Vol. 36 / Issue 3 / Winter 2017
COVER ART SUBMISSION: The Diverse CO soul Johan Ramirez This piece is called ‘’The Diverse CO soul’’ it’s an oil painting 18x24. My intention with this piece was to capture the beauty of my Colombian heritage. Empowering your culture and race is something that we all should do, and being proud of it is meaningful and extremely essential for our soul. While expressing my love for Colorado harmony, colors and the beautiful history of both places,
Five Points ee
Buffalo Exchange
ee
226 E. 13th Ave. 51 Broadway
Center For Visual Art 226 E. 13th Ave. City O’ City 51 Broadway City O’ City MSU Denver
Arts Building
MSU Denver
16
th
St
Denver
1628 1628 16th16th St. St. The Bardo Coffee House
The Bardo Coffee House
The Market at Larimer Square
The Market at Larimer The Molecule Effect Square The Molecule Racine’s Effect Racine’s
E Colfax Ave E Colfax
Ave
Sp
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lvd
E Colfax Ave
E Colfax Ave
York St
Tivoli Station, 300 Level
Tattered Cover Book Store Tattered Cover Book Store
Santa Fe Dr
Tivoli Brewing Co.
Av e
North Captiol Hill
l
Broadway Blvd
Denver
Emmanuel Gallery
E Colfax Ave. 2526 2526 E Colfax Ave.
al
North Captiol Hill
King Center Emmanuel Gallery
Tivoli Station, 300 Level
MP al ark l A
ve
M
E Colfax Ave
Tivoli Brewing Co.
St
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Cherry Creek
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Metrosphere / Vol 36 / Issue 3
E Alameda Ave
York St
King Center Auraria Library
lvd
rk
Broadway Blvd
Auraria ArtsLibrary Building
th
rB
Auraria CampusE Colfax Ave
Center For Fluid Coffee BarVisual Art
Five Points P a
16
Auraria Campus
Buffalo Exchange
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lvd
Downing St
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Downing St
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Santa Fe Dr
WHERE WE AT?
(Colombia and Colorado).
END A URNCE peek of Seventh Circle Music Collective and the impact its had on people seeking solace
in the local music scene. Through the lens of Professor Rebecca Gorman O’Neill we take a look at one woman’s journey in the theater corporation and the impact she has made on
the students of MSU Denver in our Imbue section. Intersection Editor Adam Barndhart discusses nudity in film and society’s view
on homosexual explotation around the
world. Fashion editor Bianey, takes a look at the homeless chic trend and the way
popular culture normalizes it. Derek Gregory
continues on tech in the 21st-century analyzing Max Tagmark’s book, “Life 3.0.”
Jonathan Rose, the newest member of the
Metrosphere family examines annoying app
updates and how those pesky updates are a good and bad thing. In the middle of our 60-page issue we showcase the talented art and literature students. We hope you enjoy this issue.
Teresa Diaz Soriano
T
his time of the year is always stressful. Whether you’re juggling family, work and school or just
trying to have a social life around the holidays, winter always is a struggle. We feel you. Its amazing
what we can survive and accomplish when the world seems bleek. This month’s theme is Endurance: the fact
or power of enduring an unpleasant or difficult process or
situation without giving way. Much like with the concept
of the last cover we were looking for an image that made us feel like we’ve endured, yet was simple at first glance
but led to a world of meaning. Johan Ramirez’s work is immediate, bold, a ode to his Colombian heritage
as well as pride for Colorado, the place he calls home. The nation is constantly changing as social, global and
political battles rage on. Art is still the most powerful form
of self expression. What Ramirez’s work represents for us is solidarity and perserverance during times of hardship.
Its a reminder that the past never dies and it is a testiment to the human evolution. This month we give you a sneak
1
?
WHAT’S
IN
2
Metrosphere / Vol 36 / Issue 3
HERE
Metro 8
Letter From Metro Editor
9
A Night at Seventh Circle
Imbue 14
The Traveling Playwright
Intersection 18 22
Letter From Intersection Editor Turning Nothing Into Something Rare
Threads 40
Letter From Threads Editor
44
Dress For Success
46
Students on Auraria
Submissions 26
Danielle Cadwallader
30
Matt Passant
31
Khaleel Herbert
33
Jessica Mindenhall
34
H.Krypilo
35
Jessica Friedman
36
Atiba Obika
37
Kelsi Long
38
Jack Grupe
Technosphere 48
Letter From Technosphere Editor
50
Life 3.0: Book Review
54
Little Earthquakes
3
WHODAT? TERESA DIAZ SORIANO Editor in Chief MET MEDIA Steve Haigh: Director Ronan O’Shea: Assistant Director Kathleen Jewby: Production Manager Elizabeth Norberg: Office Manager
LAUREN CORDOVA Managing Editor
Met Media P.O. Box 173362, CB57 Denver, CO 80217-3362
Printed by Fredric Printing. No part of this book may be used or reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic,
6D7493
mechanical,
photocopying,
recording, or otherwise without prior permission of Met Media, except in the
MADDI WANEKA Creative Director
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Metrosphere / Vol 36 / Issue 3
context of reviews.
JESSICA HOLMAN Photo Editor
PHOTOS Kaileigh Lyons Teresa Diaz Soriano Lauren Cordova Steffen Beal Ariana Gonzales Glenn Carl Payne Jessica Holman
DEREK GREGORY Technosphere Editor
ADAM BARNHARDT Intersection Editor
WORDS James Burky Khaleel Herbert Jonathan Rose Adam Barnhardt Derek Gregory
Bianey Bermudez
BIANEY BERMUDEZ Threads Editor
PR ASSOCIATES Caitlin Monaghan LAYOUT/ DESIGN CONTRIBUTOR Ariana Gonzales GRAPHIC ARTIST Ivy Lindstrom
JAMES BURKY Metro Editor
5
MUSIC at
MSU DENVER
opera + symphony present
gianni schicchi + suor angelica 11.17 + 11.18
6
7:30 pm, King Center Concert Hall 855 Lawrence / / Way, Denver
Metrosphere Vol 36 Issue 3
msudenver.edu/music
Tickets $12, $10, $8 Box Office: 303-556-2296
WE WILL BE TAKING
SUBMISSIONS ALL WINTER BREAK FOR THE SPRING SEMESTER! Send submissions to: submission.metrosphere@gmail.com
www.Facebook.com/Metrosphere
@Metrosphere
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Graphic By Ivy Lindstrom
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
METRO
MUSIC MOTION James Burky
The world is a scary place right now. Our country is politically divided. Acts of violence are rampant. We seem to be on the brink of nuclear war. Music - to me - is the best medicine. I’m excited to share the story of the Seventh Circle Music Collective and its owner, Aaron Saye. I first learned of the do-it-yourself music venue when a good friend of mine began volunteering there last semester. In a world full of shit, Seventh Circle exert’s a warm and welcoming glow. If you haven’t been there – go. The world may be a scary place. Remember to love one
METRO
another and have a good time.
