Archives for September 2020

Recitation 2：Arduino Basics by Rain

September 29, 2020 by Dianyu Lin

Getting more familiar with the electronics, the first task is easy to complete.

Tonemelody circuit is easy to accomplish too, though I firstly plug the wires into the “9” socket of the power, which resulted in no response after the program is uploaded. But by comparing it to the program, I soon fixed the problem and heard the lovely melody.

The Speed Game is much more challenging-that brunch of wires in the graph has suggested that. I’ve spent much time connecting the elements, but it turns out no response. After consulting our learning assistant, I soon realized that I didn’t fully understand the graph, so as the function of the circuit. Taking LA’s advice to divide the elements and wires into different groups, I successfully completed the circuit.

my drawing of the schematic for circuit 3

Question 1: Reflect how you use technology in your daily life and on the circuits you just built. Use the Introduction Chapter (page xvii-xxix) of Physical Computing and your own observations to define interaction.

Interaction is a communicating process between two or more actors. Just like what has been mentioned in Physical Computing, communicating requires the process of listening, thinking and speaking of interactive actors, as well as the input, processing, and output of the computer. When I’m using technology in my daily life, there’s interaction between me and technology as my command transforms into input processed by technology, then it come out with output that gives me feedback. Also, when I was building my circuit, I was building a medium for me and the technology being able to understand and response to each other.

Question 2: Why did we use the 10K resistor with the push button?

To protect the circuit. When we press the button, the circuits connects and the 10K resistor is able to restrict the current under a appropriate value.

Question 3: If you have 100,000 LEDs of any brightness and color at your disposal, what would you make and where would you put it?

I want to put all of it in a room, covering every inch of the floor and walls. I want to connect it to sensors, so that when I step in to the room, there’s a lighting path suggesting my trail. When I raise my hand or move my body, the brightness and color of LED on the wall change smoothly creating different shapes and path as I want. Just like a god, a creator in this room, I am able to get all the emotion out of me, to let my thoughts wander. I think it can also be applied as a light therapy for mental disease.

Group Research Project: Fiction Readings by Rain

September 28, 2020 by Dianyu Lin

Folding Beijing

Educational robots who is skilled in dancing might be a great invention for parents and kids living in third space. It may look like a simple black box. When the class begins, it opens with a holographic projection of virtual teacher projecting into the class room. The bottom of the black box can work like a speaker. It plays music while virtual teacher danced to it, then children can ask the teacher to stop at anywhere to repeat specific movement in slow mode or decomposition movements. It can also be equipped with an evaluation system. When children try to complete their own performance, it can provide suggestion and encouragement. More educational robots working in other area like music and arts can also come into the world with similar design. They will definitely bring out more chance and laughter for kids having an art dream in third space.

Newton’s sleep

I hope there will be a holographic projector that can projecting a simulated old-earth environment on to the fungal infected ground within the human living area. And equipped with sensors, the projection image is able to change according to the air humidity and temperature. When the environment is warm and wet like spring, the projector shows the projection of fresh glass and wild flower. When it became cold and dry, yellow and red leaves appear. It’s not only a decoration of the living area, but also a warm reminder to the most soft and sensitive part of human beings, reminding where did we come from and suggesting where should we go.

The lifecycle of software objects

Inspired by the idea of Data Earth in the fiction, I want to design a program named Create Your Own Data Planet, which works like an open source data base that allows users to design their own small virtual planet. The design process will be easy to access, and the virtual planet users designed can be used to provide larger living space for their digients or just create a dream space for themselves to escape from reality for a while. This is a big program. If it exists, lives in the future will change into a more network-dependent way, and there also might be some social debate towards the program. But still, I think it’s exciting enough for us to try.

