Chapter 7: Justice Miranda
As we’ve moved through MEmorial I’ve been captivated at considering the different ways that richness can be added to composition to create an effective message (in this case a MEmorial). One of the methods that Ulmer describes to work with in doing this is the importance of an Egent being able to construct an emblem. These emblems work to allow the viewer to fill in gaps in meaning based on the image itself. The emblems, interestingly, are to be created using the notion of induction rather than the logic of memory. Ulmer states that: we may still use the concept of justice in the EmerAgency, but if we are to intervene in the impasses of 9/11 and beyond we must…have access to the new kind of category formation becoming available through imaging.” Therefore it is critical that we, as Egents, work towards a goal of justice using whatever electrate means are possible.
Ulmer continues to work towards protecting electracy when he discusses that there is no evidence to suggest, “we recognize whole situations by apply rules relating to salient elements”. This supports the notion of induction because we are so caught up in trying to use formal logics to make connections between symbols and meanings. While the use of induction allows for a more creative logic that many of the more logical try to adhere to formal scientific logics.
Ulmer points out the impact that media has made on daily practices. Particularly the story of how the police handbook mentions to the officers that they should not use the “good cop / bad cop” technique as it has become cliché because of use in the media. This seems parallel to me with the notion of justice moving forward from literacy and other things moving forward into electracy.
Themes of Turing are woven together with the themes of interrogation and justice. I found Ulmer’s statement about how the Miranda case causes rhetoric to look unconstitutional to be interesting. This is based on the courts findings that interrogation is any action that they police may practice from which they might reasonably expect to elicit the truth. I draw from this that persuasion can be any action that might reasonably cause someone to be persuaded.
Turing Test: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jq0ELhpKevY
Ulmer continues to elucidate on the MEmorial when he explains that we are to find “Gems” in the popcycle of discourse. And further, that these gems are to be “felt”. I love the notion that through electracy things can and should be “felt”- it aims for such a richness of communication.
Ulmer further develops his thoughts when he discusses how he sets a scene that is “might show more than it is able to tell, something about the place of popular culture…”. This further advances the notion that this electrate invention is so much more capable than literate composition.
Chapter 8: Soft Wishing Y
In chapter 8 Ulmer shows an example of a MEmorial wherein the Egent consults by “adopting a public problem as a guide for personal action”. As he continues he breaks down MEmorial Consulting into a nice summary (215). As he explains conduction he mentions that wishing (as relating to the Y) is most often used as a supplement to the scientific process. Ultimately, conduction is the method that Egents utilize in order to conduct a MEmorial or to do a consultancy.
Electracy:
In explaining Electracy, he mentions that the EmerAgency is designed to treat the Internet as an inhabitable monument. And it purpose is to allow people to understand or at least to experience or appreciate the presence of abject policy decisions.
Conclusion:
In the conclusion Ulmer leaves us with several interesting examples of Memorials, including putting out strings of Christmas lights in New York. One of the key themes (in my mind) is the notion of Resoneon which Ulmer explains as being “the relationship between the classic essay and the MEmorial) (248). The notion that the MEmorial is to capture the Neon Glow and not merely the thing itself is very interesting to me. Ulmer also says “The MEmorial deconsultation uses commemoration to exceed the impasses revealed in disasters”. Though at the beginning I had trouble accepting the need for memorialization of disaster I’m starting to get it. But, I’m still wondering if the purpose of the book was to create a rich form of memorializing tragedy or as a project that electracy can be practiced on. So with that, our time with Ulmer draws to a close. I’m particularly excited about continuing our work on the MEmorial.
Questions:
What was the Punctum of Electracy?
Does the MEmorial, as a peripheral, have the potential to make the "main" memorial abject?
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