Tuesday, 25 November 2014

Processing: Developing Ideas

Processing: Developing Ideas



Design Specifications:

It should be random in a limit.
There should be colour.
It should have interactivity.
It is for when people get bored, they can play a bit with it.
It should evoke feelings.
It should be created using processing.
There should be instructions.

Design Ideas:

1st Idea:

As said in the image: Circles of different sizes and colour (specific sets) will come out if you click, and they just pop out from wherever the curser is. They will eventually go smaller while going in different directions, until they eventually get very tiny and disappear. The same circle will not change its colour as it gets smaller, but there are different colour of circles. There will be instructions included at the start. And one extra idea is that it can be like this: http://www.openprocessing.org/sketch/143842 and the circles from big to small will be shown. There will be four colour sets that are similar to the image above, and a random one which have colours that are totally random as the one in the link. The colours are chosen representing these: green = fresh leaves; orange, red, yellow = sun; brown, red, orange, yellow = fallen or falling leaves; light purple, light blue = snow, purple sky, light sky, purple winter flowers.

2nd Idea:

This idea is from this piece of art: http://www.openprocessing.org/sketch/74380 However, it uses triangles that come out from small to big from its centre (of the triangle) at anywhere. They will come out in different speeds. The background is white and the triangles can change a different set of seasons-colours by pressing different keys.

3rd Idea:

This is like the first idea, but the circles start really small and are always greyish white so they look silver and seem like dusts / glitters. The circles will also get darker, as silver is kind of grey but with reflections of darker and lighter parts. The background colour is the only change, and should be darker than the first idea as these dusts are light in colour, so the contrast is obvious.  There will also be instructions in the beginning.

Chosen Design:

I chose the first design because I like how the circles will be going from big to small, like bubbles vanishing. I think both the 1st and the 3rd one is good for doodling when bored (the 2nd doesn't have much interaction). But the glitter limits the change of the circles and would not allow the background colours to be too bright, and I like the background colour to be bright.

Code Snippet 1 (from http://www.openprocessing.org/sketch/143842):


void draw() {
if (onPressed) {
    for (int i=0;i<10;i++) {
      Particle newP = new Particle(mouseXmouseY, i+pts.size(), i+pts.size());
      pts.add(newP);
    }
  }
  for (int i=0; i<pts.size(); i++) {
    Particle p = pts.get(i);
    p.update();
    p.display();
  }
  for (int i=pts.size()-1; i>-1; i--) {
    Particle p = pts.get(i);
    if (p.dead) {
      pts.remove(i);
    }
  }
}

The above is the most important part for the function of having the circles float in different directions and getting smaller. It creates a new particle (the object) continuously next to the previous one and also allow the new particles to get smaller or bigger or stay the same.

Code Snippet 2 (from http://funprogramming.org/40-The-candy-space-Understanding-noise-with-2-and-3-parameters.html):

float z = 0;

void setup() {
  size(400, 200);
  noStroke();
  colorMode(HSB); // hue saturation brightness
}
void draw() {
  float x = 0;
  while (x < width) {

    float y = 0;
    while(y < height) {
      float co = 255 * noise(x/500, y/500, z);
      fill(co, 255, 255);
      ellipse(20 + x, 20 + y, 60, 60);
      y = y + 40;
    }  
 
    x = x + 40;
  }

  z = z + 0.02;
}

This will be applied to the random colour part. This uses noise which allow colours to be slowly changing.

Code Snippet 3 (http://funprogramming.org/48-Load-and-animate-an-image-of-Rick.html)


/* @pjs preload="data/mummo.jpg"; */



float x;
PImage photo;

void setup() {
  size(400, 300);
  x = width;
  photo = loadImage("data/mummo.jpg");
}
void draw() {
  background(0);

  image(photo, x, 0);

  if(x > 0) {
    x = x - 1;
  }
}
This code is for importing a photo which I want to use as a background for my instructions.

Planning Drawings:

This is the instructions part for the start. There will be four images of different seasons, the instructions will be in the centre with a white fill.

There isn't much to draw. All it is after the instructions is that when you click, these circles come out from the spot of the curser in a specific range of colour and float randomly while getting smaller and smaller until it disappears. The colours picked are on the left but the scanned colours are a little dimmer.

