It has been hard going in my search for interesting literature in the realm of Second Life. There are seemingly endless resources to look through, but few ever pay off, and the world itself is very difficult to navigate through to find interesting things. I am coming to realize that finding out about things that no one I know knows anything about, in a place I know little about is very daunting. I feel like a spy who doesn't know Russian.
I have joined a few new groups, all of them now being - Just Poets, Oyster Bay Sculpture & Aquarium, Penguin Readers, Poetry Guild, Shakespeare & Company, sLiterary, The Blue Angel VIP, and Writers of SL, but a good part of the messages I have been sent are not worth mentioning and not very helpful.
Online I did find an interesting description of a novel that Penguin had made a 3-D representation of in SL. Apparently they took the story of "Snow Crash" and made a 3-D world of the action in SL, which is very interesting, but I can not find a link or location on the internet and I can not find it in SL or using it's search function. But, I do feel that such an examle is very interesting for writers of electronic literature. A reader could literally travel through a 3-D narrative in SL meeting characters and actions and places and scripts along the way. This is perhaps close to what Matt asked me to find: "Poetry dependant on the 3-D world of Second Life."
I did get an in-world copy of sLiterary Magazine, but I found it more difficult to read than it was worth. It was very touch to manage the scrolling and fit the pages into my screen - the online version is much easier, but not really a SL experience.
This week Trish and I will be working on the structure of our presentation and report and will begin working on it also. By Wednesday we should have a decent outline of our project to share.
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Sunday, April 1, 2007
Poetry and a Play in SL
Second Life is starting to get a little more enjoyable. And I have my preliminary position for the presentation in May. On Sunday I attended a country music concert for Relay for Life, an open-mic poetry night, and a one act play. As well as make a few friends and join some groups.
On New World Notes' Rik's Picks there was a link:
2-4PM - Country Music Concert for Relay for Life
The Dixie Rebels invite you to throw on your cowboy boots and ten gallon and head over to Dixie Land Estates (130, 132) for a benefit concert by Jeff Tully with all proceeds going to Relay for Life.
When I arrived I had a difficult time being able to listen to the music being performed. Finally after a few technical, which resembled RL concert problems, they gave a link which downloaded an iTunes file of streaming audio. I listened to a country singer perform and speak to the crowd, using their SL names, while his avatar stood on stage. The performance was more audio than visual; the singer didn't move much or even strum the guitar, but the fans were dancing and making out on the dance floor. It was more interesting to watch the fans than the performer. The costumes and custom dance moves are eternally interesting and art in themselves. But, overall it was a less than exciting event, but I could see the potential of something more interesting.
Later I went to the Blue Angel Open Mic at 5pm slt in Windemerer 232, 186, 34. I arrived early and spoke to Siobhan Flanagan for a few minutes. It felt more or less like a real conversation - i tried not to speak over her and was civil - and I learned she is a teacher in Toronto very into the music scene. She too is a newbie, but I think she'll lead me to interesting things. The poetry which was presented was decent. Everyone sits in chairs while in the chat box the speaker enters in each line of the work. It's not very impressive presentation - just an aim conversation with a live background. There are often typos, but the poetry was interesting and there is a library of work I will check out.
I then went to a One Act play called The Box, written by Rich Smolen. I arrived late, not having received the message from the group Writers of SL and I could never catch up with the story. The Avatars move around a little, but stop to type their speech. It is delivered very slow and therefore wasn't very good. But, they promised it would be better next time - every Saturday at 2 pm slt they will perform at Nimue 239 169 81.
Although I still have not seen anything as interesting (literature wise) as the ELC, I do feel SL is a good place for electronic literature artists to get involved in. It is an open source program, so the power is in the user's hands. It is also developing fast, though still relatively new. I believe that all a new creation takes is computer skill and I have already seen great evidence of that in the hands of artists.
I look forward to knew discoveries and now I have more resources to learn from.
