goal is to introduce students to the skills and resources necessary for producing rigorous research on such obsolete and obscure media. It will include an exposure to scholarship in media archaeology; an intensive introduction to research methods; instruction on the localization and utilization of word, image, and sound archives; and an emphasis on restoring media artifacts to their proper social and cultural context. The course stems from the premise that media archaeology is best undertaken, like any archaeological project, collaboratively. Hence the course follows a research studio model commonly used in disciplines such as architecture or design. <br />
<br />
[http://cultureandcommunication.org/galloway/2010spring-Media_Archaeology_syllabus_v6.pdf Media Archaeology course syllabus] (Spring 2010) <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= New Dossiers--Spring 2010 = <br />
<br />
<!--<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Hi, this table of contents is now auto-generated from the category tags. So if you wish to add a new dossier follow the instructions on the "Start a New Dossier" page. If you categorize your new dossier correctly, it will automatically show up here. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
--><br />
<br />
<categorytree mode=pages hideroot=on>Spring 2010</categorytree><br />
<br />
= Browse the Archive =<br />
<br />
* by [[Special:Categories|category]]<br />
* by date: [[:Category:Spring 2010|Spring 2010]]<br />
* by [[:Category:Dossier|alphabetical list]]<br />
<br />
<br />
= Start a New Dossier =<br />
<br />
* Read how to [[Start a New Dossier]]<br />
* Browse through a list of [[:Category:Proposed Dossier|proposed dossiers]] that are available to start<br />
<br />
<br />
= Critical Techniques =<br />
<br />
As a group we are developing a series of [[Critical Techniques]] that help facilitate the analysis of dead media artifacts.<br />
<br />
<br />
= Background =<br />
<br />
Some entries in the archive are drawn from the [http://www.deadmedia.org Dead Media Project], an email list devoted to the topic started by [http://www.well.com/conf/mirrorshades Bruce Sterling] and more recently moderated by Tom Jennings. The email list is now dead.<br />
<br />
<br />
= Links = <br />
<br />
[http://www.experimentaljetset.nl/lostformats/01.html Lost formats]<br />
[http://obsoleteskills.com/ Obsolete Skills]<br />
<br />
= Special Pages =<br />
<br />
[[:Special:Upload|Upload a File]]<br />
<br />
[[:Special:Allpages|All Pages]]<br />
<br />
[[:Special:Imagelist|All Uploaded Files]]</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=MiniDisc&diff=9975MiniDisc2010-05-09T18:51:38Z<p>Alex: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Proposed Dossier]]</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Critical_Techniques&diff=9877Critical Techniques2010-05-03T18:13:38Z<p>Alex: </p>
<hr />
<div>As a group we are developing a series of techniques that help facilitate the analysis of dead media artifacts. These questions are provisional and may not be appropriate for all artifacts. They are meant as tools for critical exploration. <br />
<br />
* "[[Pops and hisses]]" -- Pops and hisses refers to the background noise often heard on phonograph recordings resulting from inconsistencies in the underlying material. Research Question: What are the unavoidable, obtrusive material qualities of the substrate itself that enter into the medium's overall system of representation? <br />
<br />
* [[Skeuomorph, or the "click"]] -- Single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras make a clicking sound when taking a picture. The click results from a mechanical operation: an internal mirror moves aside and the shutter opens, exposing the film to light. Many of today's digital cameras have no shutter and no internal mirror, yet they still simulate the click using a digital audio sample. Why? Research Question: What qualities of the artifact are unnecessary at the material level but are still nevertheless necessary at the semiotic level? Where is the "click"? <br />
<br />
* Remediation -- Like the "click," remediation refers to the process through which older media formats are simulated, extended, coopted, modified, tamed, or rendered obsolete by new media formats. Research Questions: What came before this artifact? What newer medium came after? What traits are lost or preserved in the historical transformation from one system to another? <br />
<br />
* "Functional nonsense" -- Functional nonsense refers to actual material qualities of the medium that are necessary for the medium to function correctly but which have no semantic or semiotic purpose. A good illustration is the [[Chirograph (Cyrograph)|chirograph]] which requires that some word -- by custom it was often the word "chirograph" -- be inscribed across the midsection of a document. The word is then cut in half, certifying and authenticating the two pieces. The word "chirograph" is therefore highly functional, but semantically irrelevant. Research Question: What qualities of the artifact are unnecessary at the semiotic or semantic level but are nevertheless crucial to its functioning correctly?<br />
<br />
* Encoding -- Research Question: What symbolic system is used in the medium to encode and decode messages? <br />
<br />
* Digital versus analog -- Research Questions: What parts of the artifact conform to a model of representation using discrete sample points, and what parts use a continuously variable input? Are the two hybridized and if so how? <br />
<br />
* The "obvious" -- In every medium there are techniques and design conventions that result from the prevalent tendencies of the historical situation. For example, the problem of writing and reproduction in the modern period was "solved" using mechanical levers, metal type, presses and inks, while the problem of writing and reproduction in the late twentieth century was solved using an entirely different set of techniques: digital code, microchips, and LCDs. Research Question: What aspects of the medium result from large scale paradigms appropriate to the historical context? <br />
<br />
* The "arbitrary" -- Every medium also contains entirely unmotivated and unexplainable traits. Western writing runs left to right, top to bottom. But this convention is arbitrary. Research Question: What specific aspects of the medium have no material or semiotic reason for being? <br />
<br />
* Formal prohibitions/affordances -- Communications media often put clear limitations on where and how messages can originate and be received. Radio began as a two-way medium, but evolved into a broadcast medium. Research Questions: Who can read in this medium? Who can write in this medium? Is there an asymmetrical relationship between those who can send and those who can receive? What types of values are embedded in the affordances of the technology?<br />
<br />
* The "Hack" -- Given a set of formal prohibitions, do there exist alternate practices of use that change the intended outcome of the medium? For example, DJs "hack" record players when they "spin" records, using their hands to overcome the formal prohibitions of the record player, resulting in the advent of a new style of music. [[Hacking this assignment]]. [TODO: add to this -- mention improvisation, play.]<br />
