Category: Group A

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“Marble Springs” and the Database as Sublime

When I started going through the 1993 version of “Marble Springs,” I quickly became overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information that was available on every character, location, connection, and storyline the work contained. I wanted an easy way to gain information about the narrative of the work, without having to go through and click each link to slowly and patiently collect bits and pieces of the narrative. My attempt at navigating through the 2013 wiki version, however, yielded even less satisfaction, and merely served to heighten my sense of being lost in the story. The amount of text that “Marble Springs” encapsulates intimidated me, and this is where the aspect of the database as sublime came in. “Marble Springs” is a man-made, technological, fictional creation, and its immensity, precisely because it is man-made, is what makes it sublime.

As Lev Manovich explains in his chapter on “The Database” in his book, The Language of New Media, “the database represents the world as a list of items,” while “a narrative creates a cause-and-effect trajectory of seemingly unordered items (events). Therefore, database and narrative are natural enemies” (225). This is certainly true for “Marble Springs”; the database format of the work makes it almost impossible for the reader to grasp the overarching narrative of the story without having to go through all, or almost all, of the entries. Reading only a few of the individual characters’ chronicles and poems is not enough to gain a thorough understanding of the themes and importance of the full narrative; gaining a deeper understanding of the work requires, in the case of “Marble Springs,” dedicated hours of going through the text or the wiki by clicking from link to link, and this large amount of time such an endeavor demands is precisely why the database is considered sublime.

A screenshot from the 1993 “Marble Springs” that shows the “connections” between characters. (Source)
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This House has Databases and Narratives in it

At first glance, This House has People in it is incredibly confusing and almost has no real meaning to it. The video itself portrays an “average” family being videoed as they go through their everyday life. As the story progresses, things get weirder and weirder leading to incomprehensible events such as the daughter sinking through the floor. If only exposed to the video, it is understandable how one could walk away feeling cheated, or puzzled. However, when really immersing yourself into the film, there’s almost no end to it’s substance. This is greatly due to it’s massive database of information that is hidden under the surface for curious viewers to discover, as well as the many migratory clues that aid the viewer in reaching that database.

This is a screenshot of the database that the user can find by using clues that they find throughout the video. This database features several pictures, videos, and texts not included in the original video

As defined in The Language of New Media, written by Lev Manovich, a database is a structured collection of data, organized for fast search and retrieval by computer, in addition it does not order these events. The database presented in This House has people in it fits this description perfectly as it help the viewer to easy find additional text relating to the original video.

The database is key in developing the narrative of the video. A Narrative creates a cause and effect trajectory, and the database helps the user discover what exactly has caused these ridiculous events to occur.

In the end, there is still much speculation as to how the events portrayed in the video actually transpired, but the introduction of the database to aid in developing the narrative is incredibly interesting, and I believe it embodies the genre of “New Media.”

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Wikipedia is Sublime

I noticed on the heading above Wednesday’s readings that Dr. Sample categorized the database as “a special category of the technological sublime.”  I gave that a little thought and have come to the conclusion that a database, if big enough, is indeed sublime.

I’m not sure how extensive Marble Springs is.  I spent a fair amount of time on it and still had much more to explore, but I’m not sure if it quite reaches the threshold of the sublime.  (In fairness, I did find the thought that one small town was home to so many different people with so many different stories pretty sublime.  It made me think about how there are seven billion people on Earth each with stories as important and interesting and detailed as the citizens of Marble Springs, which was a little overwhelming).  However, I think one database absolutely reaches the threshold of the sublime  – Wikipedia.

Wikipedia, home to just about any topic about which you’d want to learn. And it’s free! Technology is pretty amazing. Source.

The amount of information on Wikipedia, to me, is almost inconceivable.  Simply the English Wikipedia has over five million articles.   (I found this out on the Wikipedia page on Wikipedia).  Then, there are many, many sub-wikis.  The Harry Potter Wiki, with over 15,000 articles.  The Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki, with over 13,000.  The list goes on.

