the OBSCENE machine: May 2008

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Influenza of the Sciences in the Prose of a Cultural Studies Maven

Until I hit Organic Chemistry at the University of Texas at Austin in 1981, I knew I was going to be a cancer researcher--that was to be the capstone of my career as a biology major. Alas, the intervention of a 500-student classroom and a demented bio professor ended this career in the sciences. That doesn't mean this professor of literature and cultural studies still doesn't howl plaintive paeans to the world of petri dishes, vials, and viruses!

Most of the major conceptual apparatuses in my work are lifts from biology--the worst and latest offender? Eyegiene.

So it is that I point you to the New York Times and a great interactive feature they posted today that will give hypochondriacs all the ammo they need to ruin their day.

History of the Obscene Machine Cyberhive...

The Obscene Machine is an ever-evolving "ARTkive" chronicling cultural studies advancements in something I call the "ersatz human"--broadly understood, it is a series of links to stories that document the history of human self-fashioning, from ancient "primitive" totems and fetiches, to contemporary digital avatars and dolls.

In other times, this blog has served as a community exchange vehicle for my students at San Diego State University. In Fall 2011, The Obscene Machine was a cultural studies seminar at San Diego State University entitled TECHNOSEXUALITIES--the course is led by head cyborg Professor William A. Nericcio. Previously, it was the host cyberHIVE for a Spring 2011 undergraduate English 220 seminar: Robotic, Erotic, Electric: Televisual Nightmares, Seductive Hallucinations, and Naked Pscyhes in Literature, Film, Art, and the Web.

Know, also, that this blog had earlier incarnations and aspirations: The Obscene Machine began its life as an online supplement both to English 493, a literature and film undergraduate class at San Diego State University, and English 725, an Ethnic American cultural studies graduate seminar--both were directed in the Spring of 2007 by the aforementioned Dr. Nericcio and the posts associated with those two classes remain online here as an ersatz gallery and a living memorial.

These mirrored courses, both experimental, fuse an interrogation of Ethnic American critical theory with a more general probing of "fictional humans"--hence the term "Ethnic Mannequins" as a subtitle for the graduate seminar and its coincident obsessions with cyborgs, novels, stereotypes, and film. Both courses may be interpreted as supplements, if not revisions, to Tex[t]-Mex (UT Press, 2007) book and precursors to Eyegiene.

The Robot Running this Site...

William Anthony Nericcio is the Director of MALAS, the Master of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences at San Diego State University. When not shepherding brilliant graduate student devotees of cultural studies, Nericcio also hangs his hat as a Professor of English and Comparative Literature, Chicana/o Studies, and serves on the faculty of the Center for Latin American Studies. Utterly more than is necessary to know can be found in his perplexing, image-laced online autobiography and a complete digital index of his web-based shenanigans is located here. Lastly, can also see a graphic design portfolio by Guillermo Nericcio García, his, er, 'cousin,' at memogr@phics designcasa.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Humans Cavorting with Facsimile Humans for the Camera, 1st in a Series

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Influenza of the Sciences in the Prose of a Cultural Studies Maven

Monday, May 12, 2008

My Other Blog Goes Viral!!!

Friday, May 02, 2008

More Adventures in Ersatz Humanity!