To implement this product i will try and create the actual website with a java based application that will allow the users to actually use my social networking website.
As well as creating the website and application, i will also try and set up an online community that uses the network to meet with each other.
Sunday, 21 February 2010
IDAT210 - Inspiration
So after looking around the different articles and looking into popularity and usage figures i have decided on my main influences for this project.
My main social networking influence will of course be Facebook, simply because of how popular it is. As well as this i will look into the influence of Twitter and how such a simple idea can be so popular.
For my locative media influence i will look towards such programs as Bliin & Street Maverns. For these two i think i need to install these pieces of software to figure out how they work and there limitations.
My main social networking influence will of course be Facebook, simply because of how popular it is. As well as this i will look into the influence of Twitter and how such a simple idea can be so popular.
For my locative media influence i will look towards such programs as Bliin & Street Maverns. For these two i think i need to install these pieces of software to figure out how they work and there limitations.
IDAT210 - GPS/Social media programs out there
After looking at the GPS history, im now going to look at some of the other websites out there that combine GPS and social networking.
The first website is called "mologogo" - Apparently "mologogo" is a free service that will track you and your friends using dirt-cheap GPS phones and smart phones.
http://www.mologogo.com/
Apparently this service has been around since 2005, however i've never heard of it. The website is very user friendly and i think the creators have created it simply to make money.
The second website is called "ipoki". Ipoki is currently in BETA still but it seems quite cool, like an early version of what i want to do, basically you install the software to your phone and then can share the position with other people. The only downside seems to be that it doesn't offer much in terms of social networking.
http://www.ipoki.com/
The third website seems the most like what i want to create. Its called "bliin" and is a bit more hardware based then what i want to create.
http://bliin.com/
To explain it more i've found this link on the BBC website.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6767593.stm
The first website is called "mologogo" - Apparently "mologogo" is a free service that will track you and your friends using dirt-cheap GPS phones and smart phones.
http://www.mologogo.com/
Apparently this service has been around since 2005, however i've never heard of it. The website is very user friendly and i think the creators have created it simply to make money.
The second website is called "ipoki". Ipoki is currently in BETA still but it seems quite cool, like an early version of what i want to do, basically you install the software to your phone and then can share the position with other people. The only downside seems to be that it doesn't offer much in terms of social networking.
http://www.ipoki.com/
The third website seems the most like what i want to create. Its called "bliin" and is a bit more hardware based then what i want to create.
http://bliin.com/
To explain it more i've found this link on the BBC website.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6767593.stm
IDAT210 - GPS Timeline
After looking at the social networking websites i've decided to look at the other main part of my project, GPS.
Once again i thought i would check out the history of the device, i examined this subject for another project, so i know a little about the history already.
This is a link to a pretty decent timeline on GPS.
http://www.aero.org/education/primers/gps/gpstimeline.html
Interesting to see how it was developed by the US military, not very surprising though!
Once again i thought i would check out the history of the device, i examined this subject for another project, so i know a little about the history already.
This is a link to a pretty decent timeline on GPS.
http://www.aero.org/education/primers/gps/gpstimeline.html
Interesting to see how it was developed by the US military, not very surprising though!
IDAT210 - Social Networking Popularity
After looking at the history of the different social networking sites i thought i would try to find some figures and reviews on each of the websites.
The first article i found is something called "Social Networking Evaluation Chart"
http://www.digizen.org.uk/socialnetworking/snsComparison.aspx
This article goes through everything on each of the websites, apart from Twitter for some reason, and compares the different sites. It has 5 main sections of comparison, General Info, Groups, Design & Customisation, Security & Access, Viewing & Moving Content. These sections are then split again to look at specific subjects within the groups.
This next article is a little different to what i wanted to find however it is quite interesting.
http://mashable.com/2009/12/31/social-media-web-2/
This article examines how popular social networking is on the internet by looking at google search results.
The first article i found is something called "Social Networking Evaluation Chart"
http://www.digizen.org.uk/socialnetworking/snsComparison.aspx
This article goes through everything on each of the websites, apart from Twitter for some reason, and compares the different sites. It has 5 main sections of comparison, General Info, Groups, Design & Customisation, Security & Access, Viewing & Moving Content. These sections are then split again to look at specific subjects within the groups.
This next article is a little different to what i wanted to find however it is quite interesting.
http://mashable.com/2009/12/31/social-media-web-2/
This article examines how popular social networking is on the internet by looking at google search results.
Graph on search results of "Social Media" & "web 2.0"
This graph shows how the popularity of social media searches is really starting to rise. Maybe proving that is more than just a "fad"
The final link is a very useful article, it shows the most popular social networking websites ranked by a combination of Inbound Links, Alexa Rank, and US traffick data from Compete and Quantcast. Obviously most of this is only from the US though, it is not easy to track worldwide traffic im afraid.
http://www.ebizmba.com/articles/social-networking-websites
It is interesting to note the top three being Facebook, MySpace, Twitter. A lot of people may be surprised to see MySpace above Twitter still, but this data is very up to date, in fact it's less than a month old (from the date of this post).
