Microblogging

So I signed up for a Twitter account, and use it to update my Facebook status. The thesis continues apace- starting the fifth, concluding chapter tomorrow. finishing the dense conclusions of chapters 2 & 4 today.

Had a nice German-style breakfast of sausage, strong coffee, a croissant(let's hear it for Franco-German accord!) and a german beer. Since then I've been sorta reading and napping, after putting in a good few early hours on Lefebvre's the Production of Space and the countergaming chapter from Galloway's Gaming:Essays on Algorithmic Culture. My idea is that Wafaa Bilal's Domestic Tension performance was an example of both countergaming but also subverting current museological practice(countermuseology?) by reaching an audience with no investment or indeed an active disdain for contemporary art practices. This arises from the paintball gun that was the central element of the performance acting to tie together the space produced by the overlapping of the gallery, the art community that supported Bilal in Chicago during the performance, and the space created by the web-based actions- Youtube, chatroom and remote control of the paintball gun via the internet.

Now, does that all make sense to you?

How I write essays

I start by reading- preferably about something related to what I want to write about. And I research, which means downloading academic, peer reviewed articles- I actually read some of them. Then I scribble little ideas on scraps of paper and increasingly on my iPod touch notepad. Then I clean the bathroom. I also try to read things for fun that aren't as stiff or clunky as a lot of academic writing. Adventure novels, feature journalism from Rolling Stone or The New Yorker or the English version of Der Spiegel, popular writing about your topic all help you to pick up good habits of writing. Good sports journalism is often both dynamic and clear, so it helps set you a good example of how to present your ideas.

Two days later, having thought about my idea, I go to lunch and chat about what I am thinking about to someone who is interested in the subject. After lunch, and a nap, I try to reduce my idea to a single sentence based on my conversation. Talking to people about your idea is a great way to develop it. Try talking to a professor or helpful grad student about it. Try explaining it to a friend who has no idea about it- that will help your clarity. That single sentence is what academics refer to as a thesis statement.

That sentence expands out into an introduction, with the idea in mind that each sentence represents a section in the final paper. So the first paragraph of your paper should have an opening sentence that sums up your idea in one shot, and about 8 to 10 sentences that support your main sentence.

Then I write a paragraph using each sentence as the introduction. This should take no more than half an hour per section, even if you write very slowly. Here is a rule of thumb calculation:

10 page essay =

1page introduction this should encapsulate your whole paper(Tell'em what yer gonna tell'em)
8 pages- 1 page per section(Tell'em)
1page - Conclusion(Tell'em what you told'em)

Think of each section as a question and you have to answer it in a page or so.

I keep feeding the beast until it is as bloated as a goose's liver. I then take it for a brisk walk, and in 20 minutes for a 9 pager, I pretend I am trying to explain the paper to friend who is less than entranced with the idea. I record this onto my iPod, and play it back, transcribing and editing as necessary. Usually, this is pretty easy.

At this point I have a pretty coherent, well thought-out paper of about 8-10 pages.

Some of these stages I may repeat, but the idea is to break up the process into small manageable chunks. Each section, for example is only about 1 to 2 pages long, so it is easier to write section by section rather than to try and write the whole thing in one shot.

You can also try composing your paper orally into a recording device immediately after or during your research. Then you have a first draft to work from. But using the method I outlined works better if you are dealing with really new, unfamiliar information.

Another step

Despite everything, I have completed my course work, today, and have a thesis supervisor. Now, on to researching and writing my thesis.
(Champagne cork pops!*)

Running, or the lack there of, and thesis topics

So my Mangan's marathon project has been held back by ill health. A really nasty respiratory infection has left me weak and coughing violently for the last 3 weeks. As I previously posted, I'd gotten to 20km runs. This will set me back some weeks, but I'll persevere. I will run 42 km around the Sud-Ouest of Montreal and then eat a "surf and turf" at Mangan's restaurent in the point.

My thesis topic, as it currently stands deals with how Canadian architecture is subsumed within the global marketplace by Canadian produced video games. My little twist is that video games can be considered as a form of architecture unto themselves, and thus redefine how we experience vernacular architecture in the "bricks and mortar" world. What does it mean when a young person in say South Korea plays "Army of Two" or "Prince of Persia". Do they convey a canadianess that reflects the artistic milieu in which they were created? Both games were produced in Montreal. Or are they truly global, with no local elements?