listening to repeating

I’m happy to announce that during the next academic year (2010-11), I’ll be designing and teaching courses in Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences (IAS) at the University of Washington, Bothell.

The first course I’m teaching, “Technologies of Expression: Sound Reproduction Studies,” is a 200-level course scheduled for Autumn 2010.  It’s part of the new Media and Communication Studies emphasis in IAS.  More below.

Course Description

Since the 1850s, sound reproduction technologies have changed over time.  As some were rendered obsolete, others became cutting edge.  In one sense, this course is an opportunity for students to trace the history of those technological shifts by attending to everything from the phonograph and magnetic tape to the turntable and the computer.  Yet in another sense, the course is a chance to explore how those technologies are culturally embedded.  For example, how have artists and writers integrated sound reproduction technologies into their work, and to what effects on other media, such as print?  Through advertisements and film, how were certain technologies marketed, to whom, and for what purposes?  And when, where, and for whom does a sound seem pleasant, a recording appear high fidelity, or an environment feel noisy?

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I’m happy to announce that my UW English colleague, Paige Morgan, and I recently finished the THATCamp PNW website, including a Call for Participants for the October 2010 event, which will be held on the University of Washington’s Seattle campus.

A big thanks to Julie Meloni for all of her help.

The call’s copied below, and you can visit the site for more info.  If you are interested in applying, then please note the deadline.  Thanks!

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The Noise for the Needy Kickoff is next Saturday, April 17th.  Noise For The Needy (NftN) is a Seattle-based non-profit organization that raises money for charitable causes through the production of live music shows.

Funds raised from this kickoff event will cover expenses for the June festival. The more NftN raises, the bigger and better the festival will be. And that means more cash for this year’s beneficiary, Teen Feed.

Purchase tickets. Or check the Facebook event page.  Hope to see you there! Mostly Dimes is on the bill.

I’m happy to announce that the next installment in the “What does digital scholarship do?” HASTAC Scholars series at the University of Washington is a go, and we are extremely fortunate to have Tara Rodgers (Analog Tara), from McGill University, joining us.  She will facilitate a conversation related to her website and book, Pink Noises.

The conversation—”Pink Noises: Feminist Ethnographic and Historiographic Research on Audio Technologies and Cultures”—happens on Friday, April 16th, at 11 a.m., in Communications 202 (in the Simpson Center for the Humanities).  It is open to the public.

Below is a description of the event, and here is the flier (in PNG).  Looking forward!

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click to enlarge

Mostly Dimes is playing a show with some good friends in Seattle this Saturday, April 3rd.

The line-up goes like so: Final Spins + Mostly Dimes + Like Lightning + Lonesome Shack.

The show’s at the Comet Tavern.

Seven dollars, 21+

If you are in town, then I hope to see you there!

This Thursday, March 18th, I’ll be participating in a Day in the Life of the Digital Humanities 2010 with a number of other folks.

Day of DH is a community publication project that will bring together digital humanists from around the world to document what they do on one day. The goal of the project is to create a web site that weaves together the journals of the participants into a picture that answers the question, “Just what do computing humanists really do?” Participants will document their day through photographs and commentary in a blog-like journal. The collection of these journals with links, tags, and comments will make up the final work which will be published online.

On March 18th, participants will document and share the events of their day. However participants will also become co-authors, and the direction of the entire project will be influenced by their choices, both before and after the day of documentation. Eventually, the data will be grouped together, undergo some light semantic editing, and released for others to study. We hope that, beyond the original online publication, the raw data will be of use to those interested in further visualization or ethnographic experiments.

Here’s my “Day of Jentery Sayers” blog.  If you get a chance, then check in with me and others on Thursday.  I’m looking forward!