Looking at the open nature of web, this week’s reading looks at databases and the contemporary contexts it fortifies. Breaking it down as a cultural form, Manovich discusses operations, addressing the context of a ‘computerised society‘ as a ‘new way to structure our experience of ourselves and of the world.’ While the reading identifies database […]
As a student of humanities hopeless with basic mathematical terms, the chaotic small world of Barabási was a text at times I had to read twice, even though it was not completely hard to measure. (If you’ve ever read The Fabric Of The Cosmos, you understand the ambitious way of applying and defogging theories to […]
Stepping back to earlier this week, the symposium led me to question a few things. Firstly, what does it truly mean for things to be connected? Does this connection effect the relationships they resonate? What is the relevance between yourself and writing? When there’s no middle, end or beginning, what matters most? What matters less? […]
Complex and invested, this week’s reading is rich in examples and theoretical questions surrounding systems and their components. Illustrating the vulnerability within these connections, Watts not only remarks about individual behaviour, but also on it’s impact to aggregate collective behaviour. Scientifically, the pervasive ideas of connection and consciousness have been fundamental game changers. ‘How vulnerable […]
Over the last few weeks, hypertext and the physical limitations of a book have developed across all blogs. From oppositional opinions, afflictions and new founded knowledge, the questions presented in the symposiums have fuelled discussions; driving individuals to question and even argue opinions surrounding technology. While hypertext can be presented as a privileged form of […]
As writers we do not write all the time, but our technical relationship to the writing space is always with us.’ Understanding writing as a technology is like understanding a historical culture; it only is relevant in a technical state of mind, each standardised and different in sentiments, growth and discipline. Sophisticated in the explanation […]
Hypertext is a multilinear shapeshifter. It expands. It deepens. It interconnects. Is it untapped in potential? Maybe. Is it critical for information technology? Of course. Focusing on the structure of hypertext, Landow feverishly breaks down the structure of hypertextual links and the possibilities it serves. Narrowing down the expanding passage of information, three useful questions […]
On leaving the symposium, one question seemed to linger in my mind. When understanding and discussing art, culture and technology, can we fully unpack the semiotics and distinctions that underline these terms? Through Betty’s Nelson-esque interpretation and Adrian’s persistent deconstruction, the questions of hypertext and untapped potential reminded me of my own musings, caught up […]
If there’s anything I’ve learned so far from hypertext, it’s that the promotion of simplicity is rather complicated, particularly as simplicity isn’t an idea learnt institutionally. The two hopes of simplifying our lives and making information accessible is indeed a distant hope. Whimsical as it may seem, Nelson addresses his hopes preceding multiple systems and discussions […]
