I long for fabulous schematics like this! My First Post Semester Project will be posted by the end of the week. I’ll even draw up a schematic for it.
A Practice Lecture for Interactive Installations and Performances
Part One: Introduction and Planning
Part 2: Being Realistic and Being Flexible
Edited Apr 26 to add reflection:
In working on this video I had to look at my syllabus very carefully for a subject that I could convey quickly, with visual aids and also in some sort of depth. I recently had an experience with installing work that I realized would be the perfect teaching opportunity. I started looking through my syllabus for a location to insert this video lesson in and realized that having more classes that were focused on the problems of installing would be beneficial. I also took the written feedback for my syllabus into consideration and revised my syllabus first. I began adjusting the focus of the coursework that would be covered, such that my lesson would be better suited for the course.
This video was a bit difficult to make, although I would say that I am not a stranger to lecturing in class. I would say that I was in a difficult position because although twenty minutes seem to be an overwhelming amount of time to lecture, you can quickly run out of time as the lecture goes on. I was checking off each point that I wanted to make as I accomplished it and also going back to re-record parts of the lecture. I was concerned about being heard clearly and having something effective to say to my students. I think my biggest worry is that I have about fourteen minutes of my face in the videos. I never realized how animated my face is. Watching it now is surreal to me. When taping, I asked several of my friends if my facial expressions were indeed normal for me.
If I could critique my lecture,I would have added more visuals to the later phases, just to break up the focus on my face. I did shoot the project specifically so that my hands were mostly not on display because I do realize that I talk with my hands and some might find it distracting. In making the video, I included text to highlight my points so that viewers can follow while I taught. If taught in a longer lecture, I would continue the lecture and come up with more visual examples and an in-class activity showing how to come up with a timeline for installing a project.
In working on this lecture, I became acutely aware of how far I still have to go to become an effective teacher. I am awed by how much effort is put out by educators and am enthused about improving my lessons and skills so that I may become a better lecturer.
More 8-bit work
PIXELS by PATRICK JEAN.
Uploaded by onemoreprod. – Watch original web videos.
Mini Thesis “Advise Me” System Diagram
A first iteration of a system Diagram for this project.
Mini Thesis “Advise Me” Design
Aesthetic Goals
– I want supplicants to feel the set morality and point of view they are receiving from the Advisor.
– I want some sense of uncertainty to arise from watching the videos as to whether they are altered or not.
– I want supplicants to have a different experience each time they access the Advisor.
Relevant Precedents
– Advice Givers:
Dear Abby
Dan Savage
– Web Video related Advisors:
Ask Prudy
Vision for the final project
– A video loop plays, instructing the supplicant to ask aloud for advice and then to come closer to the screen. After the supplicant approaches, a short social education video plays. This video may or may not answer the actual problems of the supplicant. After the video ends, the “Advice Giver” reappears, beckoning to the supplicant to ask for advice.
Mini Thesis “Advise Me” Production
Platforms and Tools:
– Language and Platforms:
Hardware: Arduino, Physical IR-Sensors
Software: Max/MSP, Arduino Programming Environment
– What are other tools you will need for audio, visual, and other components?
Projector
Speakers
Computer
Milestones
First Prototype on Friday April 9: Basic Sensor Function and Video Playback.
– Early Alpha 4/20: Audio Sensing and Infrastructure for Logic.
– Final Alpha (end of semester): Advisor Videos and Social Education Videos.
– Next Iterations: Multiple Advisor Personas to choose from and Different Social Education Videos.
Risks & Uncertainties
– The Role of Advisor still must be cast.
– Internal Logic to handle Advisor Videos transitioning into Social Education Videos is still experimental.
– The Social Education films might be too ambiguous. Further User Testing will hopefully help to establish context.
– Sensors can be rather finicky. Calibration is important to getting the correct outcome.
– Some users might want a more one to one result from asking for advice. Further modifications to the Advisor Video might be necessary.
Mini Thesis “Advise Me” First Prototype Spec
Overview
– My first Playable Prototype would have the basic functionality of accepting sound, then motion to trigger videos. The narrative elements will be very limited.
Prototype Logic
– Interactivity: Sound from the User is sensed by the Max Patch. The Max Patch then plays a Prompting Video that solicits the user to interact with the sensors. The Sensors send data to the Max Patch via Arduino. The Max Patch controls the playing of videos based on sensor input.
– Logic and behavior of any elements:
The Sound Triggers a Video Prompt to approach the Sensor. The Sensor triggers a video for the user to watch. At the end of the video, the Video Prompt starts again.
– Logic and flow of any screens:
Advisor Films lead to a randomly chosen Social Education Films.
Eventuall the Advisor Films will be more varied.
Prototype Assets
– All content, visual and audio elements that will be necessary for creating the alpha prototype:
Social Media Films
Advisor Videos
Max/MSP Patches
Arduino
Infrared Sensors
Mini-Thesis: “Advise Me” Description
What is it?
