:: Friday, November 19, 2004 ::

The following is not net art. In fact it is not art at all. Yet, the issues it raises about online activity are worth considering.

Live-shot.com offers online clients a chance at shooting with guns via an online connection. In fact, it claims to offer the shooting range experience to anyone who is willing to pay an online membership. The potential to hunt wild animals is one of the things they are now working on. But at this point it is the shooting range that's the main attraction.

Some questions that arise are, if something goes wrong with the internet connection and for some reason a person or animal gets shot and maybe even killed, how will the courts deal with the complexities of the online experience? Can they treat it like any other accidental shooting? And what if the person lives in another state which has different hunting regulations from those of Texas, or where even hunting is prohibited? What about another country? Would that person be liable under Texas law?

On another level this website begins to make connections between online gaming experience and real life. One may wonder if online gamers would on some level approach online hunting like any other game they play on an everyday basis. The danger here lurks in misunderstanding differences between shotting and killing in a game vs. in real life. This might be hard to comprehend by online user, when the experience relies on the same essential tools to bring users two very different activities.

:: Eduardo Navas [+] ::
...

A textural overlay of color, form and sound, the projects "squee" and "framina"compose the site snarg.net. Simple and ridiculous, these works open up a sensual playfulness that is often avoided or felt frivolous in light of the weighter global issues attacked by net artists. Yet ther import is subtle. The aesthetic content of many sites is sublimated or forgotten, dominated by data-driven and conceptual models. But there can be so much meaning generated in the pause engendered by poetic forms. These small and repetative works made me engage and cavort in their post-lingual space; contemplating color, movement, and rhythym in search of beauty and passing time.

:: [+] ::
...

WHAT:: SPINACH7 issue 5 Launch and fundraiser
AT:: The Public Office, 100 Adderley Street, West Melbourne
ON:: Friday 19th November
FROM:: 8pm-ish onwards
FOR A MERE:: $6 / $10 (includes a copy of #5)

See you at the Public Office,

- The S7 Team

ps. spot the mag at
http://spinach7.com/magissue05/

SPINACH 7 is a recently started Melbourne, Australia-based magazine. Created by independent media editor, journalist and owner of 'My Spinach' non-profit server, Sam de Silva and other creative artists, it features full-color lead articles on art, politics, media, new trends in culture, criticism, reviews and newsbytes. It is published a few times a year in 4-color magazine style and is distributed in newsstands. SPINACH 7 gets excellent support from independent media and culture scene. Check out the web site and if you are in town, go to launch.
:: molly hankwitz [+] ::
...

Selected News

Movie Swapping, the drama with Hollywood begins... again.

Got a used computer? Somebody might be looking for it somewhere around the world.

Unscratchable DVDs.

Microsoft plans to provide computers in the third world.

Hunting the Fox that's on fire.

Software giants may be visiting you to check up on software...

Those friendly camera phone "snaps" are becoming a private issue.
:: Eduardo Navas [+] ::
...

Disconcerting news: Furtherfield.org, an online resource based in the U.K., has been hacked. Other members in the online community were also hacked, given that they apparently shared the same server; they include Ivan Pope, Alan sondeim, Completely Nakes and Devoid. We advice the online community to be on the alert of possible hackings of their own sites. The original message from Marc Garrett, one of the founders of Furtherfield follows below.

> furtherfield hacked
> ++++++++++++++++++++
>
> Just sending a message to all those wondering about what has suddenly happened to furtherfield.org
>
> We have been hacked and it may take about a week to sort our end out...
>
> It is not just Furtherfield who have been hacked, Ivan pope, alan sondheim, completely naked, devoid & many others are victim of this extremely (soulless) attack against our creative freedoms...
>
> the server is being rebuilt.
>
> Will get back to those who are concerned/interested, with other details
soon...
>
> Could those who have links with other list inform other them as well, so that they know what has happened - thank you in advance...
>
> marc garrett
>
> http://www.furtherfield.org
:: Eduardo Navas [+] ::
...

Brief Recommendations from Net Art or Not Art?

Recombo: collaborative of musicians, academics, software engineers and everyone in between.

gotonetart: Portal to netart and Digital media activities.

Doma: group of artists coming together, crossing over the boundaries of the commercial and non-profit fields.

Pornois: collaborative featuring Graphics, music and video.

Some recommendations online at Turbulence

On Lionel Kerns by Jim Andrews: Binary mediation meets poetry.

Thinking Machine by Martin Wattenbergy: exploring the invisible.

Textual Instruments by Noah Wardrip Fruin: instruments constructing, playing, linking

One Year Performance video by MTAA: Log on, put the time for a year, be a superuser.
:: Eduardo Navas [+] ::
...