lukehearn's blog

Download Bruce Sterling's RFID Rant (18.3mb) at SPACE Studios (Tues 16 May 2006)

Bruce Sterling is possibly one person that you don’t mind listening to rant. Why? Because his futurist writings are often extraordinarily accurate, a skill which he attributes to being able project the past into the future. As he later points out himself "I hate to say your guess is as good as mine, because…well…my guess is pretty fuckin good!" A fact the audience appear to be well aware of.

A computer expert has spoken of his astonishment at seeing a taxi driver interviewed on BBC television news in the mistaken belief it was him. Guy Kewney was invited to BBC Television Centre to answer questions on the legal battle between the Beatles' Apple Corps and Apple Computer. As he watched the BBC's News 24 channel in a reception area while waiting to be interviewed, he was gobsmacked to see "Guy Kewney" appear on the screen.

Scott Snibbe's exhibition Body, Space and Cinema, at the ICA is a retrospective of his work which spans nearly 10 years.

What I found interesting about Scott Snibbe is the user-friendliness of his work, which can be appreciated on many different levels. On the one hand you have its simplicity, inviting child-like play; on the other hand you have its philosophical and phenomenological roots which gives his work more depth. Ultimately, this means his work is accessible to all. As he later confirms, the most important thing for him is in engaging as many people as possible.

....oh dear oh dear oh dear. What is the world coming to?

According to The Sunday Times Culture magazine today the best selling hardbacks at present are:

1. Jade Goodey Autobiography
2. Jordan Autobiography
3. Daniella Westbrook Autobiography

For anyone that doesn't know who these people are, let me briefly summerise:

1. Jade - came 3rd in Big Brother a few years ago. This is the woman who thought: horseradish come from horses, that peacocks had eyes in their feathers, who thought Rio de Janeiro was a person (she meant Rio Ferdinand a football player!) Complaining about her ever expanding girth, Jade said: "I was a skinny bird when I came in here but now my clothes are too thin for me."

14 characteristics of a natural network weaver:

1. Opportunity seeking: sees opportunities everywhere
2. Loves to connect people to each other
3. Able to unearth resources of all types and kinds
4. Able to remember many names and resources
5. Able to dialogue easily with people and get them to disclose information
6. Comfortable with uncertainty but persistent in making things happen

Bravo! An interesting article today in the Education Guardian, poses the question of whether UK universities are too reliant on overseas students.

This is something which I have been thinking ever since I started the MA course at Ravensbourne (when I realised there were only 4 British students (out of 18) on the course). So I think it’s about time this issue got some coverage.

The basic premise of the article International Rescue is that the UK universities have changed in dramatic and complex ways since the governments 1999 initiative to increase the intake of international students, which has generated billions of pounds in fees. In 2004, this revenue brought in £4bn in fees (and possibly this amount again in spending on living costs in the UK). Some universities gain a third of their total income from overseas fees, highlighting the importance of this financial input.

The announcement by house/band hybrid Planet Funk that they will be distributing their latest single (out next month) via mobile phone is another landmark in new media history.

After Gnarles Barclay's already annoying track reached "number 1" a couple of weeks ago through downloads alone, we are continuing to see new practises in terms of media distribution.