I'd have to say that the final project that affected me most was the one with the deep sea adventure.
I say this because I actually had a nightmare about it -- which is kind of silly looking back on it now -- so there must have been something about that project that lodged itself into the deep subconscious recesses of my mind.
There are only two explanations that I can think of for this awkward event:
1. Either I am a really big super-freak
2. Or that project was just that good
I'll stick with the latter for now.
Anyway -- for a more constructive criticism -- the project was well-written, and I really loved the way that all of the separate stories looped around each other.
Also, the different colors added a neat touch to the presentation as well as helped to keep the reader on track as far as which substories he/she was reading.
Plus it was fun to play. <(^t^)>
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Monday, May 5, 2008
[1|\||< 70 /\/\'/ |=1|\|4[ |?|20]3(7
The link to my final project is...
I have been having some technical difficulties with the images on most of the pages. I have finally discovered that the issue stems from the image address being...
I have spent a long time trying figure out why it has been interpreted that way, but I have yet to find a solution. It sounds like a simple naming or directory issue to me, but I have combed through and experimented with those categories and found nothing.
I originally had used layers within Nvu to track the player's progress as to where he/she was in the maze, which was pretty awesome, but the images did not show up properly. At first, I discovered there was a spacing issue that just needed either a different alignment or a table to fix, so I fixed it. But then I encountered the same problem as now where the majority of the images simply did not show up.
I tried to simplify the image set up by putting the same map view on every page in hopes that that would solve the problem (because the original map without the layering did not have any problems at first).
Unfortunately, I have yet to solve that problem. I will continue working on it though, because I would like to enlarge this project and add more pathways and obstacles to make it even more fun and challenging.
I also realized that the map layout can be adapted for virtually any situation. It could be used as a game where a college student must navigate through campus, an astronaut must navigate through space, an explorer must navigate through a jungle, etc.
The best way for me to solve the image problem may just be to ditch Nvu and SSH, so I'm going to keep on trekking. I'll keep posting my progress on this blog.
Please let me know if you have any suggestions.
thanks
I have been having some technical difficulties with the images on most of the pages. I have finally discovered that the issue stems from the image address being...
I have spent a long time trying figure out why it has been interpreted that way, but I have yet to find a solution. It sounds like a simple naming or directory issue to me, but I have combed through and experimented with those categories and found nothing.
I originally had used layers within Nvu to track the player's progress as to where he/she was in the maze, which was pretty awesome, but the images did not show up properly. At first, I discovered there was a spacing issue that just needed either a different alignment or a table to fix, so I fixed it. But then I encountered the same problem as now where the majority of the images simply did not show up.
I tried to simplify the image set up by putting the same map view on every page in hopes that that would solve the problem (because the original map without the layering did not have any problems at first).
Unfortunately, I have yet to solve that problem. I will continue working on it though, because I would like to enlarge this project and add more pathways and obstacles to make it even more fun and challenging.
I also realized that the map layout can be adapted for virtually any situation. It could be used as a game where a college student must navigate through campus, an astronaut must navigate through space, an explorer must navigate through a jungle, etc.
The best way for me to solve the image problem may just be to ditch Nvu and SSH, so I'm going to keep on trekking. I'll keep posting my progress on this blog.
Please let me know if you have any suggestions.
thanks
Thursday, April 24, 2008
\/\/|-|47 |)0 1 \/\/4|\|7 70 |)0 |=0|2 /\/\'/ |=1|\|4[ |?|20]3(7 ?
I definitely want to do a choose your own adventure type of interactive fiction/game. The details are still a bit fuzzy.
A science fiction story line would probably be the most fun for me.
As far as images go, I would probably just draw stills in Microsoft Paint. I do have a Wacom tablet, though, so that might be fun to create quirky little pictures with.
It might also be fun to create a labyrinth/maze of some sort to use as the basis of the game. In that situation, I could design the maze with monsters and other obstacles. The players could then choose which way they wanted to go( forward, backward, left, right ) based on the map. If they hit a dead end, they will be forced to turn around. If they run into a monster, they can decide to fight or flee. Some monsters will be invincible, and other monsters can be conquered.
This will make the project both a game of strategy and a game of chance. Both are always fun!
