Itinerary

Friday----> Troy Night Out

• 5:30 pm - Ethan Bach at 51 3rd Street | Screening Times 5:30pm, 7pm, 7:30pm, 8pm, 8:30pm | Reception 6pm
• Kismet Gallery
• The Official Unofficial Troy Night Out Afterparty
  (presented by Goodship)
  
  Friday, March 28, 2008
  9 pm to 3 am
  Revolution Hall
  425 River street, Troy, New York, 12180
  only $2 / got to be 18 to get in (ID required)

Be there. Duh.

GOOGLE

Google: More than just a search engine

The average person knows about Google as a search engine but do they know about the rest of the corporation?

Introduction

Google Co-Founder Larry Page once said: "The perfect search engine would understand exactly what you mean and give back exactly what you want. Google launched in 1998 and quickly became the largest search engine on the internet. It is used internationally and has become a part of daily life for most internet users. Google has changed the way we interact with the internet’s resources and has set the industry standard. However Google is more than a search engine now, it has expanded into advertising, mapping, instant messaging, videos, blogging and more. There is a future for Google that not many people know about but it’s kind of a big deal.

History

Originally a research project, Google started in 1996 as a concept between Larry Page and Sergey Brin, both from Stanford University. Their goal was to create a search engine that could analyze the relationships between websites and create better search results based on those relationships. The Google website was popular because of its clean and simple design layout. Once the google.com website got off the ground in 2007 they needed to find a way to make money. They began selling advertisements that related to the search keywords. Google charged for each click made from their website. Google became the most popular search engine which caused “YAHOO!” to become a thing of the past.

Growth

Once Google had their search engine in the bag, they were able to expand by acquiring other companies. The first of those companies was Pyra Labs, the creators of Blogger, in 2001. In 2006, Google purchased Writely, an online word processor. This program featured technology that Google used towards creating Google Docs & Spreadsheets. One of the most popular acquisitions by Google was that of YouTube.com in 2006. Google paid $1.56 billion in stock and YouTube is still growing. In the last two years Google has also purchased JotSpot, DoubleClick and Postini.

In addition to acquiring companies, Google has also partnered with companies to create a symbiotic relationship and gain from one another. Currently Google is working with NASA on developing research projects involving nanotechnology and other space related areas. Sun Microsystems, who originally helped Google get off the ground, have partnered in order to help each other share and distribute one another’s technologies. In order to improve one another’s video search, Google and Time Warner AOL have also established ties. Most recently News Corp. paid Google $900 million to provide search and advertising on their site, Myspace.com.

Google has also been able to create new services that have helped their company grow. While they currently have about 15+ applications for the desktop alone, they have also gone into mobile phones, publishing and radio. Some of their most popular applications are Gmail or “Google Mail”, Google Maps, Google Earth, Google Talk, Picasa and Google Video. Each application follows the same rules that were established in the beginning. These rules are the:

Ten things Google has found to be true

1. Focus on the user and all else will follow.

2. It's best to do one thing really, really well.

3. Fast is better than slow.

4. Democracy on the web works.

5. You don't need to be at your desk to need an answer.

6. You can make money without doing evil.

7. There's always more information out there.

8. The need for information crosses all borders.

9. You can be serious without a suit.

10. Great just isn't good enough.

Behind the Scenes

Sleek design and a smart, clever personality make Google who they are and why they are so cool. They stand apart from every other search engine on the internet and they make their user want to like them. In addition to having their users be their number one fan, they have created a work environment that is also appealing. Googleplex, in Mountain View, California is the home base of Google. The workplace of a Google employee is unlike any other. The campus not only has a gym and swimming pools, but it has a dozen cafés with free lunch and dinner, volleyball court, free laundry facilities, child care, electric cars, on site oil changes, car washes, dry cleaning, massages, hair stylists, doctors and bike repairs. There is a work shuttle powered by biodiesel with free wifi. The list goes on but one of the coolest parts about working there is the 20% rule. Workers are asked to spend 20% of their day working on an outside project. Google even lists their top 10 reasons to work there on their website:

Top 10 Reasons to Work at Google

1. Lend a helping hand.

2. Life is beautiful.

3. Appreciation is the best motivation.

4. Work and play are not mutually exclusive.

5. We love our employees, and we want them to know it.

6. Innovation is our bloodline.

7. Good company everywhere you look.

8. Uniting the world, one user at a time.

9. Boldly go where no one has gone before.

10. There is such a thing as a free lunch after all.

There is a witty sense of humor to Google that really draws attention from their users. From their corporate information page to their holiday Google banners that offer up a slight twist to the Google image. They have even used April Fool’s Day to their advantage and played pranks on their website.

