Haven't been posting much as much research has been needed before i could really advance. Have also been busy tying my ideas to theory work that's been looked at mainly in class.
The fully formed idea at the moment is a game for kids that allows them to update levels and design it as they play. I decided to design it for kids (again) after talking to Rona Innes about my concerns of pigeon holing myself. She said if that's what i want to specialise in then its fine to revolve most of my projects around that.
Anyway, the game will be an online flash game where players draw on the screen to solve problems and pass on to the next level.
The narrative has the theme of children's nightmares. Playing a lot of 'escape from the room' gave me this idea, as well as talking to Sarah Strickett who advised me to look into old stories for children by the likes of the brothers grimm who wrote very creepy stories.
Using this theme players can design their own characters, perhaps things they've had nightmares of witches, vampires etc and upload them to the website where they can then be designed into a character the player can battle.
I like the idea of having players draw on the screen mainly using a wacom tablet as this incorporates the idea of having a replica of an old media (pen and paper) to interact with something contemporary.
Many of the theories in "the myth of interactivity" (manovich) relate back to my idea for the game. "New media is interactive. In contrast to old media where the order of presentation is fixed, the user can choose which elements to display or which paths to follow, thus generating a unique work. In this way the user becomes the co-author of the work"
The above quote links back to the idea of designing the game as its played, therefore making it completely unique when it is updated and also allowing the user to become the co-creator of the work rather than just a consumer, combining the idea of wikinomics
The whole idea needs some fine tuning, like how exactly it will work and the limitations of it, rather than going too far and having too many elements. Also need to look at more examples of games (preferably online) that allow users to design and upload levels for others to play.
Will now start the design process for the aesthetics of the game and upload some images of this soon.
Saturday 22 December 2007
Thursday 13 December 2007
mulings
started to think more about my dissertation and am interested in the idea of sound used in movies, as mentioned in a previous post i think. Was guided to a term called "text painting" meaning the musical technique of having the music mimic the literal meaning of a song. In film however i believe this means more having the action sync the music.
One of the main examples that springs to mind is a scene in an old movie (1961 i think) called "The Errand Boy".
This scene perfectly captures what i like in films and i think there is quite a lot to write about and have also found that the term "text painting" or "mickey mousing" can have some negative connotations, particularly with film makers and critics and although I haven't found a lot of theory on this as yet I have found a few blogs that talk about these terms, the impications and examples which could prove to be useful.
Mickey Mousing
Sound as Vision
Now I have my starting point i need to find a few more examples of films and perhaps get quite specific. E.g films based in New York particularly Scorsese's work have music and sound that specifically relate to the time period and setting.
One of the main examples that springs to mind is a scene in an old movie (1961 i think) called "The Errand Boy".
This scene perfectly captures what i like in films and i think there is quite a lot to write about and have also found that the term "text painting" or "mickey mousing" can have some negative connotations, particularly with film makers and critics and although I haven't found a lot of theory on this as yet I have found a few blogs that talk about these terms, the impications and examples which could prove to be useful.
Mickey Mousing
Sound as Vision
Now I have my starting point i need to find a few more examples of films and perhaps get quite specific. E.g films based in New York particularly Scorsese's work have music and sound that specifically relate to the time period and setting.
Monday 10 December 2007
and now for something completely different
now that hellish essay is out of the way, never ever to be looked at again ever, i can start thinking about something useful, like computer games.
loads of games have been suggested to me and one of my favourites is "Attack of the Funky Disco Zombies" which looks really pretty.
Not highly intuative which does give me something to think about for hints and tips in games, whether they're truly needed or take away some of the challenge. Also with constant hints does that make the game bad? should they be intuative without any sort of help. Same with instructions, maybe we should just know how to play something without being told if arrow keys or mouse movement is required.
Just been told about a game that has no instructions and is completely intuative. Fl0w reminds me of that old school snake game found on horrible brick like mobiles but much prettier.
Maybe within the narrative pieces at the beginning of games and the cut sequences helps in someway without actually telling the player all the whats, whys and hows. Like in playstation games, specifically the platform games so many cut scenes act as tutorials.
Also really need to think about the audience for my prospective game, if i make it for kids would it then be too boring or simple for older people to play? Do i need to make the narrative appropriate for a wide range of people? Or do i really need a narrative at all? Maybe the narrative could be built as it is played. Although i like the idea of a narrative.
i generally tend to think that what makes a game a success or more enjoyable is a clear cut goal, a good narrative and intuative but slightly challenging. I think more research is needed into this aspect and Chris Crawford seems to be my man.
I have a bit of an idea for a narrative, but seems quite focused on being for kids, which all my work seems to be about. I don't know if i want to get bogged down with the same sort of stuff or just go with it and make it what i specialise in.
Too many thoughts - bloody essay
loads of games have been suggested to me and one of my favourites is "Attack of the Funky Disco Zombies" which looks really pretty.
Not highly intuative which does give me something to think about for hints and tips in games, whether they're truly needed or take away some of the challenge. Also with constant hints does that make the game bad? should they be intuative without any sort of help. Same with instructions, maybe we should just know how to play something without being told if arrow keys or mouse movement is required.