On New World Notes' Rik's Picks there was a link:
2-4PM - Country Music Concert for Relay for Life
The Dixie Rebels invite you to throw on your cowboy boots and ten gallon and head over to Dixie Land Estates (130, 132) for a benefit concert by Jeff Tully with all proceeds going to Relay for Life.
When I arrived I had a difficult time being able to listen to the music being performed. Finally after a few technical, which resembled RL concert problems, they gave a link which downloaded an iTunes file of streaming audio. I listened to a country singer perform and speak to the crowd, using their SL names, while his avatar stood on stage. The performance was more audio than visual; the singer didn't move much or even strum the guitar, but the fans were dancing and making out on the dance floor. It was more interesting to watch the fans than the performer. The costumes and custom dance moves are eternally interesting and art in themselves. But, overall it was a less than exciting event, but I could see the potential of something more interesting.
Later I went to the Blue Angel Open Mic at 5pm slt in Windemerer 232, 186, 34. I arrived early and spoke to Siobhan Flanagan for a few minutes. It felt more or less like a real conversation - i tried not to speak over her and was civil - and I learned she is a teacher in Toronto very into the music scene. She too is a newbie, but I think she'll lead me to interesting things. The poetry which was presented was decent. Everyone sits in chairs while in the chat box the speaker enters in each line of the work. It's not very impressive presentation - just an aim conversation with a live background. There are often typos, but the poetry was interesting and there is a library of work I will check out.
I then went to a One Act play called The Box, written by Rich Smolen. I arrived late, not having received the message from the group Writers of SL and I could never catch up with the story. The Avatars move around a little, but stop to type their speech. It is delivered very slow and therefore wasn't very good. But, they promised it would be better next time - every Saturday at 2 pm slt they will perform at Nimue 239 169 81.
Although I still have not seen anything as interesting (literature wise) as the ELC, I do feel SL is a good place for electronic literature artists to get involved in. It is an open source program, so the power is in the user's hands. It is also developing fast, though still relatively new. I believe that all a new creation takes is computer skill and I have already seen great evidence of that in the hands of artists.
I look forward to knew discoveries and now I have more resources to learn from.
Brad Paley: "Interaction Design as a Branch of the Humanities: A Healthier Fit than Technology or Computer Science?"
On Wednesday Tricia and I attended the Digital Dialogue featuring Brad Paley and it was very interesting. He presented only one work concerning the humanities, but the point of the lecture was to create thought and discussion about whether or not Human Computer interaction research is a good fit in the arts or not.
The example he presented was the TextArc of Alice in Wonderland. At first it seems like a simple picture but on the computer it becomes an interesting work of electronic literature. As he writes on the web page, www.textarc.org, "TextArc is a tool designed to help people discover patterns and concepts in any text by leveraging a powerful, underused resource: human visual processing." The words which occur more frequently are brighter and layered on top of the others. The viewer/user understands that these are the more important words, like Alice and Queen, and we can see exactly where they occur in the text. He showed that Queen is displaced in three distinct places; by putting the mouse over "Queen" strings spread from that word to where they are mentioned in the text (the outermost arc is the entire text from beginning to end). She is introduced and then not mentioned again until the reader would have forgotten about her. Such a tool as TextArc gives one an easy way to analyze the structure an author has chosen.
This is an interesting concept and program, which allows for many new ways for analysing and creating new ideas about a text and it's author, but I do not feel that it is a great piece of electronic literature. Once the idea and program were made, it becomes the same thing over and over again, just with different texts.
The other things he presented were examples of Human Computer Interactions. Such as keypads for doctors and stock brokers. These have very little to do with the humanities but the concepts behind them would help make electronic literature better. I understand the concept to be using common cultural thought processes to make electronic devices easier to use. Brad studies the thought process of brokers - how they make a stock deal, the steps involved, the most important ideas and distinctions - and creates the best pda possible for them.
