#idat301

Human hearing frequency range = 20Hz - 20,000Hz

Human vocal frequency range = 300Hz - 3,400Hz

Lowest frequency a bass guitar can produce = 38Hz

The lower the frequency, the higher the power required to create it. High frequencies require relatively low power.

Case study of sound system: Plymouth Rig Smith Hifi

4 frequency ranges (all in Hz):

20 - 80

80 - 300

300 - 2000

2000 - 20,000

We have found the following speakers with a range of 30-4000 Hz

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221170493754?_trksid=p5197.c0.m619

We could maybe buy a "tweeter" to go above 4kHz, for example:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bass-Face-Door-Dash-Flush-Fit-600w-Heavy-Duty-98mm-Bullet-Horn-Tweeters-PAIR-/370609654700?pt=UK_In_Car_Technology&hash=item564a0e8bac

But would the fluid react to this frequency? Are the vibrations too small to cause any visual change? And if not, should we include it anyway to accurately visually show what different frequencies do to non-newtonian fluid?

While thinking about what we were going to do for this project, we were thinking about analog things that could be made digital. Some of the ideas we were discussing were along the lines of digital magic tricks, anti-beer goggles, sensory deprivation... But along the way we thought how about making something that is inherently digital into something analog?

Behold; the equalizer.

The visual representation of an equalizer has always been a display, either with LEDs on a set of older decks, or on a computer screen in more modern times of music visualization. We want to take this idea, and make it physical. This idea was inspired by the following video:

What if we could split a music track into different frequency ranges, and have a speaker for each range? Then show the visual representation of that range using paint on the speaker? This could potentially get messy... However cornflour and water creates a Non-Newtonian liquid:

A non-Newtonian fluid is a fluid whose viscosity is variable based on applied stress. The most commonly known non-Newtonian fluid is cornstarch dissolved in water. Contrast with Newtonian fluids like water, whose behavior can be described exclusively by temperature and pressure, not the forces acting on it from second to second. Non-Newtonian fluids are fascinating substances that can be used to help us understand physics in more detail, in an exciting, hands-on way.

If you punch a bucket full of a shear thickening non-Newtonian fluid, the stress introduced by the incoming force causes the atoms in the fluid to rearrange such that it behaves like a solid. Your hand will not go through. If you shove your hand into the fluid slowly, however, it will penetrate successfully. If you pull your hand out abruptly, it will again behave like a solid, and you can literally pull a bucket of the fluid out of its container in this way.

WiseGeek.com

Here's how the fluid reacts when on a speaker:

"The Persistence of Tortilla"

Our finished 3D render of our take on Salvador Dali's The Persistence of Memory. We really wanted to make it a fly through scene, but some of the scans due to low lighting didn't come out as full objects. Here's the original again for reference:

This scene was composed by the awesome Florian Brückner in Blender (some models had the detail reduced in MeshLab). Considering this was a one week project, and the actual scanning was done in an afternoon, I'm pleased with the results. The scene is instantly recognisable as Dali's POM, and I think this opens up the possibility for a whole series of 3D renders...

Edvard Munch - the Scream ?

or Van Gogh's Starry Nights?

Very late, but here's the code for Going Underground!

This is in the RSS Vis tab, and this controls the visualisation:

void setup() { size(800,600,P2D); loadVideo("LondonUnderground.mp4"); loadAudio("Underground.mp3"); playAudioFrom(00000); } void script() { String next = getNext(); if(next.contains("Severe Delays")) { playVideoFrom(0001); } else if(next.contains("Minor Delays")) { playVideoFrom(2560); } else if(next.contains("Good Service")) { float r = random(3); if(r > 2) { playVideoFrom(12800); } else if(r > 1) { playVideoFrom(15360); } else { playVideoFrom(17920); } } else if(next.contains("Part Closure")) { playVideoFrom(7680); } else if(next.contains("Part Suspended")) { playVideoFrom(10240); } else if(next.contains("Planned Closure")) { playVideoFrom(5120); } //TINT BW MOVIE with colour of tube line affected if(next.contains("Central")) { tint(229,31,32,50); } else if(next.contains("Bakerloo")) { tint(174,97,25,50); } else if(next.contains("Circle")) { tint(247,210,34,50); } else if(next.contains("District")) { tint(0,166,117,50); } else if(next.contains("DLR")) { tint(0,187,180,50); } else if(next.contains("H'smith & City")) { tint(232,153,168,50); } else if(next.contains("Jubilee")) { tint(104,110,114,50); } else if(next.contains("Metropolitan")) { tint(137,50,103,50); } else if(next.contains("Northern")) { tint(0,0,0,30); } else if(next.contains("Overground")) { tint(248,108,0,50); } else if(next.contains("Piccadilly")) { tint(4,80,161,50); } else if(next.contains("Victoria")) { tint(0,159,224,50); } else if(next.contains("Waterloo & City")) { tint(112,195,206,50); } setBrightness(slider1.getValue()); setOpacity(slider2.getValue()); setScaling(slider3.getValue()); setVolume(slider4.getValue()); delay(2560); }

This was in the RSS Feed tab, and pulls in the RSS feed from tubeupdates.com:

String[] headlines; int pointer = 0; void loadData() { print("Getting data from database..."); XMLElement xml = new XMLElement(this, "http://tubeupdates.com/rss/all.xml"); println("DONE"); int readingCount = xml.getChild(0).getChildCount(); headlines = new String[readingCount]; for (int i=0; i<readingCount ;i++) { if (xml.getChild(0).getChild(i).getChild("title") != null) { headlines[i] = xml.getChild(0).getChild(i).getChild("title").getContent(); } else { headlines[i] = ""; } } } String getNext() { if(headlines == null) loadData(); pointer++; if(pointer>headlines.length-1) pointer = 0; return headlines[pointer]; }

Last week we had a 3D modelling workshop with Musaab _______ introducing us to 3D modelling with the Kinect, a z space screen, ReconstructMe and iPi Mocap Studio™ (motion capture technologies).

