Archive for September, 2006
Jeffrey Veen: designing the complete user experience
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Jeffrey Veen (bio), one of the founding partners of Adaptive Path and now design manager at Google where he is project lead for Measure Map, gave a very entertaining talk at the d.Construct conference about user-centred design.
Social software consultant and writer Suw Charman wrote a lengthy post on Veen’s talk, which you can download here (pdf, 10.1 mb, 78 slides).
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Originally
from Putting people first
by
reBlogged
by michael
on Sep 23, 2006, 8:25AM
Random Screen – Paperpixel – Aram Bartholl
One of my favourite and simplist projects at Ars Electronica was Aram Bartholl 's Random Screen.
“Random Screen” is a mechanical thermo dynamic display which does not rely on any electricity.
Each of the 12 by 12 cm pixels is an individual entity. A tee candle lights and controls each pixel. The rising heat of the candle turns a modified beer can which turns the pixel on and off. Each pixel has its own frequence. The more bright a candle shines the faster is the rotaion of the can.
His other project presented at Ars Electronica was Paperpixel
Paper Pixels is a 30 inch, 8 x 8 pixel, manually controlled screen. Each of the 64 pixels is illuminated steadily by a light bulb. Apart from the light bulbs, no further electronic parts are used. The display is controlled by a long paper strip – the data medium – into which have been punched holes arranged along 64 rows or “tracks“. As the strip is pulled by hand between the light sources and the pixels, these holes control each of the pixels individually. When a hole passes directly beneath a pixel it allows light through, illuminating the corresponding pixel.
The ends of the paper strip is are joined so it forms an endless loop which passes around two cylindrical rollers fixed to each end of the display unit. In order that the 64 pixels can be controlled individually, and so that a hole in the paper doesn't spread through each pixel in a pixel row, the light bulbs are arranged in tilted rows along the direction of the paper’s movement. Exactly the same order is used in the accompanying programming board. 64 steel pens as blanking are fixed in an MDF board, through which the strip of paper to be programmed is pulled. The desired pixels can be activated frame for frame, or the holes can be punched in the paper manually. The diameter of a hole is 6mm. For the next frame, the 54 cm wide strip of paper is moved along about 1cm.
The paper strip formed as an endless loop is approximately 3 m long which allows a programmable capacity of approximately 300 frames. The number of frames per second (fps) is determined by the speed at which the paper is pulled through the screen. The duration of the loop for an 8 x 8 pixel display at 10 fps is approximately 30 seconds.
Originally
from Interactive Architecture dot Org
by
reBlogged
by michael
on Sep 23, 2006, 11:01PM
Bartlett School of Architecture – Interactive Architecture Workshop
Today the Bartlett School of Architecture, London will start a new academic year and so I've put a little info online about the Interactive Architecture Workshop otherwise known as Unit 14 . Rather than my rather Biased opinion here is a short extract from Building Design Magazine's review of the Bartlett Summer Exhibition and in particular Unit 14.
"Diploma unit 14 was particularly strong and seemed to exemplify the dean’s claim that Bartlett students “think, write and design all at the same time”. Led by Stephen Gage, the unit’s theme was Architecture is Magic and addressed architecture’s ability to reflect our understanding of the natural world and the way that people perceive objects and spaces. With projects ranging from buildings to machines and performing characters, the unit offers an eclectic range of styles and yet is one of the most coherent exhibits. The standard of work across the units is exemplary and the school continues to set the standard by which others are measured. "
Unit 14 has enjoyed a lot of recent success with the award for 'Best of Show' i.e. the best unit exhibition at the Bartlett Summer Exhibition 2005. Two of the Units students Ian Laurence and Karl Normanton were awarded the top two students of the 2005-2006 academic year and we also came runners up in Best of Show at this years Summer Exhibition. On a personal level it has a reputation for being a closeknit Unit that supports each other rather than everyone working independently from home like some of the other Units. We also likes the odd drink to blow off steam after a hard days work. If your a student joining the Bartlett this year, I recommend coming and seeing if its the sort of Unit for you.
