Forgot to make a supply list...or rather I had to revise it and just finished. I was looking through ladyada and figure I'll need to get the waveshield to make independent audio. I already have speakers from a project last year I didn't use them for. I just need the waveshield kit, though it will have to be back ordered. Ladyada said it should take a week but they would be back in stock by then. So I'll go ahead and back order them to make sure I get one. I need to get the force sensors, perhaps two?
I need to but the chair, but that's last since I can get them from walmart easily. The main thing is making the arduino part functional before putting it in the chair. I need an sd card, which I believe I already have (for my camera) I just have to make sure it fits. Everything is dependent on the waveshield kit. I'm mainly going to be looking for codes to work with the force sensors and the waveshield. From the description on ladyada it should be able to provide tutorials and codes to help me, but just in case I'll start looking now.
I want to have this done two weeks before it's due in class so I can record people's reaction to it for the final presentation.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Brainhurricane
So after talking to Katerie I decided to tweak my project more to push my concept more. I wasn't interested in exploring relaxation. I was more interested in people's reactions and how they create stress and relieve it. Not even that, I'm solely interested people. I'm people watcher. Anyway this is the brainhurricane that resulted between Monday and today
most horrible sounds
alarm clock going off
baby crying
Cars coming too close and honking
ambulance siren
police siren
smoke alarm
Idea:
alarm clock that rings until it's time to go
Bed that sets off alarm sound when you lay on it
What if the ultimate symbol of relaxation only caused stress? A bed which turned the tv off and on. A pillow which activated the alarm, the telephone, and the doorbell.
what if this was sort of performance art?
If I built this chair which evoked stress and placed it in a public space. Then recorded how people reacted to it.
Is there a way to modify chairs without damaging them? It'd be easier if my chair didn't stick out from the other chairs
Could use sphere chair (like the one I have) It has to look inviting to sit on though .
Use comfy chair to place force sensors in. When someone sits the sensor should start a 5 minute timer. At the end of the timer an alarm will go off. It won't stop until the person gets up. It will have something enticing to make people sit in it like a plate of cookies or a magazine. Whatever.
Once a person sits in it, it is normally so comfortable that they should relax and do whatever they were planning to do. Five minutes should take away any suspicions so that the person is caught completely off guard when it goes off.
Because the sound should go off as soon as the person jumps up, the person doesn't have the chance to observe the chair fully. They will either poke at the chair or sit back down just because curiosity normally won't let a person just leave. They will sit a second time, not able to relax, second-guessing the chair until it goes off. Perhaps they will keep getting up and restarting the timer so that it seems to take longer than it does.
I researched alarm clocks a little and found that they can cause the body to set up its own alarm clock by inciting stress. The body anticipates the stress of waking up at a certain time which sets off hormones. These hormones wake you as a sort of body clock to avoid the stress of waking up unpleasantly.
I want to explore this in a faster more direct manner by creating this timeframe in which the body can anticipate when the alarm will go off, thereby making a person get up to restart the timer. They would have to know about the timer however, which I don't want them to. More than likely that aspect won't happen because if they manage to figure out the timing, they will just choose to sit in a different chair.
So instead I am focusing on rendering this static object unusable . How do you make this super comfortable chair into this uncomfortable stress zone? (while making it still look inviting to sit in?) Through sound.
In final form I would like to set up a tv with a remote on a stand beside the chair. The person must sit in the chair to turn the tv on. The tv will show video or a dvd menu of the different videos where people interacted with the chair.
most horrible sounds
alarm clock going off
baby crying
Cars coming too close and honking
ambulance siren
police siren
smoke alarm
Idea:
alarm clock that rings until it's time to go
Bed that sets off alarm sound when you lay on it
What if the ultimate symbol of relaxation only caused stress? A bed which turned the tv off and on. A pillow which activated the alarm, the telephone, and the doorbell.
what if this was sort of performance art?
If I built this chair which evoked stress and placed it in a public space. Then recorded how people reacted to it.
Is there a way to modify chairs without damaging them? It'd be easier if my chair didn't stick out from the other chairs
Could use sphere chair (like the one I have) It has to look inviting to sit on though .
Use comfy chair to place force sensors in. When someone sits the sensor should start a 5 minute timer. At the end of the timer an alarm will go off. It won't stop until the person gets up. It will have something enticing to make people sit in it like a plate of cookies or a magazine. Whatever.
Once a person sits in it, it is normally so comfortable that they should relax and do whatever they were planning to do. Five minutes should take away any suspicions so that the person is caught completely off guard when it goes off.
Because the sound should go off as soon as the person jumps up, the person doesn't have the chance to observe the chair fully. They will either poke at the chair or sit back down just because curiosity normally won't let a person just leave. They will sit a second time, not able to relax, second-guessing the chair until it goes off. Perhaps they will keep getting up and restarting the timer so that it seems to take longer than it does.
I researched alarm clocks a little and found that they can cause the body to set up its own alarm clock by inciting stress. The body anticipates the stress of waking up at a certain time which sets off hormones. These hormones wake you as a sort of body clock to avoid the stress of waking up unpleasantly.
I want to explore this in a faster more direct manner by creating this timeframe in which the body can anticipate when the alarm will go off, thereby making a person get up to restart the timer. They would have to know about the timer however, which I don't want them to. More than likely that aspect won't happen because if they manage to figure out the timing, they will just choose to sit in a different chair.
So instead I am focusing on rendering this static object unusable . How do you make this super comfortable chair into this uncomfortable stress zone? (while making it still look inviting to sit in?) Through sound.
In final form I would like to set up a tv with a remote on a stand beside the chair. The person must sit in the chair to turn the tv on. The tv will show video or a dvd menu of the different videos where people interacted with the chair.
Sensor Walk and Stupid Description (also totally not late)
Alright, time to delve into my memory banks to post these two entries of the past, which I apparently never did. The sensor walk I wrote in my sketchbook, but it seemed to have never made its way onto the blog. For that, I'm gonna blame the sketchbook. It should have transcribed itself.
Anyway, I just listed the different sensors I saw: streetlights that automatically go on at light, and sometimes turn off when I walk under them at night when it's spooky; parking gates that activate once you submit a parking ticket, door locks that keep out bad peoples, hearing aids, ear buds, cell phones, walk signs, cash registers, printers, copiers, vending machines... I noticed most sensors I saw fell under two categories. First were the ones that allowed humans to access their daily lives, whether it be assisting them with functioning, like the ear buds, or allowing, or disallowing them access to certain places, like all the door sensors. The other function was the distribution of goods, paying a machine to provide you a service, like a printer or a vending machine.
Alright, and now, the stupid description about how something commonplace but complicated works; I'm pretty sure I posted this way back when, but I can't be bothered to look.
The Internet consists of a series of electronic impulses connecting a series of computers. Each connection has an Internet protocol, or IP, which allows access to certain other bits of information provided by other computers, whether that be websites, files, or other information. Every site is hosted by a server, and your IP allows you to get to that site.
Anyway, I just listed the different sensors I saw: streetlights that automatically go on at light, and sometimes turn off when I walk under them at night when it's spooky; parking gates that activate once you submit a parking ticket, door locks that keep out bad peoples, hearing aids, ear buds, cell phones, walk signs, cash registers, printers, copiers, vending machines... I noticed most sensors I saw fell under two categories. First were the ones that allowed humans to access their daily lives, whether it be assisting them with functioning, like the ear buds, or allowing, or disallowing them access to certain places, like all the door sensors. The other function was the distribution of goods, paying a machine to provide you a service, like a printer or a vending machine.
Alright, and now, the stupid description about how something commonplace but complicated works; I'm pretty sure I posted this way back when, but I can't be bothered to look.
The Internet consists of a series of electronic impulses connecting a series of computers. Each connection has an Internet protocol, or IP, which allows access to certain other bits of information provided by other computers, whether that be websites, files, or other information. Every site is hosted by a server, and your IP allows you to get to that site.
Public Space- RecSports
I sat at the Student Recreation and Fitness Center to watch people. The majority of people came in through the main entrance, some through the side entrance, and less through the back. Most of them seemed to know where they were going and what they were doing. Most people came in and went straight to the stairwell. A few people stopped at the front desk, mostly to check out equipment or get numbers for group fitness classes. Only two people took the elevator. Most people leaving the building came from the stairwell and went out the main entrance. No one really stopped or stood still except at the desk and to wait for the elevator. The two employees at the desk seemed pretty bored most of the time. They were just sitting behind the desk, waiting for someone to check out equipment or ask a question. The only thing about the design of the building that was confusing was around the elevator. There is a guard up kinda like those directing the lines at store check-out counters. This looked like it might be there to keep the stair traffic from blocking elevator, but I'm not really sure. It made people unsure as to whether or not they were allowed to use the elevator. It didn't stop two people though.
Here is the circuit board for a typical Ericsson cell phone. In this picture several of the components are identified. What is amazing is that all of that functionality -- which only 30 years ago would have filled the entire floor of an office building -- now fits into a package that sits comfortably in the palm of your hand.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Final Project Ideas
I have a few ideas in mind for my final project:
1. I am really interested in the freezing of time to explore motion. I would like to create a device that snaps a picture when triggered by a laser. You could approach the device and make a motion in front of it to be snapped a the blink of an eye.