The final link is a very useful article, it shows the most popular social networking websites ranked by a combination of Inbound Links, Alexa Rank, and US traffick data from Compete and Quantcast. Obviously most of this is only from the US though, it is not easy to track worldwide traffic im afraid.
http://www.ebizmba.com/articles/social-networking-websites
It is interesting to note the top three being Facebook, MySpace, Twitter. A lot of people may be surprised to see MySpace above Twitter still, but this data is very up to date, in fact it's less than a month old (from the date of this post).
IDAT210 - Social Networking -The main players
Well i thought i had to do this post about this subject, as everyone immeaditely thinks of these websites when the word social networking is mentioned. This websites are Facebook, Bebo, Twitter & MySpace.
In a way these are the most powerful websites and in the instance of Facebook seem to have ripped up the rulebook. What i mean is, if you look at the history of social networking websites, they come in, making a big noise on the web at the same time. Last about 2/3 years, then are replaced by another new social networking website. However if you look at Facebook, it came in and took the users from MySpace, the biggest social networking website before Facebook, and it looked as if the cycle was about to happen. However due to the massive amount of users on Facebook, this has given them the financial powers to stay ahead of the other websites in terms of technology and features, which means they are not going to be replaced so easily.
The only main rival at the moment to the social network crown seems to be Twitter. Twitter is unique because it is different to every other social networking website as it simply allows the user to update other "followers" of their daily actions and thoughts.
Because of this massive battle for the "king of social networking" spot i thought i would have a look for some articles on the net about the history of the major players in the market.
The first article is about Facebook and its history.
http://mashable.com/2006/08/25/facebook-profile/
The second article is about Twitter and its brief history.
http://gigaom.com/2009/02/01/a-brief-history-of-twitter/
The third article is about MySpace and its history.
http://personalweb.about.com/od/myspacecom/a/whatismyspace_5.htm
In a way these are the most powerful websites and in the instance of Facebook seem to have ripped up the rulebook. What i mean is, if you look at the history of social networking websites, they come in, making a big noise on the web at the same time. Last about 2/3 years, then are replaced by another new social networking website. However if you look at Facebook, it came in and took the users from MySpace, the biggest social networking website before Facebook, and it looked as if the cycle was about to happen. However due to the massive amount of users on Facebook, this has given them the financial powers to stay ahead of the other websites in terms of technology and features, which means they are not going to be replaced so easily.
The only main rival at the moment to the social network crown seems to be Twitter. Twitter is unique because it is different to every other social networking website as it simply allows the user to update other "followers" of their daily actions and thoughts.
Because of this massive battle for the "king of social networking" spot i thought i would have a look for some articles on the net about the history of the major players in the market.
The first article is about Facebook and its history.
http://mashable.com/2006/08/25/facebook-profile/
The second article is about Twitter and its brief history.
http://gigaom.com/2009/02/01/a-brief-history-of-twitter/
The third article is about MySpace and its history.
http://personalweb.about.com/od/myspacecom/a/whatismyspace_5.htm
IDAT210 - Quick history of social networking
To fully understand the fad that is social networking, i have decided to look into the past of the area.
After looking around the internet for quite sometime i have found a very useful article about the history of social network sites.
http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol13/issue1/boyd.ellison.html
This article seems to be a piece that has been submitted for some sort of work, very text based and well referenced.
It goes through a definition of social networking, the early years of social networking, and then goes through a number of different popular websites and how they grew in popularity and then was replaced by another.
After looking around the internet for quite sometime i have found a very useful article about the history of social network sites.
http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol13/issue1/boyd.ellison.html
This article seems to be a piece that has been submitted for some sort of work, very text based and well referenced.
It goes through a definition of social networking, the early years of social networking, and then goes through a number of different popular websites and how they grew in popularity and then was replaced by another.
Timeline from article
IDAT210 - How to create my own social networking site
After looking around the website for a bit i've noticed quite a few guides on how to create a social networking website. There seems to be loads of these sort of guides, i guess it's because people are starting to think how to make money out of such a popular trend.
The first one i found really reminds me of the get rich quick schemes that used to fill up the internet, well i guess they still do but i just ignore them. The link for this one is:
http://www.startasocialnetwork.com/
This guide goes through loads of subjects about starting up, such as how to get your first 2000 members quickly and using social psychology to boost your membership. Obviously these subjects are very important to someone who's starting a site to make money, not very helpful to me though as the university will own my work!
The next article i found was a 4 step guide to a successul start in social media. Might be helpful, here's the link
http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/index.php/how-to-get-started-in-social-media/
This one is much more useful than the previous, it includes guides on what to include such as video sharing and forums. It also tells you the positives and negatives of these features. This could become very helpful later on
Well i could sit here and link loads more, to be honest there all pretty similar if you really want to see more, just search "how to create your own social networking site" into google and enjoy the reading!
The first one i found really reminds me of the get rich quick schemes that used to fill up the internet, well i guess they still do but i just ignore them. The link for this one is:
http://www.startasocialnetwork.com/
This guide goes through loads of subjects about starting up, such as how to get your first 2000 members quickly and using social psychology to boost your membership. Obviously these subjects are very important to someone who's starting a site to make money, not very helpful to me though as the university will own my work!
