PhotoMedia.ca Forum

Design :: A Report from a Workshop on Multimedia and Visualization Innovations for Science

A Report from a Workshop on Multimedia and Visualization Innovations for Science : A Report from a Workshop on Multimedia and Visualization Innovations for Science | I published a conference report in D-Lib Magazine this month

A Report from the 2011 ICSTI Workshop on Multimedia and Visualization Innovations for Science. D-Lib Magazine . January/February 2012. Volume 18, Number 1/2 | Author: tomasz | Replies: 0

Technology :: Library of Congress Call Number Sort in PHP

Library of Congress Call Number Sort in PHP : Library of Congress Call Number Sort in PHP | by Tomasz Neugebauer
tomasz.neugebauer@concordia.ca

I needed a function that will compare Library of Congress call numbers. I found a function in PERL to do this on Joshua McGee's site, but I needed it in PHP and our call numbers use a space instead of a period for some of the separators, for example: HA 1107 K49 2003.

Here is the function in PHP:

Code:

//is call number $a larger than call number $b?
function locsort ($a,$b)
{
$pattern ='/^([A-Z]+)\s?(\d+(?:\.\d+)?)\s?([A-Z]*)(\d*)\.?([A-Z]*)(\d*)( (?:\d{4})?)?(.*)?/';

$i = preg_match($pattern, $a, $regsA);
$j = preg_match($pattern, $b, $regsB);

if (($i==0)||($j==0)) {
return($a > $b);
}
else {
//if first part greater then return that
//if first part equal, check second part, return that
if ($regsA[1] != $regsB[1]){
   return($regsA[1] > $regsB[1]);
}
else {
   if ($regsA[2] != $regsB[2]){
      return ($regsA[2] > $regsB[2]);
   }
   else {
      if ($regsA[3] != $regsB[3]){
         return ($regsA[3] > $regsB[3]);
      }
      else{
         if ($regsA[4] != $regsB[4]){
            return (("0.".$regsA[4]) > ("0.".$regsB[4]));
         }
         else {
            if ($regsA[5] != $regsB[5]){
               return ($regsA[5] > $regsB[5]);
            }
            else {
               if ($regsA[6] != $regsB[6]){
                  return ($regsA[6] > $regsB[6]);
               }
               else {
                  if ($regsA[7] != $regsB[7]){
                        return ($regsA[7] > $regsB[7]);
                  }
                  else {
                        return ($regsA[8] > $regsB[8]);
                     }
               }
            }
         }
      }
   }
}
}
}

| Author: tomasz | Replies: 0

Design :: Visual Complexity: Mapping Patterns of Information by Manuel Lima

RE: information visualization : Visual Complexity: Mapping Patterns of Information by Manuel Lima | The recent (2011) Manuel Lima book "Visual Complexity: Mapping Patterns of Information" has made it onto a Wired magazine list.

Visual Complexity

The book includes a showcase and analysis of "the variety of contemporary visual depictions of complex networks" (http://www.visualcomplexity.com/vc/book/)

The author is responsible for the site: http://www.visualcomplexity.com/vc/
featuring a database of projects that visualize complex networks. | Author: tomasz | Replies: 1

Photography :: Edward Burtynsky's OIL at the McCord Museum in Montreal

Edward Burtynsky's OIL at the McCord Museum in Montreal : Edward Burtynsky's OIL at the McCord Museum in Montreal | http://www.musee-mccord.qc.ca/expositions/expositionsXSL.php?lang=1&expoId=69&page=accueil

Edward Burtynsky : OIL
From October 6, 2011 to January 8, 2012 | Author: tomasz | Replies: 0

Photography :: World Press Photo Exhibition 2011 in Montreal

World Press Photo Exhibition 2011 in Montreal : World Press Photo Exhibition 2011 in Montreal | 2011 Exhibition
Montreal, Canada
Thursday 8 September 2011 – Sunday 2 October 2011
The Old Port/Marché Bonsecour

http://www.worldpressphoto.org/Exhibition/2011_Montreal | Author: tomasz | Replies: 0

Photography :: le mois de la photo in Montreal - 2011

RE: le mois de la photo in Montreal : le mois de la photo in Montreal - 2011 | The 12th edition of the Mois de la Photo starts on the 8th of September 2011 and goes on until 8th of October. The details of the exhibitions, colloquium, special events and educational activities are available on their free printed catalogue (available in PDF here: http://www.moisdelaphoto.com/pdf/programme_mpm2011.pdf) and the 2011 mois de la photo site: http://www.moisdelaphoto.com/2011event.html

Exhibiting artists include:

The theme this year, proposed by curator Anne-Marie Ninacs is Lucidity. Inward Views. | Author: tomasz | Replies: 4

Miscellaneous :: “How to Ask Questions The Smart Way” by Eric Steven Raymond

“How to Ask Questions The Smart Way” by Eric Steven Raymond : “How to Ask Questions The Smart Way” by Eric Steven Raymond | “How to Ask Questions The Smart Way” is a widely cited document claiming to describe the online communication norms of software developers, "hackers". | Author: tomasz | Replies: 0

Miscellaneous :: Saving Our Inboxes

Saving Our Inboxes : Saving Our Inboxes | I realize that I have a slew too many e-mails in multiple accounts --several year's worth really--which on its own is pretty bulky, ridiculous, and annoying.

