Recitation 9 by Hangkai Qian

In my recitation, I planned to use two potentiometers to control the image in the Processing. The first potentiometer is to control the size of the image, and the second potentiometer is to control the degree of the blur of the image.

At first, after I read the Powerpoint in the folder, I used the function “resize” to  change the size of the image and the grammar of “Resize” is photo.resize( , ).  However, a mistake happened. When I resize the picture for several times, the picture blur a little. So I know the resize function will change the function, which leads to the change of the picture. Therefore, later I chose another function which do not  change the image: 

image(photo,0,0,a);

Second, when I first use the code that can transfer data from Arduino to Processing, the error said the ArrayException. At first, I thought it was because of the number from Arduino exceed the range that Processing. However, when I asked Rudi, he said the number of the blur function couldn’t be so big. So I used 

float a=map(sensorValues[1],0,1024,0,40);

to make the number from Arduino smaller.

Here is my arduino code.

void setup() {
Serial.begin(9600);
}

void loop() {
int sensor1 = analogRead(A0);
int sensor2 = analogRead(A1);

// keep this format
Serial.print(sensor1);
Serial.print(“,”); // put comma between sensor values
Serial.print(sensor2);
Serial.println(); // add linefeed after sending the last sensor value

// too fast communication might cause some latency in Processing
// this delay resolves the issue.
delay(100);
}

Here is my processing code

import processing.serial.*;

String myString = null;
Serial myPort;
PImage photo;

int NUM_OF_VALUES = 2; /** YOU MUST CHANGE THIS ACCORDING TO YOUR PROJECT **/
int[] sensorValues; /** this array stores values from Arduino **/

void setup() {
size(500, 500);
background(0);
photo=loadImage(“12deeaa706628e537518aa533d6c8658.jpeg”);
setupSerial();
}

void draw() {
background(0);
updateSerial();
printArray(sensorValues);

image(photo, 0, 0,sensorValues[0],sensorValues[0]);//,width,height);
float a=map(sensorValues[1],0,1024,0,40);
println(“senmap!”,a);
filter(BLUR,a);

//
//filter(BLUR, sensorValues[1]);

// use the values like this!
// sensorValues[0]

// add your code

//
}

void setupSerial() {
printArray(Serial.list());
myPort = new Serial(this, Serial.list()[ 4 ], 9600);
// WARNING!
// You will definitely get an error here.
// Change the PORT_INDEX to 0 and try running it again.
// And then, check the list of the ports,
// find the port “/dev/cu.usbmodem—-” or “/dev/tty.usbmodem—-”
// and replace PORT_INDEX above with the index number of the port.

myPort.clear();
// Throw out the first reading,
// in case we started reading in the middle of a string from the sender.
myString = myPort.readStringUntil( 10 ); // 10 = ‘\n’ Linefeed in ASCII
myString = null;

sensorValues = new int[NUM_OF_VALUES];
}

void updateSerial() {
while (myPort.available() > 0) {
myString = myPort.readStringUntil( 10 ); // 10 = ‘\n’ Linefeed in ASCII
if (myString != null) {
String[] serialInArray = split(trim(myString), “,”);
if (serialInArray.length == NUM_OF_VALUES) {
for (int i=0; i<serialInArray.length; i++) {
sensorValues[i] = int(serialInArray[i]);
}
}
}
}
}

Here is my circuit:

circuit

Here is my video:

r9

Reading

In this week’s reading, the author talked about the development of Computer Image analysis. It showed that computer vision doesn’t only can be used in military and law-enforcement actions. One of the most impressive project based on the technology is called “Standards and Double Standards”, which can recognize the people in the room and make the belt rotate to face to the audience. The project used belts to represent people face to the audience using the tech.

What makes me think is that the game I want to make can use this technique to track the movement of the player in order to make them like moving the stick on the screen, but I’m not sure if I can manage to understand it.

   Source:Computer Vision for Artist and Designers

Recitation 8: Serial Communication by Tya Wang (rw2399)

Exercise 1: Make a Processing Etch A Sketch

Here is a schematic of a circuit made up of two potentiometers, each controlling the x-value and y-value on the screen.

With the ellipse changing position, the program operates this way:

When you think about how Etch a Sketch works, essentially it is only detecting values on the two handles and drawing a straight line between the values returned in two continuous detects. In the video given, the reason why the lines are so smooth and real is because the toy makes detections way faster than Processing, and handles on the toy is also larger than Arduino processing, making controlling them easier. 

