“As a society, we dont understand biology yet,” says Melanie Swan, a genomics researcher and principle at MS Futures Group in Palo Alto, California. As she sees it, there are all sorts of problems with the way we conduct biological research en masse. Individuals can gain huge amounts of information about their own genetic makeup, [...]
Category Archives: media studies
Parallel Processing and Open Science
Also posted in computing Tagged biology, communication, database, embodiment, technology Leave a comment
Biotic Games
One of Riedel-Kruse’s recent article abstract states: Games are a significant and defining part of human culture, and their utility beyond pure entertainment has been demonstrated with so-called ‘serious games’. Biotechnology – despite its recent advancements – has had no impact on gaming yet. Here we propose the concept of ‘biotic games’, i.e., games that [...]
La monnaie vivante – Pierre Klossowki
L’objet fabriqué, contrairement au bien d’usage (naturel), quoiqu’il se conforme encore à quelque signification coutumière (p. ex. selon l’emploi de métaux ayant un sens emblématique), perd ce caractère à mesure que l’acte de fabriquer se diversifie. Diversifié selon sa complexité progressive, l’acte de fabriquer substitue à l’usage des biens (naturels ou cultivés) l’utilisation efficace des [...]
DNA Sequencing Cost Falls
I found the news first on Slashdot to realize they’re a little everywhere. Although they misleadingly tend to depict the contemporary cost of sequencing a genome as a cheap affair compared to what it was, the graphs, coming from the National Human Genome Research Institute, look surprising. Details available on the NHGRI’s website.
Ben Tolman: “Cognitive transformation”
I found this illustration on Mind Hacks first. It reminded me of Fritz Kahn’s artwork for a moment. That was before I explored Ben Tolman’s gallery, featuring ink drawings which can be viewed with great detail through zoomify. Ben Tolman invites us to a great experience consisting of various wanderings on his website. Mouse scrolls [...]
Also posted in art & design Tagged art, biology, creation, embodiment, technology, visibility Leave a comment
Designing Complexity
The point is that there is no ‘easy energy future’. We’ve got to stop trying to sell people the idea that there are obvious ways to deal with the kinds of complex systems that govern both our social and environmental lives. It is often expressed that it is the task of designers to “make things [...]
Also posted in art & design, computing Tagged communication, materiality, participation, programming, space, technology Leave a comment
Uncanny Valley
Last Saturday, I was reading an article from Le Devoir about a reconstructed carthaginian man who died 2600 about years ago. Journalist Pauline Gravel’s description of dermoplasty was the most interesting thing about it: Une fois la tête posée sur le corps, Élisabeth Daynès a entrepris le moulage de l’ensemble de la sculpture de terre. [...]
Also posted in art & design, computing, philosophy Tagged art, biology, materiality, ontology, performance, technology, visibility Leave a comment
“It’s all language”
I prefer my title to the one the video uploaded was with: “Graphic Design can change your life”. On his blog, Erik Spiekermann comments it with a simple “their words, not mine”. A blog really worth exploring, by the way. This excerpt is taken from an interview with Gestalten.tv (which I’ve just discovered as well). [...]
Help me, information
Chuck Berry – Memphis, Tennesseeenvoyé par Red_Chuck. – Clip, interview et concert. Chuck Berry performing Memphis, Tennnessee with Trini Lopez. 04-05-1965. The use of the term “information” in the song gets very enjoyable in a media ecologist’s ears.
Circuit Diagram
from XKCD
