Altared Book and Bliss

What is your opinion of combining technology and the human body as she did in the video?

This delves into an insanely interesting field to me – transhumanism. Whereby we are augmenting our daily lives and routines to the point it is plausible that we will eventually begin augmenting our bodies with it as well.

I think it is an inevitable outcome. The fact is we can improve technology to the point we can essentially control our own evolutionary path as humans. Those who are technologically augmented will be more physically fit in their new increasingly mechanical environments.

Is it a good thing? I am sure most naturalists will say no. I think that there will be fantastic failures. Disastrous outcomes of experimental procedures are a definite possibility. But in the end, the result will be a positive gain for the continued existence of humanity. So long as the technology we create has the ultimate goal of doing and being good, then ultimately it will be good.

What is your opinion of combining a media arts and science project with your own body?

This is something that has never crossed my mind until now. I have always just assumed that our projects we created in MAS existed in a digital realm. They existed to be viewed and perform their functions wholly separately from our physical bodies. But using our bodies in conjunction with that could prove to be a fantastic undertaking.

I feel like any projects I would undertake using my body would only be a creation of art in a more traditional sense. A painting, a picture, a sculpture etc. It would be something I am interested in doing, but I have not thought critically about it and have no ideas for a project at the moment I write this.

How similar were other students’ ideas to each other?

The other students seemed similar, but it seems everybody put their ideas into their own words. There are some ideas that are pretty prevalent throughout the posts, things like burning it, freezing it, tearing pages out etc.

How similar were other students' ideas to your own?

Other students’ ideas were similar in some regards. I found some synchronicity throughout much like the other student’s answers were similar.

What stood out to you?

“Oneirophant” has a post: I made a grid system on the book, and then ‘carved’ or cut down to individual words to create a ‘single page’ that either would become a story, or became some kind of ‘vision-board’-esque thing.

I think that is a really cool way to change the book. It is using the books story to make a new one.

What is the purpose of looking at each other’s posts?

Looking at others’ posts force us to consider the synchronicity and serendipity of our posts.  There will always be congruent ideas amongst a group and there will be unique ideas too. The beauty of it is being able to appreciate both.

I decided to create a pinata out of my book. Included are some pictures of the progress. The "candy" of the pinata is oragami flowers and cranes out of the images and tables in the book and the "confetti" is random snipping of inspiring or interesting words.

I created a pinata because I felt I didn't really get anything out of the Wordpress class. So now, as I have changed by book, I can finally get something out of it.