Conclusion -- The Web of Changes

This semester is coming to a close.I am glad that all the effort rewards.The utmost change of myself I guess is that I am no longer favoring "watching"or "waiting" but prefer "doing" and "making".
The Electronic Monument is an ideal,a reachable goal through effort, even though it is not so easy to realize. In fact, the greatness of an ideal exists also in its distance from the reality, or who cares if it is too easy?
Confronting the same dilemma of "to be, or not to be", Ulmer leads a bold and practical way out in attempting to send a call for the sake of the unchangeable disasters and mean to achieve a collective American spirit, the response from the public.
In his words,"MEmorials do not commemorate ideals, but 'reals,' 'actuals,' untransposed 'abjects.' They take into account not only declared values, but undeclared collective behaviors "(259).
In a way, he situates himself into a "propensity",and "propensity"is not "destiny", as he himself describes (254).
The electracy is not an easy way to go,either.I'm wondering how far one needs to go and how much difficulty one needs to encounter before s/he receives the first fruit.One EM might be easy and may also make a difference in certain circumstance.But remember, that should not be fortune-making. How about if one expects a mass participation and a giant echo? I mean, how can the ideal be deeply rooted in the minds of the mass, thus forming into an irresistible power and promoting actions?
How many changes can the web bring?
Mostly, a great mission with the changing of minds needs the effort of several generations! Maybe it is the awareness and mission of building the EM aroused by the book that counts.
"For this project to pass from a pedagogy and a conceptual critique into a practice of a virtual civic sphere will require its adoption and testing by many other groups and individuals", as is declared by Ulmer.

my Web Design

Here is the address:
http://people.clemson.edu/~yuanrod/EM

From the Third Dimension & Colorful Thoughts to Web Design

Chapter 8 & 9, the third dimension and colorful thought, are the summary of the whole book. Kress and van Leeuwen illustrated with examples that though with some difference, most formerly introduced concepts can also be applied in the video and moving images,i.e. the two-dimensional account can also be applied in the three-dimensional visual communication. For example, one can distinguish "transactional" and "non-transactional" by referring whether the vector has a goal.
However, the third dimension creates an additional option in representation, a relation between the representational structure and the position of the viewer(246). Observing some movie language, one may create specific effect in design. For instance, facing from different side of the structure may leave the viewer different impression. Another instance is that by converting the participant's eye contact into another (moving)image, the designer may leave the viewer the "first-person" feel, making the viewer looking at the phenomenon "through the eyes of the reactor"(261).
There is several other aspects that make three-dimensional design differ form the two-dimensional one. One is concerning modality. As introduced in page 255, there is no need to represent depth, the play of light and shade, and etc., as such elements have already occurred naturally. Another aspect results from the different expressive skills the third dimension might provide such as the choice of using one or two shots to express certain meanings. The author stressed that the dialogue in moving images is represented directly through speech instead of writing. Therefore, the synchronization between the speech and the Speaker's lip movements replaces the vector that connects Speaker and Speech(261).
In the end, Kress and van Leeuwen claimed that the purpose of the book is to make explicit how the available resources of visual grammar form a potential for the representation and communication of meaning through spatial configurations of visual elements (266).
Reading images: the grammar of visual design has indeed provided large amounts of beneficial information from both viewer and designer's perspective the "grammar" in understanding both two-dimensional images and three-dimensional art works.I am thinking that the same grammar can actually be applied in the forthcoming EM web design since there is a commonplace existing among the interrelated fields.

Some Thinking Based on Justice Miranda and Soft Wishing Y

From literacy to electracy, there seems to be a great step for the rhetors and rhetoricians to take.By inserting the story of the samba singer Carmen Miranda, Ulmer thinks it possible even desirable to try to translate samba into a concept(199).Actually, samba represents a voice which could be silenced in some cases.Ulmer believes that the purpose of the remake is to devise a replacement (202).He also believes that "Y"is a puncept- a category gathering and relating a semantic field based on similarity of signifier rather than of signified (230).He prefers to placing his soft wishing on the web.
When reading these two chapters, however, what I am thinking about is how to make a voice reachable to the public. The following is created by a Chinese oversea student who revealed his feelings after making some comparison on two different cultures.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cWaX-awEkI&feature=related
I do not want to talk about the comparison he made, however, I felt really funny since he smartly used rap and the images of Obama and Hillary in conveying a strong feeling: "Why do you come to the U.S.,giving up the beautiful life you own?"(Obama) and "Why do you come to the U.S., admiring our monotonous life?"(Hillary)
I can not say that "monotonous"is the most proper word to convey the meaning. For me, I would prefer to use the word "simple". I do not mean to offend but this does reflect different understanding on different situations and cultures.The success of this piece of movie is that the student skillfully use the specific images of celebrities to broadcast his own feeling in a humorous way, which made his voice more overwhelming.
Concerning my EM, I am thinking of building a website through Dw to harbor and extend the idea of warning the hazard or even destroying power of the nuclear power plants. Some funny or light-hearted elements will not be denied, albeit the serious and heavy theme. However, I'd rather not to confine it too much before it really comes out, for I believe more multi-model technique would contribute to a better and more balanced meaning expression and the establishment of MEmorial will for sure experience many changes in the process.