<br />
* [[The "Cake Mix" effect]] -- Research Questions: What part of the process is streamlined, mechanized, or determined in advance, and what part of the process must be performed by the user? For example, Karaoke machines mechanize the instrumental part of a song, and the user performs the vocals. [TODO: add to this] Prior to the use of tape as a means of recording, the composer had to work with a finite set of possibilities and sounds. With the advent of tape, the sonic substance became malleable, and cuttable. What effect does the mechanized portion of the process have on the emergence of the new? What effect does the streamlined portion of the process have on the overall mode of representation?<br />
<br />
* [[The "Reversal"]] -- Is there a point where maximum efficiency within a medium forces it into obsolescence? Mapmaking was ridden with errors due to difficulties in measuring longitude, but once the Marine Chronometer made it possible to plot the exact coordinates of a given position in space, and the grid mapped upon geographic representations was perfected, it was no longer necessary to use a map for navigation since a course could be plotted without any geographic references. (Additional question/theory: Is a "sampling" medium capable of reversal, or is it only threatened by upgraded mediums that are more efficient? Is the Reversal only possible in a "programming" scenario?)<br />
<br />
* [[The "Break Boundary"]] -- Research Questions: Is there a point beyond which "the system generated by the artifact suddenly changes into another or passes some point of no return in its dynamic processes?" Or what specific reconfigurations in the spatio-temporal framework surrounding the media environment of the artifact might "break" the dynamics which it was attended to address? [DO OTHERS AGREE THIS IS WORTH ADDRESSING? a suggestion via McLuhan that might be worth talking about - perhaps an attribute that doesn't apply to the material framework of the object, but maybe one that is crucial in establishing the artifact's relevance and obsolescence?]<br />
<br />
* "Bad Weather" (non-diegetic influences?) -- The [[Semaphore Telegraph]] was unable to operate in fog. External inputs often influence the proper functioning of media. Research Questions: What external events exist that might cause the medium to operate in flawed or unexpected ways? Does the medium try to shield itself from the outside world? If so, how does this change the format in question?<br />
<br />
* "Guts" -- Some dead media, like the [[NeXT Step]], hide their internal guts inside a [[black box]]. Others like the [[Kinora]] expose their inner workings for all to see. The way in which a media object alternately reveals or hides its insides greatly influences how it is understood, used, and analyzed. Research Questions: Does the medium in question hide or reveal its own internal functioning? If the guts are displayed, does this "technologize" the medium or change it in other ways? If the guts are hidden, does this reify or fetishize the object in question?<br />
<br />
* "[[Iris vs. Hermes]]" -- Most media can be charted on a continuum between Iris and Hermes. Both Iris and Hermes were Greek gods of communication; Iris was a messenger for Hera, and Hermes for Zeus. Yet while Hermes facilitated communication by accompanying messages, guiding trade, appearing alongside travelers and otherwise chaperoning interconnections between people, Iris relayed messages by immanently internalizing them in the physically of her own body. For Iris, the medium is the message. Hermes however was more of a letter carrier, keeping the outer envelop distinct from the inner content of the message. Research Questions: Does the medium maintain a separation between the symbolic layer of the medium and the material substrate? Or does the physicality of the medium itself mean something without recourse to surface inscriptions?<br />
<br />
* [["The Sample vs. the Program"]] (Witnessing vs Interpreting / Feeling vs Perceiving) -- Some media can be inscribed by simply being turned on and allowed to feel, or sample the content they remediate - yet other media generate complete nonsense unless a highly specialized and refined language code or aesthetic has been mastered and applied in the process of inscription. Research Questions: Does the medium demand a great deal of analysis before the act of inscription, or does it appropriate material that can be processed and interpreted later? Does the noise of the medium illustrate a condition external to the user's actions (ie background noise) or does the noise illustrate imperfect execution of a symbolic system (misspellings, syntactical errors, grammatical nonsense, Freudian slips etc.)? Does the medium demand a complex understanding of the given content (embodying an informational cultural bias) or does it appear to witness with an inhuman objectivity?<br />
<br />
* The [[Stylus]], or What happens at the moment of inscription? -- Writing involves marking or otherwise affecting a material substrate. Yet the way in which a stylus intervenes in a medium can vary dramatically: to mark, to brush, to cut, to carve, to stamp, to shine, to erase, etc. Research Questions: What is the quality of inscription? How is the act of writing accomplished?<br />
<br />
* [[Mediatic Encounter]] To do: see [[Terra Incognita]] and [[Code Duello]] for drafting this technique. <br />
<br />
* [[Mediatic Etymology]] - Proposes a methodology for theorizing the existence of dead media by inverting the process of remediation.<br />
<br />
* [[Where do media go to die?]] -- Some artifacts or representational practices may no longer perform a useful function or satisfy popular needs in the current media ecology, but they don't necessarily disappear. Research question: What constitutes a/the moment of death? Is the artifact or representational practice obsolete (outmoded or inoperable) or outright extinct?<br />
<br />
* The Limits of Three Dimensional Space -- How do the limits of the materiality of objects impose on and structure content and access? How do physical characteristics such as volume, weight, size, and appearance establish limits on non-physical characteristics such as time? <br />
<br />
* "Luminescence" -- [TO DO - BEN?]<br />
<br />
* "Ideologies of adoption" -- [TO DO - [http://cultureandcommunication.org/galloway/ ALEX?]]<br />
<br />
* "Text / Paratext" -- [TO DO]<br />
<br />
* [[Friction]] or Wear 'n' Tear - How does use of a media actually create problems in using the medium?</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Critical_Techniques&diff=8755Critical Techniques2010-04-18T21:23:23Z<p>Alex: </p>
<hr />
<div>As a group we are developing a series of techniques that help facilitate the analysis of dead media artifacts. These questions are provisional and may not be appropriate for all artifacts. They are meant as tools for critical exploration. <br />
<br />
