"For the occidental tradition, the idea of God is intimately related to the idea of causality. That means that for any chain of facts it is reasonable to postulate an absolute beginning, which can be called 'God'. Nevertheless, if instead of explaining the universe through the principle of causality we decide to refer to the pure idea of a 'form' -as one can speak of 'rhetorical (or mathematical) forms'-, the chain ceases to be factual and becomes structural and iterative, like a grammar, and there is no longer any way to avoid the possibility of denying a 'real' beginning. The entities in the world become figures in a diagram, the ontological 'history' becomes a rhetorical 'texture' (trama), and God (written with upper initial) may always 'be moved' by some other 'god' (with lower initial), and so on, following a never ending texture 'of dust, and time, and dream and agonies'".
(Ivan Almeida, Cristina Parodi, 1996)
Almeida, I. and C. Parodi (1996). "Borges and the Ontology of Tropes." Variaciones Borges(2).
"While computer-mediated communication use and research are proliferating rapidly, findings offer contrasting images regarding the interpersonal character of this technology. Research trends over the history of these media are reviewed with observations across trends suggested so as to provide integrative principles with which to apply media to different circumstances. First, the notion that the media reduce personal influences—their impersonal effects—is reviewed. Newer theories and research are noted explaining normative 'interpersonal' uses of the media. From this vantage point, recognizing that impersonal communication is sometimes advantageous, strategies for the intentional depersonalization of media use are inferred, with implications for Group Decision Support Systems effects. Additionally, recognizing that media sometimes facilitate communication that surpasses normal interpersonal levels, a new perspective on 'hyperpersonal' communication is introduced. Subprocesses are discussed pertaining to receivers, senders, channels, and feedback elements in computer-mediated communication that may enhance impressions and interpersonal relations."
(Joseph Walther, 1996)
Walther, J. (1996). "Computer-Mediated Communication: Impersonal, Interpersonal, and Hyperpersonal Interaction." Communication Research 23 February: 3-43.
"The language interpreter runs in a cross platform IDE (OS X/Linux/Windows) and communicates via Open Sound Control with one or more synthesis servers. The SuperCollider synthesis server runs in a separate process or even on a separate machine so it is ideal for realtime networked music.
SuperCollider was developed by James McCartney and originally released in 1996. He released it under the terms of the GNU General Public License in 2002 when he joined the Apple Core Audio team. It is now maintained and developed by an active and enthusiastic community. It is used by musicians, scientists, and artists working with sound."
"24 Hours in Cyberspace was the inspiration of photographer Rick Smolan, who created the 'Day in the Life' photo-essay series. Smolan used the same formula as 'Day in the Life,' recruiting 150 photojournalists to go out and chronicle a slice of everyday life, in this case as it pertained to the then-counterculturish phenomenon of the web.
The technology of the internet was not the subject: Smolan wanted (and got) pictures of how different people in different cultures were using the internet, and the effect that the medium of cyberspace was having on their lives.
The resulting work was edited and then displayed on a website. It also appeared as the cover story of that week's edition of U.S. News and World Report and, soon thereafter, as a coffee-table book."
(Wired.com, 8 February 2008)
"Yes, fifteen years ago it was. We were kids who didn't know squat about print publishing and now we're older and we don't know squat about web publishing. But we hope Pulp International manages to entertain. It's a bit different from our old Pulp, but it's similar in many ways too. We'll be looking for pulp everywhere – certainly in the usual places, like books and magazines, but also in music and art. For that matter, we'll also be looking for pulp events – that is, real–world crimes with a touch of deceit or corruption. And lastly, we'll be posting images from blaxploitation, sexploitation, noir, horror, sci–fi and psychedelia films, because these too seem like pulp. At least to us. So there you go. Nothing is permanent, and this site won't be either, but as long as it's fun, and you enjoy it, we'll be here."
"Sven Birkerts, a modern–day Luddite, is feeling uneasy about all this rapid cultural change. He longs for the slow elegance of print culture. So much so, in fact, that the cover of his new book, [The Gutenberg Elegies: The Fate of Reading in an Electronic Age], features a fuzzy caramel–colored snapshot of a naturally–lit library which houses the endangered species of digital modernity: a leather armchair draped with an afghan, droopy lace curtains, and shelves of softened leather hard–backs coveting thick yellowed pages and the tidy, immutable thoughts of yesterday's literary prophets.
