Turbulence Commission: "Oil Standard" by Michael Mandiberg

March 15, 2006
Turbulence Commission: "Oil Standard" by Michael Mandiberg
http://turbulence.org/Works/oilstandard/
Requires Mozilla Firefox and Greasemonkey script (follow download
instructions on site)

"Oil Standard" is a web browser plug-in that converts all prices from U.S.
Dollars into the equivalent value in barrels of crude oil. When you load a
web page, the script seamlessly inserts converted prices into the page. As
the cost of oil fluctuates on the commodities exchange, prices rise and fall
in real-time.

Seeing the cost in oil of a new iPod on Amazon.com, or the balance in your
bank account is startling. More than just a play on the concept of the 'Gold
Standard,' or the old 'Standard Oil' company, this is a glimpse into the
moment when oil will replace (or already replaced) gold as the standard by
which we trade all other goods and currencies.

The script is written in Greasemonkey, an official extension for Mozilla
Firefox that allows the user to change the look, content, or function of a
webpage, by writing client side DHTML into a page. Greasemonkey has
primarily been used for very functional tasks: nytimes.com ad blockers,
eBay.com auto-sign-in scripts, etc. "Oil Standard" adds some functional
absurdity to the mix.

"Oil Standard" is a 2006 commission of New Radio and Performing Arts, Inc.
(aka Ether-Ore) for its Turbulence web site. It was made possible with
funding from the Jerome Foundation and New York City Department of Cultural
Affairs.

BIOGRAPHY

Michael Mandiberg is a conceptual artist, computer programmer and rogue
economist who uses the internet, video and performance to explore
subjectivity, labor, and commerce. His current work delves into creative
appropriations of outsourcing, artistic uses of open API web platforms, and
the global dependence on oil. In 2001 he distributed perfect copies of
copies on AfterSherrieLevine.com, and put all of his possessions up for sale
on Shop Mandiberg (http://mandiberg.com/shop). His work has been exhibited
at such venues as the New Museum for Contemporary Art, New York City; Ars
Electronica Linz, Austria; and the ZKM in Karlsruhe, Germany. An Assistant
Professor at The College of Staten Island/CUNY, Michael lives in, and rides
his purple bicycle around Brooklyn.

For more information about Turbulence, please visit http://turbulence.org

Jo-Anne Green, Co-Director
New Radio and Performing Arts, Inc.: http://new-radio.org
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