Just been told about a game that has no instructions and is completely intuative. Fl0w reminds me of that old school snake game found on horrible brick like mobiles but much prettier.
Maybe within the narrative pieces at the beginning of games and the cut sequences helps in someway without actually telling the player all the whats, whys and hows. Like in playstation games, specifically the platform games so many cut scenes act as tutorials.
Also really need to think about the audience for my prospective game, if i make it for kids would it then be too boring or simple for older people to play? Do i need to make the narrative appropriate for a wide range of people? Or do i really need a narrative at all? Maybe the narrative could be built as it is played. Although i like the idea of a narrative.
i generally tend to think that what makes a game a success or more enjoyable is a clear cut goal, a good narrative and intuative but slightly challenging. I think more research is needed into this aspect and Chris Crawford seems to be my man.
I have a bit of an idea for a narrative, but seems quite focused on being for kids, which all my work seems to be about. I don't know if i want to get bogged down with the same sort of stuff or just go with it and make it what i specialise in.
Too many thoughts - bloody essay
specicicicicficity
horrible, evil essay. long words. long unnecessary words. long unnecessary boring words. little understanding and few points. not all doom and gloom, i did discover the word 'ghetto-isation' which is lovely and i will find a way to fit it into my dissertation somehow, and the word 'youtube-isation' which probably doesnt exist but can be coined for the sake of academia.
this blog is really just me regurgitating my notes into something that is readable:
- new media age dematerialised - not tangible whereas a sculpture for example is physically there.
- systems theory - cybernetics and shit. systems that exist in sociology, technology and culture etc and transfer them into other things e.g. group of people and how they systematically interact can be transferred to computers
re: system art - Simon Morse
"Todays 'new' media quickly becomes defunct, and the object of nostalgia and aestheticisation"
prioritising of non-visual aspects of the work e.g. Ellie Rees cake film was not about the visuals of cake (cake or death)
modernist priority was pure function and staying true to materials etc and in opposition it is now subordinate
what a load of old cack
this blog is really just me regurgitating my notes into something that is readable:
- new media age dematerialised - not tangible whereas a sculpture for example is physically there.
- systems theory - cybernetics and shit. systems that exist in sociology, technology and culture etc and transfer them into other things e.g. group of people and how they systematically interact can be transferred to computers
re: system art - Simon Morse
"Todays 'new' media quickly becomes defunct, and the object of nostalgia and aestheticisation"
prioritising of non-visual aspects of the work e.g. Ellie Rees cake film was not about the visuals of cake (cake or death)
modernist priority was pure function and staying true to materials etc and in opposition it is now subordinate
what a load of old cack
Thursday 6 December 2007
theory stuff
Brief lecture about the text we had to read came up with some interesting points. Most of which i either can't understand or can't remember. But there were a few things that i thought i'd better write down. My notes may not make much sense here, but in my mind.. they do.
- Audience becoming actors - Big Brother stylee something about audience particpation integral to the show.
- comparison of a book with a computer game, a seemingly redundant comparison as players immerse themselves in a game and help write it as they play it, with books you just get to read someone elses words.
- Audience becoming actors - Big Brother stylee something about audience particpation integral to the show.
- comparison of a book with a computer game, a seemingly redundant comparison as players immerse themselves in a game and help write it as they play it, with books you just get to read someone elses words.
Monday 3 December 2007
does playing games count as research?
the good thing about developing an interactive game is that i get to play games. Have actually been looking at games that are relevant to my idea, not just playing random games (much). Have found quite a few that requires the user to escape from a room by collecting things and solving puzzles. I realise this type of interactivity isn't new and won't be earth shattering but its just nice to look at different types of gameplay.
Gamershood has many games like the aforementioned so screen grabs a plenty are going in my sketchbook.
Gamershood has many games like the aforementioned so screen grabs a plenty are going in my sketchbook.
Thursday 29 November 2007
ideas and shit
Had a few ideas, only one that i'm really convinced could work and won't make me a mardy cow in the process.
1: Liked the idea of having something interactive in a retail space, mainly cuz i've worked in the hellish arse of retail all my working life. This could either benefit or disadvantage me in this project. I know retail, how it works and what customers need, but i hate people and shopping, so perhaps not such a good idea.
Retail Space: Interactive screens in changing rooms. Where people can have full body scans taken of them, clothes superimposed on them and they can see what it looks like at all angles and can go through a catalogue of other items. Could also have the option of being referred items that suit there particular body shape. It's an ok idea, but not something i will go with cuz i don't think i could work on this for 6 weeks without killing myself or someone else.
I'm quite hungry at the moment, so this has given me the idea for interactive menus in cafes and stuff. People can order food from a touch screen menu and pay for it there. Just something interactive where you wouldn't normally expect it. The pedantic among us may argue that it is interactive to speak to the people that work there, which is true but it doesn't matter cuz i'm not overly keen on this idea just because it reminds me too much of the last futures project.
