New Media Reader, pp. 177-229

As I continued reading chapter 12, on The Oulipo, and in light of discussing Dr. James W. Pennebaker's Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWK) software, I got to thinking.  Perhaps the algorithmic software could be used for Cut-Up Method literature like that of William S. Burroughs in combination with the mathematical analysis aspects of the Oulipo's potential literature.  Just a thought, and in order for it to work there would have to be creativity involved so as to not diminish the art of the words.  Italo Calvino, one of the Oulipo members, does discuss the possibility of a computer being used to realize "potentialities."  His discussion of possible actions for the detective mystery genre is somewhat reminiscent of Pennebaker's categorization of types of words (social, biolegoical, "insight," etc).  We also saw the groundbreaking investigations and installations of E.A.T.: Experiments in Art and Technology.  The 1960s were an exciting time in New York for the development of new media.  Billy Klüver really highlights E.A.T. goals that still feel very much alive today when he says that "the initial concern of the artists who designed the Pavilion was that the quality of the experience of the visitor should involve choice, responsibility, freedom, and participation.

It is hard to just freely comment on the writings of Marshall McLuhan.  Maybe it's because, as the New Media Reader intro notes, he was one the the first celebrity academics.  He's a bit intimidating, a little dense, and so much of what he says is now so ingrained in our thought processes, I find it difficult to find something of value to say to further the conversation.  One of his most important contributions was his pushing of the concept that "popular media should be studied."  Without him, or some like-minded thinker, I probably wouldn't have taken a 7-week Gallatin course this semester called "Theorizing Popular Culture."  Making the study of popular media and culture into an academic field was a crucial step towards gaining a better understanding of our culture in a broader sense.  I did want to mention that the main thing I took from the first video artist Nam June Paik's "Cybernated Art" manifesto was the following statement: "Marshall McLuhan's famous phrase "Media is message" was formulated by Norbert Wiener in 1948 as "The signal, where the message is sent, plays equally important role as the signal, where message is sent."  I think this speaks to the power of celebrity in our current culture, and shows how truly important McLuhan's writing was, even when his ideas weren't entirely original.  It is, after all, a rare accomplishment to create anything entirely original.