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From: tonyl@ogg.cgrg.ohio-state.edu (Tony Lupidi)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: SCAN, Timothy Leary, fun stuff.
Message-ID: <918@ogg.cgrg.ohio-state.edu>
Date: Thu, 15-Oct-87 18:12:01 EDT
Article-I.D.: ogg.918
Posted: Thu Oct 15 18:12:01 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 17-Oct-87 17:47:42 EDT
Organization: Computer Graphics Research Group, Columbus OH
Lines: 56
Keywords: cybernetic humans! long


Well folks I had fun last weekend. I went to the Small Computers in the
Arts Symposium in Phillidelphia. SCAN is a conference for artists
working with small computers, mostly micros. I like this conference much
more than siggraph, lots less hype and bs, you can actually talk to the
people presenting and in general the art work is better too.

The keynote speaker was Timothy Leary, and is this guy an entertaining
speaker!
During his keynote address he said that we were entering a new age in
human evolution, that we were becoming cybernetic people. This is because
people on average spend seven hours a day watching T.V. this is more time
than we voluntarily spend on any other activities such as eating, or sex.
While on the surface this is depressing (Just turn on any network show)
he theorizes that our brains crave this type of stimulation. This has
not necessarily been good until now since tv is controlled by large corporate
entities.

With the advent of the low cost amiga and its abilities to both
grab video images (Live!, digiview) modify them and to spit them
directly back to video that this portends a new age for cybernetic man.
This gives us cybernetic people control of this device.
By the way, we are cybernetic because we are very technological,
and also he said that the root of cyber was from the greeks and originally
described a pilot who steered and independent course of discovery on the
'wine dark seas' <- direct quote.

He compared the amiga to the creation of the printing press and some of the
fall out from that: wide spread dissemation of information and the problems
this caused controlling institutions at the time (church & state). He
considered this to be a good thing. Thus this allows us to become
cybernetic, or in control of our destinys to belabor a point.

Then again I might be getting this all wrong, but it was something like
the above. 

While he was talking images made on the amiga by some artists (Keith Haring)
were shown behind him with a video projector.

He is working on software called Mind Movies for the amiga. I guess this
software would allow one to create animations (mind movies) for people to
exchange and show........

For you ;-) malcontents ;-) that complain about advertising and presence,
commodore was there in the form of David Archibault, he brought a A500 and
A2000 and showed the images while Timothy talked.

Lots of artists at the conference were using the amiga. Many were also
programming or trying to program specific applications for the machine.

The amiga got lots of good press at this conference.
 
Phillidelphia is a great place too, lots to do and the people are friendly.

Disclaimer: I am not paid by commodore although after this conference I 
	    wonder if Dr. Leary is! :-)