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51 BROADWAY - DENVER 226 E 13TH AVE - DENVER 1813 PEARL ST - BOULDER
MUSIC COLLECTIVE
Photo by Ariana Gonzales Photo Manipulation by Lauren Cordova
A NIGHT
AT E L C R I C H T SEVEN
9
James Burky
O R A
AA
1, 209 SHOWS IN FIVE YEARS
S N
E Y A
aron Saye rolls up to Seventh Circle Music Collective in his 1977 Volkswagen Transporter, or as he calls it, his “hippie bus.” The bus is not modern and the white and brown color scheme is not stylish, but Saye is really something special. Just like Seventh Circle, which he has owned for five years now.
It’s synth-pop night at Seventh Circle, a genre that the do-it-yourself venue has explored before, though not as familiar for a location usually associated with an angsty punk vibe. Saye prepares for this night like he does every other. Resting against a bench in a hideaway room full of records, books and the all-important coffee maker, he hasn’t even begun the setup process-- but it’s fine. It’s a Thursday night and no one is in a rush, he’s relaxed.
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Metrosphere / Vol 36 / Issue 3
METRO
“We just try to make a conscious effort to be a very welcoming environment where anybody can just come here and have a community of friends and compadres”
Photo by Teresa Diaz Soriano Photo of Aaron Saye
E
He needs to train a volunteer on running sound, but
opened five years ago. The importance of the
he might end up in the booth doing it himself, he
venue lies in the community of people who attend
has a tendency to do that.
and run the shows.
Despite setting up a show that requires extra
It isn’t merely a place to go see live, local music, It’s
visual displays and lights, Saye never strays from
a home for many kids who don’t feel they have one.
his charitable self. Imagine the demeanor of Santa
It is also a place for music enthusiasts to meet other
Claus who also listens to punk rock and progressive
like-minded individuals.
metal. He interrupts the interview to greet every guest as they walk in, some for the first time, some
“We just try to make a conscious effort to be a very
for the 100th.
welcoming environment where anybody can just come here and have a community of friends and
“That’s a core value of our place here. We don’t
compadres,” Saye says in an earnest tone.
want to exclude anybody generally, unless they’re Nazis,” he says, half-jokingly.
Saye is a purveyor of local music. Many of the performers are playing their first live show. The
Saye is adamant about allowing everyone, no
garage and concert stage are designed with
matter their age, admission to enjoy music. Of
painted images of a cityscape with muses in the
course, fascists are the exception, as the writing on
foreground – this is his storefront. All are welcome,
the walls in the venue attest to.
except for Nazis, of course.
Seventh Circle is one of the last DIY venues left in Denver. They’ve put on 1,209 shows since they
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SHARK METRO
Photo by Steffen Beal Photo Manipulation by Lauren Cordova Photo of Aaron Eash
James Burky
A
aron Eash, lead singer of the San Francisco-based pop band Shark Jackson, downs another Dale’s Pale Ale. He’s ready. Bandmate Will Georges is just as pumped, brimming with confidence. One more song and it’s their turn to give the crowd - no more than twenty people- a show they’ll never forget.
“These places are amazing,” Eash says. “They’re what keep any sense of local music alive.” This is Shark Jackson’s final performance of a nearly 40-show tour. Funny enough, neither are musicians by trade. Eash works as an electrical engineer and Georges taught seventh and eighth grade math before running data analysis for school districts in San Francisco. In the midst of making ends meet, the two decided to finally fulfill their dream of going on tour. As Shark Jackson takes the stage, Eash’s electric stage presence, paired with Georges’ tone-setting drumming grabs the attention of the small crowd. Toward the end of their set-- two beers in and nothing to lose-- Eash jumps into the crowd, burrowing his head under a man’s black shirt, lifting him up while the drumming continues.
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Metrosphere / Vol 36 / Issue 3
METRO
“You know, fuck a job. You can be on the road playing music” -Aaron Eash
In what might be their last appearance on this side of the Rockies as Shark Jackson, the two feel vindicated. They’ve lived their dream. “You know, fuck a job. You can be on the road playing music,” Eash says. “That’s what he said and then I quit my job and he didn’t quit,” Georges chimes in.
“We went on tour to not only play for people, but meet cool bands and have real human moments. That’s getting harder and harder in the internet age.” Perhaps in the future they will play some shows in the bay area, but for two months, Shark Jackson lived like rockstars--
rd o Co
each others’ thoughts seamlessly.
Ph Ph oto Ph oto by S ot Ma tef o o ni fe f W pul n B ill atio eal Ge n org by es Lau ren
couple or Statler and Waldorf from The Muppets. They bounce off
va
The friendly banter between the duo is reminiscent of a married
JACKSON tired and drunk.
13
Khaleel Herbert
F
or 14 years, Rebecca Gorman O’Neill has taught the drama writing workshop class in the English department at MSU Denver. With a masters of fine arts and dramtic
writing she is uniquely qualified to teach the course. O’Neill is entering her second year as
“It was the first time I spent time in a major city, experienced a diverse culture and really immersed myself in what would later become my career.”
the English interim department chair. Before her life in Denver began, she was just a child dreaming of theater in the rubber capital of the world--Akron, Ohio. Beacause students were required to do a study-abroad semester, “Akron was, and is, a blue-collar city that
O’Neill focused on drama and chose to study at the Royal Shakespeare
suffers economically. It’s not the most
Company in London.
beautiful or culturally rich city in the world,” O’Neill said.
“I saw 56 plays in four months. The RSC teachers were hard – really hard – but I still use things I learned that semester in my teaching
In high school, O’Neill focused on singing
like vocal projection and posture,” O’Neill said. “It was the first time
and acting in her high school productions of
I spent time in a major city, experienced a diverse culture, and really
“The King and I,” “Pippin,” “The Sound of
immersed myself in what would later become my career.”
Music,” and “Kiss Me Kate.” Her parents are teachers but it was her father’s influence as
Inspired while in the company of theater, O’Neill learned a lot about
an English teacher that solidified reading and
herself, most importantly she found that she didn’t like to act.
writing as an essential role in her life.
“To be a really good actor, you need to really be comfortable embarrassing yourself publicly,” O’Neill said. “I’m like, this isn’t my
At Dartmouth, O’Neill originally wanted to
thing. I’m sorta casting about, oh my gosh, this sort of idea that I had
study archeology, but she was fascinated by
for my life is going sideways.”
the English courses and chose to doublemajor in English and drama.
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THE TRAVELING PLAYWRIGHT:
REBECCA GORMAN O’NEILL’S JOURNEY IN THE WORLD OF THEATER
IMBUE
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Photo by Jessica Holman
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Metrosphere / Vol 36 / Issue 3
Photo by Jessica Holman Photo Manipulation by Lauren Cordova
IMBUE
It was a real wakeup call for the professor. While dealing with her troubles in London, O’Neill had a change of luck. “I get a call while I’m in London from my best friend back in New Hampshire,” she said. “He says, you won. And then I’m like, what did I win?” O’Neill wrote a three-person scene for a playwriting class. The scene turned into a one-act play titled, “Well Wishing…” about a rebellious princess. She submitted the play to Dartmouth’s Eleanor Frost One-
“They worked so hard and for so little money. I was working at the Denver Center and things were going well. Then 9/11 happened.”
