Linking #1 Task 5: Twine Task
Since I had so much fun creating and making my Twine, I decided to check out others’ projects. The first one I came across was Mike Forsyth’s Travel Adventures. However, I hit a snag when I “went” to Japan as embedded links required access from Google Drive. I was impressed that he was able to embed pictures since in my limited time spent on Twine, I assumed it was purely text-based. Fortunately, after I commented on his post about this, he fixed the permissions and voila, I was able to continue on in Travel Adventures! Since his Twine was directly downloaded and run on my computer, I assumed I had to re-download his Twine in order to have access. But somehow the old version of his Twine was linked to the updated Google Drive permissions. This just made my middle-aged brain explode from the interconnectedness of his Twine to the internet (or cloud?) or perhaps this is a commentary on just how little I know about hypertext and the internet.
While I created a Twine that was purely fiction, Mike created a nonfiction piece on his travels overseas and locally since creative writing admittedly is a challenge for him. It was clear that he had more ambitious plans for Travel Adventures. I connected with that, in that it was easy to get caught up in the planning process and yet the time required to realize our plans were met with time constraints. For me, I just got lost in the creative process and was obsessive about creating different avenues that were amusing.
I love to travel and thought it would be neat to “visit” Japan again since I was only there on a stopover years ago after my undergrad. On Mike’s site at the end of the Hiroshima Atomic Memorial and Museum section, he writes, “While a very somber experience, it is one not to be missed”. This brought back grim reminders of Germany when I visited a concentration camp there in Sachsenhausen. At the time I was visiting a friend in Berlin, not too far from the camp. When her father found out I would be heading there, he was a bit angry with me for wanting to visit a shameful part of Germany’s past. Instead, he told me I should focus on Germany’s triumphs and proud moments. I could understand where he was coming from because who wants our past mistakes to define us? However, I also agree with Mike and George Santayana “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
Linking #2 Task 6: An Emoji Story
As a cartoonist, I love visuals so naturally I wanted an attempt at deciphering a classmate’s Emoji Story. I stumbled upon Didy’s (OK, actually it was an auto feed feature of UBC Blogs that already made it too easy to click on her site) and found it incredibly difficult to decode. There was a devil emoji used numerous times that I wasn’t quite sure if it was a literal devil figure or the description of the motive behind actions and emotional states. She mentions her “less-is-more” approach to the story because of the difficulties in accurately describing more complex parts of the plot. This was also true in my experience except that I was not as able to simplify my emoji story further. Perhaps it is simply because I chose a full-feature movie while she chose an episode from a streaming service. Or, it could also signify my inability to leave unimportant details out.
In trying to decode her emoji story, this is what I wrote on her blog:
Well, it looks like I was way off!! ???? This illustrates the challenges in preserving original meaning across media from the original TV show interpreted strictly through emojis and then reinterpreted from there into a coherent (or in my case incoherent) storyline in a sort of reverse ekphrasis. The meanings behind symbols can be ambiguous depending on personal, cultural, social and historical contexts among many factors. To preserve the true intention of the TV Show, this exercise highlights the strength of the written word over an oversimplification of it through computer emojis.
Didy’s Task 6 Emoji Story: https://blogs.ubc.ca/etec540ddhng/2023/10/15/task-6-an-emoji-story/
Linking #3 Task 10: Attention Economy
Since Task 10 was not one that I chose to complete for my 10 Tasks, I decided to check in with someone who did complete it to see what I missed and found myself on Olivia Tarasewicz’s blog here: https://blogs.ubc.ca/livstextadventures/2023/11/10/task-10/
Hi Olivia! I remember you leaving a comment on one of my tasks earlier on so I thought I’d come back to do the same! 🙂 I have not had the pleasure of completing Task 10 as it is not one of the 10 I am completing for the course. With that, I have to say your experience sounds extremely frustrating! As busy individuals, I can appreciate intuitive and efficient user interface design but the game for Task 10 sounded like the complete opposite! Forgive me but I couldn’t help but chuckle at some of the confusing design elements. It reminds me of online “IQ Tests” where you’re to identify the colour of the word while ignoring the actual word. For example the word “Blue” is coloured yellow.
