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Part I:

A. Locate a research and/or educational center

The International Computer Music Association (www.computermusic.org) is an

organization dedicated to serving all aspects of computer music, including technical,creative and performance. Some of the functions of the ICMA include sponsoring the

International Computer Music Conference and presenting ICMA awards.

The ICMA began sponsoring the annual International Computer MusicConference in 1974. The ICMC serves as a gathering of computer music artist and

professionals, combining both technical paper presentations with computer music

concerts. The ICMC is one of the worlds only computer music gatherings. The ICMA

also presents awards during the ICMC to some of the best performances.One other important aspect of the ICMA is serving the computer music

community. The ICMA provides a working membership directory to allow greater

networking among the international computer music community and publishes the

computer music newsletter ARRAY. The membership directory was designed to allowthe cross-influence of those in the computer music and related fields. By listing

members names and contact information, the ICMA hopes that members will beencouraged to interact with each other.

B. Locate an artist

Laurie Spiegel, an artist featured on the Electronic Music Foundation website,

was one of the pioneers of electronic music. Her work has been on all fronts of electronic

music, including writing software, designing electronic music systems, and working withearly synthesizers, as well as composing her own work. Her CD, Obsolete Systems, is just

one in a long line of artistic accomplishments.Spiegel did most of her work with analog synthesizers during the 60s, 70s andearly 80s. Her early work, including The Expanding Universe, was generated with

compositional algorithms to make music in an accessible, minimalist vein. Many of her

early melodies were very folk like, a trend which would change with her later works.Spiegels more recent music has become much darker and much more complex

than her earlier work. According to composer Kyle Gann, Minimalism may still aptly

describe the slow movement of pitch in these pieces (Unseen Worlds), but it gives no hint

of their complex timbres, glacial momentum,and cathartic climaxes. Such vibrant,expressive music could only have come from a composer who put her intuition and

imagination first, yet who had the immense technical know-how needed to meet the

challenges they posed. Spiegel has definitely proven herself to be one of the premierartists working on the frontier of electronic music.

http://www.computermusic.org/http://www.computermusic.org/

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Part II:

ADC Analog Digital Converter; a device which converts analog sound into digital

sound

ADSL Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line; a digital modem which provides high

speed internet access over existing phone linesAIFF Audio Interchange File Format; standard Macintosh digital audio format

Analog non-quantized information

AppleTalk The networking protocol that comes with every Macintosh

ASCII American Standard Code for Information Interchange; the ASCII character set

contains 128 7-bit characters which are used for data interchange on and betweencomputers.

Baud Rate The rate (kB/S) at which a modem transfers information.

Binary Numbers Numbers represented in Base 2 (i.e. only using 1 or 0)

Bits A bit is a single electronic switch that can be either on or off, which represents one

binary digit, either 1 or 0.

Boot To take some sort of action to initiate a computer, for example, turning on

primary power, or restarting a computer.

Bytes A byte is a group of 8 bits.

CD Compact Disc; an optical digital recording medium which stores audio, visual or

other information for playback.

CD-R Compact Disc Recordables; a CD which allows information to be written to it a

single time, by way of a CD-R drive. Digital information is inserted by a laser which

etches pits into crystals on the bottom side of the CD.

CD-ROM Compact Disc Read Only Memory; an adaptation of the CD which was

designed to store computer data in the form of text and graphics.

CD-RW Compact Disc ReWriteables; a CD which allows information to be written to

it multiple times, through a CD-RW drive.

Client A client is a computer program designed to work with a server program. A client

program is designed to make requests from a server program, which would fulfill that

request. This idea is applied to all aspects of computing, especially on networks, where

information is sent from a server to a client.

Compression The idea of reducing the number of bits required to store data, byapplying a mathematical algorithm.

CPU Central Processing Unit; the part of a computer that controls input and output

functions, and performs logical and arithmetic operations on data.

DAC Digital Analog Converter; a device which converts digital sound into analogsound.

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Data Files A data file is a group of bits associated with each other which represent a

some kind of digitally stored information, such as an image or a document.

Datagram An independent portion of data which is sent from a source computer to a

destination computer. The information contained in this packet does not rely on previousor future exchanges from the source to the destination.

Digital Information in the form of discreet points.

DNS Domain Name Server; a software program that translates the domain names of

internet sites into IP addresses which a browser can understand.

Domain Name A labeled form of an internet address, usually written with words as tomake them easier to remember.

Drive A drive is a device connected to your computer from which digital information is

read from a storage medium.

DVD Digital Versatile Disc; an optical disc which can hold up to 17 MB, if it is two

layered and double sided. It uses similar technology to a CD.

