Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in cindy_diane's LiveJournal:

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Saturday, January 29th, 2005
2:40 am	spam whole no nature laughed definite though, country eight sad die altogether some" dog sincerely public south farther fly. act anybody deal none companion case sense neither statement. believe committee excite slowly! who enemy beside live society places while! other receipt beside closed shoulder which. chapter silence thought pass certainly similar! stomach behind society public, an laugh discuss passed, directly familiar bought doctor at problem father thursday surely. miss decision escape light tuesday twenty fear fourth fit interest" wish hour book bound sight lives reference. things engaged hall again ashamed felt succeed! doctor patient twice wonder according present sit stone! stopping beginning youll principle, wished own four art apology. table shall carefully purpose table especially hundred occur handwriting visit" comfort immediately prepare dear when, countenance quit doctor hes person two years central itself kitchen, doubt way obliged show key change occurrence" laughing leader glass natural pocket kitchen keeping" soul fallen service being condition neither natural prairie cold. caught we parallel passing sale sure any hands her! under address magazine stairs everywhere proceeded identify gentleman, (Comment on this)
Friday, January 21st, 2005
6:36 am	free write....................... I saw him again lastnight. He has been in my thoughts and dreams for 2 days now. Everytime I close my eyes he is there. He died in 1999 I think... or 2000. He was driving home from college one evening to surprise his folks. We think he fell asleep at the wheel. He had so much going for him. Everyone knew that when we were in middle school. I don't know how to handle my feelings. I feel almost like he is trying to get my attention... but why? I mean, why me? We never even hung out after the 8th grade. Back in middle school we had a little click. He always had us over for get togethers. I still remember so vividly. But I haven't thought about him in forever. Why now? I feel like he is trying to tell me something. I saw him running down this stairwell and then he ran over to me. I was laying down I suppose, and he was shaking my head and telling me to "wake up, wake up, cindy." Over and over... brook owen lyle. Current Mood: confused (Comment on this)
Thursday, January 20th, 2005
10:57 pm	spam message edition sleeves blades .sbk.ociks2vuli larger inwards, together why, but. wheres invitation those moc.loa themselves depends, others, indeed, picking Years ago, even before the Indian had set foot in America, there lived a colony of beavers on the banks of a tributary of the Mattawamkeag River in upper Maine. sooner plates he each impatiently: bookvshelves, scrolls, pretended (Comment on this)
12:20 pm	Children's Story Once upon a time there was a bus. The bus was filled with lots of people. Big people. Small people. Short people. Tall people. One man on the bus had a really long neck. Some people thought he looked like a giraffe. Way up on top of his head there was a purple felt hat with a pink satin ribbon. The hat was smushed up against the ceiling of the bus, because the man's neck was so long. The man was a silly man and not too smart. At the next bus stop a short round man got on. He stood next to the man with the long neck and couldn't believe what he saw. He immediately reached into the dark depths of his jean pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He dialed a number and began telling his friend about the man next to him with the long neck. All of a sudden the man with the long neck got really upset and started screaming at the short round man. He had his feelings hurt, because he overheard the short man making fun of him. The short man pushed the long necked man and as he began to fall towards the elderly lady on his other side, his neck wrapped around the handrail along the ceiling and saved him and the old lady. It was only then that he realized how lucky he was to have such a long neck. He could have really gotten hurt if it weren't for his neck. His whole life he had been teased and called names because of how he looked. Now he was proud of his neck. He went home and thanked his mother and father and they all lived happily ever after. Current Mood: amused (Comment on this)
Monday, January 17th, 2005
11:17 pm	Gertrude Stein RE-write Original by Gertrude Stein: In the inside there is sleeping, in the outside there is reddening, in the morning there is meaning, in the evening there is feeling. In the evening there is feeling. In feeling anything is resting, in feeling, anything is mounting, in feeling there is resignation, in feeling there is recognition, in feeling there is recurrence and entirely mistaken there is pinching. All the standards have steamers and all the curtains have bed linen and all the yellow has discrimination and all the circle has circling. This makes sand. My RE-mix: In the spring there is birth, in the summer there is life, in the fall there is rest, in the winter there is death. In the winter there is death. In death everything is silent, in death, everything is motionless, in death there is forgiveness, in forgiveness there is reconciliation, in reconciliation there is reunion and entirely unconditionally there is embracing. All the seeds have bloomed and all the leaves have fallen and all the time has turned and all the seasons have changed. This makes life. Current Mood: lazy (Comment on this)
