Hello everyone, So we've been reading a lot of books, but lets not forget about its great and expanding neighbor - graphic novels. Lets just say I am pretty well read in comics, being an avid reader and employee at a local comic shop, that I know there are a handful of amazing cyberpunk graphic novels. Listed below are some of my favorite class related comics:
1. Singularity 7 by Ben Templesmith In a future infested by nanotechnology, what will the remanding cells of humanity do to survive?
2. Doktor Sleepless by Warren Ellis According to series writer Warren Ellis, Doktor Sleepless may be a man named John Reinhardt, a trust-fund baby and boy genius who is shunned by the counter-culture he helped found. After disappearing from the city of Heavenside three years ago, he suddenly returns having undergone some changes during the interim. Upon his return, he's transformed himself from a relatively mundane man into what he describes as a "cartoon mad scientist," calling himself "Doktor Sleepless". 3. Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis Spider Jerusalem dedicates himself to fighting the corruption and abuse of power of two successive United States presidents; he and his ("filthy") assistants strive to keep their world from turning more dystopian than it already is while dealing with the struggles of fame and power, brought about due to the popularity of Spider via his articles. (Considered to be post-cyberpunk) 4. Ronin by Frank Miller While I have never really enjoyed an of Frank Miller’s later work (early work being a number of Batman titles) this is another cyberpunk graphic novel. It takes place in a dystopic near-future New York in which a ronin, nameless assassin with no master, is reincarnated. 5. Heavy Liquid by Paul Pope Set in New York, former cop by the name of “S” finds himself in possession of “Heavy Liquid” a new form of drug and art form – the only problem is a lot of people are after it.
All of the above graphic novels are in print and should be available at Comicopolis which is located at 829 Front St, Santa Cruz, CA, 95060 – or at the other local comic shop Atlantis Fantasy World. What is most interesting to keep in mind is that graphic novels have, in recent, become a new form of contemporary literature. From the comic-to-film ratio, or just the general expansion of attention towards to medium, it’s fascinating to see cyberpunk told in this form. Lastly, if you find any of these titles interesting I can point you in the direction of some more amazing titles that aren’t quite cyberpunk, but easily amazing science fiction. e-mail: arhartman@gmail.com (my name is austin)
Just read a story on io9.com about some MIT kids at the TED conference showing off a computer/body interface they designed with off the shelf parts. Kind of reminded me of the locative art in Spook Country, especially how these guys have rigged up the interface in such a hacky DIY way. http://io9.com/5150102/mit-student-turns-his-body-into-a-computer. Also, for anyone who missed the movie viewing tonight (like I did), Hackers is on megavideo: http://www.megavideo.com/ep_gr.swf?v=XIFO8O1E. For educational purposes only off course... Anyway, megavideo has started to be lame about letting you watch movies the whole way through, but it's the best hit I got on nabolister. See y'all in section next week! Leah
So here's that New York Times Magazine article about Netflix, Speculation, Shared Interests, etc... http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/23/magazine/23Netflix-t.html
I think it's a pretty interesting look into how companies (Amazon, Netflix, any website that goes "we thought you might like...") try to best keep the consunmer enticed and interested. What is the algorithm that explains WHY we like what we like and how much we will enjoy something supposedly similar?
How about some cuberpunk music? Mystic Force put out an album "Man Vs Machine". I have had the CD for sometime (it's not very easy to find), and if you check out the lyrics they definitely have some very cyberpunk themes. It reminds of your typical AI getting smarter than humans story. The music is progressive metal, cool stuff if you like your music a little heavier. They have a myspace http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=133521661.
In considering Prof. Godzich's lecture yesterday, I've been pondering the power of music (and sharing of music) as a cyberpunkian tool. We're exposed to a great deal of sound, blocking out our normal ambient surroundings, and so it stands to question: what are we actually listening to and why? How do we chose these specific songs? We are bombarded by all of these kickin' tunes, but what really connects us, brings us into this new terrifying world? How do our musical selections (playlists, mix cds) exclude us from others in our separate and conflicting attempts to remain a part of the norm and punking the world with our fresh new beats?
There seems to be many secret cult-ish groups of individuals who find it easier to connect via musical tastes and discoveries as a form of community. This is not meant as a judgement call, but rather a statement that in this day and age, we find it simpler to present ourselves as tastes/preferences/inclusions/dislikes/exclusions (facebook, anyone?)...