Often, electronic literature is difficult for the user. Like myself, many people interested in literature are not "computer-savvy." If artists had a better idea of the way the average reader worked through a text, their work would become easier. But, as I write this I wonder if the difficulty is part of the point. I have no experience with Second Life and I think learning a new skill is part of the experience. Works on the ELC are interactive like nothing I've ever come across and I feel that working through a new medium and finding meaning in the interaction is part of the beauty.
So then Brad Paley's work in HCIL could be useful for artists in the humanities but might be too involved for an artist to use. A collaboration between the fields would be far more effective. If an artist could present her work to a member of HCIL they could work together to make it a more effective work.
Overall, this was a very interesting presentation that brought to light many possibilities in this new mixture of the computer and literature.
The example he presented was the TextArc of Alice in Wonderland. At first it seems like a simple picture but on the computer it becomes an interesting work of electronic literature. As he writes on the web page, www.textarc.org, "TextArc is a tool designed to help people discover patterns and concepts in any text by leveraging a powerful, underused resource: human visual processing." The words which occur more frequently are brighter and layered on top of the others. The viewer/user understands that these are the more important words, like Alice and Queen, and we can see exactly where they occur in the text. He showed that Queen is displaced in three distinct places; by putting the mouse over "Queen" strings spread from that word to where they are mentioned in the text (the outermost arc is the entire text from beginning to end). She is introduced and then not mentioned again until the reader would have forgotten about her. Such a tool as TextArc gives one an easy way to analyze the structure an author has chosen.
This is an interesting concept and program, which allows for many new ways for analysing and creating new ideas about a text and it's author, but I do not feel that it is a great piece of electronic literature. Once the idea and program were made, it becomes the same thing over and over again, just with different texts.
The other things he presented were examples of Human Computer Interactions. Such as keypads for doctors and stock brokers. These have very little to do with the humanities but the concepts behind them would help make electronic literature better. I understand the concept to be using common cultural thought processes to make electronic devices easier to use. Brad studies the thought process of brokers - how they make a stock deal, the steps involved, the most important ideas and distinctions - and creates the best pda possible for them.
Often, electronic literature is difficult for the user. Like myself, many people interested in literature are not "computer-savvy." If artists had a better idea of the way the average reader worked through a text, their work would become easier. But, as I write this I wonder if the difficulty is part of the point. I have no experience with Second Life and I think learning a new skill is part of the experience. Works on the ELC are interactive like nothing I've ever come across and I feel that working through a new medium and finding meaning in the interaction is part of the beauty.
So then Brad Paley's work in HCIL could be useful for artists in the humanities but might be too involved for an artist to use. A collaboration between the fields would be far more effective. If an artist could present her work to a member of HCIL they could work together to make it a more effective work.
Overall, this was a very interesting presentation that brought to light many possibilities in this new mixture of the computer and literature.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Disappointment in SL
Today at 5pm eastern (2pm SL time) I was hoping to attend my first poetry reading in Second Life at the Wrong Way Cafe, but no one else showed up. Seems like something that happens to poetry lovers a lot. I'm not sure why it didn't happen and I can't find any information about it, but I did pick up a free pack of British Cigs, so it wasn't all a waste.
I feel like there is a great lack of information in SL. Things are tough to find for newbies. One article Tricia sent said that for people who weren't hardcore programmers and "computer people" SL seems boring and tedious and I get that feeling.
But, there is a lot out there. I feel that it's difficulty is a great parallel to the real world; things are tough to find, but if you're passionate about it you can find anything you want. SL is not built for instant gratification: you actually have to build satisfaction yourself.
I found a blog that shows what one user does every time she gets online and I think it will be a great help: http://secondtourist.blogspot.com/. I'll keep checking this out and will find some creative things going on in SL.
I feel like there is a great lack of information in SL. Things are tough to find for newbies. One article Tricia sent said that for people who weren't hardcore programmers and "computer people" SL seems boring and tedious and I get that feeling.
But, there is a lot out there. I feel that it's difficulty is a great parallel to the real world; things are tough to find, but if you're passionate about it you can find anything you want. SL is not built for instant gratification: you actually have to build satisfaction yourself.