The next article i found was a 4 step guide to a successul start in social media. Might be helpful, here's the link
http://www.hobo-web.co.uk/seo-blog/index.php/how-to-get-started-in-social-media/
This one is much more useful than the previous, it includes guides on what to include such as video sharing and forums. It also tells you the positives and negatives of these features. This could become very helpful later on
Well i could sit here and link loads more, to be honest there all pretty similar if you really want to see more, just search "how to create your own social networking site" into google and enjoy the reading!
IDAT210 - Overview of idea
For my project i have decided to focus on social networking websites and the theory behind them. If you look at the most popular social networking websites at the moment, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, there is one main thing that is evident in all of them. That is that there is an underlying purpose to them, these sites are around simply for the user to be able to communicate with people they know but may not be able to see on a daily basis. This purpose has worked very well so far, however if a new social networking website was to be created, it would struggle to come up with something new for this purpose that hasn't been developed already.
So far social networking websites help people keep in contact with other people they might not see a lot. However these sites do not encourage their users to go out and interact with each other, why would they encourage this, it would pull people away from their website.
Because of these websites encouraging the users to stay at home and communicate over the internet, interaction between people is starting to dissapear in the real world. I have decided to act on this and create my social networking website based around the theory of going out and meeting their friends and other new people.
To do this i plan to create a social networking website where you can login, create a profile and then find your friends. Once you have your friend's lists you can then do everything with them that you can do in the more standard social networking websites. However once you've done this, you will also be able to download a version of the website for your mobile device. This version will then use GPS to find out where you are. This will then update your location on the website for all your friends to see, so they can join you.
The extra bonus of using locative media will be that you will be able to see your current location and then check the area to see which of your friends are in the area. For example, you're at a gig, you want to know which of your friends are also there, you then login to the website through your mobile device, select the "find your friends" option and you will be shown your local area and which of your friends are there. This will encourage more interaction between users.
So far social networking websites help people keep in contact with other people they might not see a lot. However these sites do not encourage their users to go out and interact with each other, why would they encourage this, it would pull people away from their website.
Because of these websites encouraging the users to stay at home and communicate over the internet, interaction between people is starting to dissapear in the real world. I have decided to act on this and create my social networking website based around the theory of going out and meeting their friends and other new people.
To do this i plan to create a social networking website where you can login, create a profile and then find your friends. Once you have your friend's lists you can then do everything with them that you can do in the more standard social networking websites. However once you've done this, you will also be able to download a version of the website for your mobile device. This version will then use GPS to find out where you are. This will then update your location on the website for all your friends to see, so they can join you.
The extra bonus of using locative media will be that you will be able to see your current location and then check the area to see which of your friends are in the area. For example, you're at a gig, you want to know which of your friends are also there, you then login to the website through your mobile device, select the "find your friends" option and you will be shown your local area and which of your friends are there. This will encourage more interaction between users.
Wednesday, 10 February 2010
IDAT211 - E-learning project
We seem to have come up with a pretty decent early idea.
The idea is pretty simple to grasp, we hope to develop a program that helps the user learn a musical instrument.
We got this idea after playing on a computer game called "Rock Band". Most readers would of heard of this, if you haven't there are a couple links below to some youtube video's of footage from the game.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd3E8zgqJM4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Gt_z72hkH0
As you can see these games rely heavily on the user using a fake version of a guitar/drums.
Our initial idea will be to use the drums hardware to develop a visual aid to teach the user how to play the drums properly.
At the moment these games only tell the user which drum to hit, but it doesn't tell you what sound it will make or anything useful like that. Not very helpful if your trying to learn the drums.
We would develop a visual system that would tell the user which drum to hit, but if they didnt hit it the sound wouldnt play. It sounds quite obvious really and it really is.
This is the version of controller that is currently being used for these games however we feel that this does not offer the user a full feel as to what drums feel like. So we are going to look into changing the design to suit it better.
We are also starting to look at other instruments we could use, some of the early ideas are quite obvious like guitars or a keyboard. But we have also thought of some of the non-traditional instruments like the flute.
Hopefully this idea is alright and then we can start doing some proper research into it.
The idea is pretty simple to grasp, we hope to develop a program that helps the user learn a musical instrument.
We got this idea after playing on a computer game called "Rock Band". Most readers would of heard of this, if you haven't there are a couple links below to some youtube video's of footage from the game.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd3E8zgqJM4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Gt_z72hkH0
As you can see these games rely heavily on the user using a fake version of a guitar/drums.
Our initial idea will be to use the drums hardware to develop a visual aid to teach the user how to play the drums properly.
At the moment these games only tell the user which drum to hit, but it doesn't tell you what sound it will make or anything useful like that. Not very helpful if your trying to learn the drums.
We would develop a visual system that would tell the user which drum to hit, but if they didnt hit it the sound wouldnt play. It sounds quite obvious really and it really is.
