Response to "Blogging, the nihilist impulse"

One of the most important issues that Geert Lovink touches on in his article about blogging is the impact that this writing technology has on the mainstream media. While Lovink asserts that the negative impact blogging has on traditional journalism is intentional, I would not go that far. However, I am in undoubted agreement with Lovink that blogging and other forms of Web 2.0 technologies have definitely reduced the influence and popularity of the mainstream media as a whole.

The ease of use of technologies such as blogging and YouTube has clearly brought the influence of traditional media organizations down. Anyone with access to a functioning computer and internet connection has the ability to upload their thoughts and ideas almost instantaneously to a potentially worldwide audience. In addition, ordinary citizens have the ability to become journalists in their own right. This is possible partially through their ability to post videos of something they have witnessed or to create a blog post about something they have seen, heard, or witnessed. Therefore, these technologies definitely put more power into the hands of ordinary people on a daily basis.

The effects of this upswing in the use of Web 2.0 technologies in conjunction with the ongoing economic crisis have clearly had an effect on the financial success of many of the traditional news outlets. In the past few months, several newspapers such as the Rocky Mountain News in Denver have closed their doors and no longer publish their newspapers. In addition, major newspapers including the New York Times, while not yet shutting down operations, are experiencing huge financial problems. There can be no doubt that blogging, in particular, is encouraging this trend.

While Lovink appears to believe that this would be a preferred product of bloggers, I tend to disagree. Firstly, I do not think that bloggers set out to destroy traditional media outlets, I think they simply set out to challenge them and potentially change them. Secondly, I think that bloggers partially depend on these traditional media outlets as sources of information and controversy. While it is true that ordinary people now have the ability to become “pajama journalists” this does not give them the capacity to follow and cover news stories in a way that traditional media outlets do. For example, someone who works a 9 to 5 job in New York but also maintains a political blog, does not have the ability to attend rallies and travel around the country with political candidates. In addition, blogs depend on mainstream media outlets as a source of controversy and linking to these traditional outlets with some commentary can lead to many hits for certain bloggers. An example of this practice can also be seen in, but is not limited to, the political realm. Both sides of the political aisle have websites that utilize Web 2.0 to criticize media outlets that they deem to have a bias towards either conservatism or liberalism. The conservatives have the Media Research Center which criticizes traditional media outlets such as the New York Times or NBC News and the liberals have Media Matters which criticizes media outlets such as Fox News and the Wall Street Journal. Thus, it is clear that some blogs depend on the existence and partial success of traditional media outlets such as newspapers and network news as a means for their own success.

4-20-09 Freewrite

The disagreement between N. Katherine Hayles and Peter Shillinsburg concerning the value of a text that goes through the process of media translation leads to a difficult and complicated discussion. The process of media translation could conceivably take on many different forms depending on the type of text and the choice of methods by the person/s that "translate" the text. In some methods of media translation, a text can become more difficult to read. For example, a scanned document could appear somewhat faded or blurry on a computer. This would definitely take something away from the text. However, other forms of media translation could make a text easier to read. An example of this could include someone retyping a printed text using a word processing program. This specific example could allow for a printed document that is difficult to read to be translated into an electronic document that is clear and easy to read. These simple examples prove that the process of media translation has the potential to both better and worsen a text in some way, shape, or form. However, it is clear that regardless of whether a text gains something or loses something, the text will be changed.

Response to Reading for 4-20-09

The discussion we had in class last week in combination with this week’s reading definitely got me thinking about the differences between printed text and electronic text. Our class discussion last week was largely centered on the concept of the “integrity” of books. We discussed the act of tearing pages out of books for any purpose and surprisingly, this act was meant with vehement opposition by some and support by others. With this discussion still in my mind, I began the reading assigned for this week which discussed the differences between printed texts, such as books, and electronic texts. This immediately got me to thinking about the different ways that both forms of texts are treated and the amount of respect accorded to each.

It was clear to me from last week’s discussion about books, that many people attribute an enormous amount of respect toward books. Some people would refuse to tear pages from books or to damage them in any significant way because of their tremendous respect for books and the benefits that they could potentially bring to others. In addition, some said that they would not throw away their books and I found myself, for the most part, in agreement with this stance. While I may not always reread (or even read the first time) some of the books in my possession, I cannot see myself disposing of very many books in that fashion.

From this point, I began considering how much “respect” is given to electronic texts. It immediately occurred to me that the type of respect given to printed texts, particularly books, was not present for electronic texts. We frequently “virtually discard” of these texts in several fashions. One example of this could be deleting a PDF file or other document that contains electronic text from a PC hard drive, essentially throwing it away to the recycle bin. Another example of “virtually discarding” a electronic text could be observed through permanently deleting a section of text from a web page or blog. While the site or blog would undoubtedly by cached somewhere on the internet, the document that appears when loading the page, I would consider this the real document, would be forever changed. While these examples may seem a little bit outside of the box or extreme, I would posit that they are similar in nature to the acts of tearing out a page of a book or discarding a book entirely.

