Beyond Locative Media Reading

In the reading "Beyond Locative Media" there was a lot of focus on commercial interests, locative media would focuses on location based work and the experience of an individual user. With the pervasiveness of computing and the cheap availability of smart phones, the ability to track tag or annotate people, place, and things with digital information is no longer restricted to the web. It states that the virtual based world is on its way to becoming anchored into the real world and having a real basis in the real world. locative medias use of technology as part of it's frame work there has been far less separation.

Artist develop a practice that in many ways is research and profiling. For instance Walt Disney Smilarly to Pixar create short animated films to test out new technologies and new techniques before trying those techniques in full length films. It is a way for trial and error as well as practice before they can realy get their feet under them.  This is precisely what we are seeing with technologies now such as locative media and augmented reality.  We are just playing right now and sampling the technology but once we get our feet under us we will reach a new era in art and technology. Currently we are still dealing with glitchy platforms which turn many away from using them, specially in a era where we are all about efficiency and ease of use. If its to complicated and has to many issues it will die before it even has a chance to get going.

Layar

'

My Layar Project was done with Mr. Brian Machado, and what we did was place a Mario Mushroom in the center of campus at the Cesar Chavez Plaza.  We had some difficulty in the placement of the item, we placed it a few feet above the standard elevation so that it wouldnt get stuck in the ground.  This worked however our item got lost in another classmates forest which btw was very impressive.  We attempted to move it but the website for Layar was crashed by our classes continuous use of the network and the multiple layar levels. All in all the Layar project was an interesting experiment and was enjoyable to see the other classmates projects but overall the experience left me feeling that it would not be something i would want to try again until the bugs were worked out.

Paper on Augmented Reality

Augmented reality can change the way we view the world, and is going to become a major aspect of our future. With augmented-reality displays, which will eventually look much like a normal pair of glasses, informative graphics will appear in your field of view, and audio will coincide with whatever you see similar to how we viewed the San Francisco on our guided buggy tour.  Instead of just seeing the natural landscape like we did and heard slight advertisements for restaurants and shops along the way, we will see a virtual guide in the dashboard of our buggy pointing out everything. Instead of being instructed to look somewhere we might be assisted with arrows, and instead of commercial advertisements like on the radio we might see something more like a pop up on a computer. These enhancements will be refreshed continually to reflect the movements of your head. Similar devices and applications already exist, particularly on smartphones like the iPhone.

            Let’s say you're hungry and at a busy intersection. There are multiple restaurants around you, but you don't know where they are or which one is the best. You could look up each one on a computer, or just take your chances by holding up your phone to buildings around you and seeing comments about those places pop up as you turn. Another example is shopping. You can point your camera at a product and see a layer of information about it, like prices of the same product at other stores in the area or on the Internet and see customer reviews and comments. And this functionality only requires a few things. First, a smartphone with a camera to capture reality. Second, a connection to the Internet for receiving the layer of information. Third, software on your phone to bring it all together. It also helps to have a phone with GPS and a compass so it knows which direction you're facing.   Soon our reality will become so integrated with technology that we will all put on glasses not just for sun protection but to see a more enriched world.  A world where you can see impossible things pop up around you.

            My favorite example is of an augmented reality for gps.  There will be programs created so that you don’t have to look at your phones for directions instead you will hear the directions like we do today and the path will be highlighted in front of you so that you don’t take the wrong exit or miss it because you needed to look down at your phone. Something that exists now is located inside inoventions at Disneyland in Anaheim Ca. You are tasked to be a doctor and reassemble a human being, so by putting on these glasses and grabbing a joy stick you grab body parts from a conveyer belt and assemble the person accordingly. 

Computer graphics have become much more sophisticated since in the early 1970s.  Game graphics are pushing the barriers of photorealism. Now, researchers and engineers are pulling graphics out of your television screen or computer display and integrating them into real-world environments.

On the spectrum between virtual reality, which creates immersive, computer-generated environments, and the real world, augmented reality is closer to the real world. Augmented reality adds graphics, sounds, haptic feedback and smell to the natural world as it exists. Both video games and cell phones are driving the development of augmented reality either for fun uses like placing a giant Reptar on the empire state building or for practical Uses. Everyone from tourists, to soldiers, to someone looking for the closest subway stop can now benefit from the ability to place computer-generated graphics in their field of vision.

