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WRU JOURNAL
Volume 1, Issue 1
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WRU JOURNAL
Volume 1, Issue 2
EDITOR-AT-LARGE Paul D. Miller, aka DJ Spooky, is a composer, multimedia artist, and writer whose work immerses audiences in a blend of genres, global culture, and environmental and social issues. Miller has collaborated with an array of recording artists, including Metallica, Chuck D, Steve Reich, and Yoko Ono. His 2018 album, DJ Spooky Presents: Phantom Dancehall, debuted at #3 on Billboard Reggae. His books include the award-winning Rhythm Science, published by MIT Press in 2004; Sound Unbound, an anthology about digital music and media; The Book of Ice, a visual and acoustic portrait of the Antarctic, and; The Imaginary App, on how apps changed the world. His writing has been published by The Village Voice, The Source, and Artforum. http://www.djspooky.com/books
QUANTOPIA premiered in January 2019 to a sold out house at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco.
A celebration of the history of the Internet, QUANTOPIA is a tribute to the depth and high stakes of free speech, and creative expression involved in our daily use of media. Teaming up with Internet Archive and data artist Greg Niemeyer, mathematician Roger Antonsen and VR studio, MEDIUM Labs, composer/multimedia artist Paul D. Miller aka DJ Spooky has created a multimedia journey exploring the network evolution.
— brings new, fresh perspectives on the 50-year evolution of information technology. DJ Spooky creates live loops and layers of sound, enveloped by data visualization, live strings, and youth choir, singing lines from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The hour-long experience illuminates ever-present issues of inclusion and exclusion, echo chambers, and small-world phenomena,
Commissioned by Internet Archive, a Hewlett 50 Arts Commission funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Produced by Sozo Artists with additional support from Sozo Impact, Inc.
Paul, aka DJ Spooky, always seems to be in the know and to have just the right gadget for the task. We asked him for his top picks for today. “In this Pandemic and hopefully soon to be post-pandemic moment, there’s a couple of must-haves I suggest for anyone involved with the creative economy.”
1) Sony WH-1000XM4 noise cancelling headphones. These babies block everything from screaming babies on a plane to the sound of NYC trains rushing past your head as you jog over the Manhattan Bridge. Is it my imagination or is the Q Train louder than anything else in NYC?
2) I’m a runner. I’m a walker. I play tennis often. And I hike. I got sick of carrying shoes for each of those activities when I travel (again, this is looking forward to post-pandemic, but hey, these should work for anyone, anytime). So, I looked around for shoes that can handle most of these activities and still be solidly cool and utilitarian. I found the Allbirds Tree Dashers worked great for pretty much everything—except walking in the rain!
3) I read voraciously and I really hate the blue light situation that makes it really hard to sleep if you read at night. Over the last couple of years, I’ve shifted over to reading during the day, and audiobooks at night. But even better is wearing comfortable gear that is eco-conscious and based on the circular economy of renewable and sustainable design, plus being able to control my audiobooks, listening and being able to walk (we do that a lot in NYC). For this, I got the Levi’s Google Jacquard Commuter Denim jacket (Series 1).
4) For more waterproof hiking and urban walking, and for sheer comfort—I wear the multi purpose shoes made by On-Running. They’re great for walking in the city or lightweight trail running shoes in places like Colorado. They quickly became favorites and they’re water resistant.
5) Last but not least—Here is one of the best masks I’ve used during the pandemic—the nano filter particle mask by Air Queen. It is amazing, breathable, and the same protection as the N95 particulate masks. Just more breathing, less particles.
