<p>As single modules perform one job and one job well, you will have to anticipate and even require the output of someone elses module in order for yours to work. Coinciding with your research we will create one or several 'outputs' consisting of an interface, electronics and a manual.</p>
<p>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.</p>
The user interacts with the device - by turning the knob they decide on how often on the scale/sequence from 5 to 60 minutes they they would like to hear the short high-pitched sound it produces.
Even more, the Distraction Manager (DM) works only when it receives coequal activity from the user. The user has the responsibility to complete the function of the device, to fill in the missing commands of the protocol of sensibilization.
PROTOCOL: The Distraction Manager is switched ON by the user, the time sequence adjusted. -> The Distraction Manager produces the sound. -> The sound triggers the user. -> The user consciously activates their own set of questions. -> The user responds to these questions and makes adjustments that optimise their being. -> ...
The sound that the Distraction Manager makes acts as a productive disturbance, triggering the user to pursue with their own questions.
It exists to sensibilize its user, to induce the development of good habits and taking care of oneself, to enhance focus, to reveal inner states and to manage distraction.
DISCLAIMER: This method of reprogramming our subconscious mind requires a firm decision and strong motivation within the human using this device. </p>
<p> It only works when and if the user is successfully triggered to complete their steps in the protocol, asking and answering their own set of questions.
If the user fails to internalize the protocol, ignoring the sound, failing to reach a symbiotic union with the device, the DM is deemed to be completely dysfunctional and futile.
Humans (in all instances) are the ones that give devices their life and their meaning, whereas this device challenges its user to reform their own behaviour - at an expense of the human no longer being blinded by other devices and the countless possibilities of use that they possess and distraction that they compell us with.
DM is simple, its physical interface is minimal and its purpose is as complex as the user wants it to be. We can consider the DM as a highly inclusive interface, as its user is in charge of the great majority of the devices' functions. The interfacing does not take place in the material world, nor in between the lines of code, nor the rumble of wires. It happens in the mind of its user, discretely and without the need for the knowledge of translation between the language of the human and the language of the device/system/chip.
The Distraction Manager is meant to be used as a training-tool that develops the users' internal methodologies for awareness. It highlights the possibility to re-program, to rewire our subconsciousness by enhancing the users' reflexes produces by a response to the DM stimuli. It is only necessary to use this pragmatic device until the questions posed do not anchor into the subconscious mind, the trigger becomes automatic, the pull towards awareness instinctive, the protocol internalized. This is only reachable by repetition that eventually reinforces the habit and embeds the changed behaviour.
Then - the device is not needed anymore. It has served its purpose.
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Normally, the goal of creating an interface would be to make it as user-friendly as possible, achieving the desired output with minimal input from the user.
This is not the case with the Distraction Manager. The users' input is far from minimal. In fact: as much input as the human gives, as well the device functions!
The inspiration for the way that the DM is put together derives from the observation and usage of contemporary interfaces – black boxes that conceal their internal workings, seducing the user that remains ignorant to the intrinsic networks and protocols that these devices use.
The Distraction Manager empowers its human user to take control, to exercise their capability of intervening into the protocol of the device.
The primary action that a human derives from their wish to manage their distraction (the initial reason to use the DM), switching on the device and choosing a desired time sequence of the trigger production. When the sound appears, as a mid-protocol occurence, the human considers it as an input, triggering the sensibilization protocol. This is where the human and the machine encounter, interface eachother, creating an inter-system communication. The actual output of the DM is the changed state of mind, the management of distraction that the human reaches when the protocol is repeatedly and successfully completed.
The causality of the final output is unpredictable and specific to each individual, whose conceptual input (set of questions) to the protocol is the unknown variable, that depends on the initial motivation and the needs of the individual.
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Machines have shaped humanity more abruptly, causing a shockwave stronger and more lasting than any other occurences ever since our species first stepped into existence. Tracing the legacy of tools, humans have always striven for the bettering of our lives, towards the simplification of mundane tasks.
Somewhere along the line, it seems, we have lost control over what kind of tools/machines/devices we produce and how we do it, for whom and why. How we use them and who is the boss.
Our generation is severely shaped by the immense power of connectivity, the dominance of accesibility. This is why it is urgent to reassess the notion of relevancy.
Making choices, being focused, having a mission, a clear direction, following a single strong impulse has become an end in itself, being also a desirable fundamental skill to have in order to manoeuvre the entanglements of today.
I consider distraction as the current systems' strongest tool that makes us obedient and conformed. Our attention is being perpetually pulled from one to the other flashy impulse, headline, infinite irrelevant content packages, our thought stream being disrupted.
Propaganda of today is strong, its tactics are detrimental, ardvertisements bomb us on every step. The outside world penetrates our mind with such a zeal, it is almost impossible to resist it, to finish the thought we have just started without interruption.
To be continuously interrupted, infused with the flood of impulses makes us blind, numb, insensible, inattentive - mainly to ourselves as bodies, as homo sapiens situated in the midst of this complex intertwinement of overwhelming impulses. Our time and conscious attention are swallowed by the black hole, made out of the substance called: distraction. We have sucessfully managed to forget about ourselves, indulged in the virtual reality that became the mirage in the desert of our time.
