Shazam

Its been a while since I, or any of us for that matter, have posted anything here. We've been very busy with our uni work, XLAs, obesity briefs, other websites, animations and the like. Seems like the pressure is really coming down on us now there is just less than 3 weeks before the final, terminal, un-nerving end of the course. May the 16th will no doubt be an interesting, day; falling atr the end of a sleepless week.
Anyway, I'm not a good enought writer for my musings to be that gripping so let me tell you about some AstroJAM updates.
First of all, Ex01 (renamed Experiment0001) was finished and now resides at http://www.astrojam.co.uk/experiment00001
More Importatnly: The clild of Ex01, Today.I.Feel is far more impressive. Running on an updated version of the software today.i.feel (t.i.f) posed the question of its namesake. The majority of the webcame posts on the site are a reflection of how the user is feeling. T.I.F containes some far more creative responces than Ex01 and is worth visiting. It resides here http://www.astrojam.co.uk/today.i.feel/

The AstroJAM homepage has had a facelift. Its still a placholder but the jellys have changed their faces and worked on their dance routine a bit so go chech it out at http://www.astrojam.co.uk/

Finally, there is a new toy on the site for both webcam owners and those who aren't so fortunate ;) .
Interface000001 is a semi 3D interface you can navigate with either a webcam or a mouse!!!! You'll see what I mean :) The address is http://www.astrojam.co.uk/interface000001

More to come... :D

AstroJAM! ex0.1 - Research and Inspiration

Good extract from a book called "Internet Art - The Online Clash of Culture and Commerce" by Julian Stallabrass. This is about the first interactive art piece. Which was basically a sentence which people added to. It's really interesting because I think it's still going. At the start it's just black and white and then as you carry on browsing through people start to learn how to use HTML and insert colour, images and links. Funny because people tried to sabotage the sentence and use it as a personal advertisement to their company! Two screenshots below of the starting page and one a lot further on. Also the link the the actual site. Our work with AstroJAM! ex0.1 is a modern day version of this experiment...lets see what we get.

WEBSITES HERE

Oh and the sentence was started in 1994. Just a bit of background for you guys on where I got the idea from! Might be useful to mention in your XLAs?

Finalising

Yeah I would agree with you Adz about doing something now with the technology developed by Josh so far.

Whatever we do at this stage needs to be planned and implemented soon. I do realise that my contribution so far has been minimal but hopefully if we can now lay down a couple of aims and objectives I can start putting in more time.

Is Jam tennis still taking place for instance? Or instead shall we concentrate all our combined efforts on the web based idea? I think despite the Jam tennis being the more fun, the latter may be more effective at this stage of the game???

We need a chat soon neways.

Matt

Jam Trusion - Jam NotSoTrusion

“Unlike bulletin boards or chat rooms, the Web is – for the most part – a read-only medium. It is flat and opaque. You can’t see through it to the activities of others. We don’t socialise with anyone when we visit a web site; we read text and look at pictures. This is not interactivity. It is an ‘interactive-style’ activity. There’s nothing participatory about it.”
Douglas Rushkoff – 1998

Right....I think it's time we get sorted with this NotSoJamTrusion piece. The piece where we're actually having people knowingly submitting their webcam images onto a page "Interacting" with the site. I think basically respond to this quote and show Rushkoff how far technologies gone to allow interaction. I imagine us starting off with a question and people respond to this using their webcam. I think it'd make an ace animation or stills...what you guys think...

Josh, we've done it with JamTrusion. How easy is it to have it put on a website next to each other. Say 8 columns and then continue downwards with however many pictures we get. This involves coding on Josh's half. Design and feel and purpose on my half and then Matt and infact all of us on ways to advertise and get this thing rolling with people interacting. It doesn't need to be a fun piece...just a photo being taken. Maybe they can add a piece of text under their image? Nice and simple. Snap! Picture taken...they're part of the art...

What do you guys think?

{ Distance Maths }

Click to Witness

{JamMoDet}

ooo!!

http://www.funnyearth.com/html/games/Floating_Pads_Flash_Animation.php

could we do something like this with movement? It's really nice :D

Ad

{Creep Motion}

Quick Thought

If we can feed somehow the photos we've taken automatically into the flash interactive art piece...then the people that help us are becoming part of the art...so they can see the website with all the photos and also see the interactive piece which incorporates them all into some sort of fancy artistic interactive piece. So it's very samey and dull at first (with just our pictures) and the more we gain the more interesting it gets...random idea, typed up badly and has now left me head...MWAHAHAHA!