2. My other idea is to work with multimedia by combining sound with another form of art such as drawing. This would work through the use of a laser that detects changes in texture or color that would result in different sounds. This way you could make drawings and music at the same time.
1. I am really interested in the freezing of time to explore motion. I would like to create a device that snaps a picture when triggered by a laser. You could approach the device and make a motion in front of it to be snapped a the blink of an eye.
2. My other idea is to work with multimedia by combining sound with another form of art such as drawing. This would work through the use of a laser that detects changes in texture or color that would result in different sounds. This way you could make drawings and music at the same time.
Final Project Brainstorm
I do not yet have a clear project in my mind, but I'd like to investigate private vs. public spaces. Using motion sensors or touch sensors, I could record my movements in public or on the street. Everyday we are exposed to hundreds of people - I'm wondering how much personal space is at stake in crowded situations. What is the tolerance for each individual? How much bumping, grazing goes on? What is the environment in these particular situations?
There's an artist named Lilly McElroy that made a video called "Square", in which she draws a square on a city block in New York about 5 x 5 ft. Whenever someone approaches the limits of the square, she uses her body to block them out of the way. The participants' reactions are interesting. It would be useful to document a project like this with video or photography, which I would also include in the showing of the piece.
There's an artist named Lilly McElroy that made a video called "Square", in which she draws a square on a city block in New York about 5 x 5 ft. Whenever someone approaches the limits of the square, she uses her body to block them out of the way. The participants' reactions are interesting. It would be useful to document a project like this with video or photography, which I would also include in the showing of the piece.
final idea
I'm not quite sure how my concept is going to evolve but at the moment I'm thinking of making a commentary on surveillance. Public and private surveillance have gotten pretty intense in the last few years and some people are still remaining or attempting to stay oblivious to it. It's almost like they don't want to accept or acknowledge the level of surveillance now.
Anyway, what I was thinking of doing is making a small vehicle/robot that would follow a single individual and log their gps location along with make noises and blink lights and stuff to make sure that individual knows they're being followed by this thing. I don't know about this though, there have been so many prior iterations of stuff like this, so... who knows.
Something else I am interested in is using sensors to activate an otherwise boring space often unused by people.
I'll update once I've solidified a concept.
Or lasers....
Anyway, what I was thinking of doing is making a small vehicle/robot that would follow a single individual and log their gps location along with make noises and blink lights and stuff to make sure that individual knows they're being followed by this thing. I don't know about this though, there have been so many prior iterations of stuff like this, so... who knows.
Something else I am interested in is using sensors to activate an otherwise boring space often unused by people.
I'll update once I've solidified a concept.
Or lasers....
Seeing Sounds
OK, so...
Yeah, that's the best way I can think to sum up my current idea for the final... I'm tryna create some sort of device that links sounds and colors.
I was thinking there would be some sort of microphone sensor that would detect voices, and be able to differentiate between high and low pitches. I want to somehow (probably need to use processing for this...) make it so that different pitches correlate to different colors-- like maybe high to medium pitches return red, orange, and yellow/yellow-green, and medium pitches to low pitches return green, blue, and violet tones.
These colors would be displayed on an onscreen blank white "canvas". Wherever the mouse is on the screen when a person speaks into the device, a color relating to the pitch of their voice would be placed (5 pt. circle brush or something like that) on the mouse's position. So if you spoke into it while moving the mouse, you could create lines or shapes of color. You would be able to create entire paintings based off of sound--your voice.
The only thing is how to keep it from picking up stray sounds in the surrounding environment. Maybe it belongs in a quiet, solitary place where only one person at a time can use it. Also, it would probably take a long time but I don't just want there to be six colors returned, I want it to slowly transition between all of them, so we get a wide range of colors to match the wide range of sounds--so instead of just red, blue, yellow, etc. there's hundreds of in between tones like magenta, turquoise, indigo, midnight blue, etc. It's... gonna be hard.
Yeah, that's the best way I can think to sum up my current idea for the final... I'm tryna create some sort of device that links sounds and colors.
I was thinking there would be some sort of microphone sensor that would detect voices, and be able to differentiate between high and low pitches. I want to somehow (probably need to use processing for this...) make it so that different pitches correlate to different colors-- like maybe high to medium pitches return red, orange, and yellow/yellow-green, and medium pitches to low pitches return green, blue, and violet tones.
These colors would be displayed on an onscreen blank white "canvas". Wherever the mouse is on the screen when a person speaks into the device, a color relating to the pitch of their voice would be placed (5 pt. circle brush or something like that) on the mouse's position. So if you spoke into it while moving the mouse, you could create lines or shapes of color. You would be able to create entire paintings based off of sound--your voice.
The only thing is how to keep it from picking up stray sounds in the surrounding environment. Maybe it belongs in a quiet, solitary place where only one person at a time can use it. Also, it would probably take a long time but I don't just want there to be six colors returned, I want it to slowly transition between all of them, so we get a wide range of colors to match the wide range of sounds--so instead of just red, blue, yellow, etc. there's hundreds of in between tones like magenta, turquoise, indigo, midnight blue, etc. It's... gonna be hard.
Final Project Ideas
This past weekend I spent my time observing people and the actions that they did to change the environment around them. Two of the most interesting things that I found were the acts of pulling and zippering. The pulling motion comes into play when I see people pulling a cord to open/close a curtain or a blind, or pulling a door shut/open, or physically pulling/dragging something across the floor. It is a forceful movement at times, or may be as gentle as a slight tug, taking a more leading role than the act of pushing. Pulling is also used as an exercise technique, for when you are forced to pull up a heavy object in repetition, it stresses the muscles and causes new muscle growth. Pulling can also cause a change in the person themselves, such as pulling one's self up a cliff, or up a ladder. Pulling uses the arms, one or two, depending on the force needed or the awkwardness of the pull system. Is it a simple pulling of the metal cord that closes a blind? Is it a more advanced pulling of ropes to change the direction of a sail? Or is it the complex pulling of heavy weights (like in a gym, pulling bars with the weight in the back like a lever system). Zippering factors into this because the act of zippering is also a pulling motion - you pull the "slider" up and down to join or separate the teeth on either side. This type of pulling, instead of just moving something up or down, also creates a strong attachment between two things that were otherwise separate.
Dictionary definition of "pull:"
v., pulled, pull·ing, pulls.
v.tr.
To apply force to so as to cause or tend to cause motion toward the source of the force.
To remove from a fixed position; extract: The dentist pulled the tooth.
To tug at; jerk or tweak.
To rip or tear; rend.
To stretch (taffy, for example) repeatedly.
To strain (a muscle, for example) injuriously.
Informal. To attract; draw: a performer who pulls large crowds.
Slang. To draw out (a weapon) in readiness for use: pull a gun; pulled a knife on me.
Informal. To remove: pulled the engine; pulled the tainted meat product from the stores.
There are no actual pull sensors, but I feel that in most applications of a pulley-system, a pressure sensor could be placed at the "top" of the pulley, where the system loops back
Mike Amato: "I feel like I'm working towards getting something open or activating it."
This got me thinking - you're right Mr. Amato. This action is always performed with a particular goal in mind - to open the blinds, to close the jacket, to have the weights suspended in the air. How does this deal with why we do things? We do things for a purpose, to reach an attainable goal. We assume that there is something we are reaching towards. But what happens when we never reach that goal, or, if there is no goal to reach, just the illusion of an endlessly rising tone.
Zipper-Related Projects/Tutorials
http://www.jooyounpaek.com/ziporch.html
http://itp.nyu.edu/physcomp/sensors/Reports/ZipperSensor
Dictionary definition of "pull:"
v., pulled, pull·ing, pulls.
v.tr.
To apply force to so as to cause or tend to cause motion toward the source of the force.
To remove from a fixed position; extract: The dentist pulled the tooth.
To tug at; jerk or tweak.
To rip or tear; rend.
To stretch (taffy, for example) repeatedly.
To strain (a muscle, for example) injuriously.
Informal. To attract; draw: a performer who pulls large crowds.
Slang. To draw out (a weapon) in readiness for use: pull a gun; pulled a knife on me.
Informal. To remove: pulled the engine; pulled the tainted meat product from the stores.
There are no actual pull sensors, but I feel that in most applications of a pulley-system, a pressure sensor could be placed at the "top" of the pulley, where the system loops back
Mike Amato: "I feel like I'm working towards getting something open or activating it."
This got me thinking - you're right Mr. Amato. This action is always performed with a particular goal in mind - to open the blinds, to close the jacket, to have the weights suspended in the air. How does this deal with why we do things? We do things for a purpose, to reach an attainable goal. We assume that there is something we are reaching towards. But what happens when we never reach that goal, or, if there is no goal to reach, just the illusion of an endlessly rising tone.