I just thought it was poor management/indexing skills on my end, but it turns out that cluttered inboxes are an ever-growing communal phenomenon!

According to the Email Charter, part of the problem is due to this fact:

“The average time taken to respond to an email is greater, in aggregate, than the time it took to create.

This is counter-intuitive because it's quicker to read than to write. So you might assume a typical email takes a few minutes to write, but only a few seconds to read. However, five other factors are outweighing this.”

Find out about the other factors at the official Email Charter website and/or on the FB page. | Author: eleven eleven | Replies: 0

Photography :: Black & White Spider Awards Winners for 2011

RE: photo contests : Black & White Spider Awards Winners for 2011 | At the end of May, the winners for the 2011 Black and White Spider awards were announced. I expect the winners to be posted in the contest's gallery as it past years soon. In the meantime, you can view the winning photographs here. | Author: tomasz | Replies: 5

Photography :: Mimmo Jodice

Mimmo Jodice : Mimmo Jodice | The 29th Festival of Films on Art in Montreal also featured a film by Giampiero D’Angeli and Alice Maxia about the Italian photographer Mimmo Jodice. The film opens with Mimmo Jodice strolling the Mediterranean coast during a beautiful morning light, he speaks about the infinity of the sea while the audience is treated to his photographs of the sea.

The film is an inspiring conversation with the photographer. Jodice describes his journey into photography from the beginning, which was for him in the late 1950s. The next decade was particularly inspiring for him as he had the opportunity to meet artists such as Lucio Amelio, Warhol, Rauschemberg, Beuys, Kounellis, Burri, Pistoletto. He became a teacher of photography at the Naples Academy during a time when such posts were quite unusual for photography. Mimmo Jodice's photography includes experimental works that explore the relationship of photography to reality and memory. He has continued to photograph the urban environment of Naples, its inhabitants, architecture and sculpture.

The film follows the photographer from the studio to the streets of Naples as he takes photographs with his medium-format film camera. I particularly enjoyed the sequences in the darkroom, where we get a rare glimpse into his darkroom techniques. The film is part of a series titled "Fotografia Italiana", available on DVD from giart.tv. The other four documentaries in the series are dedicated to: Gabrielle Basilico, Gianni Berengo Gardin, Franco Fontana, and Ferdinando Scianna.

Mimmo Jodice quotes the Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa:

“...but what was I thinking about before I got lost in seeing? This phrase seems as though it were written for me and describes my recurring behaviour quite well: I lost myself in seeing, imagining, and following visions outside reality”

If you are fortunate enough to be in Paris this summer (from 19th of May 2011 to 15th of August 2011) the photographer will be exhibiting at the Musée du Louvre. | Author: tomasz | Replies: 0

Film :: "Poet on the Stone" at the 29th International Festival of Films on Art

"Poet on the Stone" at the 29th International Festival of Films on Art : "Poet on the Stone" at the 29th International Festival of Films on Art | Another festival of films on art (FIFA) starts this week and goes on until March 27th in Montreal, with screenings throughout the city, including the CCA, Cinémathèque québécoise, Geothe Institute, Grande Bibliothèque, Contemporary and Fine Arts Museums, Place des Arts and Concordia University.

Still from "Poet on the Stone", a film directed by Kenji Hayashi, playing at FIFA

I was looking forward to seeing the only entry at the festival from Japan, Kenji Hayashi's "Poet on the Stone", about the natural stone sculptor, son of four generations of stone masons, Masatoshi Izumi. He worked closely with his mentor, Isamu Noguchi, succeeding his unfinished projects and creating his own masterpieces.

The film is beautifully shot, and the sounds of nature are soothing as well, as the camera follows the sculptor's quests for finding stones to use in his public art pieces from the natural environment. Masatoshi Izumi has been commissioned to produce work for places such as Marugame Genichiro-Inokuma Museum of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Kyoto Concert Hall, Garden of Great Fall at Kyoto State Guest House and the roof garden of the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo. He remarks at one point in the film, that the clouds always look so interesting when he finds himself on location. In addition to showing much of his work, the film features the story of the commission for the National Palace Museum in Taipei, including picking out the stones and a glimpse into the technique of cutting.

Still from "Poet on the Stone", showing Masatoshi Izumi at work

Masatoshi Izumi speaks with humility and knowledge. He is motivated by the desire to continue to improve his understanding of nature through the stonework. He often speaks of clouds and the sky reflected in the stones. The clouds reflected in his stone sculpture in the film are calm and beautiful, which is such a contrast to the scenes in the media of the recent natural disaster in Japan.

I was able to get in touch with the director, Kenji Hayashi, over email, and asked him if the sculptor could comment on the recent earthquake and tsunami in his country. As a philosopher and an artist who works so closely with nature, I thought that it is likely that he could share some insight that we are unlikely to get in the mainstream media. The thoughtful response from Masatoshi Izumi seems to reflect the beauty of nature, like the clouds are reflected in his sculptures:

“Within the time and cycles of nature and space, this unprecedented catastrophe is a small matter.