New Jam Testimonial

OK...after talks with Josh, we've agreed that the secret project should no longer be underground and a secret, but instead more of a known piece. The idea is to see how far we can get our interactive pieces seen and how many people we can get seeing our work. This could be through passing it on in a chain-letter way, or through word of mouth and our advertising.

We also like the idea of having the users photos being them and a piece of paper they hold up with where they live and also then answer to a certain question we ask them...but what? We need by the end of the week to finalise all this information and also have maybe a demo of the piece done?

Arduino

http://tinker.it/ukstore/product_info.php?cPath=29&products_id=36

http://blog.makezine.com/archive/arduino/

Look at what this bad boy can be programmed to do! How cool :P

Ad

Matts work plan

Probably going to have a meeting about it in the coming week but after short phone convo with as it seems that things are going swimmingly.

I'm planning this week to mock up some visual ideas send them over to you and do a bit of research into internet stats and awareness etc.

Happy jamming!

To Be Continued...

Watch and learn children, watch and learn...

Meet Up 3 - An Exciting Meeting in the Dock!!!

Ideas for a piece

First maybe we should think about what can be done at the moment and what Josh is able to program.

What Josh knows

1. Sound to trigger an object to rotate
2. Sound to action and object to move back and forwards (this can interact with a moving object as shown in the Tennis game)
3. Web Cam image translated into shapes
4. Web Cam motion detection where movement is represented into visual (coloured squares)

Ideas from today (scans being uploaded tomorrow)

• Viral Adverts
• Game Ideas:
• Jazz Hands Game (Jam Hands)
• Interactive Ghost story (both using the motion detection from Josh's coding
• Motion game where you have to keep wiping away a virus (that spreads if not)
• Voice Navigation - Jam Quiz
• Jam Tennis - Tournaments - Fun raising ideas for Publication
  
• Website Ideas
• Interactive Navigation (Anarchist (have to scream to navigate), Library website (has to be silent to navigate)
• Do and Don't get angry, get angry
• Timer based site
• Please hold while we try to connect you
• Patience websites - Sites that test your patience
• Music and Sound detection (Flash file which interacts and creates visualisations to music
• Things on the theme of:
• Do's and Dont's
• After Uni - Rest of your life
• If you don't move the source will catch you
• You are monitored
• Taken over by the source
• Secret Jamtastic idea!!! - Internet awareness (research needed), CCTV, Naivety, True Reactions, No editing

Very excited about the ideas that have been discussed today! WOHOOO!!!

JamCamMotion Source

As Promised...

http://www.the-root.co.uk/_GAD/jam/JamCamMotion.zip

JamCamMotion

This I've done well with this one! :)
Need a relativly fast computer to run at a high frame rate but hey ho!
Foull on motion detection people. The motion detection matrix is over the whole screen, just picking a few areas, say to trigger events, would speed up the app. Anyway, I think I've developed enough software recently. Its time to develope some ideas!
As usual, source to follow. Josh

Next Meeting

Pencil Thursday 7th February, 2 O'clock at the usual venue in your diaries or the next Jam session.

Coding that would be ace to help us with designs...

Hey...k, heres a couple of coding ideas I think would help me and Matt create and think about possibilities using flash and motion and sound detection.

• A piece where when motion is detected it goes through the frames of an animation. When no motion is detected animation stops...
• Likewise as above but with sound.
• I'm imaging a cool piece which could be used as a beginning to a website. Where when a loud noise or movement is detected steam or some sort of object that's obstructing the site begins to fade. Rather than re-obstructing the site it simply disappears once it's full cleared allowing the users to navigate the site as normal.

I think with these as a basis me and matt will be able to get stuck in while you're continuing to be amazing and do all this new ace stuff :D loving the webcam stuff matey! I've set up a group on the new course website so that we can start uploading soonish!

Need a meeting sometime this week...wednesday afternoon or thursday??

Ad

Hey there internet folk!
I've package JamCam for release. I'm debating writing a tutorial at some stage but I think I'll work on the scripting a lot more first. See if I can push the idea further. I've got ideas for pinball machines, wait and see ;) Anyway, heres the release. Please drop me a line if you find it useful.