* "[[Pops and hisses]]" -- Pops and hisses refers to the background noise often heard on phonograph recordings resulting from inconsistencies in the underlying material. Research Question: What are the unavoidable, obtrusive material qualities of the substrate itself that enter into the medium's overall system of representation? <br />
<br />
* [[Skeuomorph, or the "click"]] -- Single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras make a clicking sound when taking a picture. The click results from a mechanical operation: an internal mirror moves aside and the shutter opens, exposing the film to light. Many of today's digital cameras have no shutter and no internal mirror, yet they still simulate the click using a digital audio sample. Why? Research Question: What qualities of the artifact are unnecessary at the material level but are still nevertheless necessary at the semiotic level? Where is the "click"? <br />
<br />
* Remediation -- Like the "click," remediation refers to the process through which older media formats are simulated, extended, coopted, modified, tamed, or rendered obsolete by new media formats. Research Questions: What came before this artifact? What newer medium came after? What traits are lost or preserved in the historical transformation from one system to another? <br />
<br />
* "Functional nonsense" -- Functional nonsense refers to actual material qualities of the medium that are necessary for the medium to function correctly but which have no semantic or semiotic purpose. A good illustration is the [[Chirograph (Cyrograph)|chirograph]] which requires that some word -- by custom it was often the word "chirograph" -- be inscribed across the midsection of a document. The word is then cut in half, certifying and authenticating the two pieces. The word "chirograph" is therefore highly functional, but semantically irrelevant. Research Question: What qualities of the artifact are unnecessary at the semiotic or semantic level but are nevertheless crucial to its functioning correctly?<br />
<br />
* Encoding -- Research Question: What symbolic system is used in the medium to encode and decode messages? <br />
<br />
* Digital versus analog -- Research Questions: What parts of the artifact conform to a model of representation using discrete sample points, and what parts use a continuously variable input? Are the two hybridized and if so how? <br />
<br />
* The "obvious" -- In every medium there are techniques and design conventions that result from the prevalent tendencies of the historical situation. For example, the problem of writing and reproduction in the modern period was "solved" using mechanical levers, metal type, presses and inks, while the problem of writing and reproduction in the late twentieth century was solved using an entirely different set of techniques: digital code, microchips, and LCDs. Research Question: What aspects of the medium result from large scale paradigms appropriate to the historical context? <br />
<br />
* The "arbitrary" -- Every medium also contains entirely unmotivated and unexplainable traits. Western writing runs left to right, top to bottom. But this convention is arbitrary. Research Question: What specific aspects of the medium have no material or semiotic reason for being? <br />
<br />
* Formal prohibitions/affordances -- Communications media often put clear limitations on where and how messages can originate and be received. Radio began as a two-way medium, but evolved into a broadcast medium. Research Questions: Who can read in this medium? Who can write in this medium? Is there an asymmetrical relationship between those who can send and those who can receive? What types of values are embedded in the affordances of the technology?<br />
<br />
* The "Hack" -- Given a set of formal prohibitions, do there exist alternate practices of use that change the intended outcome of the medium? For example, DJs "hack" record players when they "spin" records, using their hands to overcome the formal prohibitions of the record player, resulting in the advent of a new style of music. [[Hacking this assignment]]. [TODO: add to this -- mention improvisation, play.]<br />
<br />
* [[The "Cake Mix" effect]] -- Research Questions: What part of the process is streamlined, mechanized, or determined in advance, and what part of the process must be performed by the user? For example, Karaoke machines mechanize the instrumental part of a song, and the user performs the vocals. [TODO: add to this] Prior to the use of tape as a means of recording, the composer had to work with a finite set of possibilities and sounds. With the advent of tape, the sonic substance became malleable, and cuttable. What effect does the mechanized portion of the process have on the emergence of the new? What effect does the streamlined portion of the process have on the overall mode of representation?<br />
<br />
* [[The "Reversal"]] -- Is there a point where maximum efficiency within a medium forces it into obsolescence? Mapmaking was ridden with errors due to difficulties in measuring longitude, but once the Marine Chronometer made it possible to plot the exact coordinates of a given position in space, and the grid mapped upon geographic representations was perfected, it was no longer necessary to use a map for navigation since a course could be plotted without any geographic references. (Additional question/theory: Is a "sampling" medium capable of reversal, or is it only threatened by upgraded mediums that are more efficient? Is the Reversal only possible in a "programming" scenario?)<br />
<br />
* [[The "Break Boundary"]] -- Research Questions: Is there a point beyond which "the system generated by the artifact suddenly changes into another or passes some point of no return in its dynamic processes?" Or what specific reconfigurations in the spatio-temporal framework surrounding the media environment of the artifact might "break" the dynamics which it was attended to address? [DO OTHERS AGREE THIS IS WORTH ADDRESSING? a suggestion via McLuhan that might be worth talking about - perhaps an attribute that doesn't apply to the material framework of the object, but maybe one that is crucial in establishing the artifact's relevance and obsolescence?]<br />
<br />
* "Bad Weather" (non-diegetic influences?) -- The [[Semaphore Telegraph]] was unable to operate in fog. External inputs often influence the proper functioning of media. Research Questions: What external events exist that might cause the medium to operate in flawed or unexpected ways? Does the medium try to shield itself from the outside world? If so, how does this change the format in question?<br />
<br />
* "Guts" -- Some dead media, like the [[NeXT Step]], hide their internal guts inside a [[black box]]. Others like the [[Kinora]] expose their inner workings for all to see. The way in which a media object alternately reveals or hides its insides greatly influences how it is understood, used, and analyzed. Research Questions: Does the medium in question hide or reveal its own internal functioning? If the guts are displayed, does this "technologize" the medium or change it in other ways? If the guts are hidden, does this reify or fetishize the object in question?<br />
