Geek alert. If you can just stay with me through some ‘minor’ geek stuff…perhaps you will enjoy the read. Minor, I mean dust in the wind minor. Perhaps slightly bigger than dust-geek (in the real geek world) but I felt a need to share.
Hurdy gurdy reminder ❤️
What in the world is an NFT? (n1)
Technology is amazing and amusing. I mean, there is quite a bit on the horizon that sounds utterly ridiculous and absurd and laughable. Meta? Drone flies? Then didn’t people laugh at the wheeled horse? No this wheeled horse. And didn’t Ford laugh at Tesla? My point was I think all tech, or any advancement, has a bit of a laughable moment. Sure we will carry telephones in our back pockets to do our banking…
Like NFTs.
NFT stands for Non-Fungible Token. (??????????) Not nearly enough question marks.
NFT is a collectible digital asset. Think baseball cards only they live in a digital form and they are one-of-a-kind baseball cards, like Topps 1971 Steve Garvey, but there is only one in existence. NFT is an original digitally created ‘thing’ that can be trade-able in the digital world. Hm. A piece of ‘art’ that is only available in the digital world. Hm hm. Still trying to write a sentence that doesn’t sound like a geek black hole.
This is fascinating (or ridiculous and absurd, and laughable). First, fungibile? To have the ability to exchange. Non-Fungible means nada; there is no equal. OK, no equal but still has a place in the consumer world as purchasable. Token. A voucher. Hmmmm. A unique, one-of-a-kind, digital piece of ‘thing’ that I can buy or sell online! ohh-kay.
Last year I did a series of postcards of digital art. More complicated, tedious, and complex than I thought. I didn’t use any of the fancy features I had access to or any of the canned algorithms that exist: just a stylus with simple brush changes and my ipad. My postcards were rather meh but I had a great time doing it.
This is a form of digital art. This is not an NFT.
Art and Artists and Artificial Intelligence (a1)
Returning to my love of technology, I can vaguely see, and laugh, at the ‘art’ some technician saw being spit out by an IBM 7094 in 1965. The tech excitedly exclaimed that a “computer had just created art” - I believe he ran down the halls. Under normal operating conditions, this specific computer sent numbers to a plotter that turned these into precise line graphs. Thanks to an error on the plotter that day, the numbers didn’t plot precisely and patterns were made…patterns that (to this tech) resembled art. Did this computer create art? No or yes? No.
Oh, but they ‘can’ now. Riiiii-ght? Oh, and music and human faces. And dad jokes.
Side rant human faces. I really wanted to try my hand at painting a face but not wanting to paint a person that I know - ya know- make them crazier than they really are. Nor would I steal from the web. However, I happily used thispersondoesnotexist.org. Hold onto your hats. This web page is an AI generated image of a person. Go ahead, refresh the page over and over and it will do its best to give you another ‘person’. Scariest thing ever,…but I happily use it to practice painting faces.
Is AI (artificial intelligence) algorithms a real artist? Well,... it’s a damn good learner. But no, my opinion, I am sorry, this is not true art. Clearly it understands all the rules and even cleverly someone can adjust to break said rules a bit to create something very interesting and appealing. (algorithmic art, ahhh) Still, not art to me. Perhaps it can be pleasing, interesting, and consumable. My hiccup is that art is, well it’s defined in the word, artistic. Art is emotional. It has experience hidden in it. It has drama, pleasure, pain, excitement, love, anger…emotions all concealed right inside of it. Computers do not have emotion.
Art, engineering and science is my wheelhouse. Don’t think for a second I don’t enjoy AI created ‘art’. Not remotely true. I just enjoy the human journey better. Oh and science plus the human journey? I love me some science illustrations. I can stare at engineering drawings of automobiles, structures, anatomy, botanicals, even candy wrappers, with callouts and legends, all spec’d down to the nth bit. I lurve them. I can only dream of being this clever, patient and immersed. But that calling is for years later, sadly not the now… (yes, it’s in the book piñata).
“It’s a terrible thing, I think, in life to wait until you’re ready. I have this feeling now that actually no one is ever ready to do anything. There’s almost no such thing as ready. There’s only now. And you may as well do it now. I mean, I say that confidently as if I’m about to go bungee jumping or something — I’m not. I’m not a crazed risk taker. But I do think that generally speaking, now is as good a time as any.” - Hugh Laurie
The Aperitif (www1)
No question, the internet has improved our quality of life in many ways. The ability to communicate in an instant. Access infinitesimal details. Ability to learn pretty much anything you want to steel thread into. We can stay in touch with loved ones, meet new people with similar interests…find love. Sigh.