Group Research Project: Research Reading by Dianyu Lin

September 24, 2020 by Dianyu Lin

I would like to define interaction as a circulating communication process. It can be built between human and human, human and machine, or even machine and machine.
INFECT by Elsie on MANA: https://www.manamana.net/video/detail?id=186661#!zh

One of the interactive art projects impressed me with the deeper understanding towards the definition of interaction is INFECT designed by Elsie. It’s an imaginative art work using particle system and lighting interactive device to visualize designer’s understanding of internet discussion. And the magnificent visual effect when the bulb lights and small light spots gathering just leads to the direct sense of how data and ideas inside the network flow, and inspires me of how the interaction works in the circuit. Once the artist press the controlling button, she start to communicate with the lighting device. The device responds to her command thus provide us with a feast of arts. Depending on the interaction between artist and the device, there’s also an interactive communication with audience and the artist, communicating each understanding of the art work.

<a href=""> <img src="透明乌托邦.png" alt="MANA transparent utopia page"> </a> — **Transparent Utopia by Mr.Li on MANA. The video can’t be downloaded. Please click the following link** https://www.manamana.net/video/detail?id=207432#!zh

There’s also an art work which, in my opinion, doesn’t belong to interactive art project. That is the Transparent Utopia designed by Mr. Li. This is also an awesome art work with wonderful visual impression describing the inner world of people who have gone through the painful pandemic. However, the designed frame of the “Transparent Utopia” doesn’t build up the communication circuit between artist, audience with the art work. We’re just appreciating it, but can’t participate in it, can’t talk to it. But still, the fragile, lonely but soft world created by the video just bring out the exact message the artist expected to convey.

Recitation 1: Research Reading by Dianyu Lin

September 24, 2020 by Dianyu Lin

After a weeks reading, I’ve regained a deeper vision of what is Interaction or Interactive art. And following is my thoughts towards the two given questions:

Question 1: After reading The Art of Interactive Design, in what way do you think that the circuits you built today include interactivity? Please explain your answer.

As the Crawford’s definition on interaction, interaction is “a cyclic process in which two actors alternately listen, think, and speak”(1). When we’re building our circuit, the circuit and ourselves, the builder, can be seem as the two interactive actors. Take the doorbell circuit as an example. When I intend to ring the doorbell, I press the button of switcher, which conveys my intension to the circuit, using Crawford’s words, “the ball” is passing to circuit’s court. The circuit analyze my request and then respond, ringing the doorbell. I receive the ringing as a signal of the circuit works well, then the cyclic interaction process is completed. Though it seems like a simple command of ringing a bell, it have gone through a whole process of interactive communication between me and the circuit.

Question 2: How can Interaction Design and Physical Computing be used to create Interactive Art? You can reference Zack Lieberman’s video or any other artist that you know.

The interactive design and physical computing can provide medium and technical support for interaction art. Zack Lieberman’s Eye writer is an excellent example. Physical computing applies to computer programing, and that finally transforms the movement of eyes into painted lines and shapes. And the micro CCD CAM connecting to the computer program enables the computer to receive and respond to the movement of the artist’s eyes, which uses the interactive design to build up bounds between artist and devices. In other words, the interactive design provides the basic idea of how to build up bounds between artist and the device, while physical computing put it into practice and finally makes the art work function as expected.

Recitation 1: Electronics and Soldering by Dianyu Lin

September 21, 2020 by Dianyu Lin

The first day of my interaction lab’s recitation is doubtlessly more than exciting. In the class we were asked to complete some circuit according to the diagram and fulfill the task of electric soldering. The circuit and functions of its components are as follows:

voltage regulator：to lower the voltage to fit the rated power of the speaker as well as keeping it stable

speaker: to function as doorbell

switch: to keep the ringing doorbell under control

capacitor: to keep the supply voltage stable

When I was trying to match the diagram with actual wires, I found it hard to understand the function of the breadboard and the connection between other elements. Following is the first circuit I built, and there’s something wrong with it.

When I’m building up the circuit, I didn’t realize that the restriction has its own direction and I just plugged it in a wrong side, which caused the element became extremely hot. Luckily I fixed it by comparing it to my classmate’s one and was finally conscious of the importance of following the correct direction in a circuit.

The soldering process is also inspiring as its high efficiency and neatness changed my impression of soldering, which is sparking and tiring.

After all, everything I’ve gone through in this recitation is just a glance of the entrance to the interactive art work, but it’s wonderful enough for me to expect to explore more.