Month: September 2022

1. the first device I made can make the light lights up and dims down slowly in sequence. our assignment is to make a circuit that can make the light fade. we are hoping to learn how to build a circuit according to the circuit diagram. and how to use the existing code in Arduino. I did it pretty easily and without failure. I first understood how the circuit diagram worked and then build my circuit accordingly. I learned from this activity that whenever we are going to build a circuit, we should first draw a circuit diagram and that will make the whole process a lot easier. here is the code and the video of my circuit working.

2. the second device I build is a device that will play a piece of music when the circuit is on. this circuit is also meant to let us know what it is like to read circuit diagrams and how to use the existing code. during this project, I failed the first time because I didn’t choose the file so the code can not be uploaded to the Arduino. so the hummer will only hum once and stopped. then I found out there was a problem there and corrected it. so the hummer will hum a piece of music for me. although the plan didn’t go as planned, I still learned something. it has come to my notice that I should always check whether the code has been uploaded or not before making the whole circuit work. the following is the code and video about my circuiting working.

3. the third circuit I built is a bit complicated. it is a game that can be played by two people. the person who first presses the button on his or her side ten times will have his or her side of the light lights up and the hummer hums. we are hoping to learn how to connect complex circuits according to the circuit diagram.  and how to upload code from Autodesk. although the circuit diagram is difficult to read, I still manage to get it right the first time. the thing I learned from this circuit is that we should draw the circuit diagram clearly so that we could able to connect the whole circuit correctly. I come to that conclusion because without a clear circuit diagram, I could never come up with the circuit correctly. the following is the picture of my circuit and how it works as well as the circuit diagram.

4. the first question: I think the creative button that can be used in the third circuit is that the music played by the buzzer will be determined by how much time the winner uses to push ten times of the button. the reason why it is more interactive is that the whole model will no longer be digital but analog. because the judgment that is used is no longer yes or no about who presses the button faster but about exactly how much time they use to push the button. in that way, the output of this device is more interactive so it is more interactive. 

5. the second question: the reason for having a 10k resistance for the push button is that we need to have a resistance big enough that if the button is off, the pressure will be small enough to count as 0 for the computer. also, it has to be big enough so that the button can be protected from the big current.

6. the project I found is a project in which the ceiling will move according to how people move underneath the ceiling. I choose it because it can show how an Arduino is not simply creating roads from A to B but lost in finding a way to C. there’s no set way for the ceiling to move. instead, it will move according to how people underneath move. that is why I find it interesting.

7. references cited

Forman View all posts by Eric Forman, Eric, et al. “SMS Slingshot by VR/Urban.” HelloCircuits!, 13 Sept. 2015, https://hellocircuits.com/2012/04/29/sms-slingshot-by-vrurban/#more-9744.

1. the paragraph describing my idea for “The Veldt”:                                                                     my interactive device for this novel is a device that once you put something inside it, it will show how that object will be in a day.                                                   this device is part of the universe the novel is situated in because the father and mother heard their own scream before they made those screams. the father also picked up the mother’s blooded scarf before the mother was eaten. so this device to show what objects will be like in the future is part of that universe.                                                                                          A similar device I have seen in real life is the device I once see in a Chinese museum. people can see a cultural relic as it was when it was first made through the touch of the hand. however, the cultural relic is now full of the marks of time. so I think it is the reversed version of my device.                                                                I think the problem caused by this device is that people will know the future in advance and try to change it. and that will change the actual cause of history and create paradoxes.
2. the paragraph describing my idea for “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas”:      my interactive device for this novel is a device once pressed, someone in the world will suffer and one of your wishes will come true.                                                    this device is part of the universe the novel is situated in because in the city of Omelas, people’s dreams are all met at the cost of some unknown child’s suffering.  and that child seems randomly picked.                                                                             a similar thing I thought about this device is someone will demand others to donate money to them on platforms. the only difference is that this kind of donation is something the doter wanted to do. but in my device, that suffering is not something that person wants to bear.                                                                                 the problem I foresee for this device is that at first, people will have sympathy for that random person but in the end, they will break the boundaries of morality to satisfy their own needs. only very few people will choose to leave this device alone, just like those who walk away from Omelas.
3. the paragraph describing my idea for “The Plague”:                                                       my interactive device for this novel is a device that can track people’s brain waves to write sentences or draw pictures.                                                                                   this device is part of the universe that novel is situated in because people infected by the plague can think but they can not express their thinking quickly enough. so if this device exists, people will be able to detect that those people are alive.                                                                                                                                          a similar device I found is the eye tracking device that can be used to draw paintings. that device is designed for paralyzed people, a bit like my device.             the problem I foresee for this device is that it is very hard for someone to control their own brain wave. so they can only draw what they are thinking about without any embellishment. 

1. the definition of interaction is the process of two or multiple people or things responding to others with or without thinking or understanding what the other has acted.

2. the device that I think does not align with my definition: <feeding> by Chang Hsin Yu

the description of “feeding”: a device composed of a fishing rod, a microphone, a speaker, and a volume sensor. when the volume is low, the fishing rod will loosen and let the microphone drop closer to the speaker. when the volume is significant, the fishing rod will tighten and rise away from the speaker. 

why it doesn’t align with my definition: in this device, there are two parties. one is the fishing rod and the other is the sound. which aligns with my definition of two or more people or objects. however, only the fishing rod responds to the sound, but the sound doesn’t respond to the fishing rod. because regardless of the fishing rod, the sound will not be affected by it. so it doesn’t respond to the fishing rod’s action which doesn’t align with my definition. 

how it triggered my definition of interaction: usually, when I think of interaction, I think of two people making actions according to their understanding of what the other’s has said. but in this device, I come to realize that two objects can also interact with each other. as sound and fishing rod are objects instead of people. also, it has come to my realization that two parties can interact with each other without the need of understanding each other. as the fishing rod doesn’t actually understand the sound and the sound doesn’t understand the fishing rod. that has made my understanding towards interaction deeper. I now think interaction means the process of two or multiple people or things responding to others with or without thinking or understanding what the other has acted.