I found a blog that shows what one user does every time she gets online and I think it will be a great help: http://secondtourist.blogspot.com/. I'll keep checking this out and will find some creative things going on in SL.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Second Life: My Beginning
So far my experience with Second Life is discouraging, but I'm keeping an open mind about it. The world is often slow and difficult to move around. Also, like the real world, there seems to be too much to take in. It's hard to find what you want, there's no goal or mission, and searching becomes tedious after awhile. But, I'm slowly getting the hang of it.
In the search of creative arts I have made a few discoveries. The Asgard Gallery in Theretra is a great art gallery with lots of links to others. All of the pictures have integrated poetry. You simply click on the pictures and a haiku pops up. The "digital art" is exquisite. I would love to learn how they create it, but people are hard to find in this place.
I have joined a couple groups, POETRY GUILD and Writers of SL. They give out invitations and post interesting things, but I have not yet been to an event.
I am planning on going to The Wrong Way Cafe on Monday at 2pm (11 am eastern) for a poetry reading. It looks like a great place and it will be very interesting to see how a poetry reading is done online.
Also, I found an online magazine about SL called In The Grid, http://www.jasonpettus.com/inthegrid/ which gives a lot of information about interesting things going on in SL.
I am developing ideas for the presentation and I will continue to post my thoughts.
In the search of creative arts I have made a few discoveries. The Asgard Gallery in Theretra is a great art gallery with lots of links to others. All of the pictures have integrated poetry. You simply click on the pictures and a haiku pops up. The "digital art" is exquisite. I would love to learn how they create it, but people are hard to find in this place.
I have joined a couple groups, POETRY GUILD and Writers of SL. They give out invitations and post interesting things, but I have not yet been to an event.
I am planning on going to The Wrong Way Cafe on Monday at 2pm (11 am eastern) for a poetry reading. It looks like a great place and it will be very interesting to see how a poetry reading is done online.
Also, I found an online magazine about SL called In The Grid, http://www.jasonpettus.com/inthegrid/ which gives a lot of information about interesting things going on in SL.
I am developing ideas for the presentation and I will continue to post my thoughts.
Monday, February 26, 2007
MITH Mission Statement
Coming into this semester I knew very little of electronic literature. One month into the semester I am still a novice, but I do have a grasp on the genre. What I find most interesting is the creation of digital worlds combined with literature. For instance, Donna Leishman's work, “Deviant: The Possession of Christian Shaw,” is a work I really like. The user works through an interactive world “at the mercy of her exploration history,” trying to find meaning along the way. I like that the restrictions involved in such a work actually add to the theme of a demonic possession, which can not be controlled by anyone.
Since I bought my Macbook I have become very interested in playing with it and doing as many new things as possible. I also became very interested in the program, Blender, which was presented to me last Wednesday. I have begun working through tutorials, but still need a lot of practice. This is what I would like to focus on for the rest of my internship (and after): to create a digital experience in Blender which will include some form of literary narrative. I do not yet know Blender's full potential, so I am not sure exactly what shape my work will take, but I am determined to create a piece in the next few months.
I can put in a lot of time on this project. Any time I am not working on other school work I will be able to sit down on my laptop and make progress. To keep myself focused I would like to make weekly progress reports detailing what I have completed so far and what I plan on doing in the future. I know I can ask anyone in the MITH office for help along with my friends who have a computer science background. There are also countless tutorials on the Internet I can use while creating my piece. This is obviously a rough sketch of my final project, but week by week, it will take a more defined shape. I am very excited about this and I can't wait to complete a work.
Since I bought my Macbook I have become very interested in playing with it and doing as many new things as possible. I also became very interested in the program, Blender, which was presented to me last Wednesday. I have begun working through tutorials, but still need a lot of practice. This is what I would like to focus on for the rest of my internship (and after): to create a digital experience in Blender which will include some form of literary narrative. I do not yet know Blender's full potential, so I am not sure exactly what shape my work will take, but I am determined to create a piece in the next few months.