Chapter 6 The Agency of the Image (Upsilon Alarm)

"We are desperate," declared by Ulmer (160).

However, he did not believe that conventional consultants could really plan and calculate solutions even though more power has been given.Instead, he showed special preference to uprising the spirit of the America and placed his hope on the ability of public policy to respond to the disaster.

In this chapter, Ulmer seemed to focus more on a practical way to build the Electracy. He believed that the Intternet is a living momument and the EmerAgency offers a practice for a virtual civic sphere that does for the imagination what statistics does for the intellect (176).

In page 173, Ulmer gave the detailed illustration for the MEmorializing process: "accept an event - any event that I recognize... ...Is this the spirit of America?" He also stressed that the EmerAgency sponsors the creation of MEmorials with the affiliated perioherals and Web site testimonials.

He believed that a MEmorial is not a "text" but a "felt", therefore, "the disaster is written not by weaving but by fulling (hairs or threads treated so they will mat into a fabric), filling the gas between deaths (composing a felt)by finding the hooks and eyes to form (digital) links"(168).

The insert of the "Y" actually helps a lot in presenting clearer his thoughts. Whether it is a solution or an impasse is the real alarm.

Chapter 5 Formless Emblem (Testimonial)

"The purpose of a MEmorial is to witness and testify regarding the event of a public problem, to shift it from the private, individual status of one at a time, each case in isolation, to a cumulative public status of sacrifice on behalf of an unrepresented national value."(136)
The same theme has been repeated time and again. I feel now I can to some degree sense Ulmer's feelings. It seems that by simply repeating,he can time again be assured that he condensed his ideas and offered certain significance to the goal of establishing the MEmorial and placed the urgency to the utmost.
By introducing the case of child abuse, he discussed the purpose of using disaster as a means of conveying an idea or belief and how one can invite it into the minds of the public by a step by step design of the MEmorial.
"The emblem is a specific device used within the allegorical mode."(124)
"The formless operations(base materialism,horizontality,pulse,entropy) bring abject experiences into discourse without uplifting them into beauty or significance.(132)
Somehow the specific case of the plunging a child headfirst into a toilet makes me think about the TV programs, which are flooded with the bloody scenes and violence. Last night when I was searching for a TV program, I said I'd like to find an easy one without blood or gun. But that is not so easy since you never know when such scene will suddenly fly into your eyes if you fix your eyes on the movie or the TV series channels. I guess somehow it is like the child abuse case. The directors of TV and movies routinely but abruptly plunge the audience headfirst into the cultural toilet simply to pursue their own understanding of the market needs.
The Electronic Monument is a great project and needs actions. Only when one fully understands the meaning and value of such project can he be alert to what happened around and figure out how to arouse the public awareness so that a best way of resolving or preventing the disaster could be reached.

Living on the Edge

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prJusMNt9LU

Chapter 4: Transversal (Into Cyberspace) & Behind Economy: Farmer's Market into the University

"A MEmorial may not be clear and simple, since, paradoxically, the machinery of mechanical visualization explodes the illusion of the alignment between the standpoint of an observer and the truth". (Ulmer, 103)

As stated by Ulmer,"the notion of cyberspace is relevant to us to the extent that it provides some insight into the transformation of human experience in electracy and the era of spectacle"(96). When I was reading this chapter,however, what I think most is how to transform an idea inspired from life situation into something meaningful, visible and available to the collective.

The movie is taken on the campus of the University. It's about the Farmer's Market in the University. Though the scale is very small, I hope that it could make people see some positive meaning in the action of the sale promotion started by the local farmers in the low economic situation.

The inspiration is from the two students who made propaganda for the farmer's market in the university by waring banana/pumpkin shape clothes and holding slogan "Promote Local Economy".