To sum up, there's a pretty sweet music blog (http://foundtrack.blogspot.com/) which tracks up-and-coming/funky-fresh tunes, films, fashion, culture...almost in an attempt to bring people closer into the "know" without exclusion. However, the DJ monthly mixes do force you to be quick on yer feet and download the playlist before the month is out...otherwise, you are left out in the snow. Not necesarily clueless, as the playlist info remains up on the page, but mostly as a tease of the secret handshake/freemason ceremonial ring that you didn't get to take part in.
I think what Rosenhosen discussed above is very interesting in terms of the ambivalent attitude towards collectivity that the novel CITY COME AWALKIN expressed in its angst rock v.disco debate. On the one hand the internet is desgined to create a sense of community on a massive scale, and give voice to music which would not find a place in mainstream media, while at the same time it promotes an unprecendented level of differentiation, where we "exclude [ourselves from] others in our separate and conflicting attempts to remain a part of the norm and punking the world with our fresh new beats." In this way we strongly desire to belong to a group, but only if belonging to that group provides us with a particular level of individualism. In this way, as the world gets smaller and information moves faster we respond in an anxiety about getting lost in a crowd that we also desire to belong to. I like the analysis that Rosenhosen gives regarding the phenomenons of facebook and myspace, and I think its interesting that as we choose to define ourselves in terms of our "tastes, etc" we are searching for a community that enhances our individualism...now I am repeating myself and rambling. Good luck on finals everyone!
Story from the AP about family members trying to notify deceased's online friends to their deaths and the companies that have sprung up around this roblem--they will send videos and emails to loved ones and online friends if you pass away: http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20090314/ap_on_hi_te/tec_death_online
Hokay, one more thing! This is a blog post about augmented reality--very similar to the Locative Art in Spook Country. There's a video from microsoft about the very near future of computing. linkage: http://io9.com/5173140/what-computers-will-look-like-in-utopia-according-to-microsoft
Here's a literary journal that looks friendly to cyberpunk. (as you guys get going on full stories or even solid excerpts)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.brinklit.com/
Hello everyone,
ReplyDeleteSo we've been reading a lot of books, but lets not forget about its great and expanding neighbor - graphic novels. Lets just say I am pretty well read in comics, being an avid reader and employee at a local comic shop, that I know there are a handful of amazing cyberpunk graphic novels. Listed below are some of my favorite class related comics:
1. Singularity 7 by Ben Templesmith
In a future infested by nanotechnology, what will the remanding cells of humanity do to survive?
2. Doktor Sleepless by Warren Ellis
According to series writer Warren Ellis, Doktor Sleepless may be a man named John Reinhardt, a trust-fund baby and boy genius who is shunned by the counter-culture he helped found. After disappearing from the city of Heavenside three years ago, he suddenly returns having undergone some changes during the interim. Upon his return, he's transformed himself from a relatively mundane man into what he describes as a "cartoon mad scientist," calling himself "Doktor Sleepless".
3. Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis
Spider Jerusalem dedicates himself to fighting the corruption and abuse of power of two successive United States presidents; he and his ("filthy") assistants strive to keep their world from turning more dystopian than it already is while dealing with the struggles of fame and power, brought about due to the popularity of Spider via his articles. (Considered to be post-cyberpunk)
4. Ronin by Frank Miller
While I have never really enjoyed an of Frank Miller’s later work (early work being a number of Batman titles) this is another cyberpunk graphic novel. It takes place in a dystopic near-future New York in which a ronin, nameless assassin with no master, is reincarnated.
5. Heavy Liquid by Paul Pope
Set in New York, former cop by the name of “S” finds himself in possession of “Heavy Liquid” a new form of drug and art form – the only problem is a lot of people are after it.
All of the above graphic novels are in print and should be available at Comicopolis which is located at 829 Front St, Santa Cruz, CA, 95060 – or at the other local comic shop Atlantis Fantasy World.
What is most interesting to keep in mind is that graphic novels have, in recent, become a new form of contemporary literature. From the comic-to-film ratio, or just the general expansion of attention towards to medium, it’s fascinating to see cyberpunk told in this form.