This is the version of controller that is currently being used for these games however we feel that this does not offer the user a full feel as to what drums feel like. So we are going to look into changing the design to suit it better.
We are also starting to look at other instruments we could use, some of the early ideas are quite obvious like guitars or a keyboard. But we have also thought of some of the non-traditional instruments like the flute.
Hopefully this idea is alright and then we can start doing some proper research into it.
IDAT211 - E-learning research
Well i thought i would do a couple posts on research into E-learning, and then hopefully this will help me come up wiht my idea.
The following website is an e-learning directory called "Learning Light", the website is http://www.e-learningcentre.co.uk/
This site is really useful for finding different e-learning projects.
Another site i've found that seems quite useful is a site called "E-learning for Kids" and can be found at the following address - http://www.e-learningforkids.org/
E-Learning for kids is a charitable project that develops e-learning programs and projects for classrooms. They also offer courses to both children and teachers to learn how to use their programs. Quite a cool little project.
After looking around i have found that there are a lot of different programs that are using e-learning as a key feature in their new programs.
After looking through a government run site, ive found this site which offers a list of current and past projects that schools/colleges/universities that are developing e-learning projects.
This is the website address for the directory:
http://www.english.heacademy.ac.uk/explore/projects/archive/technology/index.php
One of the more interesting briefs can be found on the link below:
http://www.english.heacademy.ac.uk/explore/projects/archive/language/lang2.php
This project sounds quite cool and very useful. However it does not provide the link to the actual program which is a bit annoying, even though the project finished in 2007.
Well these projects are quite cool but the majority are orientated towards children, im not too sure if our project should entirely focus on this.
The following website is an e-learning directory called "Learning Light", the website is http://www.e-learningcentre.co.uk/
This site is really useful for finding different e-learning projects.
Another site i've found that seems quite useful is a site called "E-learning for Kids" and can be found at the following address - http://www.e-learningforkids.org/
E-Learning for kids is a charitable project that develops e-learning programs and projects for classrooms. They also offer courses to both children and teachers to learn how to use their programs. Quite a cool little project.
After looking around i have found that there are a lot of different programs that are using e-learning as a key feature in their new programs.
After looking through a government run site, ive found this site which offers a list of current and past projects that schools/colleges/universities that are developing e-learning projects.
This is the website address for the directory:
http://www.english.heacademy.ac.uk/explore/projects/archive/technology/index.php
One of the more interesting briefs can be found on the link below:
http://www.english.heacademy.ac.uk/explore/projects/archive/language/lang2.php
This project sounds quite cool and very useful. However it does not provide the link to the actual program which is a bit annoying, even though the project finished in 2007.
Well these projects are quite cool but the majority are orientated towards children, im not too sure if our project should entirely focus on this.
IDAT211 - Project 2 brief
Well like i do with all my new projects, this is the brief for the new project for this module.
Working in pairs, research and design an interactive multimedia product for learning. The concept and
design should be informed by the psychology of learning and HCI principals, and demonstrate a
comprehensible design practice.
Designs solutions should be a response to an investigation of learning products, methods and
environments, exploring collaborative, remote and individual learning with interactive and networked
technologies. The aim is to develop a critical awareness and practical application of learning theories and
styles in interaction and interface design.
You are encouraged to be highly speculative and experimental in your approach. As there is no product,
designs should go beyond what is possible with conventional media, shaping innovative uses for emerging
technologies. Solutions should be mindful of how the development of cognitive and social skills in learners
might be mediated with technology.
Throughout the design process, careful consideration should be paid to the context of use. Design
decisions should be based on an assessment of learners needs, and define a clear role the technology has
in supporting learning.
design should be informed by the psychology of learning and HCI principals, and demonstrate a
comprehensible design practice.
Designs solutions should be a response to an investigation of learning products, methods and
environments, exploring collaborative, remote and individual learning with interactive and networked
technologies. The aim is to develop a critical awareness and practical application of learning theories and
styles in interaction and interface design.
You are encouraged to be highly speculative and experimental in your approach. As there is no product,
designs should go beyond what is possible with conventional media, shaping innovative uses for emerging
technologies. Solutions should be mindful of how the development of cognitive and social skills in learners
might be mediated with technology.
Throughout the design process, careful consideration should be paid to the context of use. Design
decisions should be based on an assessment of learners needs, and define a clear role the technology has
in supporting learning.
Basically, in pairs, me and Luke Best, have to come up with an e-learning project, and then research and develop the new idea.
IDAT210 - Locative media research
Just found quite a cool website called Locative Media, pretty handy title for something about locative media!
Here's the address, http://www.locative-media.org/
Here's the address, http://www.locative-media.org/
"What happens when people experience narratives and media in place? What happens when media is contextualized with location? When history, personal narrative, and place are interwoven?
The Center for Locative Media works with different cultural and educational communities to enable the creation, delivery, and distribution of narrative histories of people and places using emerging and locative technologies.
To date, the Locative Media space has primarily been inhabited by artists. But as educators and amateur neo-geographers, we found a rich vein of place-based pedagogy to tap into. Here story was already married to place. As technologists we watched the tools become available to not only tag content to place, but to experience it in that place.
