CreativeApplications.Net

SKÅL [Objects]

Filip — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:42:16 +0000

Skål (Norwegian for bowl) is a media player designed for the home that lets you interact with digital media using physical objects. You place objects in a wooden bowl to play back related media on the TV. Skål uses RFID to sense small, batteryless tags inside or attached to physical objects, toys, dolls and figures. You can fit any toy of suitable size with RFID tags and connect it to your own media content.

A bowl sits on the living room table and a range of physical objects can be placed within it. When an object is placed in the bowl related media is played back on the TV. For example a physical Moomin character like Little My will play a sequence from the Moomin cartoon where she is featured. Skål lets you control all kinds of digital media; movie-clips, Youtube channels, Flickr photo streams, home videos, online radio etc.

Skål is designed by Jørn Knutsen, Einar Sneve Martinussen and Timo Arnall. It emerged from Touch, a design research project looking at RFID in products and interactions. Touch at AHO is funded by Verdikt.

SKÅL

Curly Code [Quartz Composer]

Filip — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:17:05 +0000

CurlyCode is a 3D, realtime drawing application built using Quartz Composer, with several effects (some audio reactive), shaders, and postFX-s. Created by Berlin based David Szauder as a media art project and a non commercial software, CC is the realization of David’s way of thinking and visualizing. Primarily designed to be used in BlackandWhite or greyscale only, CC is built to be operated with an external tablet, keyboard or an iPhone interface (no details av).

David writes about inspiration:

When i started my deeper adventures in the world of generated forms and structures, one of my idea, lets say desire was to build an application up, with the ability of freehand drawing in a 3 dimensional space, to animate those drawings, using as a performance platform or just to render some nice looking stills out.

curly code is currently alpha 1.2 and most recent update included SuperSpline instance, as one of the drawing modes. Unfortunately there is no download link on the site which make me assume this is a private alpha only. If you would like to try the QC app, you should get in touch with David directly via his site.

For more information visit the development blog at: pixelnoizz.wordpress.com/category/curly-code

For more examples see flickr.com/photos/curlycode/

Sharedrobotics Browser [Flash]

Filip — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:12:55 +0000

Created by Shiftcontrol, Sharedrobotics Browser is an interactive flash application that allows you to explore the history of robotics in art and popular culture. The blog functions as a database where everyone can add new robots and comment on the ones already there. The graphic interface works to visualize the data and create a better understanding of the developments and trends.

As the amount of data increases answers to questions like ‘where does robotics take place’, ‘what typologies of robots are there’, ‘when did what development take place’ emerges. sharedrobotics.com aims to be both a collaborative effort in collecting data and an analytical tool in visualizing it.

The project was commissioned by RoboDays 09. Besides the online version, the application can be experienced and interacted with in the form of a 4×1 meter multitouch display situated in the Shared Robotics exhibition at Brandts Kunsthall (an art museum in Odense, Denmark).

If you would like to get more insight into the project, do have a look at Tor Guttormsen’s internship report from working at Shiftcontrol on the Sharedrobotics project.

Shiftcontrol was founded by Jørgen Skogmo and Patrik Svensson in copenhagen, 2006 and later joined by Simon Løvind in 2008. The team focuses on interaction design, algorithm controlled animation, sensor driven interactive installations, web applications, broadcast applications and digital design.

Sharedrobotics Browser

Block Generator [Flash]

Filip — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:25:50 +0000

Blockprojekt is a daily blog launched back in 2006 by Kurt Block and Stefan Bergi. All you will ever find there is about cubes. Whether these be images, movies, illustrations, Blockproject is about cubes and cubes only.

Included on the blog is the link to Block Generator. Created using Flash, BG allows you to create many permutations of cubes. Shaded, wireframe, isometric or perspective projection, you can explore thousands of different ways cubes can be illustrated. The project was created back in 2005 and somewhat an inspiration for the blog that still runs today.

For more info, see blockprojekt.de

Brain Damage [Games]

Filip — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:01:55 +0000

New game just posted Stephen Lavelle aka increpare games called Brain Damage. Available for Mac, Windows and open source, Brain Damage is a dark, emotional journey in the mind of a serial killer that picks up a hitchhiker. Without revealing too much, memory, feedbacks, drilling, saws, acid are all in there, somewhere between a game and a movie all done in minimal monochrome pixel style graphics.

U.T.E. + Escaping The System [Processing]

Filip — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:51:57 +0000

Real-time audio reactive app made with Processing by Stefano Maccarelli, made for Suspect Device’s new release “Beastie Noize EP” (itunes link) by T-Psy. The EP cover was created using the image taken from this Processing app.

