Utopic Links

Further Readings for the
International Bacalaureat A1/2/B English Course

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Contents

• Design for Living?

• Virtual Communities

• Information Technology and the Future

• Utopian Philosophies

• Utopian Communities

• Early Texts: Pre 19th C. Literary Texts

• 19th C. & 20th Literary Texts

Design for Living?

• Inhabiting the Virtual City:

The goal of this work is to develop an approach to the design of on-line social environments. 
My thesis is that, in order to foster the development of vibrant and viable online communities, 
the environment - i.e. the technical infrastructure and user interface - must provide the 
means to communicate social cues and information: the participants must be able to 
perceive the social patterns of activity and affiliation and the community must be able 
to evolve a fluid and subtle cultural vocabulary.

Internet Communities of the Future.

• CASA

The Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis (CASA) is an initiative within University College London 
to develop emerging computer technologies in several disciplines which deal with geography, 
space, location, and the built environment.

Human Space Technologies: The Final Frontier?

• City of Bits

City of Bits is a comprehensive introduction to a new type of city, a largely invisible but increasingly important system of virtual spaces interconnected by the emerging information superhighway. William Mitchell makes extensive use of concrete, practical examples and illustrations in a technically well-grounded yet accessible examination of architecture and urbanism in the context of the digital telecommunications revolution, the ongoing
miniaturization of electronics, the commodification of bits, and the growing domination of software over materialized form.

The growing domination of software over materialized form.

• C. N. Ledoux,Architect of the 18th. C

Spatial Arrangements of a Monumental Nature

18th Century 'Space Odyssey.'

• Etienne-Louis Boullée

Boullée  est l'un des grands architectes visionnaires du 18e siècle. 
Il s'impose comme théoricien et pédagogue durant la Révolution. 
L'exposition présente ses dessins, conservés à la Bibliothèque 
nationale de France, et le texte intégral de son Essai sur l'art.

Another 18th Century 'Space Odyssey.'

• Architecture

Change is accelerating, but the places we create are largely static and unresponsive. 
Changing Places is a research consortium at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology 
that explores how new technologies, materials, and strategies for design can make 
possible  dynamic, evolving places that respond to the complexities of life. 
An expansion of House_n: the MIT Home of the Future Consortium, this joint Media 
Laboratory and Department of Architecture Consortium emphasizes links between 
the home and places of healing, work, learning, and community.

'House_n' of MIT

• Le Corbusier 1

Charles-Edouard Jeanneret-Gris was born in La Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland, 1887. 
Trained as an artist, he travelled extensively through Germany and the East. 
In Paris he studied under Auguste Perret and absorbed the cultural and artistic life of the city. During this period he developed a keen interest in the synthesis of the various arts.
 Jeanneret-Gris adopted the name Le Corbusier in the early 1920s

One of the Great 20th Architects.

• Le Corbusier 2

As Above.

Again, one of the Great 20th Architects.

• More CASA

Mi casa es su casa.

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• Frank Lloyd Wright

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Another of the greatest architects ever.

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• Vitruvius

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Virtual Communities

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• Security at the Hajj

A sentence restructuring exercise, based on a CNN article on this Islamic Festival. A link to the article is included.

Level: Intermediate/Advanced

• Santorini

Letter writing practice from a fascinating article on this Greek island in 'Move' Magazine. A link to the article is included.

Level: Intermediate

• The Debate Over Organic/An Artistic Bridge

Comprehension questions and linguistic exercises to be used in conjunction with CNN Newsroom and Worldview for ESL and The Wordsmyth English-Dictionary Thesaurus.

Level: Intermediate/Advanced

• The Debate Over the Great Famine

  Comprehension questions and linguistic exercises to be used in conjunction with CNN Newsroom and Worldview for ESL and The Wordsmyth English-Dictionary Thesaurus.

Level: Intermediate/Advanced

• Bangkok's Street Children

Comprehension questions and linguistic exercises to be used in conjunction with CNN Newsroom and Worldview for ESL and The Wordsmyth English-Dictionary Thesaurus.

Level: Intermediate

• Harming the Environment

  Comprehension questions and linguistic exercises to be used in conjunction with CNN Newsroom and Worldview for ESL and The Wordsmyth English-Dictionary Thesaurus.

Level: Intermediate/Advanced

• The Plumb Design Visual Thesaurus

An introductory worksheet for this fascinating site.

Level: Intermediate

• Metamorphosis - from Boring to Exciting!

A story writing/vocabulary exercise using the Plumb Design Visual Thesaurus. Ideal for pair or group work.

Level: Intermediate

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Worksheets on Literary Texts

• Heart of Darkness: Summary, Ideas and Questions

Level: Advanced

• Much Ado About Nothing: Synopsis

• Much Ado About Nothing: Quotations

• Much Ado About Nothing: Essay Questions

• Wells's The Time machine: Comprehension Questions

Level: Intermediate

• Maupassant's The Diamond Necklace: Comprehension Questions

A link to an online version of the story is included in this worksheet

• 2001: A Space Odyssey: Comprehension Questions

A link to the 2001 Internet Resource Archive is included in this worksheet

• Lord of the Flies: Questions on the Text, Essay Titles and Passages for Commentary

A series of short questions on the chapters, essay titles and significant passages for commentary

• The Crucible: Questions on the Characters

Questions on the principal characters in the play.

Word Puzzles on CNN Newsroom and Worldview

• 'Child protestors in Iraq'

Wordsearch. Click here to see the CNN exercise in a new window.

Level: Intermediate

• 'Cuba'

Wordsearch. Click here to see the CNN exercise in a new window.

Level: Intermediate

• 'Panama Problems'

Wordsearch. Click here to see the CNN exercise in a new window.

Level: Intermediate

• 'Germany: Beyond the Wall'

Wordsearch. Click here to see the CNN exercise in a new window.

Level: Intermediate

• 'The Wild Tigers'

Criss-Cross puzzle. Click here to see the CNN exercise in a new window.

Level: Intermediate/Advanced

• 'A High Flying Act'

Criss-Cross puzzle. Click here to see the CNN exercise in a new window.

Level: Advanced

The Music is the Message¨ (An exhibit at The newMetropolis Center for Science and Technology in Amsterdam, The Netherlands) Algorithmic Soundtrack Creation using the YAV Music Engineª and Adaptive Musicª

Adaptive Music (tm), a term coined by Christopher Yavelow, relies on a continual feedback loop consisting of a user or users evaluating music generated by seed material provided by themselves (or itself generated). The software incorporates their preferences (opinions, tastes) into subsequent compositions by adapting the models it uses to compose in the future based upon this user feedback. Adaptive Music models are collections of compositional methods, rules, and constraints. The entire learning process allows the software to continually move closer to the ideal composition for an individual or collective group of users. Christopher Yavelow launched Adaptive Music in an exhibit entitled "The Music is the Message" at Amsterdam's newMetropolis Center for Science and Technology. The software in that kiosk has adapted to thousands of museum visitors since the museum opened in June 1997. What you are listening to is a random example of a soundtrack generated by the exhibit at the newMetropolis Center for Science and Technology. Press the button for another random selection.