WEEK 15 Blobjects

Week 12 DAI 227 Questions. Worth 2 points each.

1) In the article "Between a Blob + a Hard Place" Steven Skov Holt & Mara Holt Skov argue in the File InCA_Spring05.pdf (on page 20) that the 'blobject' phenomenon really took off in the ID (industrial design) profession in the 1990s. Why?

It took off in industrial design basically because of CAD (computer automated design), different modeling techniques and different ways to rapidly proto-type different designs. Crazy new designs could be created and modeled due to calculus and computer designing.

2) Which year in the 1990s was a watershed?

1998 was the year of the watershed for blobjects.

3) What three other products were introduced this year that were good examples of blobjects?

Three products introduced in this time period were the the five flavor Apple iMacs, Volkswagon Beetle, and the Nike Triax Watch.

4) On page 29 of "Shaping Things" Bruce Sterling describes when a 'gizmo' becomes a 'spime'. Copy the sentence here.

“When the entire industrial process is made explicit, when the metrics count for more than the object they measure, then gizmo become spimes.”

5) On page 45 of "Shaping Things" Bruce Sterling describes a defining characteristic of a Synchronic Society. Quote him here.

“A SYNCHRONIC SOCIETY synchronizes multiple histories. In a SYNCHRONIC SOCIETY every object is worthy of human or machine consideration generates a small history. These histories are not dusty archives locked away on ink and paper. They are informational resources, manipulable in real time. A SYNCHRONIC SOCEITY generates trillion of catalogable, searchable, trackable trajectories: patterns of design, manufacturing, distribution, and recycling that are maintained in fine-grained detail.”- Bruce Sterling

FINAL Question

What did I learn in DAI 227, why take it?

Initially I decided that I was taking DAI 227 basically as a filler class because it is not a requirement. While taking the class I began to realize that the information I learned was crucial because to be in an industry where digital media is everywhere it is key to know where it came from and its fundamentals.

I feel this way because we started out with learning about where the computer came from and it’s a device I had no idea of it’s history, despite using it everyday for every assignment and so much more. We learned about concepts that the computer took from areas I never would of though of such as avant garde concepts like cut and paste. Taking something from one environment and putting it into another. I also learned that during wars there is some good, huge technological advancements, such is the case with Colossus, the super computer created at Bletchley Park designed to decrypt German codes in England, arguably what saved the world from death camps and more air raids.

I also learned a lot about simulation whether it was in google sketchup, second life, or augmented reality. In google sketchup we learned how to create a faux world, and then cut and paste things we found in its library to create somewhat of a movie set. I have used computer automated design before but not with such fun attributes such as a Godzilla and the Moma in my own design. In second life, similar possibilities can be achieved however it is an online community like Facebook, however people can interact, build, earn an income, and have a great time. Augmented reality was something I was somewhat aware of but after reading a bit about it I learned just how amazing it is, with google maps that can be live, or automated cars that can show the driver facts about their surroundings or where to eat. We also looked at a remote control helicopter that can battle other helicopters but only in this virtual augmented reality.

We then went on to learned about video games, their history, and how they are related to theme parks, more importantly Disneyland. Like videogames , theme parks are devised so the user doesn’t have to reverse their path, there are objects called “weenies,” large landmarks that make the terrain more navigable. Ever since I was young I have lived on the coast, and I have always been able to use the ocean as a sort of “weenie,” for direction, or large hills such as Twin Peaks here in San Francisco.

I also learned a great deal about animation and special effects. This information was so interesting to me because I make films however have never been taught how to do so, and using simple special effects such as glass with a painting on it, a large projector with the set in front of it, or just special camera angles, are things I plan to use when making future films. Regarding animation we learned simple rule, twelve of them, that create simulated reality, these rules make things so much more tangible for the human eye, I like to think they are like the Gestalt principles of seeing that I learned about in my graphic design classes.

Overall I would recommend this class as being a requirement for DAI students. I enjoyed it and didn’t so much as look at it as a class but more as a media integrated talk regarding things I am very interested in. It was also great to be taught by someone who has actually been in the field for so long and worked on such relevant projects such as animation and augmented reality.

Week 14

Here is the map I created!
I really enjoyed this activity and will definitely use it in the future!

