For some reason I have been craving coding lately, maybe its because I have three pComp (building) projects and I need some variety, but regardless I have had the itch. So when it came time for “try some new languages/libraries” week in Computational Cameras, I jumped on something I had wanted to do for some time: try out C++. Read more »
It has been an interesting semester thus far with my pseudo product the “FireLight.” At first I thought it would be whiz-bang its done… but it turns out things take a long time when you are letting yourself be picky. I mean, I took two weeks to finally decide on a light source, that is unlike me; I usually just grab what is most cheap and available. This time, however, I wanted to be more professional and patient with my design process, and I have to say, I like it. Read more »
As you may know, last week I made a processing app that analyzed an image for circles and then computed the ’roundness’ of every circle if found. It worked most of the time, and was accurate, but it did have some bugs and was static (you had to change out the image it analyzed). Read more »
So last week I created most masculine of Tetris mods… ArmWrestleTetris, and it was a hit; but unfortunately it could not take one. Because it was built in my typical, lets see what we can build from the junk shelf and scrap wood, way, it could not stand up to the pure testosterone of two people battling over blocks. So this week I decided to redesign and bulk up the interface!
Rumor has it that the Renaissance painter Raphael used to impress the nobles of this era with his ability to render seemingly perfect circles; having, undoubtibly, tried this yourself you know how difficult that can be. I have even had competitions with people to see who could draw the most round circle; but usually, those competitions ended in conclusionless because there was no real way to judge whose circle was best… especially if they were close. But now, as I did last week with the “Gradient Helper,” I have invited our friend the computer to come help us judge our circles. Read more »
Yes indeed, get your testosterone flowing ‘cuase its time to Armwrestle-Tetris. Building off my “Arduous Button” last week, I decided to infuse the same struggle into one of my favorite games: Tetris. There is something interesting about having to work for an action that usually comes so easily. No longer is pressing a button about the result… its about the process. Read more »
week I made a little program called “Gradient Judger.” To use it, you would draw a gradient, scan it in to the computer, then put it in a specific folder, run the program, and presto, it would spit back an analysis of your gradient’s smoothness; and that was all well and good… but long and a little too critical. The computer just got to sit back and judge you after the fact. I thought it would be nice this week to make that process interactive. So what was once the “Gradient Judger”, now becomes the “Gradient Helper.” Read more »
Computers are easy on us, which makes them seem fake (or at least artificial). In the real world we get feedback from our actions on objects in very real ways: fire burns, rocks are heavy, and bees sting; because we know all of this, our subconscious watches out for us by giving us signals… really nice. Another nice thing about being human is our ability to think ahead and predict a series of events: Read more »
I have been thinking a lot about my sketching habits lately. I have noticed I tend to draw, or shade-in really, lots of circles and squares. I love shading… getting the gradient just right. I get the same feeling when I am laying out a page in graphically… theres something about the minute adjustments and gut feelings I really love. So, when brainstorming about a new project for Computational Cameras drawing popped into my head. Read more »
Its been nice the past two weeks fussing over such a deceptively simple thing: light. Which type of light should I use, halogen, LED, cold cathode, normal incandescent, fluorescent. How much do I need; and at what power? And to complicate matters I have to think about light in the context of exactly what I want to do; namely, glowing through wood. Its all very illusive and tricky. There aren’t any standards by which to judge lighting that are reliable; Read more »