The infographic assignment for class was a good excuse to catalog the DVDs I’ve collected over the years. I created a bubble chart and a wordle based off of the different genres and film titles.
Film Genres
Film Titles
Infographic – My DVD Collection
Final Project Idea – The Weather Stick
For my project I’m creating a device that tells you the weather forecast. Using sound, and possibly visuals, I plan to create a wireless device which will get the latest weather report. Based on the report, it will translate this into sounds. For example, if it is sunny out it will play sounds of the beach, or if it is cold it would play the sounds of wind blowing. My idea and interface is based on the rainsticks that come from Chile or Peru. These sticks are normally made from cactus filled with pebbles. When flipped over, the pebbles bouncing to the bottom generate what sounds like rain. Instead of cactus I will be using bamboo, which is easier to find and work with then cactus, and embed it with speakers to create sounds of different types of weather. An accelerometer inside the stick will detect the motion and play the tracks when the stick is flipped over. I may also add a visual element using fiber optic cables that change colors/brightness in correspondence with the weather/temperature. The general goal of my project is to create something that tells you the weather in a more interesting and visceral way.
The Neighbors
A short movie made by Soo Yun Yun, Alexandra Kuechenberg, Lucas Werthein, Adib Dada and myself.
Media Controller – Double Agent
For our media controller, Patrick Hebron, Don Miller and I built a video game using Processing and the Arduino micro-controller. The game allows up to six players. Players work together to control a tank’s x-movement, y-movement, turret rotation, firing rate and force-field. We designed the game to work as a platform. Any media controller that sends out 2 digital bits (00, 01, 10) can plug in and control one of the tanks attributes. The game is called Double Agent cause when a tank is struck by a projectile, one of the players from the side which got hit will swap to the other side giving that side an increased advantage. When a side has no players, the game is over.
The controller hub and controllers.
Color Theory
Surround a color with a less saturated color and it will appear more saturated.
Surround a color with a more saturated color and it will appear less saturated.
Color Settings (Hue, Saturation, Brightness):
Center Squares – 180, 67, 60
Left Outer Square – 0, 0, 60
Right Outer Square – 0, 100, 60
By altering the saturation and brightness while keeping the hue the same, it is possible to make the horizontal block look transparent. Keep in mind that there are actually 3 horizontal blocks adjacent to each other, each with a different setting for saturation and brightness.
Storyboard for “The Neighbors” aka “Scary Nuclear Website”
Alex Kuechenberg, Sooyun Yun, Lucas Werthein and I are developing a 3-5 minute movie for our class. The title, which we didn’t pick, is Scary Nuclear Website.
Click on storyboard for larger image
Motor with H-Bridge Lab
Using an H-bridge you can control a DC motor’s direction. Here I’m using the Texas Instruments L293NE. Setup and code can be found here.
Transistor Lab
Using a TIP120 transistor, we can control high-current DC loads. Here I’m using potentiometer to change the brightness of a incandescent light bulb that is powered by a 9V power supply. Setup and code can be found here.