RescueTime and Privacy Concerns

I thought I'd go ahead and try the personal productivity manager, RescueTime, mentioned in a previous post. I thought this would be a good way for me to passively monitor my web browsing and computer usage. But I took a look at the privacy policy and got scared off.

What concerns me about RescueTime is that they are selling your information. Not your individual information, but the collective information collected from all of its users about their online behavior. According to their privacy policy: "We may sell, rent, or share information about user behavior in the aggregate only. For example, we could share information like, "which day of the week do people spend the most time in front of their computer?""

For starters, I thought the software was only a tool FOR ME. I didn't think it would collect my browsing information, let alone contribute it to a database and sell it. It's not the creation of a database of internet user behavior that I have a problem with. It's the fact that this information is monetized and used for a for-profit company. I'd be happy to participate in research where information about my computer use was recorded and aggregated into a database and analyzed. No problem. But selling the results from this research seems unethical. Why should only those who can pay know about people's computer habits?

Some might argue that this research is costly, requiring time, energy and money. But couldn't an open-source/crowd-source project with the same aim be just as effective? Why does this research have to result in a for-profit business model? Is there some free-ware out there that allows you to monitor your computer usage and keep the records for yourself? I wanna know!

Getting Ahead of the News Cycle

Today there was a protest in Shinjuku. According to early reports, about 160 people gathered to stop traffic, speak out against war, and voice their support for the citizens of Okinawa, who have again demonstrated through elections that they don't want the Futenma military base relocated within Okinawa. There were clowns:







A quick google search for 新宿デモ (Shinjuku demo) revealed some old links from a labor newspaper announcing the protest and giving directions to the event, along with a tangentially related blog post.

I had just heard about the demonstration this afternoon in an email from a Tokyo-based group, Takae Yuntaku. (They are working to prevent a U.S. military helipad from being built in the small Okinawan village of Takae). Info about the event appeared on various blogs:
http://takae.ti-da.net/
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/hansentoteikounofesta09/

This was the sixth in a series of protests in favor of the abolition of the base. Here is some video from previous protests:



So I found out about the protest about an hour before it started. Then, as it was going on, a recent Facebook friend Tweeted out "good turnout for the protest. blocking traffic in shinjuku" or something to that effect, and it showed up on his facebook feed. Finally, I wanted to hear about the event. I turned on 素人の乱 (Shiroto no Ran)'s weekly webcast, and there was some mention of it, but mostly talking about AKB48 and how none of the girls are their type. So I checked another friend's facebook page who is active in independent media, and sure enough, he had updated it with some news and pictures from the protest.

I had heard about Twitter and other social networking sites being used to get ahead of the news cycle, but now this is the first time I've experienced it. Maybe it also has to do with the fact that there probably won't be much coverage of this event in the mainstream press. But amongst interested parties the news has come out quickly. From this experience, I can see how these social networks can give protesters a better sense of connection. Even though I couldn't make it to the protest, I feel better informed about and connected with those who did.

Where do I stand on the Futenma issue? Indeed it's complicated, but ultimately I must object to the indirect militarization of Japan. In Japan's constitution, Article 9 prohibits a standing military, although Japan maintains its own self-defense force. In effect, the U.S. military presence in Okinawa and throughout Japan amounts to a standing military. As tensions between North and South Korea escalate, the time is right for diplomacy, not war games. I find it difficult to speak out on this issue, especially since I know several people in the military. But as an American, I can't stand by in good conscience and allow the U.S. to become involved in an avoidable war with North Korea in the way of Iraq and Afghanistan. I didn't make it to the protest this week, but I will get the word out and try to make the next one.

12/7 update - video from the event. Thanks OurPlanet-TV!

A Commitment to Nonviolence and Recycling

A Commitment to Non-Violence

Last week I was graced with what I like to call a "moment of lucidity" - a time when truth or beauty just present themselves out of nowhere. The revelation: a commitment to non-violence. As I see it, there are two types of violence: 1) physical violence 2) mental or emotional violence.

From this moment, I commit myself to refraining from physical violence toward human beings, and trying to spread this doctrine to create a more peaceful world. As for the second, more abstract forms of violence, it is more complicated, so I want to focus for now on just eliminating physical violence. By adhering to this basic principle, individuals can make a big change for peace.

I also commit myself to learning more about the ethics of war and peace. One of the classes that convinced me to major in religion was "War and Peace Through Religious Perspectives." I'd like to revisit the contents of this class, and gain a better understanding of how movements for pacifism and non-violence become successful in all wisdom traditions - from atheists to agnostics, from Jews to Jains.

Though it is easy for me to refrain from violence - my country doesn't have a draft (at the moment) and I don't live in a war-torn city or an area plagued by gang violence. But I want to use this commitment to non-violence to create social change through civil disobedience, and educating others about this possibility. If you can get a kid in South East D.C. to decide not to buy a gun, or a kid in Colorado to refrain from shooting up his classmates, you've done something important.

Later in the week, I was inspired by my great uncle, Ted Nace. He was recently arrested for protesting outside a shopping center against an Israeli cosmetics company which benefits from the exploitation of resources in Palestine. He's over 80 years old. Go Ted! You are a real inspiration.

You can see video of about his arrest here:
http://www.krdo.com/video/25943611/index.html
http://www.krdo.com/video/25935874/index.html

A Week of Recycling

On a slightly more practical note, I really, REALLY need to take out my recycling. This is a reminder to myself to get the schedule this week and remember to bring out my separated recyclables on the appropriate day. Also, I gotta start carrying my water bottle and stop buying PET bottles. They don't recycle well. I also gotta bring some clothes to the nearby recycle shop, or perhaps 素人の乱 (Shiroto no Ran)'s recycle shop.

Great podcast on "upcycling" (i.e. re-using) from "To The Best of Our Knowledge" last week. Check it out.
http://www.wpr.org/book/101121b.cfm

Another good one on consumerism:
http://www.wpr.org/book/091129a.cfm

Cultural Action Event at Waseda

This event at Waseda last night was super cool - engaging and fun. From 6-8 pm was a panel discussion entitled "Cultural Action: Frontiers or Archipellagos?," followed by a party at a nearby music cafe, Sabaco. The event was organized by Ian Condry (MIT) [イアン　コンドリー（MIT)] and Toshiya Ueno (Wakou Daigaku) [上野俊哉（和光大学)]. Cultural action refers to (counter)cultural activities amongst Japanese youth which blur the lines between work/play, the political/apolitical, activism/frivolity, and (pop)culture/media/music/sports/lifestyle. "Cultural Typhoon" at Komazawa Gakuen and "Alternative Politics" at Sophia University's Institute for Comparative Cultural Studies were other 2010 academic conferences which explored similar themes and overlapping protest movements, such as Shirotou no Ran, Okinawan peace activists, situationalists and the freeter (フリーター) movement. In this post, I'll summarize the panel along with my impressions, report on the party, and reflect on the exciting new frontiers of cultural action with the potential to affect social, political, cultural and economic change.