Zipper-Related Projects/Tutorials
http://www.jooyounpaek.com/ziporch.html
http://itp.nyu.edu/physcomp/sensors/Reports/ZipperSensor
Thinking bout my Final
There are several spots on campus that echo, they echo like crazy. If you leave FAC and walk towards FAD and clap intermittently, you're gonna get some pretty varied AND awesome results. Same goes for the architecture building, some great clap-echos occur in there.
What I really want to make is something that capitalizes on these spaces. Maybe a proximity sensor, or ultrasonic sensor that can see when people pass and then activates a series of solenoids that clap and emit echos.
I'm thinking about that hallway in between FAC and FAB, go there and clap. If when you entered a wave of solenoids went off it would be ALMOST like echolocation, you'd know you where out when the clapping didn't reverberate so intensely. It might also make you stop, and try clapping yourself.
In this case I may have a sensor that will pick up the clap and clap back.
Something with this intense reverberation, there is something in that hallways I want to capitalize on.
Inspiration
Here are some links that may help you guys brainstorm for the final:
Light and Sensor Painting
Sound Installation
Art Installation: Muholland Drive
Light Painting Toy
Light and Sensor Painting
Sound Installation
Art Installation: Muholland Drive
Light Painting Toy
Final Project?
I still feel I haven't reached a concept yet for my final. I've been looking around at the projects from the website, and things I've found through those channels, but nothing has really peaked my interest as of yet, other than maybe one or two things that would pretty much be impossible to do within my skill level and time frame. One thing I do know though, is that my project will probably be something commenting on itself, the concept of sensors, or of human nature toward such machines. To give you an idea of how my mind operates in terms of art, I usually hate most all art that has a big social message. I was sort of surprised by the group project of how the humor of the project sort of got stripped away along the way, and in the end became kind of serious. I was a bit taken aback by that, because normally the projects I do are pretty nonsensical, or self-commentating or deprecating. But as for what it is yet? I'm not sure. Perhaps something involving sound and our reactions to it. Like misplacing sounds with different kinds of objects or signs to confuse... no, that's dumb. I've got some pondering to do...
Final Project Idea
My idea for the final project is still pretty basic at this point. I would like to comment on how reliant on computers people have become. It can be a good thing, having infinite information at your fingertips, but it can also be negative when you count of your computer to do everything for you. The new search engine "Bing" boasts that it'll make decisions for you and their tag line really affected me. I was thinking for the project that I would like to make some sort of fortune teller run by an arduino. I've found a few tutorials on making one but I would customize it. The tutorials tend to make it a stand alone entity. I would like to have mine somehow incorporated with the computer. Possibly a button on the keyboard could trigger a decision to come up on a little LCD screen located at the bottom of your monitor. At it's core it's a glorified 8 ball giving you generic instructions to keep you on track during the day. For example you could hit the button and it would say "Get off Facebook and get back to work" or "You should stay in tonight and work on your project." All of the instructions it'd give you are things that you can figure out on your own pointing out the fact that we don't need to rely on our computers for everything.
Again this is just a first idea but I'd like to continue developing it.
Again this is just a first idea but I'd like to continue developing it.
Final Project Ideas
So, I'm not really sure what direction I want to take in this project. I think I want to work with either voice/sound sensors or touch sensors, but I'm not sure exactly where I want to go conceptually yet. I like the idea of a digital input causing an analog output. I was thinking of using a very basic hands on material such as fabric being manipulated or unravelled as someone either spoke or manipulated something by touch - possibly even a keypad. Idk. I'm still playing with ideas in my head, so I definitely need to put more thought into it.
I was thinking about the idea of technology and privacy, and how that is greatly compromised in today's world. If I can somehow combine an interactive digital experience to manipulate and unravel a fabric such as clothing or boundaries to a private space, that might be something I'd be interested in pursuing. I'm just not sure how I want to combine them yet.
artist ideas: Janine Antoni
I was thinking about the idea of technology and privacy, and how that is greatly compromised in today's world. If I can somehow combine an interactive digital experience to manipulate and unravel a fabric such as clothing or boundaries to a private space, that might be something I'd be interested in pursuing. I'm just not sure how I want to combine them yet.
artist ideas: Janine Antoni
scavenge laptop circuit board
An old Toshiba laptop. used a basic touch pad Sensor, 3½-inch 1MB floppy disk drive
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Braindrizzle
So for the final project I was hit with the idea to use a tv or lcd screen of some sort. I can't say what set it off for sure, but I wanted it to be a project where someone sat down in a big Archie Bunker-like chair, and as soon as they did the tv would turn off. The tv would already be on, no remote in site, and when they sat down it would turn off. If they got up, it would turn back on again. There would be nothing but white noise on the screen.
I wouldn't put a remote there, because I don't want people concentrating on the remote. i don't want them to think they have to fix the tv or figure out the right button to push on the remote. That's not what this is about. I want it to be about relaxation. Your mind can't really relax while you are watching television, however once you turn the tv off you mind can naturally relax. So by doing this project, if the person sits down (relaxes) then the tv can't be on.If the person stands up however (opposite of relaxation) then the tv is back on. So...yeah I figure that's the direction I'm going with this.
I saw a bunch of tutorials about how to wire the arduino with lcds and whatnot and Katerie said it's possible to wire one to a tv if I'm not trying to make the tv functional, so I'll keep researching that. also I know I need those force sensors Don's group has so I'll prob ably buy those to experiment with and see what I need to do.
What I need to do:
Get cheap tv set/lcd screen (whichever can work)
Get force sensors
Figure out how the arduino connects these two
Get chair OR make a material patch that matches one of the chairs already upstairs and sew it on, OR make a cushion for one of the chairs and tie it on to them. So I have an ideal plan, a back up plan, and a back up plan for the back up plan. Now more research just needs to be done. ^^
I wouldn't put a remote there, because I don't want people concentrating on the remote. i don't want them to think they have to fix the tv or figure out the right button to push on the remote. That's not what this is about. I want it to be about relaxation. Your mind can't really relax while you are watching television, however once you turn the tv off you mind can naturally relax. So by doing this project, if the person sits down (relaxes) then the tv can't be on.If the person stands up however (opposite of relaxation) then the tv is back on. So...yeah I figure that's the direction I'm going with this.
I saw a bunch of tutorials about how to wire the arduino with lcds and whatnot and Katerie said it's possible to wire one to a tv if I'm not trying to make the tv functional, so I'll keep researching that. also I know I need those force sensors Don's group has so I'll prob ably buy those to experiment with and see what I need to do.
What I need to do:
Get cheap tv set/lcd screen (whichever can work)
Get force sensors
Figure out how the arduino connects these two
Get chair OR make a material patch that matches one of the chairs already upstairs and sew it on, OR make a cushion for one of the chairs and tie it on to them. So I have an ideal plan, a back up plan, and a back up plan for the back up plan. Now more research just needs to be done. ^^
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Circuit Board Scavenger Hunt (totally not late) and DOET thing I missed
While I thought I uploaded this a long long ago, it turns out I didn't. So, here it is, at long last. It's beautiful! It's fantastic! Actually, it's my old phone, which was a piece of junk when it was working, and now it's a piece of scrap that it'd dead. I was able to label some of the parts just from having some knowledge about computer parts, like the microprocessor and the ROM, but I did a little research about how exactly a phone works and the more specific parts, like the digital/analog chips and how the sound processes through the machine. While I'm still convinced that most of these digital machines run primarily on magic, looking inside the phone and reading about it gave me a bit of a better understanding of how it functions.
Alright, now to do the DOET I missed about the functionality of a public place. Just to be original and a contrarian, I'll talk about the movie theatre I work at in Naples. Working 40-hour weeks over two summers, I know every nook and cranny of that place.
How does the layout of the space work?
You walk into a gigantic lobby to start off, which is pretty inviting, which basically leads you right to the sizable concession stand. The thing's impossible to miss, so any enticement to buy delicious (and overpriced) snack treats is going to hit you immediately, since you're staring at it as soon as you walk in. The theatre is bisected into two parts, one side having the first ten screens, the other having the other ten. Above each section is each screen, the film playing and the time, all in grabbing LED lights, so one who forgets where they're going can easily look at the screens and figure out what side and what screen their movie's at. Down the hallways, the same screens are used above each theater door, so if you recognized your specific title out in the lobby, it'll look exactly the same when you get to your theater.
How does the layout of the space not work?
On busy nights, the lobby can end up getting congested, even though it's quite huge. Partitions are put out for the line for concession, which is good crowd control, but sometimes people ignore it and go up to the stand anyway. Speaking of concession, the menu and prices of the foodstuffs alternates between gigantic ads for the food and drinks that show up every now and then. Only problem is when that happens, the menu's gone, and if you want a price of something, you'll have to wait for it to snap back to the menu screen. Also, down the left and right hallways, the doors have their theater numbers to the side of them, which at some angles are obscured. It might be more convenient if they were put next to the display above them like they are in the lobby, to add to the consistency.
What parts of the space work from a design point, but not for humans?
