User:Valentin97
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Project Log 2025 | Gest. Machine.
Week 1 (intro)
[Agenda by Manetta and Michael]
03.09. (Wednesday)
Digital infrastructures --> Some challanges identified:
- make digital infrastructures tangible
- open up conversation about digital infrastructures
- friction of infrastructure & acccess(ibility)
- "to put things in motion"
Infrastructures
"tools shapes practice shapes tools..."
- design(ers) intention --> idealistic/unrealistic (could be the case that does not overlap real needs e.g. desire path)
VS.
- prototyping and testing --> (hopefully getting closer to reality through user's feedback)
Vague ideas:
- Competition of existing infrastructure and design solutions (e.g. short highway bridges --> short buses???)
- to approach design from the effect it (would) create rather then only examining the intention behind the project
- Read:
Local networks
Again... some key words to grasp:
FRICTIONS of :
- controll
- accoutability
- tracking
- "copyright trolls"
- networks used by institutions (with preferences large scale tech companies such as Microsoft, Google etc. and their services --> reliant on these companies)
- a reason to have an internal XPUB network is not only to be in a bubble but also to study what it needs what it could mean to have an internal aka. local network for such community based course ?
- different types of networks for different reasons (e.g. for communication, for file sharing --> what else? --> fun task: to turn old laptop into a file sharing server :D )
IP adress:
Week 2 Mind F*ck Workshop with [Balaguer]
11.09. (Wednesday)
Day 1 [Record by Secretari(es)]
Day 2 [Record by Secretari(es)]
Day 3 [Record by Secretari(es)]
Refusal of the Call to Order: Clara showed a couple of methods to attract attetntion of the class without expilictly saying something like: "The class has started pleas pay attention". Rather she choose different techniques such as sitting in silence, observing and live typing what is happening in the clasroom. Or giving a book in one of the student's hand and ask to start reading out loud. There is a gradual process of getting everyone pay attention to whats going on in the 'circle'.
Blocks of Time: She found herself to be more efficient to work in a set of time, I guess because then there is a pressure to compress the info that she wants to give for us. >>> This requieers a great amount of practice in deep listening, editing, and language use in speech.
Deep Listening: Is a practice to listen with the whole body as a tuning fork.The methods she presented are borrowed from [Deep Listening by Pauline Olvieros].
Composite Definition: A collection of different undestandings and expressions of these understandings from different individuals on one term.
Scientific Attitude: Religious belief in empiricism.
Pulse Excercise: Sitting in a circle of more than 10 people and saying out loud Name + How do you feel? one after another without thinking, and obesrving how feelings were circulating/swirling among the group.
Interpretation vs. Translation: While interpretation happens in the moment and usually in speech translation is a more thoughtful process for exapmle taking in consideration of examining cultural embededness and usually in a written text format.
Cultural Embededness: To research and understand that differen words, gestures, colors etc. could mean different things in relation on where (which continent > country > city > town > village > organisation > family) are the inhabitants located and how their societies built and functions.
Cosmology: The belief that there are universal laws which unify everyone (incl. human and non-human).
Universal Law according to Immanuel Kant: According to Kant, the concept of universality in ethics requires that moral principles are absolute, apply to all rational beings equally, and are not based on personal interests or inclinations. This is achieved through the Formula of Universal Law, a part of the categorical imperative, which states one should "act only in accordance with that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it become a universal law". A moral action's maxim can be universalized if it can be consistently applied to everyone without contradiction
Panpsychism" is the view that all things have a mind or a mind-like quality. The word itself was coined by the Italian philosopher Francesco Patrizi in the sixteenth century, and derives from the two Greek words pan (all) and psyche (soul or mind).
Feeling vs intuition: In my opininon feelings and intuitions are close related in a way that analyzing feelings could be pathways to discover intuitive thoughts.