<br />
* "[[Iris vs. Hermes]]" -- Most media can be charted on a continuum between Iris and Hermes. Both Iris and Hermes were Greek gods of communication; Iris was a messenger for Hera, and Hermes for Zeus. Yet while Hermes facilitated communication by accompanying messages, guiding trade, appearing alongside travelers and otherwise chaperoning interconnections between people, Iris relayed messages by immanently internalizing them in the physically of her own body. For Iris, the medium is the message. Hermes however was more of a letter carrier, keeping the outer envelop distinct from the inner content of the message. Research Questions: Does the medium maintain a separation between the symbolic layer of the medium and the material substrate? Or does the physicality of the medium itself mean something without recourse to surface inscriptions?<br />
<br />
* [["The Sample vs. the Program"]] (Witnessing vs Interpreting / Feeling vs Perceiving) -- Some media can be inscribed by simply being turned on and allowed to feel, or sample the content they remediate - yet other media generate complete nonsense unless a highly specialized and refined language code or aesthetic has been mastered and applied in the process of inscription. Research Questions: Does the medium demand a great deal of analysis before the act of inscription, or does it appropriate material that can be processed and interpreted later? Does the noise of the medium illustrate a condition external to the user's actions (ie background noise) or does the noise illustrate imperfect execution of a symbolic system (misspellings, syntactical errors, grammatical nonsense, Freudian slips etc.)? Does the medium demand a complex understanding of the given content (embodying an informational cultural bias) or does it appear to witness with an inhuman objectivity?<br />
<br />
* The [[Stylus]], or What happens at the moment of inscription? -- Writing involves marking or otherwise affecting a material substrate. Yet the way in which a stylus intervenes in a medium can vary dramatically: to mark, to brush, to cut, to carve, to stamp, to shine, to erase, etc. Research Questions: What is the quality of inscription? How is the act of writing accomplished?<br />
<br />
* [[Mediatic Etymology]] - Proposes a methodology for theorizing the existence of dead media by inverting the process of remediation.<br />
<br />
* [[Where do media go to die?]] -- Some artifacts or representational practices may no longer perform a useful function or satisfy popular needs in the current media ecology, but they don't necessarily disappear. Research question: What constitutes a/the moment of death? Is the artifact or representational practice obsolete (outmoded or inoperable) or outright extinct?<br />
<br />
* The Limits of Three Dimensional Space -- How do the limits of the materiality of objects impose on and structure content and access? How do physical characteristics such as volume, weight, size, and appearance establish limits on non-physical characteristics such as time? <br />
<br />
* "Luminescence" -- [TO DO - BEN?]<br />
<br />
* "Ideologies of adoption" -- [TO DO - [http://cultureandcommunication.org/galloway/ ALEX?]]<br />
<br />
* "Text / Paratext" -- [TO DO]</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Category:Obvious&diff=8753Category:Obvious2010-04-18T14:22:33Z<p>Alex: </p>
<hr />
<div>Obvious -- For more information see the page on [[Critical Techniques]].<br />
<br />
[[Category:Critical technique]]</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Category:Obvious&diff=8752Category:Obvious2010-04-18T14:20:55Z<p>Alex: Created page with 'Obvious -- For more information see the page on Critical Techniques.'</p>
<hr />
<div>Obvious -- For more information see the page on [[Critical Techniques]].</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Category:Education&diff=8751Category:Education2010-04-18T14:18:52Z<p>Alex: Created page with 'Education'</p>
<hr />
<div>Education</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Category:Proposed_Dossier&diff=8750Category:Proposed Dossier2010-04-18T14:18:19Z<p>Alex: </p>
<hr />
<div>A list of proposed dossiers.<br />
<br />
Note: if you wish to start editing one of these dossiers, be sure to change its Category tag from "Proposed Dossier" to just "Dossier". This will make it active and remove it from this page.</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=User_talk:Alex&diff=8054User talk:Alex2010-04-08T18:37:25Z<p>Alex: </p>
<hr />
<div>Hi Alex, would you know how I can contact the author of the [[Picturephone]] article? Best: [[User_talk:Harryzilber]]<br />
: sorry i don't -- i didn't teach the course that semester. you might try asking prof Ben Kafka or posting to the author's talk page</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Start_a_New_Dossier&diff=8042Start a New Dossier2010-04-08T15:16:56Z<p>Alex: /* Step 2: Add Category Tags */</p>
<hr />
<div>= Step 1: Create the Dossier =<br />
<br />
=== Using the URL ===<br />
You can use the wiki's URL for creating a new page. The URL to an article of the wiki is usually something like this:<br />
:<code><nowiki>http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php/</nowiki>'''Article_Name'''</code> <br />
<br />
If you replace <code>'''Article_Name'''</code> with the name of the page you wish to create, you will be taken to a blank page which indicates that no article of that name exists yet. Clicking the "{{int:edit}}" [[Help:Navigation#Page Tabs|page tab]] at the top of the page will take you to the edit page for that article, where you can create the new page by typing your text, and clicking submit.<br />
<br />
=== From the search page ===<br />
If you search for a page that doesn't exist (using the search box and “{{int:go}}” button on the left of the page) then you will be provided with a link to create the new page. (Note that this technique doesn't work if you use the “{{int:search}}” button).<br />
<br />
<br />
= Step 2: Add Category Tags =<br />
<br />
In order for your dossier to show up correctly in the table of contents you must tag it under the "Dossier" category and give it a date for the current semester. Do this by adding the following two lines to the bottom of your dossier:<br />
<br />
:<code><nowiki>[[Category:Dossier]]</nowiki></code> <br />
:<code><nowiki>[[Category:Spring 2010]]</nowiki></code><br />
<br />
You should also tag your dossier using approximately 2-5 thematic category tags. So if the dossier concerns the visual writing of sound, you would add the following three lines: <br />
<br />
:<code><nowiki>[[Category:Writing]]</nowiki></code><br />
:<code><nowiki>[[Category:Visuality]] </nowiki></code><br />
:<code><nowiki>[[Category:Sound]]</nowiki></code><br />
<br />
Be conservative in how you select your thematic categories. Try to use [[Special:Categories|categories that already exist]]. If you need to invent a new category, pick a term that is generic and will likely be encountered by others in the future.</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Sandbox&diff=8041Sandbox2010-04-08T15:00:37Z<p>Alex: </p>
<hr />
<div>Test1<br />
<br />
Test2<br />
<br />
