guest post by Violet Blue

Above is Ely Kim’s truly awesome “Boombox: 100 days, 100 songs, 100 locations, 100 dances” — one of the three videos Jason Schultz (Dir Samuelson Law & Technology Clinic, UC Berkeley) used in his South By SouthWest Interactive 2009 panel New Threats to New Media: Fair Use On Trial. Of the many excellent panels and core conversations at SXSWi ‘09, Shultz’s stood out as one of the most exciting, unforgettable and still talked about sessions at the convention.

That’s not the only thing that left us stirred and excited: We also truly loved a couple of the packed, standing room only core conversations. Like the provocative and informative How Not To Be Evil (Even By Accident) with Danny O’Brien and Eva Galperin (both from the EFF). Also remarkable and highly valuable was the packed Therapy 2.0: Mental Health for Geeks with Dr. Keely Kolmes (professional website) and Thomas Roche. See also: the Therapy 2.0 wiki here. Don’t get me wrong: there was some pure, tiresome, self-congratulatory crap on the schedule; but the value, when found, was extremely high.

But it was the Fair Use on Trial panel that had the dynamic format, high energy, conflict and controversy that made us remember why it’s worth traveling to see this always-evolving conference. For the panel, Schultz picked Stanford’s Julie Ahrens (one of Shepard Fairey’s lawyers); her polar opposite lawyer Ben Sheffner (Fox Media, the McCain presidential campaign); and film artist Kelly Nyks.

Then Schultz set up a really exciting format: first he’d show us an Internet video where fair use was in question. Next, he’d ask the audience for a quick show of hands — was this fair use or not? No nitty gritty definition or dissection, just our initial gut reactions to the video. Fast! Schultz then gave each lawyer three minutes apiece to argue their case (and they were at odds each time). After the arguments, then Schultz would quickly ask the room again — was the video fair use, or not? Then he’d ask if anyone changed their minds. Every time, people did. Jason would then ask one of the people who’d switched to tell us the reason they switched, and only 30 seconds to sum it up for the room. It was the Fair Use Experiment. We watched three videos total, and the Q/A after was on fire.

It was intense, fast-paced and sparked conversations that continued — well, we’re still having them. One of the other videos Schultz showed was “The Films of Stanley Kubrick“. What do you think? Are either of the videos in this post fair use, or not? This slide was our guide.

* More images from the panel are here.

photo by Violet Blue

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In these times of economic hardship, it’s important that we gather together our nearest and dearest and make a concerted effort to support the things that really matter.

This of course means robots that serve cocktails.

Austria’s RoboExotica made its maiden foray into US territory last spring, with their first annual RoboExotic-US, a screamingly successful conference and meditation on the human-machine interface in the form of the cocktail robot.

A good time was had by all, at least according to those who actually remember the event.

The plan is to bring the whole shebang back this year for a West Coast tour (Maker Faire, RoboGames, and of course another RoboExoticUS).

For this mission of mercy and philosophical understanding to come to fruition, RoboexoticUS needs YOUR HELP! They have set up a pledge page on Pledgie to gently entreat you to send in your pennies to aid the robots’ journey across the ocean.

Donate a buck or two, and reap the rewards when they arrive triumphant through the gates of SFO, slinging rum, insults, fire, beer and the satisfaction in knowing that if it’s done right, science can really hurt the next day.

See Previously: Roboexotica USA Photos & Video

Thanks Scott Beale for the photo of El Espanol Borracho!

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guest post by Johannes Grenzfurthner

“KRFTWRK” is a socio-political statement and an ironic comment on current problems like the production and waste of electricity in industrial states, as well as the obesity and lack of exercise of their populations.The aim of “KRFTWRK” is to create a consciousness with regard to these topics by artistic measures.

The project consists of actions taking place in real as well as in virtual space. The most important elements are the staging of a company, the internet-based simulation of a global electricity network, and the realisation of power producing sculptures.

“KRFTWRK” is planning and realising a new generation of industrial plants, which produce electricity by means of muscle-power and chemical processes in the human body. For example, special workout devices operate generators and at the same time depict usable sculptures. Additionally, a community will be founded, which communicates and supports the content of the project. “KRFTWRK”, a work in progress since 2006, is situated in the fields of architecture, digital media, and the fine arts.