The readings make clear that there are significant differences in the way that digital texts and printed texts are created by their writers and viewed by their readers. I believe that this is unquestionably true, at least in my own personal experience, and that is demonstrated in the different ways that I utilize each of the formats. I prefer to read and study from the printed form of text but often find that it is easier and quicker to read and study the same text in electronic form. Additionally, I often prefer to at least part of my papers, even if it is just an outline, in handwriting. Mentally, this helps me to better formulate ideas. However, in the end, the bulk of my writing is done electronically by virtue of its readability and speed.

In closing, it is undoubtedly true that there are differences between digital texts and printed texts and one of these differences that should be further explored is the amount of “respect” that is assigned to each.

Example of Technotext

http://www.yhchang.com/THE_STRUGGLE_CONTINUES.html

The example of a technotext that I chose is “The Struggle Continues” from the Young Hae Chang Heavy Industries website. While watching the technotext itself proved that it was a great example in and of itself, I also found validity in this opinion through the fact that this collection was linked on several of the websites included in the suggested sites for this assignment. I believe that it is a great example because it is relatively simple but includes multiple features. If watched in its entirety, it is very long and includes fast and intermittent motion, multiple colors in the form of background and text combinations, and includes text that is clearly technical in its nature. An example of this is the 0 with the slash through it, this, in my mind, is a prime example of typical technical text. In addition, the Young Hae Chang Heavy Industries website was referenced by one of our guest presenters a few weeks ago, Bonnie Jones.

Response to Reading for 4-13-09

When beginning this week’s reading of Writing Machines, I was initially intrigued by the concept of the humument. Much like the process of uncreative writing, this form of writing allows a writer to take someone else’s work and create something out of it that becomes his or her own. This process allows writers to exert extreme control over their message or it can allow them to exert virtually no control and to randomly change a text in the creation of a new page or new writing. In essence, this process allows for people to be as creative or uncreative as they wish but in the end, they are still able to create a new message out of an existing page or writing. In an overall sense, this process allows for writers to come up with creative new takes on past works.
I was particularly fascinated with two examples from this book. Firstly, I thought that the example on page one 89, which shows page 165 of A Human Document was extremely intriguing. While it is clear that the text of this page, although still visible, does not play a significant role in the artist’s reproduction but the art plays a particularly important role. I thought that this demonstrated a unique interpretation of the work through the artist’s placement of a human face on the page, clearly playing on the “human document” aspect. In addition, the artist could be making a statement about human nature through the different shades of the two sides of the persons face and the unique shape of his or her face. Secondly, I thought the example on page 93 was also extremely interesting. This rendition turns the original page into what appears what to be an indoor garden of some sort. This example is particularly interesting because the picture and the text that is left in both appear to play an equal part. In addition, both the text and the picture play off of each, picturing walls and a landscape while featuring both words in the text.
Johanna Drucker’s book also brings up important points concerning this method of art/writing. One of the most illuminating examples of this form came through her discussion of William Blake. Blake clearly took an interesting and innovative approach to his work, especially when you consider the technological constraints he face compared to modern times. I was particularly fascinated with his technique of illuminated printing and the amount of skill and effort it must have taken to complete a work in such a fashion. This became extremely apparent in my mind after I had completed my creative assignment for this week. In order to complete this assignment, I was able to utilize such modern tools as Google Images and Microsoft Paint. In this light, I was particularly impressed with Blake’s work as well as the work of others in similar time periods. However, it was clear that Blake took a uniquely innovative approach that allowed him to lucidly present his personal beliefs along with his personal artistic vision. Clearly, Blake’s work has had a lasting impact on the work of other Artists’ books.

4-6-09 Freewrite

The process of removing all creativity from literature and other art forms seems somewhat counterproductive in my mind. While I would not argue that an uncreative writing cannot be considered to be "literature" or "writing" I think that it loses a lot of value. This involves a probable loss of interest from a large amount of people. Many of these uncreative works, in my opinion, are pretty boring to read, which is essentially of the purpose of its lack of creativity. Additionally, if one disagrees with Goldsmith's premise that creativity is essentially dead, writing in this fashion does not allow for new ideas to be brought about by writers.

