Blog Post 3

Nick Milewski

Multimedia Communication

Professor Livingston

12 February 2019

Blog 3

http://new-aesthetic.tumblr.com/post/153217246822/meet-synthia-the-virtual-driving-school-for

http://new-aesthetic.tumblr.com/post/162589557745/wreck-jordan-griska-top-instagram

http://new-aesthetic.tumblr.com/post/181107266165/stml-beautiful-rainbow-watches-via-alan-on

2)  As a group, these blog posts are interesting to me because they all have an aspect that I enjoy. I am really into cars and technology, and both of these concepts are present in all three blog posts.

3) This New Aesthetic concept relates to Benjamin’s essay on mechanical reproduction because that is precisely what all of these posts are. In the 2016 post, it was a virtual driving school for self driving cars. It was designed for the AI in self driving cars to become more aware and intelligent, gathering more data on what to do in certain situations. Referring to mechanical reproduction, this is good in the sense that the cars of the future will be more intelligent than the human drivers that are on the roads today. The driving school for self driving cars does not really have an aura to it, but it is certainly authentic. 

Next, looking at the 2017 blog post, it is a sculpture by Jordan Griska where it looks like he took a wrecked car and made it more edgy and shiny. The aura of this is confusing because it almost takes a horrific event like a car crash and tries to make it beautiful. We are unaware if Mr. Griska knows the history of the car, which makes it that much more confusing. He could be taking the result of a DUI and trying to make it art. However it is a creative idea and on the surface it looks like a well done piece. 

Last but not least is the post from 2018 where it depicts how items were listed for sale online before digital cameras were in circulation. More specifically watches, when scanned, the secondhand would appear to have a warped appearance because of the time it takes for the scan to complete. This resulted in some humorous photos that are now making a comeback, with some sellers using it to their advantage. As far as watches go, it depends on the history and the kind of watch it is that allows it to still have its meaning through mechanical reproduction.

Blog Post 2

Nick Milewski

Multimedia Communication

Professor Livingston

5 February 2019

Blog Post 2

According to Benjamin, the historical trajectory of advancements in the mechanical reproduction of visual media is positive. As time went on, the methods of reproducing art improved drastically. In the beginning ages, Benjamin explained that art could be replicated to the eye, but what can not be replicated is the feeling of the piece in time and space. The original piece was created in a certain time and captured the air, noises, and all other elements in the room it was created in. The viewer could see the original as authentic and true to meaning, and although the reproduced version may appear similar, it is missing those qualities.

Photography transforms notions of originality and authenticity by meeting the viewer halfway. The different lenses that are available can take pictures that hold parts that we would otherwise be unable to see. Certain light rays are invisible to the human eye but can still be captured with a camera. Also, he mentions slow motion imaging and how we miss moments that happen right in front of us. Photography captures certain facial expressions and motions that we see  ut only for a brief moment before we completely filter it out. 

When Benjamin uses the term “aura”, he is referring to the feeling of a certain piece. An aura is the whole vibe of a person or object, what permeates or resonates from them. So when Benjamin uses the term, he is trying to say that reproduction strips the aura from the original. The whole feel of the original is thrown off and destroyed, not what the artist had intended. As a piece gets mass produced, the effect is magnified. The aura of the original is completely gone, and the authentic feel of the piece is totally shaken up as well.

According to Benjamin, the difference between “cult value” and “exhibition value” is that a cult value is like it’s exclusivity. He is referring to it’s ease of access and the kind of exclusivity  one must have to see it. The exhibition value refers to how much a piece can be shown off and exhibited. This all ties back to reproduction because the more a piece is reproduced and exhibited, the more its cult value decreases.

A certain passage that resonates with me is at the end of the third page and stating the fourth. This passage describes how the authenticity of any piece is lessened as it gets reproduced multiple times. I found this passage interesting and relatable because it is like sharing a picture on social media or telling the same story to many people. The more you share a picture online, the less you think about it. The less you feel what happened in the photo. This same concept applies when you tell a story. The first couple of times you tell a story, it generally feels the same. But as more and more people come up and ask you to tell it, the more the feel of what happened goes away. You become less enthusiastic and each time after is worse than before. This passage painted that picture and resonated with me that way.

Blog Post #1

Nick Milewski

Multimedia Communication

Professor Livingston

29 January 2019

                                                   Blog Post #1

           In this day and age, technology has taken over just about every part of my daily life. From how I wake up to how I get to class, technology appears through it all. One way technology impacts my daily life is how I spend time with others. First, before we even see each other, my friends and I use technology to communicate where and when we go places and hang out. Most of the time, we use social media like Twitter and Snapchat as well as texting and calling to set plans versus setting the plans up in person. The reasoning behind it is that it is easier to use our mobile devices rather than guess where to meet to discuss plans. Next, when we are all together, we use technology there as well. If we want to listen to music, we use our phones. If we want to take pictures, we use our phones. If we want others to see the photos that were taken, we will post them using our phones. For my friends and I, whenever we do find a time and place for everyone to meet, we usually end up watching Netflix, playing video games, or browsing social media on our phones. All of which involves using technology.

           Moving on to my daily routines, technology appears in those as well. Starting off, I use my phone as an alarm clock, which is technology. Instead of trusting that I wake up at a certain time every day, I use technology to make sure and alter the times that I would otherwise arise. Next, preparing for the day by looking at the forecast is influenced by technology as well. Even though I could look outside and open a window to figure out what I should wear, I open up my weather application and judge from there. Some tasks like fetching water from a well and tuning a radio just right to hear the news has become obsolete with the modern day advances of running water and the television. We no longer need to wash clothes by hand or need to use lanterns to see in the dark.

           Looking in terms of digital media, the advancements made there are good and bad. The advancements made are good because of how quickly a message can be sent and received. Thousands of people can know what someone wants to say in seconds, which proves to be very powerful. At the same time, this is a double-edged sword because if an error is made or certain information should not have been released, a lot of the time it is too late. Also, advancements made in digital media are good because there have become great networking opportunities along with an expansive outreach. However, advancements made in digital media prove to be bad because how easy it is to falsify what is seen. The software that is available now makes manipulating photos and videos easier than ever, so you need to be careful what you see and believe now as well. In conclusion, digital media is a great tool to have and technology as a whole has engulfed my everyday life.