Credit-card Reading Response

The Situationists would be appalled by the way credit card companies are psychologically taking advantage of their customers today. They probably would not be surprised by the current actions of the credit card companies; however, they would certainly be angry and take a stand through the act of a spectacle.

Even though credit card companies now have the ability to psychoanalyze their cardholders, people can still hold true to their personal values and personality; however, they must be aware in situations involving banks and/or credit card companies that they can easily be taken advantage of. With all of the data and expectations credit card companies have set up for their clients its effortless for them to see what angle to come at a person with in order to get the most money out of one as they can. That is why it is important to be an educated cardholder. Naïve people who are unaware of all the new techniques that companies are using to manipulate their customers are the ones who are going to be the suckers, but that does not mean everyone has to be.

Learning about the new approaches credit card companies are using in order to benefit themselves, in every aspect possible, disturbed me because they are taking advantage of unassuming people, and not only investigating their personal lives, but also, immorally using that private information for their own gain. In conclusion, I do not feel as if I would use my card any differently now than I have in the past just because I am not concerned about being in debt and having to deal with the people so well trained in convincing others that they truly care about them.

Class #2- Fun stuff and what I learned

1.) Before last class, I had never taken the fact that Los Angeles does not have a real form of a public transportation system into thought. It is an interesting chain of events when one really thinks about it. With no public transportation system, the only real way to get around the city is by car; however, not everyone has or can afford a car. By ridding themselves of a public transportation system, Los Angeles sneakily makes itself a place where only those who can afford it can live and play there. People who cannot afford a car would most likely choose to live in a more convenient city for them, where buses, cabs, and trains are available at all hours. Therefore, Los Angeles has limited itself to people who are well off and can afford to pay for their own car, and gas to fill the tank up with, before they go shopping on Rodeo Drive. I just thought it was interesting how, if you really think about it, the lack of public transportation provided by the city of Los Angeles makes it the upscale city it has come to be.

2.) I had never heard of the Situationists before last Wednesday. They were people who fought against the ideas of capitalism who also inspired punk music though their message and look. They were rebellious and out there in order to escape the order of capitalism.

3.) Finally I learned how to go about making an interactive flow-chart on iDVD. The tricks we were taught were also helpful; in order to stick to the plan of my original flow chart I had to use some. The iDVD program worked well for our specific project, although there were a lot of times when I got annoyed with it.

Flow Chart

First Time Arts Blog of the Semester

After watching videos of the French choreograph Star Wars dances, and Mario's take on the value of transportation and his attempt at being "green" by purchasing a frog outfit from H&M, we watched and even participated in videos to inspire our first project "The Invisible Labyrinth of Time". So here is what took my interest, taught me something, and even inspired some new ideas.

1.) Even the most simple appearing videos done by artists actually involve a lot of work. When first watching "Walking Crowd", by Alex Delany, I just saw it for what it was- a crowd of people, walking at the same pace, with a camera panning over them. After it was pointed out that the color between the gaps of their bodies changed it was clear that a green screen had to be involved. Also, the fact that they all face the same way and walk at the same pace prove that their walk was highly controlled. Gokey cleverly speculated that they had all been filmed while walking on a treadmill and then digitally placed all together. Watching the video now, knowing that so much effort was out into such a simple piece, made me appreciate it a lot more and realize to think deeper about the hard work put into pointless looking videos like "Walking Crowd".

2.) I learned that the simple idea of the flowchart can be applied to almost any type of media, they aren't just a boring visual tool used for intense board room meetings. Flowcharts can be seen in movies, Youtube videos, online games, and even just a plain old chart form. They can be made as interesting as the creator wants it to be.

3.) The examples of flowcharts shown to us inspired me to make up the craziest story possible to create my own. I'm not exactly sure what it will be about but I am going to try to use all of the different methods of creating a flowchart, involving certain boxes to lead to the same place, circling around, and even getting stuck.

The Last Blog of the Semester (feat. A Response on Brenda Ueland)

Liz Kenny

2D FND 115

Dec. 16, 2009

Brenda Ueland Response

Ueland’s advice throughout the excerpt “Everybody Is Talented, Original and Has Something Important to Say” was very moving, but yet humble sounding and easy to understand at the same time. I actually connected with what she had to say a lot. Along with majoring in art I hope to major or minor in English because I enjoy writing so much. I write short stories and blurbs about passed experiences I’ve had almost like a journal but in more of a story form in order to work out situations and express feelings I otherwise would not let out. The part where she speaks about having a friend who constantly “[wants] to understand more about everything [I] feel and know the changes inside and out” really got to me because my best friend listens to me read my writing aloud to her on a daily basis without criticizing it in any way (8). She purely just wants to listen to me let everything out. I appreciate it so much because having someone to hear what you have to say only encourages you to write more, just as Ueland says throughout the excerpt. I agree with Ueland on every basis she covered, that you need to be free of criticism and that it is important to have someone there who has the right attitude to listen or read your writing to keep you going. Writing is something anyone can do as long as they feel free to say whatever it is that is on their mind, creative and free writing has no limits or rules. Ueland’s opinions on successful writing were dead on and I enjoyed what she had to say throughout “Everybody Is Talented, Original and Has Something Important to Say”.

Absent Image Project Potentials

Analyzing the color relationships in the Generative Process

1.) The original image is made up of split complimentary colors. Red takes up most of the image; however, webs of a blue-green and yellow-green design fill in the middle of the original design. A normal green, red's compliment, fails to show through in this design. There are areas where the design branches out to the outside in a red-violet color that compliments the yellow-green in the center. A triad with red-violet, blue-green, and yellow-orange also appears in the image when the viewer notices the small yellow-orange dots in the very middle of the circular image. There are no neutral colors shown in this image. There are different monochromes of red throughout this image.

2.) The second image shows various color relationships. The red, blue, and yellow circles represent the primary colors and a triad. The split complementary colors yellow-orange, blue, and violet are also depicted in this image. Another set of split complementary colors, yellow-green, violet, and red, is also shown in the center of the circles enclosed in black squares. This image does not show any neutrals and monochrome colors. Complimentary color relationships are shown throughout the image, such as blue and orange, and violet and yellow.

3.) Third image is made up of the analogous colors from yellow green to red violet. Triads, neutrals, complementary, and split complementary colors do not really show. However the image shows the monochromes of green.