Ok guys, let me know what you think about how this sounds. I'm going to tweak it a little more and elaborate on it near the end of the weekend, so your comments are appreciated.
I am exploring the many historical interpretations of ALexander the Great because I am trying to find out how ancient historians as well as other writers throughout time have looked at him and interpreted him in order to help my reader understand how one of the most dynamic leaders in world history did what he did and was later seen. I am producing a multi-perspectival project aimed for the academic reader or any lover of history for that matter.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Rambling
My nonexistent statement from last week:
I am using the bacterial model organism Escherichia coli to study gene pairs thought to be associated with cell death mechanisms. We are trying to elucidate the role these gene pairs play in cell survival and/or cell death, because explicating this mechanism will help us to better understand those processes that underlie programmed cell death, an important process that is altered in many diseases, including cancer.
In all honesty, very few outside of microbiology - probably very few outside of my specific area of research - will actually care about what I'm studying. If this is the case, why should we even consider doing research?
Science is such a multifaceted entity, that it would be nearly impossible to broaden one’s research focus beyond one or two specific questions, without completely losing sight of your purpose. We have been shown over and over again that despite the enormous amount of understanding we have gained about how the universe works, we really know very little. There is still an infinite amount of information to be learned and re-learned.
We often take basic research for granted, waving off the research endeavors undertaken by universities and governmental institutions like the National Institutes of Health, in favor of a new way to do a home self-genetic test or that new anti-aging supplement promised by the biotech industry. But without basic research, applied science would never be possible. It’s like trying to build a skyscraper from the top down – the building won’t stand without a firm foundation.
So, to finally get to the point, what I’m proposing is an advocacy project for the general public that shows the necessity of basic research facilities and how the information we obtain from these endeavors can be advantageously utilized in the applied sciences, using my own research as an example. I can’t go into more detail right now, as my ideas are all over the place, but this should cover the gist of what I’m trying to do (hopefully). It seems, though, that some sort of documentary would be most appropriate for the purposes of this project - maybe a small database documentary.
I am using the bacterial model organism Escherichia coli to study gene pairs thought to be associated with cell death mechanisms. We are trying to elucidate the role these gene pairs play in cell survival and/or cell death, because explicating this mechanism will help us to better understand those processes that underlie programmed cell death, an important process that is altered in many diseases, including cancer.
In all honesty, very few outside of microbiology - probably very few outside of my specific area of research - will actually care about what I'm studying. If this is the case, why should we even consider doing research?
Science is such a multifaceted entity, that it would be nearly impossible to broaden one’s research focus beyond one or two specific questions, without completely losing sight of your purpose. We have been shown over and over again that despite the enormous amount of understanding we have gained about how the universe works, we really know very little. There is still an infinite amount of information to be learned and re-learned.
We often take basic research for granted, waving off the research endeavors undertaken by universities and governmental institutions like the National Institutes of Health, in favor of a new way to do a home self-genetic test or that new anti-aging supplement promised by the biotech industry. But without basic research, applied science would never be possible. It’s like trying to build a skyscraper from the top down – the building won’t stand without a firm foundation.
So, to finally get to the point, what I’m proposing is an advocacy project for the general public that shows the necessity of basic research facilities and how the information we obtain from these endeavors can be advantageously utilized in the applied sciences, using my own research as an example. I can’t go into more detail right now, as my ideas are all over the place, but this should cover the gist of what I’m trying to do (hopefully). It seems, though, that some sort of documentary would be most appropriate for the purposes of this project - maybe a small database documentary.
Wow I've been out of it!
Hey kiddos. I've done a quick 180 tailflip McTwist Boneless Indy Grab around on my topic and now it is:
I am exploring the viral video phenomenon because I am trying to find out whether there is a common "formula" that can be applied to actually create a viral video in order to help my reader understand how the average web user views/propagates video media.
I will postulate a theoretical formula and test the actual effectiveness of my theory as to what makes a good viral video by actually making several such videos and tracking their popularity. In a way this might be considered an interactive video project.
While my audience is also an unwitting test subject, the real audience for this (that is, the audience that might actually benefit from this project) would be for the more academically minded, as they are aware of the fact that the video is constructed with the sole purpose of achieving a high degree of internet popularity.
I am exploring the viral video phenomenon because I am trying to find out whether there is a common "formula" that can be applied to actually create a viral video in order to help my reader understand how the average web user views/propagates video media.