Act Play Competition and it won. This triumph was a new scene in the production of the playwright’s life. O’Neill got the job. Her time at Dartmouth not only served as a great learning experience but it also led to her travel across the U.S. When she was in Seattle,
“I like feeling that I’m making a difference in the university, advocating
she interned at the Seattle Repertory Theatre building furniture and
for and strengthening the English department,” O’Neill said. “And
props. This internship got her a job at the Colorado Shakespeare
most of all, serving our students and helping ensure they get the best
Festival in Boulder. She later worked for the Denver Performing Arts
possible education from our English and linguistics programs.”
Complex as a props buyer, props artisan and props master. Today O’Neill remains active in the theater community. Her plays have “My parents were teachers and the joke was that they always said
been produced by companies in Colorado like And Toto too Theatre
teaching was one career my brothers and I weren’t allowed to go
Company, Curious Theatre Company and the Aurora Fox Theatre. Her
into,” O’Neill said. “They worked so hard and for so little money. I
work has also been performed in California, New York and Minnesota.
was working at the Denver Center and things were going well. Then
She even had one of her plays performed at the InspiraTO 10-Minute
9/11 happened.”
Play Festival in Toronto, Canada.
Theaters were taking a financial hit and O’Neill was sure her
“I hope people remember me as a playwright who tells good
department was going to downsize. Luckily, O’Neill had the
stories,” O’Neill says. “I hope people will remember me as a
credentials to teach. One November day, she was offered the
professor who genuinely cared for her students and who did her
opportunity to teach her passion.
best to teach them well.”
“The program coordinator stopped me on the way to class and said,
One of O’Neill’s most notable plays is “Mynx & Savage,” an idea that
‘Your degree’s in playwriting, right?’” O’Neill said. “She told me
came from O’Neill teaching a graphic novel class at MSU Denver. The
Metro was hiring a full-time tenure-track faculty to teach playwriting
play is about a comic book writer who is torn between writing stories
and screenwriting. So I applied and was interviewed.”
about superheroes, and a dark true story that he’s afraid to tell.
“I was let go from the Denver Center on a Friday and the following
“Mynx & Savage” will be produced by the American Association
Monday had my final day-long interview,” O’Neill said. “Either I
of Community Theatre at the Vortex Theatre in Albuquerque, New
would become a professor, or I would head back to Ohio to figure out
Mexico in 2018.
what was next for me.”
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Graphic By Ivy Lindstrom
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
INTERSECTION
THE GAY’S GAZE:
ART/PORN Adam Barnhardt
T
he line between what is acceptable as art and what is pornography is becoming thinner as culture progresses. There was a time where showing full-frontal nudity in a film would grant an NC-17 or X-rating. Critics praise films that use
uncensored mediums as inherently artistic. Films like “9 ½ Weeks” and “Showgirls” seem docile by today’s standards, but more so, they are shifting away from strictly heterosexual exploitation. John Waters’ film “Multiple Maniacs,” got a rise out of audiences by simply showing them two men kissing, which follows
in the
footsteps of Andy Warhol’s filmography. Waters’ uses this aversion to
INTERSECTION
homosexual behavior as a guide which you can see throughout his
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Metrosphere / Vol 36 / Issue 2
directing career. “Pink Flamingos,” “Female Trouble” and “Desperate Living” all portray explicit homosexual sex acts. Much to his surprise, “Multiple Maniacs” was admitted into the Criterion Collection. This paved the way for filmmakers like Larry Clark, whose films are internationally recognized. “Kids,” “Ken Park,” “Marfa Girl” and “The Smell of Us” are all films that use explicit sex scenes intrinsically in their main storyline focusing on more taboo themes, like teenage sexuality. The world would be a different place without films like “Kids.” It was a wake-up call to American youths who had unprotected sex.
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Photo by Jessica Holman Left to right, Kyleigh Potts and Kayla Klein
Photo by Jessica Holman Left to right, Kyleigh Potts and Kayla Klein
INTERSECTION
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Metrosphere / Vol 36 / Issue 3
INTERSECTION
European films have been at the forefront of this sexual revolution. Directors such as Bruce LaBruce, Lars Von Trier, Gaspar Noe, Bernardo Bertolucci and Pier Paolo Pasolini have set the tone overseas. The taboos of both American and European culture vary. A lot of progress has been made with the depiction of sex acts on screen, thanks to French and Italian cinema. LaBruce is known for films like “Hustler White” and “Gerontophilia,” which explore male prostitution as well as elderly fetishes. Trier has garnered controversy for his films
A lot of progress has been made with the depiction of sex acts on screen, thanks to French and Italian Cinema.
“Antichrist” and “Nymph()maniac,” which unpack how people evolve sexually. Noe is both loved and hated for his film “Irreversible.” His most recent endeavor, “Love,” was one of the first sexually explicit films shot in modern
The main character is a sex therapist who Is pre-
3D. Bertolucci was commended by critics
orgasmic (having never experienced orgasm). There is a
for his film “The Dreamers,” which tackled
polyamorous gay relationship, a dominatrix burdened by
the polyamorous relationship between two
sharing the names with Jennifer Aniston, a stalker, and oh
sibling activists and an American in the ‘60s.
so many orgies. But at the center of this film is a tale of
Pasolini was also inducted into the Criterion
acceptance of one’s body. It deconstructs sex to the most
for his film “Salo: or the 120 Days in Sodom”.
human level, and it does so by removing all shame.
“Salo” is still viewed as one of the most controversial films of all time.
We live in a time of sensory overload. The same people who turn up their nose at these movies and judge me
If there is one film that successfully melds
for watching them, go home and watch “Game of
sex and cinema it is “Shortbus.” I would
Thrones.” But had it not been for these advancements
recommend it to anybody with nerves of
in our popular culture to remove sexual stigma, “Game
steel and a pension for the perverted, I would
of Thrones” would be PG-13 at best. It takes maturity to
suggest “Shortbus.” John Cameron Mitchell,
appreciate sex acts on film in an artistic manner. If the
the man responsible for “Hedwig and the
melding of sex and art is like oil and water in your mind
Angry Inch,” directed one of the most sexually
then perhaps it’s best to keep them separate. But for the
explicit films ever put to celluloid. It is, out of
rest of us consenting adults, bring it on. I would much
all the films listed, the most poignant. It takes
rather see acts of love than acts of war on screen.
place in post 9/11 New York at a sex club called Shortbus. You see almost all demographics
Or, as John Waters puts it, “It’s okay. Touching yourself
represented, and their stories are beautiful.
when you see art can be poetry.”
