The Raft of the Medusa is a work by the French painter Theodore Gericault and I know this painting very well. In my opinion from Wikipedia you can get a very good description of the work, but it depends on what are you interest in. If you are looking for a general idea of the Raft of the Medusa I think that Wikipedia description is correct and full, but if you are interest in art it’s not so high specific. First of all, as Wikipedia says, The Raft of the Medusa is a political statement, but in the Wikipedia articles historical circumstances are not clear. The scandal arouse in France because the incompetent captain of the Franch frigate Medusa left 139 people from the lower class on a raft and they remain there for 13 days; Just 13 person survived. Moreover in the articles from Wikipedia an accurate description of the elements of the work is not available. Wiki does not state that in the painting there is a “movement” from the left side to the right side. On the left side of the raft there are the men who lost hope. There is an old man painted in neoclassical style that keep on the rasp the body of a young boy dead. This boy is still wearing his socks and this is a sign of realism; On the right side there are the man that still have an hope and their nude body are realistic too, in fact they look like a tribute to Michelangelo. What’ s more the painting shows a pyramidal pattern made by the mast and by the two ropes and the structure of the composition is very similar to “Liberty Leading the people” (Eugene Delacroix).
Il sentiero dei nidi di ragno, in English “The path to the Nest of spiders”, is the wonderful first novel of the Italian 20th century writer Italo Calvino. The English article from Wikipedia about this book is really poor. The article summarize the plot in a so simple way that it’ s impossible to understand why this book is a masterpiece of literature. I suggest that an article about this book should start with an explanation on the characters. For example Pin is a kid how lives with her sister, a prostitute, during the second world wars. Pin love spend his time with adult persons but, when he steal a nazi gun and join partisans, he realize that life is based just on sex and violence, even among partisan that are heroes. It’ s important to underline that this book deal with the Italian Resistance against Fascism not in a rhetorical way ( it’s not an apologia of resistance), but from the point of view of a child. In the novel you can find a mix of fable an reality. Moreover in the Wikipedia article there is no reference to the importance of the nature in the book, that is a feature of Calvino’s style. In the end it’s so important in describing a Calvino’s novel to say something about his incredible vocabulary and style: the dialogues are in an popular and sometimes robe language but he describes meticulously the characters soul.
14 April, 2008
How do the ideas from Walter Benjamin apply to contemporary digital media?
How do the ideas from Walter Benjamin's "Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" apply to contemporary digital media?There was a time when "Art" was made by artists who were skilled professionals. Now that anyone with a computer can create things digitally (music, images, videos, etc), what does that mean for "art"? Is a photoshopped image "authentic"? Do digital "things" have an "aura" (in Benjamin's terms)?
Benjamin thought that the presence of the original is the prerequisite to the concept of authenticity for a work of art. Now let’ s think about digital technologies process reproduction that is more independent of the original than manual reproduction (in photography, process reproduction can bring out those aspects of the original that are unattainable to the naked eye). He also wrote that since the historical testimony rests on the authenticity, the former, is jeopardized by reproduction when substantive duration ceases to matter. And what is really jeopardized when the historical testimony is affected is the authority of the object For art that means the aura of the work of art withers in the age of mechanical reproduction. mechanical reproduction emancipates the work of art from its parasitical dependence on ritual. To an ever greater degree the work of art reproduced becomes the work of art designed for reproducibility. ; to ask for the “authentic” print makes no sense. But the instant the criterion of authenticity ceases to be applicable to artistic production, the total function of art is reversed. In my opinion the ideas from Walter Benjamin applies to contemporary digital media in many ways. Is it the same listening to music(mp3) that comes from your own laptop and listening to Jimi Hendrix performing a sole of guitar? No, because a live performance is unique and it gives you stronger emotions. I never saw Hendrix because I’ m too young, so I must be grateful to youtube that allows me to see him. But now this is my questions: I discoverd Hendrix because I saw a lot of concert and I loved guitar, but a teen ager how spend all his day in front of computer, listening to music from the computer and how never try to play any instrument, will he be able to appreciate a guitar solo? Will he be able to play a guitar solo? I think it’s wonderful that everyone can create music from his computer, but if in future music will be without instruments I think there will be the end of aura for music