Test3</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Sandbox&diff=8039Sandbox2010-04-08T14:56:54Z<p>Alex: Created page with 'Test1'</p>
<hr />
<div>Test1</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Main_Page&diff=8038Main Page2010-04-08T14:44:03Z<p>Alex: </p>
<hr />
<div>'''Media Archaeology'''<br />
<br />
Over the last decade or so, scholars in several disciplines have embarked on a series of media-archaeological excavations, sifting through the layers of early and obsolete practices and technologies of communication. The archaeological metaphor evokes both the desire to recover material traces of the past and the imperative to situate those traces in their social, cultural, and political contexts--while always watching our steps. This graduate seminar will examine some of the most important contributions to the field of media archaeology.<br />
<br />
The course follows a research studio format in which students undertake archaeological projects of their own in the area of forgotten, obsolete, or otherwise "dead" media technologies. This might include papyrus, Athanasius Kircher's seventeenth-century magic lantern, or the common slide projector, discontinued by Kodak in 2004. Our goal is to introduce students to the skills and resources necessary for producing rigorous research on such obsolete and obscure media. It will include an exposure to scholarship in media archaeology; an intensive introduction to research methods; instruction on the localization and utilization of word, image, and sound archives; and an emphasis on restoring media artifacts to their proper social and cultural context. The course stems from the premise that media archaeology is best undertaken, like any archaeological project, collaboratively. Hence the course follows a research studio model commonly used in disciplines such as architecture or design. <br />
<br />
[http://cultureandcommunication.org/galloway/2010spring-Media_Archaeology_syllabus_v6.pdf Media Archaeology course syllabus] (Spring 2010) <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= New Dossiers--Spring 2010 = <br />
<br />
<!--<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Hi, this table of contents is now auto-generated from the category tags. So if you wish to add a new dossier follow the instructions on the "Start a New Dossier" page. If you categorize your new dossier correctly, it will automatically show up here. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
--><br />
<br />
<categorytree mode=pages hideroot=on>Spring 2010</categorytree><br />
<br />
= Browse the Archive =<br />
<br />
* by [[Special:Categories|category]]<br />
* by date: [[:Category:Spring 2010|Spring 2010]]<br />
* by [[:Category:Dossier|alphabetical list]]<br />
<br />
<br />
= Start a New Dossier =<br />
<br />
* Read how to [[Start a New Dossier]]<br />
* Browse through a list of [[:Category:Proposed Dossier|proposed dossiers]] that are available to start<br />
<br />
<br />
= Critical Techniques =<br />
<br />
As a group we are developing a series of [[Critical Techniques]] that help facilitate the analysis of dead media artifacts.<br />
<br />
<br />
= Background =<br />
<br />
Some entries in the archive are drawn from the [http://www.deadmedia.org Dead Media Project], an email list devoted to the topic started by [http://www.well.com/conf/mirrorshades Bruce Sterling] and more recently moderated by Tom Jennings. The email list is now dead.<br />
<br />
<br />
= Links = <br />
<br />
[http://www.experimentaljetset.nl/lostformats/01.html Lost formats] <br />
<br />
<br />
= Special Pages =<br />
<br />
[[:Special:Upload|Upload a File]]<br />
<br />
[[:Special:Allpages|All Pages]]<br />
<br />
[[:Special:Imagelist|All Uploaded Files]]</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Pigeon_Post&diff=8037Pigeon Post2010-04-08T05:59:35Z<p>Alex: </p>
<hr />
<div><br />
[[Category:Proposed Dossier]]</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Chrysler-Bell_Victory_Siren&diff=8036Chrysler-Bell Victory Siren2010-04-08T05:58:51Z<p>Alex: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:NoiseMaking.jpg|thumb|left|]]</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Wax_Seal&diff=8035Wax Seal2010-04-08T05:56:21Z<p>Alex: Created page with 'Category:Proposed Dossier'</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Proposed Dossier]]</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Typewriter&diff=8034Typewriter2010-04-08T05:56:15Z<p>Alex: Created page with 'Category:Proposed Dossier'</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Proposed Dossier]]</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Telharmonium&diff=8033Telharmonium2010-04-08T05:56:11Z<p>Alex: Created page with 'Category:Proposed Dossier'</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Proposed Dossier]]</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Telautograph&diff=8032Telautograph2010-04-08T05:56:06Z<p>Alex: Created page with 'Category:Proposed Dossier'</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Proposed Dossier]]</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Talking_Book&diff=8031Talking Book2010-04-08T05:56:02Z<p>Alex: Created page with 'Category:Proposed Dossier'</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Proposed Dossier]]</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Subjunctive_Mood&diff=8030Subjunctive Mood2010-04-08T05:55:56Z<p>Alex: Created page with 'Category:Proposed Dossier'</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Proposed Dossier]]</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Stereoscope&diff=8029Stereoscope2010-04-08T05:55:50Z<p>Alex: Created page with 'Category:Proposed Dossier'</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Proposed Dossier]]</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Standardization&diff=8028Standardization2010-04-08T05:55:46Z<p>Alex: Created page with 'Category:Proposed Dossier'</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Proposed Dossier]]</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Smell_Organ&diff=8027Smell Organ2010-04-08T05:55:41Z<p>Alex: Created page with 'Category:Proposed Dossier'</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Proposed Dossier]]</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Photographic_Gun&diff=8026Photographic Gun2010-04-08T05:55:36Z<p>Alex: Created page with 'Category:Proposed Dossier'</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Proposed Dossier]]</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Mystical_Writing_Pad&diff=8025Mystical Writing Pad2010-04-08T05:55:31Z<p>Alex: Created page with 'Category:Proposed Dossier'</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Proposed Dossier]]</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Movable_Type&diff=8024Movable Type2010-04-08T05:55:24Z<p>Alex: Created page with 'Category:Proposed Dossier'</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Proposed Dossier]]</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Megalethoscope&diff=8023Megalethoscope2010-04-08T05:55:18Z<p>Alex: Created page with 'Category:Proposed Dossier'</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Proposed