Composite Homework

Cat House

UFO Duckie Composite (In-class)

UFO Duckie Composite

First Collage

Walk Ride Bike Collage

On Larry Lessig TED Talk

Lessig Rocking a Creative Commons Tee

 

My generation is probably the first to use the internet to 'write' back using computer technologies and the internet. Growing up I remember DOS, floppy discs, the change to CDs, and the dawn of the internet. I'm only twenty-six but my father jumped on computers in the early nineties and is a computer technician to this day.

Uses for the internet have grown at an incredible rate. So much so, I even have a hard time keeping up. What happened to building your own webpage? How do I use RSS feeds? Why do I need to have a hundred accounts and what is the purpose of Twitter (Seems inanely pointless to me)?

Still creating content, remixing content, copyright wars - I completely understand what Lessig is talking about. Napster was a huge debate when I was in high school. As a teen I hated Metallica for instigating the shutdown of peer-to-peer sharing (though I couldn't deny the awesomeness of Enter the Sandman). The point was clear: the internet openned new thresholds for thieving.

But what about these grey areas, such as the examples in Lessig's speech? This isn't for consumerism. This isn't harmful to the original creators. But shouldn't credit be given? What about privacy? Maybe public figures don't want to become paper talking heads. Or maybe Warner Brothers doesn't want Harry Potter characters to be shipped or slashed in videos. It's complicated debate.

Personally, I enjoy remix culture, but I understand why some are fighting for stricter control.

Source Video:

Larry Lessig: How Creativity is being Strangled by the Law

                               

Walk Ride Bike

Mondrian Subway

Viewing the city through a camera lens is very different from through our actual eyes. Average sites become more interesting and seemingly interesting views sometimes become flat. During my trek down to center city the strongest impulse I had to fight was photographing strangers - vagabond subway riders, pirating merchants, homeless people and animals, students, business men, and tourists. Without permission I didn't feel comfortable taking a snapshot, but I feel convinced that Philadelphia's most interesting feature is it's community. Every surface of the city is marked with the insignia of it's users - some markings beautiful and some far from beauty.

George: The Economist

A good hour of my journey I spent with George. I have never met George before, but outside of The Gallery Mall he and I discussed many topics. George has experienced many struggles in his life but has big plans for the future. He is concerned with the country's debt and political stagnation and has decided to take an active part in resolving these issues.  He currently is working on proposals to submit to government offices on how to change our current condition. George used to work in finance and has a far greater understanding of both history and current events than I do.

Yes, George shamed me as a college student. But despite that I learned a thing or two and got to know one of Philadelphia's very interesting citizens.