This reading used a lot of terminology and concepts that I was not very familiar with, which made it difficult to understand everything that the author was trying to say. However, what I did understand was very interesting.

First off, I was amazed to learn about how internet terminology is based on our household: home page, windows, etc. I can not believe that I did not realize this sooner. In my opinion, this shows how we try to make new and confusing things more understandable and relatable by correlating it to things that we already know.

I also found it very interesting how the author viewed a blank window as his artspace, similar to how a painter would view a canvas as theris. I think that this concept is very important to understand when realizing that internet art and websites are a new, emerging, and diverse form of art.

I also did not know that augmented reality was a thing back in 2017 when this article was written. I had always assumed that it was a newer concept that deals with virtual reality headsets with built in cameras. However I am now wondering if there is more to augmented reality than that as it seems like it was an established art form already. I wonder if Pokemon Go or Snapchat filters are a type of augmented reality. I am now curious to research what are more common examples of augmented reality.

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I find it fascinating that up until recently typography was not very accessible on websites. That is a concept that is hard for me to understand, up until now fonts on websites seemed like something very simple. I am amazed by how much work and progress has gone into making fonts more accessible and easier to use on websites.

I wonder what this class would have been like before different fonts were universally used. It seems like coding would be a lot more limited with how you can make a website unique.

It is hard for me to comprehend there being a “first website” as well as someone discovering URLs. How did people access that website if URLs were not commonly known or implemented in computers?

The most interesting part of this article for me was that it used to be someone’s job to make fonts into images so that they can be seen across platforms. These people clearly did their jobs very well as this happened until around 2010 and I was never aware of it nor have I heard anyone discuss it before. It was also very innovative how they hid actual text behind the images so that it could still be searchable and selectable.

I also found it very interesting how web designers do not have the luxor that other designers and artists have by knowing how the audience will see their work. It must be very stressful to not know what dimensions the art will be viewed on any device. These are concepts that I had never thought of before taking this class and I find it very interesting.

This reading was definitely longer than the previous ones have been and there was no color involved in it either. These aspects, especially from an artistic point of view, made it harder for me to keep interest and attention to it.

I always find it very fascinating, yet hard to comprehend, learning about the beginning of the internet. Perhaps it is because I can not remember a time without having access to it. It has clearly become a very important part of our lives very quickly.

This also goes to show how we take the internet for granted. As discussed in the reading, so many different people and companies have made countless contributions to making the internet what it is today yet nobody seems to talk about it. I would say that this is a very important part of our history and this should be taught to more people so it is not lost.

I also found it interesting to learn about antialiasing. This is a word that I have heard before but did not ever think about what it was. I have noticed how oftentimes text online is pixelated and kind of blurred into the background, even with programs like photoshop. Now I will always notice this and think about this article. As shown in the picture, it definitely does make letters look smoother while occupying roughly the same amount of pixels.

I found the beginning of this reading very fascinating. Although it had almost no relevance to art or interactive design, it was a neat concept that definitely caught my, the reader’s, attention. It was a very effective hook as I never really thought about what people in prehistoric times did in their free time. Ursula did a great way of relating this story to ourselves now with the fact that we all care about sharing our stories and experiences more than our actual successes. That is especially true for me as I love to share my funny stories with people to make them laugh, it makes me feel good.

Although I enjoyed the reading, I kept waiting for the transition to talking about a topic more relevant to our class, such as art. I am not quite sure how much I will use the content discussed in my art career but there were definitely interesting topics discussed that I will continue to think about in my free time.

The discussion about the importance and fascination of heroes in our society was very interesting. It feels like this is ever more present now than ever before with the huge success of superhero blockbuster movies. The stories about heroes are so influential that there is a student who dresses up like Spider-Man and roams around our college campus!

Right off the bat I really enjoyed looking at the design of this reading. The rainbow color scheme as well as the use of different fonts and different sections of text made it very visually pleasing to look at. It kept my attention a lot longer than just plain text would have.

When I was reading the article, I found myself playing around with my computer mouse. I was testing the subconscious mental connection that I was unaware that I had with it. I never realize how just like the article says, I reach for the mouse without even looking at it and then control it perfectly with my mind without even thinking about it. It is as if it is an extension of my body.

I wonder how strange it must have been for people once the mouse was first invented. Was it hard to create this subconscious connection?

My favorite lines from this article were when Mark was describing the connection between our hand and the computer mouse. He said that “both [the] part of my body and part of the computer, binding two organisms into one … to simply attach a thin wire to the hand, linking our organic and inorganic circuits.” These descriptions were so vivid that I felt my hand tingle, as if it was actually connecting itself to my computer. The writing was so beautiful in this article.

At first I was wondering why I was reading a story about the components of making a house. Although confused, Jeremy was able to make even what I would consider something very boriging regularly, sound and look very exciting to read about. He was able to do this through his wording as well as formatting and iconography that accompanied each other very well.

Jeremy then flawlessly transitioned from houses to websites by relating the components to each other. This comparison was really mind opening and not only made me just look at how houses are made differently, but also how websites are made (coded)! As I am putting the final touches on my blog I will without a doubt think of it like building a house.

Jeremy also then went on to talk about even more real life examples that he relates to websites. He was able to successfully change the way that I look at and think about websites (in a good way). I love when someone is able to change my perception on something art related so I can better understand and appreciate other people’s work.

One bit of reception that I noticed was when Jeremy talked about how designers worry about their websites looking different for everyone. This is something that has already been discussed a lot in the majority of our readings.

By far my favorite part about this article is the title page at the top, I am absolutely in love with the design of it. The use of different font size and type is genius and very unique from what you would usually find in a reading. The flickering cursor bar at the end of the title is very smart and gives off the impression that this is actually a line of text that someone is in the middle of coding.

What I like even more than this is the background, not only in the title page, but the entire article. It uses very vibrant colors with lots of variations of squares that are very reminiscent of old retro arcade games. I feel like this is very appropriate as I tend to link the two in my head.

The best part of the background is how the more you scroll and the longer you read the text, the more the background changes. This keeps everything new and prevents the website from getting visually boring. It actually motivated me to keep reading.

The text itself is very long and lengthy. If it weren't for the many pictures and colorful background, this would be somewhat of a chore to read.

I really appreciated how to-the-point this article was. A lot of readings we had to do were extra long for no particular reason other than being wordy. This reading said what it needed to say very effectively.

I found it very interesting reading about different artist’s opinions and perspectives. It really shows how everyone is unique and thinks about art differently. I also had no idea what a fluxus artist was until I read this article so it did a great job of teaching me that. It is a very funny word that does not seem real, but that aspect is what is going to help me remember it.

It is interesting to think about how on the surface music and websites do not have much in common with each other. It really shows how broad the term ‘art’ is. However when you break them both down to their core, they both require a lot of thought and creativity, as well as talent, to create. Just like how no two songs are the same, no two websites will be either. Every artist has their own distinct style and way of interpreting art.

I enjoyed the pictures that accompanied the corresponding text and paragraphs, it made it more visually appealing to read. However, I do not think I will retain a lot of this information. I can’t see how applicable any of it will be to my artistic career.