the OBSCENE machine

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.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Mannequins, Money, and Bu$iness!

Monday, May 04, 2009

Terminator Meets Soylent Green at a Pig Farm...

Friday, April 24, 2009

Barbie: Everyone's Favorite Ersatz Human

Tuesday, April 07, 2009

Robots at War!

Thursday, April 02, 2009

More Ersatz "American" Fun from Japan

Monday, March 02, 2009

New Ethnic Mannequins from Old Navy!

More Frightening Ersatz Human Facsimiles From History

Friday, February 13, 2009

Plastic Meditations on Eros and the Body

Lost in Space Style Bucolic Reverie

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Priceless! Domestic Robot Butler from Life Magazine

Thursday, February 05, 2009

Best Robots via Kottke.org

Monday, February 02, 2009

Yikes! My New Friend "Timmy"

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Classic!

Friday, January 23, 2009

Eschewing the Heteronormative Bent of this Blog, Sort of Speak

More Human Facsimile Lore!

Friday, January 09, 2009

Amazing Archive of the Ersatz Human!

Thursday, January 08, 2009

More High Fashion Fun With the Ersatz Human: Bruno Dayan

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

robot puppet arts by michael oswald

Friday, January 02, 2009

Ersatz Babies!

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

More Fun With the Ersatz Human!