I like the option of designing an art installation, but despite my background being in fine art, i quite dislike modern art or installations. I have liked a few installations i've seen so i will probably research this some more with an open mind and not dismissing it all as bollocks. Would have to put my theory hat on.
My final idea, and the one i'm most into is some sort of flash online game that allows users to help build the game as they play. For example the game could start where the character is in a room with no windows or doors. To get out they could draw a door that then opens up the next level. Colin also suggested that people can play other people's games that they've worked through and see how they've problem solved. so props to you colin.
I like this idea cuz i've got the theory of wikinomics backing it up and its just a slightly different way of interacting with something that doesn't just involve clicking or moving arrows.
The only problem with this is that i couldn't make it. I'm humble enough to admit that this stretches my somewhat limited abilities in flash. Tho from what i've heard i could just make an animation to show how it would work, so hurrah for that.
To Do:
- major research in art installations, just in case i change my mind (as i so often do)
- research into online and casual gaming (and not just an excuse to play on neopets)
- more research into wikinomics and the idea of mass collaboration
- look at basic games that allow user to draw on the screen
doesn't actually seem that much to do at the moment, famous last words and all that, but i'm sure the above will open up a whole can of worms and i'll be busy right up to the deadline. Again.
1: Liked the idea of having something interactive in a retail space, mainly cuz i've worked in the hellish arse of retail all my working life. This could either benefit or disadvantage me in this project. I know retail, how it works and what customers need, but i hate people and shopping, so perhaps not such a good idea.
Retail Space: Interactive screens in changing rooms. Where people can have full body scans taken of them, clothes superimposed on them and they can see what it looks like at all angles and can go through a catalogue of other items. Could also have the option of being referred items that suit there particular body shape. It's an ok idea, but not something i will go with cuz i don't think i could work on this for 6 weeks without killing myself or someone else.
I'm quite hungry at the moment, so this has given me the idea for interactive menus in cafes and stuff. People can order food from a touch screen menu and pay for it there. Just something interactive where you wouldn't normally expect it. The pedantic among us may argue that it is interactive to speak to the people that work there, which is true but it doesn't matter cuz i'm not overly keen on this idea just because it reminds me too much of the last futures project.
I like the option of designing an art installation, but despite my background being in fine art, i quite dislike modern art or installations. I have liked a few installations i've seen so i will probably research this some more with an open mind and not dismissing it all as bollocks. Would have to put my theory hat on.
My final idea, and the one i'm most into is some sort of flash online game that allows users to help build the game as they play. For example the game could start where the character is in a room with no windows or doors. To get out they could draw a door that then opens up the next level. Colin also suggested that people can play other people's games that they've worked through and see how they've problem solved. so props to you colin.
I like this idea cuz i've got the theory of wikinomics backing it up and its just a slightly different way of interacting with something that doesn't just involve clicking or moving arrows.
The only problem with this is that i couldn't make it. I'm humble enough to admit that this stretches my somewhat limited abilities in flash. Tho from what i've heard i could just make an animation to show how it would work, so hurrah for that.
To Do:
- major research in art installations, just in case i change my mind (as i so often do)
- research into online and casual gaming (and not just an excuse to play on neopets)
- more research into wikinomics and the idea of mass collaboration
- look at basic games that allow user to draw on the screen
doesn't actually seem that much to do at the moment, famous last words and all that, but i'm sure the above will open up a whole can of worms and i'll be busy right up to the deadline. Again.
Monday 26 November 2007
Three media artists, Martin Bonadeo, Michael Chu, and D. Scott Hessels, drove Los Angeles' famous Mulholland Drive with five types of sensors--measuring the car's tilt, direction, altitude, speed, and engine sound. The captured data of the mountain road was loaded into a computer and a 3-dimensional model was created. This model was used computationally to control two robotic lights in a room filled with fog. Two 100-foot beams of light and the processed sound of the engine recreated the topology of the road as a new form of visual experience and sculpture-cinema without image.
Thought this vid was appropriate as it uses a lot of the tech stuff Mike talked about this morning.
Ubiquitous Computing:
Ubiquitous computing integrates computation into the environment, rather than having computers which are distinct objects. Another term for ubiquitous computing is pervasive computing. Promoters of this idea hope that embedding computation into the environment would enable people to move around and interact with computers more naturally than they currently do.
links and shit
its always hard to start new projects and i have a few ideas, but mainly need to do shit loads of research before i can even begin designing or thinking about the aesthetics. In the meantime there are loads of links and vids for some cool stuff.
Art Installations:
i've never really thought about doing an interactive art installation, but now i've looked at them a bit more i really like the idea of it. Quite like the idea of a screen based installation but the reasons i'm not entirely convinced of this is that 1) i always do screen based stuff and 2) so does everyone else. There are some that work really well like fallings times which is:
"a real-time news "translation machine" representing appearing & disappearing information about our times. the news content is reduced to the most frequent headlines & their according keywords. the reduced news headlines are then visually translated in a dynamic pictogram language that is considered to be universal & instantly understandable. online users can add keywords to an icon to determine which news will be displayed.
