Off Center Off Center, a Podcast from the Center For Digital Narrative

In a new episode of ‘Off Center’, Scott Rettberg and Gabriele de Seta come together for a discussion about Chinese surveillance compared to Western surveillance and Gabriele’s new research project on Algorithmic Folklore. Tune in now. 



References

de Seta, Gabriele. 2024. “An algorithmic folklore: Vernacular creativity in times of everyday automation” In Critical meme reader III: Breaking the meme. Institute of Network Cultures.  

De Seta, Gabriele. 2015. Dajiangyou: Media practices of vernacular creativity in postdigital China. [Thesis doctoral]. 

 De Seta, Gabriele, & Shchetvina, Anya. 2023. Imagining machine vision: Four visual registers from the Chinese AI industry. AI & Society. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-023-01733-x. 

Merchant, Amil, Batzner, Simon, Schoenholz, Samuel S. et al. 2023. Scaling deep learning for materials discovery. Nature, 624, 80–85. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06735-9. 

Perrault, Ray, & Clark, Jack. 2024. Artificial Intelligence Index Report 2024. Stanforth University. 

In this new episode of the podcast Off Center, Scott Rettberg is joined by Mario Aquilina, Associate Professor of English at the University of Malta. They discuss the definition of essay, the effects of AI on essays and whether there is an AI essayistic. Listen now! 


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References

Aquilina, Mario. 2021. The Essay at the Limits. Bloomsbury Publishing.  

Cayley, John. 2023. “Modelit: eliterature à la (language) mode(l)”. Electronic Book Review. https://doi.org/10.7273/2bdk-ng31. 

de Montaigne, Michel. 1588. Essais. Publishers: Millanges and Jean Richer. 

Johnson, Samuel. 1755. A Dictionary of the English Language. Consortium. 

In this episode of Off Center, Scott Rettberg is joined by Ben Grosser, a professor of New Media at the University of Illinois. Ben is a well-known software artist who critically approaches digital media and platforms in his work. Listen now! 


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References

Grosser, Benjamin. 2012. Facebook Demetricator. Web browser extension.  https://bengrosser.com/projects/facebook-demetricator/. 

Grosser, Benjamin. 2014. What do metrics want? How quantification prescribes social interaction on Facebook. Computational Culture. http://computationalculture.net/what-do-metrics-want/. 

Grosser, Benjamin. 2019. Order of magnitude. Video. 47:15 minutes. https://bengrosser.com/projects/order-of-magnitude/. 

Perrault, Ray, & Clark, Jack. 2024. Artificial Intelligence Index Report 2024. Stanforth University. 

Mallapaty Smriti. 2024. AI traces mysterious metastatic cancers to their source. Nature, 628(8009). 699-700. doi: 10.1038/d41586-024-01110-8. 

Downey, Sean C. 2024. “The Godmother of AI. How Fei-Fei Li ’99 is safeguarding the future of human and artificial intelligence”. https://alumni.princeton.edu/stories/fei-fei-li-woodrow-wilson-award.  

Grosser, Benjamin. 2021. Deficit of less. Video. 47:15 minutes. https://bengrosser.com/projects/deficit-of-less/. 

Grosser, Benjamin. 2020. Not for you. Browser extension.  https://bengrosser.com/projects/not-for-you/. 

Smith, Ben. 2021. “How TikTok reads your mind”. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/05/business/media/tiktok-algorithm.html. 

Grosser, Benjamin. 2020. The Endless Doomscroller. https://endlessdoomscroller.com/. 

This time on Off Center, Scott Rettberg is joined by Sarah Edmands Martin, a designer and researcher at the University of Notre Dame. Her research takes place at the intersection of visual communication design, critical fabulation, and media aesthetics. In this episode they discuss speculative design. 



References

Bierut, M. 2015. How to use graphic design to sell things, explain things, make things look better, make people laugh, make people cry, and (every once in a while) change the world change the world. United Kingdom: Thames & Hudson. 

Berry, Anne, H., & Sarah Edmands Martin. 2020-2021. Ongoing Matter. Exhibitions at The Galleries at CSA, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, Cleveland State University, and The Cook Center Galleries, Maxwell Hall, Indiana University.  

Jagoda, Patrick, & Sarah Edmands Martin. In Progress. Otherworldly Games: An Atlas of Possible Realities. 

Welcome back to a new episode of Off Center. In this episode Scott Rettberg is joined by Kristine Jørgensen, professor of media studies and PI at the Center for Digital Narrative. They talk about male gaming culture, transgressive games, and understanding male gamers. 


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References (in order of appearance)

Espen, Aarseth. 1997. Cybertext: Perspectives on Ergodic Literature. Johns Hopkins University Press. 

Smith, Paul, & Howard, Steve. 1987. Bride of Frankenstein. 39 Steps.  

US Army. 2015. America’s Army: Proving Grounds. US Army. https://store.steampowered.com/app/203290/Americas_Army_Proving_Grounds/. 

11 Bit Studios. 2014. This war of mine. 11 Bit Studios.  https://store.steampowered.com/app/282070/This_War_of_Mine/. 

Destructive Creations. 2015. Hatred. Destructive Creations.  https://store.steampowered.com/app/341940/Hatred/. 

DMA Design. 1997. Grand Theft Auto. BMG Interactive.  

Mortensen, Torill Elvira & Jørgensen, Kristine. 2020. “The Carnivalesque Aesthetics of Games” In The Paradox of Transgression in Games. Routledge.  

Den Norske Forfatterforening. February 8, 2024. “Enighet om KI-appendiks" Den Norske Forfatterforening, retrieved on April 3, 2024, from https://www.forfatterforeningen.no/artikkel/enighet-om-ki-appendiks/. 

Bjørkelo, Kristian, A. 2020. “Elves are Jews with Pointy Ears and Gay Magic”: White Nationalist Readings of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The International Journal of Computer Game Research, 20(3). https://gamestudies.org/2003/articles/bjorkelo.  

Bethesda Game Studios. 2011. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Bethesda Softworks. 

Blizzard Entertainment. 2004. World of Warcraft. Blizzard Entertainment. https://worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com/en-us/. 

Black Isle Studios. 1999. Planescape: Torment. Beamdog. https://planescape.com/. 

Scott Rettberg and Patrick Jagoda, professor at the university of Chicago, and cofounder of the Game Changer Chicago Design Lab and the Transmedia Story Lab, talk about alternate reality games and transmedia storytelling in this episode of Off Center. They talk about games Patrick has been working on. 



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References (in order of appearance)

Spielberg, Steven, director. 2001. A.I. Artificial Intelligence. Warner Bros. Pictures. 2 hr., 26 min. 

Gilliam, Melissa, director. 2013. The Source. Game Changer Chicago Design Lab. Alternate reality game. http://www.patrickjagoda.com/projects/the-source. 

Jagoda, Patrick, & Coleman, Heidi, directors. 2022. Cene. Fourcast Lab. Alternate reality game. https://fourcastlab.com/cene/. 

Jagoda, Patrick, & Bennett, Ireashia, & Sparrow, Ashlyn. 2022. Transmedia Stories: Narrative Methods for Public Health and Social Justice. Stanford University Press. https://transmediastories.org/.  

Slade, D, director. 2018. Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. House of Tomorrow. Netflix. 1 hr, 30 min. https://www.netflix.com/no-en/title/80988062.  

Coleman, Heidi, & Jagoda, Patrick, directors. 2023. Encounter. Fourcast Lab. Alternate reality game. https://fourcastlab.com/encounter/.