<\/p>\n
~~~~~<\/p>\n
After a short debate about anointing this event as one of our final \u201cFlicker of the Week<\/strong>\u201d picks, given the historic pedigree shared in Friday\u2019s Calendar<\/strong><\/a><\/span> that informs its very existence, we decided against it by the technicality that it does not actually involve a film presentation. Yet, given how pervasive the use of computers and other technology is in media production, we suppose the \u201cCyberfest 20th Anniversary<\/strong>\u201d celebration and talk scheduled for later tonight, Monday, March 13<\/strong>, is worth a highlight. The University of Illinois<\/strong>\u2019 National Center for Supercomputing Applications<\/strong><\/a><\/span> (NCSA<\/strong>), which hosted the original \u201cCyberfest<\/strong>\u201d in March 1997 and connected it with the January 1997 \u201cUrbana<\/strong> birth date\u201d of the artificial intelligence HAL-9000<\/strong> as told in the novel 2001: A Space Odyssey<\/strong><\/span> by Arthur C. Clarke<\/strong>, also organized this namesake cosponsored by the UI College of Media<\/strong> and Roger Ebert\u2019s Film Festival<\/strong>. Presumably free for the public to attend, Cyberfest 20th will be held in the main auditorium at NCSA, 1205 W. Clark St., Urbana<\/strong>; it begins at 5:30 p.m.<\/strong> with a reception as well as interactive demonstrations arranged by staff. This will be followed by a panel, \u201cThe Impact of Cyberfest on Culture and Society<\/strong>,\u201d moderated by NCSA\/Media and Cinema Studies<\/strong> postdoctoral research associate Veronica Paredes<\/strong>; \u201cEbertfest<\/strong>\u201d stalwarts Chaz Ebert<\/strong> and Nate Kohn<\/strong> will join international technology experts, several of them with present and past UIUC ties, to ponder the Cyberfest legacy and once again theorize how scientific innovation may intersect with the arts and shape our immediate future.<\/p>\n We now lay down a few pertinent links. Click here for the official NCSA announcement<\/a><\/span> detailing Cyberfest 20th, visit this page for a vintage press release<\/a><\/span> breaking down the primary schedule for Cyberfest \u201997, and switch data streams to read an article<\/a><\/span> about the longstanding relationship between UIUC and digital computer advancements. (Interestingly, the first Cyberfest is just recent enough that one can easily locate national press<\/a><\/span> and obscure ephemera<\/a><\/span> lingering in various corners of the Internet, originally brought to everyday consumers by the NCSA-developed Mosaic<\/strong> Web browser<\/a><\/span>.) We also excite your senses with key images; above resides a nifty poster by local illustrator Steve Schaberg<\/strong> that depicts the infamous sensor-eye of HAL lording it over Cyberfest \u201997 performer Insook Choi<\/strong>, while below is embedded a video that preserves the half-a-world-away meeting between Ebert and Clarke conducted via satellite as part of a \u201cCyberfest Gala<\/strong>\u201d extravaganza. Of course, everyone loves to wax poetic as to how this fabled conversation along with Ebert\u2019s emcee turn the night before, introducing the film 2001<\/strong> to an enraptured audience at the Virginia Theatre<\/strong>, directly pointed towards the founding of Ebertfest. Given the latter\u2019s consistency in duration and scope, we can\u2019t help but wonder about the single-evening brevity of this Cyberfest in comparison to the last, which took place over a full week at multiple locations. Even if this does not quite compute \u2013 we happen to not be rocket scientists, after all \u2013 it should be a rather interesting foray for those who value the positive attributes of science fact and speculation.<\/p>\n ~ Jason Pankoke<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n