Images by Ian Laurence and Karl Normanton
Unit 14
Originally
from Interactive Architecture dot Org
by
reBlogged
by michael
on Sep 25, 2006, 12:01AM
Developing Stories, Breaking News And The Abuse Of Design
Blame it on Fox News. Since their rise a few years ago, they have handily beaten CNN & MSNBC in ratings. There are a few reasons for this but I’d like to focus on the one that deals with the display and presentation of information on these news channels.
Originally
from Basement.org
reBlogged
by michael
on Sep 25, 2006, 6:16PM
Netdiver DAC 2006 winners
Netdiver‘s 1st Digital Art Competition has come to an end with Nico Stumpo in the lead with “Waltz 57,” an “exploration into the symbiosis of audio and visual.” Stumpo’s “Untitled 009″ HD image is pictured above. View more about DAC here.
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Originally
from core77.com's design blog
reBlogged
by michael
on Sep 26, 2006, 6:27PM
2007 Next Generation Competition
Metropolis presents the 2007 Next Generation Design Competition–the theme being “Energy,” including its uses, reduction, consumption, efficiences, and alternatives. First prize gets $10,000! Details here.
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Originally
from core77.com's design blog
reBlogged
by michael
on Sep 26, 2006, 9:30PM
Soner Ozenc at Designersblock
London-based industrial designer and recent Central Saint Martin’s Master’s Program graduate Soner Ozenc flaunted his wares at Designersblock during this year’s London Design Festival. Ozenc’s Time Curtain allows us to break the barrier of time, leaving behind the past to look forward to a brighter future. The Sajjadah 1426 prayer rug utilizes electroluminescent phosphor printing technology to illuminate symbolic patterns and highlight their value and meaning.
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Originally
from core77.com's design blog
reBlogged
by michael
on Sep 27, 2006, 5:26PM
Jen Lewin’s Laser Harps
You might’ve seen them at Burning Man…or not. Either way, get ready to experience Jen Lewin’s Laser Harps at NextFest 2006 this weekend in NYC. Lewin’s Harps use laser light to trigger sound, scrambling our brains, and questioning our perceptions of sound, space, and matter.
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Originally
from core77.com's design blog
reBlogged
by michael
on Sep 27, 2006, 10:20PM
Ask the Readers: Laptop case must-haves?
Reader Mike writes:
I am a college student who just purchased my first laptop; I also travel quite frequently back and forth to school and for personal travel. To make life easier, I’m trying to put together the ultimate laptop case of accessories. But when it comes to filling that laptop case I hit a roadblock, since I know I can’t think of every scenario myself.
Filling your case with the right items can definitely be a life-saver, but it requires that you be prepared for unexpected situations. Here’s what Mike has come up with so far:
- Small surge Protector with 2 or 3 plugs
- A few blank DVDs and CDs
- A thumbdrive
- SD card
- A universal power adapter for your laptop
- Important installation disks, like your Office or OS install disk
- Finally CABLES CABLES CABLES. Who knows what situation you might run into during a presentation – a good selection of cables, from USB to video and audio cords, can come in very handy.
Mike’s initial list is a pretty good start, but it certainly doesn’t exhaust the issue. As such, we’d love to hear what you put in your ultimate laptop bag, so give us your list of laptop must-haves in the comments.
Originally
from Lifehacker
reBlogged
by michael
on Sep 26, 2006, 5:00PM
SHiFT: Robotic Art
Leonel Moura’s presentation at SHiFT 2006 described his work making Robotic Art. Though he programs robots, Moura was quick to point out that though most people think of programming as a means of control, his art is more focused on enabling autonomy.
Moura outlined a few examples of where “self-organization via simple systems” can lead to complex construction. The pheromone trails of ants (which get stronger the more ants follow the same path) enable elaborate anthills to form. Human navigation experimentation leads to natural forming paths and bottom up urban construction creates living areas where most people prefer to dwell.
Based on these principles, Moura builds “machines that decide what to do for themselves”. Examples of his work can be found on his site. Including the RAP (robotic action planner) system that determines when its paintings are done and signs its name.
Moura’s requirements for true robot autonomy:
- Independent Body
- Accumulate Energy by own means
- Gather information directly from the environment
- Avoid situations that can be harmful
- Repair itself
- Learn from experience
Originally
from Functioning Form: Interface Design
by
reBlogged
by michael
on Dec 31, 1969, 11:59PM