I think while this is a very simple and flat interactive relationship, their is quite a huge potential in what people can achieve through it. It can also help its children or even adult users to develop creative thinking by brainstorming what one single line can make up. However, I don’t think this is the best way to create art for a commoner on a daily basis because it requires some sort of artistic threshold to make a vivid picture with such limited material. Other digital drawboards with way more features would help daily art creation better.

Exercise 2: Make a musical instrument with Arduino

Building the circuit and coding is easier compared with designing how this program should be like. Since you can choose either or both of your keyboard and mouse to control the sound, which one you wants to use controlling length and tone of the notes is a central question that I needed to design to make using this program easier. Finally, I decided that while moving the mouse creating a sound might be fun, it is not quite practical. Therefore, I chose to build this classic keyboard where each key on the second of your keyboard leads to the sound of a different note. And I made the length of one sound linger a bit longer after the user stopped pressing the key to create an experience like playing a piano.

Sarah Chung Drawing machines

INTRODUCTION

In this recitation we built a drawing machine by utilizing actuators and Arduinos. We also utilized a H-bridge powered by a stepper motor.

 

MATERIALS

For Steps 1 and 2

1 * 42STH33-0404AC stepper motor
1 * L293D ic chip
1 * power jack
1 * 12 VDC power supply
1 * Arduino kit and its contents

For Step 3

2 * Laser-cut short arms
2 * Laser-cut long arms
1* Laser-cut motor holder
2 * 3D printed motor coupling
5 * Paper Fasteners
1 * Pen that fits the laser-cut mechanisms
Paper

         For step one the circuit building was more or less easy as clear instructions were given on the recitation page, we had no trouble incorporating the H-bridge onto out breadboard. The H-bridge was important as it allowed the DC (direct current) stepper to run both forwards and backwards .Our only worry was that this was our first time using a 12V power instead of 5V and we were scared of the damage that could have been done to the Arduino and our computer. My partner and I colour coded our wires to avoid confusion in case we had to track back our work and to ensure we wired everything correctly to avoid damage to the Arduino or the laptop. Finally when we ran our code the project worked perfectly.

        

In step 2 we added a potentiometer to the circuit, so we could control the rotation of the machine. We mapped the machine to the minimum and maximum values of both the analog and the stepper motor. We programmed the Arduino with analogRead so that the motor could move via the input from the potentiometer. With all this done we finally could control the rotation of the motor with the knob of the potentiometer. After this we were ready to move onto step 3.

In step 3 we assembled the laser cut short & long arms with paper fasteners and mounted them onto our potentiometers. We them laid out a piece of paper and inserted the pencil onto the drawing machine. Though step 1 and 2 were completed successfully and the drawing machine was mounted as instructed we found it hard to control it to draw a fixed pattern.

Question 1

What kind of machines would you be interested in building? Add a reflection about the use of actuators, the digital manipulation of art, and the creative process to your blog post.

I would be interested in building machines that can enhance human creativity, much like drawing machines. I would like to build something that allows others to express themselves in ways they couldn’t before (like the machine that allowed the paralyzed graffiti artist to write with his eyes).I believe that in projects like this (digital manipulation of art), humans rely on the machines in a healthy way, they use it to heighten their skills. The machine is not used as a substitute for creativity, there is a great deal of thought and processing on both sides of the interaction. Actuators were an integral part of this project and are integral for any moving machine. When a creator understands how to make proper use of actuators it allows for limitless avenues of creativity.

Question 2

Choose an art installation mentioned in the reading ART + Science NOW, Stephen Wilson (Kinetics chapter). Post your thoughts about it and make a comparison with the work you did during this recitation. How do you think that the artist selected those specific actuators for his project?

Douglas Irving Repetto’s Giant Painting Machine/San Mateo reminded me of our drawing machine project. In both projects (Repetto’s and ours) a motor was used to allow a drawing tool to mark a canvas. However, our project was controlled by direct human interaction (us controlling with the knob of the potentiometer) whereas Repetto’s machine was controlled by electronics (code).I believe he chose those specific actuators as it allowed the machine the most fluid and erratic movement.

Final Project Essay: Alexander Cleveland

A. Title 

侬说啥 (What did you say?)