The movie, I have to say, is conveyed in a light heart atmosphere in contrast with the disasters caused by the bad depression in the states,since the Memorial "treats the disaster as a source for understanding contemporary values, specially as a mode of self-knowledge, rather than attempting to impose on the disaster a predetermined meaning".(109)

Here is the movie:
http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-344608

The Call (Abject Monument)

"The assumption of the MEmorial is that the event to be commemorated was not experienced directly by the egents, but was mediated by the spectacle in an image"(Ulmer, 61).

The readings in each week would surely motivate me to think further about the Electronic Monument I need to compose.
In chapter 3, Ulmer firstly assigned the task of seeking for a report or story that "troubles or stings you in some way"(65) which could arouse the feelings as "the Call" for the EmerAgency after introducing two relevant concepts: reasoneon and the auratic axes. The former is actually a hybrid modality which is merged by the reason and neon,suggesting the significance of both reason and neon effect in arousing the anticipated feelings of the mass which is also the necessity for the composition of the Monument; the latter puts more emphasis on testimonial which make the transference from the event to an emblem possible. According to Ulmer, "what clarity is to literate truth, aura is to the electrate truth"(61). He assumed that the formula of the testimonial is: news + art =testimonial (63), as "the MEmorial becomes testimonial when the egent designs it as an image, figure, parable, emblem, using some feature of the news event as an objective correlative for the witness' state of mind, mood, attunement to the world (65).
I guess I can somehow relate the concepts with Aristotle's terms "logos, ethos and pathos",as Ulmer "think of monument as being symbolic and for the people and therefore rhetoric, not honest, not personal..."(75)
Then he further explained how to document the story and illustrated with examples the ways to respond to the Call. From family tragedies to official monumentality to the "mobile monuments", it seemed that to Ulmer, everything may serve as a monument so far as it could be treated in some way as a symbol glowing with a designated meaning.
This reminds me of the flowing army of "peasant workers" in China as they seek every year the working opportunity in large cities during slack farming season as well as the wrecks of the Berlin Wall.The meaning of the monument is not only to record and remind history, but also to stimulate a thinking horizon and in the end promote righteous reactions, turning an individual feeling into the collective resonance.

The traffic sphere (A MEmorial Prototype)

From tourism to traffic sphere,Ulmer always starts us to think something more.

The humanistic ideal he incarnated in EM is in the role the public sphere plays in meditating the relationship of private citizens with the state, which he believes has declined owing to the entertainment media esp. the television(33). Therefore, the proposal of exploring the possibility of the monumental electronic, by taking use of digital technology and the Internet in particular in a "counter-public sphere" becomes the priority in the reestablishment of the community formation and identity.

Like Obama's "yes, we can", according to Ulmer, everyone can do his part in the revival of a thought in helping convert a personal loss or tragedy into the focus to the public sphere of collective value.

Inspired by the meditation on "Traffic Sphere", here is my mini-movie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8j5fqyyeGwc

The title is TRAFFIC ALARM. Instead of any bloody scene of traffic accidents, the movie invited an unpleasing music as the alarm sound accompanying the traffic signs to signify the warning of danger. Besides, the record of transportation in addition to the the comparatively static exhibition of the rule violation of the drivers and the broken parts of the vehicle indicates the theme or purpose of the mini-project.

However, after uploading, I can still see great space in improving the video. Hopefully, we could draw nearer to the really powerful electronic monument with deliberately furthering every mini step.

Metaphoric Rocks

The theme is repeated time again the relationship between tourism and EmerAgency. It seems that Gregory, L.Ulmer firmly backed the idea that the American national identity could be build somehow through the tourist inventions. Ulmer stated that "the EmerAgency is not tourism, but tourism is a "relay," an analogy (in a CATTt generator) for an Internet-deconstructed consultancy - in particular that inventive aspect of tourism that produces some of the emblems of our collective identity" (31).In page 9, Ulmer also stressed that "MEmorialization is not tourism, but tourism is an analogy for how the EmerAgency uses the information superhighway to participate in public problem solving.
From Mount Rushmore to Florida Rushmore, the value of tourist monument seems to be well established and recognized among the American people.The memorial marks the end of something and the beginning of something else and forces people to confront what they might have already forgotten or would not like to confront and start them to rethink the passed.
This chapter also brings me some remote memory back to my childhood. There was a big bronze sculpture, Yang Jingyu, a hero dead in resisting the invasion of Japanese fascist in the WWII. It is located in a Martyr Park specially for memorizing of the great man.It is said that the General organized many battles against the enemies and gave a deadly stroke to the Japanese army then. However, due to blockage and the shortage of necessary food, he had to command the major army to move north and led in person a small branch to retreat east into deep forests in a cold winter. Unfortunately, he was besieged by the heavy army and shot to death after more than a month's fighting and resisting. When the Japanese Chief cut his stomach, he was stunned and called the unyielding General "God" since he found only cottons from the thick clothes, barks from trees and the roots of grass digging out deeply from under the snow.
The following is the picture and sculpture of the General.