"Falling Times refers to the heavy InfoPollution we live in. the InfoSociety has created a new kind of consumer – the InfoConsumer!"
Also really like this installation called The Dumpster.
It is an aesthetic portrait of romantic breakups from a group of 20,000 blog posts describing breakups in 2005. this 'social data browser' visualises inferred reasons for the break-up, who was involved, age & gender of the author, & emotional state, with similar breakups showing up with similar colours. It seems to be another screen based design, tho that may just be in the context of being displayed online. I liked this mainly for its interface in that it's intuative but still has a hell of a lot of info to it.
I think its intuative because it adheres to some of the psychology of design in that people will click on things that are moving. All the dots are moving, so its obvious what to click on, and when the mouse moves, the bottom and side bars move as well. Interesting design, but im not wowed by the idea, but then i'm cynical and laugh at american teenager's pain.
Also like something called "Emotional Traffic Display" which is a real-time visualisation & sonification that runs during an on-stage musical performance using data from the Internet about the emotions of the world. the size of the text reflects the emotion's presence on the web, while layers build up, making the display more detailed & complex. a 'meridian line' scans the visualisation, creating the rhythm of the music being played.
Thursday 22 November 2007
pov, pov and pov and the barge and the sausage
cool links to remember from a good talk today from Alistair McDonald from Kerb
killerviral
memecounter
blog from kerb
nitrome
cove
osflash
really enjoyed the flash talk today, and have wanted to make a flash game since i started this course, mainly cuz i'm addicted to neopets but that's not the point. I'm hoping i can include gaming for this project and plus i get to draw more pretty pictures, one day there may be a project where i draw nothing. Really need to research into online/casual gaming and try and get some theory behind my designs. Most importantly i need to get the damn futures project out of my damn head. damn.
killerviral
memecounter
blog from kerb
nitrome
cove
osflash
really enjoyed the flash talk today, and have wanted to make a flash game since i started this course, mainly cuz i'm addicted to neopets but that's not the point. I'm hoping i can include gaming for this project and plus i get to draw more pretty pictures, one day there may be a project where i draw nothing. Really need to research into online/casual gaming and try and get some theory behind my designs. Most importantly i need to get the damn futures project out of my damn head. damn.
Design for Interaction
Brief:
OK, new brief and just as terrifying as the last. It may just be overly complicated and may take a little while to get my head around it. Also having to start thinking about the dissertation, so bang goes my idea of starting it in April and handing it in, in April.
From what i can gather the brief is once again focusing on theories and concepts. So i think the idea is to get a good theory or concept and base the design around that.
- interactivity as personal and social
- the theory that interactivity separates new media from old
it can be: instructional/storytelling/entertainment in the forms of:
- a game
- experimental website
- interactive art piece
- non-linear story
- interactive environment - retail space/museum/learning zone/public arts commission
its nice to know that the brief is fairly open, but i guess until i start doing some proper research it all seems a bit hazy.
Dissertation:
My original question (for that proposal we had to do) was: With reference to online communities and interactive games such as ‘The Sims’, what are the relationships between technology and humans within today’s society?
- I'm still interested in the relationships between art and film (first year i wrote about the relationship between Munch's 'The Scream' and the Texas Chainsaw Massacre which was charming). I could expand on this idea perhaps, although it would be nice to write something completely new.
- I also like how music and effects are used in film, especially older films and Disney films which they use it really well. Even 'silent' films where they do have some music over it could work. How does the sound enhance what you are watching and how this has changed over the years.
- Again, sticking with the film bit, i am interested in the idea of film and originality, has new technology helped or hindered audiences experiences
Also need to make sure that whatever i write about has enough flesh to squeeze at least 5000 words out of it. Makes me feel a bit nostalgic for the days when i thought 1000 words was a lot.
OK, new brief and just as terrifying as the last. It may just be overly complicated and may take a little while to get my head around it. Also having to start thinking about the dissertation, so bang goes my idea of starting it in April and handing it in, in April.
From what i can gather the brief is once again focusing on theories and concepts. So i think the idea is to get a good theory or concept and base the design around that.
- interactivity as personal and social
- the theory that interactivity separates new media from old
it can be: instructional/storytelling/entertainment in the forms of:
- a game
- experimental website
- interactive art piece
- non-linear story
- interactive environment - retail space/museum/learning zone/public arts commission
its nice to know that the brief is fairly open, but i guess until i start doing some proper research it all seems a bit hazy.
Dissertation:
My original question (for that proposal we had to do) was: With reference to online communities and interactive games such as ‘The Sims’, what are the relationships between technology and humans within today’s society?
I won't be doing that question cuz i figure that if i write about something I'm not personally that interested in i wont write much/well/anything (delete as appropriate). My past essays looked at horror movies and art, and the Simpson's and writing about that didn't seem like such a chore (the research part was great too)
- I'm still interested in the relationships between art and film (first year i wrote about the relationship between Munch's 'The Scream' and the Texas Chainsaw Massacre which was charming). I could expand on this idea perhaps, although it would be nice to write something completely new.
