compression
Minutes: November 1 - November 10, 2007 (Quicktime, 4:04, 26.2 MB)
Concept: One screen capture per minute at any time my laptop was turned on, strung together and played back at ten frames per second.
Execution: I wrote a looping workflow in Apple's Automator to take and sort the screen captures. The full version of this project (so far) presents two months of computer use over the course of thirty-four minutes.
Note: When I started this project, I was running a screen saver I made in Quartz Composer, which simply mirrored the room using my MacBook's built-in camera. As a result, the desktop shots are interspersed with photos of my surroundings.
The above is an embedded Flash video. Mouseover for video controls. If video doesn't start immediately, click pause, wait several seconds, then hit play again.
Run for Your Life (September 2007, mp3, 61:29, 84.4 MB)
On BoingBoing.net (external link)
On ubu.com (external link)
Concept: Every Beatles LP released in the UK, tempo-adjusted to 8 times original speed and played in chronological order.
Execution: Created in Adobe Audition for Windows. Like the Beatles' career, the first section of this track is rather bland. By Sgt. Pepper's it becomes much more interesting.
.zip Distortion 1 (October 2007, mp3, 0:49, 1.1 MB)
Concept: This recording and the one following came out of experimentation in interpreting non-audio files as audio.
Execution: While poking around in the audio program Audacity, I noticed it is possible to load almost any .zip archive as an mp3. In the case of archives containing VBR mp3s, fragments of the original audio surface, arranged haphazardly, interspersed with static (archived CBR files just make static). This recording is Audacity's interpretation of an archived folder containing a collection of ten assorted VBR and CBR mp3s.
15 Non-Mp3s Played in Sequence (October 2007, mp3, 0:47, 1.1 MB)
Execution: 15 non-mp3 files loaded as mp3s in Audacity, played in sequence. Below is a list of the names of the files I used. The .stmp files are Soundtrack Pro session files, and the .als files are saved Ableton Live sets. No edits were made other than sequencing the audio clips in reverse alphabetical order.
Super Daytime.zip
RiverOfUnreality.zip
Sift thru.stmp
pilam dj recordings.zip
Menthol edit session.stmp
Minidisc 2 sifting.stmp
GZA_-_liquid_swords_#3115F2.zip
glitch_2.mp4
Collage 3.stmp
Dan Edit Session.stmp
BigBangMancala2.3.4.zip
Adobe_Affter_Effects#23.zip
Adobe Design Suite P#2.zip
Ableton Set 1 copy.als
Ableton Set 1.als
Note: The silences in this track were created by Audacity's interpretation of the input files.