Digital Art and Computer Graphics in Cyberspace

Digital Art and Computer Graphics in Cyberspace

Cyberspace is a newly developed concept in today’s day and age where so much happens on the Internet. Thus, much digital art is produced using software, such as 2D and 3D graphics, modeling, rendering, photo and video editing software. In terms of programs to choose from, the choice is vast. While Abobe Creative Suite including Photoshop as well as Maya by Autodesk seem to be top of the line in terms of professionalism, they may take a very long time to get accustomed to. In fact, people have reported that creating a 3D character mesh by mesh may take months, which only adds to what is understandable in terms of copyright.

Artist’s selfie. Digital art, computer generated imagery (CGI). Image: Megan Jorgensen (Elena)

Alternatively, there are other software one can use to create digital art and computer generated imagery (CGI). First, there are various both simplified and complex 2D and 3D animation programs, such as open source software such as GIMP, Stykz and Blender. Also, there are numerous drawing applications. Also, perhaps of most interest to the beginner cyber artist, there are platforms such as Poser and Daz Studio, allowing for the creation of beautiful 3D content in a user-friendly environment. Poser is a commercial application which comes complete with figures, meshes, clothing, hair, lights, scences and so on. What’s more, additional content may be purchased with corresponding licences from Content Paradise.

Artwork: Digital Art & Cyberspace

CGI (computer generated imagery) is becoming more and more popular in today’s day and age. Software companies, such as Adobe and Autodesk, have transformed the art world. While in times past, artistic renderings were performed using mostly pencil, oil paint, watercolors, pen, charcoal, graphite and other materials, modern era artists benefit from digital tools to translate their feelings into potential masterpieces. However, becoming a graphic designer takes as much preparation and educational commitment as most other professions.

Photography art certainly warrants a couple of sentences. Furthermore, today’s culture certainly includes a lot of photos. For example, the word selfie has entered the dictionary only recently. However, artistic photography is a little different than pictures taken with smartphones or regular cameras. Thus, professional cameras often have built-in functions and options, as well as better speed and resolution. Also, black and white photography is very popular among professional photographers, such as photographs of wildlife and worldwide travel. For instance, pictorial depictions of polar landscapes remain among some of the most impressive images a photo camera lens can capture.

Digital Art. Illustration by Elena

Art history is one of the many majors modern universities offer. Filmography likewise presents an art form. Like most creative mediums, movies have evolved. The movie industry went from black and white silent scenery to computer enhanced (and even computer graphics hybrids) short films and full length features. Further, reality TV is a fairly new genre; many people enjoy shows about other people’s (usually famous personalities) lives, alongside the much watched crime shows and sitcoms. Other genres include romantic comedy, mystery, drama, horror, science-fiction and fantasy, among others.

Similarly, screenplay evolves from the ancient art form of theater. To illustrate, in Ancient Greece, actors would depict tragedies and comedies, which was thought to induce catharsis in spectators. Thus, once the audience experienced the feeling or emotion through the actor’s performance, they would ease some of their own tension related to similar situations. In sharp contrast, today’s scientists tend to argue that watching violence on television may induce aggressive behavior through behavioral modeling, particularly in children, but the conclusion remains debated in the literature.

Black Creek Pioneer Village. Art photo by Elena

Skull and Hyssop

Skull and Hyssop

By Kathlen Jennings

The Hyssop limped over Poorfortune, ragged and battered, listing where gas cushions had burst, her spars and lines tangled, but still aloft and still bearing its crew – all bone-weary, save for the captain. He was exhilarated by survival and their neck-or-nothing passage through the great storm. When they cleared the last shreds of cloud and broke through into clear air, when Ivana – shaken – had silently pointed to the horizon while Cally corrected their course, he had wanted to take her by the shoulders and dance her in a circle. He had remembered in time that she was wounded and he could not dance, so had simply pulled out his pipe and folded his arms, grinning towards the distant port until Tomasch shouted for help with the most urgent repairs. Moon said, sadly, that he saw no need for efforts beyond those, and as Cally, given long acquaintance with Moon, had insisted on full pay in advance and suspected there was no future on the Hyssop, there was no objection from the crew.

When Moon returned to his cabin, he had found Ivana asleep on his bed, Alban watching anxiously over her. He dismissed Alban, and stood a moment looking down at his weatheerfinder. Her face was an unhealthy colour, but she was breathing and so he left her while he salvaged the few books and papers he could carry in a canvas matilda. He righted a chair and sat to compose a leter which would inspire the necessary curiosity and urgency in an ambitious journalist, and terror in distant corridors of power.

Skull and Hyssop. Photo by Elena

Once he looked around the cabin, and wondered if he would miss it. The thought of the use to which the ship had once been put made his skin crawl, but that was shadowed by the quiet company of the weatherfinder and the bond of the wild flight. Ivana was awake again and watching him with her long jaw set, but she did not speak.