- I also like how music and effects are used in film, especially older films and Disney films which they use it really well. Even 'silent' films where they do have some music over it could work. How does the sound enhance what you are watching and how this has changed over the years.
- Again, sticking with the film bit, i am interested in the idea of film and originality, has new technology helped or hindered audiences experiences
Also need to make sure that whatever i write about has enough flesh to squeeze at least 5000 words out of it. Makes me feel a bit nostalgic for the days when i thought 1000 words was a lot.
Wednesday 21 November 2007
it's only bloody done!
probably a bit late for this post but oh well.
that's the final animation of how the cot works. I've slaved over that bloody thing so i'm quite chuffed with it, even though I'm sick of the sight of it. Plus i'm so pleased the presentation is over because when you've worked on something for so long and you know how it works its difficult to explain it to other people. Plus i've never 'pitched' anything before, but i think i did good.
Just gonna have a little read over the new brief and have a think about that, maybe post some links and thoughts later. want to get started early cuz i really need to work on my organisation and time management.
that's the final animation of how the cot works. I've slaved over that bloody thing so i'm quite chuffed with it, even though I'm sick of the sight of it. Plus i'm so pleased the presentation is over because when you've worked on something for so long and you know how it works its difficult to explain it to other people. Plus i've never 'pitched' anything before, but i think i did good.
Just gonna have a little read over the new brief and have a think about that, maybe post some links and thoughts later. want to get started early cuz i really need to work on my organisation and time management.
Monday 5 November 2007
working towards final design
Was stuck between 2 ideas. The first was having the cot as the robot where the elements were in the cot but would come out when needed. The design ideas for this seem less limited and there is room to have much more capabilities.
The 2nd idea was having the robotic device in a soft toy, for example if the design was going to be a teddy then the ears could be speakers, paws for lights, noce for scent devices, eyes for cameras etc. I was leaning to this idea more as it could be easily transferable to prams and
pushchairs, bigger beds etc and would also be used as a toy for when the baby gets older. However when discussing this with Mike we found that a lot of toys and devices like this are already available.
They can already play music and lights and I want to steer away from things that are already on the market.
We also discussed the possibility of the cot being the complete environment for the baby, meaning that the cot is an intelligent immersive environment with the possibilities that it can control other aspects in the room like temperature and lights etc.
The only technical problem i was having with this design was how to power it so none of the elements would be lost but would still be safe, the solution was to have it powered by low voltage electricity.
also found quite an interesting yet aesthetically creepy video on and AI Female Android
Speech, Reading, Color, Face, Object recognition.
Ability to tell Weather.
Ability to have a conversation
Can understand 13,000+ sentences, and
has the ability to learn.
Ability to solve math
Ability to distinguish simple drinks and foods.
The 2nd idea was having the robotic device in a soft toy, for example if the design was going to be a teddy then the ears could be speakers, paws for lights, noce for scent devices, eyes for cameras etc. I was leaning to this idea more as it could be easily transferable to prams and
pushchairs, bigger beds etc and would also be used as a toy for when the baby gets older. However when discussing this with Mike we found that a lot of toys and devices like this are already available.
They can already play music and lights and I want to steer away from things that are already on the market.
We also discussed the possibility of the cot being the complete environment for the baby, meaning that the cot is an intelligent immersive environment with the possibilities that it can control other aspects in the room like temperature and lights etc.
The only technical problem i was having with this design was how to power it so none of the elements would be lost but would still be safe, the solution was to have it powered by low voltage electricity.
also found quite an interesting yet aesthetically creepy video on and AI Female Android
Speech, Reading, Color, Face, Object recognition.
Ability to tell Weather.
Ability to have a conversation
Can understand 13,000+ sentences, and
has the ability to learn.
Ability to solve math
Ability to distinguish simple drinks and foods.
Thursday 1 November 2007
to do
Not a lot has changed since i last updated this blog but the idea is becoming more refined now i just really need to get it down onto paper. This will probably help me work out all the elements i want to include. So far the robotic cot thing has elements like:
- robot system with memory and ability to learn
- change in lights: colours, brightness, movement etc
- soothing noises: music, heartbeat, soft white noise (this works as a distraction mechanism)
- voice/cry recognition: different sorts of cries can be measured by frequency, urgency and pitch. The robot can remember different cries and try and calm the child.. some of this may be trial and error but a certain amount of programming will be done so it wont be a completely new process that takes a long time for each different child.
- maybe have different levels of robot/human control: the parents can decide how much monitoring they will or will not do, the benefit of this is that it generates trust, but the disadvantage is that parents will not use the device or use all the elements, or be over monitoring or not monitoring enough. Need to think about this point a little more.
- robot response: some of my research states that adequate robot response to human users creates more trust. Could have robot practically reporting back or alerting parents as to what is going on, what happened and what action it took. Or alert the parents when they need to physically take over for feeds or changing as i don't think its practical or really possible for the robot to do this. Thats becoming a bit more sci-fi.
