Abstracting Craft: The Practiced Digital HandThe love of making things need not be confined to the physical world - electronic form giving can also be a rewarding hands-on experience. In this investigation of the possibility of craft in the digital realm, Malcolm McCullough observes that the emergence of computation as a medium, rather than just a set of tools, suggests a growing correspondence between digital work and traditional craft. Chapter by chapter, McCullough builds a case for upholding humane traits and values during the formative stages of new practices in digital media. He covers the nature of hand-eye coordination, the working context of the image culture, aspects of tool usage and medium appreciation, uses and limitations of symbolic methods, issues in human-computer interaction, geometric constructions and abstract methods in design, the necessity of improvisation, and the personal worth of work. For those new to computing, McCullough offers an inside view of what the technology is like, what the important technical issues are, and how creative computing fits within a larger intellectual history. |
Contents
x | 5 |
Hands 1 | 15 |
Eyes | 31 |
Tools | 59 |
Symbols | 85 |
Interfaces | 113 |
Constructions | 155 |
Medium | 193 |
Play | 221 |
Practice | 243 |
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abstract action activity aesthetic artifacts artisanry artisans artists automation become Ben Shneiderman better CAD/CAM cognitive computer-aided design constraints constructions continuous craftsman creative creative computing culture data structure dataglove design worlds develop devices digital artifacts digital craft digital media direct manipulation electronic elements engineering example experience explore expression feedback focus formal graphical graphical user interface Gustav Stickley hand haptic human human-computer interaction Ibid images improvisation industrial design intellectual intent knowledge language learning machine manual material matter means mechanical medium mental models mind modern motion mouse moves nature notation Note objects operations parametric particular personal computing physical piece play possibilities postmodern practice production realtime relation representation role sense sensory simple skill software designers specific symbolic contexts symbolic processing things three-dimensional tion traditional craft transformations usage User Interface variables virtual virtual artifact vision visual thinking word workmanship Xerox PARC