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Transcript of Part III. Housekeeping... Password for E-RES: dynamic Begin by visiting: .
Part III
Housekeeping. . .Password for E-RES: dynamicBegin by visiting:
http://www.library.ucsb.edu/index.htmlRead Lanval and the excerpt from The Book
of the City of Ladies by this Thursday
MLA Format: Online Databases
Numerical RepresentationNew media objects are composed of digital code,
i.e. numerical representationsExample: Every letter of the alphabet is represented
by an eight digit number composed only of zeros and ones "R" is "01010010"
By extension, every command is represented numerically
Because of this, new media objects can be described mathematically and manipulated with algorithms.
What Does This Mean for US?Unlike old media, new media is PROGRAMMABLE.
ModularityNew media is composed of various independent
elements: pixels, images, text, sounds, frames, code
These can be modified independently without affecting the new media object as a whole
Example: Photoshop The images in Photoshop are composed of many
different layers which can be modified independently.
Example: The World Wide WebThe modular structure of the web is illustrated by
various independent sites and pagesEach can be independently modified
AutomationComputer programs that do the work for us. .
.We can create or modify new media objects
using templates or algorithmsExample:
Rather than create a new media object, we choose from pre-existing images, code, or other elements, such as filters, special effects, etc.
VariabilityOld media is somewhat set in stone
Example: BooksNew media is infinitely variable and can exist
in many different versionsExample: hypertext and Wikipedia
Can view a site in an infinite number of ways
TranscodingHow does computerization affect us???On the one hand, transcoding refers to the
way in which new media objects are translated from one format to another.
On the other, transcoding refers to the way computers influence culture and vice versa, i.e. Computers influence the we think and the way we think influences computers
Example: MySpace
But Doesn’t Old Media Incorporate at Least Some of These Principles???Manovich argues that these principles can be
found in part in older forms, such as cinemaExample:Discrete representation (modularity) in cinema
paves the way for new media Though digitally encoded media is discrete, film
stills can be seen as samples of time on celluloid.
Other examples. . .Since digital media share the same code, one
machine (computer) can display different media typesCinema can also be seen to do this by
combining images, sound, and text into one display
So is new media always better?What about degradation?
Truth vs. RealityAs Manovich states, “[. . .] the software and hardware used to
acquire, store, manipulate, and trasmit digital images rely uniformly on lossy compression—the technique of making image files smaller by deleting some information” (54).
Furthermore, “[. . .] while in theory, computer technology entails the flawless replication of data, its actual use in contemporary society is characterized by loss of data, degradation, and noise.” In terms of degradation, how does old and new media compare?
Medieval Manuscripts Books Floppy disks Memory sticks Hardrives
“Tintern Abbey”
“Tintern Abbey”The Author:
William Wordsworth (1770-1850) British poetRomantic Movement
Characterized by???
Genre?What do we know about the narrator?Diction?Rhyme, rhythm, alliteration, consonance,
assonance?Figures of speech? i.e. Similes, metaphors,
imagery?
How does the poem relate to the theme of the unit?“Thy memory be as a dwelling-place [. . .]”How does the narrator “access” information?How does he “display” this information?
Single-media display or multi-media display?How does this compare to accessing and
displaying digital media?How did we access this poem for today?Are there any earlier examples of multi-media
displays within old media? Example: Medieval Illuminated Manuscripts
How does new media affect our understanding of medieval literature and of literature in general?Access
How we accessWho has access
DisplayInteraction
For Thursday. . .Continue with Manovich
Myth of InteractivityInterface
Unit 4: The Medieval and the Modern: Issues of GenderRead Lanval and excerpt from The Book of the
City of Ladies, available through E-RES (password: dynamic)