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awesome things and suffering
Feb. 9th, 2007 12:13 amToday's Dorkbot was a presentation by Mary Flanagan, artist, writer-about-digital-culture, professor of film and media studies, and computing educator person! She spoke about her latest art project, which involved taking images from America's Army and embroidering them onto clothing and textile-y things (all found at Wal*Mart), a step into the real world for a usually-virtual artist. She used a BERNINA sewing machine that hooks up to a computer!
And that was pretty cool, but I think her most interesting thing is RAPUNSEL -- a game-environment-thing that helps kids, especially girls, learn about programming by putting together funky dance moves with code! Hopefully this will help bring great awesomeness into the world.
(previously mentioned: Scratch, a related project from MIT, and the excellent Alice, from CMU. Art and programmering for the childrens!)
Also: why do we put up with suffering, y'know, as a species? Can't we do better than that? Given the choice between suffering and not-suffering, I choose not. I posit that it doesn't necessarily make you a better person, more noble, more spiritual: sometimes, it just makes you spiteful. I think more often than not, those made to suffer end up inflicting it on others when they get the chance. Nobody needs it.
And that was pretty cool, but I think her most interesting thing is RAPUNSEL -- a game-environment-thing that helps kids, especially girls, learn about programming by putting together funky dance moves with code! Hopefully this will help bring great awesomeness into the world.
(previously mentioned: Scratch, a related project from MIT, and the excellent Alice, from CMU. Art and programmering for the childrens!)
Also: why do we put up with suffering, y'know, as a species? Can't we do better than that? Given the choice between suffering and not-suffering, I choose not. I posit that it doesn't necessarily make you a better person, more noble, more spiritual: sometimes, it just makes you spiteful. I think more often than not, those made to suffer end up inflicting it on others when they get the chance. Nobody needs it.