View My DAI 227 MAP in a larger map

WEEK 13

1)        Squash and Stretch.
As the ball is stepped on by Luxo Junior, it squashes and stretches according to the amount of force applied to it by him.

2)        Timing and Motion.
As Luxo Jr. pushes the ball the viewer gets an understanding of how light the ball is, the way Jr. moves also gives us an emotional sense of youth, wobbling and scattered.

3)        Anticipation.
When Luxor Jr. jumps he moves down a little bit before jumping up.

4)        Staging.
Initially we are presented with the Luxor and then the focus of the animation is primarily on Luxor Jr. we know this because he is making most of the movements and the story is about him.

5)        Follow through and overlapping of action.
When Luxor Jr. pushes the ball he doesn’t just stop, he carries through giving us the illusion that he is somewhat anatomically real or obeying the laws of physics.

6)        Straight Ahead Action and Pose-to-Pose action.
We see a contrast in how Luxor vs. Luxor Jr. move and play with the ball. Luxor Jr. is wobbly and young seeming whereas it is easy to tell that Luxor is more matured because he seems to know the physics of the environment.

7)        Slow in and out.
This can be seen when Luxor Jr. Jumps, he doesn’t just go up and down quickly but he reaches his maximum height, he slows and then speeds up on the way down.

8)        Arcs.
Arcs can be seen in how Luxor Jr. Jumps forward, the same way a ball would move it was thrown.

9)        Exaggeration.
We get a real good understanding of the ball’s flexibility because of the way it is squashed and stretched in an over exaggerated manner.

10)    Secondary Action.
The cord of the lamps move around after they do. Initially we see Luxor Jr. jump, but his cord also follows in a wave like pattern as a result of the jump.

11)    Appeal.
People typically think klutzy children are cute as they find they’re bearing and that is exactly what Luxor Jr. is.

WEEK 12 Questions!!!

) What was the name of the film made by Edwin S Porter that made use of a double-exposure to show a train window view of passing landscape?

2) Who invented the traveling matte shot in 1916?

3) How many weeks did it take to animate the main character in 1933’s KING KONG?

4) Which film made use of the ‘slit scan’ process in the 1960s?

5) In his essay “Industrial Memory” theorist Mark Dery argues that the silver fluid T1000 cyborg character represents a ‘masculine recoil’ – but from what?

6) Tim Recuber in his essay “Immersion Cinema” describes the key idea – that of immersion cinema itself – what is it? What makes it unique?

7) In the special effects history links, in the Time magazine history of special effects, there is a description of ‘motion control’ cameras developed for “Star Wars” in the 1970s. What is motion control?(1 paragraph)

8) Out of the 14 minutes of Jurassic Park’s dinosaur footage, how many minutes were computer generated imagery or CGI?

9) In the ‘denofgeek’ website, what is the name of the film that features an army of sword fighting skeletons, made in 1963?

10) In the ‘denofgeek’ site, which 2005 film used a special effects shot to sell the idea of a remake of a famous science fiction story to Steven Spielberg?

WEEK 11 DISNEYLAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1) In Margaret Crawford's Essay "The World in a Shopping Mall she outlines that 'the size and scale of a mall reflects "threshold demand"' - what is meant by this term?

In Margaret Crawford's essay she defines the term "threshold demand," as being the smallest potential number of customers within a given region that are willing to buy an item to generate profit. She goes on to explain the difference between neighborhood shopping centers, such as strip malls that have typical things such as a grocery store, a nail salon, a bank, a pharmacy, a doughnut shop and some other stores that can be found at any other shopping center. These centers typically have a crowd that is willing to travel about two miles on average to get to this center. Community centers are defended as being places where people are willing to travel three to five miles to make a purchase maybe there is an computer store here or a book store. Next is the regional mall, these malls are typical malls such as the "Stonestown Mall," or the Westfield Mall, where there are department stores, movie theaters, maybe around 100 shops and people are willing to travel on average of 25 miles to these places. Furthermore is the super regional mall, where people are looking for something extraordinary, such as the West Edmonton Mall, there are rides, wave pools, various attractions and maybe 300+ shops.

2) In the same article Margaret Crawford describes something called "spontaneous malling" - what does this mean?

