YOU ARE INVITED to a talk and discussion with Dave Tompkins, author of a new book that explores the intersections of music, technology, militarism and the magic of the unreal voice.
This event is part of the Comparative Media Studies colloquium series, and is co-sponsored by MIT Cool Japan and the MIT Writing Program. There will be a light dinner / reception afterwards. The event is free and open to the public.
How to Wreck a Nice Beach:
Hearing Things with the Vocoder, From WWII to Hip-Hop
Dave Tompkins
May 10, 2012 (Thursday) 5-7pm
Room E14-633, MIT Map
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Colloquium | 05.10.12 | 5:00 PM | E14-633
How To Wreck A Nice Speech: Hearing Things With The Vocoder, From World War II To Hip-Hop
Dave Tompkins
Invented by Bell Labs in 1928 to reduce bandwidth over the Trans Atantic Cable, the vocoder would end up guarding phone conversations from eavesdroppers during World War II. By the Vietnam War, the “spectral decomposer” had been re-freaked as a robotic voice for musicians. How To Wreck A Nice Beach is about hearing things, from a misunderstood technology which in itself often spoke under conditions of anonymity. This is a terminal beach-slap of the history of electronic voices: from Nazi research labs to Stalin gulags, from World’s Fairs to Hiroshima, from Churchill and JKF to Kubrick and Kinski, The O.C. and Rammellzee, artificial larynges and Auto-Tune. Vocoder compression technology is now a cell phone standard–we communicate via flawed digital replicas of ourselves every day. Imperfect to be real, we revel in signal corruption.
Dave Tompkins’ first book, How To Wreck A Nice Beach: The Vocoder From World War II To Hip-Hop, is now out in paperback. Amazon named it “top pick” for Entertainment book of the year in 2010. He has presented on the vocoder in Germany, Netherlands (Jan Van Eyck), New York (Eyebeam Institute), London, Poland (Unsound Festival), and at the NSA Cryptologic Symposium held at the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University. Tompkins has written for Grantland, Oxford American, The Believer and The Wire. Tompkins is currently researching Sustained Decay bass sub-frequencies in Florida. Born in North Carolina, he now lives in Brooklyn.
- May 9, 2012
NEJETAA elections are now open for Vice President, Treasurer, and Social Chair. Please cast your votes ONLINE here on our website: www.nejetaa.com by 6pm Wednesday May 16th.The voting section will appear on the right side of the page after you login with your username and password. If you would like to write-in a candidate please email it to Christina at webmaster at nejetaa dot com.
To vote, you need to be a registered user on our site (just takes a minute to sign up!). See end of the message for details on how to register and vote online.
If you prefer to vote in person or would just like to join us for planning our upcoming events, you must RSVP as soon as possible to Kasey at social at nejetaa dot com because we provide your names to security (you must also bring a photo ID to the meeting or you won’t be allowed into the building). A light dinner will be provided by NEJETAA.
GENERAL MEETING INFO Click here for the meeting agenda
Where: 600 Atlantic Avenue, Federal Reserve Plaza, 22nd Floor (map)
When: Wed. May. 16, 6pm.
Why: Vote and discuss upcoming events (Membership update, Photo Exhibit, JET Orientation, Career Workshop, and a possible sub-chapter or summer event!)
PLATFORMS
Jason Currier for Vice President
Hi fellow NEJETAA members,
My name is Jason Currier, and I am running for the vice president position. I was a JET in Fukui-ken from 2007-2010. I work at the Japanese consulate in Boston, and I’ve also served as NEJETAA’s treasurer for the past year.
I’ve been involved with NEJETAA ever since I returned from Japan, and I believe the organization is a very important one. Our goal is to connect former JETs to one another through activities such as happy hours, nihongo dake dinners, and career fairs. I’ve met many of you through these events, and also through events related to my work at the consulate.
My goals as vice president are to increase participation in NEJETAA events, and to reach out to former JETs outside of the Boston area. I also feel that by working at the consulate, I can serve as the bridge between the JET community and the consulate.
In short, I ask for your consideration as vice president of the organization. Thank you very much for your time, and I hope to see many more of you at upcoming events this year.
Best regards,
Jason Currier
Patricia Frisoli for Treasurer
My name is Patricia Frisoli, and I hope to serve as your Treasurer for NEJETAA for the coming year. I was an ALT in Taka-chou, Hyougo-ken from 2005 to 2008. For the past couple years I have been an avid member of NEJETAA and would love to have the opportunity to give back. I really enjoy being involved in NEJETAA’s many events throughout the year and connecting with Boston’s Japanese community.
My goals for this year include:
– provide logistical support to make your good ideas become reality
– balance budgetary concerns so we may continue to connect members with activities they are interested in
– strengthen partnerships with other local Japan-affiliated organizations
Like many of you, JET was an amazing time of my life, and I have made incredibly rewarding relationships with like minded people through NEJETAA.
I would be proud to represent the New England JETAA chapter.
Thank you for your vote!
~Trish
Patricia Frisoli
Kasey Doran for Social Chair
As Social Chair I hope to bring more JET Alumni members of New England into our community, encouraging them to continue their JET experiences upon returning home. I want to incorporate more ideas from our untapped resources and create a Social Committee to more effectively manage and promote our Alumni Events.
Voting instructions below:
VOTING INSTRUCTIONS: for registered members
Visit nejetaa.com and login on the bottom left corner. Click “Forgot login?” if you can’t remember your username or password and it will be resent to you. After you’ve logged in, on the right side you will see the voting/polling area. Please select the candidate(s) you wish to vote for.
While you’re logged in, please take a moment to update your profile. In the left column, click “Your Profile” in the “User Menu” box (3rd from the top). Then select “Edit” –> “Update your profile” –> “Contact Info”. Please update your JET town and prefecture and your dates on JET if you haven’t already. This allows us to verify voter authenticity as JETs and also so we can differentiate between spammers and real NEJETAA-ers! VOTING INSTRUCTIONS: for unregistered members
Visit nejetaa.com and click “Register” in the bottom left corner and fill out the registration profile. You’ll receive a confirmation email and then after confirming you can return to the site and login. You’ll see the on the right side the voting/polling area. Please select the candidate(s) you wish to vote for.
Update: pictures from the reception can be found on our Facebook page here.
Great news! There will be an Opening Reception for the NEJETAA photography exhibit—I hope that you can all come.
Monday, May 21, 6:00-8:00pm
Logan Airport Terminal E, Lower (Arrival) Level
We need rsvp’s for the catering headcount (hors d’oeuvres and wine/beer).
Please reply by next Friday, May 18 (you are welcome to bring friends, just let us know how many/who)
Jason Currier will take responses at j.currier at cgjbos dot org
BTW, the opening will also be in celebration of the works of Michio Ihara, a remarkable sculptor whose works are also newly on display in Terminal E.
Susan Gill
Assistant for Information and Cultural Affairs
Consulate General of Japan
Federal Reserve Plaza, 22nd Floor
600 Atlantic Avenue
Boston, MA 02210