eng/ims 224, feb 26th

Today1) Quiz: the redemption (I hope)2) Lev Manovich: genius as learned by

proxy3) Activity: 5 principles in action4) A little Photoshop work time5) Homework

So, the quiz…

So let’s try againHopefully the quiz on Thursday served to motivate you to do the readings for today. If not, we might have to keep doing this until we get the desired result.

Get out a piece of paper. If you don’t have paper, it’s all good, I’ll provide you with a piece.

Question 1What was one of the images included in the Eat Me, Drink Me, Push Me reading?

Question 2What is one of the 5 principles of New Media?

Question 3True or False: the 5 principles of new media were created by John Malkovich.

Question 4Why do the five principles of new media matter?

Question 5What do the G, U and I stand for in GUI (pronounced “Gooey”)?

The Five Principles ofNew (or Digital) Media

As enumerated by Lev Manovich in The Language of New Media:1)Numerical Representation2)Modularity3)Automation4)Variability 5)Transcoding

Numerical RepresentationBasically, what this means is that everything in digital media exists as code (literally reducable to binary code).Why is that important?

You tell me.

01001001011101000010000001101101011001010110000101101110011100110010000001110100011010000110000101110100001000000110000101101100011011000010000001110111011100100110100101110100011010010110111001100111001000000110100101110011001000000110111001101111011101110010000001100001011011000111001101101111001000000110010001100001011101000110000100101100001000000110000101101110011001000010000001101001011101000010000001100011011000010110111000100000011000100110010100100000011011010110000101101110011010010111000001110101011011000110000101110100011001010110010000100000011101110110100101110100011010000010000001100001011011000110110000100000011101000110100001100101001000000111010001110010011010010110001101101011011100110010000001101111011001100010000001100011011011110110110101110000011101010111010001100101011100100010000001100001011011100110010000100000011011010110000101100011011010000110100101101110011001010010000001110000011100100110111101100111011100100110000101101101011011010110100101101110011001110010000000101110

ModularityModularity refers to the ability of new media pieces to be taken as “pieces” and reassembled into different wholes.

For example, I can place a “widget” with my Twitter feed on my website, or on my desktop, or send it to my phone. It’s the same “twitter” content, but it fits into a nifty little “module” for reuse.

ModularityModularity refers to the ability of new media pieces to be taken as “pieces” and reassembled into different wholes.

For example, I can place a “widget” with my Twitter feed on my website, or on my desktop, or send it to my phone. It’s the same “twitter” content, but it fits into a nifty little “module” for reuse.

AutomationAutomation, in Manovich’s pentad, is the ability of software (or hardware) to allow for the manipulation of data using templates or other tools.

Quickmeme.com is an example. iMovie is an example.

Variability Variability means that there is more than one way to experience a new media creation.

Quick! Everyone go to Google. I know that Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were on all six Chicago Bulls world championship teams. Find out who the other 3 starters were on the 1997-98 team.

TranscodingTranscoding is the conversion of something from one media to another. For example, I keep asking you to remember to save your Photoshop documents (PSDs) as .jpg or .png files. This is a transcoding action.

Transcoding has much deeper implications, however, for audio and video, since algorithms allow once huge raw media files to be compressed and shared (e.g. mp3 files)

These become important

As ways for us to consider the differences in writing, art, communication and consumption in digital culture.

How do you see these issues as having a profound impact on how we create and share?

Another Photoshop Activity To keep us moving toward our goals of creating the best possible visual-verbal argument, I want us to pop into Photoshop and do this: create something relatively quickly that relates to your focal topic AND incorporates one of the five principles of new media. Hint: modularity and variability will be easier than the other three. :)

Next classFor class, read: The Big Triangle and McCloud on Comics

Next class we will introduce the next project (the visual, verbal, aural argument) and we will talk briefly about your mid-term, which is a week from today.