In the Middle Ages, due to high illiteracy rates, paintings often served as the main medium of communication. Today, media communicates through monitor screens and their pixels. Pixels are rectangular dots created by hardware that combine to form text or images. Currently, the pixel is the smallest unit of media communication. Cryptopunks, NFTs created by Canadian software developers Matt Hall and John Watkinson in 2017, are images composed of rough-resolution pixels. Although their value has increased due to their historical significance, ‘Cryptopunk #7523’ from the series was sold for $11,754,000 at Sotheby’s auction on June 10, 2021, because it conveyed rarity and history through its rough pixelation. This NFT, which utilizes square pixels as a tool, conveys a similar concept to Lego blocks, which are meant to be constructed with blocks. In media, messages are created, distributed, and valued based on the nature of the expression tool. The tool is the message. - Joseph’s “just my th...
After the Human Genome Project mapped our DNA, we discovered that gene expression and activation patterns can be altered and passed on to future generations without changes in sequence, a phenomenon known as epigenetics. This means that even identical twins, whose genetic information is almost 100% exact, will have different gene activation patterns based on their environment and experiences and pass on their traits to the next generation. A typical phenomenon is methylation (CH3), which is the addition of one carbon and three hydrogens to CpGs in mammalian sequences. Depending on this methylation, although someone inherits the same gene sequence, certain genetic traits can be activated or deactivated. It is also believed that a unique upbringing or education in life influences this phenomenon. Of course, as with any scientific phenomenon or technology, the cause or effect may change over time, but if there's a lesson to be learned, this is one of the most important reasons not to ...