The two sides of the theater are mirrored, which probably made things a lot easier construction-wise. It was like building two theaters back-to-back with each other. Another design quirk is that from the hallways, it's not so easy to determine which theaters are the largest. The largest ones have double doors, and are toward the beginning of the hall, but from there on, it's not as discernible. People seem to get that the one toward the very back is the smallest, but it actually has the same size screen as some of the other smaller theaters, and the fact that there are less seats puts you closer to the screen, which makes it better, I think.
The types of errors people made with our piece:
I guess the only real problem we had was that some people didn't put their arm directly on the sensors, which is crucial. In an actual setting, this could be easily remedied by the stamper silently pushing the participant's arm up a bit, which makes sense with the environment, like you're being positioned by the doctor in a test he's conducting.
proudest moment with technology
Well, it looks like i never posted on my proudest moment with technology wayyyy back from the beginning of the semester, so here it goes...
i had already mentioned this in another post, but certainly my proudest moment with technology was the first time my self taught/ self designed steam engine worked. I had spent several weeks researching and designing this machine, and I literally had dozens of people tell me that it wouldn't work and that I should quit, or that it was a silly idea-but i kept working... In the end I realized that I had basically designed every part of the machine myself as no one really understood enough about such a old technology to even offer me advice. To be honest i had pretty much given in to the fact that this steam engine that I was building would never actually work, but for some reason I kept on working at it. Then, as if by a miracle, the thing started!
here is a link to a youtube video I made of my little machine.
http://www.youtube.com/user/dh4us#p/a/u/1/rk8rTqhvIR0
Thursday, October 22, 2009
MAPSSS
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Monday Morning Map
Target Copy
The layout is apparent at the enterance, Space for traffic in oppisite directions, Tables are placed throughout the space, Copy area is in rear of store, lines at registers can be in traffic area without blocking passage to most areas
Work Similar To Group Project One: Wearable Voice Detection
A wearable sound-to-light display
http://www.instructables.com/id/A-wearable-sound-to-light-display-without-a-micro/?ALLSTEPS&ref=flash
http://jason.cloudforest.us/category/art/
Discreet/Attachable Sensor Hardware
makezine.com/archive/2008/11/new_soft_circuit_kits_in.html
http://www.instructables.com/id/A-wearable-sound-to-light-display-without-a-micro/?ALLSTEPS&ref=flash
Wearable Arduino Lilypad
Produces Sound
http://jason.cloudforest.us/category/art/
Discreet/Attachable Sensor Hardware
makezine.com/archive/2008/11/new_soft_circuit_kits_in.html
process
This is the concept design behind getting the single sensor to recognize being pressed from any area on the board. We decided to place it in the center of the bottom board and surround it with foam. Then we place a softer board with a center peg/focus piece that is placed directly over the sensor so that when any part of the softer upper board is pressed, it sends the pressure down to that center focus over the sensor. On top of that layer is some more foam and the satin material.
Just as a side note, we did change our piece slightly both conceptually and design wise, but both being in a very simialar direction. The new idea takes the old concept of touch and transforms it to create a new interaction with art. We used the idea of a painting because it kind of sympolizes the idea of fine art in general. The project wasn't supposed to be just this single idea of reacting with a painting. We tried to play off the taboo of "no touch" when it comes to art, by doing exactly the opposite, creating a piece that only responded to touch.
The noises that we decided to use were slightly sexual, and the satin red color only enhanced that. We discussed this and did that intentionally. We wanted to the painting to be seductive. We felt that we needed a way to draw people in so we used a seductive material. We also wanted the response of the art to be slightly seductive because the idea of touch just for the sake of touch is a very physical and seductive concept to begin with. It all just fell in line with the interaction that we were trying to accomplish. Not only that, but if we wanted to play off and do the complete opposite of the "no touch" taboo that art upholds, we figured we'd do the exact opposite and make it in that seductive nature.
Anyways, thats just some of our thoughts when creating the piece. Here is a sketch of the frame design that I was originally talking about in the post. Sorry it's sideways. :(
Process
The code below didn't originally work when I placed my sensor code into it. Nothing did, I couldn't figure out why. I tested and experimented everything I could find. I realized after doing a processing/arduino communication text the way the serial port reads information being sent to it. I thought to check at that point if if was reading the wav files on the sd card the same way I saved them to the disk. It didn't. That was the problem all along. This is what I used for the final code. It's a little more complicated than it needs to be in some parts. I could now simplify it down, but this is what was used for the final project and it works fine.
#include
#include
#include "util.h"
#include "wave.h"
AF_Wave card;
File f;
Wavefile wave; // only one!
#define playcomplete(x) ROM_playcomplete(PSTR(x)) // save RAM by using program memory strings
#define servo 7
#define redled 9
#define eyeleds 18
#define mouthleds 17
#define midmouthleds 16
#define outermouthleds 19
void setup() {
Serial.begin(9600); // set up Serial library at 9600 bps
Serial.println("Wave test!");
pinMode(2, OUTPUT);
pinMode(3, OUTPUT);
pinMode(4, OUTPUT);
pinMode(5, OUTPUT);
pinMode(redled, OUTPUT);
pinMode(servo, OUTPUT);
pinMode(eyeleds, OUTPUT);
pinMode(outermouthleds, OUTPUT);
pinMode(midmouthleds, OUTPUT);
pinMode(mouthleds, OUTPUT);
randomSeed(analogRead(0));
if (!card.init_card()) {
putstring_nl("Card init. failed!"); return;
}
if (!card.open_partition()) {
putstring_nl("No partition!"); return;
}
if (!card.open_filesys()) {
putstring_nl("Couldn't open filesys"); return;
}
if (!card.open_rootdir()) {
putstring_nl("Couldn't open dir"); return;
}
putstring_nl("Files found:");
ls();
}
void ls() {
char name[13];
int ret;
card.reset_dir();
putstring_nl("Files found:");
while (1) {
ret = card.get_next_name_in_dir(name);
if (!ret) {
card.reset_dir();
return;
}
Serial.println(name);
}
}
void pulseServo(uint8_t servopin, uint16_t p) {
digitalWrite(servopin, HIGH);
delayMicroseconds(600);
while (p--) {
delayMicroseconds(4);
}
digitalWrite(servopin, LOW);
delay(18);
}
uint8_t pumpkinstate = 0;
void loop() {
int distsensor, i;
long time;
/*
for (i=0; i<50; i++) {
pulseServo(servo,0);
}
for (i=0; i<50; i++) {
pulseServo(servo,400);
}
return;
*/
distsensor = 0;
for (i=0; i<8; i++) {
distsensor += analogRead(0);
delay(50);
}
distsensor /= 4;
putstring("Sensor = "); Serial.println(distsensor);
if (distsensor > 30 && distsensor <=150) {
playcomplete("SARAH1.WAV");
} else if(distsensor > 150 && distsensor <=250)
{
playcomplete("SARAH2.WAV");
}else if(distsensor > 250&& distsensor <= 400){
playcomplete("SARAH3.WAV");
}else if(distsensor > 400 && distsensor <=650){
playcomplete("SARAH4.WAV");
}else if(distsensor > 650 && distsensor <=900){
playcomplete("SARAH5.WAV");
}else if(distsensor >900 && distsensor <=1250){
playcomplete("SARAH6.WAV");
}else {
Serial.println("no signal");
}}
void ROM_playcomplete(const char *romname) {
char name[13], i;
uint8_t volume;
int v2;
for (i=0; i<13; i++) {
name[i] = pgm_read_byte(&romname[i]);
}
name[12] = 0;
Serial.println(name);
playfile(name);
while (wave.isplaying) {
delay(5);
}
card.close_file(f);
}
void playfile(char *name) {
f = card.open_file(name);
if (!f) {
putstring_nl(" Couldn't open file"); return;
}
if (!wave.create(f)) {
putstring_nl(" Not a valid WAV"); return;
}
// ok time to play!
wave.play();
}
#include
#include
#include "util.h"
#include "wave.h"
AF_Wave card;
File f;
Wavefile wave; // only one!