Response to Uncreative Writing

I immediately found the concept of uncreative writing to be an interesting topic to read about but more so the ideas behind it, rather than the uncreative writings themselves. The most interesting thing about the whole process was the encouragement of plagiarism and the unapologetic stealing of the work of others. At a university which places a heavy value on its honor code, Mason students are constantly bombarded by threats of consequences for plagiarism. I’ve even heard cases of students who truly did not plagiarize a certain assignment but were accused of doing so by their professors and were faced with a serious threat to their academic careers. That is why the idea that Kenneth Goldsmith and the process of uncreative writing encourage you to copy from other peoples’ work was so shocking to me.

However, it is apparent that the process of taking others’ work without permission and using it for whatever purposes the “theft” wishes could be a relatively constant practice in our society. This is clearly the case with the use of file sharing through computers and the internet. Uncreative writing can employ the stealing of a news article or other written work and subsequently create something entirely different but not new from it, all while using this written work in a manner that is inconsistent with its author’s intent. This same process can be seen with something such as music or movies obtained through file sharing. Someone could take a song or film and reedit it to create something that is, again, something entirely different but not necessarily anything new or creative. Essentially, both could have the same result: using someone else’s work to create something that someone else calls their own work.

Additionally, I found Goldsmith’s discussion of the current state of creativity to be very interesting but only somewhat accurate. I tend to think that that his notion that creativity is dead is not entirely correct. He makes a valid point that the themes and ideas that we see in movies, books, etc. are recycled. However, these major themes and ideas are usually redeveloped and have small but still new components. I strongly believe that people get tired of seeing/hearing/reading the same things over and over again and even though new pieces of film or music or writing may contain similar themes or frameworks to those that preceded them, they must contain some new elements, otherwise few or no people would choose to make use of them.

Goldsmith’s statement that it is hard for students to rid themselves of their creativity seems to be entirely true to me. Many of the assignments that we have completed in this class thus far this semester have required at least some level of creativity. With things like flarf and spoetry, the topic of choice and the ordering of words can allow for great use of creativity. In the production of uncreative writing, it is interesting to see how much a person can remove their personality and reduce their amount of creativity. In essence, the goal of this process of uncreative writing is to work against everything we have been taught in our prior courses involving writing. This uncreative process wants us to be as boring as we possibly can.

3-30-09 Freewrite

Text messaging affects the way that people think by forcing them to find new ways to express their messages. This is the case because of two factors. Firstly, sms text messages limit a single message to 160 characters. Secondly, people that use text messages are often in a situation which limits the amount of time that they can spend writing and sending a message. Both of these limitations require the writers of these messages to condense their message, either in the amount of words and characters or the amount of content that they choose to convey in their message. In other words, text messages have the potential to force people to think in terms of their priorities. Would they rather sacrifice part of their message or simply use abbreviations to convey it? Would they rather save time or send a message using proper English? These are simply a few examples of how someone using a text message as a medium for communication could be forced to change how they think.

Text messaging affects communication in a similar fashion, creating shorter messages and forcing people to condense their thoughts and words. Written communication over blogs and through email can be much different from that used in text messages or on twitter for this very reason. In formats that do not have small limits on communications, people are able to say more and are able to do so in a format that allows more options for the writer.

Response to Txting: The Gr8 Db8

When I began reading David Crystal’s book about texting, it was immediately clear to me that he understood the growing importance and popularity of this method of communication around the world. It was also clear that he believed that there should be some sort of book that could describe this phenomenon to others inside and outside of the literary community.

I was in strong disagreement with the discussion about texting destroying the English language in the beginning of the book. While it is obvious that text messages do not encourage the use of proper grammar, spelling, or even real words, this does not lead to the destruction of our language. The fear that young people will consistently use the language of texting rather than proper English seems rational but does not prove to be true in actual practice. I would be willing to assume that everyone in our class has sent a text message at some point in their lives and furthermore, that they have used a typical texting abbreviation in a text message. However, this does not mean that each, or any, of the students in our class are not capable of writing and speaking with proper English. It simply proves that people are capable of using proper written English and are also able to reformat their messages so that they can fit the constraints of text message size limits and self-imposed time limits.

It is clear that text messaging and the unique language that comes with it offers some advantages, which seem to be acknowledged by Crystal. The largest advantage, I would consider to be almost instantaneous communication of brief messages that do not necessarily require a verbal conversation. The most useful example of this, which Crystal discusses, is the use of text messaging in an effort to coordinate, change, or cancel a meeting. Additionally, Crystal makes clear some of the disadvantages. These include the often unnatural “keyboard” of the cell phone and the 160 character constraint on text messages. However, I think that the constant use of text messages has taught texters to easily overcome these disadvantages and, in many ways, texting has become a very natural activity for many.