I can put in a lot of time on this project. Any time I am not working on other school work I will be able to sit down on my laptop and make progress. To keep myself focused I would like to make weekly progress reports detailing what I have completed so far and what I plan on doing in the future. I know I can ask anyone in the MITH office for help along with my friends who have a computer science background. There are also countless tutorials on the Internet I can use while creating my piece. This is obviously a rough sketch of my final project, but week by week, it will take a more defined shape. I am very excited about this and I can't wait to complete a work.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Patchwork Girl by Shelley Jackson
Yesterday I had the pleasure of travelling through Shelly Jackson's "Patchwork Girl." To start, this work fits perfectly together - Mary Shelly's Frankenstein is a great work to base this work on. She explains to us that her work of electronic literature is a type of Frankenstein; it is put together by some outside force. There is a general pattern - Jackson's programming is like the basic human form Victor F. has to work with. We are Prof. Frankenstein haphazardly putting together a piece of art with little remembrance of the past and no clue as to the future. The links on the page are the bones and nerves Victor F. creates his masterpiece with. I love the works concept and image. This really is a great work to introduce anyone to Electronic Literature. Being able to make the connections to the novel really helps me helps me understand the genre.
Throughout the piece I felt Walt Whitman's presence. She writes, "You will all be apart of me" and you can easily add, "From prostitute to president" in Whitman style. The connections from page to page are like his "gossamer thread[s]" "Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing,—seeking the spheres, to connect them." The web of pages stretches in all directions and while in the middle of it there seems to be no end. I have only gone through it once but it seems that new start will lead in a new direction - something Whitman would have loved.
Throughout my reading, questions abounded in my mind. The prevalent thought was "Is it Linear?" I could not grasp whether or not there was a specific way to go. I seemed to exhaust the options but in retrospect I don't think I did. The next question would be "Is it a different story every time?" and I guess it could be. I liked to think that the different readings do make up a greater body of text. Just like the monster is thrown together haphazardly we seem to travel through the prose just as randomly. And I think the different readings represent the newly acquired body parts the monster adopts - like the foot she tears off a thief.
About an hour in to the adventure you wonder, "Is there an ending?" I remember finishing the text, but I don't really remember the ending. I feel she left the end unremarkable so that we would remember the travel more. In the middle you feel lost - you don't have a page number for reference and you don't know where you are. There could be an end, but you can't see it. It is definitely not linear. Just as this female Frankenstein is a complicated jumble of parts, Jackson's work is a puzzle piece with endless possibilities.
Throughout the piece I felt Walt Whitman's presence. She writes, "You will all be apart of me" and you can easily add, "From prostitute to president" in Whitman style. The connections from page to page are like his "gossamer thread[s]" "Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing,—seeking the spheres, to connect them." The web of pages stretches in all directions and while in the middle of it there seems to be no end. I have only gone through it once but it seems that new start will lead in a new direction - something Whitman would have loved.
Throughout my reading, questions abounded in my mind. The prevalent thought was "Is it Linear?" I could not grasp whether or not there was a specific way to go. I seemed to exhaust the options but in retrospect I don't think I did. The next question would be "Is it a different story every time?" and I guess it could be. I liked to think that the different readings do make up a greater body of text. Just like the monster is thrown together haphazardly we seem to travel through the prose just as randomly. And I think the different readings represent the newly acquired body parts the monster adopts - like the foot she tears off a thief.
About an hour in to the adventure you wonder, "Is there an ending?" I remember finishing the text, but I don't really remember the ending. I feel she left the end unremarkable so that we would remember the travel more. In the middle you feel lost - you don't have a page number for reference and you don't know where you are. There could be an end, but you can't see it. It is definitely not linear. Just as this female Frankenstein is a complicated jumble of parts, Jackson's work is a puzzle piece with endless possibilities.
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