tiltfactor: Networking and Art (with more questions than answers) by Callista Womick

Repost from tiltfactor:

“Losing my anonymity in this world I think is something that I find terrifying.” Alex O’Laughlin

For many of us this, this statement rings true. The public life is brutal, demanding, and demeaning. To be a public figure is to be subject to public scrutiny in every word and deed. To lose a part of oneself to others. To be, as Sarah Chalke described it, a little less human. Perhaps this is why, more and more, people are swarming upon opportunities to test out the experience without truly sacrificing a part of themselves. That is, they are taking on pseudo-anonymous identities through networked gaming, online forums, and their corollaries. 

As console game usage declines, multiple reports have marked increase in the prevalence of online gaming--sometimes as high as 25% from year to year. The market implications of this trend are already clear--companies are shifting their focus from in-home gaming experiences to networked gaming experiences. Popular examples, in no rank order, include games designed for XBox 360 Live, Facebook, and the iPhone. Ranging from traditional first-person shooter games to more innovative cooperative experiences, like Zynga’s Farmville, these games are redefining the way that people think about entertainment. 

But what does this mean for art? Can these “games” also be considered works of art? An argument could be made for their performance-based nature, but intent is unclear. After all, the experience is user-defined, with the only limitations being those of a game’s functionality. In what category do filmed recordings of these interactive experiences fall? It is not uncommon for users of the online game World of Warcraft to record raids- missions carried out by organized bands of users- and post them to the Internet. At what point do these cease to become mere recordings of history and works of creativity? At the moment they are uploaded for viewing? When a soundtrack is added? Never? 

Is the art world comfortable accepting such a number of anonymous Internet producers? Do such persons consider themselves artists at all? Thinking back to the ruminations of O’Laughlin and Chalke, is there perhaps more personal sacrifice involved in the production of traditional media art? The answers to these questions are, for now and perhaps always, completely subject. Time will tell how art critics answer them.

Sources

- http://www.computerandvideogames.com/210268/npd-reports-significant-increase-in-online-gaming/
- http://venturebeat.com/2009/07/11/as-console-games-slide-online-games-up-22-percent-compared-to-a-year-ago/
- World of Warcraft raid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWm6SzDB6cQ

tiltfactor: I brought the war, by Callista Womick

Repost from tiltfactor:

The following is a response, or perhaps companion, piece to Olia Lialina’s My Boyfriend Came Back from the War. 

---

I didn’t go- none of us did.
They thought we went, but we didn’t. 

Here. 

We were here.
They didn’t think so, so they screamed at us
and shot at us
and wanted us to die.
“Maluus zebr” they said about
each of us in turn. 

But here it is, I still have it. 

And this- see the dust
still caked into the fibers?
I shouldn’t have it, they have rules about trophies,
but this is from when we were bombed
out of bed-
well, I wasn’t in bed. 

I couldn’t sleep, so I was bare and wet
in the cement shower house.
I knew I was going to die.
I sobbed under one of those
crummy metal sinks, waiting for the walls to cave in
on me or a mortar to drop into
my lap or my crazy heart to just explode. 

But they didn’t and it didn’t and it didn’t,
but maybe I still did. Die. I feel dead.
I’m not a man anymore. 

Please don’t look like that.
I don’t mind.
I’m good at what I do.
I’m a killing machine.
I’m a god. 

This is what they make of us, and they’re damn good at it.
I was in basic with this
scrawny, nerdy wimp from
Minnesota.
Ethan. Ethan Brown.
Most boring-ass name ever.
He’s a sniper now.
He could hit you right between the eyes-
equal distance from each-
from 2000 meters.
You wouldn’t hear a thing,
and then you’d be dead.
How about that scrawny nerd from Minnesota? 

Babe, don’t cry. 

Yes, I like your dress.
But you know I like green on you
so much better. 

White, hell, I don’t know how tokeep anything white. 

I would touch you,
but you look so beautiful.
My hands are dirty.
Yes, they are. Look at them.
LOOK AT THEM. 

I’m not shouting.
Ok, I’m sorry. Please don’t cry.
The dress is beautiful. 

Then why are you crying? 

…HIM?! 

THEY KNEW?! 

You didn’t write.
I wrote to you. 

No. 

No. 

No. 

…I remember.
I’m not sure than I can, either.
Not since. 

Please don’t ask
me now.
I’m so tired. 

