1. Old New Media - April 8

10.00 Outline of the NMNT course / Memex Revisited

We will kick of the day with an overview of the NMNT course. 

Then we will review Vannavar Bush's groundbreaking article in which he outlines the internet in a complete analog way in 1945. We will look for similarities and differences between his idea and the current internet. This is a pioneering new media paper so interesting by itself, but also a good example that the ideas and concepts behind today's new media can often be traced back to the early days, and that by reflecting on these old examples one can actually get inspiration how to evolve today's new media into the future.

Vannavar Bush. As We May Think. Reprint from The Atlantic Monthly, July, 1945. Interactions, March 1996.

William Gibson. Googling the Cyborg. WilliamGibsonBooks.com, January 28, 2003

A non-fiction article by SF author William Gibson called: 

"Googling the Cyborg" about Vannevar Bush making predictions about the future and getting it right.

 Or at least, getting pretty close.

http://www.williamgibsonbooks.com/archive/2003_01_28_archive.asp

Please do the following:

• • Watch the movies, and then read the article in detail. You can start with the intro, section 1, and then section 6 onwards

  • Capture examples of similarities between the Memex and the Web

  • Capture examples of functional differences - how does the Memex deviate from standard functional web use

  • Fastforward into the future by picking one of the differences, and design a novel imaginary app or capability inspired by this difference

We will then have a short group discussion about your findings

12:30 Lunch

13:30 Back to the Future

• • All Media was Once New

  • Hardware, Interfaces, Human

  • Early Cybernetic Art

  • Narrative (not covered  in class)

Selected references:

J.C.R. Licklider. Man Computer Symbiosis. IRE Transactions on Human Factors in Electronics,volume HFE-1, pages 4-11, March 1960

Thomas Dreher, History of Computer Art

Nicolas Schöffer, CYSP-1, a robotic danser (1956), description at Cybernetic Zoo

cyberneticserendipity.net, web site dedicated to the Cybernetic Serendipity Expo (full expo catalogue)

Jack Burnham. Software - Information Technology: Its New Meaning for Art. Exhibition Catalogue, Jewish Museum, New York, 1970.

Senster.com, a site dedicated to Edward Ihnatowicz, early cybernetic researcher and artist. 

Edward Ihnatowicz, Cybernetic Art: a Personal Statement

Evoluon.org, website dedicated to the location where Senster was exhibited.

Bots Like You

For more see Further Reading & Viewing

15.00 Trailblazer for assignment 1

See Lab 1