Laser Carved Pumpkin Produces Impressive Results and Terrible Smells

Happy Halloween!

          Today we live in a world of instant gratification and where we try to find the easiest and least time-consuming ways to get things done. When it comes to Halloween and decorations, pumpkin carving is usually most associated with this event. There are two types of people: those who can't wait to show their artistic side when creating a unique pumpkin, and those who could care less whether they even have a pumpkin or not. Luckily, Jake Chalkley has made this process perhaps more appealing to both parties.

          Chalkley decided that the design he chose for his pumpkin was too intricate to design for his limited carving skills. So he converted his design into vector art in the program Illustrator, then translated the results to his laser cutting machine which he placed his pumpkin in front of. When looking at the picture above, the results are definitely impressive. There is a lot of detail in the design and he even created multiple depths in the carving so that there is varying levels of glow in his design. Unfortunately, the machine is very loud and made the pumpkin smell terribly so Chalkley decided to traditionally carve his pumpkin the following year.

          This piece is a perfect example of how people use computers to generate art, in this case - a Jack-O-Lantern. However, this does not mean that using a computer is preferred, as Chalkley decided to revert back to normal by-hand carving for the following year. In a piece like a pumpkin, not using something as advanced as a laser cutting machine is valued more; if he did the same design using his own hand, I'm sure people would appreciate the art more, including himself. Like a lot of other things in life, computers can simplify the process of many actions and make it easier for the user to execute his/her work. But, sometimes the process of creating something is just as important, if not more, than the end result. We can't always rely on technology because it's not always perfect, it can make mistakes too just like humans and sometimes it's better to not just use it. 

Ultimate Battlefield 3 Simulator (Virtual Reality)

          Recently, a UK television show - The Gadget Show, built an amazing Battlefield 3 simulator that is a perfect example of virtual reality. This simulator has all seven aspects of virtual reality discussed in class:   simulation, interaction, artificiality, immersion, telepresence, full-body immersion, and network communication. Human-computer interaction is utilized in the form of a gun and motion tracking. This simulator is situated in a dome-like tent where the game can be projected in 360 degrees around the tent and follows where the gun is pointed. To move, an omni-directional treadmill lets you physically walk around and translates that movement to the game. Ambient lighting surrounds the top of the tent and reacts to elements in the game such as lighting, gunfire, explosions, etc. What makes this rig over-the-top are the paintball gun turrents that shoot at you in accordance with enemy fire in the game; full-body immersion at its finest. This simulator takes gaming to the next level and creates an experience like no other, putting emphasis into the word "virtual reality." This rig simulates being a soldier in battle, lets you interact by using your movements and a gun to control the player, is artificial in reality despite it's lifelike representation, the tent along with the huge moving screen, treadmill, lighting, and paintball guns give a sense of immersion, we see telepresence in the sense of the person controlling the player in battle, our body is fully immersed in the experience, and network communication brings the whole process together.

          Below is the video of the build and test of the simulator, a really cool and awe-inspring process.

          EDIT (12/7/11): Now that I own this game, this video makes more sense and seems more intriguing than before. Even without ever trying this simulation, I can imagine how intense it really it is. Battlefield 3 is credited for great sound effects and I cannot agree more with this statement. Explosions sound almost weirdly real and snipers trying to pick you off couldn't be more nerve-racking with bullets sounding like they're whizzing pass your head. When a tank fires a shell at you, you don't only just hear the noise of the explosion, but the noise of a deafening boom where the sound is so loud that it becomes distorted and your vision is affected....that is Battlefield 3. Playing this already exciting game in a fully-immersed dome could be the closest thing we can get to fighting in a real war. Actually being physically shot by a gun would spark intense adrenaline when playing a first-person shooter war simulator and being able to aim with a gun as you would in real life takes it to the next level.

Interesting Public Art Displays

Found on Yahoo news: Click Here

          This video features 5 public art installations from all over the United States. These monuments serve to display an art piece for the entire public to enjoy and all have rich history with a story behind the process. These public displays provide something to identify the location with and each has its own function: entertainment, interactivity, commemoration, productivity, etc. I will talk about numbers #4 and #1 since they best exemplify computing and the arts.

          Number #4 are the Sunflowers in the "Electric Garden" at Austin, Texas. This garden features a multitude of 18-24 ft. photovoltaic sunflower sculptures that utilizes power from the sun during the day to charge itself to light up at night. These sunflower sculptures provide shade during the day and light for nighttime. It's really cool how these sunflowers look and perform like their real counterpart, simulating photosynthesis and then using that natural energy to efficiently illuminate pathways in the dark. I really like the idea of this, it uses plant life as an inspiration to be more eco-friendly. They aren't gaudy looking or ostentations, but rather curious and interesting, something that someone exercising will look up at fully appreciate.

          Number #1 is the Crown Fountain in Chicago, Illinois. This fountain features two interactive video sculptures in the form of 50 ft. black structures facing each other across a wading-pool type area. These towers display huge images of random locals who pucker up and actual water spews from their mouth into the pool; each face appears on the sculpture for 5 minutes. The artist claims the photos are supposed to represent modern gargoyles. This art display is great because it attracts and involves people for it to work, it also functions as a way to cool off on a hot day. If I lived in or ever visited Chicago, I definitely would like to see this fountain in person. It would be a nice place to hang out with friends on a warm day and hopefully maybe see one of their faces on the big screen.