Panel

1) Atsuhi Yamamoto (Sophia University) - "Nagano Snowboarders"
山本 敦久（上智大学）「長野スノボ:アンチからアントレ」

The presentation began with a recent video produced by Nagano snowboarders. Typical of skateboard and snowboard films, the video begins with a quick-cut introduction of daring runs and mind-boggling tricks set to driving (in this case rhythmically complex) rock music. After a few minutes, the visual context was set and the presenter turned to cultural context.

Since the late 1970s, snowboarders in Nagano have developed a culture centered around their love of riding. For them, snowboarding is more than just a hobby or winter sport. It is the backbone of their lifestyle, livelihood and community. To support this passion and create more sustainable forestry practices, they embarked on an entrepreneurial endeavor entitled "GREEN LAB" to make environmentally friendly wood-core snowboards and skis. Their business model is based on sustainable management of Nagano's artificial forests. In a statement on their website, they explain the concept behind their business: "Proposal for the establishment of LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability") in the forest of Shinshu (Nagano)."

The GREEN LAB project blends business, environmental action, education, eco-tourism/recreation, an alternative lifestyle, sports, and culture. The project extends into all corners of life - from teaching children about woodworking and the environment to musical events and bar culture. This is the first example of hybridized cultural action from this panel.

It is economically significant because the company may rival such big brand snowboard makers as Burton, whose authenticity is questioned by the notion of "selling out." Is Burton just another capitalist company concerned only with it's bottom line? Though GREEN LAB undoubtedly participates in a capitalist business market, their goals are explicitly multifaceted, rather than the single-minded pursuit of profit. As Professor Ueno commented, in Naomi Klein's terms, the group is aiming for a "new logo, not no logo," i.e. a brand that emphasizes environmental awareness and sustainability. The extent of the impact of this business model based on hybrid incentives remains to be seen.

I'm tempted to compare this cultural phenomenon with another eco-tourist endeavor in Minamikami, Gunma, The Alpine Lodge, which has partnered with Parties 4 Peace of Tokyo to produce Alpine Tech Fest in January. Now in its sixth year, the event combines snowboarding, eco-tourism and education with underground house/techno for a three day event, and Parties 4 Peace offers a weekend package deal including bus fare from Tokyo, accommodations, and party. Though I must disclose my bias as a supporter of Parties 4 Peace, this event and more general eco-tourism activities at the Alpine Lodge may offer a fruitful site of comparison for the (sub)cultural action between snowboarders in Nagano and Gunma.

2) Shin Futatsugi (writer, activist) - "Shiroto no Ran in Koenji"
二木信（ ライター）「 素人の乱」の高円寺

Shin described his background as a member of Shiroto no Ran and the group's activities. Though known for its creative political actions in Tokyo, the group has also become a community staple in Koenji, Tokyo, where it runs a recycle shop and is active in the local business community. The group also produces an online radio show. It is well known amongst cultural studies academics and radical leftists in Tokyo. The group was the focus of a presentation at the "Alternative Politics" conference at Sophia last Spring.

Shin is a rapper and has been involved with the group in this capacity, though I'm not sure about the full extent of his involvement as a member. I haven't heard his rap, but I'm guessing it's pretty political. He described the hip hop community in relationship to concepts such as "cool" and "underground." He is also involved in an annual Shiroto no Ran event "Sound Clash," which is a music battle pitting hip-hoppers, house/techno DJs, guitarists, etc. against each other to see who's the best.

Like the Nagano snowboarders, Shiroto no Ran's activities are multifaceted and multipurposed. Both groups combine "play" and "labor" in their cultural action, and some of the professors at the panel referred to this amalgamation as "playbor" (プレーバー). Play+Labor=Playbor. プレー (遊び) + レーバー (労働) = プレーバー.

This is the central theme that I took away from the event. This generation of activists was raised on video games and cartoons, and we expect fun and entertainment even when we work. The effectiveness of combining play and labor is very much up in the air, but I want to believe that it is possible to have fun and work for social justice at the same time. For more on this theme, see previous post on Beer for Books and Parties 4 Peace, as well as reflections below.

3) Toko Tanaka (Waseda University) - "Girls' Culture and Cosplay"
田中東子（早稲田大学）「ガールズ文化とコスプレ」

What is the relationship between feminism and cosplay? Cosplay stands for costume play, a cultural phenomenon which emerged out of the role-playing rituals at North American sci-fi conventions and has become a pastime/subculture among some Japanese youth. Now, many girls convene at various locations in Tokyo on weekends and dress up as their favorite characters. They are influenced by a variety of pop-culture images, from anime and manga characters to Disney movies.

My main understanding of Tanaka-sensei's presentation is that cosplay gives girls (and some boys) a chance to escape from their everyday persona/socially prescribed gender roles and enact a new vision of themselves. This action might not be explicitly political or described in terms of feminism, but, consciously or unconsciously, participants are engaged in cultural action as members of a subculture/in-group. This leads again to the question, "What is political?" and whether action that is not intended to be specifically political can have political/social consequences.

4) Members of Riot Love Letter (RLL) (media activists) - "The State of Culture Jamming"
RLLのIntellipunk「文化的『介入』の現在」

Inspired by the culture jamming activities of groups such as "Ad Busters," this three-member collective remixes pop culture designs and images to produce T-shirts which act as a springboard for provocative fashion/political/cultural discourse. Culture jamming is the remixing/reinterpretation/defacement of corporate advertising symbols and logos to create an alternative message. The group also engages in creative protests/demonstrations, and they suggested "Radical Left Laughter" as another name for their group.

Their presentation consisted of a perusal of their T-shirt designs and explanations of the backstories behind each T-shirt. T-shirts are for sale on their website, and by clicking on the [Read More] links visitors can learn about the context for each design. For example, the "T.A.Z. - Total Autonamous Zone" (Hakim Bey) T-shirt can be seen here rocked by Tokyo DJs.





And graffiti artist Kitou Seishi used one of their designs in a 2007 project in Palestine called "Wonderwall." Here's a video edited by the RLL members about the Wonderwall project featuring their design:



When I watched this video, I thought "The revolution will not be televised, but it might be on YouTube." (I thought I came up with this clever turn of phrase, but a quick Google search reveals that poet, professor and NPR commentator Marion Winik coined it as a title of her poem of the same name. However, the phrase also appears as a comment on a facebook group wall dating to 2008.)

In other words, culture jamming/remixing has the potential to create Temporary Autonomous Zones where corporate culture is not the dominant semiotic system. Though YouTube may becoming increasingly corporate since it's acquisition by Google, the democratic principle of anyone posting a video with equal opportunity for viral meming is one of the revolutionary principles of the Internet at large. This principle, which makes the Internet a valuable cultural frontier, is threatened by such perils as the proliferation of invasive advertising and attempts to innovate at the expense of net neutrality. In this regard, the internet may soon become an archipelago of cultural action, eclipsed by the dominant forces which control economic, technological, political, and cultural life.