“Advise Me” is an interactive installation that hopes to challenge your views on asking a stranger for advice.
What is the platform?
The Platform for “Advise Me” is based off of Max/MSP, Arduino and Sensors. The Max/MSP software will handle sound recognition, video selection/playback and interpreting sensor data.
What is the length of the user experience?
It varies, after the user starts to interact with the piece, the interaction can last as long as three minutes.
For what kind of user are you designing?
Considering that this is an installation, I am keeping artists in mind as I try to construct this aesthetically.
How do you expect to get it in front of these users?
After rounds of testing with some local artists in the city, I plan on submitting this work to galleries and artist run spaces/collectives.
What is the overall kind of experience that users will have?
I hope users will be intrigued enough to play along with the Advisor. After they ask to be advised and sidle up to the screen, they are given advice that doesn’t necessarily fit their lifestyle, particular problem, or is incomplete. The users reaction may vary. I hope that there will be a feeling of amusement from the social education video or disappointment from the Advisor not being helpful.
What are the sound, visual, and story (if any) components of the experience?
There are multiple components involved in “Advise Me.”
Sound: The user hears the Advisor give instructions, the user must start the interaction with the Advisor by responding to the Advisor.
Visual: The visuals are all videos. The Advisor’s interactions and the Social Education Films are all edited shorts.
Story: Each Social Education film is an encapsulated story. There is also the narrative attached to the Advisor.
Sensors: There will be either PIR or IR Infrared Sensors to detect the presence of the supplicant.
Pax 2010: Chiptune Madness
I didn’t expect that I would be attending a music festival and have a remarkable aesthetic experience when I went to Pax.
Dev suggested that we stay on Friday to watch Anamanaguchi, a New York based chiptune band.
After leaving the dismal “Girls and Gaming” I was concerned that we might have missed them. Fortunately, everything was running an hour and a half late.
After sitting through the Protomen, Anamanaguchi was a sweet payoff.
The Protomen were a metal, gamer, fantasy opera. The stage performance was energetic and played well to the audience. When you want to rock a ~5000 person show and have two large screens to project upon, you need strong visuals, because up in the balcony, I’m looking at the screens. The Protomen had a live mix of onstage activity and looping video images. The live video was shaky. The choice of shots, unsteady zooms and bad timing of when to cut away into the loops versus action on stage. I was constantly distracted by mediocre video loops, when there was an interesting narrative on the stage.
Anamanaguchi (A-Na-Ma-Na-Goo-Chi)
As my introduction to chiptunes, I doubt that I could do better. The VJ, Band, Nintendo connection was sublime. The next day at the Magfest Lounge, I was introduced to the idea of chiptunes being a match of dj/band and the vj. This idea of visuals as the vocals of chiptunes resonated deeply within me. I was fortunate enough to talk to a VJ at the Magfest Lounge. He showed me his set up and how he uses a game cartridge from Pikilipita A guest dj from Anamanguchi, Knife City came and brought forth a day time rave. I kid you not, fair readers, the man threw open the doors and called to the people languishing in lines: “Do you want to Party? Do you want to Dance?” He brought the thunder. If I wasn’t so concerned about being cool, I would have danced like a wild woman. Instead, I settled for dancing in my seat. As I quest on to learn more about combining the videogame aesthetic with my future work, I will continue to post.
Below is a video from the actual concert:
Mini-Thesis: “Advise Me” About
The Interactive Piece called “Advise Me” aims to address the concerns of prescriptive advice in the form of advice columns and social education films, that seek to impose the advice giver’s morality onto the supplicant.
“Advise Me” explores the ideas of prescribed morality, with the conservative American nostalgia of morality in particular. In constructing this criticism of morality and the I plan to have “Advise Me” exist as an interactive installation. A video loop plays, instructing the supplicant to ask aloud for advice and then to come closer to the screen. After the supplicant approaches, a short social education video plays. This video may or may not answer the actual problems of the supplicant. After the video ends, the “Advice Giver” reappears, beckoning to the supplicant to ask for advice.
PaxEast 2010: Indie Games
At Pax, it was a mishmash of big industry gaming, gamer culture, academic presentations and local gaming scene. For Indie Games, I was lucky to see Meigakure produced by Marcten Bosch. The concept of navigating on four planes of existence to acheive a goal is no small matter.
Concept: You start on one plane and open additional planes, which you navigate by moving blocks and shifting from plane to plane. Your goal is to reach an exit on the other side of the board, but you must activate the other planes and collect power ups along the way.
The comic, XKCD somehow distills some of the more mindbending aspects of the game. I’m looking forward to when this ships.
Games and Reality as it’s changing around us
I can’t really buy into the latter half of the talk in terms of embeddable tech and point amassing. I did find the first half to be thoughtful and engaging. I think I’m always a bit
dubious about future tech that seems +4 generations (of tech, not people) away.