I’m currently working with a group at ITP on an application to get micropayments for charity. We’ve called it givkwik, it leverages “impulse philanthropy“. I’m doing the frontend dev and some backend/database work. We’re using AJAX, php/mySQL, and jQuery, with a healthy dose of semantc markup and styles. Web 2.0 ftw!
GivKwik
April 21st, 2009Surfpointer
March 16th, 2009Working with Bryan Lence in 1210 to create a surf report and alert application that works across mobile, web, and tv devices.
The idea is:
- you would be able to get alerts if weather and condition data plus user generated feedback meet your minimum requirements. In other words, if it’s 3-4 ft faces and your buddies are saying it’s good, you get out of bed.
- once you’re awake, turn on your tv and see real time and captured footage from different beaches, so you can decide where you want to go.
- you’re on the road, the same info is on your phone, along with directions and traffic.
Constituent Parts:
- user uploads via textmarks & php/mysql
- national weather service RSS feed
- ip cams at beaches (this one may prove difficult)
- Adobe air app to bring it all together and display it on the tv.
5 new (bad) UI designs
February 12th, 2009Nick gave us an assignment in 1′2′10′ to come up with 5 new UI designs for the computer. I realized quickly that the good ideas had been done, so I decided to try bad ideas (many of these have been done too, but there’s a more flexibility). Some of them are not specific to the computer, but served as fodder for more bad ideas:
Bad Idea #1: The Crapper Clapper
An automatic flush sensor on public toilets to replace IR sensors. It is activated by sound, specifically clapping, akin to “the clapper“, a product from the 80’s. Once you’ve finished doing your business, clap once for number 1, and (you guessed it) twice for number 2. This is a bad idea in part because it lends itself to pranksters triggering a preemptive flush.
Bad Idea #2: The Slapper
An interface to turn on a computer or television by giving it a good slap on it’s side. This is a bad idea for obvious reasons, for instance warranty issues.
Bad Idea #3: Musical Icons
The icons on one’s desktop, phone, or even buttons on a remote, spontaneously rearrange themselves. The goal is to keep users agile and introduce some serendipity into the experience. They might find a feature on their remote they never knew existed! Or they might throw it in the clapper crapper. Clap on!
Bad Idea #4: Trash Bin Foot Lever
This brings a real life interface into the computer UI. By attaching a foot lever as a peripheral, one can select an item and automatically delete it by “opening the lid” to the trash can. It could be seen as an opportunity to exercise, or else a chance to develop one more repetitive stress syndrome.
Bad Idea #5: Smog Screens
This is my best bad idea. It is a carbon counter for your desktop, that calculates carbon footprint by examining your online purchasing habits, utilities accounts, and general consumption, and makes the screen cloudy based on the amount you exceed a sustainable carbon footprint. The cloudiness will fade with time, or else you can buy carbon offsets to clear the screen. I realize that this is better idea for a game than a full fledged UI, and I’ve already begun exploring the possibility of an game application.
nYS DMV Redesign
January 29th, 2009For 1′2′10 we were asked to redesign the NYS Dept of Motor Vehicles website. Here’s my stab at it:
More Unix Mungeing
January 26th, 2009This finds the line numbers of standard chapter demarcation tags in project gutenburg text files, and uses them to identify and print blocks of relevant text. I used it to strip the legal junk from before and after the text, leaving the good stuff. Here’s the terminal view:
Unix Driven Drivel
January 21st, 2009The last 100 lines of James Joyce’s Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man “munged” by unix terminal commands. Takes a text file and outputs hilarious drivel. wget grabs a txt file from project gutenberg, tail -100 takes the last 100 lines, tr replaces instances of ‘ei’ with ‘ee’, cut drops everything but the first word on each line. I was trying to make the words backwards with the tr a-z z-a command, and I’m not sure what happened. I think instead of iterating backwards it looped back to the beginning of the alphabet. In any event, it make for some hilarity (I giggled).
4-in-4
January 12th, 2009Day 1:
My goal is to make 40 paintings in 4 days. So far so good, 10 down.
Day 2:
I’ve solicited photos from ITPers for inspiration. Thanks all!
5 paintings today.
Day 3:
2 paintings today. I’m seeing an exponential decay in the quantity of paintings, but I’ve been working larger and longer.
Probably won’t make 40 total. In fact tomorrow I think I’ll complete the trend and do one large all day painting.
DodgeBot
December 13th, 2008Dodgebot is a facetracking nerf cannon on a mobile platform. It began as a toy, and somehow crept into the realm of weaponry…observe:
Hello world!
December 10th, 2008Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!
How Much Water Do You Use?
December 2nd, 2008On Wednesday and Thursday the installation received a good deal of user interaction at the ITP Winter Show. The project worked in a practical sense, both the software and the hardware. It was also successful in provoking awareness. Most people were surprised at their consumption, sometimes to the point of skepticism. I assured them that while the flow rates are mapped on the high end of rates for older hardware, it was an accurate portrayal.
Some people questioned the value of the exercise in changing habits. I argued that awareness influences people’s decisions over time. I don’t expect people to take shorter showers after using the project, but perhaps the next toilet they buy will be low-flow.
The project has gotten some visibility online. Swyyne humorously points out the contradiction between the project’s message and my bottled water, since it has negative environmental impacts.
Swynne also cites my mention of the possibility of home implementation. The project as it stands is more suited for a public display/kiosk setting, but home hardware is an extension of the idea that is feasible. An area for future exploration.
Thanks to my Nobu Nakaguchi, my partner on the project, and Robert Carlsen for his assistance.