After the war, the place he sacrificed his life was named "Jingyu" county, which is also the birthplace of mine. The memorial built for him is a reminder of the General, also a reminder of the mournful history.
Ulmer believed that "a nation is an idea - an idea with history"(10) and "monuments are to a nation what the superego is to an individual"(14). The carved or sculptured memorials would no doubt promote the collective identity and unity of a nation, just like the Mount Rushmore or the sculpture of the General.Ulmer also believed that an electronic Rushmore would produce a mourning identification that is flexible and diverse rather than one that is carved in the stone(14). I suppose there are two main reasons for Ulmer to say so: one is that it could be established by you and me, the common people instead of merely fine artists; the other is that via the electronic monuments, the spreading of the idea is beyond the limitation of time and space. Most of all, it is a time for action instead of viewing as an outsider.

The meaning of composition

When I was reading this chapter, what I think more about is the composition of multimodel texts. The focus is how to organize the given messages into an integrated one to convey new meaning expected. According to Kress, G & van Leeuwen, T,three interrelated systems have revealed their advantages in connecting and presenting the representational and interactive meanings of the composition.They are: Information value, Salience and Framing.(177)
Some ad.images came upon me as I further read the details.

The first one is titled as:"advertisement is from the one who knows you best."


Obviously, this should be from an ad. company. The close touch of the spotted deer and the little squirrel is through the tongue of the deer. The layout of the designer's putting the squirrel on the right hand, which represent new information, would no doubt highlight the feelings of the squirrel. He seems to quite enjoy the gentle touch from the big deer. The whole image harmoniously conveys the text message , that is, he knows me best. The use of the spotted deer,such a gigantic creature in contrast with the little squirrel, I suppose, is to stress the power of the company itself.

Next three pictures are from puma company.




Though different in color, the figures chosen are all energetic and athletic. The first image is simple, with light blue background and a medium shot of a young woman. The logo of the company is located at the left bottom and the representational images occupies the right hand.The most appealing part, the smile and sweat are sharing the feelings of satisfaction. I'd like to put stress on the latter two. Though different in background, they seemed to share the same logos. The most salient element _ both figures are placed in the foreground, running towards left. I specially like the use of the light. Ahead of the figures, more light is shedding. It might be a morning exercise picture. The first picture gives a horizontal impression while the framing of the latter one is clearly distinguished by lines of dark and bright light.I also like the eye portrait of the second figure, from which you can probably see her goal ahead since it looks more active.

Another ad.:


Being placed in the center of the picture, the protruding left arm and hand holding a card is obviously introducing or inviting. This might be from a professional blogger company.The breakthrough of the design is that it is not limited to the normal plane frame;instead, the part of the arm with a magnified fist protruding from the computer screen is easy to draw more attention and may suggest more about the new promising product.

What can you see?

I selected some pictures that had left me deep impression.The first one:


Tell me your first impression, what impress you most, what you think about the girl, and what is her situation?

Can you see the big eyes are looking straightly at you? Can you see the hope, desire, and maybe a little alarm from the eyes? Can you see the little hand is holding a pencil? Can you see this is actually in a simple classroom?

This "Big Eyes" was taken in 1991, by a photographer driven by the mission of making more people aware of the real situation of the children from poverty areas in China, and was immediately selected as the poster for the "Hope Project" which was set up for saving poor children from dropping out of school.

The photographer uses simple black and white but maybe the most complexed colors to illustrate the theme. The desiring eyes and holding hands are to offer a strong sense of demanding, which push the viewer to focus and maybe get concerned unconsciously. The frontal angle also creates the power of involvement.The blurred images of the desk and her classmates in contrast with the highlight of the girl and her paper reflect the authentic crowded situation,which is something really need to be worried about.

Another picture:

Can you tell the modality of this one? Is it real or ...

It was made by a peasant last year. I have to say that his status might be a little misleading. Also, seldom might someone except zoologists know what a typical tiger in south of China should be like. However, it's a photoshoped one. I think the rigid face and motionless eyes can prove everything. As a matter of fact, before the beginning of dispute concerning weather there indeed exists the precious creature, the truth has been revealed.It is from an old Lunar (Chinese) New Year painting, along with which the comparison of the "real" and the fake would be posted later.