Dossier]]</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Magic_Lantern&diff=8022Magic Lantern2010-04-08T05:55:12Z<p>Alex: Created page with 'Category:Proposed Dossier'</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Proposed Dossier]]</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Hierarchy&diff=8021Hierarchy2010-04-08T05:55:05Z<p>Alex: Created page with 'Category:Proposed Dossier'</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Proposed Dossier]]</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Formal_Personal_Pronouns&diff=8020Formal Personal Pronouns2010-04-08T05:55:00Z<p>Alex: Created page with 'Category:Proposed Dossier'</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Proposed Dossier]]</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Errata&diff=8019Errata2010-04-08T05:54:56Z<p>Alex: Created page with 'Category:Proposed Dossier'</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Proposed Dossier]]</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Depondent_Verbs&diff=8018Depondent Verbs2010-04-08T05:54:51Z<p>Alex: Created page with 'Category:Proposed Dossier'</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Proposed Dossier]]</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Daguerreotype&diff=8017Daguerreotype2010-04-08T05:54:46Z<p>Alex: Created page with 'Category:Proposed Dossier'</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Proposed Dossier]]</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Crossed_Letter&diff=8016Crossed Letter2010-04-08T05:54:42Z<p>Alex: Created page with 'Category:Proposed Dossier'</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Proposed Dossier]]</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Catoptric_Theater&diff=8015Catoptric Theater2010-04-08T05:54:36Z<p>Alex: Created page with 'Category:Proposed Dossier'</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Proposed Dossier]]</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Camera_Obscura&diff=8014Camera Obscura2010-04-08T05:54:30Z<p>Alex: Created page with 'Category:Proposed Dossier'</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Proposed Dossier]]</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Camera_Lucida&diff=8013Camera Lucida2010-04-08T05:54:25Z<p>Alex: Created page with 'Category:Proposed Dossier'</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Proposed Dossier]]</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Autopen&diff=8012Autopen2010-04-08T05:54:18Z<p>Alex: Created page with 'Category:Proposed Dossier'</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Proposed Dossier]]</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Category:Proposed_Dossier&diff=8011Category:Proposed Dossier2010-04-08T05:53:47Z<p>Alex: Created page with 'A list of proposed dossiers'</p>
<hr />
<div>A list of proposed dossiers</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=8-track_Tape&diff=80108-track Tape2010-04-08T05:53:21Z<p>Alex: Created page with 'Category:Proposed Dossier'</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Proposed Dossier]]</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Main_Page&diff=8009Main Page2010-04-08T05:32:37Z<p>Alex: /* New Dossiers--Spring 2010 */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''Media Archaeology'''<br />
<br />
[http://cultureandcommunication.org/galloway/2010spring-Media_Archaeology_syllabus_v6.pdf Media Archaeology course syllabus] (Spring 2010) <br />
<br />
Over the last decade or so, scholars in several disciplines have embarked on a series of media-archaeological excavations, sifting through the layers of early and obsolete practices and technologies of communication. The archaeological metaphor evokes both the desire to recover material traces of the past and the imperative to situate those traces in their social, cultural, and political contexts--while always watching our steps. This graduate seminar will examine some of the most important contributions to the field of media archaeology.<br />
<br />
The course follows a research studio format in which students undertake archaeological projects of their own in the area of forgotten, obsolete, or otherwise "dead" media technologies. This might include papyrus, Athanasius Kircher's seventeenth-century magic lantern, or the common slide projector, discontinued by Kodak in 2004. Our goal is to introduce students to the skills and resources necessary for producing rigorous research on such obsolete and obscure media. It will include an exposure to scholarship in media archaeology; an intensive introduction to research methods; instruction on the localization and utilization of word, image, and sound archives; and an emphasis on restoring media artifacts to their proper social and cultural context. The course stems from the premise that media archaeology is best undertaken, like any archaeological project, collaboratively. Hence the course follows a research studio model commonly used in disciplines such as architecture or design. <br />
<br />
<br />
= New Dossiers--Spring 2010 = <br />
<br />
<!--<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Hi, this table of contents is now auto-generated from the category tags. So if you wish to add a new dossier follow the instructions on the "Start a New Dossier" page. If you categorize your new dossier correctly, it will automatically show up here. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
--><br />
<br />
<categorytree mode=pages hideroot=on>Spring 2010</categorytree><br />
<br />
= Browse the Archive =<br />
<br />
* by [[Special:Categories|category]]<br />
* by date: [[:Category:Spring 2010|Spring 2010]]<br />
* by [[:Category:Dossier|alphabetical list]]<br />
<br />
<br />
= Start a New Dossier =<br />
<br />
* Read how to [[Start a New Dossier]]<br />
* Browse through a list of [[:Category:Proposed Dossier|proposed dossiers]] that are available to start<br />
<br />
<br />
= Critical Techniques =<br />
<br />
As a group we are developing a series of [[Critical Techniques]] that help facilitate the analysis of dead media artifacts.<br />
<br />
<br />
= Background =<br />
<br />
Some entries in the archive are drawn from the [http://www.deadmedia.org Dead Media Project], an email list devoted to the topic started by [http://www.well.com/conf/mirrorshades Bruce Sterling] and more recently moderated by Tom Jennings. The email list is now dead.<br />
<br />
<br />
= Links = <br />
<br />
[http://www.experimentaljetset.nl/lostformats/01.html Lost formats] <br />
<br />
<br />
= Special Pages =<br />
<br />
[[:Special:Upload|Upload a File]]<br />
<br />
[[:Special:Allpages|All Pages]]<br />
<br />
[[:Special:Imagelist|All Uploaded Files]]</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Main_Page&diff=8008Main Page2010-04-08T05:28:52Z<p>Alex: /* New Dossiers--Spring 2010 */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''Media Archaeology'''<br />
<br />
[http://cultureandcommunication.org/galloway/2010spring-Media_Archaeology_syllabus_v6.pdf Media Archaeology course syllabus] (Spring 2010) <br />
<br />
