October 2006 Archives
When I was in San Francisco a few weeks ago, I gave a talk at Giant Ant and at Yahoo! Research Berkeley. I presented about my research on urban mobile phone sharing, conducted while at Microsoft Research India in Bangalore.
I'd had many discussions with Steve Portigal about his Bangalore experience in comparison to mine: his was rather negative; mine was overwhelmingly positive. He came to see my talk at Giant Ant and presented his notes on my talk on Core77. Thank you Steve!
As far as my research goes, it will be published in two papers. The first is with Jonathan Donner, Nimmi Rangaswamy and Carolyn Wei: we wrote about the mobile phone and middle class Indian domesticity. I'm the primary author of the second piece, with Jonathan as the secondary. It's more specifically on mobile phone sharing and its relationship with space in urban India. If things go as planned, both should be published in early 2007.
For a year, I've had this on an electronic sticky on my Mac desktop:
With the trace <Spur>, a new dimension accrues to "immediate experience." It is no longer tied to the expectation of "adventure"; the one who undergoes an experience can follow the trace that leads there.Whoever follows traces must not only pay attention; above all, he must have given heed already to a great many things.
--Walter Benjamin, The Arcades Project, page 801
Yesterday, I encountered this. Take note, those of you with interest in games and ludic behavior. It's the beautiful, fragile vellum poster for the 1957 an Exhibit, organized at London's ICA, the Institute for Contemporary Arts by Richard Hamilton, Victor Pasmore, and Lawrence Alloway. Printed with blocks of black and blood red, rendered translucent on the vellum, the copy unfolding and the poster becoming more transparent as its viewer unfolds it.
Preplanning decided on the rules of a game, to be call an Exhibit
The preplanning consisted of choosing and ordering the elements to be used. Preparations were not concerned with the finished appearance of an Exhibit but with assembling the materials to make it possible. Although general effects were anticipated, care was taken not to rehearse the form.
A number of 'Perspex' panels were obtained, in different degrees of transparency. A standard size in which 'Perspex' sheets are available is 4 ft: thus, one dimension was fixed. 2 ft. 8 ins. was selected as convenient for the width because three 2 ft 8 ins. sides equal two 4 ft. sides. In this way various possible vertical and horizontal groupings were predicte: but decisions about their arrangements and whereabouts were postponed. The other elements in an Exhibit were subject to a similar procedure.
Once the rules were settled, a high number of moves was possible.
an Exhibit as it stands, records one set of possible moves.
The individuation of the structure was not achieved until work started on the site. Only then did it take form, wit a series of empirical decisions. Some improvisatory gestures were made, only to be abandoned; others were preserved, and made the basis for further decisions. All the moves, the visible actions of the players, were made up as they went along.
This stage follows certain rules, within which free action is possible, and it recognizes a terminus—the deadline of the public opening. Thus an area in time and space is marked out. The gallery resembles a tennis court or a hopscotch grid, a playground within which special rules operate.
Play is a form of order, an order that contains both standards and free improvisation.
an Exhibit could be assembled elsewhere to record other moves, equally valid, while continuing to observe the rules.
Originally by Serge Gainsbourg ("Qui est in?"), this is the Stereo Total version which I like better because it's raunchier sounding.
I post it because I'm sitting in my Systems and their Theories class taught by one of my favorite professors, Henry Sussman, and we're working through Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit. We're talking about things that get introduced and negate themselves. Who's in? Who's out?
[More soon on my SF trip. Been writing about Cedric Price's drawings in detail and trying to meet my advisor's edict that I be done with 3/4 of the thesis by Christmas. Ulp.]
Thanks to Stereo Total, my man Serge G., and this lyrics page on the Stereo Total site..
Zuerst bist du okay, du bist in
Später bist du K.O., du bist out
Selbes Ding für Kino und Musik
Für das Boxen, für die Kosmetik
Wer ist in? Wer ist out?...
Bist du in wie in dem Magazin
Schick und fit und gut gebaut?
Oder nimmst du zuviel Aspirin
Benzin, Medizin? Es hat keinen Sinn
Wer ist in? Wer ist out?...
Bist du yéyé, hast du Adrenalin?
Bist du high, bist du Aeronaut?
Bist du lahm wie ein Alligator,
Drückst du auf den Akzelerator
Wer ist in? Wer ist out?...
Bist du schrill, stehst du im Rampenlicht?
Bist du still, beachtet man dich nicht?
Wenn du tanzt, drehen sich alle um
Oder stehst du doch nur dumm herum?
Wer ist in? Wer ist out?...
Du bist in, du bist out...
Note the zipper in the middle.