Philanthropy

It would be expected of Google to be involved in philanthropy somehow but of course Google goes above and beyond. In 2004, Google.org was created. This non-profit was given a start up fund of $1 billion and is continuing to grow. Their mission statement says “Google.org aspires to use the power of information and technology to address the global challenges of our age: climate change, poverty and emerging disease. In collaboration with experienced partners working in each of these fields, we will invest our resources and tap the strengths of Google’s employees and global operations to advance five major initiatives.” Many of the workers at Google work on projects within this area because of the technological ties in energy research through fuel and vehicles.

Nothing’s Perfect

Google has been criticized by many. Such a large company can expect that any day but Google is pushing limits and going places that haven’t been traveled before. One of those places is creating an online and searchable database of digitalized books. Copyright has become an issue but isn’t stopping Google. I imagine books will be digital in the next 5 years and I think there will still be room for the physical demand for books in print. Many companies have stirred controversy with Google, mostly claiming small slip ups and demanding money. But all of this is expected and it won’t harm Google in the long run.

Opinion

I am a big fan of Google personally. As a graphic designer, I have a huge amount of respect for their design department and their attention to detail. I use their programs and find them to be the most well laid out visually and have the best user interfaces. I believe it takes genius companies like Google to raise the bar and push the industries to go beyond what is already available and still have a good head on their shoulders. I will forever respect Google for changing my outlook and need for the internet even if they were to never do another project again. I look forward to the future of Google because of what they are working on as far as energy and resources.

Conclusion

So what happens when you google, Google? You are given many options of what Google has to offer. From Google Talk to Maps to Earth to Gmail, Google is a company to watch out for. Not only have they accomplished so much to date, they are still just getting started. Their company puts forward a young, clean, and smart aesthetic that has kept them in the lead and will continue to help them grow in the future.

Troy Record Article from Today's Paper

It's a pretty scary thought

By James V. Franco

If it were the first time, Mayor Harry Tutunjian's explanation for closing down the Sanctuary for Independent Media on the day a controversial exhibit opened to the public could be considered plausible. But it's not the first time strong arm code enforcement tactics have been used under questionable circumstances. About two years ago, I watched as they tore down the marquee on the Cine Art. The city said it was unsafe and could fall on someone. That struck me as odd since two guys whacked away at it with sledge hammers for a few hours and then had to use a torch to cut the steel beams, cantilevered into the building, that were, until the acetylene hit them, doing a pretty good job of holding it up. This happened about a month after authorities raided the place and found sordid activities taking place there. The business was closed down, rightly so, but the owner has since done a ton of work on the building's inside but can't get the necessary permits to open the building up, not as a theater, but as a novelty store. Like it or not, it's a legal way to make a living, but he can't get the permits. Then, resident Jim deSeve requested the resignation of three employees for allegedly engaging in shady politicking using city resources on city time, the city cited him for having graffiti on his building. There were questions whether he was in violation of anything, how long the graffiti had been on his building and why they decided to go after him shortly after he called for the resignations. And then, Bud DeBonis set up his law practice in Lansingburgh and everything was going fine until the Democratic majority on the City Council, who don't getting along too well with Tutunjian and his administration, hired him as their attorney. Shortly thereafter, code enforcement shut him down for not having an adequate number of parking spots. And now, a day after a number of city and county employees picket the Sanctuary and the day it plans to open to the public an exhibit that entails a video game featuring a suicide bomber blowing up President Bush, code enforcement says no crowds can assemble there. Assembling crowds is what the Sanctuary for Independent Media is all about so without any crowds, the place is pretty much shut down. Think back to Jack Cox, and the raids conducted by code enforcement on his President Street junk yard. Cox always claimed they were harassing him in order to get his riverfront property. While Cox brought most of his problems on himself, he did, after years of fighting, ultimately agree to sell his land to the city for $400,000. Tutunjian and his administration made a big issue about aggressive code enforcement and concentrating on quality of life issues when they rolled into office and created the Action Team. I've seen them work. They are aggressive, and that is not a bad thing. But it does make me question how they let the Sanctuary slide by for 14 months, allowing them to assemble crowds when there is such a clear and present "life safety issue," as they say. The mayor claims "the ball was dropped" and promises an investigation into why and/or who dropped the ball on not closing the place down because the doors are two inches too small. According to Sanctuary Director Steve Pierce, it might be because the media center folks already made a ton of repairs and were working with code enforcement to get their building, an old church on Sixth Avenue, up to snuff. That was until they Sanctuary decided to host the video game art exhibit. I don't necessarily agree that it is art and I honestly think the artist is using shock value to bring attention to himself. But that doesn't mean the city has the right to close down the building or use city resources against things or people they don't necessary like or agree with. Actually, that is a pretty scary thought. And, if as I suspect, the artist was just trying to draw attention to himself, shutting down the building helped him towards that end. James V. Franco is The Record's city editor. His column runs Thursdays.

