The "Official Impersonator"

Andy Warhol didn't like speaking on college campuses or at societies for (frequently self-proclaimed) intellectuals. Instead, he hired an actor to portray him at many of these events. Warhol died in 1987, but his official impersonator was still alive in 2007.

Without using the exact term, both Barnum and Warhol knew that they were operating in an attention economy. Paradoxically, we do. So why are we so bad at garnering attention?

Portmanteau

While giving my presentation yesterday at the BEA Conference at Las Vegas, it dawned on me as to why I like portmanteaux is because they signify something that is still in hybrid. It is language wrapping itself around a new concept using two signifiers...then dropping syllables until we create both a new signifier...and by extension a new signified.

The word seems to have been coined by Lewis Carrol. I also like the idea of "Frankenword" (itself a portmanteau) which is quite literally dripping with semantic intent.

While teaching four classes this semester, and working on program reviews and revisions, it's too easy to loose sight of the reason why we come together in a university: to study, to research, to read, to discuss, to learn.

The Communicative Arts Seminar is that one shining example of students, instructors and others coming together to ask complicated questions and to create a context for the vast sums of information that we encounter every day.

Over the next few months, this weblog will be upgraded and possible moved.

In the meantime it will act as a repository for some continuing research about the collision between "User Experience Design" "Media Pedagogy" "Teaching Live Video Switching" and creating a context.

In a word, it's about "Interface". Or worse, that German word "Schnittstelle" that I stumbled back across while preparing a presentation on social media for the TIVA-DC and BU-CDIA.

Professor William Hanff Jr. from TIVA-DC on Vimeo.

Also, it's about using research to create new, relevant content. I hope that's what I did in the video above...and I hope that's what we'll do here.