Archive for the ‘Blog Pile’ Category

 

Two Quick Wigglers

Saturday, July 28th, 2012

I thought it was time to try the ds106 Wiggler Spectroscopy assignment:

Take two photos of the same subject from slightly different angles. Merge the two photos into a single looped, animated gif to create a wiggle stereoscopic image that simulates 3-D.

I decided to use my pal Spike, the metal dog in my front yard, taking about 4 pairs of photos. As ti turned out, my angle of different between each pair was a bit too much, but some of the ones that were similar in angle had enough different to make it interesting:

and from the other side…

I made mine in Photoshop by using the File -> Scripts -> Import into Stacks command, using the option to align objects- this has the effect of keeping Spike mostly motionless but animating the background.

Usually I have to do some futzing back and forth from the timeline view to the frames view in the Animation window. I select all the icons and set the animation speed to the quickest option (0.1s), Keeping the size at 500pixels wide, and 64 colors for the GIF options kept the files small (under 300k each).

Wiggling is fun! Spike is just happy to wiggle all day because…. what else is there to do?

If at first you do not succeed…

Thursday, July 19th, 2012

Since we are making our ds10r students do it, we really ought to be trying the Remix Generator too. My spin and some play got me:

This is the remix of the assignment Brian Metcalfe’s Image with a Message:

Demonstrate that “a picture is worth a thousand words” by superimposing a famous quotation over a “Creative Commons” licensed image.

remixed via the Bootcamp It card:

Whatever the assignment is, it can be made tougher if it is under the tutelage of a tough drill sergeant. Redo this assignment with a military kick to it, as if it was sent to boot camp. Drop down you worthless piece of flab and gimme twenty!

Here’s what I came up with:

(click for full size)

From the original assignment, I started with the example from A Site About Jay:

I had the option to maybe use the same image, or quote. I opted for the latter, but changed up what it said to habe more “ten hut”. On Compfight, I found this cc licensed image:

JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. -   Spc. Andrew Lester (left), healthcare specialist with the 62nd Medical Brigade, does pushups as part of the Army physical fitness test, during the I Corps Soldier of the Year Competition on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Jun

Perfect!

For the bottom text, in Photoshop I used the layer effects for Stroke and Outer Glow to make the text really pop out.

But I was intrigued by the second Japanese quote added by Jay, and ended up on the WikiQuote page for Japanese proverbs, and liked the sound of this one:

??????????????
Koketsu ni irazunba koji wo ezu. or Literally: If you do not enter the tiger’s cave, you will not catch its cub.

That fits with the drill sergeant theme, so I added it at the top. I like that I can cut and paste Japanese text directly.

And thus, this remix.

If at first you don’t succeed, remix!

The Seven Day Daily Create Mashup Challenge

Wednesday, July 18th, 2012

Okay, you creative wanna be privates! Many of you got down and followed the drill for a week of doing Daily Create assignments every day. THAT IS AMAZING. I did not think you had it in you. BUT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DONE??

YOU ARE NOT DONE YET! NOW YOU HAVE TO MAKE A STORY.

Hang on second Sarge, let’s do a little recap. Over the last seven days, we saw 174 total Daily Creates done (an average of 25 per day) and an influx of new participants (see my summaries, doing that every day was a drill!). The previous week, we had only 71 (average of 10 per day). I think you can do the math on the analytics (which reminds me of something I am hoping to work on is to do this tracking within our site, its tricky, because the content exists elsewhere, so we need to use API calls to get totalas from flickr, YoutTube, and SoundCloud. But it;s doable)

Here is a breakdown of the Seven Challenges. As usual, the photography/drawing ones typically draw bigger response than audio video, but we had a strong showing for the video of the cable tv clip and the audio of the telemarketing call.

So here is the challenge. Are you warmed up? Have you done a few jumping jacks and pushups?

Originally my idea was to ask everyone to weave a digital story out of their own contributions, but had a more interesting idea given that this week at Camp Magic Macguffin (the 2012 location of ds106) our students are doing remix assignments.

The challenge here I’ve already added as a ds106 assignment

In the spirit of pumping up activity for the Daily Create I issued a challenge to see who was strong enough to do one every day for a week. That is the first part of the challenge, and to do this assignment, you should do the same.