#define playcomplete(x) ROM_playcomplete(PSTR(x)) // save RAM by using program memory strings
#define servo 7
#define redled 9
#define eyeleds 18
#define mouthleds 17
#define midmouthleds 16
#define outermouthleds 19
void setup() {
Serial.begin(9600); // set up Serial library at 9600 bps
Serial.println("Wave test!");
pinMode(2, OUTPUT);
pinMode(3, OUTPUT);
pinMode(4, OUTPUT);
pinMode(5, OUTPUT);
pinMode(redled, OUTPUT);
pinMode(servo, OUTPUT);
pinMode(eyeleds, OUTPUT);
pinMode(outermouthleds, OUTPUT);
pinMode(midmouthleds, OUTPUT);
pinMode(mouthleds, OUTPUT);
randomSeed(analogRead(0));
if (!card.init_card()) {
putstring_nl("Card init. failed!"); return;
}
if (!card.open_partition()) {
putstring_nl("No partition!"); return;
}
if (!card.open_filesys()) {
putstring_nl("Couldn't open filesys"); return;
}
if (!card.open_rootdir()) {
putstring_nl("Couldn't open dir"); return;
}
putstring_nl("Files found:");
ls();
}
void ls() {
char name[13];
int ret;
card.reset_dir();
putstring_nl("Files found:");
while (1) {
ret = card.get_next_name_in_dir(name);
if (!ret) {
card.reset_dir();
return;
}
Serial.println(name);
}
}
void pulseServo(uint8_t servopin, uint16_t p) {
digitalWrite(servopin, HIGH);
delayMicroseconds(600);
while (p--) {
delayMicroseconds(4);
}
digitalWrite(servopin, LOW);
delay(18);
}
uint8_t pumpkinstate = 0;
void loop() {
int distsensor, i;
long time;
/*
for (i=0; i<50; i++) {
pulseServo(servo,0);
}
for (i=0; i<50; i++) {
pulseServo(servo,400);
}
return;
*/
distsensor = 0;
for (i=0; i<8; i++) {
distsensor += analogRead(0);
delay(50);
}
distsensor /= 4;
putstring("Sensor = "); Serial.println(distsensor);
if (distsensor > 30 && distsensor <=150) {
playcomplete("SARAH1.WAV");
} else if(distsensor > 150 && distsensor <=250)
{
playcomplete("SARAH2.WAV");
}else if(distsensor > 250&& distsensor <= 400){
playcomplete("SARAH3.WAV");
}else if(distsensor > 400 && distsensor <=650){
playcomplete("SARAH4.WAV");
}else if(distsensor > 650 && distsensor <=900){
playcomplete("SARAH5.WAV");
}else if(distsensor >900 && distsensor <=1250){
playcomplete("SARAH6.WAV");
}else {
Serial.println("no signal");
}}
void ROM_playcomplete(const char *romname) {
char name[13], i;
uint8_t volume;
int v2;
for (i=0; i<13; i++) {
name[i] = pgm_read_byte(&romname[i]);
}
name[12] = 0;
Serial.println(name);
playfile(name);
while (wave.isplaying) {
delay(5);
}
card.close_file(f);
}
void playfile(char *name) {
f = card.open_file(name);
if (!f) {
putstring_nl(" Couldn't open file"); return;
}
if (!wave.create(f)) {
putstring_nl(" Not a valid WAV"); return;
}
// ok time to play!
wave.play();
}
Process work
The sensor code was easy to make, playing with the wav shield code was the most difficult.
I found this site to be the most helpful: http://www.ladyada.net/make/waveshield/
It pretty much shows you how to install, use the chip, modify files, and what beginning code to get started with.
I had a lot of trouble and looked at countless amounts of code to get this part of of the code to function. I ended up using this code and modified it for my project to function with a force sensor:
#include
#include
#include "util.h"
#include "wave.h"
AF_Wave card;
File f;
Wavefile wave; // only one!
#define playcomplete(x) ROM_playcomplete(PSTR(x)) // save RAM by using program memory strings
#define servo 7
#define redled 9
#define eyeleds 18
#define mouthleds 17
#define midmouthleds 16
#define outermouthleds 19
void setup() {
Serial.begin(9600); // set up Serial library at 9600 bps
Serial.println("Wave test!");
pinMode(2, OUTPUT);
pinMode(3, OUTPUT);
pinMode(4, OUTPUT);
pinMode(5, OUTPUT);
pinMode(redled, OUTPUT);
pinMode(servo, OUTPUT);
pinMode(eyeleds, OUTPUT);
pinMode(outermouthleds, OUTPUT);
pinMode(midmouthleds, OUTPUT);
pinMode(mouthleds, OUTPUT);
randomSeed(analogRead(0));
if (!card.init_card()) {
putstring_nl("Card init. failed!"); return;
}
if (!card.open_partition()) {
putstring_nl("No partition!"); return;
}
if (!card.open_filesys()) {
putstring_nl("Couldn't open filesys"); return;
}
if (!card.open_rootdir()) {
putstring_nl("Couldn't open dir"); return;
}
putstring_nl("Files found:");
ls();
}
void ls() {
char name[13];
int ret;
card.reset_dir();
putstring_nl("Files found:");
while (1) {
ret = card.get_next_name_in_dir(name);
if (!ret) {
card.reset_dir();
return;
}
Serial.println(name);
}
}
void pulseServo(uint8_t servopin, uint16_t p) {
digitalWrite(servopin, HIGH);
delayMicroseconds(600);
while (p--) {
delayMicroseconds(4);
}
digitalWrite(servopin, LOW);
delay(18);
}
uint8_t pumpkinstate = 0;
void loop() {
int distsensor, i;
long time;
/*
for (i=0; i<50; i++) {
pulseServo(servo,0);
}
for (i=0; i<50; i++) {
pulseServo(servo,400);
}
return;
*/
distsensor = 0;
for (i=0; i<8; i++) {
distsensor += analogRead(0);
delay(50);
}
distsensor /= 4;
putstring("Sensor = "); Serial.println(distsensor);
if (distsensor > 30 && distsensor <=150) {
playcomplete("SARAH1.WAV");
} else if(distsensor > 150 && distsensor <=250)
{
playcomplete("SARAH2.WAV");
}else if(distsensor > 250&& distsensor <= 400){
playcomplete("SARAH3.WAV");
}else if(distsensor > 400 && distsensor <=650){
playcomplete("SARAH4.WAV");
}else if(distsensor > 650 && distsensor <=900){
playcomplete("SARAH5.WAV");
}else if(distsensor >900 && distsensor <=1250){
playcomplete("SARAH6.WAV");
}else {
Serial.println("no signal");
}}
void ROM_playcomplete(const char *romname) {
char name[13], i;
uint8_t volume;
int v2;
for (i=0; i<13; i++) {
name[i] = pgm_read_byte(&romname[i]);
}
name[12] = 0;
Serial.println(name);
playfile(name);
while (wave.isplaying) {
delay(5);
}
card.close_file(f);
}
void playfile(char *name) {
f = card.open_file(name);
if (!f) {
putstring_nl(" Couldn't open file"); return;
}
if (!wave.create(f)) {
putstring_nl(" Not a valid WAV"); return;
}
// ok time to play!
wave.play();
}
I found this site to be the most helpful: http://www.ladyada.net/make/waveshield/
It pretty much shows you how to install, use the chip, modify files, and what beginning code to get started with.
I had a lot of trouble and looked at countless amounts of code to get this part of of the code to function. I ended up using this code and modified it for my project to function with a force sensor:
#include
#include
#include "util.h"
#include "wave.h"
AF_Wave card;
File f;
Wavefile wave; // only one!
#define playcomplete(x) ROM_playcomplete(PSTR(x)) // save RAM by using program memory strings
#define servo 7
#define redled 9
#define eyeleds 18
#define mouthleds 17
#define midmouthleds 16
#define outermouthleds 19
void setup() {
Serial.begin(9600); // set up Serial library at 9600 bps
Serial.println("Wave test!");
pinMode(2, OUTPUT);
pinMode(3, OUTPUT);
pinMode(4, OUTPUT);
pinMode(5, OUTPUT);
pinMode(redled, OUTPUT);
pinMode(servo, OUTPUT);
pinMode(eyeleds, OUTPUT);
pinMode(outermouthleds, OUTPUT);
pinMode(midmouthleds, OUTPUT);
pinMode(mouthleds, OUTPUT);
randomSeed(analogRead(0));
if (!card.init_card()) {
putstring_nl("Card init. failed!"); return;
}
if (!card.open_partition()) {
putstring_nl("No partition!"); return;
}
if (!card.open_filesys()) {
putstring_nl("Couldn't open filesys"); return;
}
if (!card.open_rootdir()) {
putstring_nl("Couldn't open dir"); return;
}
putstring_nl("Files found:");
ls();
}
void ls() {
char name[13];
int ret;
card.reset_dir();
putstring_nl("Files found:");
while (1) {
ret = card.get_next_name_in_dir(name);
if (!ret) {
card.reset_dir();
return;
}
Serial.println(name);
}
}
void pulseServo(uint8_t servopin, uint16_t p) {
digitalWrite(servopin, HIGH);
delayMicroseconds(600);
while (p--) {
delayMicroseconds(4);
}
digitalWrite(servopin, LOW);
delay(18);
}
uint8_t pumpkinstate = 0;
void loop() {
int distsensor, i;
long time;
/*
for (i=0; i<50; i++) {
pulseServo(servo,0);
}
for (i=0; i<50; i++) {
pulseServo(servo,400);
}
return;
*/
distsensor = 0;
for (i=0; i<8; i++) {
distsensor += analogRead(0);
delay(50);
}
distsensor /= 4;
putstring("Sensor = "); Serial.println(distsensor);
if (distsensor > 30 && distsensor <=150) {
playcomplete("SARAH1.WAV");
} else if(distsensor > 150 && distsensor <=250)
{
playcomplete("SARAH2.WAV");
}else if(distsensor > 250&& distsensor <= 400){
playcomplete("SARAH3.WAV");
}else if(distsensor > 400 && distsensor <=650){
playcomplete("SARAH4.WAV");
}else if(distsensor > 650 && distsensor <=900){
playcomplete("SARAH5.WAV");
}else if(distsensor >900 && distsensor <=1250){
playcomplete("SARAH6.WAV");
}else {
Serial.println("no signal");
}}
void ROM_playcomplete(const char *romname) {
char name[13], i;
uint8_t volume;
int v2;
for (i=0; i<13; i++) {
name[i] = pgm_read_byte(&romname[i]);
}
name[12] = 0;
Serial.println(name);
playfile(name);
while (wave.isplaying) {
delay(5);
}
card.close_file(f);
}
void playfile(char *name) {
f = card.open_file(name);
if (!f) {
putstring_nl(" Couldn't open file"); return;
}
if (!wave.create(f)) {
putstring_nl(" Not a valid WAV"); return;
}
// ok time to play!
wave.play();
}
More Process
After some thought and experimenting, we decided that the flex sensor in the originally plan wasn't going to work. We all agreed on using force sensors instead.