Birkerts is terrified that his warm dusty paradise is being ransacked, and the remaining rubble is merely forgotten or misunderstood in a world distracted by garish, pulsing iconography."
(Amanda Griscom, 1996)
Amanda Scott Griscom (1996). "Trends of Anarchy and Hierarchy: Comparing the Cultural Repercussions of Print and Digital Media", Brown University.
"CollageMachine builds interactive collages from the Web. First you choose a direction. Then CollageMachine will take you surfing out across the Internet as far as it can reach. It builds a collage from the most interesting media it can find for you. You don't have to click through links. You rearrange the collage to refine your exploration.
CollageMachine is an agent of recombination. Aesthetics of musical composition and conceptual detournement underlie its development. The composer John Cage and Dada artists such as Marcel Duchamp and Max Ernst used structured chance procedures to create aesthetic assemblages. These works create new meaning by recontextualizing found objects. Instead of functioning as a single visual work, CollageMachine embodies the process of collage making.
CollageMachine [1] deconstructs Web sites and re-presents them in collage form. The program crawls the Web, downloading sites. It breaks each page down into media elements—images and texts. Over time, these elements stream into a collage. Point, click, drag, and drop to rearrange the media. How you organize the
elements shows CollageMachine what you're interested in. You can teach it to bring media of interest to you. On the basis of your interactions, CollageMachine reasons about your interests; the evolving model informs ongoing choices of selection and placement. CollageMachine has been developed through a process of freely combining disciplines according to the principles of 'interface ecology.'"
"ACID (Anti Copying In Design) is a membership trade organisation, set up as a round table action group in 1996, by designers for designers. ACID is a committed to raising awareness & encouraging respect for IP within individual & corporate responsibility. By helping its members to understand and protect their rights, ACID is intent on stamping out intellectual property rights abuse."
(Anti Copying In Design, UK)
"Sima Urale's debut short film, beautifully realised in black and white, tells the story of a young Samoan boy who is expected to play guardian to his siblings. As his parents struggle in their new country, he is overwhelmed by the responsibility. When faced with his grief, the adults fail to recognise his pain. Poignant attention to details that convey a child's perspective (eg. the movement of a spacies game and shopping trolley are intercut) saw O Tamaiti win awards at film festivals around the globe, including the prestigious Silver Lion at Venice."
(NZ On Screen)
Fig. 1 Dir. Sima Urale, 15mins, NZ, 1996, black & white, 1.1:66
"boolab is a production house dedicated to motion graphics, animation (2D and 3D) and the development of other visual techniques, both traditional and cutting or bleeding edge. It came into being in 2004 within the framework of Booker, an advertising production house in the field of live–action, founded in 1996. Initially, boolab was envisaged as an in–house lab for research into new audiovisual languages, but it soon set its sights beyond the company walls. Success was not long in coming, and it rapidly developed into what it is today – a production house that is a benchmark in audiovisual innovation throughout Spain and Europe."
(Boolab)
Fig.1 Pilot: 'Evolution' – boolab, uploaded by boolab Plus 1 year ago.
"CSCL is focused on how collaborative learning supported by technology can enhance peer interaction and work in groups, and how collaboration and technology facilitate sharing and distributing of knowledge and expertise among community members."
(Lasse Lipponen, 2002)
2). Lipponen, L. (2002). "Exploring foundations for computer–supported collaborative learning". Proceedings of the Conference on Computer Support for Collaborative Learning: Foundations for a CSCL Community. Boulder, Colorado, International Society of the Learning Sciences: 72–81.
"PANDORA, Australia's Web Archive, is a growing collection of Australian online publications, established initially by the National Library of Australia in 1996, and now built in collaboration with nine other Australian libraries and cultural collecting organisations."
(National Library of Australia)
"The Homage: A vivid, sumptuous homage to Georges Méliès's silent film A Trip to the Moon, suggested by directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. The band's initial idea of a Busby Berkeley–inspired video was vetoed when they discovered the Red Hot Chili Peppers had done something similar. There's even a ship in it called the S. S. Melies."
(Josh Winning, 7 April 2010, TotalFilm.com)
Fig.1 The Smashing Pumpkins (1996). "Tonight, Tonight"
"First Monday is one of the first openly accessible, peer–reviewed journals on the Internet, solely devoted to the Internet. Since its start in May 1996, First Monday has published 1,119 papers in 179 issues, written by 1,437 different authors. In addition, a number of special issues have appeared as well as podcasts at http://www.firstmondaypodcast.org/. First Monday is indexed in Communication Abstracts, Computer & Communications Security Abstracts, DoIS, eGranary Digital Library, INSPEC, Information Science & Technology Abstracts, LISA, PAIS, and other services. First Monday's ISSN is 1396–0466."
