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Dear Editor Re: Online Galleries I read Henriett's article in the Facer E-zine and she raised some interesting points. To say that a trip through cyberspace can never replace visiting a museum is a bit like saying that movie theatres will never replace going to the theatre. Who knows maybe it can't, but each can offer things that the other cannot. There is a lot of art in the world and some of it is actually better seen through an electronic medium. There are many people who are not at all interested in classical art. If it doesn't move or wiggle it doesn't interest them. That doesn't mean it's not art, it just means that art is subjective and thankfully, not all the same. The Electronic Media is also a great resource to view art that we might otherwise never get to see. I personally know a couple of incredibly talented painters, neither of whom are availiable for viewing outside of their social circles, but I know that if they wanted, they could be on the Web. Thanks to the web I can have a bonafide bootleg copy of Da Vinci's Mona Lisa looking back at me from my desktop any old time I want, and the best part is nobody is going to arrest me for drawing a moustache on her. (Name withheld) ---------- Dear Editor, Re: Help. Theres a DVD Under My Bed. I really enjoyed reading your article about DVD, however I find it a little incomplete. I think that you present DVD technology in a very positive way, forgetting some disadvantages to DVD today. The main, and I think most significant downside to DVD is the COMPATIBILITY. Current DVD players and drives can not read DVD-RAM discs. Some DVD players and drives may not be able to read CD-Rs. I have no doubt that the technology will eliminate these problems in the near future, but for now DVD is still quite unstable. Sincerely, (Name withheld) ---------- Dear Facer E-zine, I am writing in response to the Article entitled "Audio Compression: Writing Multi-Media History." Very well researched and well-written article but I thought your readers might like to know where they could get an MP3 player and some music to play on it. There is a lot out there for varying tastes of music, including my own discerning taste in jazz. Could I recommend? www.winamp.com for the MP3 Player. www.MP3.com or www.themusiclover.com for a variety of MP3s Thank you, (Name withheld) ---- Dear Editor, RE: Photoshop: My Involvement With Adobe I'm so happy to talk about your article. I really enjoyed reading your article, especially the part of repairing your old damaged picture. However, I actually looked forward to seeing various technical benefits of Photoshop from your article. Lately, I heard Photoshop 5.5, which is combined with ImageReady 2.0 software, was introduced. I also heard Photoshop 5.5 features include the new Save for Web command, improved image masking, the new Art History, the Brush Slice tool and the ability to create powerful JavaScript rollovers without writing a line of code. Anyway, I strongly agree with your last comment in the article "thanks to Adobe" as one of Photoshop fans. (Name withheld) ------- Dear Editor, Re: Audio Compression: Writing Multimedia History Alison Hollingworth hit home with her very informative E-Zine article on MP3s. I have also been watching the MP3 scene myself, and there is one thing that she didn't mention that I think would have been an excellent addition. She didn't mention the new compact disc drives/players that are able to read the MP3 format without the use of any software. This will also make the RIAA very concerned because now we will be able to carry MP3 music where ever we decide to go. No more tie downs to the computer! (Name withheld) ----- Dear Editor, Re: Commodore 64: A Flashback To The Father Of Modern Gaming Consoles, Reading Kevin Mitchell's article brought back some memorable and pleasant memories of my first computer as well. However in my case, I have to go back to 1980 or so, when our family purchase an Apple II+. I am confused though, as to whether Mitchell thinks of the Commodore 64 as a computer or a gaming console. In my opinion, "the only obvious difference between the Commodore and modern gaming consoles is that the 'console' of the Commodore 64 was a keyboard" is a very big difference. The Commodore 64 was a computer and can hardly be compared to today's Nintendo 64. I do however take exception to Mitchell labelling the Commodore as "The Father of Modern Gaming Consoles". I think more appropriately, Atari takes this crowning, with their successful VCS system released in 1977. (Name withheld) ----- Dear Editor, Re: The Birth of Netscape, I have just been reviewing your web site on the foundations of Multimedia, and must say that I am impressed. For the most part, this was a very interesting article, and I enjoyed reading it. In regards to Wade Buehler's article, there wasn't any mention of the competition between Netscape and Internet Explorer. This was a monumental and historical legal battle, when