Party


After the panel, the event transitioned to a DJ party at small music cafe and bar, Sabaco. At the beginning of the party, there was some time for discussion and Q+A, with Ian Condry moderating questions/comments at two mics, and Toshiya Ueno DJing quietly in the background. Though the panel was intellectually stimulating and a challenge to my Japanese listening comprehension, it was nice to get into a more social environment and embrace the "work/play" amalgamation we had just been talking about in the University classroom. Ueno-sensei played house and Ian played Japanese hip-hop, the subject of his 2006 book. It's recently been translated into Japanese. Props to them for spinning thoughtful jams and creating a great atmosphere.

Reflections

The changing nature of play and labor engendered by technology and culture has profound consequences to the extent that it might be called a paradigm shift. This shift has given rise to a heated debate/discourse about the appropriate relationship of technology and society. According to most indicators, we are, at present, at just the beginning of the information age. Therefore, further study of this debate is certainly warranted. The question at large is how to live a good life in the 21st century. Thus, the development of cultural action which cultivates a positive data-wisdom continuum, and by extension a just and peaceful world, is an exciting and important frontier.

Marshall McLuhan remarked that TV was causing society to "re-tribalize." As opposed to the culture of individuality created by the "man of the book," TV was a more communal activity in which millions of people took part at the same time. Though perhaps problematized by postcolonial cultural anthropologists, the term "tribe/tribal" was used by some members of the panel last night in the context of groups such as Shiroto no Ran and RLL. The term is also used in music. For example, Ueno-sensei's DJ name is "Toshiya the Tribal," and groups such as Tribe of Ischaar and Tribe Called Quest use the term to indicate their solidarity as a musical unit or crew. These subcultural units are reorganizing themselves around new concepts or ideas which lead to alternative lifestyles. Undoubtedly, a sustainable world requires that some alternatives to the current economic and cultural landscape are presented. This is the exciting prospect of hybrid culture and hybrid economies, presented by Lawrence Lessig in his book Remix.

I wonder if breaking down the play/labor dichotomy is a necessary phase in transitioning to a "re-tribalized" society where everyone participates in some sort of alternative lifestyle/economic system. Already, it is clear that everyone in the globalized world is somehow affected by a subcultural movement. If you don't do cosplay or watch anime or listen to hip-hop or read sci-fi, chances are good that you know someone who does. For those who are already living in a hybrid world where culture and subculture interact in a complex way, what is the next step? Do groups like the Nagano snowboarders demonstrate that total commitment to a cause/lifestyle is the next logical step for cultural progressives?

Personally and in this blog, I've explored the concept of integration. That is, finding ways to become a whole person, despite this fractured state of hybridity which seems to characterize contemporary identity and even existence. A recent edition of Wisconsin Public Radio's "To the Best of Our Knowledge" podcast entitled "Integration Stories" shifted my thinking about integration and holism. Though the podcast deals with stories of racial integration in the historical context of segregation (not psychological or spiritual integration of individuals), it reminded me that integration/assimilation is not the only approach to diversity. Another approach is pluralism.

During my undergrad studies as a religion major, I was drawn to the work of Harvard professor Dianna Eck, who established the Pluralism Project, documenting America's religious diversity. Why not apply this spirit of pluralism to the identity issues presented by technology? That is, why not take a pluralistic stance when it comes to the multifaceted, multipurposed, hybrid manifestations of one's own identity? Though I think holism and balance are important, is there also value in respecting certain socially prescribed roles? This pluralistic view of identity and the self, is, I believe, an important step in maturity. The question remains: if one embraces one's own hybrid identity, how can one leverage it to maximize social and political change, to work for equality and justice? What is the value of "re-tribalizing," and what are the dangers? Is a pluralistic notion of the self diametrically opposed to an alternative lifestyle? How can cultural action/actors keep the frontier open, rather than allowing it to be reduced to archipelagos?

2 Parties 4 Peace

(sorry, this post is a little late.)

11/8 - Last weekend was filled with partying, but it wasn't your typical carousal. Saturday night was the Patagonica DJ Contest presented by Parties 4 Peace, and on Sunday two friends threw a collaborative birthday party with Beers for Books and Room to Read and JEN. Details below:

Parties 4 Peace

Created by Peace Boat staffer, Emilie McGlone, this organization is dedicated to "people making a better world through music and dance." Proceeds from their events are donated to environmental and social justice causes. The Patagonica Project is one such cause, aimed at preserving Patagonica, Chile.



Beers for Books

For every beer you buy, a dollar (100 yen) of the proceeds goes to printing children's books to promote literacy in developing countries.

Here's a B4B event from 2009:

Wisdom 2.0

Naropa University is a Buddhist Inspired, "private, nonprofit, nonsectarian liberal arts institution dedicated to advancing contemplative education." When I visited the website today, I stumbled upon the Wisdom 2.0 Conference. Created by Soren Gordhamer, the conference brings together leaders from the technology industry and leaders from wisdom traditions to discuss how to live mindfully in a technologically connected era. Soren introduces the conference:



Here are some clips from the April, 2010 conference in Silicon Valley:



When I first found out about the conference, I was excited because the topic addressed here is the topic at the heart of this blog and a topic which has gained increasing relevance for me. When I returned my attention to the conference later in the day, I was skeptical. Is this conference created to manufacture the illusion that it is possible for Google and Twitter can exist along-side with mindfulness? Something about the New-Agey tone of the discussions in the video clips and the cast of American tech and spirituality leaders seems suspicious. Do these industries really have any vested interest in creating a true culture of mindfulness?

Perhaps these tech giants are genuinely interested in developing a simultaneously wired and holistic society. If they become maligned for engendering constant distraction and mental clutter, their brand names take a hit. If they become associated with quiescent contemplation, that could be a big boost.

One reason I'm skeptical of the conference's intentions is that the leaders from the assembled wisdom traditions seem to be, almost exclusively, American "converts" to Eastern traditions. There may be a few exceptions in the upcoming conference, such as John Kabat-Zinn, but I'm wondering where Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders are in this discussion? I'm worried that the conference capitalizes on "the cool" of Buddhism and Yoga without including and acknowledging other mindfulness or wisdom traditions, such as centering prayer or Sufi music.

Despite these criticisms, the underlying goal of the conference is earnest and important. Embracing both a fully technologically connected and a fully spiritually awakened life is certainly not an easy task, but undoubtedly a worthwhile goal. And many of the speakers and participants have helpful suggestions about how this might be done. Moreover, they have the power and influence to make decisions that will affect how this is done. Regardless of their answers, merely asking the question about wisdom and technology is a good start.

A great continuation is the partnership between wisdom traditions, technology industries and social justice. This is exemplified by the work of Seane Corn, "yoga teacher and spiritual activist" who co-founded the "Off the Mat, Into the World" initiative. Wisdom and technology can both be great, but ultimately they are meaningless if they are only accessible in the realm of privilege. If done with mindfulness, bringing the benefits of these forces together in service of economic, social, and environmental change is the ultimate expression of wisdom, compassion and awareness.

Weekends

How do you use your weekend? Saturdays and Sundays are days of rest, the Sabbath or Shabat in the Judeo-Christian tradition. Updating and extending that tradition, I would like to be part of a community that makes Saturdays or Sundays a day to engage "the whole person." That is, I would like to organize activities that stimulate and cultivate all aspects of life. If these were to be (falsely) partitioned as mind, body and spirit, activities could include a lecture and discussion; exercise/sports; and breathing awareness/meditation/prayer. For me, fun is also an important aspect of life, so I'd want to finish the day with music/dance/a movie, some sort of entertainment. And service or social justice would also add balance to this mix, so it would be nice to do something that enriches the community at large.