(First Monday, 1995–2011)
Fig.1 "Ceiling Cat is watching you".
"Duke Nukem Forever was announced in 1997, after its predecessor, Duke Nukem 3D, had rocked the PC market with a hero who liked kicking ass, hanging out with strippers, and murdering alien police officers that were, literally, pigs. It was inappropriate, raunchy, and amazing.
It was also one of the games that gave 3D Realms the success that brought its destruction. Duke Nukem Forever began life as a completely self–funded game; its developer wanted nothing less than perfection, and would chase every update in technology in order to deliver it. The game saw monumental delays, suffered the slings and arrows of a gaming world that was first angry and then tolerant of its favorite whipping boy, had its home taken away, and has since risen from the dead.
Is the public still interested in Duke Nukem? Hell yes it is. This is the story of the gaming industry's favorite joke, and how Duke may finally have the last laugh."
(Ben Kuchera, 7 September 2010)
Fig.1 'Duke Nukem Forever | History of a Legend Episode 1', 2011
Fig.2 trailer from Electronic Entertainment Expo, 1998
Fig.3 video capture of 1991 side–scrolling 'Duke Nukum' version
"Browse through over 150 billion web pages archived from 1996 to a few months ago. To start surfing the Wayback, type in the web address of a site or page where you would like to start, and press enter. Then select from the archived dates available. The resulting pages point to other archived pages at as close a date as possible."
(The Internet Archive)
"Stereo projection throughout the 1980s and 1990s has often been accomplished with large format film projectors, especially Imax. But because of the high cost and complexity of stereo projection and of 65mm film prints, stereo projection was a niche product. And 35mm stereo projection equipment is just as complicated and unappealing to the average theatre owner as is 65mm stereo.
Digital stereo projection is different. The Real D system works with very little modification to the existing Texas Instruments DLP digital projectors that are becoming increasingly common even in neighbourhood theatres. And because these digital DLP projectors already have a beautiful image similar to film prints (minus film print cost and wear and tear), the combination of Real D stereo and the TI DLP digital projector makes lots of artistic and financial sense for the Hollywood studios and exhibitors. Real D uses circular polarizers instead of the older linear glasses, so the stereo effect isn't lost if the audience member tilts their head. Problems with colour casts from the polarizing glasses have also been improved.
Not to be out done, Imax and Dolby are introducing their own digital stereoscopic projection systems for the general public. And Imax stereo analogue film projection continues to be very popular."
(Michael Karp, Student Filmmaker Magazine v.1.1)
Fig.1 Making of documentary about T2 3–D: Battle Across Time, 1996;
Fig.2 Using twin 65mm Showscan/Panavision cameras to film T2 3–D: Battle Across Time.
"Rhizome is dedicated to the creation, presentation, preservation, and critique of emerging artistic practices that engage technology. Through open platforms for exchange and collaboration, our website serves to encourage and expand the communities around these practices. Our programs, many of which happen online, include commissions, exhibitions, events, discussion, archives and portfolios. We support artists working at the furthest reaches of technological experimentation as well as those responding to the broader aesthetic and political implications of new tools and media. Our organizational voice draws attention to artists, their work, their perspectives and the complex interrelationships between technology, art and culture....
Founded in 1996 as an intimate email list subscribed to by some of the first artists to work online and, twelve years later, a thriving nonprofit, Rhizome has played an integral role in the history, definition and growth of art engaged with the Internet and networked technologies. Our website is a dynamic, interactive platform, rich in historical resources and updated continually with new art and commentary by a vast community. Our programs, realized both on and offline, support art creation, presentation, preservation and interpretation; they include exhibitions & events, commissioning, daily art news and in–depth criticism, and the maintenance of a singularly comprehensive digital art archive.
Rhizome affiliated with the New Museum in 2003, when the institutions identified a shared commitment to emerging art and ideas."
(Rhizome.org)
Fig.1 12_Series is a new generative multichannel computer installation by Telcosystems.
