Ryan C. DeNardis: September 2008 Archives

Read this:

http://www.genpets.com/index.php


Now read this:

http://www.brandejs.ca/portfolio/Genpets/What


Adam Brandejs makes an amazing point - perhaps we really are being slowly desensitized to the objectification of life.  In everything from our approach to socialization to how we handle food, the very idea of 'life' is becoming more and more something we humans take for granted, no matter what form it takes.  However, I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing.

Well, socially, it is bad.  We should realize that as rational animals, we humans have a responsibility to the world and to each other, and we can't avoid that no matter how far bio-engineering progresses.  On the other hand, we've been objectifying life for millenia, ever since our predecessors began planting crops.  In the book "Ishmael" by Daniel Quinn, the reader discovers an argument for the road of the world's destruction that began with the growing of crops.  Humans controlled their environment, and since then, we've been 'playing god' with nature.  This is what we do, and ultimately, it may not be in the human species' best interest.

But then, that's what changes the world.  That's how life evolves and develops and thrives.  The fact that humans are the most rational and capable beings on the planet is an incredibly unique case, and having this level of technology could only help us surpass once unthinkable limits.

Yet, this is still pretty immoral.  On the first hand, I would love a docile animal who's personality fits mine, and I would love to care for a product of human techonolgical development.  But to think of selling living beings as purely commercial products created to appease a hungry market still creates a bad scenario.  The "Gen-Pets" marketting would treat live beings as mere toys, little gadgets bought to pass the time.  And to simply put an animal into hibernation when "not in use" - obviously, the animal's life is not in the user's interest.  In fact, the animal's emotions aren't considered at all!

Both exciting and horrifying, the illusion of a bioengineered pet that Brandejs' Gen-Pets have created is powerful, effective, and not publicized enough.  This is the stuff that we should know about.  I repeat: people should know about this piece of art!

As bioengineering continues to develop, I am excited to see what will develop.  But Gen-Pets reminds us that we still have to take responsibility for life, even if it is under our control.

Just a quick post: As if anyone is reading this, I would like to congratulate the engineers, scientists, construction workers, architects, and all others involved in the creation of the Large Hadron Collider for a successful first run.

In case you haven't been following this, Google the Large Hadron Collider and read up on their misson(s), as well as the threats they've received.  Apparently, a lot of uber-conservative naysayers got ahold of the information that two particles colliding at such high speeds could create a black hole that would quickly engulf the earth.  Probability of the creation of a black hole: 1 in 50 million.  Actually engulfing the earth?  A little less probable... 

The worst part is that many people sent threats to the scientists who were shooting off the first partical beam last night.  Amusingly, this was a particle beam.  There was no collision, just focusing the lenses and the beam.  And scientists successfully shot a particle beam around the entire LHC machine with under an hour of focusing!

So congratulations, LHC creators!  I can't wait for the first collision, and I am very excited to see what information this machine (which is the largest mankind has ever created) will produce.  And thank you for not making the earth blink out of existence.

Visit this: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/08/60minutes/main3475200.shtml

60 Minutes had a special a while back about how my generation, the 'millenials,' are hitting the workforce and forcing employers to act more like psychologists than businessmen.  The problem, they claim, is that we have been told how special we are since we were young.  We're so used to being unique that we have nowhere to grow from or to.  And the majority of my generation has invested more in visiting places than working wage-based jobs.  Additionally, our priorities now lie equally between friends and work. Therefore, big companies have had to invest money in changing the way they deal with these new employees.

I personally think 60 Minutes has shown things to be a bit worse than it actually is.  After all, they do tend to gloss everything over with a bit of a conservative veneer.  They do have some good points, though.  I have many friends here at PSU that have never worked a summer job (It's okay, I choke on that a bit, too).  I have met few people here with a truly professional approach to their classes or lifestyle, although many seem to feign it.

Maybe I've come from a more conservative family.  Yes, my parents take me on vacations, and they do help me out with loans, but I've been working almost straight since the 9th grade, my employers are always surprised at how hard I work (with the exception of that one overnight shift *shudder*), and I keep myself booked solid throughout my semester.  I never listen to an MP3 player in a business situation or wear flip-flops, and yes, after receiving a meager 2 responses after applying for 23 jobs last summer, I do feel lucky just to be able to work.

