Susan Gibb is doing a great job on Spinning playing with a few of the ideas we’ve thrown out to the New Media Perspectives group. She dealing with a few of Manovich’s ideas, which we’re using to lay context and orientation, and she’s manipulating spatial concepts which can applied to analysis of digital space. Here’s a cut and paste from her observations in a backyard, which I would characterize as branching:

Lets start with one of my favorite spaces, my backyard. It is part of a larger space called Burlington and is included all the way up through various levels to being part of a galaxy and beyond. But lets keep it small, to within my visual range (bordered by sight). This space also includes on one side, a small portion of my neighbors backyard, otherwise it is bounded by my house to my back, and by trees to my right and facing me. Thus, my neighbors space becomes part of my visual space, so I would assume that spaces can overlap. Birds fly into my space, as do airplanes in the upper portion that is considered as extending into the infinity of sky.

This is starting to get complicated. Im going to stop here for now, because Im either onto something, or its just simple common knowledge, or Im making no sense at all. I suspect the latter, or last of explanations. There’s also the question of how long this event took place, how long it took to write down, versus how long it will take to read, bringing the space of time into the question and the quest.

The only thing I would change here is the “I’m making no sense at all” part. I’m beginning to play with the idea that we have to get more of our students to engage an audience like this so that we can learn with them and hear them out.

More coming . . .