Crystal’s discussion of who uses text messaging and where is it used was very informative. His assertion that many people saw texting as something that only young people did was no doubt true at one time. At this point, however, it is evident that kids and adults are frequently using this method of communication. In addition, the popularity of text messages by institutions such as businesses and universities is clearly on the rise. This is something that those here at George Mason have experienced firsthand. The most surprising part of his discussion of the spread of text messages, in my mind, was their usage around the globe. I was previously unaware that text messages were popular in so many other languages including Chinese, Hungarian, Russian, and French. I was especially surprised to read that text messaging was a popular technology in the United Kingdom before it truly became popular in the United States.

The text message is an extremely important writing technology in the today’s world. Many people, including myself, have come to depend on it as a convenient and relatively efficient method of communication. The description of text messaging by Sandra Barron (pg. 96) as “combining the immediacy of a phone call with the convenience of an answering machine message and the premeditation of e-mail,” is probably the most apt description of this technology that I have heard to date.

3-23-09 Freewrite

I would imagine that flarf is not usually taught as a form of poetry in schools because of its controversial use of language and ideas as well as its controversial nature within the poetry community. It was evident through the readings for this week that flarf is a random and lawless form of poetry which can lead to inclusion of controversial topics and controversial language. Additionally, it was also apparent that many within the poetry community question the validity of this form.
However, I would argue that flarf should be considered in the same category as all other forms of poetry. While it is really not structured, it can be considered to be a form of expression on the same level as other forms of poetry.
The definition of flarf as "world poetry," I would argue, is a relatively accurate one. Through the use of Google and other search engines, words and phrases can be pulled from websites, advertisements, or blogs from around the world, essentially in any language. Thus giving this form of poetry a uniquely global feel.

Response to Flarf and Spoetry Readings

When I first started reading about flarf poetry and spoetry, I was surprised by their lack of standard form and equally surprised and encouraged by their use of creativity. It had not previously occurred to me that the vast resources of text, words, thoughts, and information provided by web search engines like Google could be used for creative purposes in such a random and non-standardized method. The idea that Google searches could be used for this purpose was remarkable in my view because my use of Google has always been for more strictly defined and determined purposes. I frequently use search engines like Google for the completion of academic assignments, most of which have strictly defined boundaries and purposes. When searching Google or Google Scholar, as I often do when completing school work, I am looking for definitions, descriptions, and other sources that meet relatively specific purposes in order to fit into a well defined thought for an essay or for studying. This is clearly not the case for forms of poetry like flarf and spoetry. In these instances, poetry writers have no order imposed on them from the outside, but rather only from themselves and arguably the search engine itself. In the composition of these poems, the search engine and its results play a large role in defining the words, text, and imagery that can be used in a specific poem

The controversy surrounding the validity of this form of poetry, within the poetry community, was also greatly surprising to me. Some of the more essay like writings within our assigned list of reading touched on the idea of the value and legitimacy of this form of poetry. It was apparent that many within the poetry community did not believe that this form was attractive or very useful. On the other hand, it was clear that many poets feel that it is useful and can serve as a form of poetry that can say a lot about our society and its priorities. This is obvious through the increasing popularity of this form of poetry as well as its usage in discussing popular topics in current events and world affairs such as the September 11^th attacks in New York City.

The use of this flarf and spoetry in discussing current events is a perfect lead in to discussing its intrinsic controversial nature. It was immediately obvious to me that many flarf and spoetry readers set out to make there poems more controversial in their nature. This can be seen through the use of what many would consider to be “inappropriate” language and its unapologetic discussion of controversial issues. This mixture of the use of controversial language and controversial topics makes it easy to see how this form of poetry could be seen as offensive by many in mainstream society. However, I would argue that the usage of these controversial items is a reflection of our society as a whole. In order for these things to be placed within spoetry and flarf, they must be found in emails or found on the internet through the use of search engines. In other words, the usage of controversial ideas and language must first be performed by others before it can be used by a poet as a part of a flarf poem or spoem.

3-16-09 Freewrite

In prompt #4, Jason B. Jones discusses the iconography and process of the use of typewriting as described by Darren Wershler-Henry in The Iron Whim. Working of this and the reading of the book, one of the things that struck a chord with me during my reading was the idea of the process of using the typewriter as an enterprise that involves the work of multiple people or things. This is something that I had never considered prior to my reading of this book but also something that is very true. It is clear that multiple thought processes and actions, taken by both humans and machines, must take place in order for a typewritten document to be produced. It truly is, as Wershler-Henry writes, a "collective enterprise." Additionally, I think that this "collective enterprise" process is analagous in many ways the process seen in the use of computers and even the use of pen and paper.

