Week 4 Q&A

1) According to the text "Remediation" the author uses the phrase (in relation to Hollywood's use of computer graphics)
"remediation operates in both directions" - what is meant by this?

The author is articulating that new technologies, such as CGI and digital compositing, have the ability to reshape film and television. In turn, the reverse is also possible. Television and film directors can use their media to reshape ways that these new technologies are implemented.

2) What does Michael Benedikt, author of "Cyberspace the First Steps" introduction argue had happened to modern city by the late 60s, having become more than 'a collection of buildings and streets'?

Benedikt stated that “...the modern city was more than a collection of buildings and streets...The city became seen as an immense node of communications a messy nexus of messages, storage and transportation facilities, a massive education machine of its own complexity, involving equally all media, including buildings...”

3) In his short story "Skinner's Room" William Gibson describes how Skinner watches a tiny portable 'pop-up' TV set. What can skinner no longer remember? (remediation in relation to television as an idea is neatly summed up in this sentence!)

Skinner “...can’t remember when he ceased to be able to distinguish commercials from programming...”

(Burns and Allen during the birth of television had commercials during programming http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uwPFvWwnQ8, for Carnation Condensed Milk among others.)

4) Author of the famous pamphlet "Culture Jamming" Mark Dery paraphrases Umberto Eco and his phrase "semiological guerrilla warfare". What does this mean?

“semiological guerrilla warfare” would be mass subversion of advertising (or of any medium) for the purposes of more realistically rendering products and their effects rather than the sanitized version presented by profit seeking companies.

5) From Mark Dery's pamphlet, briefly describe "Subtervising"

The act of “subvertising” is to take an existing advertisement and subvert the advertisers intent by altering it in ways that draw attention to the true nature of the products and services presented.