October 22

Lecture Notes and Comments

Week #8

Outline: In today’s lecture, Rapheal DiLuzio spoke with us again about some of the emerging technologies that have been utilized by artists in the field of new media to create art that inspires and presents a message to the viewers. He also showed us some of the projects that he had been working on with some colleagues. These projects included a social networking site similar to Facebook, but with a focus on video sharing and commenting rather than just the usual social focus. He asked us not to take notes again for this lecture as well, so I have no outside notes to include for this post.

Comments: His message was very similar to the one he had before, which I wrote on in my previous post (see below for link.) For those of you who missed my last post, Rapheal spoke about other ways to utilize the skills that we build in the new media program other than just getting a menial web design job at a law firm. I really enjoyed the message that he shared with us then, and I enjoyed this one as well. One project he showed us an art installation that used projectors to create different effects on the face of a building. I thought the idea was cool, but I had trouble seeing what point it was making in it’s creation. It seemed to against his whole argument that he had been working on for two lectures now.

No doubt both of these lectures were important for us to hear, and definitely showed us a new view on our skills and abilities as new media majors. I am very glad I was able to witness them, and look forward to hearing more from Rapheal DiLuzio in the future.

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October 20

Lecture Notes and Comments

Week #8

Outline: Today in class Rapheal DiLuzio, a professor here at the University of Maine, gave the lecture about some of the emerging technologies that have been coming into the field of new media. He spoke on some of the art projects and installations that have been created around the world. His focus was very different from Mark Wellman’s lecture. DiLuzio spoke about using our skills learned in the new media program to create artistic and inspirational pieces of art rather than simply using our skills to make money.

Comments: This was a very different viewpoint that the lectures we’ve had previously, and I found it really interesting. To me, making money after I leave college is paramount. All of the bills need to paid off somehow, right? DiLuzio argued that that is one potential route that you can take, but another is to use your skills to make thought provoking and artistic creations that bring the attention of the world on some subject that you think is important. The money comes from creating this art for those who want to get their message known and out into the world, using us as a medium. I love this idea, because it appeals to me much more than sitting behind a desk creating web sites for some company that I have no personal attachment to. When you make something for a cause you understand and believe in, the result is drastically better and worthier of much higher praise. This concept makes a lot of sense to me in a theoretical sense, though it sounds a lot more difficult to actually accomplish in the real world.

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October 18

Lecture Notes and Comments

Week #8

Outline: In this class, our speaker was Mark Wellman who is the founder of Bangor Metro, along with a few other magazines like Maine Ahead and a Maine themed bridal magazine. My notes on the lecture are here Journal for October 18. He came in to speak today to show how we could apply what we’re learning in the new media program here at UMaine to the business world. He spoke about his career in advertising before going into the magazine business after moving to Maine. He emphasized the amount of work that it took to get these magazines up and running, but also on the benefit that it has to the community that you are writing for and for profits as well.

Comments: This was a really neat lecture, because Wellman wasn’t a teacher or a student here at the University of Maine, so he was a completely outside source. This is always a nice chance to see how we as new media majors could apply what we’re learning in the classroom to the outside world. It sounds pretty cheezy, but it’s true. Not only did he start his own business in the field of new media, but he worked in advertising for many years before he created the magazines he makes today. This gave him an interesting perspective of the business world, and of where new media could go in that field. All in all, he had a very unique perspective from his past experiences and the skills he has had to learn to get a job in our field of study. A really cool lecture. Both inspiring and informative.

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