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INTERSECTION
TURNING NOTHING INTO
SOMETHING RARE Adam Barnhardt
W
heelchair Sports Camp is making their mark with experimental themes, and good old-fashioned civil disobedience.
On top of being above-average musicians, the band has a powerful political message. Their lyrics reflect singer Kalyn Heffernan’s thoughts and unique perspective. Along with identifying as queer, Heffernan has osteogenesis imperfecta, or brittle bones disease.
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Metrosphere / Vol 36 / Issue 3
Photo by Glenn Carl Payne From left: Kalyn Heffernan, Gregg Ziemba and Josh Trinidad
“Time and time again, I just kept realizing disabled people were being left out of this conversation” - Kalyn heffernan
Heffernan made headlines this year when she and
Heffernan understands the importance of her influence,
American
a
but what drives her is the music. “I don’t want to fall down
grassroots disability activist group, protested Medicaid
the trap where we’re only political rap. That’s the beauty
cuts for three days. She was ultimately arrested. “Time
of being a musician,” Heffernan said. “Sometimes it’s
and time again, I just kept realizing disabled people were
just like a reflection, me being in a shitty mood, or me
being left out of this conversation,” she said.
being in a goofy mood and writing a fucking rap about
Disabled
Attendant
Programs
Today,
poop and tampons. How in the hell does that resonate When ADAPT announced their march, Heffernan was on
with people, I don’t understand, but if it does, yeah, we
board. “They get back to me and are like, ‘can you come
fucking won!”
tomorrow and can you get arrested?’ and I’m like, ‘Yes,’” she said. She has marched with Black Lives Matter and
Heffernan’s lyrics reflect that pull between being an artist
participated in a number of peaceful protests. “That was
and an advocate. She spoke of a lyric in their song “Hard
the first time I’ve been arrested.” Heffernan said.
out Here for a Gimp.” “My breath ain’t nothing but an interview,” Heffernan said, “‘cause, like, since I was a kid
After Trump’s election, the band was motivated. Josh
I’ve been in the news, on the newspaper, all these media
Trinidad, the band’s trumpet player, said it unified them.
things because it’s like they see a disabled kid and they’re
“We were all on a similar frequency, we were activated in
like ‘yeah, you!’ it’s just like inspiration porn.”
a way to be a little bit more creative.” “As artists, we’re not like journalists, we don’t have to Wheelchair Sports Camp has fostered a following in
tell what it is, we can experiment and try new things and
queer and disabled communities.
maybe something that we say will hit right,” Ziemba said.
“More of the audience would be in wheelchairs, certain
Wheelchair Sports Camp is genre defying. They are
markets where we haven’t played a bunch of times if
a refreshingly rare ensemble whose point of view
there’s 30 people at a show it’s like, ‘Whoa, 30 people
necessitates the utmost attention.
came out to the show, and half are in wheelchairs,’” said drummer Gregg Ziemba.
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r A
. ail s: ion gm iss re@ bm he su sp ur tro yo me us on. ail ssi Em bmi su
co
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Metrosphere / Vol 36 / Issue 23
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a t
d n
t I L
a r e
u t
e r
Su
bm
iss
ion
s
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SUBMISSIONS
Photography
Commodified Danielle Cadwallader Commodified conveys a surreal portrait of a young person in the liminal space of an American culture’s perception of girl and woman by using some of the techniques that advertisers use, such as artificiality, dismemberment, and disempowerment. She is impressionable and the prime target for companies that profit from promotion of unrealistic beauty ideals. Commodified highlights anxiety, emulating the tension women feel when told through apparent or subtle means that their image and sex appeal prevail over intellect, bravery, or even life. The normalization of objectification is a product of a capitalist society that has become enthralled with consumer culture. Commodified disrupts the expected with a sense of the uncanny by using the same media and visual language as the companies which glamorize these gender norms and stereotypes.
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Metrosphere / Vol 36 / Issue 23
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SUBMISSIONS
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SUBMISSIONS
A Turn LeFt Matt Passant Sharp & pungent residual coffee smell remains from our early morning departure. A turn left off Highway 90— old wood-rotten sign, the wrong distance rubbed away, only an arrow left & the road changes after— paved still, but packed, gravel & dirt, white & dusty behind us reaching, tires bouncing, rattling the looseness of the car swallowed by the flat farmland of maize & cotton & fallow fields, green & thorny black & fuzzy white & thready yellow blurring as we pick up speed; past the silo & grain elevator; spiky antennae & a single oil well. Only one intersection in town. Flashing caution in all directions.
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Metrosphere / Vol 36 / Issue 3
Listening To The best rapper alive Khaleel Herbert “I’m not a businessman. I’m a business, man!”–Jay-Z You are the best rapper alive,* in this age of fake news and rappers who only mumble their words into the microphone. No one comes close to your words that flow inside me smoother than a river. Your storytelling transports me to your life in Marcy and Brooklyn. You taught me that life can have its hard knocks like Annie,* but I got to brush the dirt off my shoulder* and keep on, despite my reasonable doubt.* It doesn’t take 4 minutes and 44 seconds* for me to tell you your songs revved me as I entered this world, and got my own hustle[1] of molding words for newspapers and verse and
finessing
picturesque
images
of
artists
and
entertainers for all to digest, Although reasonable doubt* may slither inside my mental estate, I can’t knock my hustle for real.* I’ll take over* the literary and visual universes, and run this writing shit! This photography shit! Note: Any words/phrases with (*) indicates names of Most importantly, you taught me,
songs, lines from songs, or album titles by Jay-Z
whether I’m light or dark* I.
[1] The Urban Dictionary defines “hustle” as “working
Will.
hard, usually toward a common goal of creating an
Not.
income.” There are other definitions, but this is the
Lose.
definition used specifically for this poem.
EVER!*
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Metrosphere / Vol 36 / Issue 3
SUBMISSIONS
750.00
Jessica Mindenhall
These photographs were constructed by burning negatives with denatured alcohol. After setting them a blaze, what is left is a slightly blue tint with white bubbly erosions. It is the potential of losing the image that speaks to how an individual can relate to the everlasting effects of a disease like cancer. While modern medicine has significantly progress, cancer is still a one of the leading killers and the amount to keep a life is astonishing. Muco-epidermoid carcinoma; the type of cancer I was diagnosed with when I was seventeen years old. Everyone is aware of the physical and mental strain it has on the individual. The film degradation resembles what my cancer looked like under the microscope, while the white marks emulate the idea of afterlife and death by replicating the image of an entity, which is a very likely possibility for anyone that is diagnosed. Each photograph is titled the amount “that I have paid� for part of my treatment process. This series is a method of me coping through the atrophy, a substantial price tag, and all the causalities that accompany the fight against this disease and the mark cancer has left on my life.
