Brendan Dawes' Meta Feed

RSS > processing.js

nobody@flickr.com (bjdawes) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 08:46:32 -0700

bjdawes posted a photo:

Horrible colours!

The Bill Evans Trio – Elsa

Sat, 18 Jul 2009 08:44:02 -0700

http://www.last.fm/music/The+Bill+Evans+Trio

RSS > processing.js

nobody@flickr.com (bjdawes) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 08:43:05 -0700

bjdawes posted a photo:

Almost looks like a tube map. Kind of.

RSS > processing.js

nobody@flickr.com (bjdawes) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 08:42:58 -0700

bjdawes posted a photo:

RSS Feed representation using processing.js

nobody@flickr.com (bjdawes) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 07:13:53 -0700

bjdawes posted a photo:

A work in progress, exploring the use of processing.js, the Javascript port of the Processing language by John Resig.

This takes my main RSS feed (which is a combination of other feeds fused together by Yahoo! Pipes) and then colour codes the feeds accordingly. The colours are dynamically generated from the domain names using the same idea that Dopplr uses for colour coding cities, which they kindly explained on their blog - creating an MD5 hash of the domain name then getting the hex of that and simply using the first six digits of the returned hex value!

It doesn’t currently do anything “interactive” as yet. It does however display on the iPhone though.

There’s so many possibilities with processing.js and the canvas in general. I’m excited about exploring this stuff.

See for yourself at www.brendandawes.com/jfeed/rssfeed.php

And while we're on the lunar theme, Brendan Dawes has released two excellent typographic Apollo 11 posters - http://is.gd/1CjKJ

blprnt (blprnt) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 09:12:35 -0700

And while we're on the lunar theme, Brendan Dawes has released two excellent typographic Apollo 11 posters - http://is.gd/1CjKJ

Apollo 11 Transcript Static poster, created by mN's Brendan Dawes, now available via ImageKind: http://tinyurl.com/mxep75

katiemaymanc (Kate Towey) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 02:57:10 -0700

Apollo 11 Transcript Static poster, created by mN's Brendan Dawes, now available via ImageKind: http://tinyurl.com/mxep75

Flash CS4 Font Menu is broken. What a surprise.

nobody@flickr.com (bjdawes) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 06:34:53 -0700

bjdawes posted a photo:

Apollo 11 Anniversary Posters

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 06:09:20 -0700

In light of the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon shot I've been playing with the transcript data from the mission.

There's currently two visualisations. The first takes the entire transcript and creates typographic static from all the data evoking the grainy transmission from the surface of the moon. The famous phrase is then pulled out in larger type. The second concentrates on Neil Armstrong with his words plotted over time, revealing a pulse like graph, with the periods of greater excitement such as the blast off and the moon landing clearly visible.

Take them away

Feel free to use them as wallpapers for your desktop or if you'd like to hang either on your wall you can buy prints from ImagekInd at http://www.imagekind.com/GalleryProfile.aspx?gid=a51263e1-aff9-4fc6-8c04-9cffacb16347

Limited Edition

For something a bit more special you might like to buy one of 100 limited editions of the static piece. These are high quality, large (84.0 x 59.3 cm) Lambda prints on matt Fuji archival paper mounted on backing board. Available at http://www.whitewall.com/brendandawes

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Apollo 11 Neil Armstrong Pulse

nobody@flickr.com (bjdawes) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 03:46:36 -0700

bjdawes posted a photo:

The transcript of Neil Armstrong's communication during the Apollo 11 mission creates a pulse like data display with more activity during blast off and the actual moon landing.

Available as a print

Apollo 11 Transcript Static

nobody@flickr.com (bjdawes) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 06:52:45 -0700

bjdawes posted a photo:

I've been playing around with the Apollo 11 mission transcript data. This one displays the entire transcript reproduced as typographic static, with the famous phrase pulled out. It's a little evocative of the grainy broadcast from the moon when Armstrong said the words that are now ingrained in the public consciousness.

Now available as a print from ImageKind

Field Note: newness

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 05:22:00 -0700

Bren

Permalink | Leave a comment »

drawdio - a pencil that lets you draw music Technology = magic!

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 07:06:22 -0700

drawdio - a pencil that lets you draw music

Technology = magic!

