Day 55 @ ITP: Phys Comp

Week 9
Final project proposal

For the final Jim and I decided to keep working on our Midi Meditation project in order to finesse it further and hopefully be able to feature it in the 2017 winter show for people to interact with it more deeply then. 

For the next stage we plan to further tweak the code to try having the Arduino send messages to a different software program like Ableton to have more flexibility with the sounds and effects, and to see if we can universalize the code so it works with various programs that are set up for live MIDI application (it's possible Omnisphere was too specific and not really ideal for using for an application like this). We also would like to add some kind of light element that will also echo the heartbeat, pulsing in and out with a fade similar to the pulse graph, which the participant can either focus on or not depending on whether or not they wish to have their eyes closed. It could also be used as an installation element to draw the participant into using the Midi Meditation. Even with eyes closed potentially they will still sense the light which could help with brain entrainment and focus (we will have to experiment with this element and see if it does in fact do that.) There could also possibly be more than one Midi Meditation, so that two people can meditate at the same time, but am not sure about that yet and need to discuss with Jim. I will be taking Intro to Fabrication in tandem with the 2nd part of this semester so I will be focusing on making a more final enclosure in that class with Jim's input-- he also knows about 3D printing so perhaps we will incorporate that if needed. 

Also came across this (the "Muse" meditation headband) popping up in my ads on my computer-- of course someone has been reading my blog posts and planting them there! Just kidding. But also not...incidentally, it is actually helpful to see how others are implementing similar ideas.

Update on October 31st, 2017:

Jim noted that we will also be finessing the algorithm for the heart beat detector so that it works on most or ideally all people-- and also a better way to use the sensor, maybe attached in a glove, so that it stays put and also so that it requires next to no effort to use it the "correct" way (there will be only one way).

Day 55 @ ITP: ICM

Week 9:
Working with video and sound

Project 1)
3 OSCILLATORS

Just for fun, before moving on to trying to code something else, I decided to make a page with 3 of these oscillators with slightly different parameters and colors to see if they could all play together at the same time, as some kind of out of control musical instrument...

Here it is: http://www.ivymeadows.net/3-oscillators

Have fun!(?)

Update on October 31st, 2017:

For some reason this is going back and forth between working and not work. It is currently *not* working. Will have to debug this in person with someone who can help.

Project 2) 
The beginning of something... Slit-scan experiment:

How to get the video to actually progress ?? 

