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.
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