However, I think, throughout the book that too much power within this process is assigned to the typewriting machine itself. Wershler-Henry and others that he cites in the book make it seem as if the typewriter and typist or dicator have almost an equal role. In one instance, he even discusses the idea that the typewriter in some way may even be "pulling the strings" of the typist in a puppet and puppetmaster type relationship. I think that this is crediting the typewriter itself with more of the substance of the "collective" process than is accurate. Without the fingers and brain of the typist, the message, style, and organization of a piece of writing would not exist. While it is true that the typewriter itself plays a crucial role in the creation of these aforementioned parts of writing, its role could easily be replaced with a pen and paper in past times or a computer in modern times. Thus, I think that the idea put forth in The Iron Whim that the typewriter in a large way controls the writer is a false notion when applied to the larger picture of creating a piece of writing. However, I can see how it is responsible, in a more minor sense, for dictating the the format of a particular document or piece of writing.

On the other hand, the book's description of the relationship between the typist and the dictator of words in the "collective enterprise" of writing is somewhat more accurate. This relationship involves the interaction of actual human brains which can create true friction in this writing process.

Visual Text

Response to The Iron Whim

When I began reading this book, I was initially skeptical of many of the author’s ideas and his methods for explaining them. However, as I continued to read, I began to realize that Darren Wershler-Henry and others cited in the book were making some accurate observations and assertions about the typewriter and the ideas and myths that surround it.

One example of this is David Sedaris’ notion that writing on a typewriter can create the illusion of “doing more work” than simply writing on a computer. When a person writes on a computer, it is easy to delete and fix mistakes but this is not the case on a typewriter. Often times, one must start from the beginning of a paper in order to fix a mistake made on a typewriter, causing multiple pages to be crumpled up and thrown in the trash in order to be replaced by new ones with corrected text. I see this as an accurate thought partly because I find myself doing this when I am writing things by hand. I will often scrap a piece of paper, throw it in the trash, and begin writing again on a new piece, thus creating the illusion that I might be doing more work than if I had done my writing on a PC.

Wershler-Henry also points out the fact that typewriters are frequently seen on book covers and other print items in order to provide a sense of authenticity. This is something that I had not previously thought about but is very true. Even though they are seldom or never used today, we often see typewriters pictured in modern print and online media and I can see how this is used to convey a sense of “authenticity” and “hard work” in a piece of writing. One of the most interesting examples of the usage of a picture of the typewriter in modern media can be found towards the end of this book. On page 283, there is a poster featuring a girl at a typewriter with a message promoting the idea that blogging is an important part of American democracy.

One part of this book that I thought was particularly accurate and timely was the section when the author discusses the possibility of the end of journalism. While I think that the demise of the typewriter is not and will not contribute to the “end of journalism,” I think the ever improving and increasing use of computers and Web 2.0 technologies is bringing about the end of journalism as we know it. The 24/7 news cycle is prevalent on the internet and now has participants that can contribute while simply sitting in their homes at their computers. Typewriters and print media are no longer as necessary or as popular as they once were in our society. This is evidenced, in concert with recent economic woes, by the closure of several print newspapers.

One of the most important thoughts in this book can be found in the author’s discussion of the relationship between typewriter and the typist. This discussion, in my opinion, is also analogous to the relationship between the typist and a computer and the writer and his/her pen. The author pushes, what I think is an inaccurate notion that the typewriter could be “pulling the strings” of the typist. However, I think looking through this lens at the process of writing with a typewriter (or computer keyboard) makes a logical point that writing is a “collective enterprise” no matter how many parties (defined as people or equipment) are involved. In order for the writing to be completed, each party must hold up its end of the bargain. The writer must provide the ideas and the motivation behind the writing but the typewriter and each of its individual keys and parts is responsible for providing the means for creating the text and placing the words on paper.

Response to Graffiti Lives

When I first began reading this book I quickly became curious as to how the dictionary defined graffiti. The definition I found was pretty much what I expect, basically, markings/writings/drawings on surfaces in public places. A quick lookup of “graffiti” on dictionary.com yielded this definition and also showed that the society’s general view of graffiti is much like what Snyder describes in the book, something troublesome that is meant to gain public attention. For example, the sentence used in the dictionary definition to demonstrate the meaning of “graffiti” was “These graffiti are evidence of the neighborhood’s decline.” This ties in with the “broken windows” theory that Snyder describes in the introduction of this book and, I think, reflects societies apparent belief in this theory.

In his introduction, Snyder describes the role of race in the graffiti world. I thought he assumed too much about the race of participants in graffiti art and their interaction with the law and the police. Snyder was quick to infer that white participants in graffiti art had less to lose than the black participants. While this may very well be true, he failed to cite specific examples and only relied on the premise that cops are likely to be racist against “black and brown” individuals, particularly males, and therefore, harsher and more violent towards them.

