ISTA 301 Blog: FLASH MOB!

      Who has seen the crazy flash mobs all over YouTube? There's tons of them, and most are really cool to watch. This is a pretty cool phenomena in the last 9-10 years that I have yet to participate in but would love to get involved. I did a little quick wiki-research and apparently the first flash mob was performed in 2003 in a Macy's with over 130 people all trying to agree on one "love rug" to buy. (I'm not making this stuff up I swear.) I'm not sure if I believe Wiki on the true "first mob" but let's move on. In recent years there have been countless more all making a scene for the unsuspecting public's enjoyment. There have even been groups created to do these crazy gatherings like Improv Everywhere. Check them out HERE. Too bad I live on the other side of the country or I would probably participate in the annual No Pants Subway Ride. Even better yet though are their MP3 experiments. These are flash mobs where everyone is listening to the same MP3 track and it tells you what to do! This is what we in 301 would call a little algorithmic art. Check this video out: (Watch till the end, it gets a little crazy.)

      Yup, epic craziness that I wish I could have been a part of. Improv does these and many more experiments, each is as good as the last but they are not alone. There's even prisoners doing it! Check it:

What? How? Why? Prison? Anyways this video does bring up a small debacle. Is this really a flash mob or a choreographed dance? It's hard to define a Flash Mob and the reason is because it is used to describe everything from 130 people all in Macy's trying to buy one rug, to a Michel Jackson dance by prisoners. Flash mob in my mind mean a spontaneous gathering somewhere thus creating a mob. Probably doesn't happen much though. For a more experienced opinion here's Improv Everywheres' take on it:

How can you call it “improv”? Your missions are clearly pre-planned!

We are not claiming that what we are doing is improv. The majority of Improv Everywhere Agents met each other through the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York, the nation’s most awesome improv comedy theatre and school. While staging organized stunts in public places is obviously completely different from improv comedy in a theatre, the two activities do share similar techniques. We stay in character at all costs and usually have no script beyond the mission’s idea. We have no clue how people are going to react to us, and that is where the improvisation comes in. If I could go back in time and chose a different name, I would. After 11 years, I think I’m stuck with it.

Aren't these flash mobs?

No. Improv Everywhere was created about 2 years before the first “flash mob.” While some of our missions may have certain similarities to a flash mob (large numbers of people engaging in a coordinated activity in a public place), we have never embraced that term. Some missions use just a few folks while others might use thousands, depending on what suits the idea. Also, our projects are rarely over in a flash. Many last for hours.

Over the years the term “flash mob” has been beaten to death by the media and co-opted by marketers. It’s become a lazy, catch-all term to describe things as varied as people dancing at a Black Eyed Peas concert to surprise Oprah Winfrey to teens meeting up to commit crimes in Chicago. I’m not sure what it even means anymore, and I don’t really care to use it to describe what we do.

      So there you got it. It's not a definitive answer but no one really cares about what we call them just where and when they happen. I'd encourage you to try participating in one if you ever get the chance. Like I said I would love to myself. Maybe I'll run into you at Macy's one day. Till then - Laters

ISTA 301 Blog: Building Rome in a Day

      Ok all my followers check out the coolest thing since sliced potato's. A group of computer nerds (no offense) have created a 3D model of Rome using only pictures pulled off of Google. Here the video:

      Wow, it blew my mind the first time I watched it too. For more a more finished project and cool Google Earth layout check out the very cool website HERE. Now if you don't understand why this is so cool let me try and break it down for you.  Pictures are essentially a huge grid of cells with numbers in them, each cell corresponding to pixel in your computer screen. The number in the cell tells it what color the pixel should display. Put a bunch of those together and boom we get a picture. Simple. Thats the super simplified version but it will do.
      Knowing all that, we know that pictures are a 2D representation of what we took a picture of with do information about depth. Given any picture we cannot find out how far say a tree is in that picture from your camera. So how do these guys create 3D models like these with just pictures? Well its complicated, but a quick answer would be with lots of images. Using bunches of them they can find out through transformation matrices etc. etc. where the cameras took each picture and slowly piece together a kind of point model representation. (watch the video if you dont understand) After they got a kind of skeleton made of thousands of points they lay bits of image over them like a skin. The result is you can see in 3D what a statue or building looks like from 6000 miles away. Who would have thought? I love this kind of innovation and have to tip my hat to the UNC guys for this amazing project. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did - Laters

ISTA 301 Blog: Are we Cyborgs?

      If you didn't know I'm part of Generation Z or the iGeneration or even better yet the #Generation. What will my generation, whatever you want to call it, be remembered by? Lots, and not a lot of greatness, but in my mind technology is our staple. The internet, video games, TV, laptops and of course the most important tool of the century, the cell/smartphone. No one would argue otherwise. I mean try and name someone you know that doesn't have a cellphone? You probably can't because everyone has one. They are ever present in your pocket or purse. Constantly ringing and vibrating. Most would struggle getting though the day without their trusty dusty iPhone which brings me to the topic of the day, cyborgs.
       Now I know what your thinking, cyborgs? Like the ones in the movies? You think they are fake (and they clearly are) but I am going to argue there is one sitting in front of the cellphone or computer screen your reading off of right now. That's right your a cyborg! Panicking yet? Let me explain further. First a definition of a cyborg from my favorite "reliable" web resource Wikipedia.

            A cyborg, short for "cybernetic organism", is a being with both biological and artificial
            (i.e. electronic, mechanical, or robotic) parts.

      So were a being, check, with biological parts, check, with an artificial part attached, I say check. Ask yourself how attached you are to your cellphone right now. I have a good feeling that it is either in your pocket or within arms reach. Needless to say, whether we like it or not, we have an emotional and subconscious attachment to our cellphones. So your a cyborg. Let me trying a further convince you.
      Human-computer interaction is an exploding field in today's technology driven economy. Wiki says it "involves the study, planning and design of the interaction between people (users) and computers." A great example is the Google Glass project. Maybe you like the thought of having a little cybernetic help in your everyday life. Take of look:

   
      Yup I'm jealous and when these babies come out I'll be the first in line to pick up a pair. Its kinda hard to see but the idea is you wear these glasses that displays all the information you saw in the video and hopefully more in the future. So here's a perfect example of how we are becoming cyborgs. Technology interfacing with humans beings seamlessly. The ultimate question: is this a good thing?
      Try and remember the last time you wrote a letter by hand. Yeah with a pencil or pen. Now remember if you were wishing the whole time you had spell check. I know I do all the time just when taking notes in class. (Of course I'm a terrible speller.) An even more concerning effect of great human-computer interaction is the decay of social skills in the text message/cellphone era. There has been great concern expressed by psychologists and anthropologists over the lack of face to face interaction. Is it hurting the human social scene or helping it? That's for others to argue but an interesting subject to think about.
      Still there are countless great stories where this type of technology has only helped those in need. Here Neil Harbisson to demonstrate:

      Another great story that hits close to home is Segs4Vets. A organization that gives Segways to injured american veterans. Check out this video narrated by retired USMC Mike Hodge:

      I've ridden a Segway and can see why those machines are helping so much in our wounded warriors lives. These are the things that come out of truly amazing innovation in the field of cyborgs and I hope that in the future more projects like these continue to change our lives for the good. - Laters