The monsters/obstacles will also keep the game from being too easy. This way, the maze will first look fairly simple to navigate, but will become more complicated as the players encounter monsters. The player will also need to rely on memory to keep from running into the same monsters.
frustrating or fun?
I guess we'll find out.
A science fiction story line would probably be the most fun for me.
As far as images go, I would probably just draw stills in Microsoft Paint. I do have a Wacom tablet, though, so that might be fun to create quirky little pictures with.
It might also be fun to create a labyrinth/maze of some sort to use as the basis of the game. In that situation, I could design the maze with monsters and other obstacles. The players could then choose which way they wanted to go( forward, backward, left, right ) based on the map. If they hit a dead end, they will be forced to turn around. If they run into a monster, they can decide to fight or flee. Some monsters will be invincible, and other monsters can be conquered.
This will make the project both a game of strategy and a game of chance. Both are always fun!
The monsters/obstacles will also keep the game from being too easy. This way, the maze will first look fairly simple to navigate, but will become more complicated as the players encounter monsters. The player will also need to rely on memory to keep from running into the same monsters.
frustrating or fun?
I guess we'll find out.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
6|20|_||? |?20]3(7 |235|/0|\|53
My favorite group project was
The Musical Tale of the Carrot Witch and an Unlikely Band of Friends
A Fairytale
By Camile Allan and Sonja Eberly
A Fairytale
By Camile Allan and Sonja Eberly
Of course, I may be a little biased because I was interviewed for one of the characters.
However, with that aside, I enjoyed it because it was
a. sooo creative
b. interesting
c. colorful
d. funny
Oh yeah, and it was a really good example of a group media project because it incorporated words, video, and sound as well as links throughout to give it that cyber text touch.
I found their site easy to navigate and understand;also, adding in the actual interview transcripts and bonus blooper footage is always an awesome idea.
My favorite more serious project was the 9/11 Archive Contribution
by Kelly Kreis, Dan Seeley, Katrina Smith, and Brian Howell.
I liked their project because it incorporated something with real meaning from the outside world. I also thought that their incorporation of video and sound was well done.
The most lasting effect of their project for me, though, was not so much the actual content they contributed. Seeing their project really reminded me of my own story about 11 September 2001.
It makes me laugh at first because I was in 8th grade at the time and didn't really even know what the World Trade Center was, let alone the importance of a terrorist attack against it. Planes hit the twin towers... what did that mean?
My dad used to work at the Pentagon, so I knew how important it was. What a miracle the plane hit the part that was being renovated, huh? yeah... what a miracle my father had been moved out of his office for the renovation.
However, with that aside, I enjoyed it because it was
a. sooo creative
b. interesting
c. colorful
d. funny
Oh yeah, and it was a really good example of a group media project because it incorporated words, video, and sound as well as links throughout to give it that cyber text touch.
I found their site easy to navigate and understand;also, adding in the actual interview transcripts and bonus blooper footage is always an awesome idea.
My favorite more serious project was the 9/11 Archive Contribution
by Kelly Kreis, Dan Seeley, Katrina Smith, and Brian Howell.
I liked their project because it incorporated something with real meaning from the outside world. I also thought that their incorporation of video and sound was well done.
The most lasting effect of their project for me, though, was not so much the actual content they contributed. Seeing their project really reminded me of my own story about 11 September 2001.
It makes me laugh at first because I was in 8th grade at the time and didn't really even know what the World Trade Center was, let alone the importance of a terrorist attack against it. Planes hit the twin towers... what did that mean?
My dad used to work at the Pentagon, so I knew how important it was. What a miracle the plane hit the part that was being renovated, huh? yeah... what a miracle my father had been moved out of his office for the renovation.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
6|20|_||? |?|20_|3(7
I am in a group with Tammy. She is a very cool and creative nonfiction writer.
I am a creative fiction writer (although, I'll pretty much go for anything creative.)
We have decided on a major idea/concept for our project.
I am going to write a short story (most likely flash fiction: a really short short story that gets to the point quickly and puts a large emphasis on conciseness), and Tammy is going to review and comment on it.
That part of the project will show off both of our awesomely different talents.
In order to make this project into an interactive fiction piece, we are going to link her reviews and comments directly to each other through links on specific words and phrases. This way, a reader will be able to read through my story, and take many different paths throughout that lead to her nonfiction response.