“KRFTWRK” will be featured at the Paraflows Festival in Vienna, Austria.

photo via “KRFTWRK”

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With Yearbook Yourself you can upload a photo of yourself and then see what you would look like in yearbook photos from the 1950’s through 1990’s.

See Previously:

- John Martz’s Cartoon Drawings of His Mom’s 1968 Yearbook

image via Mike Monteiro

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Here are some photos I shot while exploring the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) campus back in April when I was in Cambridge for ROFLCon.

photo gallery: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

See Also: Ray and Maria Stata Center at MIT by Frank Gehry

photos by Scott Beale

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guest post by Aaron Muszalski

Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art is a richly insightful exploration of the medium of comics told, appropriately enough, in comic-book form. Originally published in 1993, it quickly came to be regarded as a classic, not only for helping to elevate sequential art to the same level as other, more “legitimate” art forms, but for its engaging, exuberant style. Understanding Comics is an absolute delight to read, full of humor and the author’s obviously deep affection for the unique magic that only comics can achieve.

But what makes Understanding Comics truly great is its scope. For in order to properly redefine how comics were viewed relative to other forms of art, McCloud first needed to define art itself. All art, from the origin of humankind through the era of mechanical reproduction and beyond. That he succeeded at such an ambitious task is not half as surprising as the fact that the result is so supremely accessible. Understanding Comics is no less than a comprehensive primer on human perception, creativity, storytelling, representation, abstraction, empathy and a million points in between.

This breadth earned McCloud accolades from a diverse range of fans, including Apple Macintosh co-creator Andy Hertzfeld, who provocatively called Understanding Comics “one of the most insightful books about designing graphic user interfaces ever written.” Stewart Brand, Co-Founder of The Long Now Foundation, described Understanding Comics as “a seminal work at the level of Edward Tufte’s Envisioning Information.” And Alan Moore, the famed writer behind such modern comic classics as Watchmen, declared Understanding Comics to be “quite simply the best analysis of the medium that I have ever encountered.”
 

Propelled by this cross-disciplinary seal of approval, Understanding Comics became essential reading for anyone working in graphic communication during the 90’s, from user interface designers to CD-ROM developers and, eventually, many of the early pioneers of the World Wide Web. Born of a love for comics, McCloud’s far-reaching insights inspired a generation of information architects, and helped to shape the form of the Internet.

McCloud enthusiastically embraced the Internet himself, and was one of the earliest proponents of both webcomics and micropayments, concepts he explored in the sequel to Understanding Comics, 2000’s Reinventing Comics. Like Understanding Comics, Reinventing Comics was also told entirely in comic form. In it, McCloud described “12 revolutions” that were necessary for the comics medium to survive. A controversial book, Reinventing Comics was not as successful as its predecessor, and even McCloud himself now describes it as “wordy, dogmatic” and containing “genuine flaws.”

Despite its inconsistencies, Reinventing Comics played an important part in the continued growth of the medium, inspiring many people to explore the potential of digital comics, and online comic publishing. That neither idea seems particularly remarkable to us now – a mere eight years later – is certainly due, at least in part, to the controversial revolutions McCloud advocated in Reinventing Comics. Today, the book remains both fascinating as well as prescient.

In 2006, McCloud came full-circle with the publication of Making Comics. Also told in comic form, Making Comics focuses on the practical application of the comics theory he explored in his previous books. Or, as McCloud says, “It’s the book they all thought I was writing the first time. They would ask me [about Understanding Comics] “Is it a how-to book?” And I would say, “no, not exactly.”

Of course, given the breadth of McCloud’s knowledge, Making Comics was certain to be much more than a mere “how-to book.” In an era when the processes of comic creation have become infinitely diverse, McCloud wisely chose not to focus on any single technique or tool (though he does address the subject). Rather, Making Comics seeks to educate aspiring comic artists in the underlying grammar of the medium, from which all other choices – aesthetic, technical, dramatic, and so forth – derive.

As always, Scott McCloud remains an artist in love with big ideas, accessibly communicated.

images by Scott McCloud

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Doodle 4 Google is a competition organized by Google that invites K-12 students to submit their version of the Google logo around the theme “What If…?”. The winner will have their design featured on the Google homepage on May 22nd, 2008, along with a$10,000 college scholarship and a $25,000 technology grant for their school.

Here’s an archive of commemorative Google logos created by Chief Google Doodler Dennis Hwang over the years. This time lapse video shows how Dennis creates one of his Google Doodles.

image via Google

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