So on this weeks episode of ICM balls were a bouncing, blinking and getting speedy. This little bouncing ball program allows you to click to change its colors and use the left and right arrows to adjust the speed that it moves around the stage. Click this link to run it and see for yourself.
Intro to Computer Media
Matt Parker
Week 2 Homework
This is a simple stupid pet project test based on the machine that has been playing matchmaker at carnivals and fairs for years. Below are two videos of tests based around this classic game. I used both a knob and a pressure sensor.
Knob:
Pressure Sensor:
Intro to Physical Computing
Tom Igoe
Week 3 Class Test
So it might sound odd but for the last 5 years my fantasy project has been to make a working and technologically advanced doorbell out of a broken one that is, or rather was, just simply a button attached to a hammer that hits a metal strip to make a sound. I love the idea of using a very simple object and turning it into something that uses the technology available to use today. Below is a little sketch showing what upgrades I would love to add to this sad broken doorbell.
Most people walking don’t realize that they are surround and interact with hundreds of sensors everyday. We were asked to take a day and make a note of all the sensors that we run into. At the beginning of this project I thought maybe 10 would be the max but I found myself constantly writing a new sensor every few feet. Above are a few images of some of them and below is the entire list. Take a day for yourself and do the same, the results are insane.
| Elevator Button Light Switch iPhone Headset Electric Guitar Watch/Clock Emergency Brake Subway Turnstyle Microwave Stove Refrigerator Security Camera |
Pay Phone Crosswalk Light Motion Detector Toy/Candy Machine Bus Strip to Stop Intercom Parking Meter ATM Cars Stereo Remote Control DVD Player |
Intro to Physical Computing
Tom Igoe
Week 2 Homework
For my Applications class I was asked to go somewhere I have never been to before in the 5 boroughs and write about what I saw and took in. I had a friend pick a random subway stop, made sure I have never been there, and took my skateboard to wonder around the area. The stop that was selected was the Kingston-Throop Avs Station on the C line, this stop dropped me off in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. To keep things random and new I decided to let the traffic lights guide me on my tour, if it was green I would go straight, red would be either a left or right turn, generally trying to go with the traffic. Also to set a timeframe I created a music playlist that would play for 30 minutes, once the music stopped my journey was complete. To keep a track of where I went I used the Nike+ iPhone application which uses the phones GPS to track my location and plot it on a map. I also documented the trip by taking a picture every so often.
Although I started my trip in Crown Heights I went through two other neighborhoods along the way, Prospect Lefferts Gardens and Prospect Park South. I started on a very busy street lined with businesses and it appeared to be predominantly Caribbean, based on the people walking around and the restaurants in the area. As I continued south and got deeper and deeper into Crown Heights the area became much more residential and I ended up riding through tree lined streets with gorgeous town houses everywhere. As I continued weaving through traffic, while listening to Mother by Danzig, I found myself seeing less African Americans and more Hassidic Jews roaming the streets. At this point I had just crossed over the Eastern State Parkway and was on the outskirts of Prospect Lefferts Gardens. As I continued on through more residential streets with even larger more extravagant homes, I started seeing RVs and trucks with pictures of Rabbi’s on them and where labeled things like Matzov Tank, supporting the idea that this is mainly a Jews community. As I started to go west the area suddenly went from residential homes to a huge street, Flatbush Avenue, and I noticed that I was on the south side of Prospect Park. As I was skating next to the park my final song ended and I noticed I was right in front of a sweet old Hispanic lady selling ice cold water, what a perfect end to a 30 minute, 5 mile skateboarding adventure through the heart of Brooklyn.
Based on this trip I learned that there are quite a few vastly different communities in very close proximity to one another. Also the area can quickly turn from families in their front gardens to massive 4 lane streets lined with businesses, restaurants, bars and bodegas in a split second. I honestly enjoyed this project so much I think I will continue to pick random areas in the New York area to explore and see what they have to offer. I would like to report that on this journey I only fell once and was only hit by one car, or rather ran into one that was parked on the side of the road, and no injuries.
Playlist:
Ms. Connection — Film School
Natural One – Folk Implosion
Ramp of Death – Stephen Malkmus & The Jinks
Suicide Invoice – Hot Snakes
Testing – CKY
Time to Pretend – MGMT
Video Tapez (Ft. Del) – AmpLive (Rainydayz Remixes)
The W.A.N.D. – The Flaming Lips
Mother – Danzig
Air War (CFCF Remix) – Crystal Castles
So here are some tests using different analog sensors. Below are videos using a knob to fade an LED from LOW to HIGH and the other is a light sensor to fade the LED based on the amount of light that the sensor picks up.
Knob Test:
Light Sensor Test:
Intro to Physical Computing
Tom Igoe
Week 2 Lab
So for our week 1 homework assignment for ICM we were asked to create a purdy picture using processing (java). The same day I was assigned this my sister sent my a picture of my nieces on their first day of school and I used this picture as inspiration since for one it was adorable and two I could totally relate to the excitement of starting school. See the original picture below. And to view the javascript page click here.