At that point, the readers' views of my work will be different depending on which links they followed and when. In other words, Tammy's views will change or strengthen the views of the readers depending on when each individual diverges from the story to follow a link.
Readers will also be given the option of reading her reviews first, then following links in the reviews that lead to my work.
We will span our project across both of our websites so that a reader can go to Tammy's first and begin interacting from her responses to my story, or a reader can begin on my page.
In short, there will be a clear beginning and a clear finish to our project. However, it is up to the reader to decide which end is which and in what order the middle will be read.
|?|2377'/ (007 , |-||_||-| ?
<(^t^)> <-- that is me if i were a cyber kitty
I am a creative fiction writer (although, I'll pretty much go for anything creative.)
We have decided on a major idea/concept for our project.
I am going to write a short story (most likely flash fiction: a really short short story that gets to the point quickly and puts a large emphasis on conciseness), and Tammy is going to review and comment on it.
That part of the project will show off both of our awesomely different talents.
In order to make this project into an interactive fiction piece, we are going to link her reviews and comments directly to each other through links on specific words and phrases. This way, a reader will be able to read through my story, and take many different paths throughout that lead to her nonfiction response.
At that point, the readers' views of my work will be different depending on which links they followed and when. In other words, Tammy's views will change or strengthen the views of the readers depending on when each individual diverges from the story to follow a link.
Readers will also be given the option of reading her reviews first, then following links in the reviews that lead to my work.
We will span our project across both of our websites so that a reader can go to Tammy's first and begin interacting from her responses to my story, or a reader can begin on my page.
In short, there will be a clear beginning and a clear finish to our project. However, it is up to the reader to decide which end is which and in what order the middle will be read.
|?|2377'/ (007 , |-||_||-| ?
<(^t^)> <-- that is me if i were a cyber kitty
Thursday, March 20, 2008
\/\/|-|47 15 |\|4|2|2471\/3 ?
When you are writing anything or playing a game, you are narrating.
A narrative is something that has already been narrated. You can no longer add to it by narrating; therefore, you must read it as a narrative.
However, if you write fanfiction, you then become the narrator by continuing the narrative you have read. But, once you have finished narrating, the new work is now also a narrative.
If someone goes through a cybertext, determines a specific path to go through, and then puts it together to be read consecutively, that path is a narrative.
Also, when a narrative is heavily edited or rewritten, it is no longer a narrative in that process, but once the process is finished, it becomes a different narrative.
And... if you film someone playing a game (or record it in some other way), that film becomes a narrative because it can no longer be changed. But the game itself remains a means of narration.
In short, the reason that the meaning of the term "narrative" is so complicated is because a narrative is only a narrative when it is finished.
You cannot write or create a narrative; you can only read a narrative after it has been written or played through and recorded.
ahh... so confusing, but so beautiful.
A narrative is something that has already been narrated. You can no longer add to it by narrating; therefore, you must read it as a narrative.
However, if you write fanfiction, you then become the narrator by continuing the narrative you have read. But, once you have finished narrating, the new work is now also a narrative.
If someone goes through a cybertext, determines a specific path to go through, and then puts it together to be read consecutively, that path is a narrative.
Also, when a narrative is heavily edited or rewritten, it is no longer a narrative in that process, but once the process is finished, it becomes a different narrative.
And... if you film someone playing a game (or record it in some other way), that film becomes a narrative because it can no longer be changed. But the game itself remains a means of narration.
In short, the reason that the meaning of the term "narrative" is so complicated is because a narrative is only a narrative when it is finished.
You cannot write or create a narrative; you can only read a narrative after it has been written or played through and recorded.
ahh... so confusing, but so beautiful.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
|23/\/\1>< |?|20]3(7 |235|?0|\|53
I really enjoyed Kelly Kreis's remix project entitled "Changes". Not only did she use quotes from one of my favorite mind-screwers - I mean authors -, she also "cut them up" and "pasted" them into scenery in a way that made me reconsider the approach I had taken for my own project.
In her explanation of the project, Kreis echoes something that I came to realize as well while creating my own remix:
"...through the simple act of cutting up a sentence you can [create] new ideas and new phrases, each one dealing with how we change and how we are perceived."
Hiding the phrases in the pictures could help draw more attention to the words. This contradicted my reasoning behind not including pictures with my poems to keep them the center of attention.
