Alex's blog

Ok, so you have a group page, now you need to find your collaborators and get them to join... this can be done manually by walking up to them after the lecture on Friday morning and pokeing them with a long stick (effectively motivating them to log on and subscribe)...

How are you guys going? Found a group yet? The trick is communication.. keeping posting your thoughts, ideas and comments on this site until you have found some like minded souls.

Also, shop for some great ideas here:
http://cfi.vca.unimelb.edu.au/research/category/freetagging/ideas09

Welcome to the Digital Repository Group

The purpose of this group is to discuss the various issues raised by creating a digital repository for the VCA collection. A number of working groups based around specific stakeholders needs (particularly school-by-school) can be formed from this group to develop a strategy for collecting and distributing the incredible content created by the VCA and its staff, students, alumni and guests.

Devise a performance video(s) based on the fictional interactions of a group of people online. Develop themes of narcissism, community, alienation and remediation. Once the work has been created distribute it via online video and social networking sites.

I am going to give a lecture today on how artists can use the net. Here is the powerpoint for the talk.

Hello fine CC people. It is a new year and there are big plans for the CC site. First, we are moving to a brand new dedicated web server hosted at unimelb. We have conducted rigorous testing and all systems are go... we will be making the move asap. Also the CFI subject will once again be hosted on the site increasing membership, contributions and the of overall quality of the network.

Wow. I have just completed my Master of Fine Arts degree. Technically the assessors can ask me to resubmit if they find a typo, etc but otherwise I am done. It is such a relief. It really is a grueling process in the last 6 months. The final practical presentation of work went well. It was a complex show technically and I was relieved that nothing went wrong, it must have been Murphy's day off.

Today the USA elected Barack Obama as their president. This is a historic day for the whole world as the USA again becomes a place in which the world can look for intelligent leadership. In a time when the US faces two wars, a global financial meltdown and many domestic issues it is important that Obama delivers on the promise and potential that we all hope he is capable.

There has been a flurry of twitter posts re-enacting Orson Wells radio broadcast in 1938 of The War of the Worlds. This could be another example of what I just wrote my MFA thesis about, social media art. http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23wotw2

I want to take this moment to thank Darren Sharp again for his talk on 'User-Led Innovation' and also thank everyone who came to the meeting and discussed the concepts raised. The discussion about agency and self determination was most interesting for me, particularly when we spoke about the broader social issues, such as poverty in Africa and Global Warming.

"The Australian today is running a story claiming that Innovation Minister, Kim Carr favors a regime whereby recipients of grants will be required to make their research findings publicly available. This represents a revolution in the Australian research space and something that has been sorely needed for a long time." Read More: http://www.acidlabs.org/2008/09/24/free-their-minds/

Michael and I had an idea to feed video effects into a head mounted displays from a webcam also mounted on the viveur through costumes, masks, etc. This way we can create augmented realities for the viveur. We could also fix wiimotes to the costume and masks. This idea is very early stages and would cost some money to realise.

HMD: $200-$1000
Webcam: $20-$200
Wiimote: $75

(from website) NYID Real Estate endeavour to ensure the process of buying and selling a house should be not just about the real estate but also the memory, the history and the accumulated experiences of the property. An investment in the future should be a reflection of the past and a testament to the present.

I was watching TV while doing some work on the computer when something I have never seen happened. I got an error on the television saying "Solar interference to the satellite is affecting our signal." I do not have satellite TV. It just your Foxtel IQ box. I found this amusing and quite interesting. Does it mean that the signal is being affected by solar winds? If so, that is very cool.

Check this blog out. It has some handy hints for Wordpress themes. If none of this makes sense to you then talk to geordieb and edowling, who are our resident Wordpress gurus. http://www.sugarrae.com/8-ways-pimp-wordpress-theme