NOPE.

++

2010-12-07T20:56:00.000-08:00

Earlier this year I was advised by the media arts chair at MCAD and two professors to start creating photographs without making images, break the molds of photography, make some next level shit basically. Here is, what I think is, my first successful attempt.

The premise for this project is that it had to be based on the concept of "Internal/External" in relation to the human body. I decided to get something permanently placed on my external surface (a tattoo) to create an internal dialog that I could pull substance from. Directly after getting the tattoo I stayed up all night and wrote a stream of consciousness-esk piece of writing reflecting on the experience and printed out the text as a 30x40 poster, hanging it up and treating it like a large format photographic print.

In critique it was compared to a non- photograph, illustration, conceptual art piece while at the same time being all of these things. I was told to push this intention further and coin my own term for what this "non-image image" could be. EXCITING!

2010-10-05T17:48:00.000-07:00

I was developing some medium format rolls that I had lying around and discovered this photo from one of the rolls. It reminds of Lee Friedlander and it makes it me really happy.

2010-10-05T09:53:00.000-07:00

Shot some photos this weekend for a project dealing with humanity. I went out into the city and asked strangers to share an intimate moment/space with me. I'm really fascinated by the concept of personal space and territory, and I thought it would be interesting to test those boundaries with a person I have no knowledge about, other than the fact that we are both humans. But people are more reserved than I expected, and the images were not what I expected so I illustrated my idea with a good friend instead. This isn't over yet - I WILL successfully get entangled with strange people.

New Things

2010-09-08T16:10:00.000-07:00

Gaetano & Sara, September 2010

I started doing large format photography over the past couple of weeks. It has proven to be the most beautiful, careful process I've ever learned, and the results are of the most amazing detail. The images shown are the first photos I've taken using a 4x5 camera.

Gaetano, September 2010

Keepin' Busy

2010-06-09T14:07:00.001-07:00

I was gettin' antsy yesterday so I pulled out the 'ole Polaroid Land Camera and took a few photos of Fowler when it stopped raining for a bit. I started scanning and messing around with the negative chemical images as well. I think I'm going to do the same with 8x10 Polaroids in the future.

This one didn't get exposed properly - but I still dig it.

Screen Printing!

2010-05-11T09:05:00.000-07:00

Above is a selection of screen prints that I made this semester for class.

Below is my final for intro to screen printing - I replicated in my own hand notes sara fowler left for me in my studio and then screen printed them on found materials.

I struck gold when I came across seven pizza boxes.

You're Great, Never Change

2010-05-10T20:42:00.001-07:00

Great feedback & responses today from class!

Thanks to all of my helpers that stayed late with me in the studio -

I could not have finished with out you!

(the lighting in that hallway is mixed & awful,

thus why none of the walls look the same color)

FIN.

2010-04-25T16:50:00.000-07:00

I edited, printed, and hung.
I'm currently naming the series and have critique tomorrow.
Each photo set up ended up taking anywhere between 12-15 hours to recreate in the studio. They look really good large, up on the wall next to the tiny originals. I'll put up photos of the installation later!

ProcessProcess

2010-03-21T11:17:00.000-07:00

Last night I shot the first images of a new project I'm working on.

The premise for the project is basically this: I use a photo that I took when I was approximately one or two years old, and recreate the composition and lighting entirely in the studio.

Original Image of my Dad (left) & his BFF (right)

Recreated Image of Sara (left) & AJ (right)

This is more of an experiment - I'm not quite sure what I'm trying to achieve with these images yet. I can't tell if I'm doing this to examine my 2 year old psyche in relation to how I photograph, or if this is going to transform into an examination of human relationships that I photographed then versus now.

I have the next month and a half to figure this out - We'll see how this goes.

late night fluorescents

2010-03-12T23:30:00.000-08:00

Hey, Hi, Hey
Really diggin' the quality of florescent lights in my kitchen at night. These are some preliminary test shots for a possible series of photos. Probably not self-portraits, but definitely some human presence. I'm thinking maybe some nudiness - who doesn't go out to the kitchen for a glass of water neckked in the middle of the night sometimes??