Does this make me better than other students?  My recent viewpoint is one of 'I Don't Know or Care.'  I have met straight A students who just want a 9 to 5 and straight C students who are constantly working toward something much more unique and greater.  So I don't see how I can compare myself to anybody at all.  My only goal is to make life better for myself.

Many things on this campus have helped this viewpoint, be it performance ensembles or even participation in Schreyer's.  When I entered the SHC, I was told I had the ability and drive to breeze through everything.  That was a bit of a lie.  I still have to work to get through the paper work and the honors thesis research and writing and etc.  It really is a lot of work.  But the benefits are endless.  I have access to some impactful classes, and I'm learning how to manage my own life for myself.  Thanks to the many things I've discovered at PSU, including the SHC, I've definitely learned how to be independently responsible for myself.

I think 60 Minutes is concentrating on way too small a niche of the "millenial" demographic (that is quite a bland label), and I'm sure there are a lot of upcoming additions to the US workforce that are much brighter and driven than the bleak image 60 Minutes has procured.  At least, this is what I hope and expect from many of the people I've met.  As for me, I'm going to keep working my tail off.

Additionally, I find it odd that businesses have had to reengineer their approach toward new employees.  Businesses such as Google and Pixar changed their approach to business altogether only to find much greater productivity.  Then again, Google and Pixar are companies almost wholly dependent on creativity.  So this makes sense.  Fostering creativity and creating a bit of breathing room would undoubtedly cause a bit more productivity and a better product, so I highly doubt that these businesses have changed merely for the sake of new employees.  By creating a more flexible work schdule, workers are able to find their own rhythm of productivity.  This is an advancement.

But I am unsure of the priority shift.  I have friends, but my work tends to take precedence.  And I know that often, the same occurs with many of them.  Perhaps, as a composer, my niche is also a bit too small to match the scenario 60 Minutes has proposed.  Although I haven't done exstensive research on this quite yet, I would like to see a more conclusive study to be performed on this scenario.  I still think 60 Minutes is not taking enough of the workforce into consideration.


Oh, and a quick recommendation: Pattee Library carries a recording of an opera by Jack Beeson entitled Dr. Heidegger and the Fountain of Youth.  The opera is actually an adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story, "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment."  Yes, that's right, the same guy Nathaniel Hawthorne that wrote about Hester Prynne's tragedy also penned a great little science fiction story.  The opera has a few rough spots, but is an enjoyable listen overall if you have the patience.

And if you want something more visual, check out Benjamin Britten's Turn of the Screw.  It's amazing, and BBC created an amazing film adaptation of it, which they played on public television throughout Britain.  Despite PBS' attempts, we don't have anything quite like this here in the states, and that's quite disappointing.  But if you're a fan of Victorian literature or modern opera or surreally creepy...  Just check it out.

I went to see Dumas' play last night.  Entitled 9/11 - A Day in the Life of a People, Dumas set out to emotionally define people's experiences on that day in the first act, and how life has changed in the second.  The first act felt a bit like other 9/11 movies, such as World Trade Center, but a bit more honest in approach.  Rather than toss the audience into the situation, he had them listen to the actual people.  Listening was actually one of the themes of the show, so this tied in nicely.  The second act was more of a traditional drama, although his methods of breaking down the third wall were a little too direct for my taste.  However, the second act was where all the real meat was, emotionally and intellectually.

As I had mentioned before, a lot of the breaking of the third wall felt odd, not because the characters were talking to the audience, but because the audience was left without a clue of who they were supposed to be, although Dumas expected the audience to be, well, themselves.  As a play, or a total piece of art, I don't feel 9/11 - A Day in the Life of People was a phenomenal play; however, it did some interesting things, such as how Dumas incorporated all the characters in the second act and even defined some of the lesser elements as characters within themselves, like the little tourist girl with the "I Love New York" t-shirt.  It also made a very good point: We, as a people, have changed since 9/11.