            Lastly its uses in learning for children would be extremely advantageous. In a time where the average childs attention span is the span of a few seconds we need to come up with new ways to keep their attention. There are books out now that tell stories like old pop up books but with animations. The story of jack and the bean stock comes to life on the page and you see the characters move along with the story as you read. Also in science they recreated a volcano so you can see into it and all the layers of crust that make up the volcano. As you read you can see the reaction on the inside and watch the monstrous mt. erupt.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKw_Mp5YkaE

Bibliography

   http://jamesalliban.wordpress.com/

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augmented_reality

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Videoplace

   http://www.hiddenltd.com/what-we-do/augmented-reality

   http://web.media.mit.edu/~cati/

Artists in Locative

When researching locative media artists i was immediately drawn to Jan Schacher. Their work focused on “audiovisual space set in a Platonic body, a regular geometrical space. Surround-sound, video projection and interaction create an immersive media experience. A touch-sensitive interface offers an intuitive, contemplative interaction with swarms of sounds”.  The piece i really enjoyed the most was Flowspace 2.  The piece focused on motion graphics and a interactive touch surface that responds to movement.

Words from the artist:
My piece consists of three layers: the swarm simulation with it’s own visualisation on the touch surface, the main visualisation that is projected overhead and the sound engine that outputs spatialised audio to the 20 speakers in the dodecahedron. The swarm simulation is made with the ISO-libraries by D.Bisig. The visualisation, which also contains the entire logic for the piece, was coded in openFrameworks. The sound-engine runs in MaxMSP using my ambisonic tools from ICST.

LINKS

http://www.locative-media.org/projects/C83/ ‘Scape the Hood Project

http://www.soundwalk.com/#/TOURS/littleitaly/ Little Italy Soundwalk audio sample

http://www.soundwalk.com/ Audio tours for people who don’t like audio tours

http://www.terirueb.net/i_index.html  Artist Teri Rueb 

http://www.locative-media.org/ Locative Media 101

My Wandering

I run a path every morning and it is not always the same but i end up in a grove every time.  In my derive i wanted to try and follow my nose instead of my eyes and see what would happen.  I started my venture at 7 p.m turning left at my house. I came to this decision by closing my eyes and taking in a few deep breaths finding a smell of burning wood and fire. My next turn was due more to sound than smell which was unexpected but i stumbled across the park i normally run through, however it was over run with girls and boys out at soccer practice. I avoided the fields and stopped think for a moment and realized my feet took me the same route i always run. It was odd that the moment i stopped thinking about the task at hand my body continued without me thinking about it.  I ended up at the Grove and stopped again to smell the air and discovered a unique smell i can only describe as crushed grapes.  To the left of the Grove is a large amount of vineyards that i started running along when i discovered a break in the fence that had no barb wire and decided to enter. Upon entering i noticed a smell of fresh turned dirt and found recent construction  taking place to plant more crops.  I followed that smell till i found some olive trees that were very strategically placed in rows up a hill to the entry gate.  Once i hopped the fence outward i had to choose a direction at an intersection and could not pick out a defiant scent. I could smell the exhaust from passing cars and the cool air of night setting in as the sun set but nothing that gave me directions so i followed the flow of cars along a dirt trail. I then smelt FOOD! and took yet another short cut through more Vineyards to find the lovely smell of BBQ MEATS!  I came across a destroyed building that looked like it used to be very nice and the only thing remaining were the stone walls and empty spaces where the windows used to be.  In that same place happened to be a wedding rehearsal dinner that i definitely was not supposed to be in yet i pressed forward and hopped another fence to avoid awkward glances. I followed a couple more scents including trees and plants on my run but ended up following food and fire smells back to my home to conclude my venture.

wandering

For my derive i have considered many places i wonder which are mainly outside of the city. I enjoy wandering in nature avoiding people and connecting with myself.  Recently during my runs i have started to smell different scents in the air.  Mostly fire places and fresh trees. For my derive i wanted to try and run my normal route around my home and try and follow the smells to see how well i could track them. once i find one i will move toward the next one which might prove difficult since the closer to a smell you are the more overbearing it is over the other smells. either that or just see where tracking the smell will take me. imagine if i was blind and could only travel by touch and smell. so running im going to ignore my eyes and follow my nose.