Photography
33
SUBMISSIONS
Mania H.Krypilo
We see the mentally ill as a romanticized version of themselves, as an Other in society. Devoid of autonomy save for the parodied versions we see of them. I am one of these Others. Being both transgender and living with a mental illness I experience The Other in my dealings with society in general. It is this experience I put into my work. My works are worn on the body, sometimes easy to remove, while other times locked into place. The wearer becomes a participant, willing or no, and thus becomes a spectacle to Copper wire and glass
the viewer. I utilize a wide range of techniques and materials in my works, sometimes relying on textiles, while others using metal. I combine the soft with the hard, the comfortable with the uncomfortable. The experience of wearing, of just imagining wearing while viewing, transports the viewer and the wearer into the space of The Other. We are all one in the same, yet different in our experiences, we are Other, yet not, this is what my work is about.
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Metrosphere / Vol 36 / Issue 3
I fell in love with cold resin after making this artwork. I have been working on a galaxy series for some time now, and once I discovered the magical pouring of epoxy, my pieces with stars gained a new level of visual depth. The success of the texture with plaster of paris and collage drove me to take other chances, and the composition unfolded on its own as it progressed. Once I was finished, it took me some time to realize that this is a dream board of sorts, leading me to the city from a small town I have lived for the past ten years.
Sky Pie Jessica Friedman
Separating my head from my heart, the tale of my time in Denver will progress just as this piece did; through experimentation and pure faith. The Volkswagen of my heart has crashed at the coast, and now I will rise to the skies to find that 'thing' that is hidden in my pie in the sky.
Mixed media on wood – watercolor, acrylic, plaster of Paris, collage, and cold resin. 18 x 33 in
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Autobiography Poem Atiba Obika
This is my celebration of dreams, dreams that
This is for my mother Saba
come true, and the dreams that are just that:
With her kind smile and warm eyes that hid
dreams.
her pain well, but not well enough She had given up her dreams to raise five
This for my brothers Okera and Ahoto, who
little devils in Richmond, and then Lafayette
apparently got the tall genes in the family
I don’t know how many times she was yelling
They towered over me as a kid when we
my name to stop acting up or telling me to
would play at Sunset Maple Park, which was
do my homework
always empty This is for the best dream I’ll never have, The other kids would hide from us, and us
Lucie
from them
Who’s green eyes somehow pierced through my iron skin and mesmerized me
They always felt like my bodyguards, even though Ahoto was a dummy with his huge
For when the song ended, the
smile, and Okera was the calm one, who
dream I thought I wanted gave way to
teenage
always carried the guilt of his accident to me
crushing reality, a new world that she had
I never blamed him for it though
been a part of for much longer than I had
This is for my friend Miguel, a true athlete
This is for the days of when I was young
We were always competitive with each other,
I would dream of being a professional
whether it came to sports, video games, or
wrestler, soaring high off of ropes, feeling the
girls
euphoria of having fans who screamed my
I remember the summer nights we’d just
name, a legend
stay up playing zombies and how he always thought he needed to give me advice on girls
I still dream of that occasionally, wanting to
“You just gotta make her feel important,”
live a life of excitement
he’d say. “Yeah,” I’d reply absent-mindedly, never
So this is for dreams, of all types
really paying attention to his words of wisdom
The true dreams The dreams that are just out of reach The dreams that fade Because without dreams, I would be nothing
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Metrosphere / Vol 36 / Issue 3
SUBMISSIONS
18 Köln-Bonn Kelsi Long
Night sinks to earth. The air smells like spent Christmas, the Rutsch from the last fizzling days of December into bleary-eyed January. The tailor’s street-grime doors lock at the close of the day. A bakery knocks Euros off the ends of their prices, hurrying stale rolls out the door before the lights go out. Young men with shining leather messenger bags and tap-tapping wingtips stare moodily into the middle distance, wisps of cologne tangled in their mottled scarves. Two girls lean their heads together, a world of secrets passing between them. I lean against your shoulder. Your wool coat tickles my cheek. My hat droops with snowfall. We are cool, casual, looking for all the world as if we belong, as if we are seasoned riders of the 18 and not out-of-town schoolchildren. Towns slide by in the darkness. I can sense their weight, their fullness – can smell dinners bubbling on stoves, sliding in and out of electric ovens. Accidental spots of light rend the night’s velvet. Between towns, all that shows in the glass is the reflection of this too-bright train car: me huddled against you, you straight and solid, staring into the middle distance, rows and rows of hard, empty seats.
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SUBMISSIONS
Digital Art
Eukaryotic Symmetry Jack Grupe This digital collage series was created with organic imagery sourced from living creatures. This imagery is appropriated and rearranged into symmetrical compositions which display the rich variety of colors, patterns and textures of our natural world.
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Metrosphere / Vol 36 / Issue 3
39
Graphic By Ivy Lindstrom
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
THREADS
HOMELESS CHIC, OVERPRICED AND OVERRATED Bianey Bermudez
E
ver since I started wearing ripped jeans in 2005, my family has scoffed at the trend. “Your jeans are ripped, do you want me to sew them?” said my Grandma during her first encounter with my brand
new jeans. She almost had a heart attack when I told her they were new, and yes, I paid full price. Ripped jeans have been a mark of grunge culture that rose to popularity in the ‘80s during the heavy metal era. They grew to be a staple in denim and fashion culture and, most importantly, in my closet. I loved this trend, it was cool and it displayed some level of rebellion without the need of actually going out to do rebellious things --
THREADS
not that it stopped me. Sorry mom.
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Metrosphere / Vol 36 / Issue 3
My elders just couldn’t wrap their heads around the fact that people were actually buying ripped and distressed jeans. My mom would frequently describe the trend as “looking homeless.” She just didn’t get it, and I didn’t understand what the big deal was. Now I’m wondering if I’m the one that doesn’t get it when it comes to the fashion world’s obsession with homeless chic.
41
Photos from Imaxtree N Hoolywood Homeless Chic fashion show 2017
If you pay close attention to the fashion world, you know about “homeless chic” and how it’s an actual trend with a dedicated Facebook page and Pinterest board. Yes, people are actually trying to look homeless and paying a ridiculous amount to do so. Fashion designers and industry leaders have been designing collections inspired by the homeless for years now, and going forward, the industry continues to see this trend year after year. Dior’s John Galliano decided to send models in his homeless inspired pieces down the runway in 2000. Vivienne Westwood is even in the mix with her 2010 “Homeless Chic” runway show. Westwood claimed she was trying to “involve the privileged people of the fashion world in the homeless scene.” In 2012, Urban Outfitters’ CEO was quoted saying that his target customer was, “the upscale homeless person, who has a slight degree of angst and is probably in the life
Photos from Imaxtree N Hoolywood Homeless Chic fashion show 2017
stage of 18 to 26.”
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Metrosphere / Vol 36 / Issue 3
In 2016, Kanye West went on a Twitter rant defending his homeless ripped sweaters against a journalist who wrote negative reviews of his Yeezy Fashion Show. Most of the Yeezy collections reflect a homeless chic look even though the prices emulate otherwise. Earlier this year, New York Fashion Week displayed a parade of intricate fashion and elaborate designs as it does for every fall season. The trend that seemed to be the topic
THREADS
Photos from Imaxtree N Hoolywood Homeless Chic fashion show 2017
Creating art and appropriating people’s lifestyle has nothing to do with style or fashion.