The next four should actually be one for they seem to convey the same message (and actually, they are all from the file formerly sent by one of my teachers):


Can you see "Love" made out of the doves?



Is the woman real or merely part of the picture?



There are five heads; however, ten kids can be counted.



You have seen the red lines? Which is longer? The answer is: they are totally equal.

We've always heard: seeing is believing; however, it seems that eyes can also be cheating. This might leave more space for us to think about the design art.


Postscripts:

1.The "big eyes" entered college and now works as a bank clerk.



2.The Lunar New Year painting and the comparison:

photoshop

The original images:

and


After processed by photoshop, it looks like this:



The first picture is from a store window and the second is a small lake taken in Alabama.The process is simple.I just use the magnetic lasso tool to select the mice, then copy, then open new picture,then paste. If the size of the two pictures do not match, the image size in "Image" can be changed accordingly.

Another picture after being processed:

Repeat the same procedure by using the lasso tool. By applying Inverse Select, the background is chosen. Then change the background color into dark green, then Edit- Fill- Background color, the Opacity = 80 and Mode = Soft light, then done.
This process may create a soft green background color which seems like a soft green light is on at night.

narrative and conceptual representation

The reading seems a little easier for me than other subjects since there are some semantic or linguistic background knowledge with which I'm familiar. However, as I was thinking about the layout of elements in the visual design, it was kind of challenge that I have never met before but would definitely need to work out as I feel much interested.
While I was thinking about the narrative and conceptual representation, two masterpieces jumped into my mind. One is the mannerist Italian painter Veronese’s The Wedding at Cana; the other is Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. Let's look at the first painting:


As is well known, the massive painting depicts the first miracle story of Jesus Christ in New Testament. It is about turning water into wine at a wedding in Cana, Galilee. Obviously, this is a narrative representation. Though the scene and arrangement seems a little bit too artificial to meet a simple story and the seemed-common Son then, I have to say that I was shocked at the first glance in the museum of Louvre. Not simply because of its size(262 in × 390 in)and the grand Greco-Roman architecture; as it were, the layout of more than a hundred people with different vivid facial and/or body expressions in every detail suggesting different status is no doubt a painstaking work. The main character seated in the middle is highlighted with halo to stress the significance. Besides, the deliberate design of direct eye-contact of this figure forces you to notice Him and compels you to sense His invisible power. The jars the servants poured and the glasses the guests hold may suggest the theme and background of the story. It is worth mention that the lambs being butchered in the front might be highly symbolic.

Observing this painting, it might be highly possible that one is unconsciously brought into the vectors of the volumes in the painting and may spare quite a while to step out.

Dramatically, the other painting Mona Lisa is hung right on the opposite of The wedding at Cana in the museum. In contrast, this painting is a conceptual representation.

I’m wondering which process I should describe it as I’m looking at the painting. Gunther Kress & Theo Leeuwen (1996:56) classified three conceptual processes, namely, classificational, analytical and symbolic processes. I’d prefer it be the second if I have to label it. The carrier is the half statue of an elegant lady, while the possessive attribute is the enigmatic smile on her serene face. Though static, the power of her smile can penetrate into the heart of each visitor. To highlight the character, contrast of dark and bright color has been used in the painting. we may see that the background sketched in is a plain but slightly blurring scenery, the hair and the clothes are dark; while the color of her face and skin are much lighter. It is said that the painting technique sfumato contributes greatly in the composition of the famous painting.

Language and visual communication

This chapter starts me to think about the relationship between language and visual communication.
The value of language, which serves as the dominating method of communication in the society, can not be totally replaced. However, I agree that visual communication should also be an effective language if properly applied. The key is: how to combine or collaborate both into a meaningful culture-based design—to convey certain message and promote social actions.
The book so far distinguished two kinds of visual literacy by comparison of Ladybird’s and Dick Bruna’s work ( p21-22). In Ladybird’s My Bath, images are simply structured as replicas of reality and the visual communication has been made subservient to language, while in Bruna’s Bird in Tree, a much broader imaginary space has been left to readers since the coded image has been openly constructed and the visual communication exists independent of language. Therefore, the two images impose two different forms of social control over meaning.
We may ask: is there still a third or fourth possibility that the construction of images and words may contribute to a more powerful convey of meaning? The answer is definitely yes since the social power and appeal of images is highly recognized in all lines of life. According to the Chapter, it is stressed that there is a role distribution among different semiotics, a role distribution in which some semiotics are given a great deal of social power, but at the price of being subjected to greater institutional (and technological) control (p26). Social and cultural factors are believed to primarily bring about the new realities of the semiotic landscape (p34). The chapter also further discussed the dramatic shift from the verbal to the visual, the characteristics of the “new literacy” and its promising prospect and highlighted the hypotheses proposed in page 39, which may serve as a breakthrough point for further research.
Besides, I think, the task also chooses designers as meanings arise out of the real society. Though children’s early drawings may to some extent reflect their recognition of the world and could be called as creative, it is more of some original self-expression instead of true communication owing to their lack in the experience of social interaction.

