Steampunk, Brain Scan Tech, CAVE Claymation

Steampunk

I read I think Zach's (if I'm incorrect - my apologies to the rightful muse of this post) blog post about Steampunk and was inspired to further comment/support a love for subcultures without a participatory role in them. The fact that stuff like this exists, and communities thrive via communication, and the spreading of ideas occur through an online medium fascinates me. This has to be one of the most eccentric cultural paradigms I have seen in awhile.

It sort of reminds me of the animated version of Disney's Atlantis which fuses a futuristic, yet simultaneously magical and ancient culture within the confines of a Victorian setting. The story isn't particularly great but Disney does (I think) a beautiful job with the animation and concocting this mystical world underwater. I'm pretty sure the movie came out when most of the class was older (probably early teens) but I'm the oldest of five and being a big Disney animation fan, had the opportunity to see it.

Brain Scan Technology

A-ma-zing. Truly. I understand that people have concerns (religious or otherwise) about the manipulation of the human body, but the 60 Minutes piece can be utilized as a conduit to change minds and give meaning to those who have lost mobility and speech due to paralyzation and disease. It still boggles my mind when I think of that man going to work every day, despite how much time and effort it takes him to speak and communicate. His story is a very powerful one and I hope that this reached a large audience when it aired because I think it is a piece of media that has the ability to persuade, which today can be difficult task to accomplish.

Plato's Cave

The technique used in this traditional claymation reminded me of the style of Gumby, a show I (and I'm sure many of you) saw growing up. The aesthetic style is simple, and clear which I like.

I think something like this could be a great educational tool. At a college level, I don't think it is that effective because students are studying Platonic concepts at a greater depth however, I think the animators clearly shaped, what I perceived in my mind to be a lucid visual representation of Plato's Cave. This can be difficult when the ideas being conveyed are conceptual. I think a series of shorts like this, highlighting philosophy, would be beneficial to young adolescents (9th/10th graders come to mind) who are asked to grasp these concepts but only within the confines of definition memorization and historical context, without considering philisophical notions. A short like this has the potential to visualize to students more abstract ideas that they may not grasp at that age without some sort of visual representation.