In the section “Crime Space vs. Cool Space,” Snyder’s argument against the “broken windows” theory does not convincingly prove its falsehood. While he does prove that less crime exists in the neighborhood with more graffiti, this doesn’t prove that the “broken windows” theory which (stated in Snyder’s words) is that “petty crime increases the propensity for more serious criminal activity.” The hole in his argument is that, while the graffiti may be located in one area, it is not necessarily created by someone that lives in that area. In fact, the person that creates graffiti in SoHo could live in Prospect Heights where the rate of crime in most of the categories he specified was higher than in SoHo.

Again in his section about VERT where he discusses the role of “beef” in the graffiti world, he goes against his earlier argument against the “broken windows” theory. He begins by talking about how “beef” is the aspect of his research of which he is most fearful. He then goes on to say that “Graffiti is violent and competitive” and “lots of graffiti writers like to fight.” He also says that if graffiti writers are unwilling to fight, they will have a short career in the art of graffiti. These statements clearly prove that graffiti can lead to and is often times intertwined with larger criminal activities such as assault and other violent crimes. It is clear throughout the entire book that Mr. Snyder brings a political agenda to his writing. While this made me more interested in the book, I was disappointed in his lack of evidence for most of his arguments.

Throughout the book, I was extremely impressed with the talent and ability behind the graffiti shown in the pictures. It is clear that those that are major players in the graffiti culture are individuals with significant gifts in the field of art. Additionally, I was realized that I was previously unaware of the importance of the artists’ names or nicknames in the culture and in the graffiti itself. This reminded me of a type of “branding” that you would see in corporate and political advertising with consistent repetition of the names in support of a message or idea.

Graffiti Exercise

The above graffiti samples that I chose to photograph were all located in the men’s bathrooms on the 1^st, 2^nd, or 3^rd floor of Enterprise Hall on the Mason campus. All of the photographs were taken on Saturday 2/28/09 around Midnight. Unlike much of the graffiti discussed and shown in Snyder’s book, the tool for this bathroom graffiti was simple. The only necessary outside item would have been a typical Sharpie or another basic felt-tip marker. Using the qualifications laid out by Snyder, these examples of graffiti would most like be considered “throw-ups” or “tags.” These relatively simple writings would probably be considered to be to basic and small to be considered a “piece” or masterpiece.

Chances are that the “writers” of these examples were George Mason students as this would be the group that most uses these facilities. Additionally, one would assume that these writers were males. However, there is really no clear evidence to prove that Mason students are responsible or that females entered these men’s rooms in order to create this graffiti. I think that the reason for writing in the stalls in these is that the walls and doors provide a sense of privacy and security from authorities. In this environment, the artists or writers are able to think more clearly than they would in a situation in which there were several people around them or they were at risk of getting in trouble with campus authority figures. However, the size of these writing spaces is limited not only by the physical size of the stalls but also by the amount of previous writing that has taken place in this specific spot. Interestingly, almost all of the graffiti that I found was located in the handicap accessible stalls and not in the standard sized stalls which were actually almost entirely free of graffiti. This leads me to believe that the writers are looking for a larger canvas for their graffiti.

Unfortunately, a few of the examples that I found were related to racist thought/culture. One was based on popular culture. One was just appeared to be kind of a funny drawing. And a few of the others were symbols, letters, or signs which I was not familiar with. Judging from clues within this last group of writings, I would guess that they are symbols for local groups or graffiti artists. One writing includes “VA, DC, MD.” This same writing along with another includes the text “MEEP!” Since this word or phrase is located in two of these samples, I would assume that this is the name of the artist. Much like in Graffiti Lives, these names are in different shapes, sizes, and areas within each of these writings but the inclusion of the name serves the purpose of bringing public recognition to the artist. Another similarity to the graffiti discussed in Snyder’s book was that one of MEEP’s drawings was crossed out by someone else. This could present the possibility of a “ beef” or conflict between graffiti writers or groups.

Some of the writing does not, in my opinion, clearly define the writers. However, the writing that includes Nazi symbols and phrases clearly shows a significant part of the writer. The writers of this racist graffiti hold beliefs in line with the Nazi party. I also think that the fact that they wrote their message in prominent positions with such large letters and symbols shows that their racist beliefs are a priority in their lives and that they wish to demonstrate this to others as well as spread their beliefs.