Stones and water are the beginning of creatures and cannot be controlled by the human power. The men of today were forced to realize the terror of it. We must be humble about living.

When Japan was in the middle of the most shameful disaster of the war, my mentor, Isamu Noguchi encouraged people who were devastated, by designing bridges and domes with abstract forms, and lamps of traditional Japanese folk handicraft.

What I think now is that the nature is a beautiful thing. Stones, water and trees, all resonate and are beautiful. They do not begin to compare with artificial things for beauty.

What is beauty that supports spirit?

Mountains and rivers are eternal and forever young. When you turn around from the devastation and look over, there you can see mountains clad in deep greenery and rivers, too.”

Still from "Poet on the Stone"

I saw the film last Friday, at the Musée d'art contemporain. There is another screening on Sunday, March 27 at 18h30, at Place des Arts - Cinquième Salle. | Author: tomasz | Replies: 0

Photography :: Resource Magazine and RETV

Resource Magazine and RETV : Resource Magazine and RETV | Resource Magazine is a quarterly magazine "dedicated to the sub-culture of the photo production industry". It is distributed as a magazine in studios, photo labs, prop and rental house locations. The authors also maintain a blog. They are hosting a party at The Invisible Dog Factory (Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, New York) this Thursday March 10 to celebrate the release of their new online video platform, ResourceTelevision.com (RETV).

RETV features video content from corresponding Resource Magazine articles, interviews with photographers, product demos, how-tos and documentaries. There are over a hundred videos available already, everything from a tutorial on how to create images of bubbles to an interview with an advertising agency Indika.

Parodying the familiar Dos Equis “The Most Interesting Man in the World” marketing campaign, Resource Magazine has themed the launch party for RETV “The Greatest Party in the World,” hosted by the fictitious “Greatest Photographer in the World.”

Thursday March 10, 2011 - 6pm-11pm
The Invisible Dog Factory
51 Bergen St - Brroklyn, NY 11201
www.KeepShootingMyFriends.com | Author: tomasz | Replies: 0

Design :: Second International Confernce on the Image, September 2011

Second International Confernce on the Image, September 2011 : Second International Confernce on the Image, September 2011 | SECOND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE IMAGE
Kursaal Congress Palace, San Sebastian, Spain
26-27 September 2011
http://www.ontheimage.com/conference/

The Image Conference is a forum at which participants will interrogate the nature and functions of image-making and images. The conference has a cross-disciplinary focus, bringing together researchers, teachers and practitioners from areas of interest including: architecture, art, cognitive science, communications, computer science, cultural studies, design, education, film studies, history, linguistics, management, marketing, media studies, museum studies, philosophy, photography, psychology, religious studies, semiotics, and more. | Author: tomasz | Replies: 0

Art :: Art Stock Exchange

Art Stock Exchange : Art Stock Exchange |

“Art Exchange is a new centralized financial marketplace allowing the sale and purchase of undivided shares in works of art. Transactions are organized around a central order book for each work.

source: FAQ at www.aexchange.net
”

Paris-based A&F Markets allows investors to buy and sell shares in modern art pieces from the late 19th century onwards as they would any other commodity, with prices quoted on a public index. The investor is not a collector of art in that they do not own the entire artwork, but it does offer a new way of participation in the business side of art production.

“Pierre Naquin, the 26-year-old French entrepreneur behind it, argued that new investors in the art world would be "reassured" by a marketplace that copied the financial mechanisms they were used to. He said: "Just because someone makes an investment in art, it doesn't mean they lose the emotional tie to the work. On the contrary, I think this will bring in new buyers, and allow people who can't afford to pay €100,000 for their own work to take part. We're actually opening up the market to art lovers."

source: Paris entrepreneur to launch art 'stock exchange'. The Guardian, available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/dec/31/art-stock-exchange-planned-by-paris-firm
”

The aexchange.net site provides details for the following two artworks:

A Sol LeWitt gouache/painting:

https://www.aexchange.net/modules/module_actions.php?gestion=actions&id=24

and a Francesco Vezzoli print:

https://www.aexchange.net/modules/module_actions.php?gestion=actions&id=31 | Author: tomasz | Replies: 0

Photography :: Society for Photographic Education 2011 National Conference: Science, Poetry and the Photographic Image

Society for Photographic Education 2011 National Conference: Science, Poetry and the Photographic Image : Society for Photographic Education 2011 National Conference: Science, Poetry and the Photographic Image |

“Since its inception, photography has been inexorably linked to science. The connection is not limited to optics and chemistry. The very heart of the scientific method: exploring, observing and recording, is paralleled in the working process of photographic artists. The objective is often the same in each, to come to a better understanding of and relationship to the world around us. So too is the goal of the poet, to delve into life, embodying and revealing that experience. The language of each relies upon their respective compelling and evocative qualities to convey a shared experience and understanding of our world.
”

https://www.spenational.org/conference
Atlanta, GA
March 10-13, 2011 @ Sheraton Atlanta Hotel | Author: tomasz | Replies: 0