ITP AlumniBlender

Phenomenal Robotic Arm (and experiments with phantom limbs)

Anne Hong — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 11:55:09 +0000

So quite awhile back when I went to Wired Nextfest, I saw a robotic arm with 33 pneumatic pumps. I thought it was amazing because it could pick an object as fragile as an egg, but I couldn't visualize how this could be translated to helping amputees. But recently on a 60 Minutes program, DARPA is funding this amazing project. You can control the arm connected to sensors with your foot. In this clip, you can see a user pick up a bottle of soda, open it, and drink from it. Also in the last portion of the clip, this company experiments with brain waves by connecting sensors to the limb (not sure, but could be related to phantom limbs). Anyway, I was blown away by this technology. If you have any insight, and ping me links to other scientific research (address is posted in the footer--Thx).
Watch CBS News Videos Online You can read more about this story, here.

links for 2009-11-06

Elizabeth Goodman — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:40:44 +0000

The Interaction-Ivrea offspring - Core77

"When reading Wired's article about Massimo Banzi and his Arduino team - see this earlier post - Experientia's Jan-Christoph Zoels and I thought it might be good to provide readers with some further insight on the offspring of the acclaimed but defunct Interaction Design Institute Ivrea (archival site)."

(tags: design interaction interactiondesign education)
YouTube - Lin-Manuel Miranda Performs at the White House Poetry Jam: (8 of 8)

Alexander Hamilton as hip hop hero

(tags: americanness history)

resume

Stefan Hechenberger — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:54:26 +0000

Stefan Hechenberger

Origin: Innsbruck, Austria, *1979
Background: Computer Science, Astronautics, Art, and Design at various universities
Biography: Stefan Hechenberger is currently a researcher at Nortd Labs working on experimental user interfaces. He recently was a resident at Eyebeam doing R&D on multitouch systems, kinetic architecture, and UAVs. Throughout its history he has been a constant contributer to the OpenFrameworks project and has played a key role in the computer vision, multitouch, and vector math addons. Generally he indulges in exploratory software and hardware engineering with an emphasis on architecture, product design, tangible media, and motion design. Previously he has been studying in Germany and California and holds a masters from ITP, New York University.
Research Interests: creating methodologies for parametric/generative design in architecture and industrial design, fostering synergies of hardware, software and physical interfaces, and leveraging the aesthetic use of motion analysis and motion synthesis.

Education

New York University, Tisch School of the Arts - 2005-2008
Master of Professional Studies, Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP).
Thesis Project: Cubit, a multi-touch surface interface
Relevant coursework: Networked Expression, Algorithmic Composition, Recapturing Life, Nature of Code, Physical Computing, Network Effects, Computational Form, Mechanisms and Things that Move, Computational Cameras, Fabricating Information, Audio Synthesis Techniques

San Jose State University, California - 2001-2005
Master of Fine Arts, CADRE Laboratory for New Media
Dissertation: Form Follows Computation: Parametric Modeling with Parama
Advisors: Joel Slayton, John McClusky
Relevant coursework: Networks and Systems, Human Machine Interface, Digital Synthesis, Culture through Film, Art and Information, Art as System, Digital Media Theory, Furniture Design, Architectural Lighting Design, 3D Concepts, Graphic Design History and Theory, Art of the 20th Century, Art of the Italian Renaissance 15th and 16th Century, Museum and Gallery Operations

Technical University Munich, Germany - 1999-2001
Vordiplom, Computer Science and Astronautics
Relevant coursework: Technical Foundations of Computer Science, Programming Web Objects, Concrete Mathematics, Advance Mathematics I and II, Space Stations I, Space Technologies, Space Systems, Physical Foundations of Astronautics

Experience

Managing Editor, Switch New Media Journal - 2003-2004
Artists in Residence Committee, International Symposium of Electronic Art (ISEA) - 2005
Lecturer, Networks and Systems class at the CADRE Lab - 2004
Teaching Assistant at the CADRE Lab - 2004
Interviewer, sessions with Tim O'Reilly (publisher), Jan Hauser (computer pioneer), Douglas Engelbart (computer pioneer, inventor of the mouse) et al - 2004

Proficiencies

Software Engineering
Relevant Core Languages: C, C++, Objective-C, Java, Python
Computer Graphics/Vision: OpenFrameworks, OpenCV, OpenGL, OpenSceneGraph
Sound Synthesis/Music: MIDI, The Synthesis ToolKit
3D Modeling: Maya-Python, Maya-MEL, RhinoScript, AutoCAD-VBA
Web: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, AJAX, PHP, ActionScript, SQL

Hardware Engineering
Printed Circuit Board (PCB) design and assemblage.
Basic Hardware Description Language (HDL).

