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can you hear me
datathief - blue (vocal mix)
dar williams - are you out there?
i'm using mp3
(mpeg - layer 3), a digital music format that uses compression to create music in
the form of data that a computer can read while packing it in to as little space
(refers to the size/amount of data) as possible so it can be transferred quickly and
easily. this is a popular format because it maintains listenable quality while packing
as much information as possible in to a smaller space. this makes it ideal for the
internet where the music can be shared. the above links allow the music to streamed
(sent in smaller pieces which are reconstructed on the fly at its destination) with
a program called shoutcast.
nothing is ever perfect. the listenable quality
is not as "sound" as the original. digital music is chopped up into tiny intervals and
then encoded into language a machine can then understand. this leaves spaces, which
for most people are imperceptible or easily glossed over. also, mp3 uses "lossy
compression" which means that some data is lost or not properly encoded. despite
this "imperfect encoding" mp3s still offer the ability to create, copy and edit
music with precision and ease.
"only when the message is sncoded in a signal for transmission through a medium
--for example, when ink is printed on paper or when electrical pulses are sent racing
along telephone wites-- does it assume material form"
-katherine hayles, how we became posthuman (p 18)
there is an opus i haven't created yet, but what do you care if i don't even have
a draft of it yet....
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