- robot system with memory and ability to learn
- change in lights: colours, brightness, movement etc
- soothing noises: music, heartbeat, soft white noise (this works as a distraction mechanism)
- voice/cry recognition: different sorts of cries can be measured by frequency, urgency and pitch. The robot can remember different cries and try and calm the child.. some of this may be trial and error but a certain amount of programming will be done so it wont be a completely new process that takes a long time for each different child.
- maybe have different levels of robot/human control: the parents can decide how much monitoring they will or will not do, the benefit of this is that it generates trust, but the disadvantage is that parents will not use the device or use all the elements, or be over monitoring or not monitoring enough. Need to think about this point a little more.
- robot response: some of my research states that adequate robot response to human users creates more trust. Could have robot practically reporting back or alerting parents as to what is going on, what happened and what action it took. Or alert the parents when they need to physically take over for feeds or changing as i don't think its practical or really possible for the robot to do this. Thats becoming a bit more sci-fi.
Monday 29 October 2007
i don't usually like using wikipedia but there is some useful links and definitions and are probably all things i need to think about for this project.
laws of robotics
friendly a.i
blay whitby knows his stuff, plus there's a snazzy pic of him on his site
laws of robotics
friendly a.i
blay whitby knows his stuff, plus there's a snazzy pic of him on his site
more ideas
Need to think about the pros and cons of having robotic technology. If it is trustworthy and the benefits it will have to parents. Will they want to put their child in care of a robot? What effect will robot contact instead of a mother or father have on the child. Need to think about how far i can push the boundaries with this idea and think long term future and will the child become less human and more robot like?
also think about how to incorporate various elements into the design. What i need to include so there is a wide variety of options, perhaps using all 5 senses so it becomes more of a mood cot: Lighting: changing colour, brightness etc
Sound: soft music, heartbeat sound, white noise
smell and taste
touch: warmth
need to think more how i can include 5 senses into the design and more research needed into the possible psychological effects of this idea
also think about how to incorporate various elements into the design. What i need to include so there is a wide variety of options, perhaps using all 5 senses so it becomes more of a mood cot: Lighting: changing colour, brightness etc
Sound: soft music, heartbeat sound, white noise
smell and taste
touch: warmth
need to think more how i can include 5 senses into the design and more research needed into the possible psychological effects of this idea
Monday 22 October 2007
uninspiration
Am now thoroughly bored of my idea. It was going to be some sort of baby soother/babysitter thing, but i can't quite figure out how to develop it so it's not taking over from parenting and so people feel comfortable trusting something essentially non-human. Though speaking briefly in class today we could or should think
more about tech in society rather than get bogged down with all the technological details. So if that's the case maybe i could imagine society in 10 years time and how tech has developed so we are less dependant on tech but work more together, which is plausible. Also am interested by the idea of autonomous robots and robots as carers. This pic shows a robot skeleton that is supposed to help nurses lift imobile patients.
so if i'm going to stick with this concept i should probably look into the theorys behind changing technology a bit more.
my other idea i felt inspired by last night (but not so this morning) was a gaming device that uses all 5 senses which sounds really cool but also a little disheartening cuz from what i've looked at it seems that this concept is already underway, and if thats the case then it might not be technology in 10 years time but something a bit sooner than that.
Maybe i just want to do the sensory gaming thing just because they've invented something called the ismell and this amuses me
more about tech in society rather than get bogged down with all the technological details. So if that's the case maybe i could imagine society in 10 years time and how tech has developed so we are less dependant on tech but work more together, which is plausible. Also am interested by the idea of autonomous robots and robots as carers. This pic shows a robot skeleton that is supposed to help nurses lift imobile patients.so if i'm going to stick with this concept i should probably look into the theorys behind changing technology a bit more.
my other idea i felt inspired by last night (but not so this morning) was a gaming device that uses all 5 senses which sounds really cool but also a little disheartening cuz from what i've looked at it seems that this concept is already underway, and if thats the case then it might not be technology in 10 years time but something a bit sooner than that.
Maybe i just want to do the sensory gaming thing just because they've invented something called the ismell and this amuses me
Thursday 18 October 2007
i'll procrastinate later
now i've decided my idea, looked briefly at some theories and doodled some designs i'm ready to pretty much design it properly and start thinking about my presentation. luckily my mind wanders a lot so i've given a lot of thought to my presentation and how i want it to look. For most projects i end up drawing everything, which seems to work ok for me, so i think i'm going to have hand drawn images on a moving storyboard background, and try and have a voice over so i can do less talking. If not i'll just have to have the balls to stand there and talk but i will be on valium, so either way it won't be as scary as usual.
In my head everything is planned perfectly but i've gotten to the procrastination stage of the project, which always seems to happen when i have the most work to do. So now the plan is to pull my finger out, scan and print things for my sketchbook (better get round to actually writing in it as well) and start designing the thing.
In my head everything is planned perfectly but i've gotten to the procrastination stage of the project, which always seems to happen when i have the most work to do. So now the plan is to pull my finger out, scan and print things for my sketchbook (better get round to actually writing in it as well) and start designing the thing.