It's weird to me that this appeals to me. I guess it's my take on church, which is also weird to me. Why is church weird?

I also wonder why I'm so interested in integration. Perhaps it's an unattainable ideal that can never be reached. But is it even warranted in the first place? Why do I want all the aspects of my life to coalesce and interact? Is that healthy? What's the need for limits? Should we have barriers between our personal/profession, private/public life? New media technologies are shifting the balance between these spheres of life.

In keeping with the theme of this blog, a good weekend that cultivates the whole person would include mindful media usage. For example, it would be nice to focus the party by doing a guided listening of the music, or making it interactive, or having a lecture about where the music comes from. Or, if we accept that our body is our most basic medium for interaction with the world, yoga would be a great way to bring awareness to the way we use our bodies, and exercise becomes like system maintenance.

This weekend I'm not doing anything like this, but maybe next weekend?

DJs Fundraise Through Art

FUNK AID FOR AFRICA - Dj OBaHさんのMyspaceブログ| www.djobah.com

Deckshark's Artists 4 Haiti


DJs For DRC

A few examples of DJs using their talent to raise money for social justice. Can you find others?

Hoping to expand this model in DC.

TheOneMinutesJR

http://www.theoneminutesjr.org/

TheOneMinutesJR is an international youth network collecting one-minute videos from around the world. It seems to embody the ideals of media literacy and digital story-telling. Check out the website for some videos and more information about the network.

I was struck by this one from Japan:
http://www.theoneminutesjr.org/index.php?thissection_id=10&movie_id=200900015&country_id=141

It questions whether technologies, such as cell phones, iPods and the Nintendo DS are really necessary. Would we be better off without these things?

I find it interesting how these technologies are represented within the video, contrasted with an idealized "old-timey" life before the intrusion of mobile digital devices. The music and video quality are used to create this binary between old and new, slow and fast, connected and disconnected. Undoubtedly, books, baseball, and even friendly conversation were at one time regarded as cutting edge technology. However, their age and implicitness in contemporary life in Japan/throughout the globalized human world make them ordinary and quaint from this perspective.

I question the binary between the fast-paced technological present vs. the leisurely technological past. Yet I'm deeply appreciative of the question posed here. Do we really need these technologies? How do they help and how do they hurt? The video takes its place in an ever-burgeoning discourse dedicated to finding the proper role for technology in life today. Especially in Japan and America, I wish it were a question to which we could start finding some meaningful answers.

Reading Breeds Thought

"...he teaches communications 101, 'communications Skills' and Communications 201, 'Advanced Communications Skills'. Although he devotes hours of each day to his new discipline, he finds its first premise, as enunciated in the Communications 101 handbook, preposterous: 'Human society has created language in order that we may communicate our thoughts, feelings and intentions to each other.' His own opinion, which he does not air, is that the origins of speech lie in song, and the origins of song lie in the need to fill out with sound the overlarge and rather empty human soul."
-from J.M Coetzee Disgrace

NPR also breeds thought about reading about media about reading, which breeds thought. Gotta remember to buy the books featured in my two favorite podcasts, On the Media and To the Best of OUr Knowledge. Something like "The Mindsnatchers," a history of TV, and Hamlet's Blackberry, a historical look at technological transitions. Adding them to the Books to Get List.

Will edit this, add hyperlinks and write more another time when I'm not reading disheartening literature while trying to go to sleep.

Lessons to be Learned from Gap Logo Debacle

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11517129

Gap retreats from it's new logo campaign after loyal consumers complain. The BBC article traces several brand that have received harsh criticism after revamping their logos.

Important point for media literacy: "In fact that is a good analogy to logos and brands - if we think of a brand being someone's personality and the logo being someone's face it makes it easier to see why as humans we like familiarity and how breaking that connection can cause confusion and puzzlement."

brand=personality
logo=face

When a brand changes its logo too rapidly, it's like Michael Jackson (R.I.P.) getting one too many nosejobs.

The interesting thing about this story is the power of consumers to cause a change in brand policy. That is, consumers demonstrated that they liked the old GAP face, and saw no need for something new. The feedback was provided in part through social media (i.e. Facebook).

Admittedly, consumer backlash against less positive logo decisions can easily be ignored. In the case of BP's logo shift, environmentalists sent the message "we didn't like the BP brand before, and we hate the new logo." Thus, companies like feedback that's going to make them look good because it helps them assess the value of their brand's image.

I hope consumers will start sending the same messages not only about brand logos, but also about unnecessary innovations. For example, the new version of Microsoft Office I have to use at work just confuses the hell out of me, and I saw nothing inadequate with the old one. Practically every digital video editor I know agrees that the older versions of iMovie were much better and easier to use than the newer ones. When are we going to start saying that we don't need every product to get a "new, fresh look," when it's the same old stuff? Issues with software innovation or brand revamping or relabeling might be subtler than logo changes, but the GAP case shows that consumers have the power to say "No thanks" to the ad-makers.

Ethan Zuckerman on Monitoring Our Media Diet

In this segment from NPR's On The Media, Ethan Zuckerman of Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet and Society advocates a passive media consumption documentation system using software called RescueTime. Though the software is designed as a productivity tool, it can also collect and be used to analyze your web browsing habits. Will consider using this myself and posting results. Zuckerman also reports keeping a personal media diary to keep track of his own media use.

Was nice to hear this piece about a media diary/tracking media consumption from a well-entrenched media critic.

So what are some advantages and disadvantages of a passive vs. active approach to documenting media usage? An active approach would be exemplified in keeping a daily diary of media usage. A passive approach would be represented by using software to track media usage. Alternatively, these two cases might be analyzed as qualitative and quantitative approaches. What's lost and what's gained with each one?

Active/Diary Approach

Pros:
-awareness; heightens awareness of media use while using media
-detail; you can add detail about your experience of browsing the web or listening to the radio. or not.
-tells your own story; you can describe your media usage in your own terms, thereby conveying your ideology about a given medium or technology
-includes analog; you can include a variety of media interactions, beyond just electronic communications media, such as print, verbal/oral, musical, fashion, etc.

Cons:
-time consuming; takes anything from a few extra seconds to a few extra hours to produce a daily reflection on one's media use. the longer the reflection, the higher the quality? but cuts in on "productivity."
-alters behavior; this was Zuckerman's point. keeping a diary of your media usage will cause you to be aware of, and thus alter, your media usage. i notice the same thing if/when attempting to practice breathing awareness - i try to breath naturally, but in so doing end up with deeper or more belabored breaths
-subjective; people lie. there might be some truths about your media consumption you'd rather not acknoledge, privately or publicly.
-requires motivation; along the lines of time consuming, i've been advocating keeping track of my media usage for a while. but i rarely follow through. because at the end of the day, it takes time and energy to produce a diary and i'd rather just flake out and watch some tv or read a book or browse the web, etc.