2-23-09 Freewrite

I would guess that Johnson, when referring to the hypertext link as a new form of punctuation, means that the hypertext link can play the role of ending or partitioning a paragraph, sentence, idea, or group of ideas. I would have to agree with his theory that the hypertext link plays this role in online writing. One example that I would cite would be the use of links in many blogs. Often times, a hypertext link is posted at the end of a passage and is almost always at the end of a string of thoughts/ideas or sentence. I have seen blogs have several sentences in a row discussing one topic and at the end of this string of sentences will be a link to more information on the topic, similar opinions, or opposing views. Additionally, the hypertext link can be used as punctuation in ending an entire blog post. On many blogs, a link to a news story or column will be posted two lines below the end of a post. Sometimes, a hypertext link is posted in the middle of a sentence or group of sentences. In this role, it can cause the reader to pause to ponder what is contained on the page or to cause the reader to go to the page.

2-16-09 Freewrite

One of the stages that literary technology goes through is an expansion of its user base. At first, new literary technologies are only used by a small group of "elites" that are usually more wealthy and able to afford new, more expensive technologies. Eventually, the technology becomes less expensive and less controversial and spreads to all those who are interested in using it. Baron also asserts that literary technology presents lots of opportunities for fraud. He believes that advances in literary technology can increase plagiarism amongst other things and can lessen the works of honest writers. I think these stages can be accurately applied to increased usage of the internet and mobile devices. Both have become more popular as their cost has decreased and they have become a huge part of mainstream society. Additionally, these technologies provide new frontiers for fraud.

I think that Ong would agree with Baron's stages of literary technology. He would agree that literary technologies, in their initial stages, are often not available to many people. He would also agree with Baron that new literary technologies will eventually cheapen and will become more of a mainstream part of society.

I think that Baron and Ong would believe that the use of web 2.0 and mobile technologies are another example of these literary stages. They would easily be able to see the new abilities that these technologies allow for those that want to commit fraudulent acts such as plagiarism, etc. Additionally, mobile technology, in particular, was very limited in its use during its initial stages. However, in today's world, almost everyone has a cell phone or pda and they are in almost constant use.

Response to Proust and the Squid

As soon as I began to read Proust and the Squid I immediately realized that there was more to the science of reading than I had previously attempted to wrap my mind around. In a society where we are constantly surrounded by writing and text, I think we take for granted how complex the process of comprehending the written word really is, even in its most basic form.
The methods through which Sumerian children learned the skill of writing was strikingly similar to the way in which American children learn to write today. The principles of observation, association, and repetition can be found in both. The English language itself, not just the methods through which it is learned, has it roots in past languages such as Greek and Latin.
It is easy to see why Wolf states that the alphabet is one of the most efficient systems of writing. The brain diagrams on page 62 along with the anecdotes that she tells make it apparent that the circuitry of the brain is very conducive to quick learning of alphabets. Wolf’s assertion that an alphabet leads to more novel thinking is an accurate one, as long as you accept her first premise that the alphabet is an easier and more efficient method of learning writing. If more people are able to learn to read and write, they will be able to learn from the writings of others and come up with their own ideas and mental frameworks. In other words, the alphabet leads to the “democratization” of writing in that more people are able to develop and spread their ideas through reading and writing and these skills are not just limited to the elites, as was often the case in early hieroglyphic systems.
The “two stories” illustration that Wolf uses to describe the manner in which young children learn to read is an interesting an insightful approach. The first story that she tells, in which a child learns to read from hearing readings from parents, phonetics, and association with his or environment, reminds me of the way that I was taught to read (or at least how I was told I was taught to read). My mother was insistent upon frequently reading to me and also insistent that I learn through phonetic methods. As a result, I was able to read at a very young age, so it is clear to me that in many cases, these frequently used methods in our society are efficient ones. However, the second story that Wolf tells shows that many children are at an early disadvantage when it comes to reading. Due to a lack of effort or lack of literary ability in a child’s family, many children from poorer environments arrive at early schooling at a disadvantage. It is obvious that, due to these socioeconomic conditions, many children are less exposed to spoken words and have fewer opportunities to look at written words. I strongly agree with Wolf when she states that a level playing field, in terms of early reading abilities, for all children of all socioeconomic conditions is achievable. However, I believe that the methods of government sponsored pre-school education that Wolf credits are not achieving the results of “leveling the playing field,” as we continue to see little or no improvement in the literacy rates of inner-city children (i.e. Detroit). Thus, making it all the more important that our country continues to study the science of reading, so that we can create better results and opportunities for future children.

