"Trajan's Markets Aula and Hemicycle, House of the Knights of Rhodes, Porta di San Sebastiano, Criptoportico of Nero - stone witnesses to a bygone culture in Rome that today needs to be preserved and protected. At the dawn of the new millenium, these two thousand year old buildings are becoming a stage and a backdrop for a Solar Specturm art installation by Peter Erskine.

Erskine uses prisms and mirrors to spread white sunlight into the colors of the solar spectrum. He floods roman arches and columns with rainbows. Changing with the hours and seasons, the art is different every day of the year. The rays of the Sun, the origin of all life, create a fascinating interplay of colors and forms. Here, solar energy and monuments to human creativity unite to form a living work of art in which visitors themselves become creators and participants. We see ancient Rome in a new light"

I found this artist especially interesting to me because he used solar light to reflect in his artwork and project rainbow-like images on walls and floors. unlike others who used the solar energy to power other things in their artwork.

Thomas Lindsey

"Inspired by the work of Dale Eldred, Thomas Lindsey draws on his background as an architect and sculptor to develop a series of large solar-powered installations. Each of these installations is made of a kinetic wheel, cone, or drum activated by a set of photovoltaic solar cells. A tracking device will be used to direct the cells at the sun's path. By using solar energy as a power source, Lindsey hopes to encourage the use of environment-friendly energy sources as the issue of global warming becomes more urgent. Lindsey also plans to include musical compositions as elements in his constructions.

Utilizing the idea of a Buddhist prayer wheel, Lindsey's work is ultimately intended to serve as a contemporary shrine or meditation garden. Through his art, Lindsey aims to promote a greater awareness and appreciation of the biospiritual Earth-Sun relationship"

SOLER POWAAAA

Researching Solar Energy is a very important issue that has reached the world. Some countries, earlier than others have been using this solar energy for years before America, but finally we have joined in and are working to get more solar energy out to the public. Starting with farmers and their need for solar energy to help with energy costs and share with small towns surrounding them for a price, and to big businesses and factories where solar energy would stop coal powered and nuclear powered plants in return for a healthier ans safer alternative that helps the environment and saves on their energy cost bills. I found that our school is also involved in creating solar energy and making a solar car! There link explains why they're making it, how it was made and about what this solar car has done since its creation.
http://www.newpaltz.edu/solarcar/minie.html
I have also been wondering HOW solar energy works and how things such as solar panels are made. When I studied abroad in Denmark, I often took the train past farms and factories that used solar energy but also wind energy that would be very beneficial for some area of America such as Illinois and solar energy is very beneficial for areas such as Arizona or Nevada. I found a youtube video that shows how solar panels are made and I thought you might also be interested in how things work underneath this amazing discovery and invention!

I thought I'd also show a remix to the advertisement for the famous SlapChop. A DJ did the remix and SlapChop actually has used the remix as an advertisement and I personally find it much more interesting with the remix and makes me want to buy it more because it seems to talk to the younger viewer and I have more respect for the company because they feel comfortable making fun of themselves.

video mashups

Here is my obliterated video


Here is my youtube mashup

technology, technology, technology everywhere!

So I have had this conversation with many friends and I've come to the conclusion that technology is everywhere. Listening to music by Bow Wow has references such as "I'm checking smiley faces in my sidekick" referring to a phone. There are songs that specifically refer to only certain types of electronics that can soon be outdated such as "Friend Request" by Gym Class Heroes and "Send Me An E-mail" by T-Pain featuring Tila Tequila. The fact that there are songs that use technology in the title and have it as the subject of the song makes me wonder whether we could ever go back to the song "Knock Three Times" which sings about using a ceiling as a form of communication. Should it be "Text Me Sometime"? Tweet has a song from the early 2000's where she sings "Call Me". But even that is outdated. No one calls anymore unless its necessary. People communicate mostly through text message, I've even heard of people breaking up over text messages. The movie "You've Got Mail" no longer qualifies as valid, because people don't use e-mail unless its for business. Facebook is the best way to communicate with someone if text messages don't work. To hear that someone doesn't have a cell phone is unspeakable and to not have a computer would seriously damage someone's communication with the outside world. I hear of people not having a television and I can't understand how they hear about the news. Then I remember that I don't watch television to hear about news either. I have it text messaged to my phone from twitter. I update my facebook through twitter. And that's when it hit me, I am as caught up in technology as anyone else. And it seems to be so convenient for me. But how difficult was it before? To sit down with the family at 6 o'clock and watch eyewitness news. To talk on the phone to someone or speak in person, to hear someone's voice and see their face. Sure we have skype now, but I can't touch the person. It feels like they're sitting across from me, but the technology has gotten so good that I can actually fool myself into thinking that I've seen that person in real life. I'm sure this is a ramble but my point is, when is something too much? When will things get too advanced that even a young person can't keep up with it? When will technology become so impersonal that real interactions don't exist anymore? How long will it take?