Passive/Software Approach

Pros:
-passive tracking; keeps track of your media usage for you, and you don't have to do a thing. thereby addressing most of the cons in the diary approach.
-you're less likely to alter your behavior; though in the case of RescueTime this may not be true, since it's also used as a productivity tool that's designed to get you to change your behavior
-quantitative analysis; you can crunch numbers at the end of the month, week, quarter, etc.
-objective approach; it'll record everything you do on the web, for better or for worse.
-a computer does all the work for you

Cons:
-limited to digital media; what about that bumber sticker you saw or the street musician playing bucket drums?
-no chance for reflection at the end of the day; unless you check your stats. but not necessarily qualitative reflection or critical thinking.
-no personal voice; everyone's computer keeps a cache of the websites you visit, or your browser can keep a history. but is that meaningful in and of itself? how is a narration of our web history different from the file located on our hard drive?

FreeRice.com

FreeRice is an online vocabulary game/study tool that donates 10 grains of rice to the UN World Food Fund every time you get a question right. Play and see!

I'm coming late in the game to this one, but it's great for studying for the GRE.

Exactly the kind of amalgamation of education, technology, interactive media, social justice, and advertising that uses the web to its utmost. Can crowdsourcing end world hunger?

As we spend more and more of our time on the web, games like this combine our incentive to play, challenge ourselves, and contribute to a good cause.

Here is a good question in technology and ethics: the use of "ricebots," i.e. computer programs/scripts, that play the game instead of human, can result in faster donation of rice than human play. However, if advertisers are aware of the bot activity, they have less incentive to pay for the rice. In the long run, these bots could damage the reputation and effectiveness of FreeRice, resulting in the addition of a warning to the FAQ section of the site against "ricebots." But if a "ricebot" can feed more people more quickly, is it ultimately more humane, even if it hurts the game in the long run? Moreover, if a ricebot can feed more people AND go undetected, should more undetectable ricebots be deployed?

In any case, brilliant idea by John Breen, partnered with the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University.

Collective Ignorance in "My Year of Meats"

An excerpt from a 1998 novel I've been reading, My Year of Meats, by Ruth L. Ozeki:

"I would like to think of my 'ignorance' less as a personal failing and more as a massive cultural trend, and example of doubling, of psychic numbing, that characterizes the end of the millenium. If we can't act on knowledge, then we can't survive without ignorance. So we cultivate ignorance, go to great lengths to celebrate it, even. The faux-dumb aesthetic that dominates TV and Hollywood must be about this. Fed on a media diet of really bad news...which we, as citizens have so little control..., we live in a perpetual state of repressed panic. We are paralyzed by bad knowledge, from which the only escape is playing dumb. Ignorance becomes empowering because it enables people to live. Stupidity becomes proactive, a political statement. Our collective norm.

Maybe this exempts me as an individual, but it sure makes me entirely culpable as a global media maker."

It's remarkable to me that this passage was written before the entire Bush Presidency, which could easily be argued to have embraced the faux-dumb aesthetic. Indeed, I myself fully admit to embracing it through my chosen media diet. Prime example: season 6 of my favorite TV show, It's Always Sunny in Philedelphia, premieres tomorrow night, and I can't wait!

Ozeki's astute observations remain relevant in todays media climate, except that we as citizens have gained some control. In fact, the average American with a laptop is a global media maker. (Or at least has the potential to be, given that we protect certain tenants of democratic digital society, such as net neutrality.) It's my hope that I'm developing a healthy media-food diet, one which both celebrates human folly (as per the faux-dumb aesthetic), but also sharpens my capacity as a critical media consumer and producer. Though my media choices are plagued with imperfections, this blog provides me with a refuge for collecting disparate thoughts into something that might be considered meaningful - not contributing to digital noise and information clutter - but contributing to knowledge and, ultimately, understanding in daily life.

Why Media Logs Are Important

"Keeping a media-use log allows you to frame your media use in your own terms, to tell your own digital story."

If a historian were to try to rediscover you in 100 years, what sources would they use to investigate you? What would be the primary source documents they would use to understand your daily life? How would they investigate your digital footprint?

Every media company from whom we buy our digital services keeps records of our use. Our utility bills, our email records, which movies we rent from Netflix: these records form an intimate portrait of who we are and what we care about. If we look at our digital records as part of history in the making, the documents pertaining to our media consumption become primary sources in constructing our present understanding (the present process of encoding memory) of ourselves. By viewing our digital documents as primary sources that tell a story about us, basic documents take on new meaning. Receipts or phone bills: they are not just hapless pieces of paper, but actually meaningful texts that can help us reconstruct a narrative of ourselves.

(Incidentally, I experienced the importance of utility bills as more than just bills while living in Japan. I realized they, like every other piece of Japanese writing I encountered, were an opportunity for language learning. To understand my phone bill, I'd have to understand the characters in which it was written. Thus, living in a foreign language environment leads me to look at my utility bills through a new lens: not just a tool for paying a company, but also a textbook for my language learning. Though I still can't read a lot of my utility bills, enlisting this process in the future might help me to become a better reader of Japanese.)

However, any historian or biographer knows that another meaningful way to construct a portrait of any individual is through a close reading of his or her diary. A diary or journal provides a window into the events, thoughts, feelings, actions and reactions of someone's life. Moreover, they're encoded in the author's original language, framing one's life on one's own terms. Presumably the symbols and language contained in one's diary reflect meaningfully about how they see the world. Future discussions could center philosophically around whether or not diaries are truthful representations of their author's lives.

In the so-called "digital-age," there is a need for both media-literacy and critical reflection on our the use of our digital media. In this process, both types of data are important: the quantitative measurements and the records produced by media companies, as well as diaries, blogs, or journals that tell the story of our media use on our own terms.

Keeping a media-use log allows you to frame your media use in your own terms, to tell your own digital story. At the same time, we should hold ourselves accountable to the raw facts about our media use: the cost of our electricity or how many hours we log in front of the computer or TV every day. And our media company's records provide us a meaningful account of all this. We should have access to use these records to think critically about our media use, and we should take advantage of the access we have if we are serious about media literacy.

Moreover, it's important for us to share our information with each other. Currently, big media companies like Comcast or Google have a wealth of information about our habits and activities. That information is a source of power. If we want to gain collective independence from the few media companies that control most of the information flow, we should de-monopolize their hold on our personal information by making the records for ourselves.

Thus, daily digital storytelling through diaries, blogs or other social media have the ability to help us raise our awareness of our own media usage, and contribute to a field of information which can be a source of power. Increasingly, it's important we understand our digital footprint.

Marshall Mcluhan

"The medium is the message."

Stumbled across the work of Marshal Mcluhan last week and quickly became immersed in his ideas. Although controversial for his time, and politically incorrect in retrospect, many of his theories about the relationship between communication and culture have stood the test of time.

I've learned most about Mcluhan from the wikipedia article about him, and recommend this as a starting point for those interested in learning more about him. He's famous for the coining the phrases "The medium is the message" and "the global village." Much of Mcluhan's work is embodied in sounds bites or catch phrases which he coined.

