Ology Magazine, published by Omnibucket

This essay addresses issues of emerging technology in art-making and is based upon the following idea: Humans are better suited to being human and machines are better suited to being machines. For a human to attempt to emulate a machine by working toward the completion of a task for which a machine was designed seems counterproductive. When a machine accurately emulates a human activity this is the achievement of the ideal result of it's inventor's intent to assist in increasing the amount of time humans have to pursue other activities. There are people who enjoy playing chess against computers. Sometimes the humans win and sometimes the humans lose. It depends on the human and upon the situation. The game does not change because of the players. There are humans who have raced horses against gasoline powered vehicles. Occasionally, those who employ strict traditional methods do triumph in head to head competitions.

Does this mean advances in technology are inherently flawed and are not worth pursuing? No. In a manner seemingly oblivious to any win or loss, the incorporation of emerging technology marches on. It is the employment of this emerging technology that has been, and still is an essential component of humanity. Does this mean those who adhere traditional methods that have worked in the past are archaic and need to alter their routine to incorporate the use of emerging technology? No. The tried and true methods are discounted and abandoned at the peril of all those who would progress. The future stands upon the shoulders of the past. A lasting schism between methods, if even possible is certainly a dead end. Is one method of art-making better than another? Not necessarily. Ultimately the aim of the artist must determine which method is best. The intent of this essay is to illustrate the idea that just as there are traditional methods which have been employed for years to accomplish art-making tasks there are also non-traditional methods which may at times be better for the accomplishment of certain art-making tasks and to help alleviate the reservations associated with the use of emerging technology in art-making.

There is much emphasis placed upon the necessity for artists to develop drawing skills. This is good advice which I do not contest. Hundreds if not thousands of instructional books written about drawing encourage students to "re-learn" ways of seeing. They are taught not to rely upon the human mind's conception of a subject, in other words how you think an object appears, but are instead taught to look at specific elements of the scene that in day to day life are disregarded in the process of sensory filtering. Drawing is an important part of art making and I believe when it comes to "drawing" in the traditional academic sense, in this current time period, importance for the development of the craft of realistic representation in drawing can be placed upon the depiction of imagery that is drawn more directly from the imagination more so, than from imagery that is readily available (physical reality) for documentation by mechanical methods*.

In other words, pictures from one's mind are not readily available for capture by cameras. The images "seen" in the imagination of the artist await a process of development much like a latent image on film which is revealed through chemical processing. Since the imagery of the imagination is technically more elusive and precarious in a sense, it is in greater peril of suffering a diminishment of fidelity depending upon the artist's ability to convey those ideas in a manner which can be interpreted by the viewer as realistic representation. The degree to which this realistic representation is rendered is, as in all artistic processes, determined by the artist. Selectivity and artistic processes will always be in effect when the captures are made but the incorporation of emerging technology allows the artist to obtain more information initially rather than having to work for years to discipline the senses in the attempt of "becoming the camera". Should the goal of the artist lie in the successful rendering of imagery from the imagination in a manner that approaches photographic realism, the artist will need to strive more toward "becoming the camera" which will capture the pictures in his or her mind.

A similarity to traditional academic drawing can be noted thusly; an artist selectively decides what elements to include and exclude but rather than relying solely upon the human senses which are by nature selective, the artist is encouraged to use an image capture device. Such devices capture without the bias of the "real-time editing" of the subject matter (this occurs in the natural process of filtering scenes directly through humans senses). This allows the artist to work in a subtractive manner, starting with more data than will be required for the final output.This method requires the artist to use his or her discretion and artistic license to decide how much of the raw data that is captured by mechanical devices to include or exclude in the final artwork. The process differs from traditional art making in that traditional art-making methods are additive where the artist starts with less data and builds up through successive iterations, the final work.

In the case of depicting actual physical reality, I would argue that the artist should be encouraged almost to the point of priority, to use existing technology to capture with the highest possible transfer rate, imagery which is readily available for capture. Of course, this is not a new idea and one can find examples of this very thing occurring through the ages.

*In this essay I use the term "mechanical" to mean a machine or means that is not directly human.

by Angie Needels www.adneedels.com

“Isabel” character concept sketches

Colored pencil test for expression

Sculpted maquette test

Final digitally-adjusted photograph

To learn more about God's Acre please visit www.omnibucket.com/godsacre.

Words & Image by Scott Lambridis

Here's a quick preview...

“It’s not the end, I promise.” Dan’s last words...shouted to me right before they ripped his neck open.

I’ve been running ever since. Feels like hours, but that’s impossible. Only took Megan a few minutes to go, then come back and take half my left thigh in her mouth. I must be limping now but I can’t feel a thing. I don’t think I’m wearing anything now but blood. Some mine, some not. None of it’s dried yet.

