Computers for the Rest of You
This class will explore the possibilities of subtle interaction with
computers. Conventional computer interface tends to accommodate
conscious, explicit, intentional communication. Many unconscious cues
and actions that are valued in ordinary human expression are ignored or
filtered by computer mediated interactions. Relinquishing a conscious
gate keeper can be associated with such uncomfortable subjects as
subliminal manipulation, subconscious repression, even a loss of free
will and the insanity defense. On the other hand going past conscious
control can be associated with achieving virtuosity in the arts and
athletics, acquiring insight into your personality, and engendering
trust in conversation. The classes will alternate issues of prototyping
actual devices led by Dan O'Sullivan and discussion on topics like
illusion, consciousness, positive psychology, and meditation led by the
psychologist Zoran Josipovic. In this course students will build on
software and hardware tool kits to create hands-on experiments tapping
less conscious parts of your experience. The prototyping exercises
will include using cell phone as personal sensor logger and visualizing
the results; sensing autonomic nervous responses such as heart rate;
and trapping and analysing language use on your computer. Group work is
encouraged. The last part of the semester the will concentrate on final
projects.
thought in the first class:
A dream in the night is the most interesting subject in these days. It could be a minority report of our body, and is used prediction of the future in some cultures. I think the dream is the key for exploring a connection between consciousness and {sub, pre, un}-consciousness, but prefer to call it communication rather than connection. Talking with asleep seems interesting that I'm proceeding a related game project, psyBridge, now.
In addition, alertness is a exciting subject too. A statistical study of a pattern of alertness could be used for better life in 'consciousness' status. I'll post this idea soon.
While participating the discussion, I realized that I used to think that we are conscious when awakening, and not when sleeping. But, it was an illusion. We are somehow {un, sub} conscious even in awake. I will find interesting rest of our experience in this semester.
Impressive previous project: Sai's Lost Words (seems broken now)
Idea: wearing a sensecam in the back, take pictures every 5 minutes. log the views we can see if we have eyes on our back.
Quote: "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." --John Lennon
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