But our librarian also steals our attention, makes us even more short-sighted, and can confuse the heck out of you if you are paying attention. She can even make you just sound dumb.
She (my personal librarian is female) spins up what she believes you want. Sometimes she even provides side likes and wishes and curiosities and falsities. She has found the Aperol. This librarian, housing all the worlds information right at our fingertips, is a bit tipsy and cannot keep her mouth shut. She’s the one at the bar that shamelessly pushes you more drinks, doesn’t buy them for you, and almost makes you feel guilty you don’t want another drink.
If television’s a babysitter, the Internet is a drunk librarian who won’t shut up. -Dorothy Gambrell
Nothing is sacred in the wild web. Content is copied, cloned, faked, replicated, counterfeited and quite often reproduced. Originality is hard to find. It’s not uncommon to click an article to find that you read the exact same thing in another site.
(n1-a1=www1)
digital art - real artists = majority of the internet
NFT(n2)
Let’s think about the Mona Lisa. Actually not a huge fan but it is a well understood painting that is definitely replicable but it is NOT replaceable. Something that can be reproduced (copied, faked, cloned…) but never again the real Mona Lisa. The Mona Lisa would be a physical (you can hold, touch, weigh NFT. Within our commonplace world of ‘Meta’, the NFT is the new (actually not so new) art. But… didn’t you say the internet is a copy of a copy of a copy? Yea, I did. So why would I want that?
Unlike every other thing on the internet that can be copied and manipulated, an NFT is backed by the same technology that keeps your crypto secure. Crypto Lisa??? Not today. If you create or purchase an NFT, yes, people can still screen grab or copy your NFT…that will not go away. However, that person who copied this ‘art’ will not have the NFT technology (that is attached to your NFT) and any buyer of, said copied ‘art’ is protected: the ‘art’ can now be proven to be a copy and not the real deal.
And that is not my issues with NFTs. After some really hard thinking on this I do have an opinion. There are amazing digital artists. Art, being so subjective, even in the digital world should be applauded. However, there are parasitic-artists. Or individuals who wanna jump-on-the-nft-money train and, yea, i can draw and create NFT art. I will never get emotional about an NFT like Fat Ape. Or Charmin releasing it’s toilet paper ad. Or a year of recorded farts as an NFT. Yes, someone recorded their farts for a year and created an NFT.
(a2)
I live vicariously through other artists. My heavens there are so many. Returning my thoughts back to science illustrations, my current obsession is Macoto Murayama. He meticulously and carefully dissects flowers. Yup, flowers.
First, he chooses his flower. Second, using a scalpel and magnifying glass he deconstructs it. Third, a photo is taken of each tender piece and then he sketches each section (petal, ovary…thing). Fourth, as I sigh, he models each piece using 3D software. FIFTH!!!, he recreates each piece in photoshop. Sixth, just stop right? Sixth he adds measurements, the scale, the scientific names…la, di, dah.
Seventh, then prints his work.
And the cherry? He can render an image or a 3D print of a perfect replica of ‘this’ flower in any various manner he wishes. Neon blue for the stigma perhaps? I couldn’t find one I loved the most. So just some examples of his blueprints and examples of renderings.
Art. Emotion. Painstakingly flooded with sentiment.
The Wine (ww2)
Our drunken librarian has found the wine. She is so distracting and annoying. I honestly believe that distractions are good. Distractions, entertainment distractions, in small doses provide relaxation and escape from our daily struggles. Like when the world is too heavy.
I am a people watcher. I observe. Within my small acreage I observe, we, as a generalization of the human population old enough to be entertained by the internet/laptops/phones, are losing touch with the pleasure of personal interaction and our ability to even handle peace and quiet. Quiet observation of the world around us. Quiet in general. Quiet actually annoys and makes many, many, many people uncomfortable.
Instant gratification.
“Prime Now!” is our household motto when we feel like 3 year olds waiting for the ice cream cone that was promised millions of seconds ago. [for the love of Pete, if you don’t laugh your butt off watching that video - just no.] It’s so hysterical for me because it’s so true.
Even trying to remember something has become a “Prime Now” moment. An internet search instead of just thinking to remember! Who wrote that? Duck Duck Go-it. When did that happen? DDG What color is this? DDG Can I swim after I eat? DDG…and endless, i mean endless searches our drunken librarian will delightfully share with you. Then she will offer you more wine.