How Does One Sit?

2010-02-14T15:39:00.000-08:00

Here is a sneak peak of a few photos I shot today.

First time doing black & white again in two years.

Studio A

2010-02-05T20:16:00.000-08:00

Spent about 5 hours documenting my 30 x 40 mural prints today.

I'm excited to put them up on mah website.

I'm even more excited that I managed an unexpected photo of my boss Bill.

oh hey-

2010-01-26T00:13:00.000-08:00

hey blog. what's happening.
i'm back with a vengeance this semester.
and i'm going to start things off right ----

1:11am Hannah
it was cute
my lady
whatre you doing

1:11am Charlotte
nothing.
my arm hurts.

1:12am Hannah
well
im looking at floppy dicks

Arabic Snowstorms

2009-11-03T20:53:00.000-08:00

The solution I made for Erik Brandt's project to make snow out of Arabic Type

#1 Hipster

2009-11-02T21:56:00.001-08:00

who knew SISTER and HIPSTER were so interchangeable..

Hey Mom, look at me now.

2009-10-30T13:43:00.001-07:00

Sara F. & I have painstakingly hand crafted "Breakfast" out of felt this year. We are quite proud - and after a close race, we came in second to Vince Leo's look alike in the annual MCAD Costume Contest.

Experimentationings

2009-10-28T02:52:00.000-07:00

i momentarily became very distracted tonight when i started turning some old polaroids i have of my buddy Meryl from 2D images into 3D figures.

i think i may be on to something...

Figure 1

2009-10-27T18:54:00.000-07:00

Figure 1: A Scientific Documentation of 3 Bipedal Organisms is an installation for our Ideation & Process class. We experimented with the concept of the 'white cube', and explored making the personal impersonal and vice versa. We manipulated our non traditional location to make the space somewhat interactive by creating a web of string from which we could hang objects; hoping that perhaps we could force the viewer to get personal with our objects. Also, since our space envelopes the entire hallway and can be seen from every level of the building through windows, the space becomes unavoidable.

We basically ended up with a collection of collections. By taking our prized possessions and coveted items and exhibiting them in a gallery space with scientific labels, we felt like we were exposing our objects and ourselves in a very impersonal space. At the same time, the clean and sterile environment of the location became personal through the introduction of our objects, and creating a space with which viewers could interact.

The two other parties involved:

Julian Howley & Sara Fowler

YAY. this was alot of fun.

Hope you have a WHALE of a day!

2009-10-15T07:04:00.001-07:00

i rescued a whale from the goodwill today for 49 cents. Then, i brought him home to my other whale and they became best friends pretty fast.

oh ethan.

2009-10-11T21:05:00.000-07:00

acts of love & affection, acts of torture & abuse

same difference in our household!

B.F.F.F.'s

2009-10-05T23:58:00.000-07:00

So I took a break from working on homework earlier and made this postcard for two of my bfff's back in las vegas! they're pretty much two of the best people i know.

dad et moi

2009-10-04T01:42:00.000-07:00

i just had a really nice chat with my dad on the phone. it concluded with deciding we would both have a glass of milk before we went to bed, at the same time, half way across the country.

we are the coolest.

Makin' Ugly Look Good

2009-09-30T21:21:00.000-07:00

I present you with portraits of Joe Prince! They were taken for my color photo class with a gorgeous medium format camera. Second to last is my favourite.

YAY FOR TYPE!

2009-09-29T19:10:00.000-07:00

i am tired.

Sophie Calle

2009-09-28T22:16:00.001-07:00

my new fascination.

photographer, writer, performer

SHE'S THE COOLEST FRENCH LADY I KNOW BESIDES MY MOM.

B for Beauty and the Bestiary, for Bat, Bantam, Boar, Bull, for Bug, Badger, Bray, Bellow, Bleat, Bark, for Beastly Birdbrain, for BB.

Eating Through Living

2009-09-22T14:17:00.000-07:00

EATING THROUGH LIVING - Jenny Holzer & Peter Nadin

amazing find from the library last night --

i was just perusing the stacks when this little guy caught my eye.

i can hardly find any information about it.

but it has some really interesting observations about people and some insightful truisms.