Locative Media, like its technology, is emerging; but as with all community engagement, it has its roots in the the importance of story, the value of place, and the use of technologies old and new."
This website seems to pretty useful, it has tons of different examples of locative media work. Thought i would post a couple of them below,
http://www.locative-media.org/projects/C89/
This website also has an interesting link to the following article about the history of locative media.
http://www.hz-journal.org/n8/hight.html
It also has another couple decent links, one that is about the tech that is around at the moment.
http://www.locative-media.org/tech/
and the other is about mobile technology and the use of mobile tech.
IDAT210 - Iphone apps
Just thought i would do another quick post about a couple iphone apps i've found.
The first will pretty familiar to many people. It's a application that allows you to access the website Twitter, which is a social networking site.
The second app is a GPS app that allows you to place comments around the world through the app. Then other people can access the program and view your comment when they view the place you put the comment. Just thought this might be useful to look at, the technology it uses will be very similar to the stuff that i need to use.
The first will pretty familiar to many people. It's a application that allows you to access the website Twitter, which is a social networking site.
The second app is a GPS app that allows you to place comments around the world through the app. Then other people can access the program and view your comment when they view the place you put the comment. Just thought this might be useful to look at, the technology it uses will be very similar to the stuff that i need to use.
IDAT210 - Research into Locative Media & Social Networking
I've come across an iphone app that is very similar to the one that i plan to create.
The main difference between my idea and this one is that their is no website where you log in and create profile/add friends/ arrange meetings.
This is the extract from the apple app store, you can find the full page here.
http://www.apple.com/webapps/socialnetworking/streetmavens.html
The main difference between my idea and this one is that their is no website where you log in and create profile/add friends/ arrange meetings.
This is the extract from the apple app store, you can find the full page here.
http://www.apple.com/webapps/socialnetworking/streetmavens.html
IDAT210 - Social Networking / Locative Media
Ok so now ive come up with my idea, apparently i need to come up with 5 or 6 keywords for my project.
This will help me target my research and develop my site to a high standard. Well hopefully.
The keywords i was thinking of are:
LOCATIVE MEDIA
SOCIAL NETWORKING
GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM
MOBILE TECHNOLOGY
ONLINE SECURITY
Free Space
The reason i have left the free space at the bottom us so that if throughout my research i come across something that i feel is important i can then add it.
This will help me target my research and develop my site to a high standard. Well hopefully.
The keywords i was thinking of are:
LOCATIVE MEDIA
SOCIAL NETWORKING
GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM
MOBILE TECHNOLOGY
ONLINE SECURITY
Free Space
The reason i have left the free space at the bottom us so that if throughout my research i come across something that i feel is important i can then add it.
IDAT210 - Social Networking
After the lecture for this week, ive talked to my lecturer and he suggested looking into locative media inside my social networking site.
So the idea would be that you can register onto my website, create a profile and add friends. Pretty basic social networking stuff so far. The new flash part is that once you sign up, you can register your mobile device to your account, i.e. iphone.
You will then be able to connect through an iphone app / downloadable java app to the website and log in. Once you've logged in you will be able to activate your gps locater (within the mobile device). This will then allow your friends from the website to see where you are.
You will also be able to look for friends near you, so if your in a city centre or a nightclub and you have the phone signal, you will be able to look to see which friends are near by. Therefore getting you in touch with your friends and being able to socialise even more.
I quite like this idea, even though some of the technology may be beyond my current level of knowledge, i think i will develop this idea even further.
So the idea would be that you can register onto my website, create a profile and add friends. Pretty basic social networking stuff so far. The new flash part is that once you sign up, you can register your mobile device to your account, i.e. iphone.
You will then be able to connect through an iphone app / downloadable java app to the website and log in. Once you've logged in you will be able to activate your gps locater (within the mobile device). This will then allow your friends from the website to see where you are.
You will also be able to look for friends near you, so if your in a city centre or a nightclub and you have the phone signal, you will be able to look to see which friends are near by. Therefore getting you in touch with your friends and being able to socialise even more.
I quite like this idea, even though some of the technology may be beyond my current level of knowledge, i think i will develop this idea even further.
IDAT210 - New project
Quick post about my new project for this module.
Quite an open brief really...
"This project requires you to set a problem and provide a unique, innovative, creative, informed and culturally aware solution. Projects are to be negotiated with your tutor through an initial proposal written up in your online workbook - blog. It is essential that the production work is informed by critical debate underway in seminars and lectures.This is in contribution to the development of your professional practice and your final year project. It is essential that the development and production of the project is informed by critical debate underway in seminars and lectures. The proposal must include description of the topic, evidence of relevant research, critical references (bibliography, netography, filmography, etc), illustrations, diagrams, technical solutions and a realistic production timetable. This proposal contributes an important component of the overall mark, as it sets out aims and objectives against which the project will be assessed."
There was a quick discussion when the brief was set, and my mind starting thinking about what work i could do.
My idea is to produce a social networking site that encourages people to go out and get together. Not too great of a new idea at the moment but hopefully can develop it a bit.