As they worked their way in over Poorfortune at last, Moon dropped a package overboard carefully labelled with Eliza Blancrose’s name. The sprawling city had its own systems for such things – by the time the wounded Hyssop was in position to dock, the newsmongers of the Poorfortune Exclamation and the High Harbour Times, together with a bevy of Poorfortune police, were at the low docks crowding out a contingent of eager civil servants on the service of the Republic, and several alarmed gentlemen in dark suits whom Moon judged to be in Their Imperial Majesties’ emply. Somewhere beyond them, customs officeers gesticukated, disregarded.

Eliza was there with the linesmen, and first across to the Hyssop, helped willingly by an appreciative Tomsch. She held her hat on with one glovedd hand.

Science Fiction and Fantasy 2015, edited by Rich Horton, Prime Books, 2015.

Mesoeconomics

Mesoeconomics

In Ancient Greek, micro means small, meso means middle and macro means large. Unlike macroeconomics (larger picture) and microeconomics (individual), mesoeconomics is a new and debated field, supposed to characterize the items that fail to fit in either of the preceding categories. These neologistic theories began circulating in the eighties. The subject failed to attract much weight. The term is largely unrecognized; even proliferate searches in the literature end up with relatively little about the topic. Many question not only the validity, but the very existence of the whole paradigmatical structure.

A common criticism is that the field would be centring exclusively on exceptions. The field examines social phenomena and its economic repercussions and overlaps with many others such as sector and welfare, institutional economics, game theory and strategy, political economy and information theory.

Joseph A. Schumpeter was an economist associated with the meso level. As depicted by Dopfer (2006) on p. 1, Schumpeter’s proposition postulates “that entrepreneurs carry out innovations (micro), that swarms of followers imitate them (meso)” and, thus, “creative destruction leads to economic development from within (macro)”. Schumpeterian and Neo Schumpeterian (evolutionary), classical and neoclassical economic views are discussed in the work. There are two levels of economic analysis: operant and generic. The former would focus on commodities, while the latter on knowledge.

Actually, the stories of how Einstein and Schumpeter got their discoveries are told. Apparently, the physicist channelled all his scientific efforts towards light, while the economist to social life questions. More precisely, the economic mind determined that energetic personalities (entrepreneurs) lead change (cognitive novelty) in socializing. The ‘agens’ of the entrepreneur drives innovation, which in turn fosters progress. The Malthusian principle posits that as population increases, limited resources will diminish, therefore there need to be positive (increase death rate: war, disease, natural disaster), and negative (reduce fertility: famine), checks on the population. Thomas Malthus theorized that famine acted as pressure to reduce the birth rate.

Manhattan. Conflicts are never caused in any simple way by identity, culture or economics. Where resources are scarce, or there are strong historical memories of conflict, small events are more likely to inflame passions. (Geoff Mulgan). Photo: Megan Jorgensen (Elena).

The famously rejected by Creationists, survival of the fittest theory from Charles Darwin’s book the On the Origin of Species, is largely predicated on the Malthusian principle. Economically speaking, the equilibrium sustenance would shift as the returns on agriculture plummeted.

The entropy law, transposed to economics, means that need satisfaction will require trading. An inactive status quo would result in material loss. Thus, in at least two papers (Dopfer, 2006: Dopfer, 2004), the author proposes the concept of Homo sapiens oeconomicus, the one with the capacity to use knowledge as capital in response to the foreshadowed entropic problematic. The genus is better apt at static than dynamic problems, reacting to the environment rather than influencing it.

Some social psychologists counsel that to be assertive in interpersonal relationships, one must accept the others as they are, save the time and energy that would be dispensed at the fruitless task of trying to modify them and invest it into something productive instead. Perhaps, the behaviour is indeed exceptionally rational. Instead of simply stating that some categorizations do not belong in either micro or macro, the feel one gets from the composition is that some elements contain both parts, if that is what is meant by bimodality.

References:

• Dopfer, K. (2006). The origins of meso economics Schumpeter’s legacy. In Evolutionary Economics Group: MPI Jena Ed., Papers on economics and evolution. Max Planck Gesellschaft: Jena, Germany.
• Dopfer, K., Foster, J. & Potts, J. (2004). Micro-meso-macro. Journal of Evolutionary Economics, 14: 263-279.

Harpa

Harpa

Walking through the city centre, your eyes can't help but be drawn to a glittering castle of glass and steel by the harbour, with a picture perfect backdrop of Mount Esjan on the other side of the water. Harpa, Reykjavík's music hall and conference centre was completed in 2011 much to the joy of Icelandic musicians as well as the music-loving public.