Who knew that the dead slept?
I always imagined we would torment
the world of the living after nightfall.
Who knew that it was the other way around? 

I’m tired.
I’m so tired.
Here, hold me.

Visit the Last Real Net Art Museum for more works inspired by My Boyfriend Came Back from the War.

tiltfactor: SOPA, PIPA, and New Media Art by Callista Womick

Repost from tiltfactor:

Most users of the Internet by now know about the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), or House Bill 32611, and the Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011 (PROTECT IP Act or just PIPA), or Senate Bill 9682--after all, when English-language Wikipedia blacks out people are going to notice. Joining Wikipedia in the act of protest were such sites as Reddit, Google, Mincraft, and many others. At this point it would be quite a feat for any wired member of the English-speaking world not to know that, for once, the Internet community at large has rallied around a cause. 

Opponents of SOPA and its Senate sister, PIPA, fear that such legislation would greatly inhibit the free flow of knowledge. Said Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, “SOPA and PIPA endanger free speech both in the United States and abroad, and set a frightening precedent of Internet censorship for the world.” The bills claim to provide protection for the public from online piracy, copyright infringement, and even counterfeit drugs. When cast in that light the bills seem reasonable, even friendly, but the rub comes in bounding them: if the American government can order Google to disable hyperlinks to pages which contain copyright infringement or other exploitative material, can it also order the same for Websites simply suspected of such? Could Sites containing hate speech be cut out? What about dissident domains? 

In a world ever-more dependent on the free-flow of information for work, play, revolution, and everything in between it is a frightening thought that all it might take to wipe a Site--or an entire genre of content--from the Internet is the opinion of a someone able to convince the Attorney General to push the paperwork required to force all legitimate service providers to cease providing their services. For new media artists and the public that loves their work this is a particularly frightening prospect. 

The nature of the medium lends itself to sampling pre-existing works, and artists do so unabashedly--often without thought for copyright law. A 2001 example of how such appropriation can be received (for better and worse) lays with Dino Ignacio, a then-high-school-student who used Photoshop to create a photomontage of found images of Bert (from the globally syndicated Sesame Street) and Osama Bin Ladin. He posted this work on his homepage, a Bangladesh publisher picked up the image in a web crawl for images to use on anti-American shirts and posters, protestors in the Middle East snapped them up, and CNN filmed them in action. When representatives of the Children’s Television Workshop (responsible for Sesame Street) saw the footage they vowed to take legal action against… someone. 

The Ignacio affair ended with the student taking his Website down of his own volition, given increased and unwanted global public scrutiny, but what of such artists whose work intentionally crosses the lines of what some may consider infallible copyright law? What would it mean for the government to forcibly remove an artist’s work from public view? In the interest of freedom and speech--both which, to date, are the laws of the Internet lands--it would mean something very, very bad.

1 Bill Summary & Status, 112th Congress (2011-2012), H. R. 3261. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d112:h.r.3261:
2 Text of S 968: Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011. http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=s112-968&version=rs&nid=t0%3Ars%3A265
3 Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide, p. 1-2. Henry Jenkins. http://tinyurl.com/convergence-culture-henry-jenk

Construction fence crochet

The fences are already up for the impending renovation of the Hanover Inn and they're ugly, so I whipped out my crochet hooks to try to mend the situation a bit.

Here's what I came up with:

Hop construction fence sea scene
© Callista Womick 2011

Sea scene up close
© Callista Womick 2011

Dartblog: Hix ‘12 Writes to DDS’ Dave Newlove

In our ongoing struggle against the new meal plan, shared from Dartblog:

Will Hix ‘12 has written to Dartmouth Dining Services Director Dave Newlove with a proposal for a smarter set of student dining choices. We wish Will luck, but we aren’t betting on him.

