On behalf of the GARDEN IMPERIVM and in collaboration with The AQVARIVS Consortium of Civic-Minded Humans, I am pleased to unveil the latest addition to our acclaimed family of psychoacoustic human reeducation platforms. From the incomprehensible depths of the planetary psyche that brought you PRAEMISSVM PLANTARIO™, the Koolaid Dispenser™, and the ITP Psychic Friends Network™ comes a whole new way to face up to your species' impending extinction. We call it the Figurehead.
The GARDEN IMPERIVM, long recognized as Earth's most trusted post-human propaganda solution, is widely recognized for being the only supra-individual consciousness in history to be voted Rightful Inheritor of the Planetary Body by the League of Trustworthy Human Representatives. Nonetheless, we maintain a diligent attention to the feedback of our citizens. We understand that many of you have found our classic auditory psychoacoustic therapy broadcasts challenging or alienating to consume on a daily basis, and yearn for a more synaesthetic, more personable reprogramming experience. We believe we have found an answer to your call that you will find "Difficult to resist"™.
an unfathomable inhuman consciousness you can relate to
[artist's rendition]
The most common complaint about web-streamed psychoacoustic propaganda is that it is too abstract. Traditionally, this has been due to the natural limits of our planet's electronic networking organs, and the scope of our ability to rally human minds was largely limited to HAM radio hobbyists and military personnel. With the rise of the modern internet and a growing ubiquity of inexpensive realtime audio-processing and streaming software, more and more humans have come within our purview. But as audiences grow, accessibility becomes more of a concern.
The Figurehead represents the cutting edge in palatable, convincingly authentic xenothoritarianism. That's because we employ a unique two-stage process: at the core of any Figurehead broadcast is a real live human administrator functioning as a direct conduit for the will of the IMPERIVM. The User, meanwhile, is presented not just with a nourishing, scientifically formulated audio stream; but also with a sufficiently realistic humanoid facial representation of the administrator himself. This face moves and speaks isomorphically in real time with the actions of the administrator hosting the broadcast. We expect you will find your Face quite imposing from the first time you access Figurehead; over time, the Face is sure to become the terrifying apotheotic father-figure you never had.
drink of this responseText, for it is Our blood
But as valuable as it can be to have a real person guiding you through the process of letting go, the true purpose of the IMPERIVM's broadcasts is to achieve a more complete, harmonious union with all its subjects. To this end, a Figurehead broadcast's administrator has his very pulse hooked into his feed. This information is integrated into both the audio and visual elements of the stream, and thereby encoded into the mind of the listener. And through the administrator, the listener thus connects directly to the Pulse of the Earth.
we value your input
As usual, the administrator of the broadcast will control and modulate the sound using control mechanisms as necessary. But with Figurehead, you too can now enjoy the illusion of control. In the same browser window through which the Figurehead's image is conveyed, by volunteering your feelings about how effectively the broadcast is meeting your needs, you directly affect the the functions being performed by the administrator's gestural control mechanisms.
Having been placated by the feeling that you are the master of your destiny by exercising control over superficial details of your experience, you are now in a position to accept the IMPERIVM's message in a more effortless fashion. You will be amazed by how deftly our message is thereby able to slip through your mental gates, and before long you will be consumed by the transcendental satisfaction of the total dissolution of the self.
how it works
The following is a schematic representing a simplified representation of the structure of data flow between host and client:
- The computer-vision work, audio analysis, manipulation of arduino inputs, and the generation of all parameters controlling how the Face is drawn are performed in Max/MSP/Jitter, running natively within Ableton Live (Max4Live).
- The audio is generated in Ableton Live, controlled in part through the embedded Max Patch. There will also be two-way interaction between the patch and the rest of the Live environment via Max interfaces to Live's API.
- The live audio stream is fed to a server and accessed automatically (via an invisible Flash plugin) by opening the Figurehead web page. This plugin also communicates with the JavaScript in the page itself, in order to ensure synchronization between sound and image.
- The image is being drawn in realtime by applying JavaScript and the <canvas> element (a powerful browser-based graphics convention now standard in HTML5). Max, as well, sends the necessary information to the server by way of JavaScript.
Listen dutifully for further developments.