Tripping in Fields

Last Monday our class took a "field trip" to the.....I'm not really sure what they call it.  I think it might be the UITS or UTIS part of the Informatics building and got a tour and demos of the VR room and room with a big ass TV.  I had last been on this tour about 2 years ago with another class, so it wasn't anything new to me.  However, during this tour I was given more detailed information about each of the rooms, the equipment and the technical aspects the how and what the stuff did which I found interesting.  I felt the field trip was good for the class because some of them may have never seen that side of the building or what was over there.  It also allowed the class to think about other technology and media available that what most of us have been taught or thought about doing for projects.

Does It Add Up???

In class last Monday, we discussed how we as people and specifically New Media and Arts students go through the motions of creating something.  The equation we identify mostly is the Inspiration>Idea>Concept>Trial>Refine>Product formula, however each person has there own way of thinking and creating, so this formula can be interpreted in many ways based on how an individual thinks and does things.  As for New Media students we must think about the final product with our client and target audience in mind first and foremost, while Art students will think of themselves for the final product.

As a New Media student I think it is important to think about the clients needs and target audience first, especially when we have yet to make a name for ourselves and creative style to identify ourselves.  When I think about the formula mentioned above, I find it hard to identify what the "Product" is because there is so much to New Media.  The product could be a design, website, video, sound, program, film, game, app, or a brand new invention involving the use of multimedia.  Depending on what your goal is, there are many steps and variations that one must go through to reach that goal.  If I where to start out with a blank canvas to create something, anything, I would first look at the Need/Want and then figure out an Idea.  From that Idea I would need to draw Inspiration, or maybe I would get Inspiration first and then figure out an Idea.  From there I would probably go through the Inspiration/Idea, Idea/Inspiration process a few times before I was set to move forward.  That could be considered Refining, and from there, my personal equation starts to build up.  I feel like the whole formula is basically an algorithm, where there are many steps to go through, but until one works we keep going backwards and repeating steps.

After thinking about how I go through my own workflow, I have discovered that my equation would look something like this:

Need/Want>Idea><Inspiration>Refine>Concept>Refine>Trial>Refine><Repeat Process To Perfection><Product

After doing a couple of video projects sticking to this workflow, I've come to realize that I need a better workflow that will allow me to bring the best of my work out without over thinking the whole process that I thought I once followed.  I final outcome of these products, I don't feel where any different from the ones before, but I believe I can and will find a good flow to work with the get the best out of me.  I'm not sure if this process was meaningful to me.  I did allow me to think as to how I work on different projects and analyze what I should be doing better, so I guess it was more helpful than meaningful.

1/31/11 Class Discussion & More

     Concept vs. Final Product in Projects - The initial concept of anything with go through many changes from ideas that first pop into your head until you get the concept just right for what you want to do.  If you really think about an idea, your concepts will change and go through many phases to extract the bad and perfect the good.  Once concept is completed to the point where you are ready to begin production of a project, your concept will obviously continue to change.  There are many pieces that go into any project and each piece must fit just right (in your own mind and creative thought) to complete the project.  I notice that when I begin to a project with the intent to stay close to my original concept, by the time I have completed the project nothing is the same or as I originally had planned.

     During our class meeting last Monday, January 31st we discussed our "What We See Projects" and I found most of the ones we discussed as well as the ones I view through our blogs were quite boring, including my own.  I know a blog is primarily meant to be read with only visuals to enhance the reading, but we are mostly New Media students.  In my mind I wish I had done something different fro my project, I was originally going to do some sort of video, but the lack of time I have to do things let me to do what most students did and write something and show a visual.  The felt the class discussion on Monday was boring, in that I was literally trying to keep up with the conversation but it was too dull that I found myself peaking out the window and daydreaming about other things.  This usually doesn't happen to me and I can concentrate on what is going on around me most of the time, but this discussion didn't seem to have a whole lot of solid substance.  That's just my opinion, or maybe I was just having a bad day, who knows.

Believing Isn't Always Seeing

My Reflection In The Mirror

Everyone has seen their reflection in the mirror (well, maybe not the blind), but when I think of my reflection in the mirror I think of multiple mirrors like the three that i have in my bathroom.  When I face a certain direction I can see an infinite number of reflections of whatever is in the path of the mirrors.  Though science says that each of these reflections are just what I see, I still like to think that there are different dimensions in the mirror.  Each of the replications of myself or in their own world and once I leave they leave to do something different that what I am physically doing.  Maybe their apartments look different and lead completely different lives than mine.  It's kind of like the video for A-ha's "Take On Me".