This is the code I used to test the force sensors. I used a very similar code, just with different values to test the flex sensors, but they didn't read very well unless they were greatly bent, and our project design wouldn't allow that.
int forcesensor = 0;
byte val = 0;
void setup() {
Serial.begin(9600);
Serial.println("Wave test");
pinMode(0, OUTPUT);
void loop() {
val = analogRead(forcesensor);
if(val>20 && <=300) {
Serial.println("light squeeze");}
else if(val >300 && <=500){
Serial.println("medium squeeze");}
else if(val > 500) {
Serial.println("hard squeeze");}}
This is the code I used to test the force sensors. I used a very similar code, just with different values to test the flex sensors, but they didn't read very well unless they were greatly bent, and our project design wouldn't allow that.
int forcesensor = 0;
byte val = 0;
void setup() {
Serial.begin(9600);
Serial.println("Wave test");
pinMode(0, OUTPUT);
void loop() {
val = analogRead(forcesensor);
if(val>20 && <=300) {
Serial.println("light squeeze");}
else if(val >300 && <=500){
Serial.println("medium squeeze");}
else if(val > 500) {
Serial.println("hard squeeze");}}
posting process work
Well, here was the first concept for the project originally that I have some old process work for:
For our project, we want to look into the idea of human dependency on technology. In today's world, technology, especially computers have become so integral into the functionality of our everyday lives. Specifically, for this project, we want to
look at the interaction between humans and technology and how it has in a large part has affected us on a social level. We were interested in the idea of technology acting as a human companion and replacing that emotional and social desire for interaction
One of the most intimate human to human physical actions is touch. We are interested in exploring this idea of touch and want to create
a computer that responds to human touch. Were going to make an interactive piece that enables the viewer to engage with a computer in an unusual way.
Instead of a keypad there with be a surface resembles the technology, but will be much more organic/soft to the touch. The viewer will be able to interact
with this surface by pressing down, petting, stroking, massaging etc. and the computer will react either positively or negatively to this interaction.
The type of sensor we plan on using is a flex sensor, or some sort of pressure sensor that will be activated by the pressing down of the viewer. This sensor
will be hooked up to an arduino. We also plan on having the interaction to cause the computer to produce sound of some sort, either positive or negative
depending on the pressure applied. This sound will be produced by a wav kit that will be attached to the arduino. Meanwhile, were still debating on what
will be displayed on the screen, possibly flashes of color to display mood and emotion.
Process
So here are some images from our process
This is our original sketch for the project, the earliest phase of ideation, when we first started to play with the idea of making a "painting" that responds to touch. 
This is the tentative build diagram that we used as the original design, and which we modeled the early prototypes after. Originally we were going to try and use flex sensors, but after testing a few flex sensors we realized that they would not be sensitive enough for our needs. We then switched to using Force sensors, frantically over-nighting them from spark fun. We still stuck to this basic design, except we had to reduce the number of sensors and size of the final piece. 
This is our earliest functional prototype. The force sensor was placed in the middle of this ply-wood backing, the wires for the sensor were pulled through a tiny hole, were it was then connected to an arduino. This prototype was basically just to see if we would be able to make the force sensor pick up touch. 
Here is another image of the various materials we used in the early prototype. we tried foam core, blue foam, synthetic wool cloth, styrofoam, wood, and satin cloth. We tried various materials until we got the right amount of sensitivity in the Force sensor as well as the right feel for the user. We eventually settled on a hard wood back, two layers of wool, foam core, another layer of wool, and then the satin.
Here is a image of the back of the final piece. You can see the hard wood backing, the hole with the red and black wires going through to the sensor, the two speakers, and the shelf for arduino and the 9v. battery pack.That said, i will admit one problem with the piece, it just isn't as sensitive as we would have liked. We wanted the piece to respond to the lightest, most delicate touch, but we were not able to achieve such great sensitivity. This is a problem i feel that we could fix if given a little more time to work with the actual piece.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
The Arcade.
Ok, here's my map. Don't laugh...
It's a map of the Reitz Arcade. See, the entrance to Taco Bell is to the south. The little circles are the people who were in there, which wasn't a whole lot since it was the middle of the day on Monday...
The layout works for the most part in the arcade. There are seats in front of most machines, so I'm pretty sure most people know they're supposed to play them. And the main checkout counter for bowling/pool is pretty huge so it's one of the first things you see when you walk in. The only odd part is that foosball table in the middle. It's like in the direct center of the walkway, and people always have to go around it instead of being able to make a straight shot from the entrance to Taco Bell and vice versa. It's not a huge deal, it's just... a weird place for a foosball table. If someone were to have crutches/a wheelchair, it actually might be tough to get around that table... it is sorta close to the DDR/Initial D machines. I dunno why that thing is so out of place. It should probably go up against a wall or something. It's probably really hard to navigate around when it's crowded on weekends.
There was only one error I noticed, someone wasn't certain which part of the display they had to touch--they touched the cubes on the shelf instead of the sensor. I guess we could've had a label that said "Place arm here" in case the plexiglass arm was confusing, but that seems over the top. I don't think it's much of a problem.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Map of the Yulee Area Office
I decided to do the Yulee Area Office so I could have more time to work on the map and I also felt there were alot of interesting interactions there. The office is separated almost in two. The upper portion is where students normally interact. They come up to the desk to ask for packages, change, refunds, or anything that has to do with the dormitory area. They use the weird computer against the wall, go to the snack and soda machine, as well as interact with the change machine and the Gator 1 machine. there is also a couch near one of the walls where students will sit to watch the tv or a chair near one of the exits where they will sit to make a phonecall.
Staff however, usually only interact with the snack and soda machine on the other side of the room. Most of their paths take them to the back area. There are two rooms which hold the area government and the graduate hall director. While some students come back there, resident assistants and desk assistants are the main ones who hang around there. The staff go behind the desk creating this huge area of paths going from one side of the room tot he other. There's drawers of papers, a printer, two computers, chairs, a tv, construction paper, and many other things to interact with.
The staff side is alot more organized than the student side. While the student side isn't too bad, there are two bothersome features which cause errors constantly. One is the second door on the left. You must scan your card to get into the office. there are two scanners; one by each door on the outside. You can only enter through the door on the right however. The door on the left can only be used to exit; a frustrating fact you usually have to find out the hard way. why is a scanner there, indicating you can get in? why is there a handle on the outside indicating that you can get in?
Another issue is the computer made available for the students who come into the office. It is set up so that it is safe from vandalism, so that it's in this big metal cage that makes it look really ugly. The keyboard is shut inside this metal contraption so that upon coming up to it, an unknowing person wouldn't know what to do. Once you figure out to pull out the keyboard you have to type in a password and username which isn't posted near the computer. This just leaves people in a mass of confusion of they can't find the password (which they never can). And in that case the computer is useless.
As for the set up of the back side of the office I found that alot of slip errors occurred due to the set up of the cabinets. There are three cabinets in the back which represent the three dorms int he area. the packages are placed in each cabinet accordingly, and inside each cabinet there are shelves which separate the dorms by floor. This is a good system however the cabinets are right by each other and often the desk assistants end up putting a package for Reid second floor in Mallory second floor, or much worse.
Mapping Library West
I choose to map the entrance of Library West to examine the relationship between our main library and a corporate food vendor. I was really interested in the amount of traffic that goes in there just for coffee or I wonder how many people get caffeinated before they study. After watching for a while, I noticed- 75% of people look over at starbucks while they walk by but only about 25% look left at the study area.
- 25% of traffic goes into starbucks from the front door
- Starbucks has a certain gravity to it. As people pass by they are sucked closer to the door and if you walk too slow, you are sure to be sucked in.
- The line reached over 20 people long and disrupted people moving upstairs. Selling 2 $4 drinks a minute adds up $500 an hour that the place takes in.
- I found it interesting that once you get a coffee, you are not really allowed to go into the library at all.
- I also noticed that the store logo was placed in an awkward position and no one really looked at it.