As much as I love technology it has clearly destroyed some focus, some creativity, and some actual living. I can’t shout enough that little things matter. Smells, textures, sounds. It is not uncommon to see couples in restaurants eating together but staring at their phones. Waiting rooms - on their phones. Even queueing up for coffee. They are sucked into Facebook, Insta, Twitter, TicToc (gasp)…games?
Our librarian will even serve you up articles, solutions and products to rescue you from her pull. Yes, she knows she is addictive. More wine?
(n2+ww2) - (a2) = :(
The sum of (massive generated art + instant gratification) - emotional art = sad face
(n3 + a3)
NFTs, like the Mona Lisa, are “valued” by its rarity, desirability and the marketplace - and with anything else that’s exchanged the value can go up or down. Finally, the crux of my crux with NFTs.
Oversupply, eagerness to climb the crypto boom, and stupidity is a reliable way to end a collectible boom. I’m all for authenticating real digital art if you are selling it on the internet. I’m not for adding more clutter to what is already looking worse than my attic. (see Ape and fart NFTs) Everyone from digital artists to musicians to journalists to clowns are minting NFTs to get a part of the new pet rock craze. I get it. Like this guy - and good for him as I sincerely credit him as a real artist…the right time, the right thing, the right place.
Yes, technology and art have been wedded for many years…think Hollywood CGI. Which is pretty fantastic. Pixar would be a dream job for any graphic designer. My love for technology and art has a long history. Again, i’m not a hater - I just see a narrow slice of this pie as art.
The black-ch3rry-rhubarb pie recipe of math, tech and art, called generative art, is delicious. Which can be turned into an NFT… And I am humbly suggesting, discussing and sharing that I think- it’s art-ish.
Generative Art is a process of algorithmically generating ideas, forms, shapes, colors or patterns. Rules are first created. ‘Rules’ provide the computer with boundaries: do this when…don’t ever do this…, etc. Then - you program the computer to follow the rules to produce the art. I’m a fan of this art. Period. - but, where is the emotion Lisa??
I know - I know. It’s the complexity. I’m grey. Remember our meticulous artist the dissected flowers? SOOOO much grey. That is my bar I guess. If there was sweat and tears - it’s art?
I’m a complex person who will never find much love in black and white.
The Digestif (ww3)
00110101* - It was as if I didn’t matter, she just copied and pasted and continued typing like my life's work wasn’t her problem, that I didn’t have dreams or an appetite so starving of complications that you want to shed a bit of yourself to be noticed. I don’t like standing in the same line every mico-second, yet I do. We all have jobs we detest. She should know that once you’re on the internet, I again, will be copied..and copied again - I can never leave.
ww3(ww2+ww1) - (n3 + a3) ≥ 00110101
It’s just all a big pot of shit stew. Or is it?
I am a software designer. I love tech. In fact I get to (kinda) use my love of art, too. I am not opposed to digital art. In fact, I think where NFTs have merit is the technology that protects them from ‘theft’. And I’m sure people will get taken - but hey, aren’t their fake (yet, valuable) pieces of fine art out there? Buying NFTs? Do your homework?
I do love the internet. It brings the world to you. On a plate with a doily and a shot glass, salt and lime. It is also a time-suck. I’m not convinced that our drunken librarian will sober up anytime soon so just be wary of what she’s serving you. I try, as hard as one can working in tech, to reduce her noise. We are all more authentic when we turn off the noise. With our librarian tethered safely to the garage door or down the driveway to the oak tree, the hazmat suite comes off. That’s when I really can see, feel and think.
I, duh, love art. All art. Art is the best of us because it reveals our depth. Authentic art isn’t after money; it’s after emotion. Art is a struggle to tell a story. It can be frustrating. It can be sad, quirky, happy and/or polarizing - many, many forms. My aunts biscuits - art.
And btw, I’m really just one spec speculating on dust particles. -sprinkling thoughts around as entertainment or information or just more clutter.
—
*00110101 = binary for decimal 53
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Someone please pinch me ... "skipping through the daisies on a butterfly hunt"... every day:)
So much to unpack...boiling it down to intent, perhaps? What can I invoke with my creation -laughter, thoughtfulness, connection v. outrageous attention-seeking money grab in the moment the world is looking. There has to be some cross-over even there. I always wonder how "hard" something has to be in order to count as worthy.