It has inspired me to try using some pictures to accent my poems. If I use the right pictures and placement of the poems, I think that it might help to make my own project stronger.
I also thought that the water and the flowers helped strengthen Kreis's presentation. The symbolism emphasized the words as much as the pictures themselves.
In short, she had a lot of awesome ideas that were executed really well.
In her explanation of the project, Kreis echoes something that I came to realize as well while creating my own remix:
"...through the simple act of cutting up a sentence you can [create] new ideas and new phrases, each one dealing with how we change and how we are perceived."
Hiding the phrases in the pictures could help draw more attention to the words. This contradicted my reasoning behind not including pictures with my poems to keep them the center of attention.
It has inspired me to try using some pictures to accent my poems. If I use the right pictures and placement of the poems, I think that it might help to make my own project stronger.
I also thought that the water and the flowers helped strengthen Kreis's presentation. The symbolism emphasized the words as much as the pictures themselves.
In short, she had a lot of awesome ideas that were executed really well.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
\/\/|-|47 4/\/\ 1 601|\|6 70 |)0 |=0|2 /\/\'/ |23/\/\1>< |?|20]3(7 ?
I have a lot of my own loose artwork and creative writing works sitting around unconnected to each other. I would love to find a way to connect them all, so I am definitely going to include as much of my own work as possible in this project.
However, I'd feel like I was cheating if I just used my own work. I could use more practice searching the web for other people's works that I enjoy.
I have been playing with the idea of finding other works that are similar to my own works. This way, I can make two separate remix projects and then splice them together for one ultimate re-mixture.
It would be a pretty awesome way of connecting myself to the rest of the world and immersing myself into this cool new"ish" online culture.
Here is a link to a small taste of my artwork:
http://ziggygoblin.deviantart.com/
They're from a few years ago, and they aren't the greatest examples, but they're something. I also created the two images that I have posted on this blog (the eye and the funky green-blue tornado-like picture) as well as the large picture of myself on the main homepage of my website: http://mason.gmu.edu/~ajone8
All right, and here are some silly little creative writing examples from a class I took in high school. I'm not a big fan of poetry but "sense poems" just brought something out in me:
Auditory
Flip of a Page
Baby thunder rumbling
With soft crinkles.
Finger-printed words
Whispering softly
The next line
Of a story.
Gustatory
Dancing with Peaches
Lips soaked with
Slippery flavor puddles
Of fruity flesh.
Sweet juice pockets
Sliced clean along teeth.
Tongue tripping
Over explosions of flavor.
Olfactory
Bad Breath
Foul rotting pods
Escaping into once clean air,
Infecting the norm,
Invading nostrils,
Testing politeness
Of a passerby.
Visual
Shelter for My Love
Smooth strands
Clinging to my fingers
Curl to thick wisps
Above pink ears.
A reddish gold field
Swaying with my hand,
My fingertips acting
As the wind.
His masculine face
Cradles to my chest in refuge,
As Mother Nature
Runs her fingertips
Harshly over my own body.
Tactile
One Last Hug
My hand held
By your gentle touch,
Fingers intertwining
Brushing each other’s
In a knuckled pattern.
Your eyes
Capture mine.
Soon our cheeks
Rub together softly
In this cold night air.
My tears tickle us both
As I break away.
One last hug…
And then goodbye.
However, I'd feel like I was cheating if I just used my own work. I could use more practice searching the web for other people's works that I enjoy.
I have been playing with the idea of finding other works that are similar to my own works. This way, I can make two separate remix projects and then splice them together for one ultimate re-mixture.
It would be a pretty awesome way of connecting myself to the rest of the world and immersing myself into this cool new"ish" online culture.
Here is a link to a small taste of my artwork:
http://ziggygoblin.deviantart.com/
They're from a few years ago, and they aren't the greatest examples, but they're something. I also created the two images that I have posted on this blog (the eye and the funky green-blue tornado-like picture) as well as the large picture of myself on the main homepage of my website: http://mason.gmu.edu/~ajone8
All right, and here are some silly little creative writing examples from a class I took in high school. I'm not a big fan of poetry but "sense poems" just brought something out in me:
Auditory
Flip of a Page
Baby thunder rumbling
With soft crinkles.
Finger-printed words
Whispering softly
The next line
Of a story.
