An Evening with Salman Ahmad

On November 6, 2008 I attended a performance by Salman Ahmad, the founder of Junoon, one of South Asia’s biggest and most successful rock bands. The event was organized by The Office of Religious Life and was attended by many USC students, staff and faculty with diverse and varied ethnic backgrounds.

Salman Ahmad, a peace activist and a U.N Goodwill Ambassador believes that music’s universal appeal has the power to bring not only people but also nations together. Salman’s genre of music commonly known as “Sufi Rock” is a combination of two seemingly discrete genres of music. While performing for a live and energetic crowd, he frequently translated and explained the meaning of his songs reminding the audience of the overarching message of his music; a message of peace and harmony. Many of the songs were based on traditional Sufi poetry while others were written and composed by Salman himself. Sufi music much like other forms of religious music often deals with themes of oneness between an artist, his/her music and the Divine power. Salman Ahmad although not a Sufi himself, is an ardent believer of the Sufi ideology.

Salman Ahmad’s views on music are closely in line with Simon Frith’s views about music and identity. For example, while some may argue that Salman’s music merely borrows from two consolidated genres of music, he would argue that the merger of these genres creates meaning and social dialogue.

Overall, Salman Ahmad’s performance at the Bovard Auditorium was definitely a night to remember. With increasing crowd participation and energy as the night progressed it was evident that Salman’s message of peace and love was reaching out to the audience. Events such as this one truly reflect the racial, ethnic and cultural diversity that the University of Southern California prides itself on.

CNN takes charge...

I have been extremely excited after yesterdays elections for a couple of reasons. As an ardent supporter of Barack Obama I am extremely happy that he was elected in such a sensational fashion.

Moreover, I was in awe after watching CNN's coverage of the elections and the new technology that they showcased. I don't know if you got a chance to watch the coverage but I think the way CNN used new media technology and visualizations to cover this important election was phenomenal. They used amazing touch panels, conducted virtual interviews using hologram technology and created a virtual capital hill building. It reminded me of star wars.

Also CNN's viewership yesterday hit a record 12.3 million.

I think CNN's coverage is a great example of how new media and the internet can in incorporated into the traditional new structure to produce GREAT results and ratings....The success of the coverage in my view is the start of a new era of TV news programming.

Games as political and cultural avant-garde!

Recently I came across the works of artist Joseph DeLappe. He uses a unique way of using a game space as an environment to initiate social, and political change. DeLappe in 2006 began using the US Army's own game server to protest the war in Iraq. Using the "Dead in Iraq" for his avatar, he logged onto the US Army simulation game servers and began entering names and dates of U.S troops killed in the war. When describing this project he says "It's really a multi-faceted gesture to (protest) what's in the game and the hyper-reality, the disconnect that game has. I'm trying to make a direct link with the game and with what's going on in reality."

The official website about Delappe's project is http://www.unr.edu/art/DELAPPE/Gaming/Dead_In_Iraq/dead_in_iraq%20JPEGS.html

GamePolitics also interviewed Delappe asking him about game spaces and the use of mediums like games to protest and reflect upon reality and social change.

Where do Virtual Corpses go?

The following is a great article written by Brody Codon about visual art and it's implications. Brody's work’s aim is to create new and disorienting experiences for gamers, specifically designed to deconstruct modern games and in term reconstruct a more critical piece of art that represent new ideas in terms of form and content and another reality. In the conclusion of his paper, he summarizes the ideas presented through his work stating “I have invested myself in the creation of alternative possibilities for game development technology beyond the commercial sphere. Each piece is a meditation on a different manifestation of dysfunction and its relationship to a contemporary culture that is becoming dependent on interactive screen based representations of its environment.”

http://www.cosignconference.org/download/32

We Are The World

A short commentry on war and peace

NMC CampusTour

One of Second Life’s main strengths is that it provides a virtual space for academic research and discourse. Many communities rather islands on Second Life have been built specially for these purposes and have been specifically designed for new media research. The New Media Consortium is one such experimental community that supports academic research and collaborative learning.



The amphitheater located at the heart of the Island is one such structure used for group discussions and lectures.


The Aho Museum showcases, contemporary digital art, a medium that is becoming increasing popular and changing the way we view art and how it should be exhibited.


Another useful resource found at NMC is a virtual library that provides up to date information of recent developments in new media technology.

Second Life Scavenger Hunt

Virtual Hallucinations on Sedig Island


Nexas Prime


The Science Fiction Geek Museum on Indigo Island