Quite an open brief really...
"This project requires you to set a problem and provide a unique, innovative, creative, informed and culturally aware solution. Projects are to be negotiated with your tutor through an initial proposal written up in your online workbook - blog. It is essential that the production work is informed by critical debate underway in seminars and lectures.This is in contribution to the development of your professional practice and your final year project. It is essential that the development and production of the project is informed by critical debate underway in seminars and lectures. The proposal must include description of the topic, evidence of relevant research, critical references (bibliography, netography, filmography, etc), illustrations, diagrams, technical solutions and a realistic production timetable. This proposal contributes an important component of the overall mark, as it sets out aims and objectives against which the project will be assessed."
There was a quick discussion when the brief was set, and my mind starting thinking about what work i could do.
My idea is to produce a social networking site that encourages people to go out and get together. Not too great of a new idea at the moment but hopefully can develop it a bit.
Tuesday, 9 February 2010
General Post about current work.
Well i thought i would do a quick post about some ideas for current projects im working on.
This is more for me than the average viewer of my work. I just need to figure out what i need to do.
IDAT204- In car assistance program - See tons of posts below
IDAT205 - Monkey Game - This project has the potential to be a huge project for my portfolio. Initial ideas include a monkey vs poacher game, a monkey defence game & a monkey sanctuary simulation.
IDAT209 - Not too sure on this one, need to talk to fellow class mates to figure out what needs to be done.
IDAT210 - Social Networkin / Locative Media - Create a social networking site that uses Locative media as a main focal point of site, Need to do the keywords task for this and more research. More to follow shortly.
IDAT211 - E-Learning product / Pairs work. Me and luke have thought of a couple decent ideas for this one. The main one being a product that uses the guitar hero / rock band instruments to teach someone the drums & other instruments by showing a correct visual instruction.
SOFT232 - Final Project / Pairs work - Me and luke working together again here, have come up with idea that will work through the users mobile phone. Using their mobile, the users will be able to access everything about their university course that they need, i.e. Timetable & Email.
SW Poker Portal - Using framework from previous idea, create new design for site. Create header / BG / Menu system.
Soccernights - Using document provided from client, add content to website. Find a working league system and implement. Set up new PHPBB forum.
Portfolio - Create RSS Feed from blog, add Lightview system. Add work pages.
Idless Images - End sale & Add new photo's from recent event.
Untitled wedding photography website - Create logo, Colour Scheme, Framework for site.
Wow, quite a lot! Need to get SW Poker Portal, Soccernights, Portfolio, and wedding work done ASAP. The university work looks like its going to take a back seat!
This is more for me than the average viewer of my work. I just need to figure out what i need to do.
IDAT204- In car assistance program - See tons of posts below
IDAT205 - Monkey Game - This project has the potential to be a huge project for my portfolio. Initial ideas include a monkey vs poacher game, a monkey defence game & a monkey sanctuary simulation.
IDAT209 - Not too sure on this one, need to talk to fellow class mates to figure out what needs to be done.
IDAT210 - Social Networkin / Locative Media - Create a social networking site that uses Locative media as a main focal point of site, Need to do the keywords task for this and more research. More to follow shortly.
IDAT211 - E-Learning product / Pairs work. Me and luke have thought of a couple decent ideas for this one. The main one being a product that uses the guitar hero / rock band instruments to teach someone the drums & other instruments by showing a correct visual instruction.
SOFT232 - Final Project / Pairs work - Me and luke working together again here, have come up with idea that will work through the users mobile phone. Using their mobile, the users will be able to access everything about their university course that they need, i.e. Timetable & Email.
SW Poker Portal - Using framework from previous idea, create new design for site. Create header / BG / Menu system.
Soccernights - Using document provided from client, add content to website. Find a working league system and implement. Set up new PHPBB forum.
Portfolio - Create RSS Feed from blog, add Lightview system. Add work pages.
Idless Images - End sale & Add new photo's from recent event.
Untitled wedding photography website - Create logo, Colour Scheme, Framework for site.
Wow, quite a lot! Need to get SW Poker Portal, Soccernights, Portfolio, and wedding work done ASAP. The university work looks like its going to take a back seat!
Monday, 8 February 2010
IDAT204 - Augmented Reality - Main Idea, Whats next?
So i've gone through my main idea, so what's next?
Obviously i need to tweak some of the ideas a little but that goes without saying. They will develop as i develop this idea.
The main thing is to sort out the graphics, so it compensates between the driver and the road and doesn't distract the driver too much.
I also need to decide how i plan to implement this idea and how good i can make the final product.
For the final presentation of my product i think i will create an advert for the system, very similar to those that you find on the American TV networks advertising the latest in hair growth creams or something along those lines.
Im quite liking this assignment and hopefully this idea can be developed to quite a high standard.
Stay tuned to find out how the next stages go.
Obviously i need to tweak some of the ideas a little but that goes without saying. They will develop as i develop this idea.
The main thing is to sort out the graphics, so it compensates between the driver and the road and doesn't distract the driver too much.
I also need to decide how i plan to implement this idea and how good i can make the final product.