"The recent explosion in the popularity of the world–wide web and its associated hypertext markup language (HTML) and hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) presents an exciting new opportunity to provide widely distributed access to sophisticated software applications [16]. The design of HTTP and HTML, however, place a number of novel and often severe constraints on the design of interfaces that use them. This paper outlines our approach to providing a rich user interface to a sophisticated application over the web, specifies our design objectives, the constraints imposed by HTML and HTTP, and the trade–offs that we made in order to meet these objectives whilst satisfying these constraints. We further document the evolution of the design and implementation of our application, and some of the lessons learned."
(James Rice, Adam Farquhar, Philippe Piernot and Thomas Gruber, 1996)
CHI '96 Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Pages 103-110, ACM New York, NY, USA 1996.
[This paper provides a useful glimpse into the history of web applications e.g. e–commerce and social software.]
"Events unfold differently if a camera is trained on them. In Level Five (1996) [Chris] Marker includes two examples of such influence. In one of the clips from Okinawa a woman runs across a field toward a precipice from which her compatriots are leaping. A close examination of the clip reveals that she momentarily hesitates and begins to turn back. Yet the woman recovers her resolve upon meeting the camera eye and takes the plunge. Marker then shows the same clip again, only this time he superimposes onto it images taken in 1900 from the first floor of the Eiffel Tower, where an inventor demonstrates a new personal flying device. The filmmaker shows that at the last moment the inventor realises his new contraption will not fly, but because he is being filmed, he is still compelled to jump, like the unknown woman in Okinawa, to his death. Thus the very act of tracking a film camera on an event is shown to produce actions and, hence, to have the potential to affect and steer the course of history. In Level Five (1996), even more than in his previous films, Marker problematises the relationship between historical events and their mediated representations."
(Chris Marker, Contemporary Film Directors, University of Illinois Press )
"[The] dolls ... are each custom made to order ... [and include an] extensive list of options, from body type and face type all the way down to fingernail colour. If you've ever dreamed of creating your ideal woman, then you have come to the right place."
(Abyss Creations)
[Life–like sex dolls suggest Blade Runner–style scenarios. A world where replicant partners can be created according to ones desires – where replicants like Blade Runner's protagonist Rick Deckard, can disappear into the sunset with their own personal (sex–doll) replicant.]
"As global positioning, wireless communication, and mobile display technologies continue to advance, our notion of place will change. Information objects—first geocoded signs and later animated special effects—will begin to populate real physical space on what we call WorldBoard channels. WorldBoard is a proposed global infrastructure to associate information with places and ultimately to provide people with enhanced information perception services. This paper explores the notion of a WorldBoard from four perspectives: historical background, technical feasibility, potential applications, and social implications. Recent developments, ranging from lower-cost Global Positioning System (GPS)-enabled car navigation systems to Casio Electronics' first-of-a-kind GPS-enabled wristwatch, foreshadow increased availability of location-aware information services and products. While significant technical, application development, and social challenges remain before a complete WorldBoard infrastructure can be made broadly, uniformly, and cost-effectively available, some feasible first steps toward this important goal are recommended. Finally, a notion like WorldBoard offers an opportunity to reflect on how technological possibilities unfold."
(J. C. Spohrer)
Peter Greenaway's masterpiece The Pillow Book (1996) presents a multifaceted view of an event, splintering discrete actions into various views. There are numerous instances of this technique employed in this film, creating a sense that the viewer is being presented with but one of many possible views.
"A tamagotchi is a 'cyber creature who has traveled millions of miles from its home planet to learn what life is like on earth' (Bandai 1996). These creatures were found by a professor and his assistant, Mikachu. The two built these creatures 'little egg–shaped protection cases so they could survive on earth'. If these lovely virtual creatures receive 'proper care and feeding', they will grow into 'different shapes and personalities' and may live on earth for as long as 31 years. One earth day is equal to about one year for tamagotchi. However, as soon as one 'wakes up' his or her tamagotchi 'from its million light–year sleep by removing the insulating sheet', constant attention has to be given to the tamagotchi (Bandai 1996). It does not matter if one is attending a meeting or if one is cooking, a tamagotchi will still beep at its owner for attention. And if it is ignored when it is in need, the tamagotchi will 'grow into an unattractive alien' and eventually 'return to its home planet', which is millions of miles away. But by pressing the reset switch on the back of the case, the leveling of timeline occurs – another tamagotchi wakes up from its million light–year sleep."
(Elaine Lai)
[Tamagotchi's were first released in Japan on November 23, 1996.]