Justin Lange

I officially earned an important geek merit badge just now: I wrote my first complex class from scratch. Sure, I’ve hacked around code before, and tinkered with excellent suggestions from ITP’s awesome residents & professors — but now, I identified the need for an object, and wrote the damm thing myself (starting, of course, with Amelia’s exhaustive geometry-drawing functions).

Something about the whole “from scratch” thing makes me think of good ‘ol Sagan. Source code after the break.

#include “testApp.h”

//————————————————————–
void testApp::setup(){

ofBackground(255,255,255);

//set booleans initially equal to false

directContact=false;
sleepPose = 0;

}

//————————————————————–
void testApp::update(){

}

//————————————————————–
void testApp::draw(){

for (int i = 0; i< sleepSet.size(); i++){
sleepSet[i]->drawShape();

}

}

//————————————————————–
void testApp::keyPressed(int key){

if (key == ‘l’){

printf(“how many sleepSets: %d\n”, int(sleepSet.size()));
printf(“xCounter: %d \n”, xCounter);
printf(“yCounter: %d \n”, yCounter);
printf(“numberOfSquaresElapsed: %d \n”, numberOfSquaresElapsed);
printf(“sleepPose: %d \n”, sleepPose);
printf(“numberOfSquaresElapsed: %d \n”, numberOfSquaresElapsed);

if (xCounter > 28){
xCounter=1;
yCounter=yCounter+2;
}else{
xCounter++;
}

//make container for each sleepState object (sleepSet)

sleepState* OBJ = new sleepState(numberOfSquaresElapsed);
sleepSet.push_back( OBJ );

sleepSet[numberOfSquaresElapsed]->storeSleepData(xCounter, yCounter, numberOfSquaresElapsed, directContact, sleepPose);

numberOfSquaresElapsed+=1;

}

//DEFINE PROXIMITY
if (key == ‘c’) {
directContact = !directContact;
}

//DEFINE POSITION

if (key == ’0′){
sleepPose = 0;
}
if (key == ’1′){
sleepPose = 1;
}
if (key == ’2′){
sleepPose = 2;
}
if (key == ’3′){
sleepPose = 3;
}
if (key == ’4′){
sleepPose = 4;
}
if (key == ’5′){
sleepPose = 5;
}
if (key == ’6′){
sleepPose = 6;
}
if (key == ’7′){
sleepPose = 7;
}
if (key == ’8′){
sleepPose = 8;
}

}

//
// sleepState.h
// REMQuilt.3.4 2
//
// Created by Justin Lange on 3/4/12.
// Copyright (c) 2012 Magic Hat Films. All rights reserved.
//

#ifndef REMQuilt_3_4_2_sleepState_h
#define REMQuilt_3_4_2_sleepState_h

#include “ofMain.h”

class sleepState
{
public:
sleepState( int _ID );

void drawShape();
void storeSleepData(int xCounter, int yCounter, int numberOfSquaresElapsed, bool directContact, int sleepPose);

int ID;

//sleep sensing variables

bool directContact;
int sleepPose;

//coordinates for entire quilt square

int xPosition;
int yPosition;
int screenWidth;
int screenHeight;
int quiltSquareWidth;
int quiltSquareHeight;

//coordinates for 2-minute quilt square geometry

int topCenterX;
int topCenterY;
int topRightX;
int topRightY;
int centerLeftX;
int centerLeftY;
int centerX;
int centerY;
int centerRightX;
int centerRightY;
int bottomLeftX;
int bottomLeftY;
int bottomCenterX;
int bottomCenterY;
int bottomRightX;
int bottomRightY;

int xCounter;
int yCounter;
int numberOfQuiltSquaresToDraw;
int numberOfSquaresElapsed;
int currentXCounter;
int currentYCounter;

};

#endif

//
// sleepState.cpp
// REMQuilt.3.4 2
//
// Created by Justin Lange on 3/4/12.
// Copyright (c) 2012 Magic Hat Films. All rights reserved.
//

