Abstracting Craft: The Practiced Digital Hand

Book Description

The love of making things need not be confined to the physical world -- electronic form giving can also be a rewarding hands-on experience. In this investigation of the possibility of craft in the digital realm, Malcolm McCullough observes that the emergence of computation as a medium, rather than just a set of tools, suggests a growing correspondence between digital work and traditional craft.

Personal and conversational in tone, with examples and illustrations drawn from a variety of disciplines, Abstracting Craft shows that anyone who gives form with software, whether in architecture, painting, animating, modeling, simulating, or manufacturing, is practicing personal knowledge and producing visual artifacts that, although not material, are nevertheless products of the hands, eyes, and mind.

Chapter by chapter, McCullough builds a case for upholding humane traits and values during the formative stages of new practices in digital media. He covers the nature of hand-eye coordination; the working context of the image culture; aspects of tool usage and medium appreciation; uses and limitations of symbolic methods; issues in human-computer interaction; geometric constructions and abstract methods in design; the necessity of improvisation; and the personal worth of work.

For those new to computing, McCullough offers an inside view of what the technology is like, what the important technical issues are, and how creative computing fits within a larger intellectual history. Specialists in human-computer interaction will find an interesting case study of the anthropological and psychological issues that matter to designers. Artificial intelligence researchers will be reminded that much activity fails to fit articulable formalisms. Aesthetic theorists will find a curiously developed case of neostructuralism, and cultural critics will be asked to imagine a praxis in which technology no longer represents an authoritarian opposition. Finally, the unheralded legions of digital craftspersons will find a full-blown acknowledgment of their artistry and humanity.

Customer Reviews:

HCI meets craft.......2002-12-10

One fear of digitizing art concerns the loss of craft needed to produce objects in physical media. McCullough may not set this fear to rest, but he does present a persuasive case that craft as we know it remains present in new media. He is able to define tools, tool use and tool systems so as to convince one that the tools of program interfaces are as much tools as their physical kin. The distinction between a tool and a machine and how both are represented in a graphic program's interface is especially intriguing. This book would be of interest to the many sculptors who have adopted digital methods into their work, but it may be of most use for human-computer interaction professionals designing 3D interfaces.

Can real artists use technology?.......1999-07-01

A book which explores many issues around the role of the artist utilising new-media. This re-affirms the fact that in all art forms responsibility is upmost. Great read for artists considering using new technology, especially students.

Revising the identity of technology.......1999-06-30

A very thorough and easy read for beginners to start thinking what lies beyond the computing technology. This book may be similar with Gate's The Road Ahead, but does not intrigue much ecological vision into abstracting the craft.

Abstracting Craft : The Practiced Digital Hand

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Abstracting Craft : The Practiced Digital Hand
Malcolm McCullough
Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OQGCT8

Book Description

Covering tools that photographers need in order to masterfully apply traditional darkroom techniques using Adobe Photoshop, this book explains how to achieve professional, believable images that appear enhanced-not manipulated and unnatural. Detailed are the steps required to turn digital files into master files, which can then be used to produce fine art prints from a personal or commercial printer. Recognizing that an essential feature of the digital darkroom is a color-managed workload, which requires a properly calibrated monitor, this book explains basic color theory and how to best incorporate it into the developing process. Although the techniques described are appropriate for all users of the software, no prior experience with Adobe Photoshop is necessary.

Product Description

Captured American airmen, their faces a ghastly purple, are leading savage suicide attacks against their own men. Backed by his Battle Aces, G-8 uses all his powers of disguise and daring to smash the devilish plot - and all his fighting nerve as his Spad takes to the air against the mystery staffel of the Purple Aces.

Customer Reviews:

Super Reader.......2007-08-26

A pilot arrives, dying, and a strange purple stain spreads on his face, with an Ace of Spades.

Two other pilots, twins, exhibit bizarre behaviour changes.

When G-8 investigates, there is much dogfighting. The trail leads him to a castle in a dungeon, through a swamp, past a cemetery, no less, and he counters the perfidious influence of Herr Doktor Krueger, and a scientist named Zwantag.

Krueger had been using Zwantag's work on behaviour modification via his purple substance to look at making Allied pilots attack their own.