Geocars

Recently our class took a field trip to drive Geocars around San Francisco near fishermans warf. Here is a website about the company and some images i took of the adventure!

http://www.gocartours.com/

On this venture we embarked on three wheel model vehicles that is guided by gps to take you through different areas and landmarks of San Francisco.  The onboard computer speaks to you through the sound system in the car.  This trip took us through parts of Fishermans Warf and along the coast to the golden gate.  We made a pit stop at a beach which i quickly found out to be a nudist beach so we headed the other direction after dipping our feet in the water. Along the route the guided tour told us about points of interested outside of landmarks such as popular restaurants and places to shop. This is a very effective way to advertise new business's in the future through standard gps guided trips that we take on a daily basis.

New Technologies

"There has never been a show like “World of Color,” the mega-scale, after-dark celebration of Disney storytelling.  “World of Color” brings animation to life with powerful fountains that become stars of the show as they create one of the world’s largest projected water screens.

The sweeping story and stunning effects are created with:

• Nearly 1,200 powerful and programmable fountains with heights ranging from 30 feet to 200 feet (50 feet higher than Mickey’s Fun Wheel). Each fountain has multiple points of control to direct the lighting, color intensity, water angle and height.
• One of the world’s largest projected water screens – a wall of water 380 feet wide by 50 feet high, for a projection surface of 19,000 square feet.
• Nearly 30 high-definition projectors – 14 of them submersible.
• Synchronized flame projections, lasers and special effects that will flood the senses.
• A soundtrack performed by more than 100 musicians.

 “World of Color” has been some five years in the making, beginning with brainstorming by show director Davison and his creative crew.  As the concept grew, the Disney team sought out new technologies and multi-media to support a vision in which water and light could dance, change character and move the audience, becoming, in effect, the “stars” of 

the show."

QR Code Project In Action

For my QR Code Project i researched many bars in the downtown SF area.  We as a group came to this idea in the campus bar one day and decided that it would be really cool if people had rated bars in the area so that we knew where all the cool spots in town were.  We would create a rating system and go to each of these bars and post QR Codes in public space so that

1. People would know all available bars with in a certain radius of that QR Code
2. We would tell you the closest one the that Code you are scanning.
3. What we thought of that bar
4. Eventually make it available so that others can add to this rating system.

I accomplished all but the last step on this project, i thought that maybe a smart phone app would be a good idea or to link all the QR codes to an existing URL so that people could access the cite anytime.  Either one would take alot of knowledge in programming which i dont have so if anyone would like to help me with the last step we could have a buisness!

Here is my Tour for all the places I visited and places I posted QR codes for anyone who wants to try it out.

QR Code Project Research

Gold Dust: Not the place to go for an intimate date, the Gold Dust is the epitome of a theme bar, decked out floor to ceiling in gold rush schtick. The good thing? It's been that way forever, and the patrons are a friendly, tipsy bunch. Good drink specials, too. 247 Powell St., (415) 397-1695.

Lefty O'Doul's: This old hofbrau — a favorite of tourists and locals — has character seeping out of its walls. The food is good, the bar is great and Marilyn Monroe's California state ID watches over the place. Why? Lefty was Joe DiMaggio's manager in the Yankee Clipper's minor-league days, see, and you remember who Joe married, right? 333 Geary St., (415) 982-8900.

Bourbon & Branch: You'll need a password to enter through the unmarked door, but the secrecy is well worth it. A modern speakeasy, Bourbon & Branch offers the atmosphere of San Francisco during the Prohibition Era; a speakeasy operated illegally at this location from 1921-23. Certain rules are expected to be followed, including: no cell phones, no standing at the bar, and no nonsense drink orders (don't even ask for a Cosmo). Try the cucumber gimlet, it's so good it should be outlawed. The Beverage Academy of Bourbon & Branch offers classes in mixology. 501 Jones St., (415) 931-7292.

First Crush Restaurant, Wine Bar & Lounge offers a perfect setting, with a cool, relaxed atmosphere, ambient music, the largest all-California wine list in the city, and of course, incredible food

The Cellar

685 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA 94102 (415) 441-5678 () ‎Cheap drinks, good music and lots of lively people... Let down a little by $20 cover for a fairly small (albeit full) club and nowhere near enough bar staff for the number of patrons. Worth a visit. (Saturday night, turned up at midnight, closes 2am) Great music, nice atmosphere for parties. 2 Dance floors with different music.