B. Project Statement of Purpose

In this project, my partner and I are aiming to educate young children on the dying languages and dialects in different provinces around China. Unlike most Western countries, China has multiple languages and variations of language spoken throughout the country. Even though Mandarin is the most common one, some cities like Shanghai also have their own dialect called “Shanghainese” (上海话) (Asia Society). In order to preserve cultural dialects such as Shanghainese and others, my partner and I have devised a plan to educate younger children on the many dialects throughout China. In many articles, it is evident that languages other than Mandarin in China are being phased out because the Government is requiring people to use Mandarin in official scenarios (GaoKao exam and government forms for example) (The Atlantic). It is important to maintain the vast array of cultures in China through spoken language . We will appeal to the younger generation through a puzzle game which displays a map of China. The child will take one of the provinces (a singular puzzle piece) out and trigger the screen and audio to begin playing a clip from a native speaker of that region. Each province that is available to source from will have a native speaker from NYU Shanghai introducing themselves. This way children can listen, practice, and most importantly, be aware of the diversity among languages in China. Hopefully through this project, my partner and I can inspire classmates, teachers, mentors, and children to keep dialects alive in China.

C.  Project Plan

The main goal of this project is to preserve the cultural traditions of different languages and dialects around the provinces of China. In order to appeal to younger kids through education, we’ve created a puzzle game which correlates with a screen, joystick, and audio speakers. The first component is creating a map of China, which is split into different puzzle pieces based on provincial boundaries. Each province puzzle piece will be linked through wires to the screen so that when it is taken out of the puzzle, a video of the native speaker from that selected province introducing themselves plays. The joystick will be linked to the screen and control a cursor which can move over a virtual map of China. As the cursor mouses over a province, the voice of that dialect begins to whisper, creating intrigue in the participant. My partner and I plan to film and record different students from NYU Shanghai who come from separate provinces such as Guangdong, Shanghai, Beijing, Hebei, Sichuan and more. We realize that not every province is represented at our school, so we will try and accrue as many as possible. Although, the search process for finding students that speak dialects other than Mandarin has been difficult because of the Government mandated policy of Mandarin only learning in recent years. We have designed the base of the puzzle and plan to laser cut it while we will 3-D print the model of China and its pieces to fit within the base. We also need to coordinate the sensor wires with the puzzle pieces once they are fully printed. After, we will link the joystick with the on screen graphics through the Arduino values we’ve learned and processing skills to create a virtual map.

D. Context and Significance

In my preparatory research for this project, I stumbled upon a similar project named Phonemica which also aims to preserve Chinese cultural dialects by physically traveling to those places and recording the people there. I found it very inspiring that there were other people who are also passionate about preserving the local culture of China. Our project differs from Phonemica though in that we are only in one location and are recording people in our school. We are also trying to appeal to a younger generation by making it a game, rather than a website. Another project that inspired me was the musical bikes, just a block away from our school. The premise of this project was interactivity through music and exercise. When all four people were riding the bikes, the whole song would play. I think that our puzzle and joystick feature creates a similar incentive because at first the voice whispers when they mouse over it with the joystick and only once the child takes the puzzle piece out will it fully play the phrase. The joystick creates an incentive to take out a puzzle piece just as the songs created an incentive for all four people to be exercising on the bikes. I think our project is unique in that we are enlisting the help of the whole school to guide our educational process. It’s not only my partner and I working to preserve Chinese dialects, but those from that region too. To me, it aligns with my definition of interaction because it involves a child playing with a puzzle which translates a result to the screen and helps that child learn. It’s a conversation through the physicality of the puzzle, and the encouragement to repeat the phrase after they are finished watching the video. Just as Chris Crawford explains in what exactly is interactivity? , interactivity has to do with conversations moving back and forth between the user and the machine. It’s not just once, but multiple times in a fluid back and forth process (Crawford). I agree with Crawford and think that my project on interaction is a conversational learning process geared towards children. Hopefully, this project can inspire others in the future to build similar models such as Phonemica’s to help maintain cultural identities in China. These educational tools such as speech repetition games, apps, and computer games could possibly be used in schools around China and specifically in each province too. Seeing as the future is digital, I hope Chinese dialects can survive the new wave of technology.