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G-8 and His Battle Aces #2: Purple Aces
Robert J. Hogan
Manufacturer: Berkely PB
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000MZUF0S

Purple Aces (G-8 and His Battle Aces #2)

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Purple Aces (G-8 and His Battle Aces #2)

Manufacturer: Berkley Publishing Corp.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000I71JXC

The Skeleton Patrol (G-8 and His Battle Aces, Volume 2)

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The Skeleton Patrol (G-8 and His Battle Aces, Volume 2)

Manufacturer: Adventure House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 188693763X

Product Description

G-8 and His Battle Aces : The Skeleton Patrol a Complete Novel. The Year is 1933 and the era of the great pulp heroes is just beginning. Flying out of the fertile minds of Popular Publications come the G-8 and His Battle Aces. A World War 1 flying spy who takes on the most fantastic of German foes that ever flew a Fokker.

G-8 and His Battle Aces : Purple Aces #2

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G-8 and His Battle Aces : Purple Aces #2
Robert J. Hogan
Manufacturer: Berkley Medallion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000P3OV4S

G-8 AND HIS BATTLE ACES; VOL. 23, NO. 2; MARCH, 1941

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G-8 AND HIS BATTLE ACES; VOL. 23, NO. 2; MARCH, 1941

Manufacturer: Popular Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HTGTDQ

Book Description

This in-depth study refutes the recent claim that socialist theory can be renewed on the basis of "classical Marxism," the socialist politics of the Second International in the period between the death of Karl Marx and the Russian Revolution, arguing instead that classical Marxism was in the process of dissolution even before 1914, that the alliance between socialist left and right could be kept together only by pushing the moment of socialist revolution even further into the distance, and that with war and revolution imminent, this balancing act became impossible to sustain. Written with both sympathy and some distance, this accessible text features a series of biographical chapters that consider the lives and arguments of important figures within the movement.

Book Description

Gart brings the reader up-to-date with the changes in regulation and deregulation, structure and restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, technology, distribution systems, sources and uses of funds, strategies, and the profitability of the institutions that are the dominant players within the financial services industry. This volume provides the latest management thinking about asset and liability management, the apparent consolidation of the financial services industry, the latest marketing approaches and technological capabilities, and offers guidance on managing a financial institution through a changing environment and regulatory maze. Institutions that survive and prosper will require superior skills in marketing, information systems, and planning and strategic implementation. Choosing the right tarket segments, the proper products and services, and understanding the most important leverage points in the management of technology and operations will all be part of the basic survival kit along with more efficient distribution systems. This new handbook and guide to the contemporary U.S. financial services industry is must reading for industry professioonals and an essential resource for the public they serve. Individual chapters describe how the financial services industry developed, where it is today, and what it will be like in the next decade. In addition, the book describes the nature of the competition, the evolution of new products and services, and the impact of deregulation on each segment of the financial services industry. These segments include: commercial banking, international banking, savings and loans, savings banks, credit unions, life insurance companies, property-casualty companies, pension funds, finance companies, leasing companies, investment banking, brokerage firms, investment companies, and money market funds.

Customer Reviews:

Keep on Learning.......2001-01-23

I found Mr. Gart's book to be very helpful for me in my quest to become more financially literate. I have read several financial books recently and found this one to be very helpful.

Some of the information is outdated but the basic questions of are answered. It is informative reading and I reccommend it to those trying to learn more about financial institutions.

Book Description

How the persistent worsening of the income distribution in the US in the 1980s and 1990s be explained? What are the prospects for the re-emergence of sustainable prosperity in the US economy over the next generation? Situating these questions within a wider context through historical analysis and comparisons with Germany and Japan, this book focuses on the microeconomics of corporate investment behavior, and the macroeconomics of household saving behavior. The contributors analyze how the combined pressures of excessive corporate growth,international competition, and intergenerational dependence have influenced corporate investment over the past two decades. They also offer a perspective on how corporate investment in skill bases can support sustainable prosperity, with studies drawn from the machine tool, aircraft engine, and medical equipment industries.

The New Global Investors: How Shareowners can Unlock Sustainable Prosperity Worldwide

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interesting analysis of corporate hegemony
Can Pension Funds Change the World?