The wikipedia article led me to the Canadia Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) digital archives on Mcluhan. Mcluhan became an iconic "philosopher of pop culture" in Canada during the 60's and 70's, often making TV and radio appearances. As demonstrated by his employment with the advertising industry later in his career, Mcluhan did not hesitate to exploit the media he criticized.

Through a youtube video search, I came across this debate between Mcluhan and author/activist Normal Mailer.



In the videos of Mcluhan, I'm struck by his rhetoric. With a background in literature and educated at Cambridge, his tone seems emblematic of academicians of his time, embued with all the authority of modernism, decisive and unwavering. The medium (i.e. 1960's TV and radio), as well as the way Mcluhan spoke, locate him in his particular generation of intellectuals. Since so many of his ideas have remained current while his rhetoric has lapsed, I would argue his rhetorical style has become iconic, imbued with a high degree of truth value/modality . The medium is old, the message remains salient.

I was delighted to find that a record had been produced in the late '60's of Mcluhan's quotes affected mixed with avante garde music concrete. Listen to one side of the record here:

http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/oOoD88jKCJA/

Quotes from this era often appear remixed into drum and bass, a music which is itself both futuristic and familiar. I find it fascinating that Mcluhan's quotes had already gained such popular currency during the peak of his career.

Despite my affinity for Mcluhan, some of his language poses deep academic problems. For example, his use of the term "tribal man" may have been acceptable in the 1960's, but would probably be objectionable to anthropologists today. Furthermore, his dichotomy between the Orient and the West is blatant reductionism, and he can be identified clearly as an orientalist in this sense.

I'm particularly interested in his designation of the terms "hot" and "cool" media, cool media referring to media which fully engrosses one fully in a state of detached concentration. He says he takes the term from jazz and popular music, and relates it to the Hindu concept of non-attachment. Mcluhan's use of the term "cool" connects his ideas about African American music and culture, Oriental religion, and new media in ways that are both troubling and insightful. Note that in his interviews, the word "hip" is used to designate another meaning of cool, i.e. popular and progressive.

However, his theory and speculation about the future of media and technology have been proven correct. He anticipated an information culture facilitated by a global system of circuits, essentially the internet, as early as 1965. And his consultation with the advertising industry resulted in decades of effected communications strategies. Thus, Mcluhan has been dubbed a "soothsayer" and "founding father" by contemporary media and communications theorists. To honor his legacy is to acknowledge both his significant contributions to the study of media, communication, culture and technology; as well as his brilliant yet problematic rhetoric.

Mindfulness Update

So far this week I've adhered to 4/5 sitting sessions. Missed this morning due to sleeping/skyping instead. Will try to let this go and return to the regimen tonight and tomorrow morning. Then I'll be on a plane to the US for ten hours with all the time in the world to sit mindfully!

Bon Odori

Went to this Bon Odori festival near my house last weekend. Obon (お盆) is a summer holiday in mid-August dedicated to the remembrance of one's ancestors. It seems festivals are scattered throughout August, but the actual holiday is August 15.

Anyone can dance, even me! (Although everyone cannot dance well.) You watch the performers in the middle and rotate around them in a circle, picking up the dance as you go along. Some people seem to know the dances well, while others are picking it up for the first time and improvising a bit.

I was struck by the age groups represented here. By enlarge, it was a family event. Thus, there tended to be small children, parents, and grandparents. Very few twenty-somethings (kind of like church in America?) Maybe this was more reflective of the demographic of this neighborhood, not so much Obon at large. I found it interesting to see how the old is mixed with the relatively new, i.e. glow toys and shave ice.

In the video, you can see the young kids picking up the dances with a bit of pushing and prodding. Clearly, there it's a nudge to get them to pick up tradition, to absorb some culture. The drummers are also kids, composed of five year-olds to middles schoolers. Check out their performances here:

Recovering Mindfulness

In order to stay true to the title of the blog, I realized I need to refocus on mindfulness. Thus far, posts have focused on media. Ideally, I'd like to integrate the two. Thus, for the next three and a half days before I head back to the States, I'm going to commit myself to two sessions of breathing awareness per day, 44 minutes a piece. (A teacher once told me it's not so important how long you sit, just that you sit. So I'm going with 44, my favorite number, of minutes.) I'll post my progress on the blog in an effort to maintain adherence to the regimen. Can making your successes and failures in mindfulness practice public to the blogosphere be a motivator for discipline? Second, I aim to create three posts during the next three days: 1) 盆踊り｜Bon Odori 2) Marshall McLuhan 3) A Survey of Mindful Media on the web.

I'm trying to imagine an appropriate image that conveys mindful breathing for this post. What does a breath look like? Here's one I like from a quick google images search:



Please comment with you image suggestions! :)

New Muslim Cool :: Official Documentary Film Site

New Muslim Cool :: Official Documentary Film Site

Documentary presents the life story of Hamza Perez, a Puerto Rican American Muslim hip hop artist.

What is the new Muslim cool?

Today's Media Log

Began by checking gmail, which connected me with the web in a dizzying spin of consciousness - from facebook, to non-profits pleading for funds, to idealist.org, to bank alerts, and messages on my youtube account. Maybe 10% of the emails in my inbox contained substance, and I'm still not done sorting through the past week. I need to remove myself from some mailing lists. With no less than 5 tabs open on Firefox at a time, ardly mindful media navigation!

Proceeded to Skype with Mom and Noelle.

Then headed out for the day with a book and some kanji flashcards to keep me busy on the bus/train.

After a conversation with the hair dresser while getting my hair cut (is conversation media), bummed around Machida, accepting some free promotional tissues, and checking grocery stores for frozen fruit. Does this all count as media consumption?

Met friends for dinner, then saw inception. Total sensory overload, especially since I'm coming down with a cold. It hurt my brain a little, but a thought provoking thriller for sure.

Back home, and after a stop at a convenience store for some more substantial dinner and my favorite hydrating beverage, NPR! Here's my favorite story from today's All Things Considered, part of a series on faith in China:


http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128672542

Reflecting on a conversations with family and friends last week, this story leads me to think about the evolving nature of and relationship between the terms religion, spirituality, faith, superstition, culture, and politics, etc. These terms are alternately used to describe the same phenomena, but with different shades of meaning, and the ability to shift the balance of power from a tone of grave reverence for the sacred, to condemnation of the common. If any or all of these terms interest you, check out the story, and consider how these terms are used.

Autotune

The three videos above employ auto-tune for various purposes - comedic remix of an infomercial; humorous political commentary and product promotion; and a moving appeal on behalf of the wonder of science. What is it that makes autotune so amusing?

As Jimmy Kimmel says in the third video, auto-tune is a technology that can turn any voice into music. In other words, it takes prerecorded audio and matches it to a given musical pitch or scale. I often get autotune confused with vocoding, which mixes a vocal audio track and synthesizer to make a newly combined synthesizer, which can sound like it's talking. The difference is explained here: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/audio-effects-vocoder-auto-tune.html

These days, autotune is all the rage in popular music, from Justin Beiber to Lil' Wayne. You can hear it in almost every hit hip-hop song in the past two or three years, and these videos demonstrate its wide appeal among viral video remixers. Why do people love autotune so much?