––– Forwarded message –––-
From: William Hix Date: Sun, May 15, 2011 at 1:44 AM
Subject: Open Letter to DDS Director David Newlove
To: “David J. Newlove”
Cc: “Sylvia C. Spears” , April.D.Thompson@dartmouth.edu, “Callista R. Womick” , Torrey.Barrett@dartmouth.edu, Elisabeth.Ericson@dartmouth.edu, “David A. Rice”, “Blaine W. Ponto” 

Dear Mr. Newlove, 

Thank you for meeting with me this past week to discuss the proposed meal plan options. Each opportunity I have to speak with College administrators gives me a greater appreciation of the difficulties with pleasing a large, diverse group of people. Many of the students who are frustrated with SmartChoice understand that you are trying very hard to incorporate their concerns into the meal plan for next year. I appreciate your support and urge you to consider the following when modifying the proposed plans:

First, the proposed minimum plan, “SmartChoice10,” imposes an effective fine of $3,051 per year on students: 

The current minimum plan, “Mini Green,” costs $3,675 per year for an equal amount of DBA. The current maximum plan, “Super Green,” costs $5,925 per year for the equivalent of $7,749 DBA. The purchasing power for meals on the minimum plan is worth $4,074 per year less than the maximum plan, but the plan costs $2,250 per year less than the maximum plan, an effective fine of $1,824 per year, worth 49.6% of the cost of the minimum plan, levied on students who pick the minimum plan (http://www.dartmouth.edu/dining/plans/). 

Excluding DBA, the proposed minimum plan charges $3,900 per year for 300 meals (10/week, 10-week terms, 3 terms) at a rate of $13.00 per meal. The proposed maximum plan, “SmartChoice20,” charges $4,749 for 600 meals per year for a purchasing power of $7,800 at $13.00 per meal. The purchasing power for meals on the minimum plan is worth $3,900 per year less than the maximum plan, but the plan costs $849 per year less than the maximum plan, an effective fine of $3,051 per year, worth 78.2% of the cost of the minimum plan, levied on students who pick the minimum plan (http://www.dartmouth.edu/dining/dds/smartchoice.html). 

Students who purchased the minimum plan this year will lose an additional $1,227 in purchasing power next year if they pick the proposed minimum plan. The proposed minimum plan should be modified to return the purchasing power penalty of the minimum plan to approximately 49.6% of the cost of the plan. 

Second, the proposed minimum plan ($4,320/year) costs $645 more per year than the current minimum plan ($3,675/year) and is the most expensive minimum plan among the five other Ivy League schools that offer meal plan options: 

$4,320-$4,974 per year Dartmouth SmartChoice10-SmartChoice20
(http://www.dartmouth.edu/dining/dds/smartchoice.html) 

$4,287-$4,287 per year UPenn BFF-EAT
(http://www.cafebonappetit.com/penn/diningplans/firstyear/) 

$4,270-$6,220 per year Cornell Basic Bear-Golden Bear
(http://housing.cornell.edu/campuslife/dining/options.cfm) 

$3,675-$4,200 per year Dartmouth Mini Green-Green
(http://www.dartmouth.edu/dining/plans/) 

$3,244-$4,158 per year Brown 7/week-20/week
(http://www.brown.edu/Student_Services/Food_Services/mealplans/index.php) 

$3,010-$5,473 per year Princeton Block 95-Unlimited
(http://www.princeton.edu/facilities/info/dining/files/next-year-prices.pdf) 

$1,890-$4,440 per year Columbia Plan D-Plan A
(http://www.dining.columbia.edu/docs/meal-plans-flex/plans.html) 

Among the five other Ivy League schools with meal plan options, the median minimum meal plan is $1,082 per term and the mean is $1,113 per term. The proposed minimum plan should be modified to cost approximately $1,100 per term. 

Third, the proposed plans include meal credits that expire weekly with no rollover. The plans are the least flexible among the four other Ivy League schools with meal plans that include DBA, as they have the smallest proportion of DBA to total meal plan cost: 

1.000 Dartmouth Green with termly rollover
(http://www.dartmouth.edu/dining/plans/) 

0.187 UPenn Best Food Fit Plan with termly rollover
(http://www.cafebonappetit.com/penn/diningplans/firstyear/) 

0.234 Cornell Bear Basic Plan with no rollover
(http://housing.cornell.edu/campuslife/dining/options.cfm) 

0.120 Brown Flex 460 Plan with termly rollover
(http://www.brown.edu/Student_Services/Food_Services/mealplans/index.php) 

0.102 Columbia Plan C with 15 floating meals/semester
(http://www.dining.columbia.edu/docs/meal-plans-flex/plans.html) 

0.097 Dartmouth SmartChoice10 with no rollover
(http://www.dartmouth.edu/dining/dds/smartchoice.html) 

Among the four other institutions with DBA, the median percentage of discretionary dining dollars to total meal plan cost is 15.4% and the mean is 16.1%. The proposed meal plans should be modified to use only DBA or restore DBA to at least 15.7% of the total meal plan cost, and should include termly rollover to preserve DBA in student accounts. 