I could quote a million statements from this book. here's a few --

"I'VE ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT BRAINS, TUMORS, AND CAULIFLOWER LOOK ABOUT THE SAME AND I ALWAYS PICTURE THEM ON WHITE PLATES."

"IT CAN BE STARTLING TO SEE SOMEONE'S BREATH, LET ALONE THE BREATHING OF A CROWD. YOU USUALLY DON'T BELIEVE THAT PEOPLE EXTEND THAT FAR."

"THERE IS A PLEASURE IN STAYING HOME TO ADJUST EACH PHYSICAL DETAIL SO THAT WHEREVER THE EYE FALLS, THERE IS HARMONY. THEN YOU GO OUTSIDE AND DO THE SAME."

You Don't YoYo?

2009-09-18T09:52:00.000-07:00

Five Obstructions:

1. Smaller Scale

2. Beard/ Moustache Zine

3. Only use the phrase, "Wake me up before you go go, don't leave me hanging like a yo yo."

4. Has to be my own imagery - no found photos.

5. Texture

For Readers of All Ages

2009-09-15T13:05:00.000-07:00

current favorite book in the library:

The Fold-Out Atlas of the HUMAN BODY

LOOK AT THAT BEARD/ STACHE COMBO!

i'm currently gathering information for a facial hair inspired zine.

Could they have given me a better obstruction? i think not.

I think this project will involve alot of interpretive doodling and texture.

lettuce head.

2009-07-21T13:29:00.001-07:00

this frightens me

Bastardy

2009-07-21T02:24:00.000-07:00

“I think that the position of a criminal is the same as an artist as it’s outside a lot of social structures. If you choose to you’re privileged with a unique perspective because you’re transgressing and traversing different social groups. There’s a way that criminals see the world that’s quite heightened, there’s an immediacy that not to dissimilar to the way in which an artist can put a spin on an object.”

So I came across this article on The Blackmail (which if you haven't already checked out i suggested you get your keister right on over there) about Jack Charles. This man, Aboriginal Elder/junkie/renowned actor/cat burglar, seems generally pretty dang fascinating. I was pleased to find that there is a documentary being released about his life habits/views made by Amiel Courtin-Wilson. It's worth a look-see.

i win??

2009-07-12T11:27:00.000-07:00

Gage Harding find my wallet

Yesterday at 4:00pm · Comment · Like

Charlotte Ferguson at 6:36pm July 11

no, i won't.

Gage Harding at 9:12am July 12

rude

Charlotte Ferguson at 10:11am July 12

butt licker

Gage Harding at 10:41am July 12

woah woah woah woah woah woah

butt sucker

Charlotte Ferguson at 10:42am July 12

fart sniffer

Gage Harding at 10:42am July 12

fart inhaler

Charlotte Ferguson at 10:43am July 12

you like the smell of farts so much that you catch them in jars so you can sniff them later.

Gage Harding at 10:45am July 12

you like to inhale fecal related things so much you rigged a hooka to take in farts run them through a liquid of your choice, usually orange juice (adds zest) and then inhale them into your lungs, holding it in for 30 seconds before exhaling, savoring the farty flavor

Charlotte Ferguson at 10:51am July 12

you like to smell butts and gassy matter expelled from butts so much, that you've been doing yoga for the past 2 years so that can build up enough flexibility to stick your head next to your own butt, allowing you to intercept the smell your own farts before they dissolve into the atmosphere.

Gage Harding at 10:57am July 12

you love the inhalation of hazardous gaseous material pleasently so that you use wind instruments inside you rectum so that when gas is removed from the colon that not only does it create that addictive pleasent poop smell it makes a sweet soft melody, so i guess thats a good thing

Charlotte Ferguson at 11:07am July 12

you have the ability to play the kazoo with your butt through the careful art of fart regulatory butt clenches. your favorite song to fart out is Lovefool, by the Cardigans.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuQ0AQ7YWS8

Gage Harding at 11:15am July 12

u are at the end of that talented kazoo

Charlotte Ferguson at 11:22am July 12

it's okay, because i know how much you love being at the end of my melodic wind instruments.

and i like the cardigans anyway.

