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Lectures Online

I'm listening to the second lecture in a course entitled History of Photography, Photography 1105 taught by Jeff Curto at College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, Illinois as I write this blog entry. I listened to the first lecture last week while travelling by bus from Vermont to Boston, enjoying the fall colours while learning about the early history of photography. I was using an iPod without video capabilities so I missed the images that accompany the lectures (but New England in the fall is a reasonable substitute).
The web page listed for the class contains the images Curto discusses, but these images – and the summary slides he uses – can be viewed not only with a video iPod but also with iTunes on a computer, which is the way I am viewing them today.
The lectures are live. Curto is an excellent lecturer and the audio quality is certainly adequate. Listening to the lecture, and the periodic coughs from students, while watching the slides is similar to sitting in the back row in a lecture theatre. One can't hear all of the questions (which is often the case in large lecture theatres) but Curto's answers incorporate the questions and the overall feeling is that one is part of a live event. A worthwhile event.
I've studied the history of photography for many years on an informal basis: but I'm learning a lot from these lectures. I'm frequently critical of the 'I'll talk for 50 minutes and you better write down everything that I say because most of it will be on the exam' approach, but the lecture system can work effectively if the lecturer is well prepared and is an effective communicator.
Having the lectures online with slides included allows students to review the lectures, to discuss them with others – or to stay in their dorm rooms and listen to the them at their leisure. Attending the lecture allows students to ask questions and participate in class discussion. Lecturers can use more of their lecture time for discussion if they decide to put some material only on the web or in podcasts.
This lecture series is another example of how knowledge is being made available at no direct costs to the public. I am able to learn about the history of photography from Jeff Curto without going to Illinois and enrolling in his course. I can learn at home or on a bus. I can't get academic credit for learning but I don't care about that: I simply want to learn.
You can access this and other podcasts on virtually any subject by going to iTunes and searching for key words.

Serendipity and Conferences: the story of Hazawi Al Heen

Attending a conference can be a rather ho-hum experience: we see what we expect to see and meet the people who were at the conference last year. Same stuff, different city. However, there's always more to be learned than what we expect: and there are always fascinating people who attend and give presentations.
Serendipity has been defined as the faculty or phenomenon of making fortunate accidental discoveries. Staying at the conference hotel, attending a session, and chatting with people at coffee breaks often results in contacts and learning which may have profound effects our lives.
Such events are serendipitous, but we have to be there so that they can happen.
I recently attended a session at the 4th International Conference on the Book entitled Future Memories: A Case Study of a Student Book Publication in the Middle East by Prof. Peter Stockwell Martin and Dr. Halim Choueiry. The paper they gave was described as 'A collaborative good design project about everyday life in the rapidly changing society of Qatar by 18 third year graphic design students at VCU Qatar'.
The presenters had a stack of books at the podium. Their visual presentation (probably done on Keynote) was probably the best I've seen. I love fine design and seeing it in a presentation like this is a real treat.
The book they discussed – Hazawi Al Heen (Stories of Now) – was designed and written by the students and their highly talented and committed instructors in fourteen weeks. This is a beautiful and compelling book which has served as not only a class project but as an important contribution to '...the growing tradition of local books within Qatar.'
At the end of the presentation Martin and Choueiry gave each of us who attended their session a copy of the book. This presentation and this book comprise my most serendipitous experience at this conference.
I learned a lot about design, about teaching and about Qatar from the presenters – but I had no expectation of that experience when I chose to attend that session rather than several others which were happening at the same time.
Serendipity is always nearby. We just have to be open to it.

Photography and Those Who Write About It

I bought a copy of the Boston Review yesterday primarily because of an article entitled The Treacherous Medium: Why photography critics hate photographs written by Susie Linfield. It's the most comprehensive and interesting article on this subject that I've seen.

Books and Boston

I'm participating in the 4th International Conference on the Book in Boston. Todd Anderson, Director of the University of Alberta Bookstore, and I are presenting a session entitled 'Competing with Free' tomorrow.
I travelled by bus from Montreal, through Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, and enjoyed the fall colours. I'll be travelling back to Vermont tomorrow and home a few days after that.

The conference has attracted academics and a few people in the private sector. There are a lot of participants from Australia and a few from other countries, including Canada.
The theme of the the conference is 'Save, Change or Discard: Tradition and Innovation in the World of Books. Thus far we have heard mostly about 'Save' and 'Tradition.' I hope that we hear more about Change and Innovation before the end of the conference.

Passion for the West

The Idea of West (October 11. 2006) focused on the Canadian west and the people, literature, food and images that reside here. Speakers included Gail Anderson-Dargatz, Judy Schultz, The Honourable James Bartelman), Thomas Peacocke, Sharon Moore-Foster and Roy Forbes.

Sharon Moore-Foster's paintings, my photographs and Roy Forbes' music were also part of the celebration.
The Idea of West is sponsored by the University of Alberta Bookstore. Todd Anderson, Director of the Bookstore, is now planning next year's event.

Radio Still Rules

I'm working at my computer while listening to the Ed Love jazz show on WDET in Detroit, thanks to my daughter's recommendation. I've used iTunes on my computer to access this station and many others in North America and abroad.
In spite of access to movies, television and the internet radio continues to serve us well.
I spent my childhood on a farm and in a village in southern Saskatchewan. We did not have electricity on the farm until I was thirteen – but we had a large cabinet radio which was powered by two large dry cell batteries.
Radio was our main connection to the world beyond our area. We listened to the news and to daily soap operas such as Pepper Young's Family and Ma Perkins; in the evening we'd listen to Lux Radio Theater, Boston Blackie and The Shadow. Canadian shows on the CBC were also high on our list. My mother and I never missed The Happy Gang, a program which featured some of Canada's best musicians and entertainers.
Later as a teenager I listened to The Goon Show (the name says it all) from the UK on short-wave, again on a large cabinet, battery-powered radio. I had met only a few British people by that time and had great difficulty understanding the dialects on that wild and wonderful show, but I found the humour fascinating and very different from anything in my everyday world.
Radio allows us to use our imagination when we listen to dramas or comedies. It also lets us engage in other activities while we're listening. Thus, we can listen while we drive or while we work at certain jobs. I listen to radio when I'm in the darkroom and when I'm doing tasks that don't require a lot of concentration.
Radio is even better now that I can use iTunes to find a wide variety of stations and play them on my computer. Podcasts are, in many ways, radio programs that can be created easily and cheaply. They too can be played on computers, iPods or stereo systems.
Radio can entertain, inform and excite, anywhere, anytime. Enjoy it: and try the Ed Love program if you're a jazz fan. And if you've never heard The Goon Show (with Peter Sellers and colleagues) it's not too late.

The Idea of West

The University of Alberta Bookstore is again sponsoring The Idea of West, a day of literature, art, music and great food, at The Timms Centre for the Arts, University of Alberta, October 11, 2006. Free tickets are available from the Bookstore (492-4215).
The Timms Centre seats only about 300 people so get your tickets early.