Thursday, November 18th, 2004
3:11 pm	Collaborative Video Project Our project got somewhat of a late start, because Rick was in Tokyo. However, I don't think it greatly affected us. We met up the night that the project was assigned and decided what we were each going to video. We decided that we would all four come up with 2 words and 1 sentence. We would tape ourselves saying all 8 words and four sentences once we had our list compiled. Thank God for the internet in this case. How else would we have communicated with Rick over seas in a matter of minutes? Ya gotta love technology. In addition to us saying the words and sentences, we were also assigned to video our faces as we ran down one city block, spinning around, and standing still... in our assigned locations. I was in the mountains. Rick in Tokyo. Norell in a supermarket. Nathaniel in downtown Denver at a bus station. I did not feel that my footage was as creative as it could have been. It almost feels as if I have reservations when I film. I don't realize my capacity for creativity until I view other people's work. We compiled all of our footage Tuesday night and collaboratively worked throughout Wednesday evening (actually the early hours of Thursday)... Nathaniel worked on an original soundtrack that sounded similar to a track we had decided to use before we looked at the assignment and realized we had to create a score. Rick added some last minute After Effects details on Thursday... and here we have our final project. This was fun. I really enjoy working in a group. I guess it takes some of the pressure off of coming up with all the ideas yourself, but at the same time it works your creativity in a different way. By hearing other ideas my brain went other directions that it might not have gone on my own. Some downers of being in a group are that sometimes particular details that you want to include do not appear attractive to the other people... and vice versa. We didn't really have any of those issues this time around, but it is always a possibility. It was also interesting to give us all the same directions on what to video and to see how different our footage came out. Norell was hilarious. She has misunderstood exactly what we were to do and she filmed her interpretations of the words we chose... instead of actually just saying the words. This was actually a great thing, because we ended up using alot of her random footage. It was great to see her creativity. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, November 3rd, 2004
12:35 pm	documentation for sound project I would really like to be more knowledgable in Reason and Deck. I did most of my project in Reason and I am thinking I should have spent a little more time with Deck. A lot of people seemed to have an easier time with that program. The way that Reason is set up is really neat and so realistic, but it is overwhelming for someone who is using it for the first time. There are so many buttons and knobs. I imagine it can be pretty awesome if you actually know what all of those buttons and knobs mean. This project was fun, but I wish I would have spent more time on it. I ended up liking the beginning of my sound piece, but the end was not as good as I wanted it to be. I think my problem rooted from the start of the project. When I was slicing up bits and pieces in Deck to put it together in Reason, I don't think I chose very good bits. I just went in and started cutting sections out, because I was excitied and thought it would be easy to put it together and make a cool piece. Then I was trying to put together these sounds that I didn't really like. I should have gone back and sliced up some better pieces, but I didn't. I was a bit disappointed that so many of us chose a lot of the same bits, but at the same time it was kind of neat that we were all drawn to the same sounds. It just made me feel like my piece was more generic. It's okay though. I realize this was my first audio project. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, November 2nd, 2004
12:56 pm	digital narrative documentation When we were assigned this assignment, I was sure of what I wanted to do. (Usually if I think of an idea that quick I know that I am going to end up doing something entirely different!) My original idea was to do a kind of "choose your way" narrative. To say the least, I wasted about 100 sheets of paper, because I was trying to organize my ideas and in a choose your way narrative there are so many routes and ideas that it gets very very overwhelming. I had page after page of branched tree looking formations with paraphrased thoughts scattered about the floor. (My dog loves it when it appears that I have made her a new type of flooring that she can step all over!) Although I am into computers and net art, all my ideas are always structured on paper. I can't work as efficiently without everything in my hands and in front of my face. This idea ended up falling through due to my stress level and I wanted to create a piece that was about reflection.... reflection is everywhere! In a physical sense, multiple reflections of everything are all around us- in a philisophical sense it's almost like there are atleast two stories to everything. Reflections are interesting depending on your perspective. One of the most spectacular reflections is when you can see yourself in