1 Lecture 6: Miracle Workers Professor Victoria Meng What tasks can/should media machines do?

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Lecture 6:Lecture 6:Miracle WorkersMiracle Workers

Professor Victoria MengWhat tasks can/should media machines do?What tasks can/should media machines do?

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Course DesignCourse Design

Unit I Unit II

“Forest” “Trees”

Media in general Media specificity

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Review: Unit IReview: Unit I

• “Medium specificity”: the idea that each medium has specific properties that make it different from other media.

• So what do digital media do, that older media do not? How do they change who we are?

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Review: Unit IReview: Unit I

• Media and technologies help to define our identities.

• We are what we can do, both as individuals and societies.

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Human – Technology Human – Technology RelationshipRelationship

“Common sense” model:

Humans create technology;

humans control technology.

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Human – Technology Human – Technology RelationshipRelationship

Utopian formula:

Humans control technology +

Technologies extend humans =

Humans can perfect themselves!

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Human – Technology Human – Technology RelationshipRelationship

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Human – Technology Human – Technology RelationshipRelationship

Machines fail because:

• Parts break down

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Human – Technology Human – Technology RelationshipRelationship

Machines fail because:

• They’re too complicated

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Human – Technology Human – Technology RelationshipRelationship

Machines fail because:

•Human operators make mistakes

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Human – Technology Human – Technology RelationshipRelationship

Machines fail because:

•They hate humans

© Evil Machines, Co.

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Human – Technology Human – Technology RelationshipRelationship

Machines fail because:

•They’re not “intelligent”

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Human – Technology Human – Technology RelationshipRelationship

Machines fail because:

•Parts fail or become obsolete.

•They’re too complicated.

•Human operators make mistakes.

•They hate us.

•They can only follow directions.

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Lev ManovichLev Manovich

www.manovich.net

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Lev Manovich:Lev Manovich:““What is New Media?”What is New Media?”

•Principles:- Numerical representation- Modularity- Automation- Variability- Transcoding

•Digital media and “medium specificity”

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Lev Manovich: TranscodingLev Manovich: Transcoding

• “…to “transcode” something is to translate it into another format.” (p.47)

•Humans have different “rules” for communication than machines do.

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Lev Manovich: TranscodingLev Manovich: Transcoding

•Machines have “languages,” too.

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Lev Manovich: AutomationLev Manovich: Automation

• “Low-level” automation – creating or modifying media objects using templates or simple algorithms.

•Made possible by principles of “numerical representation” and “modularity.”

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Lev Manovich:Lev Manovich:Numerical RepresentationNumerical Representation

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Lev Manovich:Lev Manovich:““Low-Level” AutomationLow-Level” Automation

“My Cat and I,”Versions 1, 2, 3

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Lev Manovich:Lev Manovich:““Low-Level” AutomationLow-Level” Automation

www.explore-drawing-and-painting.com

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Lev Manovich:Lev Manovich:““Low-Level” AutomationLow-Level” Automation

Limitations:

•Does not correct human error.

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Lev Manovich:Lev Manovich:““Low-Level” AutomationLow-Level” Automation

Limitations:

•Does not correct human error.

Examples of auto-spelling FAIL:

• “In the mouth of April, the film grossed 50 million dollars…”

• “Each virgin of the film addressed a different market…”

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Lev Manovich:Lev Manovich:““Low-Level” AutomationLow-Level” Automation

Limitations:

•Does not correct human error.

•Requires very specific instructions.

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Lev Manovich:Lev Manovich:““Low-Level” AutomationLow-Level” Automation

Limitations:

•Does not correct human error.

•Requires very specific instructions.

Example of “A.I.” FAIL:

• Interactive computer games.

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“…computer characters can display intelligence and skills only because programs place severe limits on our possible interactions with them. Put differently, computers can pretend to be intelligent only by tricking us into using a very small part of who we are when we communicate with them.” (p. 34)

Lev Manovich:Lev Manovich:““Low-Level” AutomationLow-Level” Automation

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Lev Manovich:Lev Manovich:““Low-Level” AutomationLow-Level” Automation

Limitations:

•Does not correct human error.

•Requires very specific instructions (that can be hard to learn).

•Can “replace” human labor, but often with creative compromise.

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Lev Manovich:Lev Manovich:““Low-Level” AutomationLow-Level” Automation

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Burton, 2005)

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Lev Manovich:Lev Manovich:““Low-Level” AutomationLow-Level” Automation

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Burton, 2005)

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Lev Manovich:Lev Manovich:““Low-Level” AutomationLow-Level” Automation

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Burton, 2005)

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Lev Manovich:Lev Manovich:““Low-Level” AutomationLow-Level” Automation

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Burton, 2005)

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Automation: Impact on Automation: Impact on Human – Technology Human – Technology

RelationshipRelationship

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Burton, 2005)

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Automation: Impact on Automation: Impact on Human – Technology Human – Technology

RelationshipRelationship

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Burton, 2005)

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Review: Automation andReview: Automation and(I – Media) – World?(I – Media) – World?

Human : Machine ::Human : Machine ::

God : Creation?God : Creation?

Master : Slave?Master : Slave?

Parent : Child?Parent : Child?

Partner : Partner?Partner : Partner?

Pawn : Player?Pawn : Player?

Contestant : Challenger?Contestant : Challenger?

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““High-Level” Automation,High-Level” Automation,aka Artificial Intelligenceaka Artificial Intelligence

WALL-E (Stanton, Pixar, 2008)

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““High-Level” Automation,High-Level” Automation,aka Artificial Intelligenceaka Artificial Intelligence

WALL-E (Stanton, Pixar, 2008)

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Looking AheadLooking Ahead

•Alan Turing, “Computing Machinery and Intelligence.”

•Pi10K

End of Lecture 6End of Lecture 6

Next Lecture: Remote Control: What are the advantages/limits of interactivity?

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