*JARGON ALERT*In Discources in Place, the authors define modality as "As Kress and van Leeuwen use the term...the truth value or cedibility of...statements about the world." (This definition is derived from linguistics. The term has a different use in semiotics.)The components of modality include color saturation, color differentiation, color modulation, contextualization, reprentation, depth, illumination, and brightness. *END JARGON ALERT*

In other words, like autotune, effects can be applied to photos or visual images. And these effects have a bearing on how "real" or "true" the image appears to us. These images were taken from someone's blogpost on the subject:







Each effect gives the image a different feeling, adding a layer of meaning to the original image. Similarly, autotune can add a layer of meaning, a sort of hue, to the human voice. The question is which is more "true," the original or the effected copy? And which is more powerful, effective, and meaningful? In the example of the photos, the original image would be said to be more representative of the "true" baseball player being represented. And in the case of autotune, the original speech or music would be the "natural" version heard in the real world. However, in both cases the effected image or sound is more interesting, captivating more attention than the original. Would I watch an infomercial or a compilation of news clips or popular science videos if they were presented in their original form? Maybe. But I would be willing to bet that the Slapchop sales went through the roof by the time DJ Steve Porter's remix video of the infomercial reached over a million hits on youtube.

This is a great example of remix culture. Is it infringement or artistic recreation? In any case, we can see here how the remixed copy adds value to the original and doesn't diminish it. Forging a new creation with various sources (i.e. infomercial, Breakin' (1984), and some synthesized guitar lines/beats/bass) makes something which may not convey the same information as the original, but generates a more emotional response. In fact, I would argue that as autotune becomes normalized through pop music and remix culture, it becomes more "real" in some respects than unadulterated audio, the orignal copy.

Whether this trend has positive or negative consequences is a subject of fervent debate. People rail against autotune in digital discourse, bemoaning the destruction of "real" talent in the music industry. For my part, I really like autotune and vocoder effects. I find them really amusing and naturally interesting, for reasons outlined above. What I find more troubling is our collective inability to concentrate on simple or natural phenomena that don't have a layer of digitized meaning. Despite this concern, I try to welcome the thriving new digital culture based on the saying "it's turtles all the way down." It's all part of evolution. Before viral videos we had music videos. And before music videos, we had radio. And before radio we had newspapers. And before newspapers, we had the printing press. And before the printing press, we had quills and paper. And before the advent of writing, we had spoken language. The list goes on and on to infinity until we reach the dawn of life. And if we think about it, life is another form of cosmic technology.

Forgive the philosohpical rambling, but if you've read this far, you must be interested, so send me your favorite example of autotune. :)

Omikoshi Festival

Just got back from a summer "mikoshi" festival in Suge on the outskirts of Tokyo. Invited by Yuji, an Obirin student who is also a DJ and studies English through hip-hop, I went without really knowing entirely what I was getting myself into, but I had a blast. I'll try to convey why this event was special for me and the community where it was held.

This wasn't the first time I've heard of an "omikoshi" (translated as portable shrine) (日本語で「御神輿」). As preparation for a speaking assignment in our English Language Program (ELP) courses, the ELP director prepared a video in which he was interviewed about his favorite festival, which happened to be the omikoshi festival. He talked about how the shrine was carried from place to place and people drink sake/nihonshuu and are generally merry and sometimes the shrine is thrown into the air. So at that point I had some idea of what an omikoshi (the "o" makes it an honorific) is.

When I got the invitation from Yuji last week, he asked me to wear comfortable white clothes, and bring tabi, or traditional Japanese shoes used for exercise or martial arts, etc. So I realized we would be participating in the festival, not just watching. I asked him if I could bring a video camera and he said fine, so I got the impression it would be OK to both observe and participate.

***This brings me to today's media news, which is that I just purchased my first camcorder! JVC Everio GZ-HM1. This also contributed to the significance of the event for me.***

As it turned out, I participated almost the whole time. When I got there, Yuji gave me a happi coat with his neighborhood group logo. Each neighborhood has their own mikoshi group with four localities represented at this festival. Yuji's neighborhood group is called the "seven god group (七神会)." Two of the guys in the group tried to explain it to me, and apparently the shrine represents 7 kinds of gods from land, sea, sky, wind, happiness, etc. I noticed while I was carrying the mikoshi that there were 7 seals, which I imagined represent the 7 gods, but I don't know. Clearly, the ornaments on the shrine all have some symbolic value, but I have no idea and I'm not sure most of the group members do, either.

The main event was carrying the mikoshi from place to place, and let me tell you, it is heavy! The miniature shrine itself is mounted on four hardwood beams, and about 20 or so guys carry it on their shoulders. The women's mikoshi followed, slightly smaller. But I think that was left behind at the first resting point and some of the women joined us in carrying the bigger mikoshi.

After hoisting the massive (hardly portable!) contraption up onto our shoulders, two guys with whistles help direct the mikoshi. A procession forms led by a truck with a wadaiko group, lantern bearers, the whistle blowing "traffic guides," group leaders, and supporting members who rotate in and out of carrying the shrine and a group of "cheerleaders" on the side, who sing, dance, chant, and wave their arms to pump up the shrine bearers. The whistles provide a steady rhythm, and then a call and response chant begins among the shrine bearers, providing a kind of marching rhythm and unifying the group. The enthusiasm of the shouting keeps you genki while working like crazy to keep the thing aloft. My shoulders hurt now, but actually my throat hurts more from cheering at the top of my lungs!

As the procession developed, people came out to watch with their kids and family. Several of the foreign exchange students I was with remarked on how nice it was that this event brings together the young and elderly in the community. Twenty-somethings and college students were toiling with fifty-plus retirees in carrying the shrine, and we were able to meet and converse with people of all ages.

Along the way, there were stations set up with tents and refreshments, a really hospitable and friendly environment. While we ate pickles and onigiri and drank beer and tea, we met some of the other participants and made small talk. It was really nice to reach out to people you wouldn't be able to meet on the subway or at random in a cafe. I think that's one of the special things about this festival. Since it's out of the ordinary, everyday routine, people have a chance to break out of their normal roles and try something a little different. Even though were were gaijin, people were really nice to us and made us feel included and welcomed.

Finally, at the end of the festival, we brought the shrine back to its original location, where some group members had prepared a feast of nigirizushi, yakisoba, tsukemono, tempura, onigiri, stir fry, etc. We were able to talk a bit more with some of the group members during the meal, and they were all curious about us. Where we are from and why we were in Japan and why we could speak Japanese and if they could speak English. I find these are pretty common conversation starters that I get asked a lot as a foreigner.

Though I was a little uneasy about participating as a foreigner, I eventually threw myself into it and had a great time.

I've had this experience a few times when participating in cultural events as an outsider. For example, the Shiva Rathri festival in Varanasi, or playing wadaiko at Oberlin, or candombe in Washington, D.C. These are all festive events, which I find really interesting and enjoyable. So I'm happy to participate and throw myself into such events without fully comprehending what I'm doing, or why I'm doing it. Some might take issue with this approach, and I'm sensitive myself to accusations of cultural appropriation.