In 3D computer graphics, 3D modeling is the process of developing a mathematical, wireframe representation of any three-dimensional object (either inanimate or living) via specialized software. The product is called a 3D model. 

http://www.squidoo.com/3d-models

3D Scanning used to be only available to those with a lot of money to spend, but since the launch of the xBox Kinect, it's been made much more widely available. The Kinect can scan to about 1cm of detail, higher degrees of accuracy require more expensive scanners.

To start with we were using ReconstructMe with Kinect to capture 3D models, firstly of a pile of clothes and then Ben Ashman's head. It was a little difficult, but once you'd got the hang of moving the Kinect slowly but surely, and remembering to capture all the angles, we got some great models.

This was all done on the z-space screen; "a revolutionary, immersive, interactive 3D environment for computing, creating, communication and entertainment." One we'd made the models, we viewed them in z-space using Unity. The z-space uses eye tracking to create a 3D environment for working on 3D models.

The user wears glasses that are tracked by the z-space and change the angle of the model on the screen so it's projected in 3D correctly. Here's Chris Tough wearing the glasses and viewing a model:

It's a very cool piece of kit! It was quite extraordinary being able to manipulate the model using the stylus in the space above the screen (the "z" space).

We then went on to use iPi Mocap Studio with Kinect; a powerful motion capture software that's still relatively easy to use. First you must record the background without any characters in it, this is so the software can tell where the character is. Then, once you step on screen and start recording, you must hold the calibration pose which is like this... (basically stand with legs slightly apart and arms out like a "T")

We captured some of Sam Billingham's wonderful dance moves, then stitched them on to a Biped model (3D model with 2 feet) by aligning the placement of the capture and the character, and making sure the height was the same on both.

EmotiCap Promo video

Here it is... the phenomenal video made by myself to show the world the wonders of the EmotiCap

To start with we were going to have the LEDs on the hat be like a "loading bar" of emotion. The more green, the calmer you are, the more red, the more angry/happy/emotive you are, like this:

We then decided as a group that this was a bit tacky, and could be misread, so have decided to change it so when the wearer's mood change, the LEDS flash red before returning to green. This makes it more obvious when there's been a change in mood.

We wanted to give the project a unique identity, and play on the steampunk lifestyle. We could have just used any old hat, but for us, it had to be a top hat. (Obviously, the fact that a top hat had the largest amount of room in it in which to put the arduino kit and sensors had nothing at all to do with out decision....) In any case, we are making the EmotiCap for the eccentric chap.

Here's the hat with a hole ready for the LCD, but yet to have any kit put in it:

And the same hat with the kit installed:

Then I took this dashing picture of team mate Chris Tough wearing the hat once we'd connected it all up:

With regards to our twitter page, I've copied this from the above hat-wearer, Chris Tough's blog, to explain how we got around twitter's privacy settings:

Due to Twitter updating its privacy settings in order to process a tweet you have to create an application through the dev.twitter site. The site then gives you an Object Authorisation Consumer key, Object Authorisation Consumer Secret, Access Token and an Access Token Secret. These need to be established in the code in order to access the account and post a tweet. 

We had to come up with some "moods" to display on the LCD screen. To keep things interesting, we made 3 mood thresholds, and for each we created an array of 4 different displays. I wrote these mood statements, they had to be short and punchy but get the idea across...

The probability diagrams:

different realities into the physical world

"There is no media art any more, there is only fine art."

^^ every one of his fine art students uses technology. Technology is part of life, it's not separate. Students use phone, internet, computer to study fine art. 3:4 landscape screen - why? Because we're all painters in truth.

Relationship between Einstein & Picasso - Einstein first paper on relativity, Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon. Both working on same proble: the nature of space and time and, more particularly, simultaneity. Both were not the distinguished elderly figures that later because so familiar.

Render transcendent truths about ontological status of matter

SILVER - how many photons are lost? What do we do with lost photons?

Silver at 2nanometres, start to see the atomic structure of the metal

A “polished surface” implies a metal-air interface that is free of atomic irregularities in comparison the dimensions of a visible photon (typically a 1:10 ratio of irregularity to wavelength is considered insignificant).  The atomic orbital diameter is 1-2 nm, while the wavelength of visible light is 400-700nm.  An irregular surface presents a greater number of angles where the photon can penetrate the metal and be absorbed.  Scattering is reflection, but reflection without uniformity in relationship to the incident beam.

http://www.theoryofabsolutes.com/photonreflectionindepth.html

Probability amplitude - looking for something that is probable. Sets up mathematical equation.

Angle of incidence

Francis Bacon

Parallel universes? Parallel universes that your images could possibly draw when angle of incidence...

Photon spinning could store data? Computing uses electrons to store data.

When photons hit silver, energy is absorbed then flung out again.

Atomism