Messages in the Landscape

For the “Messages in the Landscape” assignment, I chose to photograph something that we all see an almost daily basis at George Mason University, posters on bulletin boards in buildings around the campus. Most of the posters that I photographed were advertisements but a few were not. Some were posters with tabs, so that people could take the information with them. These posters are something that I walk by each day while on campus and do little more than glance at and I have often wondered how much attention other people pay to these “unofficial” messages. I would consider them to be “unofficial” because they are not sponsored by part of the university nor are they sponsored by a corporation. They are relatively non-complex advertisements put up by individuals or small groups. The designs, for the most part are very basic, utilizing little more than 12 point Times New Roman text or the like. Many don’t even include clip art or images. These postings are almost all on basic copy paper and do not require more than a personal computer and a printer or copier for their creation. I would consider many of the other postings on these very same bulletin boards to be “official” messages. While these may be similarly basic in their design and production, they are put up by departments within the university or by companies such as Kaplan. Many of them also include trademarked logos or official symbols.

2-9-09 Freewrite

Ong's statement that "writing has transformed human consciousness" means that the technology of writing has transformed the way that people think, work, and live. As we have discussed in previous classes, writing and text surround us at almost all times. The knowledge of literacy shapes our society in a much different way than it would be in what Ong calls a "purely oral culture."
Another invention that has greatly transformed human consciousness is that of the computer. Even though the two can be considered to be closely related, I would put the size of the computer's impact in the same range as that of writing. The computer has shaped the way that our society thinks and functions. We depend on computers, much as we do on writing, every day; in fact, most of the the printed text that we see on a daily basis comes from a computer. Computers are used in classrooms in Kindergarten and in doctoral studies and are also used in virtually every workplace in modern society. Computers and writing can be used for a wide variety of activities such as creating a business plan or composing a song. Much like writing, the invention of the computer has enabled new ideas, new discoveries, and other new inventions.

Response to Orality and Literacy

I think Ong’s definition of writing in the first chapter as the “commitment of the word to space” is an apt description but also gives a very expansive meaning to the word. Another important part of his idea of writing is that it is not effective without orality. This, to me, is a very accurate point especially when I step back and think about how I read and write. Often times when I am reading or writing, I find myself unintentionally whispering the words aloud.

It is clear that Ong believes that much literature is based on a structure of orality. In other words, the words or groups of words on paper must come from a pattern that comes out of the way these words would be spoken. This can best be seen when he describes Homer as an “assembly-line worker” rather than a “creator.” He makes it obvious that he believes that Homers work came from somewhat of a pre-determined pattern and paradigm of orality.

The concept of a primary oral culture is very difficult for me, and I would imagine everyone else in modern American society, to imagine. The idea of not being able to see or look up words would make life different and much more difficult. Additionally, I see a primary oral culture as a place in which it is very difficult to organize thoughts and ideas, particularly those that require significant amounts of stringing together. Ong’s example concerning names makes this particularly clear. His idea that names serve as labels in typographic cultures rings true and shows a significant contrast to the way things would work in purely oral culture. Ong’s discussion of the method of memorization in a primary oral culture goes back to his idea of the importance of patterns and formulas to orality, especially in its purest form.

Another of Ong’s key points is that writing in a literate society greatly impacts the thought processes of its members. Ong, working from Plato’s idea that technologies such as writing, computer, and calculators makes the mind weak, actually makes sense to me. I have noticed in my work, that the ability to rely on calculators or thesauruses on the computer allows me to put less effort into learning certain skills and memorizing certain things. Ong’s definition of writing ties in with our discussion in the first class session about writing as an important technological step in human history. Ong presents an interesting question when he discusses the frames of mind of an audience and writer. Even in our present day culture of fast written correspondence, a writer and reader may be in entirely different and constantly changing frames of mind throughout an email chain or instant message exchange.

Ong stresses the importance of text not only to literacy but also to society as whole. He goes as far as stating that the Protestant Reformation was a product of the technology of print. He also makes an accurate point in asserting that print technology played a vital role in making sight a more dominant force than hearing in society. One of the most important factors of this influence is the distribution of books and publications containing things considered to be fact and their spread from there. Print creates what Ong describes an idea or feeling of closure which leads to facts and thoughts becoming more concrete in readers minds and therefore society.

Helvetica Freewrite

After watching the movie Helvetica in class last week, I made an effort to observe the different types of typefaces around me and the contexts in which they were placed. In the past, I had not noticed how prevalent Helvetica was in advertisements, corporate logos, book covers, etc. One thing that I observed, was that the topic or theme of an item had a significant impact on the choice of typeface that was used. For example, at my apartment I have a small collection of political books and biographies of political figures. The typeface used on the covers of these books was something that appeared more serious. I saw Helvetica and similar typefaces in more “casual” places, such as the logos for shops that sell items for the household (Target, etc.).

In addition to noticing the style of typeface around me, I also realized how much typeface was around me. Without making a conscious effort, I had not previously realized the amount of text that we see in our everyday lives. In reality, we are surrounded by it and would not function as we do without it.

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