Listen, linger and think

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 04:01:21 -0700

Bren

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Canvas vs Flash

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 01:39:00 -0700

I've read a few articles lately asking the question if canvas / html5 will eventually kill the need for creating things in Flash, video aside. The thing is, Flash has suddenly become "visible" again with the use of the iPhone. And I find that a source of frustration.

So at the weekend I started to explore things... could I make a new homepage for my site that visualised my content with the freedom that Flash affords? Could it be done easily?

Now I'm not a CSS geek. Or a HTML geek. I come to this saying to myself " I have an idea, now I want to make it."

The tools I've tried so far are processing.js and doodle.js. I find both of these libraries very exciting - a myriad of possibilties seems available to me, especially with the insane processing.js being a lifelong processing fan.

So how have I faired so far? Not good to be honest.

Whilst I managed to get some data in via jfeed and pass that into processing.js things that should be simple such as putting text on the screen are done with hacks. One such system means you can only use one specific font! This is no doubt down to canvas never really being meant to be used like this.

And then of course there's the browser testing. Say what you want about Flash but once you had the plugin it just worked. The same can't be said for canvas type stuff. As designer you shouldn't even have to worry about this shit. It just gets in the way of making stuff.

But I'm going to carry on. It's an exciting new area. I want to make stuff without plugins. But I don't want to spend half my life doing hacks and other crap like that.

It's early days though, and I'm excited about the future.

Thoughts?

Bren

Permalink | Leave a comment »

DSC_0027

nobody@flickr.com (bjdawes) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 03:05:36 -0700

bjdawes posted a photo:

Overview of the finished work

nobody@flickr.com (bjdawes) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 03:05:24 -0700

bjdawes posted a photo:

Water feature

nobody@flickr.com (bjdawes) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 03:05:11 -0700

bjdawes posted a photo:

Fern, pebbles, deck

nobody@flickr.com (bjdawes) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 03:05:03 -0700

bjdawes posted a photo:

Pretty pink flowers

nobody@flickr.com (bjdawes) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 03:04:50 -0700

bjdawes posted a photo:

Raised bed

nobody@flickr.com (bjdawes) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 03:04:38 -0700

bjdawes posted a photo:

Plants!

nobody@flickr.com (bjdawes) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 03:04:28 -0700

bjdawes posted a photo:

Welsh slate path

nobody@flickr.com (bjdawes) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 03:04:15 -0700

bjdawes posted a photo:

Bubbling

nobody@flickr.com (bjdawes) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 03:04:05 -0700

bjdawes posted a photo:

Sunset on the deck

nobody@flickr.com (bjdawes) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 03:04:00 -0700

bjdawes posted a photo:

Before the work started...

nobody@flickr.com (bjdawes) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 03:03:53 -0700

bjdawes posted a photo:

All the appeal of sitting in a car park.

Currently reading

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:27:26 -0700

Bren

Permalink | Leave a comment »

BallDroppings

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:41:57 -0700

BallDroppings

66 Drives. Photos by Andrew Bush taken at 66 mph across America.

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 06:48:40 -0700

66 Drives. Photos by Andrew Bush taken at 66 mph across America.

Last night Philip had fun with fire.

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:59:49 -0700

Download now or watch on posterous

IMG_0626.MOV (4110 KB)

Bren

Permalink | Leave a comment »

"Designed by the Monocle team in London and produced in Germany by Brandbook, this linen-backed..."

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:16:57 -0700

“Designed by the Monocle team in London and produced in Germany by Brandbook, this linen-backed notebook comes in one of three colours - mustard, olive or grey.”

- Coloured linen notebook [Monocle]

Those irritating ringmarks that mugs and cups leave….....

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:07:54 -0700

Those irritating ringmarks that mugs and cups leave….. well, you can turn them into a nice floral pattern with a set of these cups. (via Online Store - uptoyoutoronto.com)

Help I need help

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:04:55 -0700

Help I need help

Falling in love with Processing (again)

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 09:12:00 -0700

I've recently just finished a project that will soon be released on SCR, the new creative label for screen based media from THA Ltd For reasons that I'm no longer sure of, I chose to create the software using Processing, rather than Flash or something like Flash. I think one of the reasons was because I wanted to try something new, even though I've been playing with Processing off and on since 2003, plus I wanted its speed for throwing things around the screen. I have to say the whole experience has been really enjoyable. Processing has matured greatly since my first experiments with it six years ago.