IE essentially tried to shut down Netscape, using every legal move in the book. (Name withheld) ------- Dear Editor, Re: Commodore 64 -"A Flashback to the Father of Gaming Consoles" I am writing you today to express some comments I have following an article I read- "Commodore 64 - A Flashback to the Father of Gaming Consoles". I was pleased and felt some sense of self-enjoyment reading this article, mainly because of the fact I can relate to it. From the "brilliant display of 16 colors" to the blips and beeps that "are paralleled only by the noise from a modem on dial-up" this descriptively pinpoints what the Commodore was like, and only brought flashbacks of early childhood memories. With the mention of "the "console" of the Commodore 64 was a keyboard" and using "peripherals including modems", it seems like today's innovations haven't strayed away to far. The new Sega Dreamcast has a built-in modem on board, and has "The Sega Keyboard" on the market for on-line gaming or surfing. I also noticed that the writer "on September 19, 1999, salvaged its dust-covered components from the basement" which was exactly 10 days after the Dreamcast launch. I like to notice little things like that. But anyways, Kudo's goes out to the writer of the article for a job well done! (Name withheld) ---------- Dear Editor, Henriett Kuti's article on "Online Galleries," claims that through internet technology one is able to access art anywhere, anytime. I find it difficult to believe that the technology that is currently being used benefits any of the galleries mentioned. The images are often too small and the virtual reality insufficiently realized so that most of the time one doesn't get an impression of the art presented. Actually going to a gallery to see real art up close is an enriching, both social and communal experience that cannot be matched "online." It is the space, the atmosphere and the visual aspects itself that make the trip to the exhibit so enriching. Having a collection downloadable tends to "dumb-down" the experience as well as makes the product very small and very hard to connect with. (Name withheld) ---------- Dear Editor, Re: Reinventing Print Media I've just completed a tour of Facer's Foundations site. What a wealth of information! The article, by Dennis Potharst, was very insightful. However, I found it strange that no mention was made of the historic pairing of the Apple LaserWriter, a postscript desktop printer, and Aldus PageMaker (now Adobe PageMaker). Many observers insist that this tandem started the desktop publishing revolution. (Name withheld) ------- Dear Editor, Re: Commodore 64 by Kevin Mitchell I thoroughly enjoyed reading Kevin's article within the Facer E-Zine mainly because the Commodore was my first computer and the feelings he expressed succeeded in capturing my nostalgic feelings as well. I felt his article would have been even better if he had included a website where additional facts on the Commodore 64 could have been obtained. There is a wonderful site titled, "Join Talkway: Commodore 64" (http://decaf.talkway.com/cgi-bin/cgi?request=enter&group=alt.c64), which allows you to post questions and answers. Thanks for the memories, Kevin. (Name withheld) ------- Dear Editor, Re: Paul is Dead. Long Live Paul. By Michael Morita. To begin with, the title itself enticed me to want to read this article. I think because death and the mysteries behind it in general interest people. This is a fictitious ìwhodunitî that unfortunately is ahead of its time. Clearly, like me, Michael is a very visual person who prefers to click on images rather than to scroll through text. It expresses more possibilities that the net can offer, once technology catches up to the imaginations of designers. (Name withheld) ------ Dear Editor, RE: Whoa - Behind the Screens of HTML Love has always been called the universal language. Now, thanks to the internet, another universal language has arisen: HTML. Without love, a relationship cannot work out. Likewise, without HTML, a webpage will not work. HTML is the backbone of the internet; the meat and potatoes, the good stuff. Many people use a program to design the interface of their website. However, it is not until you actually script an entire website using only HTML, that you can truly begin to understand what the internet is all about. There is a certain intimacy that develops between the page and its author when HTML is used. There is peace, a place of rest, when all the outer layers are stripped away to reveal the soul of the website. Designing a website purely through a program such as Dreamweaver can produce beautiful results, but without the intimacy of using HTML, it becomes just another pretty interface. (Name withheld) ------- Letter to the Editor Re: Digitally enhanced slopes I felt a sense of deja vu while reading the article "Digitally Enhanced Slopes." In 1859, Charles Baudelaire wrote: "If photography is allowed to supplement art in some of its functions, it will soon have