Cobain symbols at work

Kurt Cobain singing a Bon Jovi tune, especially this one? Per our discussion in class last week, I find this example fascinating:

Class moved to VMMC 16 this Wednesday, Sept. 23

To accommodate DTC Information Night, and to give prospective students a chance to play around in the VMMC 111 lab, we will be moving our class to VMMC 16 on this Wednesday, Sept. 23. I think the number 16 means it is in the basement. But get there early, like I will, to find the right spot. Thanks!

- Prof Brett

P.S. More on Information Night:

The DTC Information Night is a recruiting event aimed at potential students and others interested in the DTC Program. It takes place on Wednesday, September 23, 2009 from 6-7:30 pm and is co-sponsored by the DTC Program and the Office of Admissions. It begins at the Firstenburg Student Commons with a "meet and greet" and a brief presentation about the DTC Program and then moves to VMMC 111 for a Student Showcase. At the end of the evening we will go to the MOVE Lab to see a demonstration of the research in progress. The event is free and open to the public. I have been told by the Office of Admissions to expect between 20-40 participants. You are all welcome to attend.

October - Extra Credit Month

I will be offering a variety of extra credit opportunities in October, for those interested in gaining some points and experiencing some of the special events brought to you by the hard working faculty in the Digital Technology and Culture program.

Those are:

Oct. 2 -- From 5 to 9 p.m., the Willamette Radio Workshop will be collaborating with DTC to present:

"mediartZ: Art as Experiential, Art as Participatory, Art as Electronic” Kick Off Party!

North Bank Artists Gallery, 1005 Main St., in downtown Vancouver
Free and open to the public

During the whole month of October the DTC Program is hosting a media art exhibit and media art events at North Bank Artists Gallery. But the "Kick Off Party" takes place on Friday, October 2. John Barber has secured the Willamette Radio Project to perform. They will give a live radio show at North Bank. The party also launches the new issue of Hyperrhiz: New Media Cultures. Many of the artists featured in the online gallery in this issue of Hyperrhiz are the featured artists at the North Bank exhibit. Note that our own Jeannette Altman has a piece in the show, and Fine Arts faculty from both TriCities and Pullman are also featured."

(15 points, for attending the opening night party, watching Willamette Radio Workshop perform at least three times -- they are doing 15 minutes on, 15 minutes off -- and then writing a thoughtful and insightful 500-word response about what you learned from the experience, including reaction to the art you saw, and posting that on our Google group).

Oct. 8 -- From 6 to 9 p.m., Willamette Radio Workshop will bring its performers directly to the classroom, as part of Dr. Barber's Digital Sound course, VMMC 111. Those folks will talk at length about radio drama, including the technical aspects of producing such work.

(15 points, for attending the entire class, asking at least a couple of questions of the Willamette Radio Workshop group, and then writing a thoughtful and insightful 500-word response about what you learned from the experience and posting that on our Google group).

Oct. 29 -- Rick Emerson, who hosts the KUFO 101.1 FM morning radio show, from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. weekdays, as well as the "Outlook Portland" television program at 6:30 a.m. Sundays on NW Channel 32, will be spending much of the evening with us at the WSU Vancouver campus, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Oct. 29. This collaboration will start in the KOUG radio studio, where students will have the chance to interview Emerson on air about some of his latest projects, including the "A.Z." radio drama (zombies in Portland; we'll be reviewing this program in October), and talk to him about the industry. This will be followed by an informal dinner with Emerson, in which students are welcome to join us for the chat, followed by the class session from 6 to 9 p.m., in VMMC 111, in which Emerson will critique some of our audio projects, including at least a couple of the ones created for DTC 375, and be open to questions of all sorts about the current state of the industry, the future of radio, technical questions about producing great sound, etc. He said he's willing to talk about whatever the students want, including how to get a break in the radio biz. Save this time and date on your calendar.

(35 points, for attending the entire five-hour session, being engaged in the activity, including asking at least a couple of questions of Emerson, and then writing a thoughtful and insightful 500-word response about what you learned from the experience and posting that on our Google group; 25 points for attending the class only, plus the questions and Google group post).

How ya doin'

These "How ya doin'" commercials efficiently isolate one of the odd, yet versatile, ways in which we use -- and understand -- language:



Followed by:



Then these:

More on the PICA field trip

Please read the post a few below this one for all of the details (and please do that), but, again, we will be meeting at 6:15 p.m. Sept. 9 in front of the Portland Art Museum, 1219 S.W. Park Ave., under the giant paint brush, in place of the class on campus that night.

There are many places to park in the area, including a flat lot right next to the museum (but it's a small lot and might be full at that time). Also be aware of the various one-way streets and such you will have to maneuver (and don't forget your car-pooling pals!).

Here is a map of a Smart Park within a few blocks of the venue at 10th and Yamhill (this annotated map is also available to the right, under class materials; and you can check parking availability in real time at that lot at www.downtownportland.org):



If you miss us at the paint brush, don't panic! The Whitsell Auditorium is nearby, right inside the museum, in the basement, and I won't mark you absent until the first show actually begins.

Afterward, we will be walking as a group a couple of blocks to the second venue of the night, the Winningstad Theatre, in the Portland Center for the Performing Arts, 1111 S.W. Broadway.

After the shows, you are free to hang out with classmates or go home or whatever you want to do. I will be making a visual check around, just to make sure everyone stayed through both performances. But there won't be any other formal activities that night.

I will be asking you, though, to comment on what you have witnessed at the PICA festival through the class Google group, as Prompt 2 (see the link for Assignments DUE for details), due before the start of class on Sept. 16. You also will have a translation assignment due that week, which we will go over in class this Wednesday.

You should have ordered your PICA tickets by now. If not, do so right away. The box office, listed in the post below, is open noon to 6 p.m. daily.

Any questions?