Hi all
Sorry it's taken me a little while to introduce myself. I've been watching
and listening. My name is Steve Carroll. I'm a poet from Leicester in
England. I don't have an overarching, academic take on WDL, but I'm aware as
a writer that my work has a large practical element that is based on digital
technology. I use a PC and a Powerbook to write with and I encourage others
to do the same. I communicate with other writers and advertise via email. I
am part of a group that has a website we refer people to. I record things on
MiniDisc and transfer them into CDs.
I'm not wildly excited by theory that is common sense with salad dressing on
and I can't claim to be widely versed in the history of the net, etc. I
couldn't use a PC until the mid 90s. My experience up to that point was
largely gained from ownership of a 48k Spectrum and gaming on an Amiga (I
suppose you could add in here my wasted youth playing Galaxians, Pacman, et
al). My programming experience still runs to going into Tandy and typing "10
PRINT "STEVE"/20 GOTO 10" (although I'm sometimes not sure that what I/we do
via the internet and email isn't the equivalent of this). I'm interested to
hear people talk about how they use this technology. I was interested in the
thread about books that relate to WDL and was pleased to see William Gibson
mentioned. I know some people dislike fiction as a way of looking at real
things today, but I've always thought that good SF can take an idea and
explore it in a much more empathic way than a lot of academic writing and I
like that.
I'm not going to stand up and say that I might upset people. I have been a
part of groups that get a bit cliquey that way - the loudest voices, etc. I
am concerned about the idea of what we say rattling around pointlessly in
the ether, but then, as somebody mentioned, I can always do something else
if it feels like that.
Didn't really think I had that much to say! Thanks to everyone for saying hi
before me.
Steve
----- Original Message -----
From: "Sue Thomas" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, April 15, 2005 9:31 PM
Subject: [WRITING-AND-THE-DIGITAL-LIFE] This list is now open for
conversation
> Welcome to Writing and the Digital Life.
>
> This list is now open. You are warmly invited to introduce yourself and
> your
> projects. Where are you based? What is your interest in Writing and the
> Digital Life? What are the burning issues for you? What would you like us
> to talk about?
>
> There will be a new discussion topic on or around the first of each month,
> but you are also free to post news and other items of interest. The first
> topic will be announced on 1st May 2005.
>
> _What is the purpose of this list?
> Text, in whatever language or script, is the passport to digital life.
> Without it we cannot use email, web content, chat, discussion boards, or
> instant messaging. In the ecology of global connectedness it is vital we
> understand how writing and reading are being used, extended and changed.
>
> This list will explore the impact of digital technologies upon writing and
> lived experience within an interdisciplinary context. We will talk about
> the
> relationship of writing and reading in the context of many subjects
> including 'new and old' media; craft, art, process and practice; social
> networks; cooperation and collaboration; narrative and memory; human
> computer interaction; imagination; nature; mind; body, and spirit.
> Contributions related to research, writing and teaching in the arts,
> sciences, and humanities are all welcome.
>
> _Isn't that rather ambitious? Can't you narrow it down a little?
> No. The field is enormous but if we try to limit the focus important
> connections will be lost. The list operates on the principle of the
> cornucopia of the commons where - to quote from Dan Bricklin
> http://www.bricklin.com/cornucopia.htm - 'use brings abundance', i.e. the
> more you put in, the more you get out. Please note, however, that I
> reserve
> the right to delete irrelevant, offensive or abusive posts.
>
> _So what is of interest to the list?
> Anything that addresses the impact of digital technologies upon writing
> and
> lived experience, from vague, barely expressible notions to passionate
> manifestos. This is the place for conjecture, imaginings, mappings and
> propositions.
>
> _What will I get out of it?
> With luck we will birth some inventive projects, successful
> collaborations,
> and unusual networks. Our conversations will stimulate innovative grant
> proposals and help locate specialist courses, external examiners and PhD
> supervisors. Researchers will find it invaluable as a place to discuss
> ideas and pose questions. Writers and artists can obtain feedback on their
> work and glean inspiration from the mass of information collected here.
>
> _How this list operates
> As host, I intend to keep a low profile and allow the list to develop its
> own tempo. I will, however, provide a rough structure in the form of a
> monthly theme to provide a focus, and I will interject where useful or
> necessary.
>
> _Is there an RSS feed?
> Not yet, although I understand that JISC are working on one. I considered
> starting this discussion on a blog but in the end decided to use a
> JISClist
> because it is fast and functions very smoothly on a range of platforms. I
> also rather like the idea of this very basic interface which is easy to
> use
> and accessible by both email and web.
>
> _Is there a web archive for this list?
> http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/writing-and-the-digital-life.html
>
> _Will there be more than this? Website, events, perhaps a blog?
> Grant applications are in progress now. More as I know it.
>
> _Who manages this list?
> My name is Sue Thomas and I live in Leicester, in the Midlands of England.
> In 1995 at Nottingham Trent University I founded the trAce Online Writing
> Centre http://trace.ntu.ac.uk where I was Artistic Director until December
> 2004. In January 2005 I took up a new post as Professor of New Media in
> the
> Faculty of Humanities at De Montfort University. I am also the author of
> several books, most recently 'Hello World: travels in virtuality'
> http://travelsinvirtuality.typepad.com Contact me at [log in to unmask]
> for information about postgraduate study, research projects at the
> forthcoming DMU Centre for Creative Technologies, or any other enquiries.
>
> Sue Thomas
> Professor of New Media
> School of Media and Cultural Production
> Faculty of Humanities
> De Montfort University
> The Gateway
> Leicester
> LE1 9BH, UK
> +44 (0)116 207 8266
> [log in to unmask]
> http://travelsinvirtuality.typepad.com/
>
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