Kurt Wyman:

before the Turn of The Century

The Computer invaded my life in 1983 and everything changed. I was intrigued by the control given in a virtual world and the ability to entertain a user inside that environment.

In 1988 it became apparent that this is a more efficient way to do any job. Scripts can be written to keep the computer working throughout the night, converting architectural drawings into an easy to use field drawings creating an interface to be used between man and machine. A set of connect the dot instructions to accurately layout the foundations for residential houses. Aided by VersaCad, any dimensional problems in architectural plans were discovered. Converting troublesome hand drawings into precise digital drawings with accuracy to the thousandths of an inch while predicting engineering busts and offering solutions to related problems.

1989, the Macintosh opened up a brand new use for computers, Graphic Art and Typesetting. We began publishing Perpetual Notions. Downloaded through Comp-U-Serve literally publishing the newsletter over the phone lines, articles were beamed across the universe and back. Scripts, were used to assist modem software, and speed up the tasks performed on-line.

The printing industry was changing fast. Linking my computer to sophisticated printers (Linotronic) we could now do color separations and produce film negatives and bypass the amberlith process. Linotronic added the advantage of freeing up the precise use of screening ( grayscale ), which gave the artist more sophisticated control than ever before.

In the late 80's, early 90's, In-house Accounting and Payroll was beginning to make economic sense. Using the computer had pushed me to the top. Over seeing the complete office computerization, from estimating through job costing. Accounting was linked to all aspects of the business. We were able to complete cost analysis within days of job completion. Critical path analysis of job production was updated daily. Material estimates could be compared and analyzed to the board foot, cubic yard, or ton at the touch of a button. This system paid for itself many times, the easiest measurement of cost savings was payroll. The savings, from doing payroll in-house vs. a payroll company, paid for the entire system in under 1 year.

Today we are looking at Exponential Advancement. Cable connections for Internet access make it possible to download animation and Quicktime movies in seconds, instead of hours. Possibilities seem endless, the constant increase in speed of computers is now predictable, Improvements are dependable. We can now invest and plan, timing our dreams with expectations in the developmental leaps technology will make. We know technological advancement is constant.

We produce interactive Art for the Internet. Art that was impossible to see or even do yesterday. We constantly push the limits of the Internet, and like a finely-tuned athlete, the Internet responds and exceeds our expectations, begging us to test it once again-- and Illuminary Arts will.

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