Operating Systems
Advanced Linux, OSX, Windows software development and administration.

Languages
German (fluent)
English (fluent)
French (elementary)

Exhibits

Shadow Project (Eyebeam, NYC) - 2008
CUBIT Multitouch System (ITP Winter Show) - 2007
Motionspace (ITP Winter Show) - 2006
Brute Performance Kit (ITP Winter Show) - 2005
PARAMA: Form Follows Computation (Gallery 4) - 2004
Process -> Artifact Case Study (Gallery 3) - 2003
WEDYD (Gallery 2) - 2000
Manifesto (Herbert Sanders Gallery) - 2000

Press

Articles:
MIT Technology Review: http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/20703/page1/
Economist: http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11288385
Slashdot: http://hardware.slashdot.org/hardware/08/05/02/2220242.shtml
Digg: http://digg.com/linux_unix/Open_Source_Multitouch_Display_2
Heise Technology Review: http://www.heise.de/tr/artikel/108068

Books:
Interactive Gestures: Designing Gestural Interfaces by Dan Saffer
Programming Interactivity by Joshua Noble

Awards/Prizes

Fang Quai New Media Achievement Award - 2004
Dean's Scholar, San Jose State University - 2003
CADRE New Media Achievement Scholarship - 2003
Fang Quai New Media Achievement Award - 2002
Trip to ESA Space Engineering Convention - 2000

Os tipos de emprego - Contos de Mera Existência

Renato Kaufmann — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:56:40 +0000

TRACED is back!!!!

Tracy White — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:41:03 +0000

Enjoy the first update in a long while. My ARM got the official physical therapist O.K. That means I can draw again!!!! Took it easy on this one. Call it a test draw.

5 App Stores Under The Microscope

Richard Ting — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:31:21 +0000

View more presentations from stuartdredge.

james hopkins

Sean Salmon — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:04:14 +0000

Seriously awesome work by James Hopkins. Be sure to checkout the Balanced Works on his website.

Message to Google: You Call It Rank, I Call It Authority

Leo Klein — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:56:45 +0000

I had a look at ReadWriteWeb's post on "Google's Eric Schmidt on What the Web Will Look Like in 5 Years" and this point caught my eye:

It's because of this fundamental shift towards user-generated information that people will listen more to other people than to traditional sources. Learning how to rank that "is the great challenge of the age." Schmidt believes Google can solve that problem.

Obviously this is a problem well known to librarians and those involved in research. We even have a name for it, 'Authority'.

The thing is, in an online world where a ~~thousand~~ ~~million~~ billion flowers are blooming, you don't need less of it, you need more. In fact, Schmidt alludes to this in his own charming SEO-based way when he talks of page rank being the "great challenge of the age".

I don't see though how this would diminish the value of "traditional sources". There may be a shift in where those sources are located but dependable and authoritative aggregators will still play a central role for the simple reason that individuals can't.

Otherwise, Google would be waiting for people themselves to start scanning books.

Alerting Infrastructure! at Prospectives 2009, Reno, Nevada

Jonah Brucker-Cohen — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:17:28 +0000

I’m showing my project “Alerting Infrastructure!” at Prospectives 09 Digital Arts Exhibition and Festival opening in Reno Nevada from November 12-14th. Some really great projects at the show! Check out the link for more info.

BOX

Sean Salmon — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:00:56 +0000

shoe box by aya masuda

This shoe box could not be more perfect. It is from a series of workshops and exhibitions called Without Thought organized by Naoto Fukasawa, the latest focused on the Box.
Box – Without Thought Vol. 10

More boxes from the workshop at designboom

Drupal now the "Cool Thing to Do"?

Leo Klein — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:02:23 +0000

It's nice to see Drupal mentioned in the context of "cool thing to do" but I don't think Cindi Trainor in her piece on Sacred Cows in Library IT gets exactly what you can do with it:

Experimenting with low-cost or no-cost tools like Twitter will only cost staff time, but implementing expensive (think federated search) or complex-but-free technologies (think Drupal) because it's the cool thing to do can be a very costly lesson for a library to learn, in terms of budget, staff time, morale and user satisfaction.