Or rather, the problem is that we haven't changed.  After 9/11, Americans began to pull apart from one another, and it's still happening today.  The blame-throwing, the mud-slinging, and our overall view of ourselves and others is not improving by much.  Dumas claims that this is because we've never actually recovered from 9/11.  Sure, memorials have been built, movies have been released, the government has done its research, but we as a people are still not like we were.  Dumas claims that people just need to "sit down and talk it out."  He's got a point there.  Communication, as much as the technology behind has improved, seems to become more and more hollow everyday, and I can't tell if this is recent or not, or if it's only like that here.  But Dumas is right that we, as Americans, need to do this for ourselves.

So while it wasn't the greatest play I've ever seen (sorry Mr. Dumas!), he makes some pretty effective points, and overall, I think that's why Dumas wrote the show.  And I think it's important that he made it for now, because we still have a lot of recovering to do.

So apparently I'm not busy enough, so I have to pick up another project. A little over a year ago, I wrote a piece for flute choir called "I Couldn't Sleep At All."  Every person who's heard it has told me it's impossible to perform, so I'm rewriting it... again.  For the fourth time.  This time, I'm recording everything and leaving holes for one flautist and the soprano vocalist, thus making it a piece for soprano, flute, and electronic audio. 

My friend Lisa Duke stopped by last night to lay down some of the flute tracks.  It is amazing how much more powerful the music became when Lisa played it compared to the soft synth.  I definitely have my work cut out for me with this recording project, and I'm looking forward to finishing a very powerful piece of art music by the time I'm done.  I'll post something here when I get a good 'draft' of the piece bounced.

Additionally, I'm finishing up my clarinet duet and setting up my senior recital on November 22.  Yes, it is the day of a football game.  I figure I need to get a good performance, and if this is the only good date available, well...

And for those of you who don't know, Outlaws goes up every Thursday night in the basement of the Arts building.  Check out http://outlawspsu.com/ for more info.  If you are a Penn State Student, you HAVE TO SEE THIS!  This organization does some incredible things! 

Under the 2006-2007 show schedule on the Outlaws website, you can see a performance of a piece I wrote called "Princess of Suburbia."  This piece is technically the predecessor of my senior honors thesis, "SadoMasochism."  Both shows are somewhat surrealist and combine theater and contemporary classical music in a very unusual way.  Both are also heavily influence by social problems, "Princess" concentrating on our overly conservative and possibly tragic views of feminism and drama, and "SadoMasochism" on my generation's view of socialization and interpersonal relationships, as influenced by the Marquis de Sade and Hegel.  And, to add fuel to the fire, both are completely different.

I'll post a more definitive post about it later, but "SadoMasochism" is my first fully conscious endeavor into post-modernism.  The piece is actually a convoluted violin sonata, with the added electronics and a couple of actresses.  The drama of the stage interacts with the music, but neither directly affects the other.  Rather, they stay in their own little circles.  I also placed myself into the show as an indirect character.  I'm not sure how the show will come out yet, but I'm a little skeptical of my characters this time, although perhaps I've left the script open to interpretation. 

Justine, from the Marquis de Sade's book of the same name, appears as a tragic character who travels and is controlled through lightning.  I say controlled because while she believed in finding peace after death, which seems to be a common theme for the Marquis, she is still tortured by demons in the physical realm and has not yet ascended.  To me, this, not the sexual innuendo or even the murders that occur, is the darkest part of the script: the fact that there may not be peace after death, and that mankind's injustice may very well cross over.  Like the Princess in "Princess", Justine appears to be the heroine, but is simply another victim in a list of tragic characters.

And this is what I'm getting at.  We see ourselves as being controlled by other elements, whether it be people, parents, god, the economy, the government.  They may or may not be affecting us, but we cannot live in a truly free world until we take responsibility for our own existence, and recognize that other people are capable of doing the same.  To me, this is 'the human condition': not the uncontrollable tragedy of our mere existence, but our ability to do something with our lives.

I'm sure I have more thinking to do on the subject(s) at hand.  Trust me, the current script is the fourth or fifth in a series, and while I think this is the one I'm going to stick to, the meaning of this piece will never quite settle into one definite form for me, and I kind of like it that way.

So that's what I'm doing.  Among other things.  Many other things...