supplanted or corrupted it altogether...." The advent of the photograph was viewed with as much scepticism as the advent of the digital camera. The digital camera is a tool that man can use to create images - and it should be treated as such. It is up to people to set the boundaries for which we are to follow and decide what we will allow ourselves to create. In any new technology there will be the temptation to push boundaries and social norms. Only by doing this will we discover what is acceptable. There is no digital camera that can produce the richness and quality of the "perfect shot" taken by a film camera. However, I also revel the chance to use a digital camera because of its ability to save time and money. We should not be looking at the digital camera as a "...temptation to manipulate" but rather as a tool. (Name withheld) ----------- Dear Editor, Re: "Quantum and AOL". This article carefully spells out the acquisitions made by AOL since its launch in 1985, but fails to provide insight as to why AOL is so enormously popular. AOL users can do everything: surf the web, email, use chat rooms. Sure, AOL is clunky and plain and limiting, but for AOL users, that's just fine. AOL has found a huge niche in average Americans who don't know a whole lot about computers but want access to internet technology. Making the internet accessible to 17.6 million users is AOL's real success story. (Name withheld) -------- Dear Editor, RE: Obsession: The World of Cyan I was reading through the wonderful articles on your Facer E-Zine and noticed a slight inconsistency with one of the stories. While the article "Obsessions: The World of Cyan" was compelling and very informative, I became confused when the author began talking about the founders of the company. In the article, the two founding brothers are referred to as the Rand brothers, however, it is then mentioned that their fathers last name is Miller and one of the boys first name is Rand. I just thought I'd bring it to your attention. Thanks for the great reading. (Name withheld) --------- Dear Editor, In regards to "The Modern Interface", I would like to quote DeGaulle, a director of Alien Voices Multimedia and actor in Star Trek: "The hit-movie Matrix was terrible in terms of content, but had effects that would visually appeal to a 10-year-old." Diane is right. "Nowadays, interface is all about visual pleasure." Today, that's all people care about - how it looks. Old-timers still remember "archaic" DOS, and we see Windows 98 as a step backwards. Look at our sacrifices to get those cute, animated icons: thousands of dollars upgrading our computers and endless frustration watching them crash. It's funny we tolerate this in the name of "cute-looking" interfaces. I could even swear people would use a mouse to type, provided it looked cool and was simple to use - even if it took 20 times as long. It's not that interfaces are improving, it's that people want "cute" and not something new to learn. Sincerely, (Name withheld) ---------- Dear Editor. This letter concerns Chris Kindratski article about digital editing of images. I am always surprised by people that are arguing about necessity of technical innovations. How do you stop human beings from inventing things to make life easier? How do you stop editors from getting stock photographs instead of shooting new material? All history of invention is based on lazy people that, for example, did not want to rewrite books by hand - and typography was invented. People did not want to walk to the corner store - and automobile was invented. So invention of digital editing (and stock photography) was inevitable and a great thing. How people use the inventions is another point. I completely agree with Chris that ethical problems of inventions have to be discussed. After all we live in era of gene engineering. (Name withheld) ---------- To: The Editor Re: Chris Kindratsky's "A Short Jaunt Down the Digitally Enhanced Slopes" Upon reading Mr. Kindratsky's well-researched article, I felt that there was still hope for a human touch in today's high-tech world. Mr. Kindratsky's thesis that the ease and speed of digital photo 'enhancement' poses a challenges to the ethics inherent in 'realism' in photojournalism is well taken. Today's need for faster and more effective communication have opened the door for the unscrupulous to alter images in ways that do not reflect the truth. It was very refreshing to read that Mr. Kindratsky, himself a commercial photographer with access to these digital tools, would warn against their misuse. He appears to be committed to working in a manner that values individual principles over mass production, and is to be commended for his integrity. Congratulations Mr. Kindratsky, and keep up the good work. (Name withheld) ---------- Dear Editor; In regard to the recently posted article, "Hyperbole Studios" by Rosita Kwan I found it very interesting that a young lady with little or no experience with the gaming industry would choose such an