Josh

http://www.the-root.co.uk/_GAD/jam/JamCam.zip

Also, the source for JamTennis can be found at:
http://www.the-root.co.uk/_GAD/jam/JamTennis.zip

WebcamJamUpdate()

I have re-written some major parts of the JamCam app. The differences on the outside are so slight that I decided not to bother launching it again. I've just over written the first one (below).
I have added some keyboard functionality:
SPACE: Change video mode (Cam, Colour Transform, Grid)
UP/DOWN: Contrast
LEFT/RIGHT:Brightness

I will be releasing source soon. I have to go to work now.

That is all. :)

WebCamJam

Please note: You will require a webby-web-webcam to use this jamtastic piece of sickly sweet lovelyness.

Source to follow...

Did You Know...

Did you know, the next version of Flash Player (Version 10) is codenamed 'Astro'?

public class AstroJamBounce {}

The next version is going to be motion activated with a webcam... Stay tuned.

Daily Jam

No movie clips today. Just some code.

package {
import Math;

public class JamBounce {

public function JamBounce () {
var welcomeMessage = "JamBounce Class written by Joshua Russell-Hobson.\nVersion 0.1\n";
trace(welcomeMessage);
}

public function calcAdj( angle:int, distance:int ):Number {
return ( Math.sin( angle / (180 / Math.PI) ) * distance );
}

public function calcOpp( distance:int, adj:Number ):Number {
return Math.sqrt(Math.pow(distance,2) - Math.pow(adj, 2));
}

// Angle Math
public function angleMath( myX:int, myY:int, angle:int, distance:int ):GridLocation {

var newX:Number;
var newY:Number;
var opp:Number;
var adj:Number;


/* I think that Opp and Adj might be the wrong way round.
*/
if ( angle <= 90 ) { adj = calcAdj( angle, distance ); opp = calcOpp( distance, adj ); newX = myX + adj; newY = myY - opp; } else if ( angle <= 180 ) { adj = calcAdj( angle - 90, distance ); opp = calcOpp( distance, adj ); newX = myX + opp; newY = myY + adj; } else if ( angle <= 270 ) { adj = calcAdj( angle - 90, distance ); opp = calcOpp( distance, adj ); newX = myX - opp; newY = myY + adj; } else { adj = calcAdj( angle - 90, distance ); opp = calcOpp( distance, adj ); newX = myX - opp; newY = myY + adj; } return new GridLocation( newX, newY ) ; } } }

Matt's Jamifesto

I believe AstroJam! should strive to demonstrate the potential of digital and interactive artwork. Through an effective combination of innovation and design its creations must be thought provoking yet accessible.

The internet brings to light many possibilities to exhibit and interact with art as well as a means of communication and information. The critical gap is in the distinct lack of a solely internet art based sector. AstroJam! has the potential to redefine the experience as a viewer.

Alternative methods of control for the viewer can in hindsight release the viewer from his static position and emphasise the need to fully engage with a piece.

My personal aims:

• Progress the conceptual basis of AstroJam!
  
• Search for possible applications of Programming
  
• Collaborate in finding new contexts that ideas can be established within
• Experiment!!
• To have one more or more developed ideas ready for degree show.
  

My Jam Today

Today I've been playing with CSS and pimping up the Blogg...how you likes!

Idea Update : Another idea is to have a couple of desktop flash files which interactive with your music...like a digital dancing flower that remind me of childhood lol!

Fixed!

Hopefully this new version will work a lot more efficiently than the previous version. Heres the source.

// Get Microphone
var mic:Microphone = Microphone.getMicrophone();
if (mic != null) {
mic.setUseEchoSuppression(true);
mic.setLoopBack(true);
}

// Microphone level update timer
var myTimer:Timer = new Timer(10, 0);
myTimer.addEventListener("timer", timerHandler);
myTimer.start();

function timerHandler(event:TimerEvent):void {
vUBar.scaleX = mic.activityLevel / 100;
updateBlocks();
}

var myBlocks:Array = [];
function registerBlock( block:MovieClip ):void {
myBlocks.push(block);
}

function updateBlocks():void {
for each (block in myBlocks) {

if ( block.hitTestObject(vUBar) ) {
if ( block.alpha < alpha =" block.alpha"> -1 ) {
block.alpha = block.alpha - 0.05;

}
}
}
}

Daily Jam

Because I've not had time for a completly new Jam I've improved the code on yesterdays. Here it is, along with source.
[Adam, can you add a CSS class for script. Nice console font and in a box would be awesome. cheers.]

[REVISION 25th Jan 2008 12:58]
It appears that I haven't actually solved the problem, I've created another one. The movie clip that corrisponds to the source below can be found at http://www.the-root.co.uk/_GAD/jam/Microphone%20Test%2003.html

I'll be posting a propper soluction soon.