Processing: Inquiring & Analysing

Processing: Inquiring & Analysing


i. Explain and justify the need for a solution to a problem

Generative Art is a piece of art that have randomness in it. It can be music, or visual art. However, unlike on a piece of painting or a music notebook, generative art is usually random. It is usually created using computer programmes. I think generative arts are usually very elegant and pleasurable to see. For me, it seems like they are mostly used for decoration (like in train stations or bus stops) or things like screen savers, so that people won't get bored, and they would have something to observe at.

ii. Construct a research plan, which states and prioritises the primary and secondary research needed to develop a solution to the problem
&
iii Analyse a group of similar products that inspire a solution to the problem

http://www.openprocessing.org/sketch/74380


This is made using processing. It is mainly long parallelograms that are either blue, black, or yellow, that are slightly transparent. They are all either 45 degrees left or right. And what all parallelograms do is the start come out from a point 1 to point 2 and get stretched, then the end from point 1 to point 2 again and disappears. That is how there is a pattern. But how are they random? It generates different colour, different lengths, different speeds coming out and going away (but start and finish part is the same), the start and ends of the shapes can be horizontal or vertical. It feels geometrical and its true because those are geometric shapes. The colour isn't a lot, but they contrast each other well enough it feels colourful, yet not too colourful. I found the transparency contribute to the level of interest a lot, as when they over-lap a new shape that's not a parallelogram comes out. And their colours are slightly different too. Yet those new shape are connected and relate to the parallelograms well as they also have similar colours and their shapes aren't round and is either from vertical, horizontal or 45 degrees left or right lines. I find it is a good amount of randomness and is cool to observe. They are mostly in the middle and has a balance most of the time. (I also think the background is transparent so if it can be put on a desktop it would be cool to see your desktop background). There is little interactiveness, the only one is when you click it, the old shapes will be gone and more than 10 new shapes will come out instantly. I like this quite a bit.

http://www.openprocessing.org/sketch/143842


This is one where you click your mouse and drag to draw circles around, and then new circles that are smaller and smaller come out usually to the top right corner. It feels like bubbles when they come out which I like, but when it finishes it feels a little like roots, which I don't like. I can't feel a specific feeling except for madness and all because the colours are all random. But the whole thing together kind of feels like corals. It has a lot of interactivity which is kind of fun to play with. It is good you can press C to clear stage so you don't have to close and open or anything. I don't like about the stroke, it feels like rubbed of pencil on a piece of paper and dirty and all. I think it is fun to play with.

http://www.openprocessing.org/sketch/173277



There are many circles that follows the mouse. A certain number of circles are generated each second. And they will follow the path to the mouse. However, they don't exactly follow the path of the mouse, if there was an angle, they shift bit by bit until it is round. It feels very 3D and is kind of like a worm. However, I think the fact there are no colours makes it very plain, and it's a little dizzy. I think it is a little fun to play with.

http://www.openprocessing.org/sketch/102329


I think this ones looks the coolest. When you click and move the mouse, these lines shoot out in different kind of angles but are relevant to those in the same line. Not only do they shoot in different angles, they shoot at different angles. And sometimes dots come out. This whole thing kind of makes me think of snow and ice because of the white background and the bluish cool lines. I think maybe the pinkish reddish colour contributed to the feel of santa? Maybe, but it feels like snow and christmas a little. The dots makes it a little more friendly looking, I think it is very cool-looking, and pretty fun to play with. I like it.

iv. Develop a design brief, which presents the analysis of relevant research

I plan to create something that will follow the mouse. I want to follow the second example mainly. I would like to make it feel more like bubbles, not roots. I would also want to create a mood using a certain colour, and take away the strokes. I am going to create something that can change colour pressing different keys, and make it feel like different seasons. I want to create something related with nature because I feel like we should interact with nature more in our lives, we should remind ourselves about it even when we are looking at some computer. If I can simplify the feeling of a season and fit it in a generative art using colours, that would be interesting and beautiful.

Wednesday, 12 November 2014

Les Vacances d'octobre

Français: Les Vacances d'octobre


Pendant les vacances d'octobre, je reste à Singapour. Je ne sors pas de ma maison toujours pendant les vacances. Je dois finir mes devoirs. Je devoir poser ma candidature pour la bourse aussi. Je veux la bourse par ce que je veux rester à Singapour et étudier à CIS.

  

Dimanche, je joue badminton avec mon père pour le plaisir et pour pratique. Je joue au badminton et aux jeux vidéo avec Tom, mon ami. Singapour, il fait très chaud donc je mets l'air conditionné toujours. Je regarde quatre films avec ma famille. Il y a deux films auguste , accompagne ma sœur. Le meilleur film je pense est "Godzilla".


Pendant les vacances, je dors longtemps. Je dors jus tard le matin par ce que je suis fatigué. Il n'y a rien de spécial pendant les vacances d'octobre, c'est comme le week-end. Mais permets de me détendre et de se reposer.

