Mapping my city

Posted on February 14, 2011 by Dan Phiffer

Using Google Maps "my maps" feature, make a personalized map of places in the city that are important to you. Think about the places you would want to discover if you were new to the city, or the places you might visit one last time if you were moving away. Include at least 3 locations. Embed your map on your site. Associate each location with at least one image and some text (including at least 1 hyperlink) about why this place interests you. We will present these projects next week.

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Readings: Jaron Lanier and Douglas Rushkoff

Posted on February 14, 2011 by Dan Phiffer

This week we have another pairing of printed and online readings. Come next Wednesday prepared to discuss!

  1. Reading 1: Digital Maoism: The Hazards of the New Online Collectivisim by Jaron Lanier (pdf).
  2. Reading 2: Chapter 1 of Douglas Rushkoff's Program or Be Programmed
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Week 2 Agenda

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Dan Phiffer

Week 2 Assignments:

  1. Nonlinear Narrative Project
  2. Readings: Nicolas Carr and Vannevar Bush
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Nonlinear Narrative Project

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Dan Phiffer

Working in groups of 3, create a hyperlinked nonlinear narrative based on the type of interaction used in On the Night of Mr. Melvyn's Murder. Build this narrative using hypertext links between pages of your blog and the pages of your group members.

  1. Meet up with your group somewhere in the city and go for a one hour walk together. Bring a camera and take photos of your surroundings as you go.
  2. Choose at least 5 of your photos (each group member should choose 5) that relate to each other in some way. These will form the basis of your narrative.
  3. Create a new Page on your blog for each image (remember that in WordPress "Pages" are different than "Posts"). Each group member should have at least 5 WordPress pages, each with a single image. Remember that to upload an image to a page, use the first button next to "Upload/Insert" to upload the image and then "Insert into post."
  4. Add a short caption below each image explaining what is being depicted.
  5. Use the <map> and <area> HTML tags to link parts of your image to your other pages. Note that you'll need to switch your post editor from "Visual" mode to "HTML". You may find that using an online tool is helpful for generating the HTML code (or at least to find <area> coordinates). 
    <img src="image.jpg" alt="Image Name" usemap="#my_image_map" />

<map name="my_image_map">
   <area shape="rect" coords="10,10,30,30" href="page1.html" />
   <area shape="rect" coords="40,40,80,80" href="page2.html" />
</map>
  6. Add more image map links to your pages and your teammates' pages, creating an interconnected web of images.
  7. Add a comment below that links to one (or more) of the pages. This will serve as the starting point for your nonlinear narrative. Or, you can also just link to this page's URL from one of your nonlinear narrative pages to create a pingback. (Due to spam moderation, comments and pingbacks may not appear immediately.)
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Readings: Nicolas Carr and Vannevar Bush

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Dan Phiffer

This week we look at one reading within a website context and another printed on paper. There is also a third extra credit reading for those feeling ambitious!

  1. Online Reading: Is Google Making Us Stupid by Nicholas Carr, in The Atlantic, 2008.
  2. Printed Reading: As We May Think by Vannevar Bush, in The Atlantic, 1945.
  3. Extra Credit: Read this article on Boxes and Arrows, and write a short blog response (200 words) comparing it with this week's assigned reading, As We May Think, by Vannevar Bush.
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Week 1 Agenda

Posted on January 29, 2011 by Dan Phiffer
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Reading: Marshall McLuhan

Posted on January 29, 2011 by Dan Phiffer

Read The Playboy Interview: Marshall McLuhan (handout provided) and listen to The Medium is the Massage, side A and side B.

  • For the audio portion, listen on an iPod while doing something else (chores, take a walk, etc.)
  • You can subscribe to a podcast version of the audio by copying the URL of this link, opening iTunes, choosing Advanced → Subscribe to Podcast and pasting the URL
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The Medium is the Massage Side A

Posted on January 29, 2011 by Dan Phiffer

From UbuWeb: Marshall McLuhan - The Medium is the Massage Side A

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The Medium is the Massage Side B

Posted on January 29, 2011 by Dan Phiffer

From UbuWeb: Marshall McLuhan - The Medium is the Massage Side B

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Assignment: WordPress

Posted on January 29, 2011 by Dan Phiffer

To explore the WordPress admin menu, add /wp-admin to the URL of your class blog. Once you've logged in, click on each of the menus and sub-menus from the left sidebar.

  • Try out some of the themes available from Appearance → Themes. Try uploading a new header image in Appearance → Header.
  • Modify your About page with a short personal bio.
  • Create a new blog post about The Medium is the Massage. What were you doing when you listened? Write a short paragraph (150-200 words) about your experience.
  • Read others' responses and comment on them.
  • Set up a Gravatar image to accompany your blog comments.
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