For the final presentation of my product i think i will create an advert for the system, very similar to those that you find on the American TV networks advertising the latest in hair growth creams or something along those lines.
Im quite liking this assignment and hopefully this idea can be developed to quite a high standard.
Stay tuned to find out how the next stages go.
IDAT204 - Augmented Reality - Main Implementation
Ok, so i've gone through each of the features, all thats left now to talk about is how i would implement the system.
The two main ideas i've had are to use either a special screen instead of the windscreen, or a special pair of glasses.
The first option is probably the best for implementation, however this idea could not be that feasable due to cost. The windscreen of a car is designed to break quite easily, so if it's breaking all the time and the system costs a fair amount people would not bother.
The second option solves this problem. You could use special augmented reality glasses instead, so when the driver/user sits down at the wheel he puts the glasses on, which are hooked up to the on-board computer system, and can use the car assistance system.
The two main ideas i've had are to use either a special screen instead of the windscreen, or a special pair of glasses.
The first option is probably the best for implementation, however this idea could not be that feasable due to cost. The windscreen of a car is designed to break quite easily, so if it's breaking all the time and the system costs a fair amount people would not bother.
The second option solves this problem. You could use special augmented reality glasses instead, so when the driver/user sits down at the wheel he puts the glasses on, which are hooked up to the on-board computer system, and can use the car assistance system.
IDAT204 - Augmented Reality - Main Idea 8th Post
The final feature of the car assistance system is the hazard warning.
Hazards can be defined by anything from someone moving into your lane, to there being an accident ahead.
If something like this happened, the system would automatically detect it and then display a warning.
Here is an example of a warning when someone moves into your lane ahead of you.
Once again another mock-up using the brush tool.
Hazards can be defined by anything from someone moving into your lane, to there being an accident ahead.
If something like this happened, the system would automatically detect it and then display a warning.
Here is an example of a warning when someone moves into your lane ahead of you.
Once again another mock-up using the brush tool.The image above is highlighted in a sharp red, however for something not as serious as a car coming into your lane it wouldnt be as sharp. This colour would be for something like an accident or immediate danger.
The system would also monitor the traffic through a 3G feed, so it could notify if the driver if the traffic was particularly heavy in an oncoming area. It would then work with the GPS to deliver a work around route.
The system would also monitor the traffic through a 3G feed, so it could notify if the driver if the traffic was particularly heavy in an oncoming area. It would then work with the GPS to deliver a work around route.
IDAT204 - Augmented Reality - Main Idea 7th Post
The fourth feature of the driving assistance isn't a main feature. It is the road sign system.
The main part of this feature is to highlight your destination that the GPS is going to. So when it comes up one a roadsign your attention is alerted by a highly visible colour.
Here is another quick mock-up of this feature.
Another quick mock-up. Obviously this driver using the system is going to Harrow.
The main part of this feature is to highlight your destination that the GPS is going to. So when it comes up one a roadsign your attention is alerted by a highly visible colour.
Here is another quick mock-up of this feature.
Another quick mock-up. Obviously this driver using the system is going to Harrow.
IDAT204 - Augmented Reality - Main Idea 6th Post
The third feature to talk about is the speed camera feature. This feature will make all speed camera's highly visible and the speed that is required to be just as visible.
Obviously the yellow speed camera is quite visible as it is, however this will make the whole object, not just the camera, flourescent yellow.
Also it will make every speed change sign highly visible. This will allow users to be aware of how fast they need to be so they do not get penalised.
This system will also put the neccessary speed next to the speed camera, just in case the speed is not shown clearly.
Obviously the yellow speed camera is quite visible as it is, however this will make the whole object, not just the camera, flourescent yellow.
Also it will make every speed change sign highly visible. This will allow users to be aware of how fast they need to be so they do not get penalised.
This system will also put the neccessary speed next to the speed camera, just in case the speed is not shown clearly.
The two images below show a speed camera without the system effecting it, and with the system effecting it. Please note the image with the system effecting it is not anywhere near the final version of the camera, just a quick version done with a paint brush.
Just a quick mock-up of what the system will create. Will look a lot more convincing in final version!
Just a quick mock-up of what the system will create. Will look a lot more convincing in final version!
IDAT204 - Augmented Reality - Main Idea 5th Post
The second main feature of this system is the GPS side of it.
The GPS works as you might think it would work, it paints a line on the road showing the driver where to go.
This technique is very similar to the one shown in racing computer games, in these there called "Driving lines". They tell the user where to put the car to get the best speed. Obviously the car assitance will not want the driver to drive faster, but get to where they want to go.
Driving aid in Need For Speed.
The GPS works as you might think it would work, it paints a line on the road showing the driver where to go.
This technique is very similar to the one shown in racing computer games, in these there called "Driving lines". They tell the user where to put the car to get the best speed. Obviously the car assitance will not want the driver to drive faster, but get to where they want to go.
Driving aid in Need For Speed.As you can see from the image above, the driving aid isn't too overpowering so the user can still appreciate the graphics in the game. However in the driving assitance system, the driving line, along with the arrows would be a lot clearer.
