Submitted by Robert on Monday, May 1, 2006 - 01:20

---

This is my video collage.

I would like to briefly remark on the format of this site and its use for the class. I feel as if to provide any text with one's video collage or other non-text media is to limit the interpretations of that project and the possible gains made for anyone who watches it; analogously, I feel as if any text provided, say, with a poem usually takes away from the poem (unless there is necessary translation or historical information in some cases to go along with it). I would rather see more written, more to d

read more

Submitted by Robert on Monday, April 10, 2006 - 15:42

---

Collage without Words (revision)

I was both surprised in what I was able to create in terms of images and the poesia of possible meanings and in terms of the varying reactions to these - all in a good way. Creating the collage let me learn a little about composing ideas, whether through traditional media or new.

My Playlist

Such an original assignment I could not not enjoy. Yes, that is a double negative, but I would argue for the significant difference in meaning between "I could enjoy" and "I could not not enjoy" there. Having to explain the playlist in writing made me think about how musicians and filmmakers put together albums and soundtracks from a newly-gained perspective.

read more

Submitted by Robert on Friday, April 7, 2006 - 00:46

---

Here are two videos, two satires on popular culture. I'd like to think that neither says anything as to whether American culture is any sharper or dumber after their creation, or their (apparent) thousands of viewings. They can be seen as stupidity or as smart commentary; they, in my view, are both. Satire is difficult to judge, because it is invariably linked to its subject, which it is criticizing, and because, for me, the satire I have enjoyed most and thought best done is the least obvious.

Brokeback to the Future is a play on popular movies Brokeback Mountain and Back to the Future. Both serious movies, the video seems to be making something of a mockery of the relationship featured in Brokeback Mountain, as obviously the viewer is supposed to laugh. It’s a fairly simple cut-and-paste job (albeit cleverly spotted and executed) and the humor that the video immediately appeals to are chortles and giggles. Does that hit the audience with a stupid stick? Probably not. To get the joke fully, does one not need to understand the greater culture of meta-culture, of criticism? Of the whole GLBT movement and reactions to it? Politics? Maybe not.

read more

Submitted by Robert on Wednesday, April 5, 2006 - 00:15

---

Admittedly, I have not watched my second movie for the April 11th assignment, for me a second Hitchcock movie. I am looking forward to doing so; as several have noted, Hitchcock is a director known for his use of suspense, and I enjoy that genre of movie that employs it.

Suspense movies tend to contain quite a bit of psychological content, as several have mentioned in their blog posts. Mainly, what drives the story is usually the disparity between what is perceived and what is real. The tradition in literature, whether via movie screen, live theatre, or book, of that difference’s showing up in the work’s characters is certainly older than, but in modern Western tradition as least as old as Shakespeare’s Hamlet and its play within a play.

read more

Submitted by Robert on Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 16:11

---

While I understand that we all enjoy the new experiences of travel, a new thought came to mind today: for what is often used to explain much of our tastes and our behaviors, the evolutionary model of behavior, there would seem to be very little explanation for wanting to travel. The only causes I could fit to the model were that one's staying in an area for too long a time would exhaust the area's resources and be dangerous and/or that travel would expose one to new resources. Both of these ideas seem weak to me, whereas other evolutionary-behavioral models have impressed me with their consistency (and flexibility) in the past.

read more

Submitted by Robert on Thursday, March 9, 2006 - 16:47

---

My photoessay can be found here: http://www.unc.edu/~rcziechm/photoessay/

It's far from done and will be completed and made presentable after the break. The eventual look will be as if the user is running MS DOS in a window.

Submitted by Robert on Tuesday, March 7, 2006 - 16:39

---

I remember being told that the average amount of time that a person can focus on something is only a few (several) minutes. The study referred to had to do with television's timing of its commercials, cutting up its programs into several-minute chunks. I wonder now whether our response to television came as a reaction to episodes' organization or whether television producers simply discovered the fact. In any case, I wanted to remark that the photoessay takes advantage of this - especially for those who have trouble reading small black text on a bright, usually white-backgrounded monitor for a

read more

Submitted by Robert on Thursday, March 2, 2006 - 16:06

---

My photo essay will explain electronic music and why you don't listen to it. I'll go through its history and its genres.

Submitted by Robert on Monday, February 27, 2006 - 19:49

---

This is my collage using white space.

I'm making a reference to David Bowie's song, Space Oddity:

"Ground Control to Major Tom
Ground Control to Major Tom
Take your protein pills and put your helmet on

Ground Control to Major Tom
Commencing countdown, engines on
Check ignition and may God's love be with you

(spoken)
Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One, Liftoff

This is Ground Control to Major Tom
You've really made the grade
And the papers want to know whose shirts you wear

read more

Submitted by Robert on Thursday, February 23, 2006 - 17:14

---

Again, I'll come back and edit in an explanation.

Submitted by Robert on Tuesday, February 21, 2006 - 17:07

---

An explanation comes later.

(the image)

Submitted by Robert on Thursday, February 16, 2006 - 15:49

---

Since so much art tends to be representational (the images of which are meant to represent something real or at least realistic), being introduced to the concept of the artist's creating an illusionary space in the representation, which we typically take for granted in western culture, was an odd feeling. With a modern education, even excluding whatever sundry art perspectives we are introduced to, it is difficult - for me, at least - to create images without thinking about representing space; a math reflex tends to hit me, and I can hear my calculus and kindergarten teachers' criticism. Anywa

read more

Submitted by Robert on Tuesday, February 14, 2006 - 16:11

---

This is something I made in my freetime. I hope you enjoy it, although the contrast seems to be off when the image is displayed on this site. Does anyone know the reference?

Submitted by Robert on Thursday, February 9, 2006 - 04:27

---

A smile.

Likely, we all have heard this argument before, that some evil spirit of artifice lurks at the supermarket, hiding by the checkout lanes to follow you home to steal away your children's souls and leave them empty an shallow. Now, I am not one to argue that this spirit isn't necessarily aligned with anyone's best interest but its producers (i.e. cosmetics, fashion, et cetera), but I am going to defend it.

Why? I do not find makeup and scrawniness to make women in any way more attractive. Not even in friends does it appeal to me. Check my Facebook if you don’t believe me.

read more

Submitted by Robert on Tuesday, February 7, 2006 - 17:49

---

I told my group that my email address would be available online. Here it is:

rcziechm@email.unc.edu