Apparently the original app is running at 60fps, movie just 24, so lots of “flashes” are missed in the video recording. Audio is Escaping the System by T-Psy, part od Beastie Noize EP, label Suspect Device Records.

via U.T.E. + Escaping The System – CreativeApplications.Net on Vimeo.

Framework f5×5x5 [Environment]

Filip — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:08:00 +0000

Framework f5×5x5 is the latest installation by Brussels based LAb[au] transdisciplinary studio in basilica of Denis Saint in Paris. Inspired by a methodology used in software development, f5×5x5 is a multi compositional structure that exists as both a low resolution display and a generative and interactive sculpture.

The 375 aluminium frames, equal the maximum installation resolution, constitute the framework, consisting of five 2×2m modules each divided into 5×5 regular elements establishing a matrix of 5×5x5 = 125 nodes. Each node has 180ø vertical and horizontal rotation freedom operated by total of 250 servo motors. The frames are lit with LEDs on their visible edges and at the base of installation there are 50 infra red sensors creating a 6m deep sensing matrix and responding to peoples’ presence and direction of movement.

We asked Jerome at LAb[au] about the inner workings:

The software is basically a collection of utilities for calibrating motors and sensors, and monitoring the network activity. The software is written in C and Blitzmax, a language that we find useful for rapid development while not scarifying stability and ability to go to low level coding (one can import C into it, so extending the language with custom libraries or C code is no problem). The software is multithreaded so that input, output and network sync have all their own thread, tasks are this way performed quite fast and smooth, so no glitch in sensor reading would interfere with the motor’s position updating for example.

F555 is composed of 5 modules (of 5 x 5 frames) , each modules has one computer (Intel Atom powered), the OS is installed on a Compact Flash while the software is on a USB key, so we can update the software simply by swapping the usb key. No keyboard, mouse or screen, the whole can be administrated remotely via VNC and a wireless router. So the 5 modules/computers are synchronized over the network.

On each computer there are 2 SD84 cards for driving one module … equivalent to 50 motors (cheap RC models servos), 75 led circuits and 20 sensors (10 Sharp IR digital distance sensors and 10 Sharp IR analog distance sensors). Two modified PC power supplies are feeding these boards at 5V, 8 Amps each.

We build this installation ourselves, including aluminum work, machining and soldering, construction of Plexiglas led boards/diffusers and mounting/cabling…and that was quite epic! (See poster-3 and cabling plan too).

For more information on the installation and very detailed text on the thinking behind the project check out the project page.

Founded in 1997 and based in Brussels, LAb[au] mainly creates interactive artworks, audiovisual performances and scenographies, for which it develops its own software and interfaces. Its four members (Manuel Abendroth, Jerome Decock, Alexandre Plennevaux and Els Vermang) also run since 2003 a digital design gallery, ‘MediaRuimte’, in the centre of Brussels.

(Thanks Manuel)

Qonversation [WebApp]

Filip — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:19:45 +0000

Andreas Pihlström (suprb.com) has just posted a new invitation URL to his recently launched Qonversation micro-forum website. The site has been private until now and has just opened up for few more new members who have been following Andreas and his blog.

I have been a memeber since the first launch and have been generally impressed with the site. Driven around the idea of micro-forum, and somewhat inspired by Twitter, Qonversation tries to bridge the gap between mass user forums to small discussions between few users. Here is how Andreas describes it:

Micro-forum-chat-app is the easiest way to describe Qonversation. People compare it with Twitter because of its functionality. This is both correct and not. Instead of “following” people you think is interesting, you “follow” / “join” a topic / Qonversation. This way, you connect and find more (like-minded) people who shares the same interest(s) as you. Qonversation also suggests other topics that might interest you, based on your given “interests” as well as which topics you’ve joined.

So if you haven’t joined yet, today might be you last chance. If you know Dropular, another service by Andreas, you know that these “open” doors don’t stay open for long.

Current invitation URL is: http://qonversation.com/signup?code=superexcited

via Qonversation

DESKTOP 0 [openFrameworks]

Filip — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 16:36:32 +0000

DESKTOP 0 is a Mac OSX application created using openFrameworks that glitches your desktop. See video below if you are too afraid to download and try out for yourself. Created by Nik Hanselmann, a student currently pursuing an MFA in Digital Art and New Media at the University of California.

DESKTOP 0 on Vimeo

(via Zach)

3D Waveform [Javascript]

Filip — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 08:46:12 +0000

MrDoob just keeps on delivering most amazing javascript experiments. Just posted, is this one that converts sound waves into 3D boxes that are panned through as the music progresses. Move mouse to rotate around the object.

Watch it here + follow him on Twitter for latest.