Bent, Broken and the Unknown-1/24 Class

In class this past Monday we discussed a whole heep of topics, mostly relating to thinking and rules.  It seems the same people are always giving there opinion, which is about a fifth of the class.  I'm hoping as the semester moves on more of us will give more input into the discussion.  I'm all for having discussions on many various topics and making us think, however I would prefer to have half of the class dedicated to discussions and the other half for doing something and not sitting in a chair, but that may just be my inability to sitting still for mor than five minutes.  One of the main topics we touched on in class was about rules of the world, for example the rule that a vehicle must stop at a red light.  I've found that rules are both good and bad, and they are meant to be bent and broken.  Rules in sports are neccesary to keep the game solidified, however when I've been playing in a baseball game, I would prefer to not strikeout.  Although strikeouts are neccesary, no player wants to do it.  Fuck the rule, I'm gonna stay at the plate until I hit the ball in fair territory.  If the ball is caught in the air, I don't want to be "out", I'll keep on running the bases until I want to stop.  I can't do it and wouldn't do it becasue it's a major rule of the game and people would get pissed and think I was retarded or something.  That is just one rule I'm not fond of, but it is neccesary.  What about the rule about paying for stuff?  I don't wanna do that, give me that shit for free.  Here are some other rules that suck: gravity, being nude in public, being drunk in public, pretty much doing anything fun in public, time, holidays, drugs, parking, careers, science, diving in the shallow end, speed limits, anything illegal, etc....

This is your brain on drugs...any questions?

I was given an egg close to two weeks ago to do whatever I pleased with.  I took this egg home, drew a face on it (cause I don't like things to be all white) and put it in the fridge until I could think of what I wanted to do with it.  To be honest, I kept forgetting to think about what to do with the egg until I opened the fridge and then I would forget again less than one minute later.  The egg had been sitting in that cold box for about 12-13 days by now and I decided I had to do something with it.

I decided to put a name with the face of the egg, so I thought I'd call it Meggatots.  Don't look too far into the name, it means nothing really it just has the word Egg in its name.

I then did what any normal person would do with an egg, so I decided to cook it.  I waited for the pan to get warm and then placed Meggatots in the pan.  He/she laid there looking back and me with those big puppy dog eyes and at that moment I knew I couldn't cook Meggatots.

I then took Meggatots to the bathroom where I though he/she might enjoy a nice hot tub party.  However, I forgot that eggs do not float.  They just sink straight to the bottom.

As I got Meggatots out of the makeshift hot tub, I notice he/she was deteriorating.  Its back was starting to crack, I was obviously not take good care of my new friend.  So I knew there was only one thing I could do...set him up outside for someone or something else to take Meggatots and do something with him/her.

I typed up a quick note about Meggatots and fashioned an egg holding device out of a toilet paper roll, set him up in the public place for all to bask in his glory and hope that someone or something would take him.

I don't know what happened to that egg, I went back the next day to see if it was still there, but it wasn't.  I check the ground next to where I sat it to see if it had fallen over, but there was nothing.  Wherever it is, I hope it's having a kick ass time.

First Day of Class Overview

Today was the first day of class and I had no idea what to expect or what the class was even about.  I was happy to see that the class was NOT made up of 95% dudes.  It seems like every class I have had for the past 2 years was all guys, so that was a nice change.  The class was interesting for the most part, the whole class pretty much just talked the entire time, but it was interesting conversation that covered many topics.  I do however hope that all of the classes are not all discussion, I would like to work or projects or whatever we do in the class.  The room we are in was kind of chilly, which was weird because the class I had right before it was steaming hot, actually the whole building was really warm.  I guess they turned off the heat.  I'm not too sure about the chairs we had in the room either, they look cool and have wheels, but are a little uncomfortable to be sitting in for 3 hours.  Back to class, uh...we watched a couple of shorts videos, one of which I had already seen and the other something called 4:33.  I didn't really contribute towards the discussions in the class, however I think I will eventually warm up and throw my 2 cents into the mix as the classes move on.