Interesting video

Some thoughts...

Here are some of my thoughts on the situation thus far. I hope people were able to attend the protest yesterday or at least watch some of the press on the news.


Background:
Wafaa Bilal, an RPI visiting artist had his art exhibit shut down by RPI and then later the city of troy (through the sanutary for independant media's code violations. The santuary was ironically shut down by Bob Mirch the Republican Public Works Commissioner after he led his own protest against Bilal. Mirch claims that to be coincidental.

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Quote from capital news 9

A day after the Mirch's protest, Code Enforcement shut down the Sanctuary, and as a result, the exhibit. Mayor Tutunjian says it has been in violation for more than a year and the city screwed up by not acting sooner because of the safety threats it presents. But both the Mayor and Mirch say, despite the timing, the shut down had nothing to do with the content of the exhibit and once improvements, including repairs to the front doors are made, the building will be open again.
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The RPI college republican club posted a statement saying "The Arts Department – A Haven for Terrorists". RPI's Dean of Students then removed their website from the internet because the statement was untrue and violated Rensselaer Electronic Citizenship Policy, specifically Section 3.4 Freedom from harassment (pg. 3), Section 4.1 Common courtesy and respect for others (pg. 3), and Section 4.1.3 Harassment (pg. 4). In addition to alleged violations of the Electronic Citizenship Policy (GDA #17), other Grounds for Disciplinary Action may also prove relevant, specifically, GDA #2, 6 and 9 as stated in The Rensselaer Handbook of Student Rights and Responsibilities, 2006-2008 (pg. 8).


Excerpt from rpi.freeculture.org:
______________________________
About the exhibit

In the widely marketed video game "Quest for Saddam," players fight stereotypical Iraqi foes and try to kill Saddam. Al Qaeda did its own take, creating an online video game using the structure of "Quest for Saddam" but adding a new "skin" to turn the game into a hunt for Bush: "The Night of Bush Capturing." Now artist Wafaa Bilal has hacked the Al Qaeda version of the game to put his own more nuanced spin on this epic conflict.

In "The Night of Bush Capturing: A Virtual Jihadi," Bilal casts himself as a suicide-bomber in the game. After learning of the real-life death of his brother in the war, he is recruited by Al Qaeda to join the hunt for Bush. This work is meant to bring attention to the vulnerability of Iraqi civilians to the travesties of the current war and racist generalizations and stereotypes as exhibited in games such as "Quest for Saddam," along with vulnerability to recruitment by violent groups like Al Qaeda because of the U.S.’s failed strategy in securing Iraq. The work also aims to shed light on groups that traffic in crass and hateful stereotypes of Arab culture with games like "Quest for Saddam" and other media.

"[Virtual Jihadi] is meant to bring attention to the vulnerability of Iraqi civilians to the travesties of the current war and racist generalizations and stereotypes as exhibited in games such as Quest for Saddam; along with vulnerability to recruitment by violent groups like Al Qaeda because of the U.S.’s failed strategy in securing Iraq. The work also aims to shed light on groups that traffic in crass and hateful stereotypes of Arab culture with games like Quest for Saddam and other media."[1]
[edit] About the artist

Wafaa Bilal is a U.S. citizen who emigrated to the U.S. in 1992 after being arrested and tortured for his political art work criticizing Saddam Hussein (see his bio here). He is a visiting artist at RPI's Arts Department, and had been working with the Department for a few weeks prior to the incident.

Wafaa Bilal was named 2007 Chicagoan of the Year by the Chicago Tribune, which wrote, "No artwork created in Chicago in 2007 received as much attention as Wafaa Bilal's 'Domestic Tension,' an interactive performance piece that subjected the Iraqi-born artist to a month of bombardment by paintballs from Internet viewers."


Taken from rpi.freeculture.org
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One of the most interesting aspects of this debate is that both sides are fighting for the same thing. Both sides want to support our country. Wafaa was trying to open the dialoge for people to speak. Despite his show being shut down, he still managed to create a stir about the War and in my opinion that justifies his time at RPI as being a successful one.

If you try to look at the bright side of everything that has happened, you'll see that a much larger voice was created because Bilal gained so much attention by newspapers and it got people talking. There are some great youtube documentary videos out there that I'll post in the blog. It shows some people holding anti-terrorism signs talking about how much they support america even if they don't agree with what the president is doing. I think a lot of people feel that way and I think that's what Bilal was trying to get across. He used his video game to create controversy and gain media attention about the issue of war. I think we all want this war to be over with, especially those who have lost their family and friends because of it, just as Bilal has lost his brother. He wants the war to be over too. He wants peace.