The New Global Investors: How Shareowners can Unlock Sustainable Prosperity Worldwide
Robert A. G. Monks , and Robert A.G. Monks
Manufacturer: Capstone
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1841121096

Book Description

Large corporations dominate our world. More than any other factor it is corporations that decide who is rich and who is poor, what kind of education we enjoy, the quality of our environment and the use of force in international affairs. Corporate energy is perceived as the single most effective tool for creating wealth and solving society's problems. But there is a price, and a new and potentially destructive element has emerged which fundamentally changes and increases the danger that big business represents. Through control over their boards of directors, their compensation committees, 'independent' consultants, the accounting authorities and even governments, CEO's have acquired the capacity to pay themselves as much as they wish. Is there now any effective limit to the power of corporate management? As the worlds most prominent and notorious shareholder activist, Robert Monks has relentlessly stalked ineffective management, waking it, shaking it, and replacing it. The New Global Investors is his most powerful call yet for a more accountable corporate world.

Customer Reviews:

interesting analysis of corporate hegemony.......2001-08-17

Robert Monks is the world's highest profile shareholder activist. The subtitle of his book, "How shareowners can unlock sustainable prosperity worldwide" gives some hint about its content. Monks calls for greater corporate accountability and returning the control of corporations to shareholders. He argues that the separation between control and ownership of corporations has lead to the death of corporate social responsibility.

This insight is a powerful one. For while it has become clear that the power of transnational corporations often exceeds that of national governments, exactly who controls that power? The corporation embodies a life of its own and the corporate managers are accountable to no one. Monks sets out to explain how such a state of affairs came about.

Beginning with the first East India Trading companies Monks charts the rapid rise of the corporation to its present dominant position in our society. He identifies the discontent with multinational corporations most outwardly expressed at protests in Seattle and Prague, but also observes that this feeling of discontent is shared by many traditional supporters of capitalism. He makes reference to his home state of Maine where people have been left behind by "corporatization". People living in the traditional way have become impoverished both in spirit and in means. Yet he fails to extend these observations beyond the borders of the USA to the Third World.

Monks sees a class of institutions that he labels as Global Investors, which are the public and private pension funds in the US, UK, Canada, Netherlands, Australia and Japan, as being the key to unlocking the power of ownership in corporations. Pension funds represent the interests of individuals who will typically retire in about twenty years and the interests of these individuals are to live in a safe, morally just world.

There is no great difference between the interests of shareholders and the interests of society so, as Monks puts it, "Ownership involvement can provide a valuable 'creative tension' disciplining corporate energy to be compatible with needs of society." He believes that activism (by shareholders) can actually add value to and improve corporations. He cites Ford as an example of a company where the owners have maintained an interest in controlling the company with some positive outcomes. Although I would suggest that while the business practices of Ford might be better than some of their competitors, this does not necessarily mean they are good per se. The problem is that the activism of shareholders will always maintain some level of self-interest, in contrast to the grassroots activist whose motivation will be more altruistic.

My main criticism of the book is that while it provides a strong critique of corporate capitalism it fails to go further in its critique of the capitalist paradigm. However, as an attack on corporate hegemony this book provides an interesting analysis.

Can Pension Funds Change the World?.......2001-07-09

Can Pension Funds Change the World?

Pension funds are not generally renowned for revolutionary acts or activisim. Monks however, designates them as potential change agents 'par excellence'. Calling them the new global investors, he believes their economic clout (without historical precedent ), and global reach affords them the opportunity to effect widespread societal change. 'By exercising their fiduciary duties to increase the wealth of their beneficiaries, they can literally change the world, since so much of the world is theirs', he says. He sees these pension funds wielding enormous power and influence not just by who they distribute their money to but their impact in how that money is managed.

Pension funds are enormous, and growing. Funds in the UK account for an amount equivalent to 62% of the UK's GDP, in the US 45% of the US GDP, and in Australia 18% of Australia's GDP.

Monks believes pension fund trustees must demand transparency of the corporations they are invested in, and actively manage their investments rather than being content to 'sit back and passively pick up profits without knowing or caring where they came from'. Monk's game plan for affecting this change focuses on the pension funds adopting a three point global corporate constitution requiring the companies they invest in to:

Fully disclose their impact on society n Reveal how much they spend on involvement in the elective, administrative and regulatory public processes Obey the law.