“To put it plainly, Obana’s efforts, focused purely on aesthetics, erased the humanity and the dignity of homeless people. Homeless people aren’t experimenting with sizing like a FIT undergrad trying on a Vetements hoodie at Dover Street Market. They’re not utilizing ‘unconventional layering’ because they are hoping to start a trend. To claim to celebrate those notions as a hat tip to homelessness is either condescending, ignorant, almost inconceivably out of touch or some hellish combination of all three,” Dool said. It’s important that Dool and other fashion followers in the
of conversation after fashion week was some designer’s
community make more statements like the one above to
obsession with homeless chic, again.
hold the fashion industry accountable for the trends they put out into the world.
Two designers continued the trend on the runway; Japanese streetwear label N.Hoolywood at men’s fashion
Like my ripped jeans, many people will argue, “You just
week and Gypsy Sport at its pop up village.
don’t understand, it’s just another form of creating art.” Creating art and appropriating people’s lifestyle that has
N.Hoolywood faced major backlash after sending
nothing to do with style or fashion. . There has to be a line
models in homeless style attire, walking in a sluggish
drawn when creating art inspired by a certain group of
manner with their heads hanging low. Steve Dool from
people that shows respect, sensitivity and empathy.
online magazine Fashionista criticized N.Hoolywood’s
Tell us what you think about the homeless chic trend
designer Daisuke Obana for his insensitive portrayal of
using the hashtag #MetrosphereFashionTalk on Twitter!
the homeless population.
43
R D
S ES
O F
S R
C C U
S ES
Bianey Bermudez
D
uring World War II, six million women entered the
That being said, the pay gap between sexes still exists
workforce, taking the jobs of the men who went off to
and according to nonprofit organization Catalyst, women
war, and it was never the same again. Women had a
only make up to about 15 percent of the executive
taste of the working world and a bit of independence
positions among Fortune 500 companies.
for the first time. Many never left the working world. In 1995, at age 23, Nancy Lublin founded Dress for In today’s working world, a woman must compete against
Success in an elevator. She came across a $5,000 check
many others, create a stellar resume and have a head-to-toe
from her great-grandfather and the rest is history.
look that says, “I’m a confident professional.” For a woman
44
who has never been in the work force, having the right
The name suggests that it’s all about fashion at DFS, but
clothing can make all the difference between getting the job
a closer look at its Denver location suggests it does a lot
or being stuck at the bottom of the food chain.
more than just provide professional clothing.
Metrosphere / Vol 36 / Issue 3
Photo by Lauren Cordova
THREADS
While DFS knew the right outfit could make all the
need to get a job. It is not the education, it is not the
difference in a woman’s career, they weren’t prepared for
training, it is confidence in yourself,”Martin said. “Fashion
the 150 cities, 27 countries and the one million women
plays a huge role in that. We carry all kinds of different
they’d actually empower.
things because we fit every single person’s style.”
The Denver affiliate estimates that all of their clients
The Denver boutique, located at 1510 High Street, is set
lived under the poverty level before coming to DFS. In
up to cater to women from beginning to end. From the
2016, they provided over 1,500 women with professional
warm welcome from a volunteer stylist and Martin herself,
clothing for interviews or first week employment.
women start to feel like they are in a high-end boutique that makes it all about them.
Executive Director Amara Martin leads the Denver chapter
“With us [women] it is vital you start to feel, I deserve to be
of DFS with four cornerstone programs that help women
treated this way. It changes your mindset about yourself
find job positions that offer a livable wage and a career
which again makes that confidence better,” Martin said.
path, as well as keeping those positions for years to come. Volunteers help pick out everything from pant suits The four programs include the Going Places Network,
and jackets to undergarments, shoes and accessories.
Professional Women’s Group, Career Center and the
Once the whole look is put together, the pink walls and
Professional Clothing program. Three are completely free
chandelier in the dressing room, lined with mirrors, show
with referral from one of their 220 referral agencies in or
the reflection of a made-over woman ready to take on the
around Denver and the Professional Women’s Group is
working world.
open to any woman who is working and wants to network. Styling advice, clothing, accessories and sometimes Martin, who has been in the fashion industry all her life,
makeup are all things that women can access at DFS.
just celebrated her 10th year as executive director of the
Beyond the presentation, DFS helps women with
Denver affiliate program.
interview skills, resumes and networking to ensure the jobs they apply for are jobs they can keep.
“We’re dressing women but that’s not what we’re really doing. We’re altering the direction of their lives. We are
“Anyone who needs help, we will help them because we
giving them the tools in order to achieve self-defined
truly believe we want you to not need us. We help you
success, which is the most important thing that you can
in the beginning so you don’t have to worry about what
do to somebody,” Martin said.
you look like. Then, as you continue to work, you won’t need us,” Martin said.
Martin understands that women identify with fashion and how they look with how they feel, which is why
As a nonprofit, DFS runs solely off donations both
it is so important to have the right tools to create a
financial and gently used professional woman’s clothing
professional wardrobe.
and accessories. To find out more about DFS Denver, visit their website. https://denver.dressforsuccess.org.
“As soon as we put on something we feel good in that is comfortable, you automatically stand up straighter. You automatically feel that confidence and that’s what you
45
THREADS
STUDENTS Cameron Dadley CU Denver "Fashion is for everybody and if we learn to love these unique styles then I think we can show so much individuality and personality with our outfits. Loving the way you look is the most important." Cameron Dadley, MSU
Photos by Kaileigh Lyons
Denver '21
Madison Dzikowitz CU Denver "I like fashion that's not mainstream, I guess. fashion. It just makes me more unique, I'd say, and I like that. I don't want to be like everyone else."Madison Dzikowitz Junior at CU Denver Communications major.
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Metrosphere / Vol 36 / Issue 3
Photos by Jessica Holman
I like to make weird choices when it comes to
ON AURARIA Ang Sherpa CU Denver "I like looking at other people's styles and getting some inspiration from them and I also like looks and styles from the 80's and 90's." "I'm becoming more and more not as concerned about what other people think and I try to dress how I want to and not how
Photos by Kaileigh Lyons
other people want me to." 5th St. Garage
Gabe Solarte CU Denver “I feel like dressing up every day makes me feel like if I dress the way I want to dress I will be more successful in my every day life. I’m really into the 70s and 60s culture. So I kind of try to go for that kind of vibe and a hippy kind of drive.”