Memory Palace: Is a technique to recall memories by placing them into a spacial arrangement or in other words to attach them in relation to each other in a well known space. [Practice Memory Palace]
Gesture: Is part of language. More specificallly body language. A gesture can support, express, enhance, communication and leave traces for the listener (investigator of the message) to "decode" a message. If body is an instrument then gestures are the vibrating part that creates the resonance in the instrument. Tuning the body for playing different harmonies and disharmonies can happen in two ways: 1. through copiing (channeling excercise on [Day 2.]) 2. by observing own bodylanguage and and experimenting with configurations never done before (individually).
Neuroplasitcity: This process can occur in response to learning new skills, experiencing environmental changes, recovering from injuries, or adapting to sensory or cognitive deficits. Such adaptability highlights the dynamic and ever-evolving nature of the brain, even into adulthood.
Costandi, Moheb (19 August 2016). Neuroplasticity. MIT Press.
Week 3 First Week of "normal" classes
11.18. (Thursday)
Day 1 [Special Issue #28] - Kickstart
- Morning: [@ Worm]
We got a brief introduction into the institute of [@ Worm] and a small tour around the building. My favourite part was visiting the studio of [Radio Worm] and got excited about making a weekly show with classmates. The challange is to produce an hour long show for each week which is related to the course's topic but still give space for experimentation and individual inputs and improvisation. So far [Lea],[Robin], [Luca], and me teamed up to create the first show.
- Afternoon:
[Steve Rushton]'s introduction into the [Special Issue #28 : Writing Machines–Protocols–Feedback] programme.
Protocol: A set of predefined rules, algorythms, conditions for executing collective will.
Writing Machines:
- Machines designed to mimic handwriting.
- A pen plotter.
- Mahcines designed to generate text from existing (pre-written) material. Advanced writing machines interpret incoming information and generate text based on this input.
- “Writing machines” names the
inscription technologies that produce literary texts, including printing presses, computers, and other devices. “ [Writing Machines by N. Kathrine Hayles]
In general, many artist in the 60's started experimenting with understanding language as technology. From these experiments many artistic technique arose such as the "Exquisite Corpse" or the "Cut-up Technique" to create new context for pre-existing texts which resulted in some sort of meaning. Not only techniques but also collectives were emerging such as the [OuliPo Group] who came together looking for meaning by breaking the patterns of language. The thought that language as we use it makes us think in a particular way and they were trying to come up techniques to break free from the constraints of these patterns.
- Feedback: Information that is aimed to develop further a project. Can come from people testing protoypes in a form of critical observation.
- Research further:
Paul Grice (as far as I understand): In the field of Linguistic Philosophy, the subject is [Semiotics] that partially consits of the study of [Semantics] (in communication the ability to connect real object to abstarct words), [Pragmatics] (context giver which creates meaning: in communication: the skill of understanding that everyone has their own way of interpreting words aka. mind reading + common understanding of reality (e.g. cutting the cake with a knife not scissors) and [Syntax] which is dealing with rules of how langauge is structured on different levels (words, sentences, paragraphs etc.).
- Observation on the session: It was interesting to hear about these groups and techniques that try to think about language in new ways. For me specifically the interest in writing machines are not related to Semantics and Syntax, i would like to focus in the upciming years on Pragmatics and more specifically non-verbal communication and even more specifically gestures performed by human body to understand body movements in depth as part of our communication. . Frist draft of research question:'How does (hand-)gestures contribute to understand each other? '
My exploration starts with observing hand gestures and documenting them. As part of the process I would like to collect digital data on these gestures which then later will serve as database to build an automated hand : Gesture Machine.
Day 2 Prototype - Sergio the Server: First Steps
- Morning:
On this first Prototype class we got a general introduction into how the class will be set up in terms of group dynamics and experiments. We had a brief discussion about [FLOSS (Free Libre Open Source Software)] why certain people found it important to politicize [Free Software]
- Afternoon:
During this afternoon we named our server Sergio and connected our laptopops to Sergio via [SSH] and made a user account on it. We also sent some basic commands to Sergio which was connected to an old [Dot Matrix Printer] to demonstrate the process. We also configured the [SSH] file to have acces to the login just by typing : sudo ssh sergio.