Friday, 7 November 2014

Community Service Project: ICARE - I

Community Service Project: ICARE


Main Idea & Plan

I came up with a few ideas for my community service project, and I thought that the recycling project would be the best to do. It is most practical and achievable yet still very useful and helpful. The recycling project should involve making recycling bins for classrooms and floors in my school; collecting and washing bottles and cans from the canteen so people don't throw them in the bins; Creating some (not too much) posters (probably paper, not digital) about recycling and putting them up; Creating pick-up schedules for classrooms' recycling materials. I might also make videos or comics in promoting recycling. The above should have ensured that the stuffs go to the recycling "station" in campus. However, it is still not clear where it goes afterwards. The research should therefore involve some tracking and finding out where does all the recycling materials go - Which station in the district does it get sent to. It might as well involve if they actually get recycled, either Singapore recycles it or they are sent to be recycled. Or do they just get dumped at last? I might as well start from the bigger parts, so I wouldn't be wasting time doing not meaningful things. To measure if it is really the best idea, I used the acronym "SMART".

SMART Goals

  • Specific: I think what I have to do is pretty clear. I will be making a plan very soon.
  • Measurable: I need to be able to tell how much it helped and present it. Well, it is going to be quite easy as I can count how much I collect each day. I can weight it too easily. I should be able to track until the station.
  • Achievable / Attainable: It is not very hard to achieve, as bins are easy to make, especially if I use cardboard. A schedule is not hard to make, and it takes no more than 10-15 mins to gets the recycles to the proper recycle bin in the campus. I will have 10-15 mins time in the morning. For 3 out of 5 days, I am free during lunch-time. Time to wash them should be enough.
  • Realistic: This is a practical project. It doesn't take much money at all. It is time sensitive see \/. It is true, it is not like taking everything I find in the streets to the recycling bin. However, I believe I will be contributing a good amount as an individual over about half a year. In those classrooms that have bins already, it get filled up about every 5 days. Ten more classrooms makes it ten times quicker, like 2 boxes a day. And if there is a schedule, bins will have space when needed so people won't be so lazy to just throw in in the rubbish bin. According to the information my sister provided, I should be able to collect at least 70 cans & bottles & cartons for grade 5 & 6. My prediction is about 35 cans and bottles and cartons for MYP. For 150 week-days of that (not including exam), it should be a good amount.
  • Relevant: This is a community service project and I definitely think helping the environment is helping the community too. In fact, environment is throughout the world though places with factories for recycling might be a little polluted and it uses energy resources. However, saving material resources and saving land for dumping garbage for the future, is a good service to the communities.
  • Time-sensitive: Using 15 mins a day isn't a lot, and making the recycling bins will take like 4 hours totally. The schedules will also make it more time efficient. Making each poster (,video, and comic) each time will take about 1-2 hours, not much. I think I might need some time tracing and researching where they go. Washing them might take some time. For tracing, I need to pick a few days after school to do so.

As a conclusion:

  • Yes, I am willing to commit time and skills to this project.
  • Yes, the project will have a positive, and visible, outcome for my community.
  • Yes, I will be able to measure the impact / results of my project.
  • I might be able to promote something to attract my friends and convince them to join me, but help is not very needed. Someone to help during the two lunches when I can't collect and wash might be good though.
  • Yes, there is enough time to plan and complete the project.
  • No, I will no need funds to do this project.
  • Yes, I know where, and how, I will be able to collect needed project supplies and materials?

ICARE

Investigate and Identify
Create a Plan
Act
Reflect
Exhibit

My Research Plan

Community Need:

Increasing the amount of cans, bottles, and papers from my school campus being taken to be recycled.

What do I already know about the need or condition I identified?

I know people aren't recycling enough because the rubbish bins in the canteen are full of cans and bottles. I also know that there are recyclable materials in classroom-rubbish-bins. I also know that recycling bins in classrooms doesn't get picked-up regularly. I notice that some classrooms don't have a recycling bin for papers. I don't notice any recycling bins for plastic bottles, and metal cans (aluminium mainly) in any hallways, classrooms, or even the canteen. I notice that there is no schedule or a responsible person for taking recycling bins to the one and only proper recycling bin in school campus.

In order to take action and make a difference, what do I need and want to learn about?


Sunday, 2 November 2014

Grade 8 Community Service Project: Recycling Project

First, I am going to go to the classrooms and check which ones don't have recycling bins for paper. Then, at lunch, I'll check the dustbins in the classrooms for 3 days and see if there are other recyclable materials like cans and bottles. If the sum of all classrooms in the whole floor have more than 12 cans / bottles all together, then I will add a recycling bin next to the staircase of the floor. If a classroom has more than 10 cans, I will add a recycling