First, there's no impediment to 'experimenting' with Drupal any more than there is to experimenting with Twitter. The first implementation I ever dealt with was on my own laptop. I didn't even need a network connection!

Also, as far as complexity goes, what are we comparing it to? I mean, you can't run a website on Twitter so that's not an option.

It just so happens that an institution's website is a fairly complex organism. It's going to involve a considerable investment no matter how you choose to go about it.

The fact that Drupal can potentially make it less costly in terms of budget, staff time, etc. -- while being far more effective as a tool -- that's what makes it "cool" and why people choose it. Not the other way around.

P.S. It's kind of ironic that the above quote fell under the Sacred Cow, "Cutting-edge is better; bleeding-edge is best" -- considering that the piece grew out of a discussion on the oh-so-bleeding-edge "Google Wave".

EverydayUX morsels (November 1st – November 4th)

Alex Rainert — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:00:54 +0000

12 of the World’s Coolest Packaging Designs | Slideshows
There'll always be a part of me that wishes I got into package design. Some great stuff here.
Uncovering Steve Jobs’ Presentation Secrets – BusinessWeek
5 great tips for better presentations as gleaned from observing one of the best.
Functioning Form – Mobile First
Great post on why keeping mobile at the forefront will ultimately help you design a better product.
Virgin Atlantic Releases iPhone App for People Afraid of Flying | Reuters
So so smart and so on brand. Bravo.
Twitter Lists in Action: NHL Builds a Social Network for Fans
NHL doing interesting stuff leveraging Twitter lists. Smart to test this stuff initially with a small audience. He-yo!
Developers: the best smart phone platform is?
Good piece by Scoble that backs up how I feel (US) developers should tackle their mobile strategies – focus on iPhone and Android (and monitor Blackberry).

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and we’ve moved

Anne Poochareon — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 02:13:15 +0000

When we started, it seemed that everything that could have gone wrong with moving into a new place, went. Our new landlord was gutting the bathroom and putting in a brand new one (yay!) but they ran into some plumbing problems and by the time we started moving our stuff in, there was no bathroom. The previous tenant, our friend J, still had half of his stuff in the apartment. Construction dust was all over the place. It didn’t look at all habitable. Then it rained the entire time we were loading and unloading the car.

Since the bathroom was not finished, we had to spend the night at the old place and moved the mattress the next day, which started off horribly. After Mark drove the truck to our place, we realized it had a flat tire and was actively leaking air. And this was the first time we’ve ever had a flat tire with a zip car. The zip car rep called a mechanic, who arrived about an hour and a half later and took another half hour to try taking out the flat tire but couldn’t. The truck had to be towed. By that point, it was actually becoming quite hilarious.

Anyway, we ended up getting another truck and the rest of the move was surprisingly fine. The apartment eventually came together in the afternoon. Our landlord and her sister got down on the floor and scrub every inches in the kitchen. The bathroom was usable. Everything we owned is moved in and today we skipped work to unpack and rearrange stuff.

Even though the two places are somewhat similar in size, we manage to have more stuff than could fit in the kitchen and more clothes than we thought we owned. Every time I move, I get rid of clothes when I pack. Then I get rid of more when I unpack. And then somehow, the next time I look through my clothes, there are always more to get rid of.

The new place is cute. We have the top two floors of an old house. It creaks with every step you take and I’m sure our house mate downstairs can track us around the house by listening to sound of our footsteps. The stove is this a vintage Lady Kenmore from who-knows-when still in great condition but all the markings on the knobs are rubbed off and you have no idea how hot you’re turning it to. There was an old wall sconce which we were excited about, but then the landlord took it out and the wall is plastered over. There’s a deck with a view of the CN Tower. There’s a lot of Italian neighbors and cats.

My favorite, though, is the presidential street corner: Clinton & Gore.

(photo from Mike Stroud on Flickr)

オマージュ大東真鍋 (Homage to Daito Manabe)

Amos — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:17:12 +0000

You may remember Daito Manabe from this video:

Over the years since that began, he has apparently been building a zombie army of body hackers.

It’s good to see the Daito’s body hacking experiments going two ways: from computer to body, and also from body to computer, forming a symmeterical network.

And this is the most interesting direction – copying his face onto his friends’ faces… exactly relevant to a concept I’m beginning to think about over at the Brain Interface Design & Development blog.

Lest we forget the master of all things body hacking, Stelarc:

Morph Chandelier by Alicja Wasielewska

Jason Krugman — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:19:13 +0000

Alicja Wasielewska is a Polish artist working in Edinburgh.