someone else's eyes.... I find that interesting, because I feel like at the root of everything in our lives, we are all made up the same. Culture and society shape us.... and then we become the reflection of our surroundings. Well, this idea of creating a project that pertained to reflection never sparked anything inside of me. Even though I am very interested in the idea, I kept racking my brain for an approach to the topic.... I waited and waited and nothing came. So, one night I just started writing. Having some similarities with my first idea, I thought maybe I would create a project that started off in first person thought from a person who wakes up and starts their day. As they pass people on the sidewalk or in the coffee shop, the point of view would change to someone else.... eventually, I would have introduced the reader to many different types of people in our society. In a world consumed with stereotyping, I think it would be interesting to show that not everyone thinks the way they appear to be thinking. For example, a preist sitting on a bench in the park.... are his thoughts 100% pure? The mohawked punk standing at the bus stop... is he thinking about God? So this idea of exchanging points of view made me think of money and how controlled by money some of us are. The dollar bill was also an easy way to transfer points of view, because of how often money is tossed about. Then, I started questioning the real value of money. What is money, but a dictator to some.... yet, it is simply a piece of paper that is printed with a number that explains it's economic value. We have placed SO much importance on this human creation that it rules our world, yet it is thrown around so thoughtlessly. When I started writing, I just wrote as the thoughts came to me. I was writing so fast in random phrases. I knew instantly that the only way this idea could be expressed and come across how I wanted is to make an animation that was just black and white with block lettered text. This project is the autobiography of a dollar bill. This is usually how my projects come to exist. I start out with something and go throughout this process of flip flopping ideas.... and then finally it just comes. I think the best projects are those that just flow. If you have to rack your brain to develop a concept I don't feel it is as natural. Current Mood: accomplished (Comment on this)
Tuesday, September 14th, 2004
7:35 pm	interesting digital narrative sites I found a couple sites that are pretty interesting. I like the style of both of these. Book of Waste: http://www.dreamingmethods.com/waste/black.asp The Book of Waste has many different stories you can choose from. All the stories are pretty out there and definitely creative. I enjoy reading creative writing, whether it be fiction or not. The images used are sometimes random and sometimes relate to what you are reading about. The writer gets pretty detailed sometimes in his writing, which I find more interesting to read. Inside: A Journal of Dreams: http://www.digitalfiction.co.uk/inside/ In A Journal of Dreams, the viewer is turning the pages to a diary of recorded dreams. You can go at your own rate and if you want, you can click on the links in the passages which take you to a flash animated image relating to the dream that you are reading about in that entry. When you are ready to go back, you simply click to awaken. The entire site does not have sound effects, but every once in awhile when you click a link to view the image of the dream, you will hear some sort of simple sound effect. I like the journal theme. I have always journaled my thoughts and ideas.. and sometimes my dreams. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, September 7th, 2004
3:42 am	FALL 2004 semester - New Directions in Digital Art Well, school is back and I have finished my first assignment.... http://ucsu.colorado.edu/~mccanncd/project1/project1.html or to go to my index site, go here: http://ucsu.colorado.edu/~mccanncd (Comment on this)
Thursday, April 15th, 2004
3:38 pm	04-15-2004 Today we are listening to some sound remixes in class. Here are my thoughts... The piece 'No Business' pretty much contradicts itself. Agreeing with what Norelle had to add, I think the fact that this piece was created using stolen (or pre-made) material is what makes it powerful. In the second piece, I heard some Little Mermaid mixed up in there... along with speeches from the latest Grammy Awards... and some other Disney sounds. The juxtapositioning of the innocence of a child next to the sounds of a serious voice describing the crimal aspects of stealing downloaded music is definitely powerful. There are magical cartoon sounds next to scary dangerous sounds. I think the artist understands the seriousness of downloading music, but also the fact that everyone is doing it and they feel they are doing nothing wrong. I mean, are 13 year old girls really criminals? Maybe there is some intended correlation between the story of the Little Mermaid having her voice stolen by the evil sea witch and internet users downloading unpaid music. I think also when original music is remade, people become more interested about the original artist and might seek them out. If it weren't for the remake, maybe the listener would not have ever been introduced to the original artist's sound. The difference between stealing and borrowing is that when you borrow, you give something back. If you were to take a sample off the net to use in your own piece, I feel like you are somewhat contributing to the art world... you are not returning something back directly to the original artist, but to the art or music world as a whole. When I download music that I really like, I feel like I pass their name around to my friends. By doing this, I am spreading their name around.... helping make them known. Okay, I know that is a lame excuse to consider myself as some type of volunteer advertiser, but I am a poor college student and I don't have money to go out and buy original music... One day when I am rich, I will invite all these artists that I have cheated to dinner at my house. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, April 14th, 2004