Also: Is it possible to move around objects on top of the video as it slit scans, and turn sounds on and off as well ? 

~~~~

Update on October 31st, 2017:

Here is my final sketch, which I made work with Mathura's help today...the video was not looping and she changed something in the html editor to make it work. I actually am not sure what changed, but I'm glad it is now playing and I like the effect!

I wanted to add the sound of greenhouse fans but for some reason the p5js editor kept saying that loadSound was not defined. This also happened in a previous sketch (with the women astronauts) that worked earlier then stopped working...will try to debug it. 

Day 54 @ ITP: ICM

Week 8
Assignment #1:
Working with video and sound.

These are two of my favorite topics, and I have a lot of ideas but what I would like to make happen ideally, but need to catch up on my code. Today I am focusing on loading a few sound files or using MIDI and making the sounds change based on where objects are on the screen, and animate somehow, also would like to incorporate mousePressed and to drag them around the screen as well as to add and delete images if possible to "collage" with them...

First I will start with getting some simple elements to work! I used an example from p5js.org (here) to create a simple oscillator, playing w/ the parameters: 
http://alpha.editor.p5js.org/ivymeadows/sketches/SJlY5G4A-
(Ack! Now I am getting a message that p5.TriOsc is not a constructor. Will have to troubleshoot...)

Screen Shot 2017-10-29 at 11.23.57 PM.png

Here is another try... http://alpha.editor.p5js.org/full/B1JW5MEA-

And the source code: 
http://alpha.editor.p5js.org/ivymeadows/sketches/SJlY5G4A-
Now it works! But I'm honestly not sure what changed, if anything.

I wanted to work with a live video capture, but for some reason I could not get the  "video = createCapture(VIDEO);" code to work on my own web editor. It worked when I went to the example, but then it didn't work when I duplicated it. I will try to figure this out before class, and hopefully come up with some kind of hybrid of what I imagined and an experiment that helps to learn the principles...Maybe just a few buttons that change the sound, or at least some other interactivity with the sound if not video. I imagine some kind of audio/visual palette where you can just move things around and create a scene and an audio composition with loops overlaid, but I'm getting there with baby steps.

Note: for using the web cam I needed to have the "HTTPS://" box enabled at the top of the sketch...

Day 54 @ ITP: ICM

Day 54 @ ITP: Intro to Fab

Week 1, Assignment #1:
Make a flashlight.

Some flashlight inspiration
1) Video: 

 

MY PROCESS

I researched three different ways of making a flashlight (links and video above). I initially wanted to follow the one with a clear tube that shows the electronics and solder my own battery pack to an LED. Then I looked at one that used an older fashioned 3V bulb and two D batteries. But after realizing how I would have to acquire or buy some parts to do either of these, I ended up going for some hybrid of the three, to create one that wouldn't require buying anything I didn't already have and could be made by recycling things I had in my closet or around my house (of which there are plenty, though I have kept some stuff around to potentially use or recycle). I took apart an old cheap plastic flashlight and inspected how it worked. This one worked very similarly to the project with the two D batteries and the 3V bulb. It used a copper attachment to create the switch that connected the batteries for the light to turn on. I also took apart an old bike light meant to go on the front of a bike's handlebars like a mounted flashlight, which I had not been using, and took out the battery compartment attached to the LEDs, which worked similarly to the one required for the tutorial with the clear tube. I decided to use this as my light instead as it was basically garbage to me as it was, and the LEDs were already wired to the battery pack and working, so I could use it for this project.

I used a paper towel tube to create the handle of the flashlight, cutting it down a bit and retaping it together with electrical tape. I wrapped the cardboard tube around the battery pack so that it would be held in place, further securing it by taping it down with electrical tape, and cut a hole in the tube to access to the pushbutton on on the battery pack. Voila! A flashlight. Unfortunately I didn't take any photos at this point of the process, but it was just a paper towel tube cut down to a smaller size and sealed with electrical tape, and the battery pack + LED inside, with a hole for the switch. It was a very rudimentary flashlight. I experimented with putting different filters on the top of it to filter the light, and using mylar as a reflector, and with various parts as tube caps. 

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Then I found the YouTube video on making a flashlight using plastic bottles. I remembered I had a green plastic Ginger Ale bottle, then rinsed it out and cut it up to add a green attachment to the top of my flashlight. I stuck the bottle side of the bottle with the cut off part into the top to create a shield for the light. I also used the plastic bottle cap as an end cap, which incidentally fit the tube perfectly. Now it seemed a bit more like a legitimate "design", and I didn't mind the color combinations either, or how the light reflected through the green plastic to cast a greenish glow. I'm still not sure if I will add an additional lens or filter, as the LEDs themselves are almost blindingly bright. However I do think I will use this flashlight, which is a plus!


SOME NOTES

I realize I should probably manually wire my own LEDs to a battery pack for this project. Before Thursday if I can find time, maybe on Wednesday afternoon, I would like to make another similar style of flashlight but through soldering a battery pack to an LED myself, or if not definitely for a future project. But though it is not super hand made, for this first attempt it seemed efficient to recycle this battery pack from the bike light, as I was focusing more on how I wanted to put it together with what I had rather than on assembling the electronics from scratch. And the research for making this flashlight did help however to understand more how different portable flashlights work and how I could make it work. So I think my conclusion after getting this far is that I will make another one but with my own wiring, using this one as a model for it...the only major design flaw I see with this version it is that it is not easy to disassemble and requires taking off some electrical tape and re-taping it afterwards to put it back together, though it can be done. Also, maybe next time I will use rechargeable batteries.