Spontaneous malling is difference between actually going shopping to a mall as an activity to an experience that is omnipresent; it can take place almost anywhere. Designers and city planners can create "pedestrian zones" with nearby parking lots by blocking off areas of a city, "allowing the development of concentrated shopping."

3) According to Michael Sorkin in his essay 'See you in Disneyland', how did Disneyland have its origins?

According to Sorkin there are two myths regarding Walt Disney's ideas regarding the origins of Disneyland. The first is that in 1938 Disney visited the Chicago Railroading Fair where he was invited to drive a historic locomotive, it was doing this that the idea came to him. The Disney Family also visited an unconventional theme park that lacked organization and good hygiene. Therefore Disney wanted to recreate this idea as a utopia in what was once an orange grove in southern California.

4) Michael Sorkin writes in his essay that Disney's EPCOT Center was motivated largely by frustrations Disney felt at his Anaheim CA park. What were those frustrations?

Disney was frustrated by the developments around Disneyland; therefore he relocated in secrecy to Florida in order to create everything without other developers knowing. He was able to create a greater utopia encompassing the customers with it's own hotels and businesses instead of other businessmen's ideas.

5) In his essay "Travels in Hyper reality" Umberto Eco describes Disneyland as 'a place of total passivity' - what does he mean by this?

Umberto Eco describes Disneyland of a place where consumers are not able to have any other option but the "utopian," option Disney offers. Consumers are not able to escape the game without playing it, or paying for it, "they must agree to behave live its robots." Railings directing visitors to a new location, a new store, or a new ride always interfere with the individual’s decisions; there is no void of indecision.

WEEK 11 DISNEYLAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1) In Margaret Crawford's Essay "The World in a Shopping Mall she outlines that 'the size and scale of a mall reflects "threshold demand"' - what is meant by this term?

In Margaret Crawford's essay she defines the term "threshold demand," as being the smallest potential number of customers within a given region that are willing to buy an item to generate profit. She goes on to explain the difference between neighborhood shopping centers, such as strip malls that have typical things such as a grocery store, a nail salon, a bank, a pharmacy, a doughnut shop and some other stores that can be found at any other shopping center. These centers typically have a crowd that is willing to travel about two miles on average to get to this center. Community centers are defended as being places where people are willing to travel three to five miles to make a purchase maybe there is an computer store here or a book store. Next is the regional mall, these malls are typical malls such as the "Stonestown Mall," or the Westfield Mall, where there are department stores, movie theaters, maybe around 100 shops and people are willing to travel on average of 25 miles to these places. Furthermore is the super regional mall, where people are looking for something extraordinary, such as the West Edmonton Mall, there are rides, wave pools, various attractions and maybe 300+ shops.

2) In the same article Margaret Crawford describes something called "spontaneous malling" - what does this mean?

Spontaneous malling is difference between actually going shopping to a mall as an activity to an experience that is omnipresent; it can take place almost anywhere. Designers and city planners can create "pedestrian zones" with nearby parking lots by blocking off areas of a city, "allowing the development of concentrated shopping."

3) According to Michael Sorkin in his essay 'See you in Disneyland', how did Disneyland have its origins?

According to Sorkin there are two myths regarding Walt Disney's ideas regarding the origins of Disneyland. The first is that in 1938 Disney visited the Chicago Railroading Fair where he was invited to drive a historic locomotive, it was doing this that the idea came to him. The Disney Family also visited an unconventional theme park that lacked organization and good hygiene. Therefore Disney wanted to recreate this idea as a utopia in what was once an orange grove in southern California.

4) Michael Sorkin writes in his essay that Disney's EPCOT Center was motivated largely by frustrations Disney felt at his Anaheim CA park. What were those frustrations?

Disney was frustrated by the developments around Disneyland; therefore he relocated in secrecy to Florida in order to create everything without other developers knowing. He was able to create a greater utopia encompassing the customers with it's own hotels and businesses instead of other businessmen's ideas.

5) In his essay "Travels in Hyper reality" Umberto Eco describes Disneyland as 'a place of total passivity' - what does he mean by this?

Umberto Eco describes Disneyland of a place where consumers are not able to have any other option but the "utopian," option Disney offers. Consumers are not able to escape the game without playing it, or paying for it, "they must agree to behave live its robots." Railings directing visitors to a new location, a new store, or a new ride always interfere with the individual’s decisions; there is no void of indecision.