1:52 am	No Boudaries I find it interesting to see the many different routes people take in digital art. Anything from a hypertext novel to a music video much like something one would see on MTV. The field is unlimited. The two words that come to mind when reviewing what we have been studying in class are: no boundaries. An artist with a good eye can find stuff to work with anywhere. Everything around us can be seen as art. One thing that sticks in my mind is the tubular bike rack that was videoed by the students in Mark Amerika's class during a trip to Europe (...Europe, right?). Something so "everyday" can create an image incredibly appealing to the eye. Ever since we have been viewing these videos in class, I have been trying to see things different in my everyday life. Lights flashing, road barricades, cars flying by... Another thing I noticed while watching these videos is how important the music is. I truly don't think that any piece we have seen would be powerful at all without sound. Sound without image is powerful enough to me. Combining creative images with these sounds can really impact a person if done right. When adding text to any art piece, I feel like an artist has to be really careful. I have always felt that the fewer words used, the more powerful the text is. I think dialogue is a good way to add text to any piece, too, because it is an indirect way to get a point across to the viewer. Things left unsaid are good. It leaves room for the viewer to form their own ideas - which is what I feel is what art is about. (Comment on this)
1:50 am	Final Proposal My idea for my final project is a hypertext piece. I will be addressing the many roles I play in my life, among many roles in life that women lead. I will touch on what female-hood is like, adding a personal feel... but yet still remaining somewhat mysterious. The technological aspect will be pretty simple, but I hope my piece will be powerful with my writing. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, March 17th, 2004
9:21 am	US Dept of Art & Technology Located in Washington, D.C., The US Department of Art and Technology is definitely a unique idea. The theme here is to mix politics and what is going on around the world (as well as here in our own country) with media art in an aesthetically pleasing way to promote cultural growth. Artists are often looked over when it comes to educating the world about what is going on. Instead, the average American turns on the 10 o'clock news for "accurate" news. The media is all about rising emotion for better viewer stats. I think the artist voice reshapes the publics view of the government and world issues, allowing them to form their own opinions-- without brainwashing them with bullsh*t. The US Department of Art and Technology resides within the Executive Branch. It is the lead cultural agency in the United States and the Secretary is the President's principal art and technology adviser. Secretary Randall M. Packer is the head of the US Department of Art and Technology and chief media arts advisory for the Federal Government. The slogan "Representation Through Virtualization" means to mobilize and coordinate artistic forces of virtualization internationally by representing world matters with an artistic twist. (Did that sentence make sense? -- it does in my head...) According to John Cage, the experimental is 'simply an action the outcome of which is not foreseen.' Therefore, The Experimental Party is not just an information source, but a place were people gather to share in experimental thinking. It is an environment and a system of communication and an opportunity to transform the way the world is viewed, with a possible renewed hope. This party provides a new alternative to mass media. It is an information wave for the public that does not disable our opportunity to develop personal views, but encourages us to spread the importance of understanding worldwide issues in a more non-traditional way. Personally, I would consider joining the Experimental Party, because I feel that there is a new found hope in this movement. The whole "Media Deconstruction Kit" breaks down the addiction society has for mass media. Most of the time, any issue being broadcasted on the news or in the paper is manipulated. How are we as Americans supposed to really know what is the truth when lies and exagerations are spread around by who we value as a reliable source of information? If we take a walk back into the past when news was not as readily available as it is today, you will see that we know alot about history, through the art that was produced during that particualr period of time. We understand the suffering and oppression of blacks and the role of women in society by seeing how