This feature of the system would also have a distance counter, to allow the driver to see how far he has got left to get to their destination.
It would also have direction arrows to tell the driver where to turn.
This feature of the system would also have a distance counter, to allow the driver to see how far he has got left to get to their destination.
It would also have direction arrows to tell the driver where to turn.
IDAT204 - Augmented Reality - Main Idea 4th Post
So this is the first post about the features of the car assistance system.
The first feature that im going to post about is the main feature, the braking assist. This may sound like something that automatically slowes the car down for you, but it is much more than that.
The main system of the braking assist is changing the visual display to show a car is braking/slowing. I have two images below that show a normal display and then a mock-up of the same image with the braking assist on.
The braking assist will sharpen and become brighter the more the car brakes.
To further this system, the system could also slow the car if the system recognises that the car in front of the drivers car slows. The sharper the colour, the more the car brakes.
The first feature that im going to post about is the main feature, the braking assist. This may sound like something that automatically slowes the car down for you, but it is much more than that.
The main system of the braking assist is changing the visual display to show a car is braking/slowing. I have two images below that show a normal display and then a mock-up of the same image with the braking assist on.
The braking assist will sharpen and become brighter the more the car brakes.
To further this system, the system could also slow the car if the system recognises that the car in front of the drivers car slows. The sharper the colour, the more the car brakes.
IDAT204 - Augmented Reality - Main Idea 3rd Post
Well after posting up my ideas for this project, im now going to go through the specifics. Beggining with how the system will look.
The augmented reality system will display on the dashboard. And the user/driver will be able to look at the road as if normal, and see all of the displayed features.
Similar view as to where the display will show. Obviously on the other side as were not in America!
The augmented reality system will display on the dashboard. And the user/driver will be able to look at the road as if normal, and see all of the displayed features.
Similar view as to where the display will show. Obviously on the other side as were not in America!Displaying in this way means that the drivers vision won't be obscured or taken of the road.
IDAT204 - Augmented Reality - Main Idea 2nd Post
Well i thought i would continue talking about my main idea for the augmented reality project.
In the last post i talked about a couple of the features of the car assistance system.
I've now sat down and put this on paper:
The first image is of my initial ideas and the second is of the development of my final idea.
In the last post i talked about a couple of the features of the car assistance system.
I've now sat down and put this on paper:
The first image is of my initial ideas and the second is of the development of my final idea.
IDAT204 - Augmented Reality - Main Idea
Well i've come up with my initial idea for IDAT204. We have to create something to use augmented reality to do something...
A pretty open brief.
This is the actual brief, as it appears on the module overview document found on the university portal:
"Working individually participants are required:
- To investigates either (option 1) the ways in which the real world can be augmented with different forms of digital information or (option 2) the ways in which an interactive sound environment can be designed, constricted and implemented.
- To negotiate your particular idea and its possible implementations with the tutors in order to define the “nature”, “specifications” and “realisation” of your individual project.
- To implement your idea in the most creative and effective way.
- To analyse in your blog the conceptual context of your idea and final product, the aim and the results achieved, the positive and negative aspects of its planning, designing and implementation."
My main idea for this brief will be titled "Car Assistance", all of my further blogs on this subject will be titled this.
The main idea is to incorporate a car assistance system into a driving expeirence to help the driver get to where they need to be, quickly and safely.
The system will allow users to see many different things such as where they need to go, and also show when other drivers are slowing down.
More posts to follow on this subject.
A pretty open brief.
This is the actual brief, as it appears on the module overview document found on the university portal:
"Working individually participants are required:
- To investigates either (option 1) the ways in which the real world can be augmented with different forms of digital information or (option 2) the ways in which an interactive sound environment can be designed, constricted and implemented.
- To negotiate your particular idea and its possible implementations with the tutors in order to define the “nature”, “specifications” and “realisation” of your individual project.
- To implement your idea in the most creative and effective way.
- To analyse in your blog the conceptual context of your idea and final product, the aim and the results achieved, the positive and negative aspects of its planning, designing and implementation."
My main idea for this brief will be titled "Car Assistance", all of my further blogs on this subject will be titled this.
The main idea is to incorporate a car assistance system into a driving expeirence to help the driver get to where they need to be, quickly and safely.
The system will allow users to see many different things such as where they need to go, and also show when other drivers are slowing down.
More posts to follow on this subject.
IDAT204 - Augmented Reality - Quick Idea
Just had another quick idea that i might use as a fall back option if my chosen idea isn't good enough.
The idea is to have a special pair of glasses that allow the user to count cards.
What i mean is, the glasses will allow the user to be able to count what cards have been pulled from a hand. This would then be used inside casino's to cheat the casino and be able to win large amounts of money.
Might come back to this idea because it could be quite a useful project to look at.
The idea is to have a special pair of glasses that allow the user to count cards.
What i mean is, the glasses will allow the user to be able to count what cards have been pulled from a hand. This would then be used inside casino's to cheat the casino and be able to win large amounts of money.
Might come back to this idea because it could be quite a useful project to look at.
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