Being distracted prevents us from noticing that we are governed and manipulated, it takes away our empowerment and therefore we are weakened, not able to intervene, to react. We are less aware of our own emotion, our attention span is shortened, the capability of complex thoughts is crumbling, we dedicate our time to instant indulgence instead of managing our long-term well-being, satisfied by the virtual quick dopamine fix that we are entitled to receive.
It is a hard task to rewire our mind anew and adopt more optimised patterns of functioning. We run on an autopilot of our subconscious mind taking decisions for us in a much quicker way than the rational, analytic consciousness though. But that does not mean that it is optimal, how we would want it to be. The Distraction Manager disrupts this autopilot and triggers a crucial moment in all of this distractive complexity, it aids us to develop the good habit of checking-in with ourselves from "time to time", a moment of presence and self-care.
Sensibilization is the first step. By taking it, we reclaim agency, we empower ourselves to see, to react, to change.
We have the capability to expand our attention from only seemingly relevant matter, missing out on the core of the issue, the hidden mechanisms and intrinsic causes of things, if we are not distracted by any of the random impulses that try to trick us. Distraction works like a magician does - guiding our gaze where he wants to, while the real trick happens outside of the area of our attention. If we develop our potential, sharpen our awareness of things, if our sensibility is well-trained we can reveal the trick of the magician, understand better, direct our focus in the midst of the urge to simultaneously process a lot of information.
Being sensible to ourselves holds another asset. It makes us instinctively sensible to others, our empathy grows. This leads to a change in the way we communicate, being more sensitive and compassionate.
Separate individuals, modules get interconnected by efficient communication channels, functioning as one organism. The overall function of a system is a sum of specific functions of its constitutive parts.
Social contracts are so deeply embedded in us that we don't even see the very possibility of them being questioned, hacked, shaped, remodeled. We are used of acting and interacting in certain ways. We mostly don't react until the moment when something suddenly hits us – when the way humanity functions reveals itself as cruel at a very explicit level. Then, it is too late.
Isn't this aggravating, maddening? It calls for action, it calls for the change in our subconscious patterns of interaction that would allow undistracted, direct, honest, raw and well-intentioned exchange of content.
The optimization of the whole system can happen only by optimising individual parts that constitute it and this is what the Distraction Manager does – constructs a proposition for reality, an experiment in the everyday life as a form of resistance to the unsocial politics of today, especially regarding awareness of oneself, expanding onto the awareness of others and reciprocal communication.
Being sensibilized, gaining awareness and gradually understanding the structures and the mechanisms of contemporaneity, seeing its faults and difficulties, acknowledging other people (especially) within our communities. Reacting and being critical to ignorance, to distraction, to the means of control governing us, elegantly masked and fragmented, omnipresent and sly. Making, creating something that is beneficial for others. Sharing individual insights, combining and producing new forms of knowledge. Merging and cross-pollination qualities of separate particles. To empower and be empowered.</p>
<p>As single modules perform one job and one job well, you will have to anticipate and even require the output of someone elses module in order for yours to work. Coinciding with your research we will create one or several 'outputs' consisting of an interface, electronics and a manual.</p>
<p>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.</p>
<p>As single modules perform one job and one job well, you will have to anticipate and even require the output of someone elses module in order for yours to work. Coinciding with your research we will create one or several 'outputs' consisting of an interface, electronics and a manual.</p>
<p>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.</p>
<p>As single modules perform one job and one job well, you will have to anticipate and even require the output of someone elses module in order for yours to work. Coinciding with your research we will create one or several 'outputs' consisting of an interface, electronics and a manual.</p>
<p>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.</p>
<p>As single modules perform one job and one job well, you will have to anticipate and even require the output of someone elses module in order for yours to work. Coinciding with your research we will create one or several 'outputs' consisting of an interface, electronics and a manual.</p>
<p>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.</p>
<p>As single modules perform one job and one job well, you will have to anticipate and even require the output of someone elses module in order for yours to work. Coinciding with your research we will create one or several 'outputs' consisting of an interface, electronics and a manual.</p>
<p>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.</p>
<p> >>>> okokokok >> what >> don’t be scared >> seven [‘7’] is a straight forward .print&.read device >> you can play the prewritten poem [‘seven.ino’] or you can write your own >> [‘7’] can manipulate text >> it can send an outgoing message or be interrupted by an incoming one >> [‘7’] enjoys repetition, coincidence & a gentle touch >> to channel text the module needs to be connected to a TV screen through a video input >> a video signal is broadcasted and can be listened to in mono >>>>>> mhmhmhmh >> how >> how i approached hardware >> 7 knobs & 7 buttons arranged in no particular hierarchy >> i wanted to create a humble device with clear manual functions >> an interface that makes you feel in control >> this urge became clear after getting familiar with a term ‘calm technology’ during the Special Issue X >> calm technology - a type of information technology where the interaction between the technology and its user is designed to occur in the user's periphery rather than constantly at the centre of attention >> how >> how i approached software >> working within the framework of the tv.out library and a television monitor determined certain features of the program, such as its esthetics and its interface >> with a subject in mind the content of the poem [‘seven.ino’] was developed and written while learning how to code with Arduino IDE >> the way the poem unfolds to a user depends on his/hers interaction with [‘7’] >>>>>> ghhrrghrrr >> </p>
<p> >> why >> in the beginning of the Special Issue X i was intrigued by DadaDodo >> DadaDodo is a program that analyses texts for word probabilities and then generates random sentences based on that >> sometimes these sentences are nonsense but sometimes they cut right through to the heart of the matter and reveal hidden meanings >> i was also interested in the experimental poetry examples mentioned in Florian Cramer’s “words made flesh” >> but why >> repetition of text is a method that i practice during live vocal performances >> a partial looping of a poem functions as a transition or/and an emphasis >> as a poet i am interested in a life of a written static poem-block >> when a poem does not have a voice present how could it still rustle? >> [‘7’] is a first prototype towards that idea <<<<<<</p>
<p>Txx.uo consolidates two contrasting radio frequency implementation modes: RFID reader scans the cards/objects containing RFID tags using radio waves and LCD screen displays a Q-code* [internationally established three-letter abbreviation used in radio communication].