Harpa was only completed in 2011 but there had been talks, and even plans of building a music house in Reykjavík for decades. In fact, the first documented suggestion of a music hall appeared in 1881. The talks became serious when the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1950 but its temporary home in the Haskolabio cinema became much longer than expected. Many locations were suggested but in 2000, people settled on the Harpa's current spot by the harbour. Construction began in 2007, but were halted as a result of Iceland financial collapse in 2008. The building became a hot topic and the nation was divided on whether this was the right time to build a house dedicated to the arts. Luckily, construction soon went ahead and the result is the Harpa, a lovely addition to both the city centre and Iceland's music scene.

Harpa. Photo by Olga

The building was designed by a Danish firm in cooperation with Icelandic architects but the building's standout feature, the honeycomb façade at glass and steel, is the brainchild of internationally acclaimed artist of Icelandic descent, Olafur Eliasson. If you're interested in seeing more of his work, head to the recently opened Marshall building by the old harbour, which houses Olafur's studion and exhibition space.

The building is impressive but, of course, the most important part of Harpa is noth the brick and mortar (or in this case, glass and concret), but what goes on inside its halls. Harpa is home to the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, the Icelandic Opera, the Reykjavík Big Band, and a curiously musical mouse called Maximus Musicus, who regularly appears at the orchestra's children's concerts and is very excited to teach kids all there is to know about music and musical instruments.

In addition to classical concerts and operas, Harpa is also home to modern popular music – music festivals Sonar Reykjavík and the legendary Iceland Airwaves festival regularly take place in Harpa – as well as conferences, lectures and comedy shows. Be sure to check out the Harpa program while you're here, taking in a show or a concert in one of its grand halls in an unforgettable experience.

A Car-Buying Pro Speaks

A Car-Buying Pro Speaks

Get a Bargain on Your Dreamboat

A car-buying pro reveals how to get the best deal in town

No-dicker auto dealerships are increasingly common today, thanks to the one-price-fits-all success of General Motor’s Saturn division and a growing number of other dealerships. But if the deals at such showrooms are fair, they are seldom great, say experts. And 85 percent of all new car purchases are still negotiated. But there’s no reason why your neighbors the Joneses should get a better deal than you. Here, W. James Bragg, author of In the Driver’s Seat : The New Car Buyer’s Negotiating Bible (Random House, 1993) and founder of the car buying information service, Fighting Chance, outlines what you need to know to push a dealer eager to negotiate to the limit.

Know the real cost of the car you like before walking into the showroom: forget the sticker price. The dealer invoice represents what the dealer really paid the manufacturer for the car. In addition, you need to know if there are any factory-to-dealer incentives – to dealers to get them to push a particular model. Dealers can hide incentives from the consumer and use the on promotions, or they can pass them along as discounts. The average range for factory-to-dealer cash on a vehicle is $500 to $1,000. Then there are “holdbacks.” This is extra profit that most manufacturers keep from the dealer until the car is sold, ranging from 2 percent of the base invoice to 3 percent of the full sticker price. “Once you know those three things,” says Bragg, “you are as close to nirvana as you’re ever going to be.”

Show the salesmen you know what they know: Bragg suggests making a worksheet with all your pricing information and taking it with you. “Tell the salesperson,” Bragg says, “that you know what your dealer invoice is and you know about this incentive. You expect him to make a profit, but you’re not going to send him on his next trip to Hawaii.” To calculate the price you should be offering, subtract any manufacturer incentives from the dealer invoice then add back the manufacturer’s price for any options or accessories. To allow fr dealer profit, Bragg then adds to this price about $200 to $600 for cars retailing from $10,000 to about $27,000. For cars in the high twenties to $40,000, hr adds $500 to $1,200. For a luxury car retailing for around $50,000, he adds $2,000 to $3,000.

Broadway. Photo by Elena

Offer your price, and then bite your tongue: Let the salesman have the next word. “If you talk next,” says Bragg, “it shows you’re uncertain or insecure.” And if the dealer doesn’t like the price, give him your phone number and leave. Frequently, the salesman will stop you before you get in your car. Be prepared form him to ask. “How do you expect me to make any money?” Counter this tactic by reminding him that you know about the profit hidden in the holdback.

Know the supply and demand for the car you want: The industry trade magazine, Automative News, found at most libraries, carries sales figures for different makes and models. Knowing that a dealer desperately needs you to buy his cars can be a real confidence builder. You should tell the salesman when you know a model is not moving from the lot. Bragg says: “His mouth will hit the chair, because he is not aware of this. He’s just trying to figure out how he can hustle you.”Sometimes this information is not helpful, however. The demand for a Chevy Suburban is so intense that you literally have to wait in line and pay what the dealer asks, he says.