Lastly, if you find any of these titles interesting I can point you in the direction of some more amazing titles that aren’t quite cyberpunk, but easily amazing science fiction.
e-mail: arhartman@gmail.com (my name is austin)
Just read a story on io9.com about some MIT kids at the TED conference showing off a computer/body interface they designed with off the shelf parts. Kind of reminded me of the locative art in Spook Country, especially how these guys have rigged up the interface in such a hacky DIY way. http://io9.com/5150102/mit-student-turns-his-body-into-a-computer. Also, for anyone who missed the movie viewing tonight (like I did), Hackers is on megavideo: http://www.megavideo.com/ep_gr.swf?v=XIFO8O1E. For educational purposes only off course... Anyway, megavideo has started to be lame about letting you watch movies the whole way through, but it's the best hit I got on nabolister. See y'all in section next week!
ReplyDeleteLeah
So here's that New York Times Magazine article about Netflix, Speculation, Shared Interests, etc...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/23/magazine/23Netflix-t.html
I think it's a pretty interesting look into how companies (Amazon, Netflix, any website that goes "we thought you might like...") try to best keep the consunmer enticed and interested. What is the algorithm that explains WHY we like what we like and how much we will enjoy something supposedly similar?
It's the dawn of a new era.
How about some cuberpunk music? Mystic Force put out an album "Man Vs Machine". I have had the CD for sometime (it's not very easy to find), and if you check out the lyrics they definitely have some very cyberpunk themes. It reminds of your typical AI getting smarter than humans story. The music is progressive metal, cool stuff if you like your music a little heavier. They have a myspace http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=133521661.
ReplyDeleteIn considering Prof. Godzich's lecture yesterday, I've been pondering the power of music (and sharing of music) as a cyberpunkian tool. We're exposed to a great deal of sound, blocking out our normal ambient surroundings, and so it stands to question: what are we actually listening to and why? How do we chose these specific songs? We are bombarded by all of these kickin' tunes, but what really connects us, brings us into this new terrifying world? How do our musical selections (playlists, mix cds) exclude us from others in our separate and conflicting attempts to remain a part of the norm and punking the world with our fresh new beats?
ReplyDeleteThere seems to be many secret cult-ish groups of individuals who find it easier to connect via musical tastes and discoveries as a form of community. This is not meant as a judgement call, but rather a statement that in this day and age, we find it simpler to present ourselves as tastes/preferences/inclusions/dislikes/exclusions (facebook, anyone?)...
To sum up, there's a pretty sweet music blog (http://foundtrack.blogspot.com/) which tracks up-and-coming/funky-fresh tunes, films, fashion, culture...almost in an attempt to bring people closer into the "know" without exclusion. However, the DJ monthly mixes do force you to be quick on yer feet and download the playlist before the month is out...otherwise, you are left out in the snow. Not necesarily clueless, as the playlist info remains up on the page, but mostly as a tease of the secret handshake/freemason ceremonial ring that you didn't get to take part in.
I think what Rosenhosen discussed above is very interesting in terms of the ambivalent attitude towards collectivity that the novel CITY COME AWALKIN expressed in its angst rock v.disco debate. On the one hand the internet is desgined to create a sense of community on a massive scale, and give voice to music which would not find a place in mainstream media, while at the same time it promotes an unprecendented level of differentiation, where we "exclude [ourselves from] others in our separate and conflicting attempts to remain a part of the norm and punking the world with our fresh new beats." In this way we strongly desire to belong to a group, but only if belonging to that group provides us with a particular level of individualism. In this way, as the world gets smaller and information moves faster we respond in an anxiety about getting lost in a crowd that we also desire to belong to. I like the analysis that Rosenhosen gives regarding the phenomenons of facebook and myspace, and I think its interesting that as we choose to define ourselves in terms of our "tastes, etc" we are searching for a community that enhances our individualism...now I am repeating myself and rambling. Good luck on finals everyone!
ReplyDeleteStory from the AP about family members trying to notify deceased's online friends to their deaths and the companies that have sprung up around this roblem--they will send videos and emails to loved ones and online friends if you pass away: http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20090314/ap_on_hi_te/tec_death_online
ReplyDeleteHokay, one more thing! This is a blog post about augmented reality--very similar to the Locative Art in Spook Country. There's a video from microsoft about the very near future of computing. linkage: http://io9.com/5173140/what-computers-will-look-like-in-utopia-according-to-microsoft
ReplyDelete