Yuji and I talked about it before the festival and he was saying that some old men in his neighborhoods group didn't like foreigners participating. Though I didn't encounter any overt hostility, I can understand why it would be weird for foreigners to participate in a "traditional" ceremony. Nevertheless, Yuji said, "it's natural." I think it's natural when we encounter another culture that we want to try out their customs and imagine what it would be like to be a member of that culture. Having been working for cultural exchange for the past two years, I'm glad this festival gave me a chance to revisit these issues. Perhaps through this participation, the culture itself changes and evolves, as it would naturally, but with a foreign influence. Of course, there is always something lost and something gained, but I hope tonight respect and understanding was gained for the people in Suge as much as it was for me.

Today's Media Consumption

After Skyping, started with NPR's All Things Considered. Then to Dawson's creek. Then to documentaries on nuclear fusion, and the potential of sharing economies or crowd sourcing on the internet to be used as a form of governance. And finally back to NPR with On the Media. This last story about the Dalai Lama turning 75 featured many of the scholars I studied in a seminar on Buddhism and Orientalism at Oberlin College.



Probably on to a little more Dawson's to round out the day.

Alternative Politics: Youth, Media, Performance and Activism in Urban Japan

Yesterday, I attended a conference at Sophia University entitled Alternative Politics: Youth, Media, Performance and Activism in Urban Japan The panels focused on themes such as the history of protest movements; experiments in alternative lifestyles organized around art, culture and activism; the meaning of "political"; the contestation of public spaces.

I learned a lot about the recent history of counter culture in Tokyo. For example, through Sharon Hayashi's presentation on "Mapping Protest Tokyo: New Media and the Politics of Representation," I learned about the 2004 "sound demonstrations" in Shibuya against the Iraq war.



Apparently inspired by the "reclaim the streets" movement in Europe, it seems that the sound demos united various groups from Tokyo's counterculture. In contrast to the violent protests of the 1968 era, the protests were peaceful, upbeat, and humorous events, despite an inordinate number of armed riot police. The tradition of sound demos has continued and evolved, themed around such issues as the G8 Summit, anti-poverty campaigns, or May Day celebtrations of "Freedom and Survival."


G8


anti-poverty


May Day

Cool Japan - Symbol - Clip 1

Cool. Symbols. Japan. Can you imagine my delight when I stumble upon a TV show that has all three of these words in its title?!?!? Bridging semiotics, media, and the culture of cool, "Cool Japan" investigates Japanese pop culture through the eyes of foreigners. I'm only 10 minutes in and enthralled.



The concept of "cool Japan" has some roots. Recently stumbling upon the phrase "Japan's 'Gross National Cool'" at the 2010 Cultural Typhoon, a Tokyo media conference at Komazawa University, I googled it. This led me to Douglas McGray's 2002 article of the same name ('Gross National Cool') in Foreign Poicy. Another recent find was the "Cool Japan Project" established in 2006 as a partnership between MIT and Harvard by MIT professor of comparative media studies, Ian Condry. Tipped off tonight to the NHK TV series, "Cool Japan," I couldn't help but notice a pattern cropping up.

What is it that makes Japan so remarkably cool?

The concept of Gross National Cool reminds me of Bhutan's commitment to "Gross National Happiness." For those reeling against globalization, the concept of quantifying cool and happiness into marketable soundbites may be a bit unsettling. But what can social scientists learn from the latent concepts of applying an economic framework to these abstract and elusive phenomena? With the advent of information economics, we are learning that there are many goods with intangible value that are commodified, bought, and sold in the media marketplace of the information age.

My interest in "the cool" goes back at least two years, when it occurred to me that the term and concept of cool has been used in marketing for well over half a century. I was compelled to do a comparative analysis of Miles Davis's "Birth of the Cool" and the early-90's trip-hop release "Rebirth of the Cool," and more recently Lupe Fiasco's 2009 release, "The cool." Though the analysis remains incomplete, cool is undoubtedly ripe for further academic and popular consideration. Are the same forces at play in Japan's foreign image as those that made Miles Davis cool in the 1960's (and still today)? How has music and marketing changed between the bop era and today? Are orientalism and racism at play in the cool? Who benefits from the cool, and who loses out?

Analyzing cool, like analyzing a joke, may decrease it's potency, it's potential to have a real effect. This phenomena, while dangerous to marketers and popular culture at large, can have an empowering effect on those who would be victim to the cool's derision, or who would profit from exploiting it. Through media literacy that considers the cool, perhaps there is the potential for redefinition through awareness.

Hip Hop, Buddhism and Orientalism

"Concentrate" by Xzibit is hardly original. American hip hop artists have been playing on "Eastern" themes for decades, from the Wu-Tang Clan to Lupe Fiasco. But xzibit's track and video point to the need for analysis of the portrayal of "the East" in hip hop.



For example, the "Namu myoho renge kyo" sample references Soka Gakkai Buddhism, a school which has recently gained prevalence among black Americans, and which has developed into an international movement with roots in Japan during the second half of the 20th century. Though remaining somewhat marginalized in Japanese society, Soka Gakkai International has come to represent the face of Buddhism in American pop culture, with devotees such as Tina Turner, Herbie Hancock, and Orlando Bloom boosting its popular image.

Regarding Japanese language, the Chinese character in the background of the video "注" (Chinese reading "chuu") can have such meanings as "annotation; notes comments; flow into; pour" 注意 ("chuui") is frequently used as a warning to mean "caution; attention; observation; notice; care." In Chinese, a quick search reveals that this character may also mean concentrate. But the Japanese word for concentrate is typically "集中" ("shuuchuu"). Thus, we can see a mixing of Japanese and Chinese language and culture from the religious and written symbols in the two examples above.

Though I'm no expert on martial arts, I would be willing to guess that aikido is one of the arts being performed in the video, although perhaps there is some Kung Fua and Karate? The taiko is also emblematic of traditional Japanese culture, although its rise to prominence in North America has, like SGI, been a post-war phenomenon. And it has been fused in recent decades with jazz and other popular music genres.

Such a preliminary analysis demonstrates that the images encoded in this video are rife with meaning, but they are taken out of context and essentialized in the video. It would not be difficult to articulate how orientalism is at play here, playing the exotified traditional "East" (although represented with less than traditional icons) against the modern "Western"/"urban" lifestyle expounded by gangsta rap, represented by money and objectified women.

In short, such pop culture images in hip hop are not uncommon, and they require further examination. Themes of Buddhism, orientalism and occidentalism are also reflected in Japanese hip hop from foundational artists like Buddha Brand and Zeebra to underground artists like 仏子(Bushi).





Finally, the mimetic/"ping pong" effect of cultural flows has resulted in hip hop infiltrating Buddhist the Buddhist world. A recent report of "Japan's Rapping Monk" from Reuters has caught the attention of world news outlets. It remains to be seen whether this is an isolated phenomenon or something that will grow beyond the periphery into the mainstream.



At the very least, these examples demonstrate the complex cultural flows between Asia and America. Many more can be found in Japanese and American hip hop, and I hope to take on such projects for future study.