Photos by Kaileigh Lyons
feel better about myself. Dress for success. I
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Graphic By Ivy Lindstrom
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
TECHNOSPHERE
GAMIFICATION
STRATEGIES TECHNOSPHERE
Derek Gregory
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Metrosphere / Vol 36 / Issue 3
I
t is no accident that endurance is the theme of Metrosphere’s November issue. We are, after all, a university magazine, produced by and largely for students, and November heralds the end of the Fall semester. The tension level, magnified in October by midterms,
ratchets up throughout November until the week of Thanksgiving. The late break is a welcome relief, but itself is a sign of the coming project due dates and tests that can make or break a student’s GPA. We double down and refocus. We dig deep and work toward a strong finish. Mostly, we run on coffee and there’s an app for that.
Validation, Completion, and Prizes
Results Vary and Too Good is Also Bad
According to Dictionary.com, gamification is the process
Starbucks knows how often you reload your digital
of turning an activity or task into a game, or something
account with gift cards or directly from a bank or credit
resembling a game. I first became aware of the concept
card. It knows how often you purchase coffee, which
over the summer of 2014, when I started using a Fitbit
drinks and pastries you prefer and how likely you are to
fitness tracker. Within the first hour I had earned an
respond to a push notification. Takt’s goal is to help their
achievement for taking the stairs. By the end of the first
clients improve customer interactions -- recommending a
week, I was receiving emails comparing my total distance
low-calorie drink or snack in the afternoon, for example,
traveled by foot with a friend who lives in another state. I
if the data suggests you are more interested in healthy
didn’t think much about the implications of my Fitbit, or
alternatives to cookies or sugary beverages.
the app that synced it to my phone, but I started looking at it daily. I wanted to break my own record and achieve
Inside the Update Economy
new milestones.
Our featured story this month is about the app update
A Case Study in Takt
economy. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed at the relentless flood of updates, versions and security fixes for your
Takt is a tech startup out of San Francisco. Their product
favorite apps, you owe it to yourself to get familiar with
is a tool, powered by machine learning that according to
the update economy.
their website, “evaluates the nuanced histories of patterns of individuals,” that other companies like Starbucks
The Algorithms are Running the Asylum
Coffee Company use to “craft engagements unique to
Finally, we wrap the Technosphere section for November
each customer.” It does so by tracking and analyzing
with a brief analysis of the pop-science book, “LIFE 3.0,”
a broad array of data about customers who use the
by cosmologist Max Tegmark, MIT professor of physics
Starbucks app. It learns and adapts to feedback, whether
and co-founder the Future of Life Institute. Tegmark
“captured by an employee, by a chatbot or implied by a
argues that artificial intelligence is the pre-eminent
customer’s action.” It’s goal is to make each customer’s
question of our time and invites everyone to get involved
interaction with the Starbucks brand better than the last.
in this crucial conversation.
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BOOK REVIEW
LIFE 3.0
Mixed media collage; fall leaves, water color, construction paper, crayon etches - in man/machine collaboration with Deep Dreams AI. Art by Derek Gregory
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Metrosphere / Vol 36 / Issue 3
TECHNOSPHERE
Derek Gregory
C
osmologist and Massachusetts Institute of Technology physics professor, Max Tegmark, is a big-picture thinker. His previous book describes how our universe is a mathematical construct and makes a compelling argument for multiverse theory. The
math is a bit tricky, but the dialogue is easy to follow. When he defines the words “life” and “intelligence” for his book, “Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,” he first strips both words of their anthropocentric baggage. Life, he argues, is a “process that can retain its complexity and reproduce,” and “intelligence is the ability to accomplish complex goals.” These definitions serve two purposes. They minimize potential confusion for the reader and move the frame of conversation from science and engineering to a social and political context. This is crucial, he insists, because our civilization is on the cusp of a revolution in engineering and science that could fundamentally alter the trajectory of our species’ evolution on this planet. The conversation is for everyone because the implications change everything. “Life 3.0” begins with the evolution of intelligence and demonstrates how our progeny – both biological and man-made – will shape every aspect of life on earth in the coming decades, whether we are ready or not. More importantly, he demystifies the popular science notion that artificial intelligence might emerge as an evil force, working against humanity. He focuses instead on the very real threat that AI will attain competency, disrupting daily life for almost everyone, before we can react or shape its influence. Tegmark insists that narrow, competent AI’s are already transforming the way we buy a cup of coffee, read maps and interpret foreign languages by using apps. Killer robots are unnecessary and beside the point. The end of the beginning is nigh.
The Three Stages of Life Tegmark sees the evolution of life on Earth as a series of stages, proceeding naturally from the simplest to the most complex. He defines life 1.0 as biological-- a bacteria’s ability to modify its own hardware, the physical body and software, is limited by the speed of biological evolution. Simple organisms only change over time and cannot change during any one organism’s lifetime.
51
TECHNOSPHERE
Life 2.0 is the cultural stage, represented best by human
and stifling to progress and innovation. Prominent
beings. Our hardware is a product of biological evolution,
techno-skeptic Andrew Ng, former chief scientist at
but we possess the ability to upgrade our own software
Baidu, China’s Google equivalent, sums up their position,
through learning within our own lifetimes. Indeed, this is
“fearing the rise of killer robots is like worrying about
the main advantage of the cultural stage of life, as most
overpopulation on Mars.”
of our growth toward adulthood and all of our operating intelligence is acquired after birth. None of us, he argues,
Tegmark’s book initially attempts to move the discussion
are born with the ability to speak perfect English or ace
away from AGI toward a more narrow definition of
our college entry exams. We modify our software as
intelligence. Long before we can build a human level AI
we grow and can adapt to our circumstances through
that can rival our position as the dominant lifeform on
learning.
Earth, narrow AI will transform our jobs, energy, warfare, politics, crime and relationships in ways we are only
Tegmark defines Life 3.0 as the technological stage.
beginning to understand or discuss. It is a conversation
Living organisms who have achieved this level possess
we need to have now, before our digital offspring shake
the ability to design and modify their own hardware and
our foundations to dust.
software within their own lifetime, while retaining their ability to self-replicate.
Narrow Vs. General AI
The Three Schools of Thought on AI
We have been living with narrow AI for a long time. Calculators can perform complex calculations faster
Tegmark says the idea that we as human beings can create
and more accurately than any human being. Financial
AI that meet his definition of Life 3.0 is “wonderfully
experts use algorithms to perform high-speed trades on
controversial.” He divides adherents into three groups:
the stock market and earn big returns on millions of tiny
Digital utopians, the beneficial AI movement and
transactions over a short period of time. In 2016, Google
techno-skeptics.
