Brendan Riley, Ph.D.
English Department
Columbia College Chicago
33 East Congress
Chicago, IL 60605

briley@colum.edu
http://www.curragh-labs.org/
W: 312.344.8817
F: 312.344.8001
H: 708.445.3698

"The Comic Strip Experiment:
On randomness, juxtaposition, and electric logic"

What role does randomness play in the logic of the digital age?
"Random: The Internet is Funny" experiments with randomness, comic
strips, and electric logic.  I briefly explore three theories that
influenced the "Random Comic" experiment: Gregory Ulmer's notion of
"conduction," the aesthetic logic of the image; Surrealist interest in
the unconscious and the "exquisite corpse" game; and theory about
image, language, and humor in comic strips.  Finally, I present
"Random Comic," my interactive Flash program that produces comic
strips based on user input and a Google search, and discuss the value
of randomness in understanding and harnessing Internet logic.