Monday 15 October 2007
new scientist mag is cool
found some online stuff for n.s mag, got to subscribe to read the whole article, but i can just do some photocopying cuz there is still no bloody student loan.
interesting article on robots making the same errors as babies from the 5th oct 2007 issue.
game that changes when brats get bored could also be fairly useful cuz it is similar to what i am trying to achieve with my idea
not really relevant but it involves robots and amuses me, plus there are some cool dancing robots (?) in japan, where else
haven't read it, just saw some relevant words, but this article on how humans respond to their environment could be useful
i've only just found out what algorithm means, so i'm still not sure if it fits in with what i'm doing
I like the ns site cuz it has articles from the crazy 80s as well.. it was interesting to take a look back 10 years to see what was being developed, what succeeded and what failed miserably. This is just crazy enough to work
on an aside note and mainly just a memo to myself, i need to look into why people would want this particular design/concept, and research into theories might help with this.
interesting article on robots making the same errors as babies from the 5th oct 2007 issue.
game that changes when brats get bored could also be fairly useful cuz it is similar to what i am trying to achieve with my idea
not really relevant but it involves robots and amuses me, plus there are some cool dancing robots (?) in japan, where else
haven't read it, just saw some relevant words, but this article on how humans respond to their environment could be useful
i've only just found out what algorithm means, so i'm still not sure if it fits in with what i'm doing
I like the ns site cuz it has articles from the crazy 80s as well.. it was interesting to take a look back 10 years to see what was being developed, what succeeded and what failed miserably. This is just crazy enough to work
on an aside note and mainly just a memo to myself, i need to look into why people would want this particular design/concept, and research into theories might help with this.
if angie taylor wanted to, she could rule the world
in one way i'm pretty excited, but also slightly cynical, bitter and twisted. Met angie taylor, some sort of evil genius, and she explained expressions in after effects to us. If we had known that last year I would have a) got a better mark and b) not been so pissed off. But anyway, at least i know now and this might be a good start to thinking about my presentation.
i know i'd like to do some sort of animation in either flash or after effects. i quite like the idea of doing an animation using storyboards or what not, whatever it will be i know i'll end up making too much work for myself. Will start looking at nifty little animations soon to get some ideas. I do like the stuff that Rona Innes does at moshi machine
What makes this project much easier, is that i now know what my idea will be (unless i change my mind again). Right now i have settled on having a child's robot entertainment system. I use the word 'entertainment' quite loosely because the age range i will be looking at aren't really the entertained sort. The idea as it stands so far is that the robot system thing will have enough memory to know what soothes a crying brat best. Luckily i have 6 nieces, so my research there is pretty much done. I might look at the past ideas to what has worked or supposed to work. There's stuff that dates right back to the 50's with theories on parenting and luckily there was channel 4 to tell you how to do it. There's loads of books and tv shows that i can look into so this time there might actually be too much research.
Hopefully this week I'll be able to start the design for the babybot thing (its a name in progress, i just cant be bothered to keep typing out 'robot child entertainment thing')
then once thats designed i can start thinking about how to present it and then storyboard my ideas
i know i'd like to do some sort of animation in either flash or after effects. i quite like the idea of doing an animation using storyboards or what not, whatever it will be i know i'll end up making too much work for myself. Will start looking at nifty little animations soon to get some ideas. I do like the stuff that Rona Innes does at moshi machine
What makes this project much easier, is that i now know what my idea will be (unless i change my mind again). Right now i have settled on having a child's robot entertainment system. I use the word 'entertainment' quite loosely because the age range i will be looking at aren't really the entertained sort. The idea as it stands so far is that the robot system thing will have enough memory to know what soothes a crying brat best. Luckily i have 6 nieces, so my research there is pretty much done. I might look at the past ideas to what has worked or supposed to work. There's stuff that dates right back to the 50's with theories on parenting and luckily there was channel 4 to tell you how to do it. There's loads of books and tv shows that i can look into so this time there might actually be too much research.
Hopefully this week I'll be able to start the design for the babybot thing (its a name in progress, i just cant be bothered to keep typing out 'robot child entertainment thing')
then once thats designed i can start thinking about how to present it and then storyboard my ideas
Wednesday 10 October 2007
train of thought has derailed
links to remember:
site full of shitty designs which is surprisingly useful to look at to see what has succeeded and failed and why
interesting theory by ridley scott
if they won the nobel prize they must be good
violence in games.. interesting article that may be of use to some on my theory work
interesting article on whether technology affects users privacy
site full of shitty designs which is surprisingly useful to look at to see what has succeeded and failed and why
interesting theory by ridley scott
if they won the nobel prize they must be good
violence in games.. interesting article that may be of use to some on my theory work
interesting article on whether technology affects users privacy
Monday 8 October 2007
thinking out loud
Finally figured out how to reset and log in to my blog.. did end up creating a different one but ah well.