Public Space
I sat at the Plaza of Americas. This area has a lot of foot traffic. The number of paths work well distributing people evenly within the space, except when classes let out and there is an influx of people. The sidewalks are too narrow to fit both pedestrians and bikers. This could be fixed by expanding the paths to include a bike lane. 
Our project was pretty successful last week. At times, the sound was inaudible - this could be fixed by adding a small amplifier.
Plaza of the Americas>Krishna Lunch
Krishna lunch is an interesting mini-current within the larger mess of the Plaza of the Americas.
People are constantly moving through the plaza, bikes and pedestrians. Pedestrians seem to stick to the side-walks but bikes move freely, the side-walks are a little narrow and make cycling next to people a little too close for comfort.
All movers are skirting around trees and people sitting in the plaza, mostly trying to stay in the sun.
Flow of traffic in the plaza is predictable with elements of chaos, but there's enough space to accommodate. WITHIN the plaza in its own traffic microcosm is Krishna Lunch, which creates its own system and flow that capitalizes on the one that already exists in the plaza.
Located between the bike-path and the sidewalk, the food line form. You pay money, get your plate and get your plate filled in increments.
By the time the line ends, your at a nexus of two sidewalks and you make a U-turn to get your drink, this also sends you by the napkins, salt, forks etc. All very organic.
To cut down on lines there is an additional food serving spot for refills. The lines all flow naturally with the existing traffic in the plaza.
Our project suffered because our method of connecting the sensor to the neck was ineffective, and the LED display looked like it was measuring rather than reminding. I think the only way to solve the neck connection problem would be a different sensor.
But the LEDs just needed to be a softer color, and maybe pulsed uniformly.
People are constantly moving through the plaza, bikes and pedestrians. Pedestrians seem to stick to the side-walks but bikes move freely, the side-walks are a little narrow and make cycling next to people a little too close for comfort.All movers are skirting around trees and people sitting in the plaza, mostly trying to stay in the sun.
Flow of traffic in the plaza is predictable with elements of chaos, but there's enough space to accommodate. WITHIN the plaza in its own traffic microcosm is Krishna Lunch, which creates its own system and flow that capitalizes on the one that already exists in the plaza.
Located between the bike-path and the sidewalk, the food line form. You pay money, get your plate and get your plate filled in increments.
By the time the line ends, your at a nexus of two sidewalks and you make a U-turn to get your drink, this also sends you by the napkins, salt, forks etc. All very organic.
To cut down on lines there is an additional food serving spot for refills. The lines all flow naturally with the existing traffic in the plaza.
Our project suffered because our method of connecting the sensor to the neck was ineffective, and the LED display looked like it was measuring rather than reminding. I think the only way to solve the neck connection problem would be a different sensor.
But the LEDs just needed to be a softer color, and maybe pulsed uniformly.
Public Space + DOET 5
Public Space
The space that I chose to explore was the ChickFilA/Quiznos area of the Hub. I chose a restaurant because I though there was a high degree of interaction in these kinds of spaces, and also because this specific area has a really nice design.
How does the layout of the space work? This space has two entrance points, one on either end of the structure, making it easier to move around so as not to create a buildup of people. On one end there are two door, leading to the outside of the building. The both open inwards, so the use of either door would be the same (both push for in, pull for out), even though the flow of traffic inwards usually comes through the right door. The other end of the space is just an open walkway to the rest of the building, containing bathrooms and trash cans. Although there are two restaurants in this space, they are very clearly delineated and the waiting line for each is separate, made up of ropes like you would see in the long waiting lines at a theme park. The flow of human traffic is clearly visible between the restaurants and the seating area. The seating area is comprised of 3 different types: booth seating, round table seating, and bar seating, so depending on the size of your party or the duration of your stay, there is a perfect seat for you. In the same way, there is much more seating available to you in other parts of the building/right outside the building.
How does the layout of the space not work? Although many things are working with this space, there are things that definitely inhibit activity within it. Although the space is roomy enough while people are in class, the place is flooded with people who get out of class during the lunch hour. Even with the clearly defined lines, a concentration of people grows up near the cash registers and at the beginning of the marked lines. Especially concentrated is the area of the condiments, located between two poles, between the two restaurants. I'm guessing that the poles/columns are there for structural integrity, but they inhibit the movement of the people within the space, especially since they are located in the space where people not only get their condiments/napkins/straws, but is also the exit area for both of the restaurants (where people get out of line after receiving their food/drink).
What parts of the space work from a design point, but not for humans? Like stated, the columns might look awesome as they taper towards the ground, but they inhibit the movement of the restaurant lines.
What sorts of things do people do in the space to compensate? One thing I saw a lot was that the line structures would still be in place, regardless of their being a line or not. So, to compensate, lots of people just skipped the line altogether or moved under the barriers up to the counters.
The types of errors people made with our piece: Not many errors were made - the structure was pretty straightforward in this digitized age and the mediated context.
DOET 5
The potentials of error in our project come from possibly not understanding the idea of dials/knobs, or not knowing to interact with the piece in the first place.
What parts of the space work from a design point, but not for humans? Like stated, the columns might look awesome as they taper towards the ground, but they inhibit the movement of the restaurant lines.
What sorts of things do people do in the space to compensate? One thing I saw a lot was that the line structures would still be in place, regardless of their being a line or not. So, to compensate, lots of people just skipped the line altogether or moved under the barriers up to the counters.
The types of errors people made with our piece: Not many errors were made - the structure was pretty straightforward in this digitized age and the mediated context.
DOET 5
What are the six different varieties of slips? Give a real life example of each (not one found in book).
The potentials of error in our project come from possibly not understanding the idea of dials/knobs, or not knowing to interact with the piece in the first place.
How do you personally memorize/retrieve information? Give examples.
I try to memorize (my poor memory aside) by repetition - I find flashcards a great way of studying. Unfortunately, most of my errors come from retrieving information I did not study well enough, for I always find myself sitting there trying to imagine the page that I remember reading a certain thing on. Not a great method.
What is the connectionist approach?
The connectionist approach is pretty much what we learned in beginning psychology - the biological connectivity of all the neurons and cells in the brain, where a certain path, or group, or connection can be one of billions upon billions, letting many different firings of activity to exist.
Explain what is meant by the expressions, wide and deep structures and shallow structures. What are the potentials for each or perhaps only one of these types of structure in your group’s project?
A narrow structure is one where there is are only a few or even only one way(s) of initiating/making decisions, but it can have many steps (depth). A shallow structure means there are less decisions, but can have many more choices(wide). With our project I would say that it is shallow and wide, because the number of ways you can turn the dials is numerous, but there is only one outcome, one decision that can be made, there are no other steps.
What activities must a person perform simultaneously when “doing” your groups’s project?
The person must be able to turn one or two dials and look at the screen to note the differences, although none of these MUST be done simultaneously.
Map
I chose to sit in Auditorium Park, that is the area of benches arranged in a circle around the gator statue next to the University Auditorium.
This space works because it's very easy to navigate through as seen in the map below.
It consists of a brick pavement oriented in a large circle with a large center piece: another circular structure with an alligator statue on top. This is a highly trafficked area because it is in a convenient location and has six separate sidewalks leading to it.
The gator center piece is very interesting to look at as you walk past and it makes the space look more appealing but it is an obstacle that people have to walk around.
The space does work for everyone. Even those with disabilities would very easily navigate through it.
Probably the biggest problem with the project was that the speakers weren't outputing the audio loud enough. Some people pressed on it and didn't hear the intended result so they gave up and walked away without having any idea what the concept was. This could easily be solved by putting some more powerful speakers on the piece or by setting it up with some sort of amplifier.
This space works because it's very easy to navigate through as seen in the map below.
It consists of a brick pavement oriented in a large circle with a large center piece: another circular structure with an alligator statue on top. This is a highly trafficked area because it is in a convenient location and has six separate sidewalks leading to it.
The gator center piece is very interesting to look at as you walk past and it makes the space look more appealing but it is an obstacle that people have to walk around.
The space does work for everyone. Even those with disabilities would very easily navigate through it.
Probably the biggest problem with the project was that the speakers weren't outputing the audio loud enough. Some people pressed on it and didn't hear the intended result so they gave up and walked away without having any idea what the concept was. This could easily be solved by putting some more powerful speakers on the piece or by setting it up with some sort of amplifier.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
DOET 5.
Capture error: When two sequences have similar beginnings, but their end goals get crossed up... Uh, this happens sometimes after I take a shower at night, I mean to put on my night clothes, but I subconsciously think it's morning and start putting on the clothes I just took off beforehand (day clothes). Weird.
Description error: When an action has much in common with others possible at the moment. Once I had a bowl of cereal before me, and the orange juice and milk were both to the side. I almost poured orange juice into my cereal...
Data-driven error: Errors that occur in automatic actions. In high school instead of turning the lock on the locker to match the combination, I might've accidentally turned it to match the number inscribed on the front of the locker door.
Associative activation errors: Errors caused by internal thoughts/associations affecting actions. I write stories alot in my free time. Sometimes when my sister or someone else is talking to me/someone else in the room, instead of writing what I originally intended to write I write what she's saying.
