Text 7A2-II

In October 1971, a gentleman called Frieder Nake published a note entitled, There Should Be No Computer Art, which I quote here. “Soon after the advent of computers, it became clear that there was a great potential application for them in the area of artistic creation”, he began. “Before 1960, amazing, large, expensive, digital computers helped to produce poetic text and music. Analog computers, or only oscilloscopes, generated drawings of sets of mathematical curves and representations of oscillations. It was not before the first exhibitions of computer produced pictures were held in 1965 that a greater public took notice of this threat, as some said, progress, as some thought. I was involved in this development from its beginning.

I think that the way the art scene reacted to the new creations is interesting, pleasing, and stupid. I stated in 1970 that I was no longer going to take part in exhibitions. I find it easy to admit that computer art did not contribute to the advancement of art if we compare the computer products to all existing works of art. In other words, the repertoire of results of aesthetic behavior has not been changed by the use of computers. This point of view, namely, that of art history, is shared and held against computer art by many art critics. There is no doubt in my mind”, Frieder Nake said, “that interesting new methods have been found in the last decade which can be of some significance for the creative artist”.

As you might imagine, this was a bit of a controversial take. Here was a man who had for part of the previous decade been an insider, an advocate for the use of algorithmic and generative processes to create art. However, he was now seeing things from another perspective. I’ll just finish with another piece from what he posted in that article: “Questions like ‘is a computer creative’, or ‘is a computer an artist’, or the like, should not be considered serious questions, period. In the light of what we are facing at the end of the 20th century, those irrelevant questions do not matter”.

Where is the Art? A History in Technology.

Internet: <https://www.infoq.com> (adapted).

Text 1 – How children learn languages

Questions 31 to 39

How long does it take to learn a language?

Synesthesia is when you hear music, but you see shapes. Or you hear a word or a name and instantly see a color. Synesthesia is a name for when you experience one of your senses through another. For example, you might hear the name "Alex" and see green. Or you might read the word "street" and taste citrus fruit.

The word "synesthesia" has Greek roots. It translates to “perceive together.” Synesthesia isn’t a disease or disorder. It won’t harm your health, and it doesn’t mean you’re mentally ill. Some studies suggest people who have it may do better on memory and intelligence tests than those who don’t.

One of the most common responses is to see letters, numbers, or sounds as colors. You might also see or hear a word and taste food; hear sounds and see shapes or patterns; feel a touch when seeing someone else being touched. (This is called mirror touch.)

It can be an annoyance. But most synesthetes see their condition as a sixth sense, not a drawback.

You can’t control it. The response happens right away. For example, if you hear a new piece of music, you may see a color or taste a flavor without any effort.

It just happens. It’s internal, mostly. The colors are just in your mind.

It stays the same over time.

If you see the letter "A" in green today, you’ll see it in green 10 years from now. It often starts in childhood. Studies of kids with synesthesia found that it develops over time. webmd.com.

December 17, 2024. Adaptado.

Texto para a questão

Scientists have found that generally the world feels brighter when you wake up.

People start the day in the best frame of mind in the morning, but end in the worst, at about midnight, the findings suggest, with the day of the week and the season also playing a part.

Mental health also tends to be more varied at weekends but steadier during the week, according to the study led by University College London.

“Generally, things do seem better in the morning,” the researchers concluded.

Mental health and wellbeing are dynamic in nature, and subject to change over short and long periods. However, few studies have looked at how they might change over the course of the day.

Scientists wanted to explore whether time of day was associated with variations in mental health, happiness, life satisfaction, sense of life being worthwhile and loneliness.

People in the study answered questionnaires, with questions such as: “In the past week, how happy did you feel?”, “How satisfied have you been with your life?”, and “To what extent have you felt the things you are doing in your life are worthwhile?”

Factors such as age, health conditions and whether people worked were taken into account.

The results showed that happiness, life satisfaction, and worthwhile ratings were all higher on Mondays and Fridays than on Sundays, while happiness was also higher on Tuesdays. There was no evidence that loneliness differed across days of the week.

There was clear evidence of a seasonal influence on mood. Compared with winter, people tended to have lower levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms and loneliness, and higher levels of happiness, and feeling that life was worthwhile in the three other seasons.

Mental health was best in the summer across all outcomes. But the season didn’t affect the associations observed across the day, however.