Works Cited

https://asiasociety.org/china-learning-initiatives/many-dialects-china (Asia Society)

http://www.phonemica.net/

Dix au carre

https://www.theatlantic.com/china/archive/2013/06/on-saving-chinas-dying-languages/276971/ (The Atlantic)

Chris Crawford, What exactly is interactivity? (In class reading)

Final Project Essay: Chloe Wang

Project Title: Truth about Truth

My project is called“Truth about Truth”. This is an interactive art installation that aims to deliver to the audience my thoughts on how a fact is conceived by us, and how difficult it is to be “right”, or to know the whole truth when we are receiving information for those outlets of our choosing. The project will have an image that is blurred or blocked that would only have one spot that is clear when someone actively interacts with it. One image will be on the screen for 15 seconds, and the person interacting with it would have to choose a storyline of what they think is in this image after that. I want to show that our individualized decision-making process is influenced by our different cultural backgrounds, which defines what truth is for us. 

During my preparatory research, I found Daniel Rozin’s “Mirror” installations most inspiring. His installations with various objects mirrors the face or shadow of the person in front of it. This way, when there is no observers, his installations do not have meanings. Only the presence of an observer gives his art a meaning. I wanted to make an installation that responses to the viewer’s movement. When someone walks close to the frame, some parts of the image would become clear, and the person’s movement would change the focused area on the canvas. The canvas is black in the beginning, and when someone walks into the frame, there would be a small shape that shows part of the photo. As the viewer moves a magnifier or a flashlight, the shape moves and reveals other parts of the image. With this effect, the viewer can navigate the image and complete it in their brain. The person needs to figure out what they think is in the image and decide in the end. There are no right or wrong answers, but in the end, there will be data gathered to show the result. 

General visualization of my project:Final Project idea

The Hong Kong protests happening this year has pushed me to think about the relationship between media and our beliefs. It seems like everyone is taking a side on this issue. The news on Weibo and the news on twitter display completely opposite sides of the violence in Hong Kong. As someone who is sandwiched in between Chinese identity and Western ideologies, I found it quite difficult to choose one extreme on this spectrum. Yet, I am not completely unbiased. For this project, I was inspired by the ideas of “selective exposure” and “third-person effect”. Selective exposure is: “individuals’ tendency to isolate themselves by selecting only attitude-consistent news”(Knobloch-Westerwick and Johnson, 2014). It is based on Festinger’s “cognitive dissonance theory”, which means:“people have an inner need to ensure that their beliefs and behaviors are consistent. Inconsistent or conflicting beliefs lead to disharmony, which people strive to avoid”(Cherry, 2019). Third-person effect means that: “Each individual reasons: I will not be influenced, but they (the third persons) may well be persuaded”(Davison, 1983). I hope the completion of my project could reflect on these theories and remind us that maybe it is better if we can accept the existence of the other side of the rhetoric. Instead of rejecting them or judging them, think about why this rhetoric exists and why there are divided opinions on it. Recently I watched a documentary called “Of Fathers and Sons”. This documentary shows the story of a radical Islamist family, a group of people we would not read about from the news we access. It is scary to see how the children were trained to become terrorists and their numbness to violence. On the other hand, this documentary shows the love between their family members. After watching the documentary, our perception of terrorism will not be changed, but at least we have insight into why they exist. In general, my goal is not justifying or judging any actions. Rather, I want to emphasize that although we know things are not all black and white, we tend to choose to believe in those that align with our beliefs that continue to reinforce our beliefs.  

Cherry, K. (2019) Cognitive Dissonance and Ways to Resolve It, Verywell Mind. Available at: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-cognitive-dissonance-2795012 (Accessed: 24 November 2019).

Davison, W. P. (1983) ‘The Third-Person Effect in Communication’, Public Opinion Quarterly, 47(1), pp. 1–15. doi: 10.1086/268763.

Knobloch-Westerwick, S. and Johnson, B. K. (2014) ‘Selective Exposure for Better or Worse: Its Mediating Role for Online News’ Impact on Political Participation’, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 19(2), pp. 184–196. doi: 10.1111/jcc4.12036.

Wired (2019) ‘This Artist Makes Kinetic “Mirrors” That Echo Your Movements’. Available at: https://www.wired.com/story/daniel-rozin-mechanical-mirrors/ (Accessed: 24 November 2019).

Derki, T. (2018) Of Fathers and Sons – Official Trailer. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zd0bRdYb8AI&feature=youtu.be(Accessed: 26 November 2019).
 
WIRED (no date) How This Guy Makes Amazing Mechanical Mirrors | Obsessed | WIRED. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kV8v2GKC8WA&feature=youtu.be(Accessed: 26 November 2019).