3. the device that aligns with my definition: <SMS Slingshot> by VR/Urban

the description of SMS Slingshot: you first type a message on the wooden keypad of the SMSlingshoot, then the message is transmitted to the computer. when you pulled the flexible ribbon, a laser will show up on the wall. and if you loosen your hand, the message will be projected on the wall.

why it aligns with my definition: it is the progress between a person and a SMSlingshoot responding to others with thinking about what the other has acted. because people will think about what to type and the computer will progress and show what people have typed once that person has loosened the ribbon. 

how it triggered my definition of interaction: I think it is a very typical type of interaction. only one person and one thing are involved. they all reacted to what the other one did (the person will type and the computer will project). also, they do what they do after thinking about the other’s reaction. so that is why I define my definition of interaction as the process of two or multiple people or things responding to others with or without thinking or understanding what the other has acted.

4. References Cited

Urban View all posts by Eric Forman, Eric, et al. “SMS Slingshot by VR/Urban.” HelloCircuits!, 13 Sept. 2015, https://hellocircuits.com/2012/04/29/sms-slingshot-by-vrurban/#more-9744.

Chang View all posts by Eric Forman, Chang, et al. “‘Feeding’ by Chang Hsin Yu.” HelloCircuits!, 2 Sept. 2022, https://hellocircuits.com/2022/05/02/feeding-by-chang-hsin-yu/#more-13510.

today, in the recitation class, we are asked to make four circuits, each one is an improved version of the last one. we are wished to learn the knowledge of circuits as well as the knowledge of switches through this progress of making. we borrow ideas from what we have learned on Thursday.  first, we are told to stay safe during the whole process and how to prevent the circuits from burning. we also learn how to weld as well. our team first asked the professor about the theory of the circuit board and then try to connect our circuit according to the circuit picture but we failed the first time because we put the buzzer wrongly. then the switch doesn’t work. it turned out we have bypassed the switch. and then everything worked. although the whole thing didn’t go completely as planned, we managed to do what we are told to do. what we have learned is that we should always double-check whether some devices are being bypassed when we are making a circuit. also, we should prevent ourselves from getting hurt when welding. the followings are answers to the questions. all pictures and videos will be attached at the end of

the first step of the first task. the first circuit can make the buzzer buzz when we press the switch. we first connect a wire to the positive side and then connect it to the buzzer’s positive side. then we take another wire and connect it to the buzzer’s negative side and one side of the switch. we then connect the other side of the switch with the negative side of the power with another wire. but the first time we connect this circuit without the switch, the buzzer doesn’t buzz. so we asked the assistant what was going on and she explained that we have bypassed the buzzer and we should turn the buzzer 90 degrees around. we tried and it worked! and then we added the switch this time we are extra careful about not bypassing any device. and this time, the switch worked.

the second step of the first task. the second circuit can make light lights up and buzzer buzz at the same time with the switch. we take another wire and connect it between the resistant and the positive side of the buzzer. we take another wire and connect it between the resistant and the positive side of the LED. a third wire is used to connect the negative side of the LED with the switch. there are moments when we connect the wire to the wrong row but we corrected it in time and we succeed the first time.

the third step of the first task. the third circuit can make one light lights up all the time and the rest is like the second circuit. we connect the light and the resistance as well as the POT and connect them to the positive and negative sides of the power. we first didn’t know how the POT worked so we asked one professor about it and he explained it patiently. then we found we the light won’t light up and found out we have again connected the wire to the wrong row. after we corrected this, the circuit worked.

 

when I’m working with my partner, we will study the pictures of the circuits together and the boys will do most of the job of installing them. they will also explain to me when I don’t understand because they took physics in high school and I didn’t. 

in step two. we first cut two pieces of rubber out of the wire at each end. next, we tried out one piece of copper and stick it to one end of the cardboard. the next step is to stick the two boards together and fix our wire to the copper-free end of the cardboard, making the bare wire touch the copper. then we are taught how to use the electrode holder and we use the electrode holder and fix the bare wire to the copper. I learned how to use an electrode holder and how every kind of metal can pass electricity. the only difficulty we encounter is that my partner’s hand was cut open by copper. the professor tends to him immediately.

 

in step three, we connected the copper switch with the circuit and use the whole device to make the Morse code of SOS. we insert one end of the bare wire into the place where the old switch was on and the other side the same. I worked well with my partners.

question one: the resistance of the LED is quite small so the electricity will be large and the LED has a possibility of being burned. so we need to make the resistance bigger by adding R1. question two’s answer is attached below 

question three: I think today’s circuit is interactive because the circuit can first listen to me (feeling me pressing the switch), think (letting the electricity go through the whole circuit), and speak (making the light lights up or the buzzer buzzes). and I have also listened (seen the light lights up and the buzzer buzzes), thought (thought about what to do next), and spoken (pressed the switch). but I think the degree of interaction is pretty low. because the device is not speaking well enough. it just lights up and buzzes and does nothing else, it’s neither interesting nor beautiful.

question four: I think to create interactive art, we need two steps, firstly, the artist creates an artwork. next, the viewers interact with the art. so interaction design and physical computing can be used in those two steps. firstly, we can use physical computing to make an interaction design. then we use this interaction design to interact with people and create interactive artworks. for instance, in Lieberman’s project, he first use physical computing to build the eye tracking device which is also interactive. then people can use this eye tracking device to create artwork.  references: Art of Interactive Design,