I’m not scared anymore though. Just about everyone I care about is dead or worse. And they’re chasing me.
I don’t even know why I’m running. I’ll be one of them soon.
What the hell am I even doing running? The room, that’s right. The room.
Where they first got in.
Where the first ones fed, before they hit the nursery.
It’s where Jerry got...eaten...I think. Fuck, I can’t get that outta my head.
Doesn’t matter now.
She’s still in there hiding, somewhere in that god-damn hole.
I can smell it already a few feet away. Bile, puke, burnt skin,
I can’t believe I’m going back in.

I have to. She’s still in there.
I don’t know how she lasted, but I’ve got to get to her before they do. Nothing else matters. Not the pieces I’m going to have to dig through. Not the faces I’m going to have to stare at. Not the throbbing in my head, or the nausea and vomiting that’ll start. Not the screams from behind me, or the numbing silence ahead. Not even the change I can feel inside. I just need to get to her before they do. She’s only 12. I think she’s probably unconscious so it’ll be as easy as it’ll get. Just remember that they’re the monsters, not me. I made my mind up even before Dan suggested it. I can save her. Nothing else matters anymore. Not even her life.

We’re all dead in here anyway.

To learn more about Brainchild, a collection of artifacts, please visit www.omnibucket.com/brainchild.

Tour Diary, by Bill Jordan

“Downs & Ups”

York Street Cafe, Cincinnati. We started this show off & sucked a big one. Dez's keys went out of tune during the first 4 songs. We never really got our bearings & ended up looking like unprofessional assclowns. How the hell do electronic keyboards go out of tune??? Oh well. Can't win 'em all.

Loretta (IN) came on after us and blew the doors off the place. Kohai came on next as it was their cd release show. Solid band. Not what I'm into. Noctaluca finished it off and played till well after closing since the crowd didn't want them to stop. They were amazing. Crashed at Finkelstein's brother's place again. We made it an early night. No cause for celebration.
The kids in Terre Haute know how to have a good time. The Legacy is their place--and they rock out every weekend. We had a blast last time and gained a bunch of new fans, so we were excited to return.

Got on the road Saturday a little late because I was face down in my bed till 12:30pm. It was a perfect, comfortable day outside as we lumbered along the highway in our lovely van, listening to the new Foxy Shazam! album. I looked over at Dez in the driver's seat and said, "Damn, I'm chillin'..." That's when the van started overheating.

So, given that we had to stop and cool off the engine a few times, it took us 7 hours to get to Terre Haute...with the heat on full blast...and only one of the windows in our van rolls down. It could’ve been much worse, and though the trip was less than pleasant, we managed to have fun.

The show at the Legacy was short & sweet. Had a pretty good turnout and saw a bunch of familiar faces. After the show we got mobbed for autographs. It was pretty cool, and a good way to celebrate our last show as Wigglepussy, Indiana.

To learn more about Eleventy Billion Miles Away please visit www.omnibucket.com/eleventybillion.

Horrible Celebrity Anagrams

1| erCh; 2| Dr reD; 3| The Cork
Answers: Cher; Dr. Dre; The Rock

Movie Reviews... of the Future !

(or...I have seen the future, and it is crap.)

Any jackass can give you a review of a movie that’s already been released. (Take that Ebert!) By the time a flick reaches the theaters, you’ve already seen the trailer so often you’ve memorized the dialogue. You need to get reviews before the movie is released (or written, or thought of). That’s where I come in. I have seen the future, and it is crap.

X-men 3 - Hope you enjoyed the first two, because the fun is over. Director Bryan Singer has been replaced with superhack Brett Ratner. You may remember Ratner as the director of such atrocities as Rush Hour and…uh, Rush Hour 2. He also earned an Oscar for his work on After the Sunset. And by Oscar, I mean kick in the nuts.
Defining moment: Storm asks Beast “Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?”

Spider-Man 3 - Kirsten Dunst’s nipples are visible through her wet t-shirt, Spidey saves her from the clutches of Venom played by Thomas Haden Church. The End. Oh, and everybody in the movie finds out that Peter Parker is Spider-Man.
Defining Moment: Spidey discovers he can shoot webs out of ass too. Just like a real spider!

i B10gg3d J00r M0m (read from the bottom, just like a real email string)

-----Original Message-----
From: Fernando Weatherall
To: Otis Baltrics MD

I have no idea what you are talking about.
I just know that you are a krod. That’s an anagram.

-----Original Message-----
From: Otis Baltrics MD
To: Fernando Weatherall

Well, if by "Pope" you mean "the former stars of Gilligan's Island" and by "Bolts of lightning" you mean "love yogurt” and by "fingertips" you mean...well, you know...then just swing by your mom's place on a Thursday.