Smell ya later, Piglett....

Dennis Crowley — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:02:08 +0000

Smell ya later, Piglett.

johncarney:

evangotlib:

icodeforlove:

This is absolutely hilarious!

tedr: ericmortensen: cvxn: juliasegal: Princess Leia and...

Dennis Crowley — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 02:39:46 +0000

tedr:

ericmortensen:

cvxn:

juliasegal:

Princess Leia and her stunt double waiting (and tanning) on set.

More like “sleeping off a bender” for Carrie.

Want. mattlehrer: Recycled Bowling Lane Furniture which...

Dennis Crowley — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:33:40 +0000

Want.

mattlehrer:

Recycled Bowling Lane Furniture which Inhabitat says is “right up our alley.”

Inspirational TED talk by Rory Sutherland: Life lessons from an ad man

Alex Rainert — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:00:40 +0000

Really smart stuff on the differences between tangible and intangible value and the often untapped benefits of the latter.

Thanks to @mtbrady for the tip.

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Little Sister Katie™ was a bowl of mac and cheese for Halloween...

Dennis Crowley — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:58:29 +0000

Little Sister Katie™ was a bowl of mac and cheese for Halloween - ha!

(via kcrowley)

test

Inhye Lee — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:27:23 +0000

Broadway @ 8th Street. I walked under this 2x yesterday. ...

Dennis Crowley — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 03:30:00 +0000

Broadway @ 8th Street. I walked under this 2x yesterday. Yikes!

Pic by Jesse Chan Norrie [more]

hifiny:

Well, that’s reassuring. I walk under this scaffolding twice every weekday. [At Broadway & 8th Street … Via]

Halloween 2009 = two dance parties, two pinatas, a lil’...

Dennis Crowley — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:06:49 +0000

Halloween 2009 = two dance parties, two pinatas, a lil’ piggie and Cru Jones:

Halloween 2009 = two dance parties, two pinatas, a lil’ piggie and Cru Jones

Started pre-bar’in at my apt, hit up Seth’s @ Porch, then to Grellan’s @ Mary’ Os, then to Becca’s @ Summit and then sleepytown. JJ& Jac rocking the pinatas (complete with candy tossin’ action), Chelsa went as a Piggy Bank, McSimmons as some SNL character (sorry!), Xtian as a bat made from busted umbrella parts (brilliant).

I threw together some last minute Cru Jones action: www.imdb.com/title/tt0091817/ You have no idea how hard it was to find a pair of red warmup pants (I ended up finding a pair of Kids XL in the basement of Paragon)

"There are roughly three New Yorks. There is, first, the New York of the man or woman who was born..."

Dennis Crowley — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 19:07:00 +0000

“

There are roughly three New Yorks. There is, first, the New York of the man or woman who was born here, who takes the city for granted and accepts its size and turbulence as natural and inevitable. Second, there is the New York of the commuter - the city that is devoured by locusts each day and spat out each night. Third, there is the New York of the person who was born somewhere else and came to New York in quest of something. Of these three trembling cities the greatest is the last—the city of final destination, the city that is a goal. It is this third city that accounts for New York’s high-strung disposition, its poetical deportment, its dedication to the arts, and its incomparable achievements. Commuters give the city its tidal restlessness; natives give it solidity and continuity; but the settlers give it passion.

And whether it is a farmer arriving from Italy to set up a small grocery store in a slum, or a young girl arriving from a small town in Mississippi to escape the indignity of being observed by her neighbors, or a boy arriving from the Corn Belt with a manuscript in his suitcase and a pain in his heart, it makes no difference: each embraces New York with the intense excitement of first love, each absorbs New York with the fresh eyes of an adventurer, each generates heat and light to dwarf the Consolidated Edison Company.

”

- Here is New York, E. B. White, 1949 (via cdixon + fred-wilson)

Slightly related, but is there a better NYC anthem than Jay Z’s “Empire State of Mind?”