Gage Harding at 11:25am July 12

gross

Charlotte Ferguson at 11:26am July 12

GO AMERICA.

2009-07-04T11:03:00.000-07:00

In honor of Independence Day. AMERICAAAA. NO REGRETS.

3 MORE DAYS till..

2009-06-28T21:18:00.001-07:00

keep smiling, keep shining.

2009-06-22T18:57:00.000-07:00

choreographed bicycle dancing

2009-06-21T02:46:00.000-07:00

Bat For Lashes - Whats a girl to do?

John Hodgman and Obama.

2009-06-21T01:51:00.000-07:00

Humor-monger John Hodgman, the most dynamic public speaker of our generation, attempts to validate the claim that Obama is the first nerd president of the modern era by conducting an extensive nerd “purity test” at the 2009 Radio and TV Correspondents’ Dinner.

Obama is such a BA when he throws up that Vulcan V!

slightly uncomforable and earth shattering.

2009-06-21T01:15:00.001-07:00

Dina Goldstein's Fallen Princesses.
These works place Fairy Tale characters in modern day scenarios. In all of the images the Princess is placed in an environment that articulates her conflict. The ‘…happily ever after’ is replaced with a realistic outcome and addresses current issues.

The project was inspired by my observation of three-year-old girls, who were developing an interest in Disney’s Fairy tales. As a new mother I have been able to get a close up look at the phenomenon of young girls fascinated with Princesses and their desire to dress up like them. The Disney versions almost always have sad beginning, with an overbearing female villain, and the end is predictably a happy one. The Prince usually saves the day and makes the victimized young beauty into a Princess.

overwhelmingly yes.

2009-06-20T16:59:00.001-07:00

so much spirit animal.

Hall & Oates

2009-06-20T16:26:00.000-07:00

mmm. summer.

Set Up.

2009-06-14T14:28:00.000-07:00

I found those amazing speakers in our garage and convinced my pops that it was time for him to part with one of his record players // sound system. We had to fix a couple things, but i am now in serious business. I've been raiding his record collection and have found several true GEMS. Lately I've been spinning a lot of Prince, Elton John, Sugarhill Gang, Simon & Garfunkel, Neil Young, The Police, and massive amounts of really good Dub from South Africa, such as EEK-A-MOUSE and Papa Michigan.

I hope everyone is having a lovely summer :D :D

Silly, I Know This.

2009-06-08T23:19:00.000-07:00

last 3 done by Married to the Sea

"Spider"

2009-05-31T20:45:00.000-07:00

“Spider,” a nine-minute film that will keep you on your toes or grabbed to your seat. It’s premise is “It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye.” The movie was directed by Nash Edgerton, written by David Michod and Nash Edgerton, soundtrack by Ben Lee, and funded by Qoob. It was shot in Sydney; starring Nash himself (as Jack) and rising star of the Australian film scene Mirrah Foulkes (as Jill). Enjoy!

The Hallway

2009-05-29T02:57:00.001-07:00

“The Hallway” — A 125-foot installation piece by Miranda July for the 2008 International Triennale of Contemporary Art in Yokohama, Japan.

whatitdoo

2009-05-23T01:58:00.000-07:00

i like dis.

2009-05-23T01:34:00.000-07:00

screen printing

2009-05-21T16:14:00.000-07:00

Poor quality image of a shirt i helped my lovely buddy Sean Fagan screen print for our high school's photo club annual t-shirt series. I love the design. And you can't tell in these photos, but the words "Photo Club" "LVA" and "2009" are worked into where the brand names of the camera's should be.

It was nice to be back there not as a student.

NOTORIOUS B.R.A.D.Y.

