Jolanda-Pieta van Arnhem, MFA

Today I signed jpvanarnhem.com up for Google Apps in further investigation of creating a working virtual environment. DimDim seems to be interesting and I am wondering if I can set up a shared workspace there using Google Apps. If not GoogleApps then perhaps boxshare, which I set up yesterday. I am also continuing my search for good collaborative mapping software.If you aren’t sure what Google Apps is I have included their link below. Google is truly taking over the world.

http://www.google.com/a/help/intl/en/users/user_features.html

Since I have come back from residency at Vermont I have been pondering:

• how to develop an in-depth understanding of my process
• what is my practice of creating art and why do I create
• how and why I make decisions/choices when creating my art
• how do I visually gather this information
• how do I categorizes this data into patterns
• what should I do with it once I have
• how do I convert this into a visually stimulating piece of art

Which has lead me down the road of researching what methods qualitative researchers rely on for gathering information: (1) participation in the setting, (2) direct observation, (3) in depth interviews, and (4) analysis of documents and materials.

I think I may travel down the road of analysis of documents and materials, in particular: maps, lists, and collections.

What does this mean? Not really sure yet but it has lead to a lot of research on online collaborative mapping programs and a qualitative research program called Nvivo.

I plan on making daily maps beginning March 3rd. Why March 3rd? It’s the day my studio project is due to Ashley and my VC plan is in the works. One thing at a time.

More later.

After searching around for a nice virtual interface for my AT visits with Ashley this semester I ran across DimDim. What is it?

“Dimdim is the world´s first free web meeting service based on the open source platform. Dimdim is a browser-based web 2.0 service that allows anybody to share their desktop, show slides, as well as talk, listen, chat, and broadcast via webcam. Dimdim´s hosted service is available for free and can be easily used for small gatherings, to seminars with hundreds of attendees. With absolutely no software to download for attendees, Dimdim gives everyone the opportunity to hold Web meetings and to customize and brand these meetings.”

Jerry and I are going to run the full test on it on Wednesday and we’ll see how it goes.

The visual culture plan is off in the email (hooray) and the next plan is the studio.

Check back for updates. It will be interesting to see how well blogging goes this semester. I am still having trouble getting my post by phone working (drat, double-drat – stupid Mercury in retrograde!) I just don’t have the time right now to work the kinks out of this. Hopefully soon.

Well, today went better but I still can’t seem to move around in this place.  And it might not be a good idea to let someone else play your character and leave…you might wind up in a bar…in Dublin…out of place…and wondering what in the world is going on…

: your good
: it must be the drink
: lol
: go ooon
: hey hun
: hi sexy

Oh Boy.  I recommend playing using the Buddy System… At least until you know your way around.

On a less strange note, Kevin sent this along today:

There will be a total lunar eclipse tomorrow. This is the last total lunar eclipse we’ll see until 2010. The Moon will rise (full) at sunset.  By 9:15 it will have an obvious bite taken out of it, and it will be completely in shadow by 10:00.  The whole thing will be over by 1:00 AM. 

You’ll notice that the eclipsed portion of the Moon appears reddish.  The red tint is caused by the same effect that makes sunsets red.  An observer on the Moon would see the Earth blocking out the sun; a total solar eclipse.  But the eclipse is not completely dark…the Earth’s atmosphere refracts some of the Sun’s light.  Our lunar observer would see the Earth replaced by a red ring of light, representing all the sunsets and sunrises happening all over the world.  

If you have a pair of binoculars, be sure to get them out and have a look.  

More here: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/home/15357796.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_eclipse

How do you violate the New Media Consortium Campus Code of Conduct?  

Have a wardrobe malfunction in Second Life.  Why? … because the inventory server was undergoing  “maintenance” and there were… newbie user error issues.

Hope they let us back in… we have to teach a class on this on Tuesday!

DO NOT CHOOSE THE HARAJUKU OUTFIT!

Ric Flair lives in Harajuku form.

Larry Borden took an axe….

Let’s hope Tuesday goes better.  Poor Jerry has finally gotten his pants back.  I will post new avatar shots on Tuesday.

Cheers.