          Both these art installations use computing as a function in the process of creating art. The sunflowers are big and pretty but also serves a purpose to benefit passerbys like joggers. The Crown Fountain using computing to create an interactive art piece that would make most people stop for a while to admire the presence and functionality of the piece. 

Telerobotics and Robots

          Recently in class we learned about telerobotics. Telerobotics is an area of robotics concerned with the control of robots from a distance, mainly using wireless connections or the Internet. When I think of telerobotics several things come to mind: doctors that use robots for surgery, any type of drone for the military, or maybe even a RC car. All three of these things have something in common, that they are controlled by a human from a distance. The purpose of telerobotics is to use machinery to do things that humans can't do, especially that close. Robots are much more precise than we are and takes away the human element of emotion and an actual living thing. When I was younger I was obsessed with RC cars. For some reason, being able to drive a little car using a controller was so fascinating to me. I would test the limits of the range of frequency and see how far the car can go until it loses connection. It wasn't until now that I realized that this type of activity is related to and part of telerobotics.
          Speaking of robots, we see robots now as a form of entertainment as well as function. In the video below, a man created a robot that drives around and finds things to play drums on. It then samples what it plays, and plays to the samples.

          The robot actually creates music with a solid rhythm and catchy beat. I find the creativity and function of this robot to be extremely interesting. This robot relates to one of my previous posts of sampling, except it's a robot that does the sampling not a human! Also, this isn't necessarily telerobotics since it was programmed to do this, but, I believe it exemplifies algorithmic art since it was created to perform a set of instructions that create music (a form of art in my opinion). What surprises me about this video is how well the robot makes beats. Even the sounds created by the robot not meant to be part of the beat adds to the song, the moving of the sensor, the beeping noises, the moving treadmill tracks, almost like an interlude between beats. In other videos by the same username, he plays his guitar and piano with the robot and it actually sounds really well and the robot even records the guitar or piano playing too. 

Copied Lines - Algorithmic Art

          On perhaps the first or second day of class, we created algorithmic art as a class using Sol Lewitt's "Copied Lines" algorithm. This algorithm said,

"The first draftsman draws a not straight vertical line as long as possible. The second draftsman draws a line next to the first one, trying to copy it. The third draftsman does the same, as do as many draftsmen as possible. Then the first draftsman, followed by the others, copies the last line drawn until both ends of the wall are reached."

          I had the role of being the first draftsman, whereas my other classmates copied my line one after the other. It was interesting to see how people copied other's lines. Imperfections in the lines were greatly exaggerated, so a curve in a line would maybe be twice the size in the next line, etc. As more lines were added, you can see the artistic qualities in the algorithm. The lines started to create patterns and began to almost look like tree-rings. When comparing the last drawn line to the first, the differences were vast. This algorithm actually reminds me of the childhood game of "telephone," where one statement is whispered into one ear and repeated one-by-one to everyone involved and then see if the last person can repeat the first sentence said accurately. Almost 90% of the time it's wrong.

          I realized that when I drew the first line, I should have drawn it more "not straight" because then the following draftsman would have exaggerated it even more and created a more unique and abstract piece of art. 

          My algorithmic art project was slightly similar, whereas instead of lines, a person's signature is written consecutively after one other in one line alternating colors. I imagined that the connected lines would create a sort-of abstract type of art with the different colors and combination of everyone's unique signatures that consist of fastly-drawn, looping lines that all differ from each other.  

Sampling

          Many hip-hop artists sample other songs, sounds, or maybe a line and use them as the hook or background melody in a song. I really enjoy songs that are sampled because they don't sound like the usual radio hit you hear everyday. There are tons of examples of songs that use sampling and I will share them because our upcoming assignment asks us to do something very similar.

          Bei Maejor is a hip-hop/r&b producer and artist that uses sampling in very creative ways as you see in the video below. He uses children's toys, a fridge, a bag of chips, bottles, etc. and layers them together to create an actual song with a pretty good beat. This video really exemplifies how creative you can be when it comes to making music. This is just one of many ways that artists make music. 

          Similarly, in this video, Bei Maejor uses fireworks, candles, stove doors and anything else related to fire to make another beat.

          I like the idea of sampling because it uses "found sounds" just like Musique Concrete but in a more modern form. Upcoming rapper G-Eazy samples sound and vocals from the Beach Boys song "Good Vibrations" and uses it in his song: "Endless Summer" I find it interesting and enjoyable to hear artists sample music from other genres and integrate them seamlessly and creatively.

Below is the Beach Boys song that G-Eazy sampled. You can noticeably hear the sounds he sampled at the very beginning of the song.

          I was a Beach Boys fan as a kid so when I discovered "Good Vibrations" was sampled it excited me and made me appreciate G-Eazy's song more. It also tells me that G-Eazy is somewhat a fan of the Beach Boys or is familiar with their work and that is really cool.