2009-05-21T15:59:00.000-07:00

++

2009-05-16T01:22:00.000-07:00

Weezer cover MGMT’s “Kids” and Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face”

++

2009-05-15T19:56:00.001-07:00

PACKING BLOWS.

no. i take it back. it's not all that bad.
i'm just too efficient for my own good.

i think it's time to pop in Free Willy -- watch that rebellious Jason James Richter unexpectedly bond with the equally unruly orca.

HAWT.

++

2009-05-12T05:31:00.001-07:00

i have expired. i am bad fruit. bruised goods.

++

2009-05-10T15:31:00.001-07:00

Hey Lou.

2009-05-07T00:41:00.000-07:00

When did one of my closest friends become such a dipstick?
I swear if anyone stays in Vegas long enough, it will suck out your
soul and replace it with an emphatic typing voice and YELLOW hair.

You Vandal.

2009-05-05T10:28:00.000-07:00

"WHOAH AYE E AYE! What can I DO?
My lungs are breathing open air
And my spleen is dripping from my pants
You've left me here in the cold
And I miss you!"

god, i haven't listened to this album in so long.

Good Night.

2009-05-02T16:22:00.000-07:00

Yeah. Last night was great..

EXCITED.

2009-04-27T21:14:00.000-07:00

YOU GUYS.
I'M SO EXCITED FOR COLOR PHOTO NEXT SEMESTER.
I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR 3 YEARS TO TAKE THIS CLASS.

anyways.

Here are some great photos from this here flickr!

Sesame Street

2009-04-27T17:30:00.000-07:00

Sesame Street -- Always the forerunner of children's television entertainment.

++

2009-04-24T18:10:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know, i have chronic hiccups. I've decided I'm going to keep a semi-detailed log of every time I hiccup -- starting tomorrow. Maybe there is a trend to my hiccuping -- Maybe my esophagus just sucks.
Time to find out.

ALSO. MY FAVORITEST CAT ON YOUTUBE EVER.

Maru -- I will never get tired of watching you chase those cardboard boxes.

photo findings

2009-04-16T01:27:00.000-07:00

Mengxi Zhang -- Flickr

Steven Beckly -- Flickr & Website

YES YES

2009-04-15T22:16:00.001-07:00

secret admirer

2009-04-14T09:46:00.000-07:00

i found a nice note on my napkin today.

i scored a six digit phone number from what looks like a five year old.
GO ME!

Steve Thomas

2009-04-12T19:16:00.001-07:00

Steve Thomas’ interstellar travel posters.

One day. One day.

In the Spirit of the Easter Holidays...

2009-04-12T19:13:00.000-07:00

Hard At Work.

2009-04-12T15:30:00.000-07:00

I would call today a VERY successful day of work.

I managed to make both Bill & Alex personalized magnets for their lockers in our office. For Bill, I crafted an Owl and a Bicycle to further mirror his love for bird watching and cycling. For Alex, I wielded a Unicorn and a found portrait photograph (close up above) of an unstable house wife of Asian ethnicity -- Alex's had no particular significance behind them.

I also tried & FAILED at capturing my biggest bubble.
It took the photo when it started deflating...

ONE DAY i will have good photographic evidence of my skillzz.

Flash Mob

2009-04-09T23:34:00.001-07:00

Julie Andrews + Train Station + Flash Mob = EPIC

phew

2009-04-08T19:46:00.000-07:00

fort party

2009-04-04T14:39:00.000-07:00

i really, really, really want to have a house fort party.

post 100

2009-04-03T16:34:00.001-07:00

My first flash animation!
You have to admit -- It's pretty AWESOME.

mom love.

2009-04-03T15:59:00.000-07:00

my mom periodically makes me take photos of myself
so that she knows that i'm still alive.
<3

++

2009-03-30T12:48:00.001-07:00

This man looks pretty sweet -- Just as sweet as the MacBook in front of him.
I would like to be his friend.

++

2009-03-29T02:30:00.000-07:00

"Can you keep a secret? I'm trying to organize a prison break. I'm looking for like an accomplice. We have to first get out of this bar, then the hotel, then the city, and then the country. Are you in or are you out?"
--Bill Murray, Lost in Translation

++

2009-03-26T20:37:00.001-07:00

HAHA.

