August 2011
1 post
3 tags
Proposal Refinements →
Some final tweaks to my thesis proposal I’ve been meaning to post are finally here! A thesis outline will be coming in the near future before I dive into some primary research.
January 2011
1 post
3 tags
iPad, Flipboard & PBS MediaShift
This is my first post to this blog since receiving my iPad as my Christmas present from my wife this past December. I had no idea that she was planning on purchasing such a gift for me, and, needless to say, I was quite surprised. I had been talking about it for a while as a necessary component of my research, but didn’t have the gumption to purchase it myself. That was always a half-joke,...
November 2010
2 posts
3 tags
Top Invention of the 19th Century? Invention.
In Chapter Three of Technopoly, Postman looks at how we shifted from being a Technocracy into a Technopoly: what precipitated it, and what it changed. Prior to the machine, we were a society that made with tools. There were small shops that made artifacts by hand, and we lived as humans.
With the advent of machined mills in the 19th Century and Taylor’s work in the early 20th Century, man...
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Technopoly: Chapter One
I have finally opened the cover of my first big read for my thesis research: Technopoly by Neil Postman. A few years ago I read his book Amusing Ourselves to Death which, I my opinion, was a very good read. There are overlapping concepts between to two, but the focus of this book is the critical examination of technology and how it changes all of life for both good and bad.
That is a point that...
October 2010
3 posts
3 tags
The Platinum Standard
I found this article on Wired’s Science RSS feed and thought it was worth sharing. To give a quick overview, it discusses the current physical standard for the kilogram…which is a platinum cylinder which is stored outside of Paris in a glass jar which is then inside another glass jar in a vault. Apparently it gains 50 micrograms of mass every century which is considered scientifically...
5 tags
Can Technology Put Us in Reverse?
I was reading an interesting post in my RSS inbox today looking at how the iPad really is “changing everything.” Perhaps, however, change doesn’t always move us forward?
The article considers iPad adoption and the subsequent flurry of applications built specifically for the platform. In a sense, this flies in the face of open source web development meant for use by all without a...
5 tags
Analog Printing
I spent the entire day today doing the final setup and initial tests with my screen printing exposure unit. After spending several hours rigging black curtains, a liner around my sink and stretching about $20 worth of silk, I managed to ruin a yard of nice 160 monofilament silk. Today made the usual troubles with my photo printer seem trivial.
Using my mitre box and backsaw, I sized about 40 feet...
September 2010
2 posts
5 tags
Two Thesis Ideas
I just wanted to get these two ideas out quickly. They’re still in a “meta” stage, so there’s really not a specific research objective or deliverable yet.
1. Media Ecology - This refers to the study of media environments. While this is a very broad definition, it can be narrowed to focus on how shifts in delivery methods effect the information that is conveyed. For...
6 tags
Quick Introduction
Hi. My name is Nate Mucha. The purpose of this blog is to document my MFA Thesis process. I’ll be posting anything and everything relevant to my thesis from proposal to completion. Here is a quick introduction to who I am and what I’m doing…
I was born and raised in Northeast Ohio. My education includes studying at Grove City College in Grove City, PA where I received my B.A. in...