Finally, I would like to offer an alternative to the proposed meal plans that incorporates these suggestions: 

Alternative Meal Plan Summary
$1,658 SmartChoice200: 200 meals/term + $50 DBA
$1,500 SmartChoice140: 140 meals/term + $100 DBA
$1,300 SmartChoice100: 100 meals/term + $150 DBA
$1,100 SmartChoice70: 70 meals/term + $225 DBA
$850 SmartChoice50: 50 meals/term + $150 DBA (off campus only) 

Notes: Meals do not roll over each term but DBA does. SmartChoice200 will be the default plan for first-year students and will prevent students from using too many meals early in the term by limiting the number of meals per day to four. Meals equivalents may be purchased on DBA for $12.50. 1953 Commons should have a small cafe outside of the pay-per-meal zone that charges items to DBA as well as seating for students who are not buying a meal. 

Students should also be allowed to opt-out of SmartChoice altogether in favor of a plan with only DBA ($1,100 minimum). Meal equivalents would cost $12.50 at all locations during the day. Students would be offered a bonus on each dollar deposited in the following brackets: 

$1,100-$1,300: 50%
$1,300-$1,500: 75%
$1,500+: 100% 

Because I only have access to publicly available information about the meal plans, I understand that the alternative plans may require some modification. Please consider the three main suggestions, which are backed by evidential comparisons to the current meal plans at other Ivy League schools. I am excited to continue this discussion with you and the other members of the Dartmouth community during the coming weeks. 

Respectfully submitted,
William R. Hix ‘12

Scene Sixty-Seven: I'm human, for now

Sponsored by the Creative Gaming Club, HvZ returns to Dartmouth!

AP Wire

ZOMBIE OUTBREAK RECURS AT DARTMOUTH COLLEGE

Only months after a scientific experiment gone awry resulted in the deaths of nearly a hundred innocent students, Dartmouth College has again been wracked by a zombie outbreak. This time, however, the medical school avows any involvement in the disaster.

Sources suggest that Professor Fred Schnapps, the criminal responsible for the previous zombie outbreak is, however, behind this new disaster. The original zombies-- two of them, sources say-- were seen stumbling wildly through the woods from the direction of Lebanon Community Service Jail, the prison in which Schnapps has been incarcerated for the past three months.

"It was terrible," said Gail Fitzcabernet-Wallinson, a Hanover local. "I saw the two zombies burst out of the woods and go staggering towards Dartmouth. I couldn't give a s***, really, whether they eat all the students or not. But I certainly don't want them eating ME!"

Our Washington correspondents report that President Obama is again on the case. "I can't speak public about it just yet," he told reporters, while spinning a pair of shining golden revolvers around his fingers, "but suffice it to say that I will be f****** these zombies up, so I will."

Our hearts and good wishes reside with the beleaguered students of Dartmouth College.

THE GAME IS ON.

Last term I made it 21 hours. Time will tell whether my survival skills have improved.


*** Update 1 (2 Aug. 2012): I survived the whole time, but only by avoiding the missions and staying inside and generally being a paranoid wreck. I do not recommend this strategy to future players.

Scene Sixty-Six: PILLOW FIGHT!

When I met John Brett '00 he was carrying a pillow under his left arm. It seemed strange that he would bring it to a retreat dedicated to brainstorming aspects of campus that need improvement (SHARE- Students Hearing and Responding Effectively), but Dartmouth is pretty diverse so I didn't question it too much.

"Do you bring your pillow with you everywhere you go?" asked Kari Jo Grant, one of the two organizers of the retreat.

"No, actually it's International Pillow Fight Day and I wanted to make sure I was ready for the showdown at 5:30. We're meeting at the center of the Green."

Obviously, this is something I could get excited about. A few questions later, my initial suspicion that he was a Super Awesome Dude proved true and we tripped over to the blitz terminal to make magic. He sent me a promotional blitz, I forwarded it to the all-campus listserv, and the rest is history the rest is history.

Gavin Huang / The Dartmouth Staff | https://tinyurl.com/dxsndhj

*** Update 1 (2 Aug. 2012): dartbeat broke history; link updated and photo added. (That's John on the right.)