Work two or three dealers for the same car: Let each know that they are competing for your business. Bragg knows of people who have priced cars by fax and phone. He claims 40 to 60 percent of the dealers will respond to an offer given in this manner. The bottom line, he says, is who wants to sell cars this month or who wants to play games.

Negotiate the price before discussing financing and trade-ins: If you bargain on the price of your trade-in too early, the dealer may give you a great deal on the used car. But, Bragg says, the salesperson is trained to get this money back on the price of the new car.

Shop for cash and then the car: On average, a dealer makes more money from financing a car than selling a car. Bragg encourages car buyers to check on financing terms with their banks or credit unions so they can be sure that the dealer has put together a good financing package.

Research insurance prices: Knowing how much you are going to pay in insurance premiums can really help you determine the true price of a car.

Leave your checkbook and credit cards at home: This will help you avoid making an impulse buy. Also, be wary of giving dealers too much information. They may ask for your name, address, Social Security number, and driver’s license number. If you take a test drive, the dealer has the right to see your license. But he doesn’t have the right to photocopy it. The right information allows the dealer to run a credit report, which may divulge who else has requested one. If they don’t see any other car dealers on the report, they will think that you are not making the car buying competitive.

Don’t let sales teams play good cop, bad cop: Many times the salesperson will act as if he is on your side, competing with the sales manager to secure the best price. He leaves to discuss your offer with the manager and then comes back with sleeves rolled up, saying that he did his best but that the manager need a few hundred bucks more. Don’t let this back-and-forth routine continue. The object is to wear you down and keep you from buying a car from somebody else.

Instead, ask to speak directly with someone who can negotiate the price, or tell the salesperson that you know his game and to stop wasting your time. If it continues, tell him you will shop elsewhere. Typically, you can avoid these games if you reveal that you are an educated customer. In fact, they would rather sell you a car and get you the hell out of there, so you don’t contaminate their other customers.

Avoid being taken at the end of the deal: Here’s where the dealer tries to sell you extra undercoating, corrosion protection, and fabric protectant. You need this stuff like a moose needs a hat rack.

The same is true of extended warranties. Plan to drive your new car until its wheels fall off. If you decide to buy an extended warranty, only buy one that is sponsored by the manufacturer. You should offer no more than half the retail price and pay no more than two-thirds.

The extended service contract scam

They’re sometimes called service contracts and at other times extended service warranties. But by whatever name, long-term protection for a new car against future repair costs is almost always a bad decision. That’s because most new cars today are reliable and many come with manufacturer’s warranties that cover most major service problems you’re likely to encounter in a car’s early years.

But if you worry about buying a lemon, find the very prospect of maintaining a car daunting, or expect to be driving your new vehicle well into the years to come, find out what that extended service contract covers before signing on. You need to know not only how much more the extended warranty covers over the manufacturer’s basic warranty but also where you are allowed to get your repairs done and how the shop will be paid.

Even if you want an extended service contract, you don’t have to buy it where you buy your car. You should shop competitively. The price on an identical service contract is known to differ three or more times at one dealer’s comparing it with another dealer’s down the street. Even so, the average payout on a contract may be less than the dealers offers. Many studies indicate that companies offering extended service contracts spend only 4 to 15 cents on service for every dollar they charge for coverage. When it comes to extended service contracts, you generally don’t get what you paid for.

Let others do the dickering

If you hate negotiating with dealers let those who love it help you

Fed up with high-pressure sales tactics and unsure they are getting the best prices, many new car shoppers are turning to buying services. A few researches found that more than 1 in 20 new car buyers purchased a car through such a service, and most said they would do so again.

Working with a pool of dealers, the services try to secure the best possible deals they can for their clients. It is hard to track how much such services save consumers, but the best of them promise to return all fees if the customer finds a better price on the same model. Some services, however, receive financial benefits from dealers. They should, of course, be avoided.

CarBargains, on the other hand, is entirely nonprofit. Sponsored by the Center for the Study of Services in Washington, D.C., the group wll seek bids from dealers in your area and send you their quote sheets, showing how much above or below the factory invoice each dealer has agreed to sell. To close the deal, however, the customer must visit the lot to work out with the sales manager such details as the value of the trade-in. The service costs some money. They will deliver the car right to your driveway. Dealers take advantage of showroom visits to sell needless extras such as extended warranties and underbody protection. AutoAdvisor also believes in getting his customers the best prices and in helping them choose the right car. While this advice comes with a price, it can save a lot of time, the average car buyer with a college degree spends at least 16 hours shopping.

Where to get a fix on prices

Invoice prices can be found in different annuals, such as The Complete Car Cost Guide (IntelliChoice, Inc) or Edmund’s New Car Price Guide (Edmund Publications), etc.