Over the last decade or so, scholars in several disciplines have embarked on a series of media-archaeological excavations, sifting through the layers of early and obsolete practices and technologies of communication. The archaeological metaphor evokes both the desire to recover material traces of the past and the imperative to situate those traces in their social, cultural, and political contexts--while always watching our steps. This graduate seminar will examine some of the most important contributions to the field of media archaeology.<br />
<br />
The course follows a research studio format in which students undertake archaeological projects of their own in the area of forgotten, obsolete, or otherwise "dead" media technologies. This might include papyrus, Athanasius Kircher's seventeenth-century magic lantern, or the common slide projector, discontinued by Kodak in 2004. Our goal is to introduce students to the skills and resources necessary for producing rigorous research on such obsolete and obscure media. It will include an exposure to scholarship in media archaeology; an intensive introduction to research methods; instruction on the localization and utilization of word, image, and sound archives; and an emphasis on restoring media artifacts to their proper social and cultural context. The course stems from the premise that media archaeology is best undertaken, like any archaeological project, collaboratively. Hence the course follows a research studio model commonly used in disciplines such as architecture or design. <br />
<br />
<br />
= New Dossiers--Spring 2010 = <br />
<br />
<categorytree mode=pages hideroot=on>Spring 2010</categorytree><br />
<br />
= Browse the Archive =<br />
<br />
* by [[Special:Categories|category]]<br />
* by date: [[:Category:Spring 2010|Spring 2010]]<br />
* by [[:Category:Dossier|alphabetical list]]<br />
<br />
<br />
= Start a New Dossier =<br />
<br />
* Read how to [[Start a New Dossier]]<br />
* Browse through a list of [[:Category:Proposed Dossier|proposed dossiers]] that are available to start<br />
<br />
<br />
= Critical Techniques =<br />
<br />
As a group we are developing a series of [[Critical Techniques]] that help facilitate the analysis of dead media artifacts.<br />
<br />
<br />
= Background =<br />
<br />
Some entries in the archive are drawn from the [http://www.deadmedia.org Dead Media Project], an email list devoted to the topic started by [http://www.well.com/conf/mirrorshades Bruce Sterling] and more recently moderated by Tom Jennings. The email list is now dead.<br />
<br />
<br />
= Links = <br />
<br />
[http://www.experimentaljetset.nl/lostformats/01.html Lost formats] <br />
<br />
<br />
= Special Pages =<br />
<br />
[[:Special:Upload|Upload a File]]<br />
<br />
[[:Special:Allpages|All Pages]]<br />
<br />
[[:Special:Imagelist|All Uploaded Files]]</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Main_Page&diff=8007Main Page2010-04-08T05:28:13Z<p>Alex: </p>
<hr />
<div>'''Media Archaeology'''<br />
<br />
[http://cultureandcommunication.org/galloway/2010spring-Media_Archaeology_syllabus_v6.pdf Media Archaeology course syllabus] (Spring 2010) <br />
<br />
Over the last decade or so, scholars in several disciplines have embarked on a series of media-archaeological excavations, sifting through the layers of early and obsolete practices and technologies of communication. The archaeological metaphor evokes both the desire to recover material traces of the past and the imperative to situate those traces in their social, cultural, and political contexts--while always watching our steps. This graduate seminar will examine some of the most important contributions to the field of media archaeology.<br />
<br />
The course follows a research studio format in which students undertake archaeological projects of their own in the area of forgotten, obsolete, or otherwise "dead" media technologies. This might include papyrus, Athanasius Kircher's seventeenth-century magic lantern, or the common slide projector, discontinued by Kodak in 2004. Our goal is to introduce students to the skills and resources necessary for producing rigorous research on such obsolete and obscure media. It will include an exposure to scholarship in media archaeology; an intensive introduction to research methods; instruction on the localization and utilization of word, image, and sound archives; and an emphasis on restoring media artifacts to their proper social and cultural context. The course stems from the premise that media archaeology is best undertaken, like any archaeological project, collaboratively. Hence the course follows a research studio model commonly used in disciplines such as architecture or design. <br />
<br />
<br />
= New Dossiers--Spring 2010 = <br />
<br />
<categorytree mode=pages>Spring 2010</categorytree><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
= Browse the Archive =<br />
<br />
* by [[Special:Categories|category]]<br />
* by date: [[:Category:Spring 2010|Spring 2010]]<br />
* by [[:Category:Dossier|alphabetical list]]<br />
<br />
<br />
= Start a New Dossier =<br />
<br />
* Read how to [[Start a New Dossier]]<br />
* Browse through a list of [[:Category:Proposed Dossier|proposed dossiers]] that are available to start<br />
<br />
<br />
= Critical Techniques =<br />
<br />
As a group we are developing a series of [[Critical Techniques]] that help facilitate the analysis of dead media artifacts.<br />
<br />
<br />
= Background =<br />
<br />
Some entries in the archive are drawn from the [http://www.deadmedia.org Dead Media Project], an email list devoted to the topic started by [http://www.well.com/conf/mirrorshades Bruce Sterling] and more recently moderated by Tom Jennings. The email list is now dead.<br />
<br />
<br />
= Links = <br />
<br />
[http://www.experimentaljetset.nl/lostformats/01.html Lost formats] <br />
<br />
<br />
= Special Pages =<br />
<br />
[[:Special:Upload|Upload a File]]<br />
<br />
[[:Special:Allpages|All Pages]]<br />
<br />
[[:Special:Imagelist|All Uploaded Files]]</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Main_Page&diff=8006Main Page2010-04-08T04:54:19Z<p>Alex: </p>
<hr />
<div>'''Media Archaeology'''<br />
<br />
[http://cultureandcommunication.org/galloway/2010spring-Media_Archaeology_syllabus_v6.pdf Media Archaeology course syllabus] (Spring 2010) <br />
<br />
Over the last decade or so, scholars in several disciplines have embarked on a series of media-archaeological excavations, sifting through the layers of early and obsolete practices and technologies of communication. The archaeological metaphor evokes both the desire to recover material traces of the past and the imperative to situate those traces in their social, cultural, and political contexts--while always watching our steps. This graduate seminar will examine some of the most important contributions to the field of media archaeology.<br />
<br />