To me, there is something overwhelming, awe-inspiring, and somewhat terrifying to think that this much information exists right in the palm of my hand for free.  Overwhelming in that I can learn anything I want, but wouldn’t know where to start.  Awe-inspiring in that technology has come so far that I can access this much information this quickly and easily.  And terrifying in that the only reason I don’t know anything about, say, the history of soap, is because I’ve chosen not to learn about it.  The only thing stopping me from knowing anything I want is me, and that power and responsibility is scary. 

Wikipedia really makes me stop and think about how enormous the world is, how long history is, and how much has happened in our universe.  Wikipedia is simply a database, but it represents how much knowledge humanity has amassed during our time on earth.  In that way, Wikipedia, and databases like it, are absolutely sublime.

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Andy Campbell, Stephen King, and the Unease in Uncertainty

While exploring both of Andy Campbell’s works for today’s class, Changed and Dim O’Gauble, I was simultaneously intrigued by their concepts and frustrated at their ambiguity. I wanted to know more information than the works seemed to be revealing (at least on the surface), and despite multiple playthroughs and repeated exploration of the texts, I eventually had to content myself with the knowledge that I wouldn’t fully understand the author’s intention or even the entire plotline of the works, because I wasn’t meant to. However, this uncertainty or lack of knowledge only served to add to the uncanniness of Campbell’s texts.

I don’t watch horror movies, but I do read horror novels, mostly Stephen King’s, and one of the tactics that King uses to instill the reader with fear is his descriptions…or rather, his lack of descriptions. It is a writing technique that I have noticed in other genres as well, but it seems to be most effective in horror stories. When the author purposefully dances around describing a supernatural being or strange person, it adds to our sense of uncanniness rather than detracts from it, because the imagination is limitless, and our brains begin to conjure up ideas that become worse and worse — perhaps even worse than the author themselves imagined.

His breath stopped in a gasp. An almost drowsy terror stole through his veins. Yes. Yes. There was something in here with him, some awful thing the Overlook had saved for just such a chance as this. Maybe a huge spider that had burrowed down under the dead leaves, or a rat… or maybe the corpse of some little kid that had died here on the playground. Had that ever happened? At the far end of the concrete ring, Danny heard the stealthy crackle of dead leaves, as something came for him on its hands and knees. (The Shining, Stephen King)

The above quote is an example of a passage where the author plays on the reader’s imagination in order to create more fear. The hedge animals passage in The Shining is so scary precisely because you don’t know exactly what’s going on. Is it simply a figment of Danny’s imagination or are the hedge animals really alive and coming to kill him?

Andy Campbell’s works, Changed and Dim O’Gauble, while not exactly being horror novels, use the same technique to create the uncanny sense the reader feels while exploring the texts. Changed especially made me uneasy because I didn’t know what traumatic event the protagonist had gone through, but it was obviously bad, and this not knowing made it worse.  It might not be quite as uncanny as some of the creations in the Uncanny Valley, but Campbell’s works provide a unique platform combining text and moving images to make the reader feel uneasy.

Screenshot of the description of “Changed” after you go through the work; I hoped it would provide some insight into what traumatic event the girl experienced, but it retains its mystery. (Source)
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The Uncanny in Digital Environments

What comes to my mind when I think of the uncanny?

I think of creepy dolls, clowns , and abandoned warehouses.  But I don’t think about the odd setting that is shown in Dim O’Gauble.  It isn’t as creepy as I find interesting to look at.  For example, the visual space gives off a sort of jungle vibe, along with the music (which sets a mystic mood).  Although, on a side not I didn’t find the story-which by the way adds to the uncanny by putting us in a situation against our will as if we’ve done something-fitting with the rest of the digital environment.  This positioning of the text in an atmosphere sort of unrelated could also be a tool used to make it more uncanny however.