Kress and van Leeuwen, Introduction

The reading is exciting. Like the recommendation from Jan, I love the book at the first glance of the introduction, even though further information has not been accessed yet.
I was always thinking about the encoding and decoding of meaning in terms of cognitive knowledge. The book aims to explore the “meaningful whole”combined of visual elements from depicted people, places and things. It is to describe the way in which how the visual complexity and extension be processed, presented and recognized. From visual communication to visual design is challenging to human capacity concerning their understanding and reflection of the world. From visual design to visual communication, on the contrary, speed up and perfect the interaction between human beings and their relationship with the outside world.
Since the book focuses on the system of visual communication, it should be beneficial in many fields such as arts, teaching, advertisement, etc. Many interesting topic might be come across in this introduction such as the way children observe and express about the world. It is much of metaphor-orientated. It starts us to think about the representational resources these particular sign makers depend upon to express certain meanings. I also like the idea that “visual language is not transparent and universally understood, but culturally specific (p3). It explains the craft of many businesses in taking advantage of particular culture phenomena in their overseas trades. It is true. For example, I have heard that some European computer sellers complained about most Chinese people favored much on those beautifully designed computer instead of the most efficient one, ignoring the price. Actually, I smiled at the complaint as I could really understand. Not every Chinese is professional, therefore, a computer with some practical functions to their needs might be enough. However, the priority for most Chinese is that it needs to be pleasant and comfortable to eyes. Out of the same reason, the blog with more colors and styles should be welcomed more by Chinese people. That explains why in China the blog designer would spare no effort in putting forth the “new clothes” every now and then.
I love the book for it enlightens and as I read it, I find many notions are like old friends, who appear, offer and exchange appealing ideas from different point of view which are right in accordance with my appetite.

Electronic Monument

The topic should be" How to Change the World"or the kind.
It will be designed into three sections: the first should be the great men's contribution to the world; second should be the quotations from famous people; and third would be what we can do to others or to the world.
It is merely a rough thinking and might change slightly to meet the need and materials prepared.
It could be a mini film developed from real life.
I was also thinking about the animated/flash design, and would see which way is more reflecting.

preface and intro

I like the idea that using images pedagogically through the Internet can be taken better use of. One is its immediacy, and the other is its ubiquity. Internet provides a virtual space for people esp. younger generation to communicate, to learn, and to see the world.
However, my concern is how to make full use of images in addition to text since viewing is always direct and easy while making is a painstaking project and needs a lot of professional knowledge, skills, techniques, experience-based perception and imagination.
The goal of establishing EmerAgency as online consultancy to develop an Internet practice that responds to Virilio's proposal ought to be promising but needs more practice and scrutiny and collaborative work.

the best gift!

We had the second ultra sound this morning. When the doctor declared it was a girl, my first response was, "a girl?" Since almost everyone predicted that it should be a boy, we kind of believed so also. My second response was: Wow, I could have a daughter! that's really amazing! I was thrilled in the following hours, conceiving the idea of what the girl should look like and how tender and cute she might be.
My husband also said he felt really happy to have a daughter. We suppose to name the little one Faia. It might not be a commonly used name. I simply like the pronunciation. We believe that she is the best gift the Lord offers us and we only wish that the life of her be filled with richest blessing and glory from Him.
I also want to tell that when we were waiting in the lobby, a one-year-and-half blond girl named Maia drew our attention. She was playful and looking at us curiously. Her mother was waiting for her first ultra sound for the second baby then. When she ran to her mom, she just fell down. "Are you okay?", the elder lady accompanying her mom asked considerately. It was indeed a slight stumble and would not hurt, but she shook her head and said seriously: "no". We were amused by the naiveness she presented. Maybe that's the bliss for each of the 1st time parents to experience.