#finalartifacts

[pacuis2015finalexam-blog]

Artifact #3: Gramatik's EP #digitalfreedom

BANG! Time for me to add a new EP to my discography! I think the following statement made by The Pirate Bay in January explains very well what #digitalfreedom is all about: ''Over a century ago Thomas Edison got the patent for a device which would "do for the eye what the phonograph does for the ear". He called it the Kinetoscope. He was not only amongst the first to record video, he was also the first person to own the copyright to a motion picture. Because of Edison's patents for the motion pictures it was close to financially impossible to create motion pictures in the North American east coast. The movie studios therefor relocated to California, and founded what we today call Hollywood. The reason was mostly because there was no patent. There was also no copyright to speak of, so the studios could copy old stories and make movies out of them - like Fantasia, one of Disneys biggest hits ever.''#thepiratebay So FUCK ACTA, SOPA, PIPA and any bill that wants to give corporations the power to regulate and censor the internet, especially if those same corporations built their empires solely on copyright infringement!#digitalfreedom Also, I just wanna say one thing to those who know me only by my chilled out hip-hop beatz: don't be scared when you hear this EP, my true fans know that I'm nothing if not versatile. Good music is larger than one genre so just open your mind, absorb the vibes and you'll be versatile too! ;) Don't you just love that word? :) en.prettylightsmusic.com/Gramatik-dig…lfreedom.zip

Describe the ideas behind this EP (see above), as well as it's structure and progression (song titles, lyrics, tone, mood, the sensations it evokes in you, etc).

Contextualize: Now enhance your description by relating it to the concepts and ideas that Kirby Ferguson went over in Everything is a Remix ( http://everythingisaremix.info/watch-the-series/ ): 'Remix Culture', 'Sampling', 'Remix Inc', 'The Elements of Creativity', 'Memes', Copyright', 'Patents', and 'Digital Freedom'. Contrast this with Andrew Keen's (2008, see lecture notes 4) perspective ('Cult of the Amateur'). What are the features of new media at play, that have contributed to the decentralization and democratization of media distribution (music, movies, tv shows, memes, etc)? And how have these impacted the production, distribution, and circulation of popular culture? You might find it valuable to hit on the 'MP3 Crisis' and 'File Sharing'.  What do these changes mean for the relationship between 'the artist' and 'the fan'? (Think The Art of Asking, the 'Affective Turn', and 'Knowing Capitalism'). If you think it will help, consider utilizing concepts from unit one: 'Web 2.0', 'Network', 'Information', 'Interface', and 'Interactivity'. 

Critically engage with the concepts and ideas presented in Everything is a Remix, as well as with the other concepts and materials that you used to contextualize this artifact.  Are these concepts and materials able to enhance our understanding of this EP? If so, how? What dynamics do they make visible? What might they miss or render invisible? Are there concepts that I didn’t list that are applicable and allow us to better describe, contextualize, and critically engage with this artifact?

[pacuis2015finalexam-blog]

Artifact 2: Charlize Theron Negotiates $10M Raise After Sony Hack Reveals Male Costar Was To Be Paid Millions More

Theron demanded and received a $10 million increase to be equal with male co-star Chris Hemsworth.

Describe the article (who? what? where? when? why?)

Interface this article with this TED Talk: http://www.ted.com/talks/keren_elazari_hackers_the_internet_s_immune_system#t-31395

Use this TED Talk to enhance your description of this article by relating it to Elazai's argument/thesis.

Contextualize: Further enhance your description by comparing and contrasting how the state, commercial sector, and 'Hacktivists' utilize information and the parts these play in inequality and the 'Digital Divide'. I would highly recommend hitting on concepts such as: 'Network of Surveillance' (The diagram I drew on the board in between part 1 and 2 of United States of Secrets), 'Commodification of Information' (Lyotard, 1984, see lecture notes from day 1), 'Knowing Capitalism' (Nigel Thrift, 2005, see lecture notes from day 1 ), and 'Information Activism'. You may also find it useful to hit on 'Anonymity', 'Cult of the Amateur', 'Technological Unconscious' (Thrift, 2005, day one lecture notes, algorithm section), and 'Technological Determinism' (why Hacktivists mobilize). If after engaging with these concepts, you feel it is necessary to contextualize further, you can enhance this section further by drawing on the larger concepts that we covered during unit one, such as 'Web 2.0', 'Network', 'Information', 'Archive', 'Interface', and 'Interactivity'. 

Critically engage with Elazari's Argument and the concepts that you utilized to contextualize this artifact.  Are these concepts able to enhance our understanding of this current event? If so, how? What dynamics do they make visible? What might they miss or render invisible? Are there concepts that I didn’t list that are applicable and allow us to better describe, contextualize, and critically engage with this artifact?

[pacuis2015finalexam-blog]

Artifact 1: Feminist Heroes, Broad City, Season 1

Abbi and Ilana fly into a frenzy of asking guys out online.

Describe what happens in this clip. Make note of humor. Remember to not take it too seriously or else you could end up taking a too technologically determinist or social determinist perspective. Engage with this playfully.

Contextualize: Now enhance your description by relating it to Illouz's (2013) concepts: 'Technology of Choice', 'Rationalization of Love' & 'Cult of Sexual Experience'- cumulative and emotionally detached sexuality (consider visiting lecture notes from day 3). You are required to hit on all of these concepts. You should consider supplementing this with insights from the readings you did for the family and intimacy unit, like 'Layers of Electronic Intimacy' (Yang et al., 2014). Additionally, you should consider enhancing this with concepts from unit one, like: 'Web 2.0', 'Network', 'Information', 'Interactivity', 'Simulation', and 'Culture of Visualization'. 

Critically engage with Illouz's concepts, Yang's Article, and concepts from day one, as they relate to this clip, are they able to enhance our understanding of this clip? If so, how? What dynamics do they make visible? What might they miss or render invisible? Are there concepts that I didn't list that are applicable and allow us to better describe, contextualize, and critically engage with this artifact?