Point one is receiving growing public and government support. Since July 2000 pension fund trustees in the United Kingdom have been obliged to disclose in statements of investment principles 'the extent (if at all) to which social, environmental and ethical considerations are taken into account'. Legislation similar to this is currently under consideration in Australia.

Monks argues that socially and environmentally responsible investing is a part of a pension fund's fiduciary responsibility in meeting their legal requirements to invest in their beneficiaries best interests. He points out that socially and environmentally irresponsible behaviour will result in externalised costs such as environmental damage and risks to public health. These costs are eventually reflected in the company's stock price when the market perceives increased risks to future revenue from loss of reputation, possible lawsuits and fines. Pension fund trustees, Monks holds, have a duty to demand that the management of the companies in their portfolios are not only working effectively to maximize profits today, but also acting in a socially and environmentally responsible manner as the most effective way to ensure sustainable value for the future.

Transparent, accountable corporate governance has received renewed attention recently with legislation in the United Kingdom proposing the so-called "corporate killing" crime, rendering companies liable for corporate manslaughter and directors being subject to disqualification. In Australia, the Victorian Government has released a draft of the Crimes Industrial Manslaughter Bill which makes directors criminally liable for negligent acts within their company. Queensland is planning similar legislation.

To date, however fund managers have remained unconvinced that responsible environmental and social management results in a better economic performance. Initiatives such as the FTSE4Good Index being launched next month in the UK which will weigh up the share prices of companies that conform to SRI principles, will be watched closely by fund managers and pension trustees. It will be interesting to see the effects on the market if they can provide evidence of such a link.

Monk's call to arms for pension funds, and his vision of a global corporate code of governance for pension trustees is inspiring. He positions pension funds as 'the real guardians of the corporate future, with primary responsibility for expressing the interests of the ultimate owners in the governance of the modern business corporation'. Surely at least some pension trustees will see this as an exciting opportunity to effect positive societal change while delivering economic benefits to members.

A long term shareholder activist, Monks has the experience, and demonstrated fund performance, to back up his claims. He is the founder of Lens, an institutional activist investment fund which has achieved returns in excess of the S&P 500 average, since 1992 and over the last three years exceeded them by over 100%.

Monks vision, which advocates working within the current framework, should be a palatable one for pension trustees and fund managers. He believes the market system is the best system yet created to bring prosperity to the many, requiring only internal adjustment to deliver sustainable profits. His vision is that pension fund trustees will play a key role in avoiding the collision between the boundless growth of large corporations and the long-term welfare of the populations they serve. He sees them doing this in their capacity as the new global investors by demanding transparency from, and actively managing their shareholdings in, corporations.

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The Japanese financial crisis, corporate governance, and sustainable prosperity (Working paper)
William Lazonick
Manufacturer: Jerome Levy Economics Institute of Bard College
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Labor & Industrial Relations | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: B0006QV6P6

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Working paper
William Lazonick
Manufacturer: Jerome Levy Economics Institute, Bard College
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0006QM90M

Book Description

With much of Europe plagued by high levels of unemployment, it has become widely accepted that the culprit is labor market rigidity and that the prescription can only be labor market deregulation: lower wages, higher earnings inequality, greater decentralization in bargaining, less generous unemployment benefits, more hiring flexibility, and less job security. Fighting Unemployment critically assesses this free market orthodoxy. With cross-country statistical analyses and country case studies, leading economists from seven North American and European countries contend that this conventional wisdom has greatly exaggerated the extent to which the unemployment problem can be blamed on protective labor market institutions and that the case for dismantling the welfare state to fight unemployment rests more on free market ideology than on the empirical evidence. The larger message of this book is that fundamentally different labor market models - ranging from the 'American Model' to the much more regulated and coordinated Scandinavian systems - are compatible with low unemployment.

FIGHTING UNEMPLOYMENT:LIMITS OF FREE MARKET ORTHODOXY

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FIGHTING UNEMPLOYMENT:LIMITS OF FREE MARKET ORTHODOXY
HOWELL
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OKPCU4

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FIGHTING UNEMPLOYMENT:LIMITS OF FREE MARKET ORTHODOXY
HOWELL
Manufacturer: Clarendon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OKQ4PG

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