Fun, Fast Way to Get Some Anti-Real ID Memes Spread

Okay, writing letters to the editor isn't much fun for many people. And writing to politicians? Yeah -- even less fun. How about this as an alternative for spreading anti-NID ideas? Artist Cranks Up No-Name Rants.

"What would you say, given one free minute of anonymous, uncensored speech?"

So asks Ohio State University MFA student Daniel Jolliffe in a thesis project that aims to plumb the nuances of America's attitudes toward free speech in an age of ubiquitous communications. His interactive sculpture and political action piece, One Free Minute, debuted earlier this month, offering anonymous recordings from the telephone-wielding public broadcast at ear-splitting decibels in public spaces.

From the One Free Minute web site:

One Free Minute began as a simple concept: what would happen if the remote speech were connected to public space? Since then it has branched out to be an examination of public speech, an exploration of how cellular technology affects human communication in both negative and positive ways, a hand-made fibreglass sculpture, a web site, a bunch of phone lines, a whole lot of server bandwidth... you get the idea.

The principal intent behind One Free Minute was to investigate how public discourse has been changed by technology. Cellular phones have brought private space into the public realm, metering human interaction in billed-by-the-minute increments. One Free Minute inverts this aspect of cellular technology, using it instead to break the soundscape of public space with unpredictable acts of improvised, anonymous public speech.

Another intent of One Free Minute was to create a tool to facilitate anonymous free speech in public places. Governments everywhere are increasingly vigilant of who is saying what and where: One Free Minute puts a bit of a blur on the 'who' and 'where', meaning, for example, that activists can speak without fear of recrimination when and if necessary.

One Free Minute is also about making art that transcends the narrow confines of art purely destined for the gallery environment. One Free Minute tries instead to take art to the street, turning passive viewers into active participants, allowing them to control the script of the work as much as is possible.

If you're not convinced, browse more of the site yourself ... if you're ready to make that call, the number is 1-614-441-9533. Have fun!