But my main fascination with this text is that there is an order to which the story progresses.  Therefore this piece of electronic literature is procedural, as we go through it.   This makes the digital environment not only procedural, but participatory (because we control the movement ( even though we don’t  really know what’s going on).  And there is also visual space in which we go through the content of the electronic piece of literature.  It also incorporates somewhat of a story that we move through.  It’s interesting to take a piece of literature like this and show that it incorporates all four properties in Murray’s Four Essential properties of Digital Environments because it applies these ideas to real works of electronic literature and shows that Murray’s properties are like a criteria for works of Electronic Literature.

This screenshot of “Dim O’Gauble” shows the procedural as well as the visual spatial aspect of Murray’s “Four Essential Properties of Digital Environments”
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“Change” is Interesting, But Ultimately Pretty Normal on the Uncanny Scale

“Change” is different than a lot of the other electronic literature we’ve read in class. Something unique about this the story’s structure, you interact with it only my moving your cursor and clicking to the right. This is different than the other stories, where I am used to clicking an image and moving somewhere. There is also a lot more meaning to this than some of the other literature we’ve looked at this semester. There is seemingly a lot going on with the ideas of gender roles and sexual abuse. The girl featured seems to be dealing with PTSD after an innocent with a man. She is alone and desperate for help, but no one is there for her.

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A screenshot from “Change.” Link to the story can be found if you click the image.

 

Even though this is plot is tragic and you feel bad for the girl, when trying to place “Change” on the Uncanny Valley, it’s easy to rule out most within positions within the valley. This is simply because the girl is human and there is nothing extraordinarily creepy or uncanny about a girl with mental issues. The axes for the Valley are similarity to humans on the y axis and familiarity on the x and this story is about a person who is going through something that is all too common today. Maybe pointing out how serious of an issue assault and gender inequality was part of the motives for Andy Campbell. Even though this is not the most uncanny story, it is definitely meaningful and was well thought out by Campbell, since every piece of the story the music, the structure, the visuals, add complexity to the story.

 

 

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One depiction of the Uncanny Valley. Click the image to find the source.
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Looking at the Uncanny in The Flat

In his essay, The Uncanny, Sigmund Freud analyzes uncanniness as it shows up in literature. He comes to the conclusion that there are several factors that can evoke the feeling of uncanniness in any work, whether that be a film, book, or in our case electronic literature. One of these factors is involuntary repetition, which is described as an unusual repetition of something random such as seeing the number 13 multiple times in one day, or wandering through a city and always ending up in the same alleyway.

In playing through Adam Cambell’s The Flat, one can feel a sense of uncanniness and involuntary repetition as they attempt to move through this thriller. The Flat always starts you at the bottom of a stairwell with dimmed lighting and grainy camera effects, then prompts you to move throughout the the flat by offering shimmers of light to click on in order to move around and read more of the story. You feel a sense of unease as you always end up at the same place at the end of the two minute time limit the work gives you to explore. The screen darkens and you hear an urgent knocking at the door, and upon answering you see a mysterious figure on the lawn. Afterwards the screen darkens once more, and you are given the option to re-enter the flat to try and learn more than you did in your first first couple tries.

This screenshot is of an uncanny depiction of a human face found when exploring the flat. Humans are hard-wired to notice other human faces, which leads to this instance of the work to be incredibly uncanny and creepy.

Overall, I feel The Flat is an exemplary model of the uncanny in electronic literature as it certainly evokes feelings of unease and discomfort. At the same time, however, it does a good job of piquing interest and requires several play throughs to satisfy one’s curiosity.

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Psychological Horror in “Dim O’Gauble”

Of all the works we had to look at for today, I kept coming back to “Dim O’Gauble.”  For some reason, that piece just wouldn’t leave me alone, so I tried to get to the bottom of what made it stick with me.

I forgot exactly who said it, but last class someone mentioned how frightening the unknown is.  I absolutely agree, and in particular, I think works that make us question reality are especially terrifying.  It’s very unsettling, and perhaps even uncanny, not to be able to determine what is or isn’t real.

Questioning reality was central to my experience of “Dim O’Gauble.”  The narrative is extremely ambiguous, and I played and replayed it multiple times  to try to tease out what exactly was going on.  Even when I understood the general narrative, the work left most of my questions unanswered.  In particular, I was left wondering whether this child’s visions and drawings were real perceptions of a supernatural realm or the result of some sort of psychosis.