DeepMind created an AI that could learn to master
Digital utopians are convinced that we are on the verge of creating an artificial general intelligence in the next 20100 years and that it will ultimately benefit everyone. Advocates of the beneficial AI movement argue for a similar timeline, but insist that AI safety research is both warranted and useful, and can be used to guide our progress toward optimal outcomes for human beings. Techno-skeptics argue that we are, at best, hundreds of over its potential impact or capabilities is both premature
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Metrosphere / Vol 36 / Issue 3
graphic by Teresa Diaz Soriano
years from creating an AIG, and that worrying too much
dozens of computer games with zero instructions. Their
Tegmark argues that there is simply no reason that a narrow AI cannot
AI, AlphaGo, learned to play GO and defeat its reigning
intuit novel, creative strategies in many other areas of human thought
champion in the same year. None of these AI systems can
or achievement. The Google Brain team has made rapid advances
do everything we can do. They are not AGI’s. Their focus is
in the translation of human languages and can now do so nearly as
incredibly specific, but transformative in their achievement
well as a human translator, all without understanding the meaning
within the precise confines of their initial purpose.
of the words themselves. He invites us to imagine what AI can do
Near Future
for other, more immediate areas of human thought and achievement, from our social and political systems, to environmental, economic and warfare strategies. It is no accident that Tegmark, and the Future of
When Google’s DeepMind produced their code, they
Life Institute, which he is a co-founder of, argue that AI is the most
revealed that their AI was able to learn and master
important question of our time.
games without reference to any of the markers humans use to define them. It used a technique called deep
In short, narrow AI, when turned to problems outside of games, will
reinforcement learning to analyze any game through a
help us innovate and create new strategies toward achievement in
system of positive rewards. DeepMind interacted with
many of the most vital and consequential aspects of day to day life.
strings of numbers to maximize its score. It possessed
That it has begun to change the way we think about our world, long
no frame of reference for the tradition of GO, or the
before it achieves any semblance or human level intelligence, is a
metaphysical and philosophical implications of strategy
revolution that we cannot afford to ignore.
and competition. It simply played for rewards and learned to design its moves by mimicking player intuition to
Ultimately, Tegmark’s “Life 3.0” serves as a baseline resource for
achieve maximum results in the shortest amount of time.
future conversations about the implications of our inventiveness as a species and as a roadmap for the evolution of our civilization. Like his
The implications for this type of learning strategy are
previous work, “Life 3.0” is a book that I will read from and refer to for
profound, even for very narrow forms of AI. DeepMind
years to come. Tegmark invites us all to participate in a conversation
knows nothing about the thousands of years-long
that will shape the future of life on our planet and throughout the
traditions behind the game, but it rapidly learned to
universe. It is both easy to read and difficult to ignore-- or put down.
intuit strategies no human had discovered over millennia
Its questions are both haunting and thought provoking.
of play, using a process that appears “creative.” Most importantly, it could teach its human opponents these
We should discuss the ramifications of Life 3.0 before it arrives and we
moves and strategies by defeating them, a process not
must do so before we need the answers. A future ignored has a way
dissimilar to the deep learning strategies that made their
of arriving before we are ready for it.
discoveries possible in the first place.
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TECHNOSPHERE
LITTLE EARTHQUAKE Jonathan Rose
L
FREQUENT APP UPDATES KEEP OUR PHONES CURRENT AND SECURE. WHY ARE SO MANY OF US AGGRAVATED BY THEM? ike millions of Americans, Jessie Miller turned on her television in September to find the streaming service Hulu had updated its look and service. And like many Hulu users, the high school teacher wasn’t happy about it.
She said the earlier version of the app, which had looked more or less the same for years, was intuitive and easy to navigate. The new version? Not so much.
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Metrosphere / Vol 36 / Issue 3
“I have to scroll and click all over the place in order to even see show [and] movie titles,” Miller said. “It would be nice to at least have the option to use earlier versions.” Miller’s not alone. Hulu’s move is being mood perhaps best encapsulated in comments accompanied by the hashtag, #HuluUpdate. Many of the tweets are downright negative. “#Huluupdate is the worst!” reads a post on the microblogging platform by user Leslie Faulhaber. “Bring us back to an actual
Photos by Jessica Holman
criticized in many corners of the internet, the
possibility of being able to watch something.” system. Often it’s somewhere in-between: A Americans have become accustomed to
button modification here, a new notification
frequent changes in the applications they rely
there. The once-muted audio from videos
on to consume media, tell them where to go
suddenly plays through our phone’s speaker,
and connect them with loved ones.
perhaps, or more personalized ads appear in our newsfeed.
According to app store review analyzer Appbot, the median amount of time between
University
updates in the top 200 free apps is 7.8 days.
published a 2015 study of phone and
of
Connecticut
researchers
That means that once a week at least one of
computer users, finding that 92 percent of
our favorite apps is begging for an update,
participants reported being annoyed at an
giving us something resembling a choice:
update request. 63 percent of respondents
Accept the change or risk your security.
were described as cynical, saying they believed updates to be solely self-serving for
Sometimes the update is a simple bug fix
the company developing them.
and hardly noticeable. Other times it’s a dramatic overhaul like Hulu’s user interface
Another 2015 study, this one at Carnegie
change or Apple’s new mobile operating
Mellon University, found that nearly half (43
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TECHNOSPHERE
percent) of Android phone users regretted installing
Still, some see these little disruptions as something more
updates, while a full 50 percent simply refused to
sinister. John Whitehead, lawyer, author and founder
implement them. Users cited functionality changes and
of the civil libertarian Rutherford Institute, studies what
privacy concerns.
he sees as authoritarian creep in American society. He believes that constant app updates could be conditioning
“I don’t think we’ve ever had this type of technological
Americans to accept larger, negative societal changes.
change before,” said Dr. Sheila Rucki, a political science professor at MSU Denver. “Not [at] this speed.”
“What they want is your information so they can sell you products,” said Whitehead, speaking of large tech
She argued that these frequent shifts are simply the
companies with apps like Google and Facebook. “I often
logical next step in the overdrive that is modern
refer to the fact that we’re data bits—that’s how we’re
American society. The process is old, Rucki said, but
seen by the corporate state. You don’t really have a lot of
the pace very different. Seatbelts, for example, were a
choice anymore.”
major disruption in many Americans’ daily lives during the 1950s. As were cassettes in the 1960s. Change was
Rucki pointed to consumerism-as-culture in considering
slow and technology analogue.
the impact frequent app demands may be having on phone users.
“The way we interact with [our phones] is much more visceral than the way we interact with normal old-
“I also think that we interact socially more as consumers
fashioned machines,” said Rucki. “They seem to me to
than we ever have before,” Rucki said. “And in the ‘90s
be more plugged into our heads.”
there was this idea that was going to make us free…It was like the voting-with-your-pocket type of thing. And I
Appbot’s website encourages app designers to update
don’t think it’s turned out that way at all. I think we’ve just
“as often as possible.” Co-founder and CEO Stuart Hall
become much more passive in our choices.”
said frequent updates are necessary to roll out bug fixes and improvements quickly, yet in a gradual way.
The biggest consumer choice Jessie Miller wants to make tonight is what show to watch on Hulu, but she recognizes
“Users can see incremental improvement regularly, rather
that her frustration goes beyond scrolling through
than being shocked at huge changes every year or two,”
channels in a certain way.
said Hall. “It also helps developers be more reactive with changes rather than guessing for a big release.”
“My frustration with app updates has to do with the fact that I have no choice in the changes,” said Miller.
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Metrosphere / Vol 36 / Issue 3