Also, with respect to your encounter with poor interface design trying to unsubscribe to the emailing list for the Scene card, I personally believe they are designed in such a manner to maximize their agenda –to sell products. I was blown away at the unusually long list of subsidiary companies you were signed up for, just by obtaining a Scene card! Certainly having an “uncheck all” would be too easy so it leads me to believe that inconvenience was incorporated into its design as a last-ditch attempt to retain you. This isn’t too far of a stretch given that the documentary The Social Dilemma concludes that in the end, we are the commodity and social media (and by extension, email) is designed to manipulate our attention for maximum profit.
Linking #4 Task 7: Mode Bending
For Task 7, I found myself a bit unsure of how to approach it. I decided to see examples already completed by classmates and came across Simon Worley’s post. Articulate, hilarious, engaging, descriptive, perfection… it truly felt like a professional podcast. Here is his post https://blogs.ubc.ca/sworley/2023/10/19/etec-540-task-7-mode-bending/ and below is what I commented on his task.
Hi Simon!
I must confess, I was struggling with this task way back when and decided to look at fellow classmates’ blogs when I came across yours. Of the web spaces I visited, none had completed this task yet until I found yours, so thank you for posting earlier than the deadline! 🙂 I thought your podcast was perfectly executed in every aspect from writing, style, humour, theatrics and sound effects that I truly wondered how I could make mine just as unique. My favourite lines that got me chuckling: “Indeed it is!!” , “Intriguing indeed!!” and “Until next time, keep your bags closed and your curiosity aflame!” ???? ???? ????
What platform did you use to record and add sound effects? Your sound quality is crisp and clear.
Linking #5 Task 8: The Golden Record
I was reading through some other students’ work and there was apt mention of a Louisa Green so I curiously found myself reading through Louisa Green’s task 8 on the Golden Record found here: Tasks | Ubc Met Etec 540 Tex (louisaagreen.wixsite.com) . I could not find a direct way to reply to her task so I will write what I would have posted on her blog here:
Hi Louisa!
I can identify with the toilsome task of arbitrarily whittling down 27 songs to 10 all to represent Earth’s rich diversity of people. I too found myself wanting to make this impossible task simpler. Whereas you had mentioned wanting to hand out a survey to people to attain the top 10 songs, I ended up going off of the assumption that alien life that may find the Golden Record would not be able to understand human languages. And so, I chose songs that transcends words 🙂 I thought this was a great way to eliminate a bunch of songs. In the end, I did as you did, and chose the songs that I liked the best. To me, my musical taste lies in catchy, up-beat and happy tunes because they tend to improve my mood. Who doesn’t like a good song that sends a rush of endorphins out? 🙂 To that end, I think we both acknowledge the difficulty in the politics of selection/discrimination to represent all of humanity’ best tunes.
Linking #6 Task 11: Text-to-Image
Since I did not choose to complete this task, I wanted to check out someone who did! I wound up on Anne’s blog here: Task 11: Option 2 – Text-to-Image | ETEC 540 – Anne George (ubc.ca).
Hello Anne!
I stumbled upon your website and deliberately gravitated towards a task that I did not choose to complete. I must say, the AI-generated photos look breath-taking from afar because of the vibrant colours remniscent of a fantasy dreamland in video games but upon closer inspection, there is a haunting creepiness that seems almost typical of AI-generated content. Specifically when we are drawn to facial features only to discover gross imperfections do we have the apt “uncanny valley” response. Your comment about how the plethora of data from the largest content creation markets skew the AI-generation, I hadn’t thought of before despite it being intuitive! 🙂 Until we can somehow eradicate bias in humans, I believe algorithms will just continue to amplify our own preferences.