Prototype: A quick try out/test of a protocol in progress. A prototype can be physical or software based or the combination of these.
Experiment: To set up a protocol for prototyping which then open for feedback.
Four essential freedoms of free software:
To meet the definition of "free software", the FSF requires the software's licensing respect the civil liberties / human rights of what the FSF calls the software user's "Four Essential Freedoms".[17]
*The freedom to run the program as you wish, for any purpose (freedom 0). *The freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it does your computing as you wish (freedom 1). Access to the source code is a precondition for this. *The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help others (freedom 2). *The freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions to others (freedom 3). By doing this, you can give the whole community a chance to benefit from your changes. Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
source: [Free and open-source software]
[Feminist Server]: A server manifesting feminist values.
[Permacomputing]:Permacomputing is both a concept and a community of practice oriented around issues of resilience and regenerativity in computer and network technology inspired by permaculture. ପໄଓ☾☼✫ -☆:*´
[Community Memory]: An artwork from the 70's where individuals could place messages in the computer and then look through the memory for a specific notice.
[Media Archeology]: I see it as a branch of media theory that is about the scrutiny of neglected media contect and technology of mediation. (need more reading)
[Distributed Practice]: A way of learning by spaced repetion over a longer time period. In opposition to massed practice.
Day 3 Methods - Collective Annotation
- Morning:
Based on the readeing that was assigned on Monday by Steve Rushton, we started think on methods of collective annotiation.
Before class I read part of the text and made notes and annotations on key words/concepts paragraph by paragraph to understand the text. Also pointed out some interests of mine and based on that some inconsitencies of the text Postprint by N. Kathrine Hayles.
- Afternoon:
Devided in groups we started thiking about methods for collective annotations. Our grup chose to annotate a part of the text which wee have allread in advance to be able to compare how we get more insight by annotating together. We chose a method of opening a Pad document where everyone could highlight, comment, and summarise and able to reflect on each others' thoughts.
A general observation of the group that this way we helped each other to open up for new ideas, understanding, and perhaps meaning of the content of the text.
Collective assemblages: People and technology made by people performing cognitive functions together. Only certain technologies considerd as cognitive machines: The ones are capable of interpreting information aof its' environment and act based on the changes of the environment therefore changing its own context, therefore creates meaning.
Technotext: Text that reflects on its own creation (a selfreflective text). Could reflect the technology that is used to create this text, could reflect other contexts such as socio-political era it was created etc.
Week 4 First Radio Show
Day 1 Special Issue #28 - First Radio Show, Orality and Literacy
- Morning:
Today we broadcasted our first [Special Issue #28] radio showfrom [Radio Worm]. The [Script for the first show] was a result of 3 round of discussion. I arrived early in the morning to learn the equipment. Then Lea and Robin arrived and they were all excited to start (maybe alittle bit nervous too)and later Luca also came in. Ash showed us how the mixer and the mics and the headphones work, and breafly introduced us the dj set too.
The conversation started in time and I took the role of a moderator altough it was not defined who does what exatly, so everyone did a little bit of everything. This way it was a bit chaotic and we needed to define the roles for ourselves.Our classmates were listening to the show in the aquarium.
As an output we have collected soundsamples from our audience to create a jingle later on.
- Afternoon:
We (the radio team) got back to the aquarium where we got a round of applause which I found very cute. We generally discussing the radio show and reflectin on it a bit but the biggest achivment of this afternoon is defining the role of the Moderator, Producer, Secretary, Observer, "Jingle Master"
ROLES FOR MAKING A RADIO SHOW: moderator: leads through the show, asks questions, keeps track of the time producer: gathers information on the gear that is needed, makes a tech rider, controls the knobs secretary: takes notes, interacts with the audience, keeps an eye on the chat (jingle master: might be a different tole or part of the producers job) observer: listens, keeps track of how stuff works, is not part of the hosts
Steve Rushton's introduction into the discussion orality and literacy.