<br>
*A particular Q-code denotes a question when it is followed by a question mark and references an answer [statement] when it's not:<br>
QRU? : Have you anything for me?<br>
QRU : I have nothing for you.<br>
The RFID technology is used for object identification, authentication and security reasons, whereas Q-code is transmitted on a specific radio frequency by a radio operator and can be intercepted by anyone, who is tuned in to the same frequency.<br>
This module converts the data received from a scanned card into a sound and binary code. This Binary signal is then transfigured into LED blinking and is also funneled to another module through an output channel. Top row of an LCD screen displays a specific question from the list of a Q-code, depending on a knob position and when receiving a signal from another module, a random Q-code answer is shown on the second row of the screen.</p>
<p>As single modules perform one job and one job well, you will have to anticipate and even require the output of someone elses module in order for yours to work. Coinciding with your research we will create one or several 'outputs' consisting of an interface, electronics and a manual.</p>
<p>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.</p>
<p><strong>Dennis de Bel</strong><br>Dennis de Bel (1984, NL) is an applied artistic researcher, educator, radio amateur (call sign PD0WNED). In his practice he positions himself as producer, consumer, observer and distributor of critical knowledge focussed on technology. His work has been exhibited at Siggraph Los Angeles, Transmediale Berlin and hosted workshops in various collaborations at, for example, ISEA Hong Kong, Radical Networks New York. He participated in the Relearn summer schools and Libre Graphics Meetings besides being a guest tutor at the Design Academy Eindhoven and the Willem de Kooning Academy Rotterdam University of Applied Science. In 2017 he co-founded Varia, a Rotterdam based space for developing collective approaches towards everyday technology. De Bel holds a MA from the Piet Zwart Institute (NL) and most recently participated in the artist in residency program of t</p>
<p><strong>Olli</strong><br>Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli Olli </p>
<br>Master of Arts in Fine Art and Design: Experimental Publishing,
Piet Zwart Institute, Willem de Kooning Academie:
</div>
<divid="names">
<br>
students:
<br>
Avital Barkai, Damlanur Bilgin, Sandra Golubjevaite, Tisa Neža Herlec, Mark van den Heuvel, Max Lehmann, Mika Motskobili, Clara Noseda, Anna Sandri, Ioana Tomici
<br>
<br>guests & teachers:
<br>Olli Aarni, Dennis de Bel, Andre Castro, Leslie Drost-Robins, Aymeric Mansoux, Michael Murtaugh, Steve Rushton
<br>De Player: Peter Fengler, Koos Siep, Frederic van de Velde
<br>#define A modular synthesizer consists of separate specialized modules. Each individual module accepts inputs and produces an output. When interconnected, this allows for unexpected results where the whole is greater than the sum of its individual parts.
<br>This point of departure led us to produce 10 unique contributions to the common assembly of the publication INPUT-OUTPUT: Tales from another module. Each contribution consists of one or more modules, which represent our individual interests in exploring this medium. Outputs vary between sound, image and text, resulting in an audio-visual performance.
<br>The following pages are a compilation of our research and resulting work, complete with instructions of assembly and use. See more on the website: https://issue.xpub.nl/10/
<br>Faced with the completely unknown world of modular synthesizers, we pushed on toward the edges of our comfort zones. Soldering fumes gave us headaches, learning C/C++ tested our patience, debugging became a daily process.
<br>After establishing an initial framework, we were challenged to find our own subjective interests in this vast field, to equip ourselves technically and conceptually, to risk failure.
The flood of information at first presented itself as a swirl of confusion, but navigation gradually became easier. We got to know the module, it became accessible, something that we could shape, form and use as a medium. The internal hidden workings of a complex system became more transparent and ideas for our individual modules started to develop. We got inspired! By understanding electronic circuits and speaking the language of code, we constructed our own individual modules.<br>
<br>These are presented in this publication as the most physical and direct trace of our process.