Benjamin thought that the presence of the original is the prerequisite to the concept of authenticity for a work of art. Now let’ s think about digital technologies process reproduction that is more independent of the original than manual reproduction (in photography, process reproduction can bring out those aspects of the original that are unattainable to the naked eye). He also wrote that since the historical testimony rests on the authenticity, the former, is jeopardized by reproduction when substantive duration ceases to matter. And what is really jeopardized when the historical testimony is affected is the authority of the object For art that means the aura of the work of art withers in the age of mechanical reproduction. mechanical reproduction emancipates the work of art from its parasitical dependence on ritual. To an ever greater degree the work of art reproduced becomes the work of art designed for reproducibility. ; to ask for the “authentic” print makes no sense. But the instant the criterion of authenticity ceases to be applicable to artistic production, the total function of art is reversed. In my opinion the ideas from Walter Benjamin applies to contemporary digital media in many ways. Is it the same listening to music(mp3) that comes from your own laptop and listening to Jimi Hendrix performing a sole of guitar? No, because a live performance is unique and it gives you stronger emotions. I never saw Hendrix because I’ m too young, so I must be grateful to youtube that allows me to see him. But now this is my questions: I discoverd Hendrix because I saw a lot of concert and I loved guitar, but a teen ager how spend all his day in front of computer, listening to music from the computer and how never try to play any instrument, will he be able to appreciate a guitar solo? Will he be able to play a guitar solo? I think it’s wonderful that everyone can create music from his computer, but if in future music will be without instruments I think there will be the end of aura for music
02 April, 2008
Searching on the internet (by using a search engine that isn't Google or Wikipedia)
Who was the creator of the infamous “lovebug” computer virus?
Onel de Guzman who had been a computer school student at the college(pcworld.about.com/news/Nov132000id33392.htm - 32k) (archives.cnn.com/2000/TECH/.../06/29/philippines.lovebug.02/index.html)
This news comes from a credible web page like CNN
Who invented the paper clip?
Johan Vaaler, a Norwegian inventor with a degree in electronics, science and mathematics, invented the paperclip in 1899(inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blpaperclip.htm - 24k).
Although, the claim has been disputed, most sources cite Norwegian Johan Vaaler as the inventor of the simple yet effective paper clip(ask.yahoo.com/20031120.html - 11k)
I found different answers to this questions, but I think my source are credible.
How did the Ebola virus get its name?
Ebola is a virus, named after a river in the Democratic Republic of Congo(Zaire), where it was first discovered. ( edcp.org/factsheets/ebola.html)
I found a lot of web sites with this information
( www.crystalinks.com/ebola.html)(http://www.answers.com/topic/ebola?cat=health)
What country had the largest recorded earthquake?
The largest earthquake in the world was recorded in Chile on 1960.(magnitude9.5)
(earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/world/events/1960_05_22.php) (news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7311945.stm)
I found a lot of web sites with this information
In computer memory/storage terms, how many kilobytes in a terabyte?
There are 1024 bytes in KB,1024KB in a MB,1024 in a GB and 1024GB in a terabyte.In a terabyte there are 1073741824 kilobytes. (www.t1shopper.com/tools/calculate)
It’s a calculating web side, so It should be correct(if you put data in a correct way)
Who is the creator of email?
In 1971 Tomlinson developed the first ARPANET email application and informed his colleagues by sending them an e mail using the new program with inscructions on how to use it.
( www.livinginternet.com/e/ei.htm)
(www.nethistory.info/History%20of%20the%20Internet/email.html)
What is the storm worm, and how many computers are infected by it?