The course follows a research studio format in which students undertake archaeological projects of their own in the area of forgotten, obsolete, or otherwise "dead" media technologies. This might include papyrus, Athanasius Kircher's seventeenth-century magic lantern, or the common slide projector, discontinued by Kodak in 2004. Our goal is to introduce students to the skills and resources necessary for producing rigorous research on such obsolete and obscure media. It will include an exposure to scholarship in media archaeology; an intensive introduction to research methods; instruction on the localization and utilization of word, image, and sound archives; and an emphasis on restoring media artifacts to their proper social and cultural context. The course stems from the premise that media archaeology is best undertaken, like any archaeological project, collaboratively. Hence the course follows a research studio model commonly used in disciplines such as architecture or design. <br />
<br />
<br />
= New Dossiers--Spring 2010 = <br />
<br />
{| cellpadding="0" cellspacing="20"<br />
<br />
<br />
||<br />
<br />
[[3DO Interactive Multiplayer]]<br />
<br />
[[Acoustic Coupler]]<br />
<br />
[[Animal Magnetism]]<br />
<br />
[[Cel Animation]]<br />
<br />
[[Daguerre's Diorama]]<br />
<br />
[[Dance Card]]<br />
<br />
[[Duplicating Polygraph]]<br />
<br />
[[Euphonia Speaking Machine]]<br />
<br />
[[Heliograph]]<br />
<br />
[[HyperCard]]<br />
<br />
[[Indus Valley Seal]]<br />
<br />
[[Macintosh TV]]<br />
<br />
[[MiniDisc]]<br />
<br />
||<br />
<br />
[[Mnemonics]]<br />
<br />
[[Mosso Ergograph]]<br />
<br />
[[Mutoscope]]<br />
<br />
[[Newsreel]]<br />
<br />
[[Phonodeik]]<br />
<br />
[[Phrenology (Craniology)]]<br />
<br />
[[Reverse Polish Notation]]<br />
<br />
[[Scopitone]]<br />
<br />
[[Signet Ring]]<br />
<br />
[[Smell-O-Vision]]<br />
<br />
[[Teddy Ruxpin]]<br />
<br />
[[Town Crier]]<br />
<br />
[[Underground Missile Silo]]<br />
<br />
|}<br />
<br />
<br />
= Browse the Archive =<br />
<br />
* by [[Special:Categories|category]]<br />
* by date: [[:Category:Spring 2010|Spring 2010]]<br />
* by [[:Category:Dossier|alphabetical list]]<br />
<br />
<br />
= Start a New Dossier =<br />
<br />
* Read how to [[Start a New Dossier]]<br />
* Browse through a list of [[:Category:Proposed Dossier|proposed dossiers]] that are available to start<br />
<br />
<br />
= Critical Techniques =<br />
<br />
As a group we are developing a series of [[Critical Techniques]] that help facilitate the analysis of dead media artifacts.<br />
<br />
<br />
= Background =<br />
<br />
Some entries in the archive are drawn from the [http://www.deadmedia.org Dead Media Project], an email list devoted to the topic started by [http://www.well.com/conf/mirrorshades Bruce Sterling] and more recently moderated by Tom Jennings. The email list is now dead.<br />
<br />
<br />
= Links = <br />
<br />
[http://www.experimentaljetset.nl/lostformats/01.html Lost formats] <br />
<br />
<br />
= Special Pages =<br />
<br />
[[:Special:Upload|Upload a File]]<br />
<br />
[[:Special:Allpages|All Pages]]<br />
<br />
[[:Special:Imagelist|All Uploaded Files]]</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Start_a_New_Dossier&diff=8005Start a New Dossier2010-04-08T04:45:41Z<p>Alex: </p>
<hr />
<div>= Step 1: Create the Dossier =<br />
<br />
=== Using the URL ===<br />
You can use the wiki's URL for creating a new page. The URL to an article of the wiki is usually something like this:<br />
:<code><nowiki>http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php/</nowiki>'''Article_Name'''</code> <br />
<br />
If you replace <code>'''Article_Name'''</code> with the name of the page you wish to create, you will be taken to a blank page which indicates that no article of that name exists yet. Clicking the "{{int:edit}}" [[Help:Navigation#Page Tabs|page tab]] at the top of the page will take you to the edit page for that article, where you can create the new page by typing your text, and clicking submit.<br />
<br />
=== From the search page ===<br />
If you search for a page that doesn't exist (using the search box and “{{int:go}}” button on the left of the page) then you will be provided with a link to create the new page. (Note that this technique doesn't work if you use the “{{int:search}}” button).<br />
<br />
<br />
= Step 2: Add Category Tags =<br />
<br />
In order for your dossier to show up correctly in the table of contents you must tag it under the "dossier" category. Do this by adding the following line to the bottom of your dossier:<br />
<br />
:<code><nowiki>[[Category:Dossier]]</nowiki></code> <br />
<br />
You should also tag your dossier according to the current semester, plus add the relevant thematic category tags that best describe your dossier: <br />
<br />
:<code><nowiki>[[Category:Spring 2010]]</nowiki></code><br />
:<code><nowiki>[[Category:Writing]]</nowiki></code><br />
:<code><nowiki>[[Category:Visuality]] </nowiki></code><br />
:<code><nowiki>[[Category:Sound]]</nowiki></code><br />
<br />
Be conservative in how you select your thematic categories. Try to use [[Special:Categories|categories that already exist]]. If you need to invent a new category, pick a term that is generic and will likely be encountered by others in the future.</div>Alexhttp://www.cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php?title=Start_a_New_Dossier&diff=8004Start a New Dossier2010-04-08T04:43:38Z<p>Alex: </p>
<hr />
<div>= Step 1: Create the Dossier =<br />
<br />
=== Using the URL ===<br />
You can use the wiki's URL for creating a new page. The URL to an article of the wiki is usually something like this:<br />
:<code><nowiki>http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php/</nowiki>'''Article_Name'''</code> <br />
<br />
If you replace <code>'''Article_Name'''</code> with the name of the page you wish to create, you will be taken to a blank page which indicates that no article of that name exists yet. Clicking the "{{int:edit}}" [[Help:Navigation#Page Tabs|page tab]] at the top of the page will take you to the edit page for that article, where you can create the new page by typing your text, and clicking submit.<br />
<br />
=== From the search page ===<br />
If you search for a page that doesn't exist (using the search box and “{{int:go}}” button on the left of the page) then you will be provided with a link to create the new page. (Note that this technique doesn't work if you use the “{{int:search}}” button).<br />
<br />
<br />
= Step 2: Add Category Tags =<br />
<br />
In order for your dossier to show up correctly in the table of contents you must tag it under the "dossier" category. Do this by adding the following line to the bottom of your dossier:<br />
<br />
:<code><nowiki>[[Category:Dossier]]</nowiki></code> <br />
<br />
You should also tag your dossier according to the current semester, plus add the relevant thematic category tags that best describe your dossier: <br />
<br />
:<code><nowiki>[[Category:Spring 2010]]</nowiki></code><br />
:<code><nowiki>[[Category:Writing]]</nowiki></code><br />
:<code><nowiki>[[Category:Visuality]] </nowiki></code><br />
:<code><nowiki>[[Category:Sound]]</nowiki></code><br />
<br />
Be conservative in how you select your thematic categories. Try to use categories that already exist. If you need to invent a new category, pick a term that is generic and will likely be encountered by others in the future.</div>Alex