[Chorus: Alicia Keys]
New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There’s nothin’ you can’t do
Now you’re in New York
These streets will make you feel brand new
Big lights will inspire you
Let’s hear it for New York, New York,
New York

Omaggio a Nando Citarella

Amos — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 18:33:49 +0000

On Friday, Handy and I saw Alessandra Belloni & John La Barbera with I Giullari di Piazza at the Peter Norton Symphony Space in the upper west. As soon as the band arrived, I thought I recognized John La Barbera from somewhere…

John la Barbera

He looked suspiciously like a younger guy at Curtiss’ birthday party I had met a few weeks ago, the night before the Harry Chapin Run Against Hunger (thus explaining my placing 61st in the race as I ran against hunger and a hangover). This guy had made an impression: he had arrived, after I was well on my way to happiness, with an amped-up entourage of two significantly larger women, all smiling, sweaty, and possibly drunk. Could this be the same person? The inimitable Alessandra Belloni introduced him on stage as someone she had begun performing with 30 years ago in Greenwich Village, so it couldn’t be.

Without further ado, Alessandra Belloni began banging her Alessandra Belloni Signature REMO^TM Tambourine, and the ragtag ensemble of musicians began learning the songs.

Alessandra Belloni seems to be quite a character. Despite her age and girth, she can dance the tarantella with the best of them, and although her demeanor lacks any sensuality as she furrows her brow and manhandles her oversized drum, you get the feeling that she is a three-breasted Awa commanding devotion from her rabble of musicians and dancers.

Three beautiful muscular Italian girls began prancing around on stage, with a tall gangly but graceful Italian guy as their male counterpart. The movement was a mixture of traditional folk dance interspersed with segments of modern interpretive movement.

Antonio Fini

Caterina Rago

Greta Campo

Francesca Silvano

You see, the tarantella is a dance of trance-like exorcism in a traditional society, so it was only a matter of time until the girls began humping and flailing on the floor while Antonio Fini ran around with glow sticks in only his gold lamé underpants.

But I tell you, even that paled in comparison to the presence of Nando Citarella of Napoli. As soon as he stepped up to the microphone in his white linen shirt and pants and bare feet, you knew you were in the presence of a master.

The southern Italian Ninna Nanna lullaby rivals even my own personal favorite Georgian Nina Nana lullaby in its sweet sounding nananess. Nando Citarella does his own rendition in a living room in Napoli.

EverydayUX morsels (October 29th – November 1st)

Alex Rainert — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:00:23 +0000

Twitter Lists To RSS
Subscribe to the content coming through a Twitter list via RSS.
Now Planes are Tweeting, Too
Love to see a brand build a utility that others can take advantage of.
Focusing On Value: How I’m Changing How I Use Twitter | Steffan Antonas
Awesome, inspiring post.
Six Words That Make Social Media Experts Disappear – Lithosphere Community
Brilliant.
How to Advance Your Career Without Selling Your Soul – Advertising Age – TalentWorks
Simple, smart tips that seem like common sense but can often get lost in the fray.

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The Making of Jay-Z’s Blueprint 3 Album Cover

Richard Ting — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 04:41:38 +0000

Watch the Blueprint 3 album cover come to life in this fascinating behind-the-scenes video.

Fashion.nyc

Campaign for .nyc — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 03:42:43 +0000

New York, November 1, 2009 - We recently received notice from the Committee for Open Fashion NYC, organizer of Fashion Camp 2009, requesting that the fashion.nyc domain name be reserved for use by New York City’s fashion industry. The Committee recommended that fashion.nyc:

Should present a complete and unbiased directory of the city’s fashion industry.
Care should be taken to assure that suitable control is exercised over those listed in the directory to assure that they are indeed city businesses.
That FASHION.NYC serve as a means to locate fashion resources beneficial to the city’s fashion industry – suppliers, manufacturers, designers, fashion houses, and students.
That a simple fill-in form providing a webpage for new entrants into the fashion industry, e.g., www.fashion.nyc/newcompany, be made available.

The Committee for Open Fashion NYC is exploring FASHION.NYC’s content, business model, and governance structure. We have offered to assist the Committee with its explorations as part of our quest for models for other important city portals.

Learn more about fashion.nyc at Open Fashion’s .nyc’s website or see our fashion.nyc wiki page.

Talks Coming Up

Jonah Brucker-Cohen — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 03:38:55 +0000

I’m giving 3 talks in the next few weeks, hope you can make it out to one or all of them! Details:

1. Nov 7 @ Mobile Art and Code Symposium and Workshop, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA.

2. Nov 11 @ Digital + Media Lecture Series, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI

3. Nov 14 @ User Labor: Creative Responses Panel, Digital Labor Conference (Internet as Playground and Factory), New School University, NYC.

Product demonstration of the PNC Virtual Wallet App for the iPhone

Richard Ting — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 01:25:29 +0000

site video format update