Anyhoo, the brief requires us to think of a concept or product for the future, but nothing too trekkie. No transportation or anything too wizardy. It should be realistic and perhaps use current technology or tech that will be widely available in the foreseeable future. It feels like we have to invent something as well as design it which is what is tripping me up at the moment. MY ideas have wither been pretty generic or pretty far fetched.
my more generic ideas consists of something like an interactive newspaper, which is doable but i'm not sure how interested i am in it or if it is more convenient than the current papers and magazines. The benefits of an interactive newspa
per would be the ability to update itself, perhaps for the headlines (local and national) and weather, and also give a weather report more specific to the area you are in. Train times and bus times could also be a feature. Thats the easy part to get certain features on it, if i take this idea a hell of a lot more research needs to be done and also need to consider the look of the product and how it will benefit consumers etc.
Another pretty generic idea is something that connects all household and personal technology together into one remote or even a feature on your mobile. My thinking is that when your out you can set your sky+ box to record stuff, check what food you need to stock up on or even check you've turned off the gas/straighteners/etc. I think this would be useful but as it is an idea that is completely off the top of my head i have no idea whether it exists or is plausible or if its something that just isn't needed. The upside of this idea is that I could have a lot of fun with it and it has seemingly endless possibilities. There is already something that can control multiple devices but is not portable but i haven't researched this a great deal.
I had wanted to develop something along the lines of a baby cry monitor, but this has been done by someone on this course last year and is a bit of a rip off of a simpsons ep. so this puts me off the idea a little.
I'll probably still do some research and stick it in my sketchbook just for those sought after extra marks but I'm not overly enthusiastic about this idea. Also there's some similar technology and products out already.
The rest of my brainstorming session created more far-fetched ideas and stuff that either isn't plausible or wont be available to everyone who doesn't have a million pounds.
My sister came up with a good idea of a 3D TV where the stuff you watch is like holograms which i like but would probably be more of an unrealistic concept and hard to justify the point of it. Already in existence are those crappy little 3d movies that you need those glasses to watch, but its still something to think about.
I'm probably going to be researching all these ideas until i settle on something that i feel confident designing and presenting.
oh yeah, i also saw this great video from last year i think, really like the style of this
Anyhoo, the brief requires us to think of a concept or product for the future, but nothing too trekkie. No transportation or anything too wizardy. It should be realistic and perhaps use current technology or tech that will be widely available in the foreseeable future. It feels like we have to invent something as well as design it which is what is tripping me up at the moment. MY ideas have wither been pretty generic or pretty far fetched.
my more generic ideas consists of something like an interactive newspaper, which is doable but i'm not sure how interested i am in it or if it is more convenient than the current papers and magazines. The benefits of an interactive newspa
per would be the ability to update itself, perhaps for the headlines (local and national) and weather, and also give a weather report more specific to the area you are in. Train times and bus times could also be a feature. Thats the easy part to get certain features on it, if i take this idea a hell of a lot more research needs to be done and also need to consider the look of the product and how it will benefit consumers etc.Another pretty generic idea is something that connects all household and personal technology together into one remote or even a feature on your mobile. My thinking is that when your out you can set your sky+ box to record stuff, check what food you need to stock up on or even check you've turned off the gas/straighteners/etc. I think this would be useful but as it is an idea that is completely off the top of my head i have no idea whether it exists or is plausible or if its something that just isn't needed. The upside of this idea is that I could have a lot of fun with it and it has seemingly endless possibilities. There is already something that can control multiple devices but is not portable but i haven't researched this a great deal.
I had wanted to develop something along the lines of a baby cry monitor, but this has been done by someone on this course last year and is a bit of a rip off of a simpsons ep. so this puts me off the idea a little.
I'll probably still do some research and stick it in my sketchbook just for those sought after extra marks but I'm not overly enthusiastic about this idea. Also there's some similar technology and products out already.The rest of my brainstorming session created more far-fetched ideas and stuff that either isn't plausible or wont be available to everyone who doesn't have a million pounds.
My sister came up with a good idea of a 3D TV where the stuff you watch is like holograms which i like but would probably be more of an unrealistic concept and hard to justify the point of it. Already in existence are those crappy little 3d movies that you need those glasses to watch, but its still something to think about.
I'm probably going to be researching all these ideas until i settle on something that i feel confident designing and presenting.
oh yeah, i also saw this great video from last year i think, really like the style of this
Monday 1 October 2007
Lost my blog virginity
I am writing this under force. I've never blogged and probably never will, but this is my attempt at being pooterish.
First day of BA multimedia and we've made paper planes (we won), blogged and got a terrifying brief that i still dont understand and probably won't until the week before the deadline. As is my understanding, we have to make something from the future. Oy vey. Which is confusing enough, see Bill Bailey's "future people rant" on youtube, its starts at 9 mins in.
That is all
First day of BA multimedia and we've made paper planes (we won), blogged and got a terrifying brief that i still dont understand and probably won't until the week before the deadline. As is my understanding, we have to make something from the future. Oy vey. Which is confusing enough, see Bill Bailey's "future people rant" on youtube, its starts at 9 mins in.
That is all
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