And so we all have a common goal here. I understand why people immediately react to his video game and just see the surface issue of shooting bush being wrong but those people need to look closer and really see what Bilal's purpose was. Everyone here has a common goal and I hope that everyone is able to see that when all is said and done.

Email from RPI

After extensive and careful deliberation and consideration of the origin, content, and intent of the "Virtual Jihadi" video game exhibit by digital media artist Wafaa Bilal, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has decided not to reopen the exhibit on the Troy campus. The decision was based on numerous concerns, including, in particular two characteristics of the video game in the exhibit, as affirmed by the

artist: First, that the video game in the exhibit is derived from the product of a terrorist organization; and second, that the video game is targeted to and suggests the killing of the President of the United States.

Rensselaer fully supports academic and artistic freedom. We respect the rights of all members of the Rensselaer community and their guests to express their opinions and viewpoints. However, as stewards of a private university, we have the right and, indeed, the responsibility to ensure that university resources are used in ways that are in the overall best interests of the institution.

William N. Walker

Vice President for Strategic Communications and External Relations

Waffa Bilal

Times Union Article

Wafaa Bilal's gallery has been shut down.

WTF RPI? The alumni of RPI really hold the power over everything. By power, of course I mean money. Part of me understands why RPI always plays it safe, I get that. Funding, alumni, etc. But if you're pushing the arts department. Pushing the "Rensselaer University". Then what are you doing shutting down this display? Talking about this in class has brought up about 5 stories of students final projects that have been shut down. Now, while these have been slightly controversial projects, they haven't been THAT crazy. It's mostly been funny inside RPI jokes like "One word empties wallets. Rensselaer. Why not change your mind?" or pro-religious projects. It's really interesting to me because RPI only got wind of Wafaa's project after the press it's received.

Now let me just say that I was part of a large conference call with artists in Iraq with Wafaa translating for us. He's a very normal, calm guy. He's just enjoying this time being at RPI and was really gracious to us for being so willing to participate in the phone call. We were able to ask questions to the artists in Iraq. We even had a Jewish guy ask questions, which was kinda neat. My big question was how artists were influenced in Iraq. Do they focus on a positive future or does their work reflect their harsh day to day reality?

These questions are interesting. These questions bridge the gap between cultures. Aren't we supposed to be learning from eachother? Embracing our differences? I've learned a lot already from Wafaa. From how administration reacts to what life for an artist was like in Iraq. (They tend to focus on staying alive rather than their work and it's hard for them to ever take their art outside of their homes). I support the Arts Department of RPI. It's just a shame that RPI ended his gallery display early. As an arts student at RPI, I've learned a ton, so thanks to everyone regardless of your opinion.

-Emelie

Podcast Three | Electronic Music

Visting Artist Waafa Bilal

After viewing some of his work and seeing him in person today for the first time, I am really surprised that RPI has him as a artist in residency. His work is very controversial and frankly I'm surprised to see him at RPI considering the stir he could potentially create. However in my own opinion I think it's great for the arts department to have him here. Today Waafa and a group of students (including myself) were part of a phone conference with 4 artists in Iraq. It had me thinking about his work and the artists in Iraq. Their artwork must vary so much from that of an American's in concept because of the significant differences in day to day life. I also wonder if their inspiration is more about a positive future in Iraq or if it's about the negative present.

I find it kind of amazing that in such a war torn place there are artists that are able to support themselves. I just imagine life over there to be much more practical and focused. I value art and music so much in my life and I cannot imagine how I'd be different emotionally without it. Then to think about these people in Iraq who probably don't have much music or artwork (expression of their feelings) and how that must be so bounding. I could be wrong though, I'm not really sure. These are all just ideas based on what I know as a young American girl.

-Emelie

Tipping Point

Hush Puppies

I enjoyed this read mostly because of the reference to fashion and how trends can start. One person can start it all and not even know. It's quite amazing. Fashion can come from someone who cannot afford anything but old Hush Puppies. Something can spread in an instant. There are some great commercials out now that demonstrate how fast something can spread. The one that comes to mind is about spreading kindness through holding the door open for someone or something. It shows another person noticing and then doing a favor for someone else and so on. The doubling (or tree branching) affect can rapidly change something in a short amount of time. This is common with the internet in that when one person finds something interesting, they'll send it to their 10 friends who in return will each send out 10 more to each of their friends (hitting 110 people in a matter of seconds).

MOVIE: I really liked the movie in class today and I really liked the psychology behind how easy it is for someone to believe something just by seeing it a certain amount of times. A stunt like that keeps people on their toes and keeps them second guessing the world around them. It's really important in avoiding the mindless routine that life could be.

-Emelie