#include
#include “sleepState.h”
//#define NUM 10

sleepState::sleepState( int _ID )
{
xCounter=1;
yCounter=1;

//set booleans initially equal to false

directContact=false;
sleepPose = 0;

//define coordinates for entire quilt square
xPosition=1;
yPosition=1;
screenWidth=1423;
screenHeight=1024;
// quiltSquareWidth= screenWidth/30;
// quiltSquareHeight= screenHeight/24;

quiltSquareWidth= 30;
quiltSquareHeight= 24;

//define coordinates for 2-minute quilt square geometry
topCenterX= 1;
topCenterY= 1;
topRightX=1;
topRightY=1;
centerLeftX=1;
centerLeftY=1;
centerX=1;
centerY=1;
centerRightX=1;
centerRightY=1;
bottomLeftX=1;
bottomLeftY=1;
bottomCenterX=1;
bottomCenterY=1;
bottomRightX=1;
bottomRightY=12;

numberOfQuiltSquaresToDraw=0;

}

void sleepState::storeSleepData(int xCounter, int yCounter, int numberOfSquaresElapsed, bool directContact, int sleepPose){

xPosition=(xCounter * quiltSquareWidth);
yPosition=(yCounter * quiltSquareWidth);
topCenterX= (xPosition + (quiltSquareWidth/2));
topCenterY= yPosition;
topRightX= (xPosition + quiltSquareWidth);
topRightY= ((xPosition + quiltSquareWidth),yPosition);
centerLeftX= xPosition;
centerLeftY= (yPosition + (quiltSquareHeight/2));
centerX= (xPosition + (quiltSquareWidth/2));
centerY= (yPosition + (quiltSquareHeight/2));
centerRightX= (xPosition+quiltSquareWidth);
centerRightY= (quiltSquareHeight/2);
bottomLeftX= (xPosition + quiltSquareHeight);
bottomLeftY= yPosition;
bottomCenterX= (xPosition+(quiltSquareWidth/2));
bottomCenterY= quiltSquareHeight;
bottomRightX= (xPosition+quiltSquareWidth);
bottomRightY= quiltSquareWidth;

sleepPose = sleepPose;
directContact = directContact;

}

void sleepState::drawShape()
{

//SET COLOR (based on proximity)
if (directContact==1) {
ofSetHexColor(0xA84D2C); // contact bright orange
}else{
ofSetHexColor(0x2E8270); // no contact blue
}

/*positions reference

0 no data
1 restless on back
2 restlessOnFront
3 restless looking right
4 restless looking left
5 still On Front
6 stillOnBack
7 stillLookingRight
8 stillLookingLeft

*/

//DRAW SHAPES
if (sleepPose==0){
//DRAW CIRCLE IN THE MIDDLE
ofFill();
ofCircle(centerX,centerY,(quiltSquareWidth/2));
}

if (sleepPose==1) {
ofFill();
//DRAW TWO TOP-UP TRIANGLES
ofTriangle(topCenterX, topCenterY, centerLeftX, centerLeftY, centerRightX, centerRightY); //first triangle
ofTriangle(centerX,centerY, bottomLeftX, bottomLeftY, bottomRightX, bottomRightY); //second triangle
}
if (sleepPose==2) {
ofFill();
//DRAW TWO TOP-DOWN TRIANGLES
ofTriangle(xPosition, yPosition, topRightX, topRightY,centerX,centerY); //first triangle
ofTriangle(centerLeftX, centerLeftY, centerRightX, centerRightY, bottomCenterX, bottomCenterY); //second triangle
}

if (sleepPose==3) {
ofFill();
//DRAW TWO RIGHT-FACING TRIANGLES
ofTriangle(centerRightX, centerRightY, topCenterX, topCenterY, bottomCenterX, bottomCenterY); //first triangle
ofTriangle(centerX,centerY, xPosition, yPosition, bottomLeftX, bottomLeftY); //second triangle

