Media Mindfulness

An example of Mexicans playing with Poly Identity
I feel bad for advertisers (OK, not really) because I often here industry pundits complain that the media audiences are too scattered, and have too much ADD to focus on their messages. Too bad, I’m crying crocodile tears. You see, part of the problem concerning people’s inability […]

The Album, a Commodity in Disfavor - New York Times:

Last year, digital singles outsold plastic CD’s for the first time. So far this year, sales of digital songs have risen 54 percent, to roughly 189 million units, according to data from Nielsen SoundScan. Digital album sales are rising at a slightly faster pace, but buyers […]

Need to know what’s emanating from the techno-humanosphere?
Technology Review: 10 Emerging Technologies 2007:
As always, Technology Review’s annual list of emerging technologies to watch comprises projects in a broad range of fields, including medicine, energy, and the Internet. Some, such as optical antennas and meta­materials, are fundamental technologies that promise to transform multiple areas, from computing […]

Podibooks. The name says it all. Free, serialized books for your digital media player. No poetry yet, but I hope it comes.
Incidentally, I have a good friend who has severe ADD, but loves literature. Audiobooks have saved his life. Personally I love them, but since I spend most of my time reading and writing, they […]

Update:

This is where William Burroughs comes in with his Naked Lunch. When we
invent new technology, we become cannibals. We eat ourselves alive since
these technologies are merely extensions of ourselves. The new environment
shaped by electric technology is a cannibalistic one that eats people. To
survive one must study the habits of cannibals - McLuhan, “The Hot and […]

Some of you may have seen the film Minority Report (or read the PK Dick book it was based on) about the precog units that can predict future crime. It’s kinda like our foreign policy of preemptive war, except in the later case, it’s more about “bellyfeel” than science. In the article below there is […]

I’d work here! The Encounter Restaurant at LAX
AdAge reports that some corporate offices are becoming hybrid spaces that are also lounges, bars and coffee shops. This buttresses the trend that we are increasingly moving into more “non-spaces” (see Remediation) that are required of knowledge work. In our post-work economy, we are producers and consumers of […]

Reconstruction is an on-line journal that has a whole issue dedicated blogging and culture. Lots of great theory on social media. Truth is, this stuff is so new, we are inventing it as we go. But if you can pause for a moment to reflect on new digital media and social networks, it’s like digital […]

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As the New York Times recently reported, companies are creating their own films, TV networks and “webasodes” under the rubric of “branded content.” The fact that I am writing about it is a tribute to the “marketability” of the concept. People ignore ads, so this is part of the commercial backlash to wire your eyes […]

Interesting NYT article on how TV distribution might be migrating to the Internet. Def. a trend to watch for, especially if you are an independent artist:
As Internet TV Aims at Niche Audiences, the Slivercast Is Born - New York Times:

“In the last six months, major media companies have received much attention for starting to move […]