Category Archives: Tech Noir

The Groundstar Conspiracy

 “The Groundstar Conspiracy” is a film noir that blends elements of science fiction and film noir, creating a suspenseful and intriguing narrative. The story revolves around John Wells, a sabotage suspect who emerges from a devastating explosion at a top-secret research facility with severe injuries and amnesia. The film exemplifies the characteristics of tech noir, showcasing the potential dangers of advanced technology and the use of the telephone as a tool for surveillance and manipulation.

The film’s narrative structure mirrors the classic film noir tradition, with a confessional narrative driven by the amnesiac protagonist. The film effectively utilizes visual elements characteristic of film noir to create a world of suspicion and uncertainty, with low lighting, shadows, and claustrophobic interiors accentuated. Beyond the visual elements, the film also employs thematic elements of film noir, such as the presence of a “femme fatale” in Nicole Devon.

One of the most striking aspects of “The Groundstar Conspiracy” is the moral ambiguity that permeates the story, with characters operating in a world that blurs the lines between right and wrong. The film’s ending leaves the audience with unanswered questions, reflecting the often uncertain and morally challenging resolutions found in classic film noir.

First Week Summary

Well, I made a website.

Now I just have to make it look more like it’s actually mine. That is a fight for another day though. There are truly so many guides I can hear my fan huffing and puffing

January 2025
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And you are telling me that the first month hasn’t even passed yet?!

;-;

The process was far simpler than I had anticipated, thanks to the many resources provided. Admittedly, the hard part was being aware that these resources existed. I really enjoy trying to find free pictures online and then realizing it’s easier to take my own, then figuring out I am definitely not doing it right, so things will look plain for a while longer. 

What I want to accomplish

I want to do a lot of things sleep on time, pet my dog, and go out in winter in shorts. For this class however, I am less clear about what I want to accomplish. Yes, it meets my requirements to graduate but if that was all it was for, I would be sitting in the easiest 8am class I could right now. However, I am still hear, so I guess you can say my natural curiosity is driving me to understand just a bit more about the huge world around me by taking a course like this.

Down by GIF

Today’s Daily Create instructions were to visualize The Scream, but since I saw Down by Law way back when, “scream” suggests a different image. If I were smart I would have realized that someone must have made this GIF before, but as it is I just dove in and made my own. I used this video clip with Imgflip to make the base GIF, then opened it in Photoshop and deleted 3 of every 4 layers to bring the size down, then inserted the type layers and merged them with the image layers, rather tediously. There’s a better way to do that, I’m sure, and if I did this more often I might know and remember it. In any case, I made a thing, and that’s the whole point, isn’t it? , as they say.

Goals ds106

When taking ds106 this semester, I’m looking to accomplish the Gen ed requirement as well as also learning and gaining an understanding of the creative process and what goes into creating digitally.

DS106goals

By the end of the semester, I hope to learn new tools and expand my knowledge of the ones I already know. I want to focus on being creative by developing stories and characters that are both complex and engaging. I’m excited to explore different media and apply what I learn to my work at the Digital Knowledge Center, where I’m a consultant helping students with various media projects.

Talking Tech Noir, part deux

We’re working with a them of Tech Noir in ds106 this semester, and as I mentioned before, we can’t really expect the class to know what we’re talking about, so Jim and I recorded a half-hour discussion which hopefully brings some clarity. We discuss meanings, themes and history, where we are and where we may want to go.

We have a list of Tech Noir/Cyberpunk media to help people get familiar. Is there anything that should be added?

Week One: Greetings

1/13/25-1/17/25

All work is due by midnight on Friday, 1/17/25

Welcome to ds106! This first week is dedicated to getting set up: set up your domain and Web hosting; install your WordPress site; and create other social media accounts such as Mastodon, and Discord. The sooner you get started, the better. If you run into trouble after looking through the supporting links, the Digital Knowledge Center is a great place to go for in-person help.
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Tech Noir 106

Jim had talked about doing a Tech Noir themed course many years ago, and now we’re looking to revisit the idea. It feels appropriate to the times. I can’t expect everyone to be an aficionado of the genre though, so I’m thinking about ways to be expansive with it, to offer people more ways to connect. Incorporating cyberpunk is an obvious one. I also want to add Technopoly to bring a philosophical lens to the idea.
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Tech Noir meets ds106?

Miles, his friend Andy, and I caught a rather clean, but brooding, 35MM print of The Empire Strikes Back (1980) at the Library of Congress, Packard Campus in Culpeper, VA last night. I got to thinking that Empire is very much inline with aesthetic of other tech noirs at the time. It got me thinking a potential theme for next semester’s ds106 might be tech noir hosted by Dr. Oblivion. Here are the films I was thinking about including:

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