There were some things that drove me nuts, like simple GUI stuff that is super easy in Flash yet can be a headache in Processing, especially when running in 3D mode. It certainly made me appreciate just how good Flash is too, and how often we take for granted the seemingly mundane things that Flash can do yet make your life easier - god knows I'm guilty of moaning about Flash! But I love the purity of Processing. One window. No timeline. Just code. And as I foraged around the documentation I realised that one of the reasons I love it so much was right there. The way the docs are written is just, well, really human and often funny. More than that though the documentation is written from a very empathetic stand point. You know they've had the same problems you have. How I wish more documentation was like this. Here's an example from the video library page:

"If you get the following error: Exception in thread "main" java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: com/apple/mrj/macos/carbon/CarbonLock then it means you need to update and/or reinstall QuickTime. There was some monkey business about QuickTime for Java updates being out of sync with the Apple's Java updates, and this is one of the leftovers of that scenario. Blame Apple. Blame Canada."

So big thanks to Ben Fry, Casey Reas and the rest of the Processing community. You can never have too many toys to play with.

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Eames. Husband and Wife.

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 05:41:14 -0700

In the July issue of Computer Arts (issue 163) I wrote a little opinion piece that talked about play using the Eames' "Solar Do Nothing Machine" as inspiration. The husband and wife team of Charles and Ray Eames continue to be a constant source of inspiration to me. They left behind a vast legacy of disparate, prolific, joy-filled work that still resonates to this day

So when the piece was published you can imagine my reaction to find that my original copy had been altered to make out I think Charles and Ray Eames are brothers. To say I hit the roof is putting it mildly. Think nuclear bomb being dropped and you get the idea. I have ten plus books on Eames. I collect Eames stuff. Yet here I was in print saying that they were brothers. So after emailing Computer Arts to find out what happened, deputy editor Tom Dennis wrote back to me with this explanation:

"It was another subbing mistake I’m afraid: our sub editor read ‘Charles and Ray’ and made the assumption they were brothers. We’re putting in a full printed apology (covering this and the bio error) in the next issue as the lead letter."

Computer Arts did tweet a full apology and they are going to print a full apology in the next issue.

So why write this post?

Well, I'm still getting emails telling me "do you know the Eames weren't brothers, but actually husband and wife". Yes thanks. I do know that. And I've seen the odd tweet too. So now when I get those emails I'm just going to point them to this post.

Mistakes happen. Computer Arts have done everything in the power to correct the mistake, which I thank them for. If only you could alter things in print as easily as things on the web.

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Ending the day with this on the mN turntable

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 10:07:20 -0700

Bren

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Field Note: pull things apart to explore

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 05:23:45 -0700

Bren

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Butterfly. Testing the camera on the iPhone 3GS

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:05:36 -0700

Bren

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Yuugen work in progress 1

nobody@flickr.com (bjdawes) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 09:54:30 -0700

bjdawes posted a photo:

Yuugen work in progress 2

nobody@flickr.com (bjdawes) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 09:54:25 -0700

bjdawes posted a photo:

Amen to this (by Matt Jones)

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:27:44 -0700

Bren

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Field Note: interface elements still to do

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 07:55:29 -0700

Bren

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Font render fail!

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 04:03:50 -0700

The ControlP5 library for Processing doesn't like P3D sketches. Time to switch.

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Doodle.js — A Sprite Library for Canvas | notebook

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 02:34:01 -0700

Doodle.js — A Sprite Library for Canvas | notebook

Laser cut iPhone stencil - awesome!

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:37:07 -0700

Laser cut iPhone stencil - awesome!: Bren

MoMA Store - Click Clock (via Michelle @coudal)

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 08:05:01 -0700

MoMA Store - Click Clock (via Michelle @coudal)

Lovely little glitch via Evernote whlst doing some research into Noh theatre

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 02:53:37 -0700

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Click Here. This is not how hypertext was meant to be used.

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 08:59:06 -0700

There is no excuse to use hypertext in this way. It was never meant to be used like this. Ever. If I had my way I'd have people who use "click here" shot on sight. Or at the very least given a severe Chinese Burn. Stop it. Now.

