Tuesday, November 17, 2009

A series of failures


So I bombed the open mic. The sound system sounded way different and distorted (unmonitored) from my perspective. so I fumbled through my 3 minutes. Next time: splitter from computer output; one output to soundboard, the other to noise-canceling headphones.

Talked to Wil, who's been a guide in Processing. More or less in his words, " you want it done by the end of the semester?! That's not gonna happen." So I've got to figure out something for the final.

Trash80 and AnimalStyle killed it so at least that was a consolation.

Trying to help Angelo Vermeulen as best I can but the systems are fighting us! I share his frustrations. I'm going to try to get help from Soundteacher Jess about my programming woes.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

FUCK AMERICA



... where it cost more than 47 large to feed 6 people

Saturday, November 14, 2009

A swarm of birds



So this is the result of thousands of birds flying in a close space. What does it have to do with computerlogik? Well, amigo, besides having experienced something like this on a far smaller scale, I find it very interesting that computer programs can render imagery similar to this using math functions and code.

It also had me thinking about the multi-thousand-strong unwitting collaboration of these birds doing normal bird things and how our perception of the event transforms it into something magic. What is our impact on the digital world? Do our little deletions and tiny programs go forgotten when they are released or do the band together? What would they look like and how would they respond to us, their rejecting creators, if they made contact? It sounds like something out of Ghost in the Shell, but it is a serious pondering. If a dog can find it's way home over a long distance and trash groups together into massive islands in the ocean, who's to say our data, our artificial intelligence is incapable of the same?

also I like listening to The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight while watching this

Friday, November 13, 2009


I've emailed some fellow geeks who might be able to help me or get me the help that I need. Also tried to contact the college of engineering, thus far with no replies. Looked into Jitter and supercollider, but I don't have the time to learn the language. I'm getting desperate to realize this ^&*(ing thing but I have nowhere left to go so I'm pretty nervous

A flow chart for the piece is as follows:
-there is to be a projector stationed at the wall opposite the room entrance, projecting a white background except for a computer-rendered animated drawing of a bug (I'm writing the code for it currently). there will be no other light source
-the bug will scurry around the white background until the second part of the program is triggered.
-there will be white object near the middle of the room with small text on it. I haven't decided what the text is yet, but the purpose of the object is to make the viewer stop walking in the space, which triggers the second program.
-a video camera is processing motion in the gallery. when the camera input detects that motion has stopped in the gallery space by tracking the contrast of shadows in the space, the bug will run offscreen and the projector will expand the shadow until the projection is blank.
-the gallery will remain blank for five minutes, at which point the program will reset.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Don't Forget it Starts on Page 556, Stupid!


Getting down with motion detection in processing right now. details to follow on that.
Also trying to bang out the programming for a song: another open mic is on Saturday.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

shortcuts shrtcts stcs s


I've read and experimented most of the way through a chapter that interfaces computer keyboard input to modify visual output. There are several code lines in this segment when, if you hover over a space, the visual affect gets more pronounced over time (like hovering over a box makes the box darker as it adds layers of transparent gray). Sounds boring but it could be used to expand a shadow for a piece I'm planning. also flipped ahead and found the chapter on audio/video input. Someone is borrowing the Big Blue Book from me tonight, but my ideas are starting to come together and seem more plausible.

-END TRANS-