Loss of activation errors: Forgetting part of a sequence of acts. I know I had to go the bank and get small bills for some reason, but I couldn't remember why...
Mode Errors: Errors resulting from devices having different functions under different conditions. In the Mario & Luigi game I bought recently, the B button has different purposes. In general it's used to exit or back out of menus or cancel things (which is how it's used in most games). In a battle sequence B cotrols Luigi's actions. On occasion I get confused and try to cancel my actions, but instead I unintentionally cause Luigi to attack.
Errors might occur in the process of the audience trying to use the sensor ("How close does my arm need to be?" or "Which part of the device needs to be touched?" etc.), but other than that the room for error seems pretty narrow. It's largely a piece based on the audience's reaction, in a lot of ways.
I try to memorize things based on order/sequence. The other day I was studying dates for paintings in Art History, and I remembered them mostly by the date that came before it. Thing is, this is sort of a flawed method because the paintings are going to be in a different order on the actual test.
The connectionist approach is a theory of memory/cognition that is based on the interconnected...ness of the parts of the brain--with cells grouped together, and each cell connected to other complex groupings.
Wide and deep structures are representations for complex decision processes, such as all of the possibilities that can occur from one move in a game. The structure is wide because the array of decisions that can be made and deep because of the possibilities that could result from each decision. Shallow structures depict simple alternatives, however the diffculty comes from the vast number of them, like deciding which flavor drink to get at a restaurant. Our project would mostly be an example of a shallow structure--you pretty much realize you have to put your arm under ther sensor, from there the light and stamp are automatic.
The audience would have to put their arm under the sensor, while simultaneously awaiting the machine's response. They expect something to happen, they're just not entirely sure what. Then the light blinks and they get stamped, and their "judging" process occurs.
Description error: When an action has much in common with others possible at the moment. Once I had a bowl of cereal before me, and the orange juice and milk were both to the side. I almost poured orange juice into my cereal...
Data-driven error: Errors that occur in automatic actions. In high school instead of turning the lock on the locker to match the combination, I might've accidentally turned it to match the number inscribed on the front of the locker door.
Associative activation errors: Errors caused by internal thoughts/associations affecting actions. I write stories alot in my free time. Sometimes when my sister or someone else is talking to me/someone else in the room, instead of writing what I originally intended to write I write what she's saying.
Loss of activation errors: Forgetting part of a sequence of acts. I know I had to go the bank and get small bills for some reason, but I couldn't remember why...
Mode Errors: Errors resulting from devices having different functions under different conditions. In the Mario & Luigi game I bought recently, the B button has different purposes. In general it's used to exit or back out of menus or cancel things (which is how it's used in most games). In a battle sequence B cotrols Luigi's actions. On occasion I get confused and try to cancel my actions, but instead I unintentionally cause Luigi to attack.
Errors might occur in the process of the audience trying to use the sensor ("How close does my arm need to be?" or "Which part of the device needs to be touched?" etc.), but other than that the room for error seems pretty narrow. It's largely a piece based on the audience's reaction, in a lot of ways.
I try to memorize things based on order/sequence. The other day I was studying dates for paintings in Art History, and I remembered them mostly by the date that came before it. Thing is, this is sort of a flawed method because the paintings are going to be in a different order on the actual test.
The connectionist approach is a theory of memory/cognition that is based on the interconnected...ness of the parts of the brain--with cells grouped together, and each cell connected to other complex groupings.
Wide and deep structures are representations for complex decision processes, such as all of the possibilities that can occur from one move in a game. The structure is wide because the array of decisions that can be made and deep because of the possibilities that could result from each decision. Shallow structures depict simple alternatives, however the diffculty comes from the vast number of them, like deciding which flavor drink to get at a restaurant. Our project would mostly be an example of a shallow structure--you pretty much realize you have to put your arm under ther sensor, from there the light and stamp are automatic.
The audience would have to put their arm under the sensor, while simultaneously awaiting the machine's response. They expect something to happen, they're just not entirely sure what. Then the light blinks and they get stamped, and their "judging" process occurs.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Three Artists + Closing Project Thoughts
Racial Stereotypes Gone Cosmic
Back when the project was looking to be more humorous and also include some stereotyping (the race cards would have included some overtly racist material), I looked up a bunch of both purposely racist art from the past, and art based upon the aforementioned. These pieces by Dawolu Jabari Anderson fall under the latter, as he implants the racist caricatures of the past into old-school outlandish comic book covers. Since they're both fictional, they're a match made in heaven.
Digitizing Race
This interactive project by Lisa Nakamura depicts a Jennifer Lopez music video from multiple viewpoints that a person can flip back and forth from. The split represents a paradigmatic dichotomy: the body is that of the Latina, the woman of color, and the mind is that of a white man. This piece sort of leans on gender theory as much as racial, but I felt it was interesting from the standpoint that you could swap your racial viewpoint.
Black People Love Us!
This very... strange, hilarious site features the testimonials and tribulations of an average white couple and their many black friends. Of course they feel very modern and with-it now that they're friends with black people. The friends have their own talkbacks as well, with such gems as "Sally always says things that make me feel special, like: 'You're so cool, you're different, you're not like other Black people!'" It's all very surreal, but very amazing.
Alright, just a few final words about the race scanner project before we put this thing to bed. I was just amazed at how well the whole thing turned out (with special thanks to the super amazing laser cutter. That thing is badass). I also didn't realize until the critique just how different the project had ended up being. What started as something we were all laughing about, talking about different stupid features we could input on a scanner that would detect and discriminate race, soon became diluted of its humor into what could easily come off as a very serious project. This wasn't exactly intentional, and I'm not saying it's a bad thing. Although some of my work can be outlandishly ridiculous, I'm also a big proponent of making humor more subtle. In this case, the idea of this scanner that determines your race and then you getting stamped was incredibly funny to me, that I felt it didn't need anything else added to it. It would all be ancillary and unnecessary. But in the end, I almost feel that it became far too sterile. Well, sterile in concept. Someone brought up in critique how the idea behind it may not have been original enough of a point on the topic of race, and I agree with him to some extent. I generally hate art projects that tread on such familiar ground, because most everything that could be said or done has been. But, there are some that can break the mold and be both visually appealing and engaging, as well as slightly absurd. I feel if this were in a sterile gallery space with a stamping attendant who didn't say anything, and you were in and out of there within like ten seconds, it would be extremely effective, especially if your race was miscalculated. So I guess in summation I'd say the project came out differently than I'd thought, but I still love it, but feel it would be even better in a more controlled gallery environment. Go team go.
Back when the project was looking to be more humorous and also include some stereotyping (the race cards would have included some overtly racist material), I looked up a bunch of both purposely racist art from the past, and art based upon the aforementioned. These pieces by Dawolu Jabari Anderson fall under the latter, as he implants the racist caricatures of the past into old-school outlandish comic book covers. Since they're both fictional, they're a match made in heaven.
Digitizing Race
This interactive project by Lisa Nakamura depicts a Jennifer Lopez music video from multiple viewpoints that a person can flip back and forth from. The split represents a paradigmatic dichotomy: the body is that of the Latina, the woman of color, and the mind is that of a white man. This piece sort of leans on gender theory as much as racial, but I felt it was interesting from the standpoint that you could swap your racial viewpoint.
Black People Love Us!
This very... strange, hilarious site features the testimonials and tribulations of an average white couple and their many black friends. Of course they feel very modern and with-it now that they're friends with black people. The friends have their own talkbacks as well, with such gems as "Sally always says things that make me feel special, like: 'You're so cool, you're different, you're not like other Black people!'" It's all very surreal, but very amazing.
Alright, just a few final words about the race scanner project before we put this thing to bed. I was just amazed at how well the whole thing turned out (with special thanks to the super amazing laser cutter. That thing is badass). I also didn't realize until the critique just how different the project had ended up being. What started as something we were all laughing about, talking about different stupid features we could input on a scanner that would detect and discriminate race, soon became diluted of its humor into what could easily come off as a very serious project. This wasn't exactly intentional, and I'm not saying it's a bad thing. Although some of my work can be outlandishly ridiculous, I'm also a big proponent of making humor more subtle. In this case, the idea of this scanner that determines your race and then you getting stamped was incredibly funny to me, that I felt it didn't need anything else added to it. It would all be ancillary and unnecessary. But in the end, I almost feel that it became far too sterile. Well, sterile in concept. Someone brought up in critique how the idea behind it may not have been original enough of a point on the topic of race, and I agree with him to some extent. I generally hate art projects that tread on such familiar ground, because most everything that could be said or done has been. But, there are some that can break the mold and be both visually appealing and engaging, as well as slightly absurd. I feel if this were in a sterile gallery space with a stamping attendant who didn't say anything, and you were in and out of there within like ten seconds, it would be extremely effective, especially if your race was miscalculated. So I guess in summation I'd say the project came out differently than I'd thought, but I still love it, but feel it would be even better in a more controlled gallery environment. Go team go.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
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