Annotation by Yoshiyuki Abe

From 89291416@people.or.jp 
Subject: paper
Date: 15 Aug 94 21:49:09 JST
To: vgrass@tansei.cc.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Message-Id: <2E4F6445.62AA.001@people.or.jp>
Status: R

I've just read through the paper. I know it must be required for 
spending more time to the perusal, but now is the time limit.

You did real big job. 22000 word paper provided a hard job in
reading and checking dics. Why you have so rich vocabularies in
a foreign language?  In contrast, a friend in Berlin, Arthur Schmidt
speaks quite simple English. 
My impression was this paper was originally written for a Japanese
publication and revised for ISEA. How?   The whole text will be
included in the proceedings?  I think this is the ever longest ISEA
paper, and ever richest paper with very comprehensive study.

As I am not an media researcher, some parts of the paper was not 
understandable. Without the experience of online-internet and the
terminology, it's often took time to checking the new terms. But,
I've learned much in the reading and I think I have now an overview
of the media world. Many thanks.

On the description of the historical facts, I don't have critic words.

I say my generic idea on the media here. Actually Marconi's wireless was
a breakthrough but I think the inevntion of Triode was more important in
the meaning of communication. Marconi provided the new medium and Triode
provided the technology.  Marconi's was spark transmission and rather
wide spectrum radio wave generator.  Oscillation by triode(I can't 
remind the name of the inventor but a famous one) provides CW(continuous
wave).  The difference is larger than that between the white light and
the coherent laser light.  ie. 'Continuous' means it's possible to be 
modulated by audio, video and codes. Although the wired telegraph was
there but the direct current(DC) has only the on-off world. Important
fact of CW was the that has spectrum(carrier). 

'Modulation' is the most important keyword of the whole communication 
aspects. Gutenberg's printing is the letter modulation on the white 
paper(carrier). Calculation, even in analog or digital, is the modulation
on the numeric flow. Computer clock is actually the primary modulation 
signal and processing codes are secondary modualtion signal. Programming
is the designing of the modulation signals.
The relationship between two is always one modulates the other. 
Understanding a phenominon is understanding which modulates which.
Interfaces are always modulator/demodulator.
Unfortunately, I have not time to summarize my opinion neatly now.

I know this is too about and don't realize any constructive comment to 
your paper. I showed my way to understand the world because I have
not time to give comments on each paragraph. Basically no objections.

You said Matrix doesn't care the geographical location and physical body.
I agree with you. The human communication is getting lost them stage
by stage.  Face to face, Hand written letter, Typed letter, Telephone
(voice), Telex(typed letter), Fax(Hand written letter, illustration)
Fax(computer generated), Email(computer generated letter). 
Physical contact will be enforced in the sports, sex and skinship of 
families.  We want to get more sophisticated, simplified information. 
In the meaning, today's email is carrying many junk mails. As you read 
in EFJ, 80 percents or more are junk. Redundant quotes, lengthy ID stamp,
personal greetings, etc.  We have to learn that sending junk mail is 
same as cutting rain forest. Speaking ecology with 5 line ID line is
laugh. Printing out emails and read it in the bed is almost criminal 
action. Resource is limited. So does Internet. Only the shortage of 
TCP/IP address was alerted recently.  

I often think about the order of the making devue of technology. Later
comer is really better than former one?  Why digital wrist watch 
disppeared? Digital quarz is really better than analog watch in the
accuracy, but the watch(clock) is the tool not only for showing the
time at the moment but also for time difference. TV is better than Radio
by the images.  For music almost same. Color TV is much better than 
B/W TV by the color. But HDTV is just a more pixel TV.  Current TV 
programs don't provide new horizons with more pixels. Mouse is better
than KBD?  CATV is better than wireless TV?  Internet Music is better
than CD/Radio?  Rather CD is better than LP/EP?  Built-in TV on X-window
is better than that on the ordinary TV set?  Digital publication is
better than Book? If Silver halide film was invented after video for
the super resolution material, the digital camera will go to analogue?
I know they have some reasons like space, weight etc., but not so
every thing.
How's on network entities?

Totalized environment in network is convenient but not always best.
I, rather, like discrete medium.

The paper provided almost complete concepts of the media world, but
I, personally, wanted to hear about the relationship to (Fine and Tech)
art itself and/or art expressions. Some ideas of the place of the trend
line extended to was showed but How will the cyber-maturity effect to
artists?   At the moment, some idea of cyber-musium is already realised
but they are with poor resolution and color reproduction. Artist is 
always fighting to create delicate nuances of color, shape, touch,
but the effort is easily neglected in the multi-media museum.  The video
quality (includes the instability of color reproduction) is still not
enough for still artists. Different art should be developed for the 
resolution and color qualities. I think there is something between
still and animation(movie).

Koichi Yamazaki, who?  Most strange text in the paper was the Note #88.
You can replace 'mina' by 'daremo/taremo' all the way.  'everybody' is
a concrete existence?  In the sentence of "Mina itte iru," it often
includes myself and make my opinion become vague.  You are explaining
very special case of the term, I think. The Tenno often uses the term 
'mina' for the meaning of everybody. "Mina is god in Japan" is very 
first for me. I checked Kojien(the most reliable Japanese dictionary 
from Iwanami) and there was not such meaning. Maybe some confusion in
the interview, or he is just a stupid of far right wing. I believe 99
percent Japanese laugh the idea.

I couldn't undertand the rule of giving Notes.  Some notes can be 
included in the paper body and some lines of main body can be
moved out as a footnote.  That was a reason hard to read for me.  
Maybe this is not so for native speakers though.

I like your last sentence, What we make...., I do agree.

Yes, this comment is not catching up your paper enough, because I have
to learn more on the subjects you stated. Not enough at the moment.
Just learned now. I'll read again later.

The presentation for this paper needs 90 to 120 minutes, I guess.
Strategic presentation should be required for the 30min(?) frame. 
See you soon in Helsinki.

Yoshi