I will postulate a theoretical formula and test the actual effectiveness of my theory as to what makes a good viral video by actually making several such videos and tracking their popularity. In a way this might be considered an interactive video project.
While my audience is also an unwitting test subject, the real audience for this (that is, the audience that might actually benefit from this project) would be for the more academically minded, as they are aware of the fact that the video is constructed with the sole purpose of achieving a high degree of internet popularity.
the word awkward has WKW...and other revelations
Focusing my sentence:
My sentence from last week:
I am studying the works (or perhaps a specific work) of Wong Kar-Wai because I am trying to find out how his works explore and express transnationalism in order to show how film is more and more shifting from a local to a global product.
Although my conclusion is pretty weak as of now, I think that after I complete my transnationalism cinema class and after I start to analyze WKW's works more, I will arrive at a stronger concluding statement.
I have narrowed the films I want to focus on:
Chungking Express (1994)
Happy Together (1997)
2046 (2004) (Probably not but maybe if I have enough time and find it appropriate)
Audience:
As of now, my project is directed to peers, college age to late 20s perhaps, who have some, but not expert, knowledge of cinema.
Format:
I guess I was pretty inspired by Prof. Kinder's Labyrinth presentation because I want to make a interactive project where the audience gets to explore a interface/space. I think this works really well because a lot of WKW's themes deals with space and time. Hot spots will present information that relates to WKW and transnationalism.
My thoughts so far:
Audience can maneuver around certain spaces in Hong Kong. For example, a HK movie theater. On the marquee it will have a WKW film and a French New Wave film. If you click on the marquee you can compare clips of, say, Chungking Express to Breathless. Or a HK bar where the audience gets to browse the juke box and listen to music which help characterize WKW's movies (Latin, American rock, Chinese covers, Reggae, etc)you
However, I am trying to find a creative, non essayistic, probably multi-layered approach to discussing the transnational themes present within WKW's work.
My sentence from last week:
I am studying the works (or perhaps a specific work) of Wong Kar-Wai because I am trying to find out how his works explore and express transnationalism in order to show how film is more and more shifting from a local to a global product.
Although my conclusion is pretty weak as of now, I think that after I complete my transnationalism cinema class and after I start to analyze WKW's works more, I will arrive at a stronger concluding statement.
I have narrowed the films I want to focus on:
Chungking Express (1994)
Happy Together (1997)
2046 (2004) (Probably not but maybe if I have enough time and find it appropriate)
Audience:
As of now, my project is directed to peers, college age to late 20s perhaps, who have some, but not expert, knowledge of cinema.
Format:
I guess I was pretty inspired by Prof. Kinder's Labyrinth presentation because I want to make a interactive project where the audience gets to explore a interface/space. I think this works really well because a lot of WKW's themes deals with space and time. Hot spots will present information that relates to WKW and transnationalism.
My thoughts so far:
Audience can maneuver around certain spaces in Hong Kong. For example, a HK movie theater. On the marquee it will have a WKW film and a French New Wave film. If you click on the marquee you can compare clips of, say, Chungking Express to Breathless. Or a HK bar where the audience gets to browse the juke box and listen to music which help characterize WKW's movies (Latin, American rock, Chinese covers, Reggae, etc)you
However, I am trying to find a creative, non essayistic, probably multi-layered approach to discussing the transnational themes present within WKW's work.
I am exploring the power of spaces to incite fear or fantasy.
Because I am trying to find out how fantasy disobeys reality.
In order to help my audience understand that imagination is our inner reality, we live inside our minds.
I am producing an interactive net.art video/animation piece aimed for everybody/anybody.
Scenario: Video of people in public spaces- escalators, trains, street, etc. similar to a security camera feed. Viewer can zoom in or click to activate animations that add layers of imaginary circumstances onto the video of everyday life. No protagonists. A virtual tour of inner space. Some layers sound/time based.
I've been watching a lot of these for ideas:
http://pleix.net/films.html
Because I am trying to find out how fantasy disobeys reality.
In order to help my audience understand that imagination is our inner reality, we live inside our minds.
I am producing an interactive net.art video/animation piece aimed for everybody/anybody.
Scenario: Video of people in public spaces- escalators, trains, street, etc. similar to a security camera feed. Viewer can zoom in or click to activate animations that add layers of imaginary circumstances onto the video of everyday life. No protagonists. A virtual tour of inner space. Some layers sound/time based.