they were portrayed in paintings and such. No words are needed to express these issues. In my art history classes, I have learned more about the actual history of the place and period of time we are studying than I ever did in my regular history classes. Art speaks volumes. Artists all throughout history have been very successful at portraying what was going on around them. I don't see why things would change now. Because mass media has become a source that most people rely on, artists have been pushed down the ladder and are often over looked. The reason mass media is our main source of information is because of how readily available it is. If more people knew about the US Dept of Art and Technology, I think more people would be willing to accept it as a news source. However, this seems unlikely, due to the fact that most television stations would probably not allow such raw material. In reality, raw material is way more effective than washed over, crap stuffed fabrications that have only the increase of ratings in mind -- because there is actually some truth existing. The truth often hurts, but I think that that is what it takes for us to know what is really going on around us. I say, MORE POWER to the US Department of Art and Technology! I think this is our chance as artists to make a statement and possibly change the world! Current Mood: crazy (Comment on this)
Tuesday, March 9th, 2004
12:07 am	MIDTERM CURATORIAL PROJECT Here is the link to my curatorial project I have been working on.... http://ucsu.colorado.edu/~mccanncd/midterm/ELit.html I was so excited that a few of my artists emailed me back. Adrienne Eisen is my favorite new media novelist. She wrote me back the sweetest email. I felt like my favorite movie star wrote a personal letter to me... how very special. Caitlin Fisher never wrote me back a second time with answers to my questions, but she sent me an email saying that she would get back to me soon. I will add her interview when she does. This project was fun. I had a hard time finding my last two artists. I did every google search possible to find women digital narrative artists and couldn't find a whole lot that I related with. I wanted to be able to relate with atleast the writing style, if not the content. Tomorrow is my presentation. I am not nervous at all. When I talk about something I know about or am interested in, I can present the information easily. (Comment on this)
Thursday, February 12th, 2004
4:09 pm	History of Digital Art Class Website: http://art.colorado.edu/history (Comment on this)
Tuesday, February 10th, 2004
4:35 pm	class-E thoughts As I look at the works from these artists that everyone did their reports on, I really feel like I can relate the most to my artist selection - David Crawford. I sometimes feel alone and lost in the art world. I don't feel like I fit in... yet, in art there are supposdly no boundaries. I just feel like all these artists we study are so "out there." I am "out there" in my own way... a way that doesn't seem to exactly fit into the field I am in. It is discouraging until I find people like Crawford. He doesn't seem far out. He had a concept and created something that made sense to me. I am not so much into all the abstractness of art these days. I just want to see something that I understand and can relate to. I understand and relate to David Crawford. I am pretty sure I will do my mid-term project on him. I don't really understand the assignment quite yet, but Des and I are meeting with Prof. Amerika next week to discuss what is expected. Current Mood: tired (Comment on this)
12:26 am	Blog #3 : David Crawford After viewing the work of many artists on various websites, I found David Crawford. I knew right away after clicking on the link to his name that I was interested in his work. David Crawford was born in California in 1970. He has studied film, video, and new media at the Massachusetts College of Art and received a BFA in 1997. He creates digital narratives and documentaries using text, graphics, and his own photos. He documents many of his experiences through these projects. My favorite pieces of David Crawford's can be found in the following links: Digi-clinc (1996): http://www.turbulence.org/studios/crawford/digi/ - This site urges viewers to submit their answer to the question: "I think I might hurt myself or somebody else, what should I do?" The suggestions of previous viewers scroll across the screen. I find it interesting to read what other people suggest. I think more people might participate if once you submitted your answer, it automatically registered your answer and you could watch it scroll across the screen. However, you have to actually email Mr. Crawford and he puts your answer up on the web. This site was fun and interactive. Charming One Bedroom (1997) : http://rhizome.org/member.rhiz?user_id=1000002 - This piece just has some random thoughts on the bottom of the screen, along with animated graphics. He tends to set the mood with the pace of the graphics. Substitute (2000): http://www.turbulence.org/studios/crawford/sub/ - This digital self-portrait is like no other I have ever seen. Why someone's yearly relationship and school status since birth is fascinating to me, I will never know. You kind of get to know this guy just based on these few questions he has answered for the past 30 years. We create our own form of his identity by viewing this lifelong timeline. The Other War (2002): http://www.turbulence.org/studios/crawford/war/index.html - This study keeps track of the number of people infected and dying of AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa minute by minute. This seems to me to be some type of wake up call to help us to really understand (or try to fathom) the reality of this deadly curse. The Stop Motion Studies (2003): http://www.stopmotionstudies.net/ - He brings still shots to life in his Stop Motion Studies. Crawford has this to say about his work: The Stop Motion Studies extend my long standing interest in narrative and, in particular, look at the subway as a stage upon which social dynamics and individual behavior are increasingly mediated by digital technology. As one of the most vibrant and egalitarian networks in our cities, subways bring people from a wide range of social and cultural backgrounds into close contact with each other. This process plays a significant role in shaping both the character of a city as well as our individual identities. It is said that 90% of human communication is non-verbal. In these photographs, the body language of the subjects becomes the basic syntax for a series of Web-based animations exploring movement, gesture, and algorithmic montage. Many sequences document a person’s reaction to being photographed by a stranger. Some smile, others snarl, still others perform. The camera, the net and I are all characters in this setting. The project is not about the transparency of these actors, but about exploring them. This means probing socio-cultural boundaries within our emerging digital environment. The rest of his works (including Here and Now and National Velvet) can be found at: http://www.turbulence.org/studios/crawford/ David Crawford is an inspiration to me. These are the type of footsteps I would like to follow in. His work is very personal, yet it is on a level that everyone understands. He addresses conflict that we deal with on a day to day basis and makes time stand still by putting us in situations he has experienced so we can see through his eyes to form our own opinions and ideas. Current Mood: impressed (Comment on this)
Thursday, February 5th, 2004
4:34 pm	assignment for BLOG #3 http://www.altx.com/history/blog3.html (Comment on this)
Wednesday, February 4th, 2004
11:18 pm	NY Times Response I don't like the idea at all of having to pay to send emails.  I write emails, BECAUSE I don't have to pay postage (and it is quicker).  I don't think charging a fee to send emails would prevent spam.  Just look in your snail mail box.  The postage for that huge pile of junk mail was paid for by someone who thought they could sell their services or product to you. The only reason why these big companies are thrilled about the idea is because they are not concerned about money issues.  They can afford to send as many emails as they desire, so why would they care?  It is an easy was for them to reduce their junk mail... although I seriously don't think it would make that big of a difference. Many people who do not pay for an internet service provider, rely on free services to keep in contact with friends and family.  I think charging to send an email would be a HUGE disservice to email users around the world. "I suspect the cost of postage will start out small and it will rapidly escalate," he added. I imagine that if this goes into effect, it will be just like snail mail postage.  Almost every year it seems the dead gum price goes up!  That irritates me.  I hope my grandchildren will have enough in their piggy banks to send their poor old grandmother a hand written Christmas card.  Of course, I will only be poor because of the amount of emails I send out daily. The Earthlink representative and the founder of Goodmail had somewhat of a good idea... better than charging the average joe. They suggested just charging based on the class of the email. The class of the email, I suppose, would be based on the volume of the mail distributed and the purpose of the mail. Sharing the money collected WITH the users would be a good idea... as far as rebates and what not. I don't really understand the idea of the recipient setting the price for particular emails to enter his or her in-box. Although, waiving charges for friends and family would be realistic if this STUPID proposal were to follow through. The Internet providers would deliver all stamped mail without any filter. Eventually someHOW, someONE would find a way around this... or else the spam senders would buy the stamps. I don't feel there is anyway to stop spam... it is neverending... one day it will take over the woooooorld!!! Microsoft has been floating a similar proposal, labeled "caller ID," that could be expanded in the future to accommodate more sophisticated anti-spam approaches including Internet postage systems. This seems like a more effective way to reduce spam to me. As far as the whole greeting card scheme, I think that they would just need to adjust the way they send their cards.... but at the same time, if I received a greeting card in my in-box from an address I did not recognize (even if it was Hallmark greetings or Blue Mountain) I would probably delete it and never know how much my secret admirer admires me... This seems to be a no win situation. For now, I don't mind deleting all the spam I get. I would just like to know how to prevent those STUPID pop-up ads... and most of them are ads to get rid of pop-up ads... I don't get it. Current Mood: bitchy (Comment on this)