interesting and potentially in-depth topic such as a company like Hyperbole. After spending the past decade deeply involved in this industry as both a user and designer, I found her choice rather compelling. As the gaming industry began to grow from its roots in campaign-based simulations and physical playing fields, Hyperbole was a prime player in the fledgeling stages of this growth. Their innovative and original, (if not sometimes unsuccessful), creations have always been and should always be, on the cutting edge of interactivity and entertainment. Thank-you for yet another engaging article. Sincerely; (Name withheld) ---------- Dear Editor: Re: Online Galleries -- A New Image In response to the article written by Henriett Kuti on how the Internet is boosting the profile of art galleries around the world, I would like to make a brief comment. The idea of art galleries being accessible over the Internet is a true feat, but where was the link to multimedia? I thought the writer "buried" that information in the very end of the essay, which didn't really do it justice. The idea of going on a Quick Time"virtual tour" of any museum or gallery in the world is truly fascinating. (Name withheld) ---------- Dear Editor, Re: The Modern Interface: A Design Perspective While browsing through your e-zine, the article (as stated above) particularly caught my attention. I personally find computer interfaces to be remarkable in their design and usability; however, I have very little knowledge on the subject. What I would have liked to have seen in this article was how the modern interface came to be, and what makes it work. There was reference to the Macintosh interface, but what about PC? Although this article was well written, I found it was not as informative as I had hoped. Perhaps mentioning the Xerox/Apple/Microsoft interface design battle would have been an interesting addition. (Name withheld) ---------- Dear Editor, Re: "Internet: Birth to a technological phenomena" Ms. Lauinger failed to mention that the Internet almost never started. Back in the late 60's, the computer network administrators of the universities to be connected together were very opposed to their computers being used by people outside of their campus. Telnet is an excellent example of their fears. People log in to a remote computer and use it. Back then, computers were very expensive things and "sharing" those resources was almost unheard of! If it weren't for the persistence of ARPA, surfing the web, sending e-mail and playing online games today would be simply out of the question. Regards, (Name withheld) ---------- Dear Editor, RE: 'Hyperbole Studios' article I realy enjoyed reading the article by Rosita Kwan. There was good coverage of the topic from her historic facts to her personal views and criticisms. I learned a lot of intersting things from reading this article, including that there was such a thing as interactive novels. Call me out of it but I honestly didnt know that there was such a thing. I remember reading choose your own adventure novels as a kid and I think it's cool that a grown up version of that exists on CD-ROM. Rosita has instilled in me a curiosity to know more about this platfom of interactive media. (Name withheld) ---------- Letter to the Editor: "Is it fair to my Children?" What is happening to society while the digitally enhanced media is becoming very open and has no boundaries to follow. "A short Jaunt" by Chris Kindratsky on the Facer Ezine caught my attention by raising this issue. His article discussed how digital computer programs have changed the art of photography immensely. But how does this affect our society, our children. Do we consider seeing a human head on an animal body artistic freedom or a manipulation of reality? Personally I am not against these altered digital images, in fact I enjoy using my imagination to make the familiar unfamiliar. However I can't help wonder what will be in the media for my children. They will most likely grow up in a world where they can't believe anything they see, and to teach a small child that an image that looks so real and is not, may almost be impossible. Now I ask this question: "Is it fair to our children to have to grow up in a world that deceives their innocent minds with misleading ideas and images everywhere?" (Name withheld) ---------- Dear Editor I have read the article on the evolution of personal gaming consoles, and agree that our rescent history can, and often is judged by the progress of these machines. Along with computers, they are an easy, and effective tool in gauging the evolution of society. They reflect common trends for the times, and also serve as a reference tool for many, to help them understand where modern technonogy came from. They are, and will no doubt continue to be one of the most competitive, forms of electronic media, as they continue to propel us further into the new millennium. (Name withheld) ---------- |
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