}
if (sleepPose==4) {
ofFill();
//DRAW TWO TOP-DOWN TRIANGLES
ofTriangle(centerRightX, centerRightY, topCenterX, topCenterY, bottomCenterX, bottomCenterY); //first triangle
ofTriangle(centerX,centerY, xPosition, yPosition, bottomLeftX, bottomLeftY); //second triangle

}
if (sleepPose==5) {
//DRAW ONE TOP-DOWN TRIANGLE
ofFill();
ofTriangle(xPosition, yPosition, topRightX, topRightY, bottomCenterX, bottomCenterY);
}
if (sleepPose==6) {
//DRAW ONE TOP-UP TRIANGLE
ofFill();
ofTriangle(bottomLeftX, bottomLeftY, topCenterX, topCenterY, bottomRightX, bottomRightY);

}
if (sleepPose==7) {
//DRAW ONE RIGHT-FACING TRIANGLE
ofFill();
ofTriangle(centerRightX, centerRightY, xPosition, yPosition, bottomLeftX, bottomLeftY);
}
if (sleepPose==8) {
//DRAW ONE LEFT-FACING TRIANGLE
ofFill();
ofTriangle(centerLeftX, centerLeftY, topRightX, topRightY, bottomRightX, bottomRightY);
}

}

//b[NUM];

The whole point of PhoneGap is to make web apps less, well, like web apps. So, when you click a an image with an href (a link to another page or function) and a big ugly orange bracket highlights the picture, it’s a bit of a give-away. And by give-away, I mean that takes away something: the seemless experience and aesthetic continuity of your app.

Fortunately, the fix is simple: just add this line to your CSS in body,html{}: -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);

Done.

If you could look at yourself with your eyes closed, what would you see? Usually, the only time we get to see our closed eyes is in photographs. I wondered, could we create an application that allows us to review the appearance of expressions when our eyes are closed in some kind of real-time experience?

It’s a question that I couldn’t have asked myself a year ago. The beauty of Kyle McDonald’s work, as I’ve discovered in his Appropriating New Technologies class, is that he makes sophisticated complex technologies available to new technologists and inventors, offering an otherwise inaccessible world as a sandbox in which to tinker and play.

Using Jason Saragih’s code and Kyle’s FaceTracker OpenFrameworks wrapper, I wrote about twenty lines of code. Being totally new to C++, I spent many hours just figuring out the syntax. At this point, it’s easy to view my project as just an incredibly elementary utilization of existing code — which, of course, it is. It’s also an opportunity to be grateful to be able to ask big questions, without starting from scratch.

SeeWithyourEyesClosed

How about, “iClosed”? You can view my source code here:

Today, I collaberated with a friend to create a ‘Herzog Sleep Machine’ application: “The Burdon of Dreams”.

There’s an event at ITP called 3-in-3, which is an informal invitation for students to create one project each day. Obviously, this limits the scale, and puts the emphasis on completion, rather than the “fail-hard” attitude that sometimes typifies what we do at ITP. My goal was to work with Summer Dawn to create a complete version of what she imagined — a fully-functioning Herzog dream machine. She spent a lot of time prior to this Saturday compiling clips form Herzog’s films and interview, which she then organized on a spreadsheet and cut up into sound files and put them on disc. The programming was pretty easy — we used the minim sound library for processing, which gave us quick access to good, stereo MP3 playback.

The whole app ended up being about 100 mb. Not exactly lightweight, but it will work without an interview connection, and we exported both a PC and Mac stand-alone app.

I asked her a few questions about her process:

Summer Dawn: I don’t remember which Herzog film I saw first, but I remember going through a period about 6 years ago when I watched only Herzog, I just ate them up. It might’ve been Grizzely Man, first. And I just devoured them.I think I fell in love with his voice the first time I heard it. The rasp, the timbre. It’s like a lullaby. The low, even spacing. His particular cadence. It puts me into a trance.