The eerie, dream-like landscapes, the frantically scribbled drawings, the comment about these things skipping a generation, and the visit to the doctor all suggest some sort of illness causing visual hallucinations.  But I still couldn’t help but wonder whether this child’s visions were real, and whether he/she was really perceiving something beyond the earthly realm.

I found this image particularly disturbing. Sometimes the glowing green shape at the end of the tunnel simply looked like a scribbled mess, but I would occasionally get glimpses of a face. I stared at it for a while, wondering whether my eyes were playing tricks on me and doubting my own perception. Source.

Obviously, the ambiguity of this narrative is deliberate, and I think it serves to place us in the characters’ shoes – both the grandparent and child.  As they experience these haunting visions, either first or secondhand, they too must question their own perception of reality.  We leave the story confused and unsettled, left with more questions than answers.   Psychosis is defined by a loss of touch with reality, so believing these visions to be real would be in-keeping with the experience of a psychotic episode.  How is someone experiencing supernatural visions to know whether to trust her own perception?  It becomes a mind-bending, circular game of doubting your every thought.

This brand of psychological horror is, in my opinion, one of the most disturbing ways to tell a story.  Very little is scarier than being forced to doubt your own perception of reality, and I applaud Andy Campbell for creating that experience so masterfully.

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Star Wars Versus Dakota: How are They Different?

“Dakota” and “Star Wars, one step at a time” definitely have their similarities. Both of these examples of fast reading are good ways to continue the this society’s need-for-speed. This is an example of books needing to keep up with our fast pace lifestyles (or those who continue to pick up old-fashioned paperback novels will get memes to make fun of them like the one below). In order to make people continue to read, you have to make them available on tablets, laptops and mobile phones,  but making it interactive and very engaging (almost to the point where it’s too eye-catching) takes it one step further.

Their differences are much more interesting and significant. For one, “Dakota” is more engaging overall because you can actually follow along, since there are 1-3 full-words on the screen at any given versus just one letter per millisecond. You have a lot more time to think without the constant sound of the typewriter typing so you can conjure your own meaning to “Dakota.” Another important thing to consider when comparing them is that “Star Wars, one letter at a time” is really only interesting to people that have read and/or watched the series, but “Dakota” can appeal to anyone without any prereqs. Which is better is all a matter of opinion and if either really is good electronic literature is questionable but is definitely interesting to see this take on this genre of literature and see if you can find meaning in any of it.

 

http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/3ukzfo
Here is the meme of Horton is a Who, referenced above. Click the image for the source.

 

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The Art of Comprehensive Speed Reading

In an ever growing age of technology, information spreads faster, texts are more concise, and attention spans are shortened. People no longer have time to get bogged down in lengthy news articles to keep up with what is going on in the world, and with sms messaging becoming more prevalent, people are reading faster and finding creative ways to shorten text. Some have taken that concept to an extreme, as in the case of Young-hae Chang Heavy Industries’ “Dakota.”

an example of one of messages that is very quickly and intensely flashed onto the computer screen in the work, Dakota.

This work tests the limits of electronic literature as it utilizes java to present a trivial story in a fantastic way. The dialogue is incredibly fast-paced and the music that plays along with it makes the experience feel so much more interesting. This work forces the reader to experience the text at a force-fed rate, while at the same time trying to develop some deeper meaning from it. The actual data of the sound effects is important here as well. The sound helps the reader to understand the significance of each word flashed upon the screen. The countdown at the beginning is also key as it gives you a sense of the storm that is to come, and the constantly increasing tempo of the music helps the reader understand the urgency of the reading.

This skill of speed reading also pertains the work, “Star Wars One Letter at a Time”, created by Brian Kim Stefans. This work takes a popular franchise and makes it almost grueling to experience by relaying the script just one letter at a time. This further shows that electronic literature is of its own nature, and it can completely change the way we look at past works as well as mold our future creations.