Storm worm is one of the largest and most sophisticated cyber froud ever constructed. Expert have put numbers of Storm infected PCs at close to 10 million.
(http://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2007/10/the_storm_worm_maelstrom_or_te.html?nav=rss_blog)
This news comes from a credible web page like Washington Post.
If you wanted to contact the prime minister of Australia directly, what is the most efficient way?
You can send a message direct to Prime Minister through Prime Minister website
http://pm.gov.au/contact/index.cfm
Which Brisbane-based punk band is Stephen Stockwell (Head of the School of Arts) a member of?
The Black Assassins
www.griffith.edu.au/school/art/staff/stockwell.htm
What does the term "Web 2.0" mean in your own words ?
One ingredient of its meaning is certainly Ajax(web-based applications can now be made to work much more like desktop ones) and another ingredient is democracy: we now have several examples to prove that amateurs can surpass professionals, when they have the right kind of system to channel their efforts
(www.paulgraham.com/web20.html)
I m not sure obuot this source
Onel de Guzman who had been a computer school student at the college(pcworld.about.com/news/Nov132000id33392.htm - 32k) (archives.cnn.com/2000/TECH/.../06/29/philippines.lovebug.02/index.html)
This news comes from a credible web page like CNN
Who invented the paper clip?
Johan Vaaler, a Norwegian inventor with a degree in electronics, science and mathematics, invented the paperclip in 1899(inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blpaperclip.htm - 24k).
Although, the claim has been disputed, most sources cite Norwegian Johan Vaaler as the inventor of the simple yet effective paper clip(ask.yahoo.com/20031120.html - 11k)
I found different answers to this questions, but I think my source are credible.
How did the Ebola virus get its name?
Ebola is a virus, named after a river in the Democratic Republic of Congo(Zaire), where it was first discovered. ( edcp.org/factsheets/ebola.html)
I found a lot of web sites with this information
( www.crystalinks.com/ebola.html)(http://www.answers.com/topic/ebola?cat=health)
What country had the largest recorded earthquake?
The largest earthquake in the world was recorded in Chile on 1960.(magnitude9.5)
(earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/world/events/1960_05_22.php) (news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7311945.stm)
I found a lot of web sites with this information
In computer memory/storage terms, how many kilobytes in a terabyte?
There are 1024 bytes in KB,1024KB in a MB,1024 in a GB and 1024GB in a terabyte.In a terabyte there are 1073741824 kilobytes. (www.t1shopper.com/tools/calculate)
It’s a calculating web side, so It should be correct(if you put data in a correct way)
Who is the creator of email?
In 1971 Tomlinson developed the first ARPANET email application and informed his colleagues by sending them an e mail using the new program with inscructions on how to use it.
( www.livinginternet.com/e/ei.htm)
(www.nethistory.info/History%20of%20the%20Internet/email.html)
What is the storm worm, and how many computers are infected by it?
Storm worm is one of the largest and most sophisticated cyber froud ever constructed. Expert have put numbers of Storm infected PCs at close to 10 million.
(http://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2007/10/the_storm_worm_maelstrom_or_te.html?nav=rss_blog)
This news comes from a credible web page like Washington Post.
If you wanted to contact the prime minister of Australia directly, what is the most efficient way?
You can send a message direct to Prime Minister through Prime Minister website
http://pm.gov.au/contact/index.cfm
Which Brisbane-based punk band is Stephen Stockwell (Head of the School of Arts) a member of?
The Black Assassins
www.griffith.edu.au/school/art/staff/stockwell.htm
What does the term "Web 2.0" mean in your own words ?
One ingredient of its meaning is certainly Ajax(web-based applications can now be made to work much more like desktop ones) and another ingredient is democracy: we now have several examples to prove that amateurs can surpass professionals, when they have the right kind of system to channel their efforts
(www.paulgraham.com/web20.html)
I m not sure obuot this source
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