Sci-arc graduate thesis presentations

Sci-arc will be having its graduate thesis presentations this coming weekend from the 15th through the 19th. I'll be down there for the "next fest" convention I announced on the previous post, and I think Danny is going as well. If anyone is interested in going to LA to see the student work and/or convention, let us know.

From the Sci-arc website:
"SCI-Arc's graduate thesis program culminates in a public two-day event in which students present their final projects to critics from all over the world. A celebration of academic achievement, the SCI-Arc thesis weekend is a major forum for the discussion of fresh insights and innovative concepts in architecture. Graduate Thesis projects will be on view throughout the school from September 15–19, 2007."

Wired Next Fest, Convention on the future

Hello all,

this seems like an amazing convention we all must attend... its at the LA convention center and there are going to be exhibits on the future of communication, design, education, entertainment, exploration, health, play, robotics, security, transportation, and more!!! tickets are only $15 for students...

http://www.wirednextfest.com/index.php

check out the website...


if anyone wants to go, let me know... I'll be heading down to LA for the weekend

Future Libraries

As a topic that has been discussed at random but in length.

The role/program of the library: how has it evolved over the years, decades, centuries...? What social role has the library had on the public? How has digital media and technology influenced the advancement or decline of the current social and fundamental roles of the library? Can digital media, technology, and documentation change the program of the "current" library?

Exploring libraries in general: primarily we see a trend and cultural need for the library as a social keystone in local communities but, concurrently we see advancement and the expansion for the use of computers as a "tool" for library users and visitors. Expanding existing areas within libraries and contracting others to make room for the computer and digital age and to accommodate new technologies ( Fx: 20-40yrs ago, libraries made room for a new technology that made its peak in the 70's as a new documentation source, the microfilm). Changing the library program in this sense did not hurt the traditional library role but, in fact, helped to expand the library. Documenting books, articles, and papers on the 'new media' opened physical areas that were normally used for housing books to community areas and shared reading spaces.

Presently computers and digital scanners make it easy to archive, transport, search and find literature and images across the world (Fx: the Internet/world wide web)...how can this technology effect one of the foundational program elements of a library, which is housing and storing books for loan. Would the role of the library change if all the media and literature of the library was housed in the computer?...therefore, making knowledge accessible to everyone across the world...potentially saving thousands upon thousands of natural resources and money that would normally be associated with the making of paper bound books.

If you think about your visits to the library on a more daily-functional activity: breakdown your uses for the library...[is it a place] to pick up books for loan, for social gathering/meeting place, studying , computer access, Internet, escape, printing, resources, community...?

[think about] how digital documentation can open up spaces normally used for 'the stacks'. how digital media can efficiently allow you to do more research in less time (movement through large libraries can be time consuming, not to mention the complex cataloging/numbering system).how digital media and documentation can enhance learning environments with interactive studying and learning programs and spaces within the library.

[other questions] price or value of paper bound books in the future: what will be the role of the home library?: collectors of books and their future investment decisions: the relationship between publishers and writers: piracy of books:

[evolution] currently humans have trouble reading on computer screens for long periods of time (commonly known as eye fatigue)...if children are brought up on reading from computer screens at an early age, primary socialization, instead of books, will their eyes adjust over time?: development of portable digital books (a contemporary ibook if you will this will only help the transition from analog books to digital literature)

meeting....

meeting

Friday
07_06_07

room 05_304

7:37 pm.

we'll be discussing the competition we will be entering and other important orders of business
Architecture and Dissent: The First Festival of Insurgent Architecture

vi ses

For the Scripting Enthusiasts

What's up Crew,

My friend Jon Proto sent me a link to this scripting competition (I think it's a competition) that I think most of you would be interested in. There's a fee of 10 US and the dealine is July 15. 2007. The submission will be presented in an exhibition to aquaint the public of the design possiblities and capabilities of scripting. Here is the link to where you can download the information and submission packet. http://www.fuelcollection.com/SCRIPT/INE/

the game of life

Thinking Machine 4 created by Martin Wattenberg, with Marek Walczak, using Processing, explores the invisible, elusive nature of thought. Play chess against a transparent intelligence, its evolving thought process visible on the board before you.

The artwork is an artificial intelligence program, ready to play chess with the viewer. If the viewer confronts the program, the computer's thought process is sketched on screen as it plays. A map is created from the traces of literally thousands of possible futures as the program tries to decide its best move. Those traces become a key to the invisible lines of force in the game as well as a window into the spirit of a thinking machine.

When it is your (White's) turn to move, the chess board will gently pulse to show the influence of the various pieces. in the left image below, you can see waves over the squares around the king and (very lightly) over the squares where the pawns might capture. When the machine (Black) is thinking, a network of curves is overlaid on the board; see image at right. The curves show potential moves--often several turns in the future--considered by the computer. Orange curves are moves by black; green curves are ones by white. The brighter curves are thought by the program to be better for white.

fully awake emerges from the dust....

we're back in slo! sorry for the very long delay with the postings... but things have been hectic lately arriving back in CA and getting to work on thesis.

I've got new work I want to post, but I need to work on some formatting and hopefully get my book sent out to get published within the next two days... so! for now, here's something interesting I stumbled upon today while reading through my daily link searches...

It's about the use of brain-computer interfaces to create virtual worlds that can be controlled mentally.

"In addition, there is no need for the operator to wear a head-mounted display – they sit inside a room (located at UCL) inside which stereo video footage is projected onto three walls and the floor. A pair of shuttered glasses creates the illusion of 3D to intensify the overall feeling of being inside the simulated reality."

you can find the full article at:
http://www.newscientisttech.com/article/dn12136-virtual-world-sharpens-mindcontrol.html

ALSO! now I wont be the only one posting... so check the bottom of the post for the author's name and give them credit!

there will be a meeting this week... I'll post more info on that later, TBD.