2009-03-25T17:41:00.001-07:00

KITTENS! -- inspired by KITTENS!

(i’m not sure how late i am on this, but i love it)

++

2009-03-25T08:25:00.000-07:00

Text Conversation -- 8:54 am

?: It is sarah's birthday

ME: Yes i know this. Who is this?

?: Her mom.

?: Good morning charlotte.

you have been served

2009-03-25T01:40:00.001-07:00

YOU HAVE BEEN SERVED
BY : BRANDON

I will be at Denny's every Tuesday night for the rest of the semester --
preferably around 3am. Never have I encountered more interesting characters.

good day today.

2009-03-24T15:53:00.000-07:00

MY BOSS IS ADORABLE.

So a little back story --

Bill & Alex have this whiteboard on the door so that people know where they are at all times, in case someone may have a question. And they always give me a hard time and hold it over my head that they have space on the whiteboard, and I don't. SO I leave work Sunday night writing my name and status on the board in marker as a joke, and I come into work today and Bill and Alex had made me a little name tag on the door so that they can know where i am at all times.

sdkfjlsakjdkd!!

you have no idea how happy that made me. they're so cute.

Stars & Stripes

2009-03-24T01:31:00.000-07:00

uhh.. is it wrong that i'm kinda pumped about this?

Download it here.

scheming

2009-03-24T00:51:00.001-07:00

i just went halfsies on a lock picking kit with my new accomplice.
i am too excited to finally become a certified BANDIT.

yeee

2009-03-23T21:43:00.001-07:00

i want to ride mine.

and then crawl in here.

and maybe do some of this.

Findings

2009-03-17T17:42:00.000-07:00

They totally used the typeface that I used on my zine -- unplanned.

Bill Cosby has large hands and a tiny head -- your argument is invalid.

DJ Mike Relm

2009-03-16T22:04:00.001-07:00

gorgeous weather.

2009-03-14T14:39:00.000-07:00

I took my bicycle out for the first time since winter
this morning to run some errands around town.
SO EFFING LOVELY OUTSIDE.

Then i came home, and received a demand from
Tuesday to take another ride out to Lake of the Isles.
How could i refuse?

i hope it stays like this, if so, we should soon
resume the midnight bike rides -- yes, yes we should.

TOKYO!

2009-03-13T07:25:00.000-07:00

Michel Gondry, Leos Carax, and Bong Joon-ho

A THREESOME OF AWESOME
-- this looks promising

ZINE!

2009-03-12T19:17:00.000-07:00

i am quite pleased.
:D :D

(you want a hard copy? it can be arranged.)

++

2009-03-11T22:53:00.000-07:00

“I have scars on my hands from touching certain people. Certain people, certain events have all left scars on my hands. " - JD Salinger

not enough

2009-03-10T16:00:00.000-07:00

TIME

i need more of it.
i also need a Segway.
i want to be as carefree and happy as this guy.

fartwork

2009-03-10T00:24:00.001-07:00

For your viewing pleasure, some drawings i did for class last night.
Pretty pleased with the first two -- I got pretty restless after that.
The image quality is poor -- sorry folks.

R.I.P.

2009-03-09T22:31:00.000-07:00

Notorious 'Christopher George Letore Wallace' B.I.G.
(Business Instead of Game)

May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997

last one for the night.

2009-03-08T01:17:00.000-08:00

Oh man.

2009-03-08T00:43:00.000-08:00

I could eat a few boxes of these right now.
And by “a few” I mean “forty six”.

2009-03-08T00:37:00.000-08:00

168. PEELING THE LABEL OFF OF YOUR WATER BOTTLE MAY SEEM LIKE A GOOD IDEA AT THE TIME, BUT YOU'LL REGRET IT. AND DON'T THINK "NAH, THIS TIME I WONT GET THAT STICKY SHIT ON MY HAND", YOU WILL, DON'T DO IT.

