Week 4 Reading Response

Coming Soon!

Week 3 Reading Response

Coming Soon!

Week 2 Reading Response

Coming Soon!

Week 1 Reading Response

The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom
by Yochai Benkler, Yale University Press

The reading for week one is a brief, but grandiloquent reflection into technological advancements and their affects on modern communication. Benkler initially suggests that the sharing of information prior to the development of the home computer was a “one-way model”, meaning information was passed along from producers to consumers with no room for compromise. The technology required to distribute the information was extremely expensive and thus only specialised parties had access to it, the majority of the population could not share information on a grand scale in the same way. However the creation of the internet and the low cost of a home computer supplied the masses with the tools required to share information. Benkler concludes his train of thought with a personal insight into the future of structured communication on a large scale, suggesting that information will be shared on an increasingly growing platform between potentially billions of people.

Videoscape

This video contains stills from Rossco‘s film, “Re-Picture Australia“. The piece is licensed in the public domain.
The audio track contains a sample from Kate Bayley’s ’36 Seconds’, licensed in the public domain.
The audio also contains some samples from Stephan Schuetze’s Sound Library.

My essay can be found here.

My Pool Project can be found here.

There’s a bit of viral websiting going on here.

Soundscape

RMIT Lost Places Soundscape by The Electric Stranger

The track contains a sample from Kate Bayley’s ’36 Seconds’, licensed in the public domain.
It also contains some samples from Stephan Schuetze’s Sound Library.

A full description of the production process behind the creation of this track can be found here.
And it can also be found on the ABC Pool website here.

Three Pieces of Media which I have Rights to Use

I can use this image because its copyright has expired.

Metallic Hearts (Live @ Beaumaris Community Center)

The Electric Stranger | MySpace Music Videos
I can use this video because I own the copyright.

Dall of Wub

I can link to this audio because it is in the public domain.

Third Post for RMIT’s Design Studio

For those following, I have decided that the True South bar in Black Rock, which was once an auto-mechanic, will be the subject of my soundscape. I think the bulk of my sounds will need to be mechanically based, perhaps the sound of old car engines starting up and running, hydralics, drills and things of that nature. Maybe I’ll integrate the sound of beer taps or such in towards the end of the piece, so there is a flow from a hot, mechanical atmosphere to the vibrant sounds of a bristling brewery.

On other people’s projects, I think Jon’s idea of the army base is quite interesting. I look forward to hearing the end result of that. Morgan’s idea would make quite a nice nature recording as well.

Second Post for RMIT’s Design Studio

Ooooh, post two.

So, I attempted to stalk myself on google to see what bits of information I could find out about myself.
Basically… “James Howard” is a more generic name than I first imagined. I started off with an image search of my name, and found nothing after ten pages. I then did a plain old fashioned google search of my name, and still after ten pages, found nothing. Out of desperation I searched “James Howard” Melbourne and finally got results on the second page: a link to the old Triple J Unearthed page I had made for my band several years ago. This contained very little information other than the fact that I play the synthesizer, and perform some vocal duty in an electro band. Incriminating stuff indeed.
So, for now, I am safely hidden amongst a sea of James Newton Howards and James Howard Kunstlers, who make it particularily hard for my stalkers to hunt me down.

As an idea for my soundscape assignment, I’m thinking of doing an old automobile workshop which got converted into a bar in Black Rock. Their beers are quite refreshing.

My blog of the week is that of Stephen Fry, who can be found blogging about a variety of different things at www.stephenfry.com/blog

James xx

First post for RMIT’s Design Studio

Dear RMIT and fellow blog readers,

If you’re keen to stalk me, here’s a list of places that are good for it:

Delicious

Soundcloud

Flickr

Vimeo

Pool

Twitter

MySpace

As far as what I intend to do for my Pool Audio assignment, I am keeping a keen eye out for any lost places which could act as potential muses. I shall let everyone know if I find any, but then again, they will no longer be lost. This could be a problem…

The end of my first blogpost

James
xx