I've been watching a lot of these for ideas:
http://pleix.net/films.html
Happiness Revisited
I am trying to learn about studying.... how everyday personal and social decisions affect one's happiness
because I want to find out... how economic principles can explain differences in people's self-reported levels of happiness
in order to... help the average person gain a better understanding of economic theory so that he is better equipped to make more informed decisions that will have a positive effect on his happiness.
That's my basic sentence, for now at least. In terms of the interface for my project, I was thinking along the lines of maybe having a map of the Los Angeles Area and then the user could complete various activities--like attending college, going to church, commuting to work--and relating how those activities influence one's happiness. Maybe?
because I want to find out... how economic principles can explain differences in people's self-reported levels of happiness
in order to... help the average person gain a better understanding of economic theory so that he is better equipped to make more informed decisions that will have a positive effect on his happiness.
That's my basic sentence, for now at least. In terms of the interface for my project, I was thinking along the lines of maybe having a map of the Los Angeles Area and then the user could complete various activities--like attending college, going to church, commuting to work--and relating how those activities influence one's happiness. Maybe?
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
A New Idea
I was in a creative mood and got an idea.
------------------------------------------------
Topic: The Mash-Up Genre of Music (e.g. Danger Mouse's "The Grey Album")
Main Message/ Thesis: The mash-up genre is important to music's future in our modern remix culture, as it becomes easier for the average person to become a participant. However, the genre will only be allowed to flourish so much as copyright enforcers allow it.
Title: “Let’s Go To Jail! The Mash-Up and Beyond ”
Interface: Interactive DVD
The project would be in three parts.
-An archive of other peoples' mash-ups for the user to listen to. The collection will introduce unfamiliar audience members to the genre, and for familiar audiences, it will be a display of artistic works. This will also show the increasing popularity of the genre and suggest it as an emerging, important genre.
-My new creative work displayed. I will create a mash-up album and document my process. Since I am a music performance major, I feel this creative musical process will be a valuable learning experience in my academic field. This will also show how technology is allowing more people (like me) to become participants in our remix culture.
-The whole DVD experience would be a game, in which every copyright infringement is counted in a video game type counter. Every time a copyrighted piece of music is heard, every time a copyrighted image is shown, and every time an instance of my infringements is displayed, the DVD will keep track in terms of a jail sentence. The more the DVD is used, the higher the jail sentence. This will hopefully show how limiting copyrights are to the genre. With all the creativity by myself and others showcased on this DVD, it will show how copyrights are hurting that creativity.
Hopefully, this project will then:
-Introduce and explore a new and rapidly growing form of music
-Allow me to create musically in the form of a new art piece (as musical creation is central to my major)
-Have a meaningful message and give a meaningful warning to society about the future of music
-----------------------------------------------
Matt Jung
------------------------------------------------
Topic: The Mash-Up Genre of Music (e.g. Danger Mouse's "The Grey Album")
Main Message/ Thesis: The mash-up genre is important to music's future in our modern remix culture, as it becomes easier for the average person to become a participant. However, the genre will only be allowed to flourish so much as copyright enforcers allow it.
Title: “Let’s Go To Jail! The Mash-Up and Beyond ”
Interface: Interactive DVD
The project would be in three parts.
-An archive of other peoples' mash-ups for the user to listen to. The collection will introduce unfamiliar audience members to the genre, and for familiar audiences, it will be a display of artistic works. This will also show the increasing popularity of the genre and suggest it as an emerging, important genre.
-My new creative work displayed. I will create a mash-up album and document my process. Since I am a music performance major, I feel this creative musical process will be a valuable learning experience in my academic field. This will also show how technology is allowing more people (like me) to become participants in our remix culture.
-The whole DVD experience would be a game, in which every copyright infringement is counted in a video game type counter. Every time a copyrighted piece of music is heard, every time a copyrighted image is shown, and every time an instance of my infringements is displayed, the DVD will keep track in terms of a jail sentence. The more the DVD is used, the higher the jail sentence. This will hopefully show how limiting copyrights are to the genre. With all the creativity by myself and others showcased on this DVD, it will show how copyrights are hurting that creativity.
Hopefully, this project will then:
-Introduce and explore a new and rapidly growing form of music
-Allow me to create musically in the form of a new art piece (as musical creation is central to my major)
-Have a meaningful message and give a meaningful warning to society about the future of music
-----------------------------------------------
Matt Jung
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