Calligraphy class 2

Today is my second calligraphy class but my first where i have to turn in home work.
I am horrible!

interesting course

This is the course I will attempt to follow in the next few weeks.

I think it is most important to do all the reading and explore the assignments.

"Course Highlights

This course features example student projects, as well as a comprehensive related resources section.

Course Description

This class covers a range of topics including hypertext, interactive cinema, games, installation art, and soundscapes. It examines the potential for dynamic narrative in traditional media like novels and films and as well as in computer-based stories and games. The course focuses on the creation of electronic stories and games using simple authoring systems and multimedia software tools. Students present and constructively critique one another's work in progress in a workshop setting aimed at expanding the representational powers of a new creative medium."

book club

Looking to fill up more time during my last free weeks of summer, I am looking through open courseware and came across "media in cultural context: popular readerships"

I had read about the forced selling of the oldest book club company in Europe a few weeks ago. And have been looking at the forms of the future of the book as well as the idea of readership as a strongly defined group. I have always been less precious and selective with my time when reading. I feel guilty watching tv, but never reading even if it is trash. this is odd when you think about it. Just recently I spent almost two whole days reading a novel about a circus which I don't remember the name of. My boyfriend's father just happened to have it sitting on a table and I picked it up. Two days fly by and then I am back with seemingly nothing gained. Should I be more selective about reading?

random things that may not be interesting:

In 2005, the readings of Oprah's book club were: the infamouse James Frey book, and three Faulkner novels.

Oprah's entire bookclub listing is included in the course's resources. Also essays like:"Pain and Circuses" from Oprah Winfrey and the Glamour of Misery. I can't wait to read this.

start of reading and research

Lately I have been preoccupied by my calligraphy class. It seems that time really flies when you are writing with a brush. It takes me more than a half hour to write a four line poem for homework. Do this a few times, and the morning or afternoon is gone. It is hard but definitely feels like a luxury. Also my grandpa is very happy to see this.

I am lucky that my grandparents with whom i am staying are extremely punctual with their meals, thus breaking my days into definite sections.

Starting today, a little more than a week before heading back to new york, I will be doing more active work for thesis. 

Will start reading:

1. packet of readings from school

2. readings from ocw 1

will also follow this course

3.seven great debats

seems interesting

4. technology and war

by Martin Van Creveld

5. I am also going to suggest to eric that we follow the documenting cultures course from mit open course ware together.

Gerhard Richter Show

Two floors above the new media show at the national art museum of China, there is a Gerhard Richter retrospective. I went to see it today after showing my friend around the new media show.

I really love his paintings.

ocean waves visualization

waves

making illustration of old data(horror movies and war casualty).

Data and accessibility

In a recent email from Joe about my thesis topic, he brought up the similarity between our interests. He is always talking about the semantic web which i still don't know what it is. He tells me it is about accessibility. We know that there is an obscene amount of documentation being done digitally, automatically at every moment. This information serves the interests of analyzing larger trends better than the individual for several reasons. Accessibility here is less important than the ability for any individual or small interest group to digest such information.

I think of reading materials from classes. Within the Information Design text book I used for information architecture class last semester, I found widely varying styles of writing that lent to my understanding on very different levels.

One of the many great diagrams we are presented with in that class was the process of learning. It is a series of overlapping circles, each representing a stage, from first contact with a piece of information to internalizing it.

The Agency I will be going to in New Delhi in a few weeks is part of the International Budget Project. Part of the project will be to effectively distribute the findings of my nonprofit partner to the public. This idea is very exciting to me for several reasons. Transparency is very important, but just how do people read transparency?
How do people find available information that addresses their issues?
How many groups should we break the audience into?
How do we address such a varied audience?
And just how does the use of governmental funds effect us?(how do we describe this effect in a way that is direct and useful?)

I often feel that it is hard to ignore the triviality of some design work. But in the subtlety of good work, information is communicated and ideas inspired.