Intro to Computer Media
Matt Parker
Week 1 Homework
Chris Crawford defines interaction as a cyclic process in which two actors alternately listen, think, and speak.
This exhibit is centered around the communication and interaction of the object, film, sound, etc. to the user. In this interaction the artist is attempting to better the lives of the person being spoken to, or in some cases involved in a conversation with the piece.
There were many pieces in the exhibit that really “talked to me.” The first that really jumped out and that I loved was the Tweenbot project which actually came out of ITP. Tweenbot is a very simple robot that really only goes in one direction with a flag on the top telling any one who passes by where its final destination is. Because the Tweenbot only goes in one direction it depends on the kindness of strangers to point it in the right direction. I believe that this project is a great example of physical interaction between person and bot.
Secondly the all the augmented reality pieces like the interesting yet some what scary project Augmented Hypercity shows a possible scenario for our digital future. Along with some mass crowd augmented reality projects that have the user interact with the screen as well as the screen interacting with the people in the public space.
Lastly the section on music I found to be a successful project on interactivity, particularly the MO Musical Objects by the Interlude Project. These instruments took the idea of electronic musical instruments and brought back the idea of using ones whole body and movements to create the sound rather than just pressing a button.
But overall I thought the exhibit kind of generally failed when it comes to interactivity. Everything was either behind glass, heavily guarded or plastered with DO NOT TOUCH signs. Then again the exhibit is called Talk to Me so it never really was promising any visitor interactions with the artwork.
Tom Igoe posed three questions for our class to think about as we experienced the Talk to Me exhibit at MOMA and based on what was on display and the help of Chris Crawfords, The Art of Interactive Design, I hope I will be successful in answering these questions to you the readers satisfactory.
How would you define physical interaction?
I believe physical interaction can use any of our 5 senses, or all of them, to communicate with any other device or living creature.
What makes for good physical interaction?
To really have a successful physical interaction the conversation really would ideally be just that a conversation. One person or object stimulates another and then receives a converse reaction in return, and then back again.
Are there works from Talk to Me or others that you would say are good examples of digital technology that are not interactive?
The Lost Tribes of New York stop motion video really didn’t seem to work under the definition of a interactive digital technology in my eyes. I really only watched and listened, but it really didn’t make me think about what it was trying to say if anything. Also the Pretty Maps, which took city maps and overlaid data visualizations that applied to that area. I think the idea was interesting but the execution really failed and was just confusing and didn’t not really succeed in a interactive way.
Soooo. I decided to take my simple LED switch project one step further and mess with my broken (has been for 5 years) doorbell. Simple but AWESOME. Cant wait to expand on this even further and maybe have a teched out doorbell that all my 70 year old and up neighbors will be confused by, ha.
Intro to Physical Computing
Tom Igoe
Week 1 Lab on Roids
The question of who owns what, when it comes to the creative world has always been a touchy subject. There has always been a very fine line between inspiration and plagiarism, whether it is a printmaker using a photographers image, an songwriter using a line from a novel or a dj sampling another musicians song. Although some artists and musicians completely support the idea of open source creativity (i.e. Radiohead, David Byrne, Robert Indiana) there are still many, and will always be, people and companies (i.e. Disney, U2, all the large record labels) who refuse to share anything without a significant price tag attached.
I personally am completely for the idea of creative mash ups, creating something completely different, and possibly improving on what already exists. Over the last few years I have become obsessed with DJ mash ups and mixes by artists like Girl Talk, DJ Danger Mouse and Cecil Otter & Swiss Andy. These producers/DJs have created some mind blowing albums like Danger Mouse’s Grey Album, a mix of the Beatles White Album and Jay-Z’s Black Album, along with Cecil Otter & Swiss Andy’s amazing creation, Wugazi: 13 Chambers, which takes songs from Fugazi’s kick ass catalogue, deconstructing them and melodically head butting it with Wu-Tang’s hip hop verses.
Music is certainly not the only art form to use existing creations and twist them into something completely different. Street artists like Space Invader, Shepard Fairey and Banksy use preexisting images and graphics to tell a completely different story or poke fun at the originals. Filmmakers take from novels, novels borrow from articles, songwriters quote poets, and the endless stream of creative inspiration, or thievery (depending on what side you’re on), continues.
So as the battle will inevitable continue I hope that the fear of being sued will not stop the creative industry to continue stealing, tweaking and improving each others artwork. A lot of DJs and producers have decided to make any of their questionable creations free for download to avoid any greed fueled corporations or artists with an army of snarling lawyers knocking down their door. So go out there and steal, borrow, be inspired by, deconstruct, pilfer anything and everything you can get your creatively worn hands on and make some awesome shit.
Stolen from/Inspired by:
Marianne R.Petit’s Video and Sound Class
NYU ITP Week 1