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Let's have more "New with code"

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 07:53:34 -0700

During a very pleasurable chat with Andy Polaine yesterday for a forthcoming video interview series, I mentioned how much I love the "new with code" feature in Nodebox, the Python based graphics generation software. It's a wonderful yet simple little menu addition to the run-of-the-mill "new" that automatically creates a short piece of code that does "something". It might throw a load of circles on the screen, or it might draw a word or several words into the canvas in hundreds of colours. It's always random, but it always works, and is a fantastic way to learn how Nodebox works and also, more importantly, helps to teach you the joys of programming. It's sometimes just nice to keep selecting to see what happens.

The question is why don't we see more "new with code" in other such programs, such as Flash? It's something that myself and Rich Shupe talked about a few years ago, but never got round to solving. I still think it's a valid idea to have more of these "infinite surprise machines" when we're exploring stuff.

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Sneek peek of where I got to last night with my idea for SCR.sc

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 02:20:16 -0700

Download now or watch on posterous

test.mov (1778 KB)

The musical notes are just for testing purposes.

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Field Note SCR project still to do

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 12:25:21 -0700

Bren

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Field Note Shimasen project

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 22:28:57 -0700

Bren

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Journey to New York State University, Oswego, USA

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 11:05:35 -0700

A short video montage of my trip to SUNY. What this video doesn't show is all the lovely people I met during the trip, who really looked after me and made me feel very welcome. Big thanks.

Brendan Dawes' Meta Feed

RSS > processing.js

The Bill Evans Trio – Elsa

RSS > processing.js

RSS > processing.js

RSS Feed representation using processing.js

And while we're on the lunar theme, Brendan Dawes has released two excellent typographic Apollo 11 posters - http://is.gd/1CjKJ

Apollo 11 Transcript Static poster, created by mN's Brendan Dawes, now available via ImageKind: http://tinyurl.com/mxep75

Flash CS4 Font Menu is broken. What a surprise.

Apollo 11 Anniversary Posters

Apollo 11 Neil Armstrong Pulse

Apollo 11 Transcript Static

Field Note: newness

drawdio - a pencil that lets you draw music Technology = magic!

Listen, linger and think

Canvas vs Flash

DSC_0027

Overview of the finished work

Water feature

Fern, pebbles, deck

Pretty pink flowers

Raised bed

Plants!

Welsh slate path

Bubbling

Sunset on the deck

Before the work started...

Currently reading

BallDroppings

66 Drives. Photos by Andrew Bush taken at 66 mph across America.

Last night Philip had fun with fire.

"Designed by the Monocle team in London and produced in Germany by Brandbook, this linen-backed..."

Those irritating ringmarks that mugs and cups leave….....

Help I need help

Falling in love with Processing (again)

Eames. Husband and Wife.

Ending the day with this on the mN turntable

Field Note: pull things apart to explore

Butterfly. Testing the camera on the iPhone 3GS

Yuugen work in progress 1

Yuugen work in progress 2

Amen to this (by Matt Jones)

Field Note: interface elements still to do

Font render fail!

Doodle.js — A Sprite Library for Canvas | notebook

Laser cut iPhone stencil - awesome!

MoMA Store - Click Clock (via Michelle @coudal)

Lovely little glitch via Evernote whlst doing some research into Noh theatre

Click Here. This is not how hypertext was meant to be used.

Let's have more "New with code"

Sneek peek of where I got to last night with my idea for SCR.sc

Field Note SCR project still to do

Field Note Shimasen project

Journey to New York State University, Oswego, USA

Work in progress: Noise Machine

Via Toy Boxes | Burlingame Play Table I love this - a table top,...

Ooh I like this -NodeBox | Circle Packing code

Code: Flickr Developer Blog » Flickr Shapefiles Public...

Periodic Table of Typefaces on the Behance Network

no.thing.7

No.thing (work in progress)

PlaceEngine

I love this stuff: Lowtech Sensors and Actuators

Glitch : Designing Imperfection - a book on Glitch Art and...

Stereo Type - typographic mobiles

Why Powerpoint sucks #234

Tivoli Audio, LLC - NetWorks™ Radio with FM in Walnut/Gold

Community Core Vision - open source multi-touch, machine sensing software

Simply Playful

Journey to SXSW 2009, Austin

Adventures with a Nabaztag - wifi enabled rabbit!

Nabaztag tells me the city and country of visitors to my site

Layer Tennis - massacre on Friday 13th

Reactive Moiré

Reactions

Polaroid

Journey to Design by Fire conference Utrecht, Holland

Playful Type

Adventures with Amazon S3 and Flash

100 Feelings Felt