2009-03-08T00:16:00.000-08:00

NEW RED HOODIE
i feel awesome when i wear it. like, i have pep in my step when i wear it.
WATCHOUT for the girl in the red hoodie radiating PIZZAZZ.

zooey deschanel

2009-03-07T23:55:00.000-08:00

GIRL CRUSH
GIRL CRUSH

love this guy

2009-03-07T23:36:00.001-08:00

i want to be your bff seth rogan,
so we can blow smoke rings together.

my tummy is aching me tonight.
questionable burger = poor decision

the thought project

2009-03-07T17:20:00.000-08:00

This is beautiful, absolutely beautiful.

Over a period of 3 months Simon Hogsberg stopped 150 strangers on the street, took their photograph, and asked them what they were thinking before he stopped them.

LINKAGE

sneaky

2009-03-06T19:44:00.000-08:00

i love extremely elaborate sneak attack plans.

s'been stuck in my head

2009-03-06T18:23:00.000-08:00

Robot Love

2009-03-06T01:45:00.000-08:00

Robot Programmed to Love Traps Woman in Lab, Hugs Her Repeatedly

Kyoto, JP -3 March 2009- Staff. Researchers at Toshiba’s Akimu Robotic Research Institute were thrilled ten months ago when they successfully programmed Kenji, a third generation humanoid robot, to convincingly emulate certain human emotions. At the time, they even claimed that Kenji was capable of the robot equivalent of love. Now, however, they fear that his programming has taken an extreme turn for the worst.

“Initially, we were thrilled to see a bit of our soul come alive in this so called ‘machine,’” said Dr. Akito Takahashi, the principal investigator on the project. “This was really the final step for us in one of the fundamentals of the singularity.”

Kenji was part of an experiment involving several robots loaded with custom software designed to let them react emotionally to external stimuli. After some limited environmental conditioning, Kenji first demonstrated love by bonding with a a stuffed doll in his enclosure, which he would embrace for hours at a time. He would then make simple, but insistent, inquiries about the doll if it were out of sight. Researchers attributed this behavior to his programmed qualities of devotion and empathy and called the experiment a success.

What they didn’t count on were the effects of several months of self-iteration within the complex machine-learning code which gave Kenji his initial tenderness. As of last week, Kenji’s love for the doll, and indeed anybody he sets his ‘eyes’ on, is so intense that Dr. Takahashi and his team now fear to show him to outsiders.

The trouble all started when a young female intern began to spend several hours each day with Kenji, testing his systems and loading new software routines. When it came time to leave one evening, however, Kenji refused to let her out of his lab enclosure and used his bulky mechanical body to block her exit and hug her repeatedly. The intern was only able to escape after she had frantically phoned two senior staff members to come and temporarily de-activate Kenji.

“Despite our initial enthusiasm, it has become clear that Kenji’s impulses and behavior are not entirely rational or genuine,” conceded Dr. Takahashi.

Ever since that incident, each time Kenji is re-activated, he instantaneously bonds with the first technician to meet his gaze and rushes to embrace them with his two 100kg hydraulic arms. It doesn’t help that Kenji uses only pre-recorded dog and cat noises to communicate and is able to vocalize his love through a 20 watt speaker in his chest.

Dr. Takahashi admits that they will more than likely have to decommission Kenji permanently, but he’s optimistic about one day succeeding where Kenji failed.

“This is only a minor setback. I have full faith that we will one day live side by side with, and eventually love and be loved by, robots,” he said.

Crotchety Old Man Lingo

2009-03-04T17:22:00.000-08:00

-nincompoop
-flabbergasted
-ninny
-rabblerouser
-hooligan
-whippersnapper
-lollygagging
-hootenanny
-patoot -- example: "Billy needs a kick, right in the patoot!"

I've decided I need to incorporate these words into my daily vocabulary.
I think patoot and whippersnapper are my fav's -- along with crotchety.

Any additions to the list?

NETFLIX

2009-03-04T17:05:00.000-08:00

I LOVE NETFLIX.
So how many of you remember 'A Troll in Central Park'?
I totally scored it in the mail today -- i'm extremely excited.
That movie along with 'We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story'
and 'FernGully' were such pivotal movies for me as a kid.

too adorable.

2009-03-04T17:01:00.000-08:00