Swig: Located just off Union Square in the heart of San Francisco, Swig is the City's quintessential modern classic bar. Its contemporary décor presents an inviting, vibrant space. hey have a real live fire place!, complemented by a serious collection of the finest spirits and libations, perfectly served by a professional, energetic and knowledgeable crew. Great music is central to the Swig experience, making it quite the perfect place to blend in. Swig is open daily at 1pm.  Set on two levels, the spacious interior at Swig is tastefully designed. Contemporary decor embellishments present vaulted ceilings, historic red brick from the 1906 earthquake, hardwood floors, private lounges, inviting fireplace, and is capped with hand-blown light installations. These elements combine to create a relaxing and calm space to idle away the afternoon or start off your evening in style as the energy picks up. As a magnet for the hip and happening, the mood is that of unpretentious, laid-back sophistication.

Infusion Lounge

124 Ellis Street, San Francisco, CA 94102-2110 (415) 421-8700 () ‎Food is good but a bit priceyDrinks are too expensive and too crowded Asian-influenced cuisineA sleek-entertainment venue which combines classic and modern Hong Kong luxury design, Infusion Lounge features richly textured surfaces, undulating mosaic walls, intriguing Asian statues, gender-bending provocative uni-sex bathrooms and plush furnishings. The sultry design compliments the state-of-the-art sound systems and lighting to give even the most polished music venues a run for their money.  A lot of hype about how good the service is and how its cutting edge and a spot for A list celebs. Service is terrible, everything is overpriced, music and DJ’s were great and the environment is cool but very crowded.

Union Square Sports Bar

115 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA 94102-2713 (415) 345-8421 () ‎ Great for a cold one Beer prices are great. Right around the corner from the Hilton. Classic Dive bar plenty of T.V’s a couple pool tables, and plenty of beer on tap.

Johnny Foley’s Irish House O’Farrell St. 203 O'Farrell Street, San Francisco, California, United States

Address is approximate

Dueling Piano Bar right next door……don’t know the name amazing though

Ruby Skye: Don't be fooled by the huge red-lettered marquee and the line stretching down the block. Ruby Skye is not a touring Broadway show or a hot new pop diva — it's a dance club. Tourists and locals alike come for the huge dance floor, several balconies (often hoisting hired dancers), super-high-tech lighting design, a smoking lounge called the Jungle Room and a VIP section in the wings high above the pulsing dance floor. Also, you can make weekend reservations for a "booth," an intimate, plush zone reminiscent of the inside of Jeannie's bottle — it's pricey, but, with the preferred status it confers, you can skip the line outside! (- Jan Richman, special to SFGate) 420 Mason St., (415) 693-0777.

QR Codes Research

THIS IS RESEARCH TO FURTHER MY UNDERSTANDING OF HOW QR CODES WORK

A QR code (abbreviated from Quick Response code) is a type of matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code) first designed for the automotive industry. More recently, the system has become popular outside of the industry due to its fast readability and comparatively large storage capacity. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded can be made up of any kind of data (e.g., binary, alphanumeric, or Kanji symbols).

Created by Toyota subsidiary Denso Wave in 1994  to track vehicles during the manufacturing process, the QR code is one of the most popular types of two-dimensional barcodes. It was designed to allow its contents to be decoded at high speed.

Although encrypted QR codes are not very common, there are a few implementations. An Android app,  for example, manages encryption and decryption of QR codes using DES algorithm (56 bits). Japanese immigration use encrypted QR codes when placing visas in passports.

Although encrypted QR codes are not very common, there are a few implementations. An Android app,  for example, manages encryption and decryption of QR codes using DES algorithm (56 bits). Japanese immigration use encrypted QR codes when placing visas in passports.

Locatives through sound.

http://youtu.be/ZKw_Mp5YkaE




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DfMnyz4Y44&feature=player_embedded


After fitting a participant with the headphones, they took just moments to get their bearings. As can be seen from the track logs, which captured the user’s location every 30 seconds, their movement was quite deterministic with very little wandering. Some participants followed the path of least resistance, walking casually and following the sound. The green path shows a participant who followed the winding creek to the sound source, rather than scaling the low rolling hills. The yellow path shows a user who preferred to run straight across it.

One user even sprinted up the face of the mountain, leaving me stumbling behind, tripping over headphone cables and fumbling to keep a hold of the laptop.