This was an observational study, so it cannot establish cause.

The Guardian.com. February 5, 2025. Adaptado

Texto para a questão

Scientists have found that generally the world feels brighter when you wake up.

People start the day in the best frame of mind in the morning, but end in the worst, at about midnight, the findings suggest, with the day of the week and the season also playing a part.

Mental health also tends to be more varied at weekends but steadier during the week, according to the study led by University College London.

“Generally, things do seem better in the morning,” the researchers concluded.

Mental health and wellbeing are dynamic in nature, and subject to change over short and long periods. However, few studies have looked at how they might change over the course of the day.

Scientists wanted to explore whether time of day was associated with variations in mental health, happiness, life satisfaction, sense of life being worthwhile and loneliness.

People in the study answered questionnaires, with questions such as: “In the past week, how happy did you feel?”, “How satisfied have you been with your life?”, and “To what extent have you felt the things you are doing in your life are worthwhile?”

Factors such as age, health conditions and whether people worked were taken into account.

The results showed that happiness, life satisfaction, and worthwhile ratings were all higher on Mondays and Fridays than on Sundays, while happiness was also higher on Tuesdays. There was no evidence that loneliness differed across days of the week.

There was clear evidence of a seasonal influence on mood. Compared with winter, people tended to have lower levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms and loneliness, and higher levels of happiness, and feeling that life was worthwhile in the three other seasons.

Mental health was best in the summer across all outcomes. But the season didn’t affect the associations observed across the day, however.

This was an observational study, so it cannot establish cause.

The Guardian.com. February 5, 2025. Adaptado

Texto para a questão

The idea of time blindness, or difficulty perceiving and managing time, has spread across social media. While there is no diagnosis for it, some people explain that, despite their best efforts, they frequently lose track of time, underestimate or overestimate how long tasks will take, show up late, and miss deadlines.

Time blindness is a psychological phenomenon that nearly everyone experiences from time to time, said Michael Manos, at the Cleveland Clinic.

“Who doesn’t get completely occupied with a hobby or a conversation they’re having with somebody, or some kind of activity that is so interesting that it occupies attention, and it takes attention away from other things that might be pressing?” he said.

Not all experts agree, but some suggest that it could be a limitation for some people.

Renae Beaumont, an associate professor of psychology in clinical psychiatry, said time blindness and flow, a state of intense focus in an activity that is engaging, enjoyable and temporarily distracts from the passage of time, are different phenomena.

“Flow is typically associated with positive emotions when you’re doing something you enjoy, and you are able to shift to a different task when you need to. Time blindness involves getting stuck, losing track of time and typically having trouble transitioning to a different task,” she said.

There is no clear consensus, but some researchers consider time blindness to be an impairment in temporal perception, or the way the brain experiences time.

Certain strategies may help people who struggle with time perception and management, experts said. Use digital reminders including alarms, timers and calendars to keep track of appointments, dates and deadlines. Washington Post.

February 5, 2025. Adaptado.

Texto para a questão

The idea of time blindness, or difficulty perceiving and managing time, has spread across social media. While there is no diagnosis for it, some people explain that, despite their best efforts, they frequently lose track of time, underestimate or overestimate how long tasks will take, show up late, and miss deadlines.

Time blindness is a psychological phenomenon that nearly everyone experiences from time to time, said Michael Manos, at the Cleveland Clinic.

“Who doesn’t get completely occupied with a hobby or a conversation they’re having with somebody, or some kind of activity that is so interesting that it occupies attention, and it takes attention away from other things that might be pressing?” he said.

Not all experts agree, but some suggest that it could be a limitation for some people.

Renae Beaumont, an associate professor of psychology in clinical psychiatry, said time blindness and flow, a state of intense focus in an activity that is engaging, enjoyable and temporarily distracts from the passage of time, are different phenomena.

“Flow is typically associated with positive emotions when you’re doing something you enjoy, and you are able to shift to a different task when you need to. Time blindness involves getting stuck, losing track of time and typically having trouble transitioning to a different task,” she said.

There is no clear consensus, but some researchers consider time blindness to be an impairment in temporal perception, or the way the brain experiences time.

Certain strategies may help people who struggle with time perception and management, experts said. Use digital reminders including alarms, timers and calendars to keep track of appointments, dates and deadlines. Washington Post.

February 5, 2025. Adaptado.