Blogging

I couldn't think of anything worthy to write a blog about this week, so I finally decided to do some research on blogging itself. I could probably write a book based on the volume of information that I found, but I will limit my comments to the blogging trivia I found to be most interesting. For instance, did you know that the collective community of all blogs is known as the Blogosphere? It leaves me wondering who comes up with these words and how they gain acceptance into our vocabulary? I think its probably a pretty good word for all blogging since the earth is in the shape of a "sphere," and the term is generally used to describe everything within that circle, or sphere. So Blogosphere is really quite relevant to all blogging within the bubble of earth's hemisphere. Who comes up with this stuff? I wonder if there was contest for the best word describing worldwide blog? When I think about it, I wonder who came up with the word "BLOG" in the first place, or any of the other blog associated words, such as, VLOG, PHLOG, or SPLOG.

Since there is so much information to be found about blogging, I've decided that this is a good topic for me to discuss in my weBLOG, or WeB Log (in case I got you curious about how the Blog word was conceived.) My next blog will be about some of the ways blogging is used.

Digital Art Forms

So it’s Tuesday, 10/13 at 8:30PM, and although I am supposed to be in class right now, I am on a flight home from Lake Tahoe. I can say that I’d rather be in class than on this plane right now, but I can’t say that I wouldn’t rather be back in Tahoe. Tahoe is one of the most terrific pieces of art that I have ever seen, but I suppose that’s another topic.
I found last week’s class very interesting, but I have to say that there are some really strange forms of art in this world. I made comment in my blog a few weeks ago about the things people consider art, and now I am even more convinced that we live in a very strange world indeed. I am really sorry to have missed this week’s class, because last week’s presentations were an enlightening experience for me. Some of the representations of art leave me wondering about the kind of world we live in, some leave me wondering about the point of the so called art, and others make me think that people generally confuse art with propaganda.
What has been solidified in my mind as a result of this class is that people will buy anything and people will and CAN sell anything. I am even more amazed by the oddities and gullibility of people in this society.

Net Art

I wasn't aware that so much has been written about Net Art, New Media, Web Art, Digital Art, or whatever term best suits the artists perception of themselves. It seems that Net Art is a primitive term, which is being replaced by the new term of "Web Art." This particular art medium is a combination of computer savvy, literature or film, and a little bit of conventional art. Since everything is cyclical, it doesn't suprise me that web artists are fighting for their place in the world of art, just as photographers and Dada artists struggled for acceptance before them. Since there are online galleries featuring technical art and some universities maintain sites for design students, I'm quite sure that they have indeed found their place as "Web Artists." In this sense, Art is just being creative and imaginative, but I still prefer the craft and skillmanship of the old masters. That being said, I am glad for Web Art, because without it, I would not have the slightest chance of creating a masterpiece.

Art?

I suppose I'm a little conservative, but it amazes me what people consider "Art." When I think of an Artist, I typically think of a person with a talent for drawing, sculpture or painting. After viewing some of the artists' work from our assignment, I decided to look up the definition for "Art." Taken from Wikioedia, "Art is the process or product of deliberately arranging elements in a way that appeals to the senses or emotions. It encompasses a diverse range of human activities, creations, and modes of expression, including music, literature, film, sculpture, and paintings. The meaning of art is explored in a branch of philosophy known as aesthetics." There you have it. Art is anything aesthetically portrayed that appeals to the emotions or senses.

With that being said, I wish there was another term for the skilled masters from long ago. It doesn't seem appropriate to include them in such the broad scope of how we define art today. It just seems like anyone can call anything art today. I suppose it could be profitable if you come up with the right concept, but shouldn't a line be drawn to whether it is true art or a fleeting concept of art. I would have been one of those people opposing photography as an art back in the late 1800's. Even though I love photography and I can view it as art, I consider it to be Photograpy, not true art. Maybe all of these "miscellaneous arts" should have their own word like photography does. So, as I read through Wikopedia's description of art, I was pleased to read that "the definition and evaluation of art has become especially problematic since the early 20th century, " and that the nature of art has been described by British Philospher, Richard Wollheimas as "one of the most elusive of the traditional problems of human culture." I'm happy to know that its not just me.

Digital Media Culture - Personal Blog

I don't really trust social websites and I am a pretty private person, so I can honestly say that I am not into blogging. I suppose it has its advantages as far as staying in constant touch with people, but it seems like it could take more time than other forms of communication. I'm open-minded, so maybe this class can convince me otherwise.

First Class

Digital Media class seems like it might be pretty interesting. Seems like we'll have a lot of good conversation and fun learning experiences.