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Too $hort, who appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon a few nights back, recently had this interview. He brought up that Trinidad James stole a majority of one his songs, but goes on to say that it's all in the name of the game of hip-hop. He talks about how the origin of hip-hop came from sampling a lot of disco music. This would have been a great example in one of our quiz questions. 

Don't Wake the Snake [Video Art]

The Big Three

Klaus Obermeier 
I am still consistently astonished by the technology behind the projection mapping. Against a vertically stripped wall, one performer showed horizontal strips. In total darkness, one dancer was illuminated by alphabetical letters. It's important in these art collaborations with moving people that there is contrast to show the projector's capabilities, and in this particular performance, they did a very good job of showing it. 




Gideon Obarzaneks 
One of my favorite parts of this performance is the delayed shadow that follows the movements of the performer, acting just like a paintbrush tool on a slow running Microsoft Paint program. From inverted projected shadows (their shadows had white outlines at one point, and I have no idea how they did that) to randomly generated ovals of various sizes composing the structure of their bodies, this performance had it all. Obarzaneks had a very good explanation of what he was going for and how he wants to reveal dancers with light projections rather than just put images over them. The guy named "Frida" that worked on the technology end of this had some very impressive designs that made this performance possible. 




Kevin Warwick 
Warwick deals with the direct interaction between computers and the human nervous system. His studies in robotic and cyborg technology have lead to his Project Cyborg and various other projects. One such project he performed on himself involved planting a data chip in his skin which could control opening doors, lights, and thermostats. Warwick's goal is to create a bridge between the human mind and electronics, almost like telepathy. Warwick has worked extensively with a robotic arm that could mimic his own arm. His work in this field has been implemented in surgeries, and definitely has functionality for future endeavors. 

Latin Music

I've really enjoyed most of the music/ music videos we've seen throughout this class. This particular section on Latin style music was equally good. The music of the Latin World utilizes much different chord progressions and a different culmination of instruments (especially horns) than the US. The distinct sound and culture of Latin music is very pleasant to listen to as background music. Maybe it's because I can't understand what they are saying, or that it is just the style of music. My two favorite pieces in the bunch were Sidestepper and Soda Stereo (it was very 80s). The Latin house style and the more relaxed old school/ chant-singing style were both refreshing and yet familiar. Because I am taking World Music, I have already been exposed to a lot of Latin music, from merengue to salsa to reggaeton. 

Kinect + DSLR

After already seeing plenty of this going around, Golan Levin's abstract XBox Kinect + DSLR combo is not too interesting at this point. One thing people need to understand is that humans are easily distracted, especially when it comes to lectures and interviews. The addition of the abstract design graphics to this interview paired with the poor sound pickup make this video slightly difficult to sit through and try to take in what he is talking about. I still think it's cool how they are receiving 3D imaging, however, I haven't seen too many fluid projects (I am aware it is a new technology). I'm looking forward to what they can do with this technology. I'm glad Golan talked about school and how important it is to work with other like-minded and skilled people, which is encouraging to hear that it holds value more so in the future. The more I hear about coding and really nitty-gritty tech stuff, the more nervous I get that I am falling behind on an important skill our school is not teaching or giving me time to learn. I am eager to learn coding and I intend to teach myself a lot of it, however, I would enjoy the help of experienced professionals. Overall, this video was good to watch and listen to. Golan had a lot to say and they picked good questions for him. 

Digital Storytelling

Overall, this was a very exciting video for me to watch. A lot of the people working on these projects such as the Cosmopolitan or the Spacebrew opensource, are people I envy. Their skill and innovation to the digital environment is something to be proud of. I was continuously distracted by the awesome graphics Josh used in his presentation; they were unique and consistent, and he gave me a lot of ideas for some personal projects. At the end of his talk, he began discussing how the future of the computer is having the environment be the computer. This goes hand-in-hand with Google Glass, and having the person fully immersed in the technology. I am glad he brought up how important the physical world is to those involved in digital fields. I always want people to know that we (new media/ tech geeks, etc.) need outside just as much as everyone else, whether it be for our projects or just to get some fresh air. 

My First... Performance Art Piece

This one is for Santi.



This one is for me. I just wanted to add a little bit to the video, it was a fun project for me and I wanted to make it more appealing to people who aren't really into performance art.