Gustatory
Dancing with Peaches
Lips soaked with
Slippery flavor puddles
Of fruity flesh.
Sweet juice pockets
Sliced clean along teeth.
Tongue tripping
Over explosions of flavor.
Olfactory
Bad Breath
Foul rotting pods
Escaping into once clean air,
Infecting the norm,
Invading nostrils,
Testing politeness
Of a passerby.
Visual
Shelter for My Love
Smooth strands
Clinging to my fingers
Curl to thick wisps
Above pink ears.
A reddish gold field
Swaying with my hand,
My fingertips acting
As the wind.
His masculine face
Cradles to my chest in refuge,
As Mother Nature
Runs her fingertips
Harshly over my own body.
Tactile
One Last Hug
My hand held
By your gentle touch,
Fingers intertwining
Brushing each other’s
In a knuckled pattern.
Your eyes
Capture mine.
Soon our cheeks
Rub together softly
In this cold night air.
My tears tickle us both
As I break away.
One last hug…
And then goodbye.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
|23\/13\/\/ 0|= "Landscapes"
http://collection.eliterature.org/1/works/marsh__landscapes.html
Plain and Simple: I found this particular piece captivating because of its bright colors.
Is it art or literature?
As a quick disclaimer, I do recognize the fact that there is some overlap between the two categories and that art, literature and everything in between and outside of those circles such as music can be grouped under the category of Fine Arts.
That said, I do not consider "Landscapes" a work of literature so much as a work of art. To me, the difference between Literature and Art is very simple. If you enjoy something because it is clearly beautiful to the senses of touch and sight, then it is a work of art. However, if you enjoy something because of images it provokes you to see in your mind through words written or heard, it is literature.
This is an awesome concept to me because by those definitions, a blind person can only directly enjoy art through touch (and even that depends on whether a person considers touch a genuine determining factor in some art, because if it is not, then it should be a whole different category altogether, like smell.)
Words can, however, be used as art. For example, they may not make sense as words, but they do contribute as patterns to an overall conceptualization of the image an artist is trying to display.
"Landscapes" does use both the medium of art and the medium of literature to display its messages. The artist/writer, Bill Marsh, describes his piece like this: "Landscapes presents five animated canvases which together comprise a dreamscape of anarchic play, urban order, and media saturation. Each landscape pairs a short Biblical proverb with a series of images taken from street protests, multimedia conferences, Hollywood films, and other private and public sites. The proverb in each of the landscapes scrolls on a loop across the screen and is "locked" in position behind a viewing portal. To read the proverb is to make do with the fractured characters visible through small holes in the portal."
Because of the mixed media used throughout this piece, I think that "Landscapes" is an excellent example of the many techniques an individual can use in order to create "Electronic Literature."
Plain and Simple: I found this particular piece captivating because of its bright colors.
Is it art or literature?
As a quick disclaimer, I do recognize the fact that there is some overlap between the two categories and that art, literature and everything in between and outside of those circles such as music can be grouped under the category of Fine Arts.
That said, I do not consider "Landscapes" a work of literature so much as a work of art. To me, the difference between Literature and Art is very simple. If you enjoy something because it is clearly beautiful to the senses of touch and sight, then it is a work of art. However, if you enjoy something because of images it provokes you to see in your mind through words written or heard, it is literature.
This is an awesome concept to me because by those definitions, a blind person can only directly enjoy art through touch (and even that depends on whether a person considers touch a genuine determining factor in some art, because if it is not, then it should be a whole different category altogether, like smell.)
Words can, however, be used as art. For example, they may not make sense as words, but they do contribute as patterns to an overall conceptualization of the image an artist is trying to display.
"Landscapes" does use both the medium of art and the medium of literature to display its messages. The artist/writer, Bill Marsh, describes his piece like this: "Landscapes presents five animated canvases which together comprise a dreamscape of anarchic play, urban order, and media saturation. Each landscape pairs a short Biblical proverb with a series of images taken from street protests, multimedia conferences, Hollywood films, and other private and public sites. The proverb in each of the landscapes scrolls on a loop across the screen and is "locked" in position behind a viewing portal. To read the proverb is to make do with the fractured characters visible through small holes in the portal."
Because of the mixed media used throughout this piece, I think that "Landscapes" is an excellent example of the many techniques an individual can use in order to create "Electronic Literature."
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