Ethernet The most widely used Local Area Network technology; it provides network

access through coaxial cable and a network card.

Firewire A Macintosh version of a High Performance Serial Bus for connecting

devices to a computer. The firewire cable has three pairs of wires, two for data and onefor power, and can provide data transfer speeds of up to 400 mbps.

FTP File Transfer Protocol; a standard internet protocol for exchanging files over the

internet between computers.

GIF Graphics Interchange Format; a format for storing graphical information which is

commonly used on the internet. The patent for the GIF algorithm is owned by Unisys.

GUI Graphical User Interface; the part of a software program which representscommands and operations graphically for a user, making it easier and more accessible for

the user to perform complex operations.

HTML HyperText Mark-up Language; the standard file format for web pages which

are viewed via an internet browser.

Internet a worldwide system of computer networks in which one computer on thenetwork, with the appropriate permissions, can obtain information from another computer

on the network.

IP Internet Protocol; the numerical representation of an internet address which is

understood by an internet browser to connect to an internet site.IPOS input/process/output/storage model; the model used to represent computers in

which input devices (keyboard, mouse) connect with the process devices (CPU).

Information can be stored on storage (hard disk, optical discs) and/or outputted (Video,

Audio).

ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network; a set of standards for digital information

transmission over ordinary copper telephone wire.

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ISP Internet Service Provider; a company which provides individuals and companies

access to the internet.

Java a universal programming language designed to work on multiple platforms. This

aspect makes it good for the Internet, where many users may be connecting to websitesvia different operating systems.

JavaScript A slimmed down script version of Java designed to provide scripting for

Internet browsers.

JPEG Joint Photographic Experts Group; a graphical file format named after the groupthat invented it which can store images in a range of compression qualitites.

LAN Local Area Network; a network of computers which share resources and are

generally in the same geographic area.

LocalTalk A LAN protocol from Apple Computer. It uses twisted pair wire and daisy

chain topology to provide a relatively inexpensive network.

MB Megabyte; 1,048,576 bytes of data storage.

MIDI Musical Instrument Digital Interface; an audio format for storing and playing

back composed music. MIDI files store information for different instruments on different

tracks, in a format which is universally accepted.

Packets Synonymous withDatagram. An independent portion of data which is sentfrom a source computer to a destination computer. The information contained in this

packet does not rely on previous or future exchanges from the source to the destination.

Parallel Data Parallel data is parallel because each binary bit of the computer is

connected with one bit of the device. This is faster than serial data transfer, however, itrequires as many wires as bits the computer uses.

Pathname The virtual location of a file on a storage medium.Plug-ins Software designed to work within a larger software suite which cannot be run

independently.

POTS Plain Old Telephone Service; this refers to the standard telephone service

available in most homes which modems would use to connect to the internet.

QWERTY The keyboard layout which is most commonly used; named after theleftmost alphanumeric keys on the second row of the keyboard (Q-W-E-R-T-Y).

RAM Random Access Memory; the place in a computer which stores the operating

system, applications, and data currently in use for quick access by the processor. RAM

loses its data after the computer is powered down.ROM Read Only Memory; memory which is built-in to a computer and cannot be

altered. This generally contains information which allows your computer to be booted up

from its original specifications.

Serial Data Data which goes over a serial connection, that is, a connection where thereis only a single wire from the computer to the device. Data is converted into a serial data

stream, and then sent a single bit at a time over the wire.

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System Clock The number of oscillations per second which controls the speed of the

processor. Measured in Hz.

TCP/IP Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol; the protocol used to transfer

data via the internet. The higher layer, TCP, controls assembling data into packets andturning received packets into data. The lower layer, IP, handles the individual addresses

of each packet.

Universal File Formats and Extensions Universal File formats are file formats which

can be read on any operating system (e.g. .txt, .html, .mpg). They are usually used oninternet sites which are accessed by users connecting via many different platforms.

UNIX The first open operating system, i.e. able to be enhanced and improved by

anyone.

URL Uniform Resource Locator; the address of a file on the internet.

USB Universal Serial Bus; a plug and play interface between computers and devices.USB allows devices to be added to a computer without any extra device adapters being

installed or even the computer being powered down.USENET A collection of user submitted notes on a multitude of subjects on different

internet servers.

Virus A self replicating destructive program which transfer itself in order to spreadamong computers.

Volume A medium for storing digital information (e.g. CD, Hard Drive, etc.).

WWW World Wide Web; all the resources and users on the internet that are using

HyperText Transfer Protocol.