// This big goes in the main movie.
// Get Microphone
var mic:Microphone = Microphone.getMicrophone();
if (mic != null) {
mic.setUseEchoSuppression(true);
mic.setLoopBack(true);
}

// Microphone level update timer
var myTimer:Timer = new Timer(10, 0);
myTimer.addEventListener("timer", timerHandler);
myTimer.start();

function timerHandler(event:TimerEvent):void {
vUBar.scaleX = mic.activityLevel / 100;
}

function getVUBar():MovieClip {
if (vUBar != null) {
return vUBar;
}
else
{
return new MovieClip();
}
}


// This big goes inside the Sprite
var vUBar:MovieClip = parent.getVUBar();

var myTimer:Timer = new Timer(10, 0);
myTimer.addEventListener("timer", timerHandler);
myTimer.start();

function timerHandler(event:TimerEvent):void {
if ( this.hitTestObject(vUBar) ) {
if ( this.alpha < 0.7 ) {
this.alpha = this.alpha + 0.1;
}
} else {
if ( this.alpha > -1 ) {
this.alpha = this.alpha - 0.05;
}
}
}

Learning Agreement

Sorry, I'm going to have to delay todays Jam because Ive cought up with the world of learning agreements. I may manage one later this evening but right now I'm in literature mode... Sorry

Daily Jam

I'm aiming to come up with a Jam every day or to, here goes...

Josh's Jamifesto

Jamifesto for the Astro-Jam Collective



Primary Objectives

• AJ is a collective of Jammers (Designers) who have come together to create experimental interactive media.
• It is AJ's goal to produce interactive media that has broken away from the common methods of interaction: Clicking, Typing and Button Bashing. A showcase for alternative methods of control.
• AJ is a showcase, not only for alternative contorl but for alternative media design.
• AJ produces media for the sake of its [the work] self and user rather than for an organisation [AJ excepted] or product.

Adam's Jamifesto...

What I think we should be about and what we should be aiming to create:

• Anything we create shouldn't just be a unique experience that you can only have in one place (i.e it shouldn't just be an insulation), it needs to be aimed towards anyone with a computer (and webcam and mic if required)
• I think AstroJam should be here to show how the internet and interactive designs can be used as a creative art medium, and allows users to appreciate this. It's something that's not really done much (and successfully) and I think with the talent we have we'd be perfect at producing some unique interactive works of art.
  
• AstroJam! is a brilliant way for us to experiment with techniques and combining them with well thought out and planned designs (something that I need to start improving)

What should our outcomes be?

• I unsure whether we need one focus or whether it should just be aimed towards promoting the internet as a brilliant interactive art form. Who is our audience?
• I don't think it always needs to involve motion and sound detection but at the moment I think it's something thats not really been experimented with well and is a perfect starting point and also aim for creating for the exhibition.
• I'm adamant that this piece has got to be mainly aimed towards computers and the reason for having a large piece at the exhibition is merely to get it noticed and seen in big. I think the reason for this is because the internet is a mass of information and data that is accessible by many. Our work should take this into consideration and maybe we would consider a website displaying out final outcomes and experiments, not just our blogg...?
  

So...I see us as a sort of campaign aimed at promoting digital, interactive web based art. I think it'd be interesting to experiment with what we create and love the idea of a Jam Virus that spreads on the internet, but also around Uni. An sort of enigma where we don't give too much away and people want to find out what we do and who we are.

A Virus...A Viral...A Jamtastic Force to be reckoned with MWAHAHAHAHAHA!

VIVA LA JAM!!!!

Meeting 22nd January

• Microphone ping pong- two mikes at opposite sides of a room, one moves bat right one moves it left
• Maze concept whereby you got to use motion to escape
• Narrative controlled by motion- motion acts as a cut device - reorders story
• Motion controls speed of playback
• Jam tennis tournament- interactive events 
• Jam manifesto
• Jam viral- movement triggers adverts or animation like pop up window
• MOTION AND AMPLITUDE are main two variables
• Pressure pad possiblities 
• Motion triggers recording- sound triggers playback (CCTV, Voyeurism, Big Brother) How many cameras are we recorded on a day without even knowing????  

*ALL IDEAS NEED TO BE TRANSLATABLE IN EVERY USER'S WEBCAM*

Audio-Jam

The first experimental work to come from Astro-Jam. Simple test using a microphone to make a sprite spin. The louder you sing the faster it spins.
A simple yet sweet game is the next test.

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