Then, and here is where it gets interesting, my friends, is that you are to make a mashup of content that other people created for each of the seven days, and to make an interesting story out of it. How you do it is up to you, but you should use the media (and link back, give ‘em credit) to 7 different pieces of media submitted for the Daily Create on the days you did yours.

Ok, what you need to do is go back to the Daily Create’s for each day, and choose one person’s media (not your own), and somehow weave it together into a mashup, something that tells a story. It need not go in any order (it does not have to start with a tornado) (but that is a good starting place).

How you do this is up to you (ahem, alert the creativity neurons). And be sure to give credit to the original creators of the media (that feels good when you get it, right?)

Now something that will help others is to make it easier for people to use your media (set flickr to creative commons), and especially on SoundCLoud, make sure your options on your tracks are set to “Allow Downloads” (it is not the default).

What you should do then is write up a blog post that includes your story (and some reflection on your process, what is th story behind the story?), kind of like we ask our students to do. If your blog is already syndicated to ds106, just use the tags listed on the assignment page so your shows up. If you are not part of ds106 (oh no), just wait a few days, I am trying to add some code to the site that will allow you to add your example directly. At a minimum, leave a comment here with a link to your story.

But that comes later. Your task is to do this, like our students, before midnight, Sunday, July 22 (2012).

“But I did not start til Sunday?” “What if I did not do 7 (or any)?”

That’s the beauty of this challenge- anyone can do it, not people who submitted 7, or 5, or 1 Daily Create this week.

But its even better than that. You can do this at any time! You don’t need me yelling at you.

Pick a week. Do 7 Daily Creates in a row, all on your own. Then go back, and make the mashups based on the work of others.

Damn, I feel so clever.

But now, I have to start thinking of the story I will tell.

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, PRIVATE? DO I HAVE TO COME WIPE YOUR ASS FOR YOU TOO? MAKE A *@#% MASHUP WILL YA?

Day 7: Illustrate Attraction

Wednesday, July 18th, 2012

I like you, You like me. Let’s make a photo. The last Daily Create of the Seven Day Challenge is to make a photo that illustrates the idea of attraction (this is one we borrowed from our inspiration, the Daily Shoot.)

Alas, our crew has dwindled to 15, do you seek more abuse? I will skip. Coming up in a next post will be the challenge wrap up, which is to make some new art out of the pieces we have collected.

Here are some I really enjoyed, just a scroll down past the blog fold…

Lisa Lane makes a clever metaphorical attraction by dance shoes (leading me to have fun imagining the dancers we cannot see)

cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by cogdogroo

All the way from Melbourne, Australia, Rowan Peter has a sticky situation…

cc licensed ( BY SA ) flickr photo shared by Rowan Peter

Also from Australia, Malwyn weaves dust and family photos into the theme

cc licensed ( BY NC SA ) flickr photo shared by malynmawby

UMW student Kavon found some cuddly ones

Attraction

Andrew Forgrave adds some wheels of coins to his iPhone case using magnetic action (and he even turned it into a new ds106 assignment, we love that)

cc licensed ( BY NC SA ) flickr photo shared by aforgrave

In 97 degree hot weather, Norm is attracted to cool stuff from Abbotts (including “c tard”

cc licensed ( BY NC SA ) flickr photo shared by wwnorm

Raealex must be a scientist!

Attraction in water drops

Dr Coop finds a chemical attraction in her kitchen

cc licensed ( BY NC ) flickr photo shared by dr.coop

Audrey Watters makes for a simple but effective example (I think they are “in clove” with each other)

cc licensed ( BY SA ) flickr photo shared by audreywatters

Okay, that is seven in a row.. now onto the last part of the challenge.

Day 6: Flip the Decibels

Tuesday, July 17th, 2012

Your week of Daily Create Challenges is almost over. Are you still in it? Today is another audio one, “Flip the decibels- Make a loud sound soft or a soft sound loud” — and very clever because the creativity is both in the choice and thinking about it, and the execution of it.

While 25 people joined the Soundcloud group, as of today I see 12 sounds, which leads me to think people are still working on it (if they do not, the drill sergeant is going to make them run laps all night in the rain).

I really enjoyed the variety here, and these are going to be very interesting media used for the final mashup challenge. A few favorites sit below the blog fold.

Brushing the teet was VEYR LOUD! I hope I do not get spit upon…

Norm lives on a street with an army of loud bugs

Cris records someone who is very very very thirsty

I am worried that Mohamed tossed out an important piece of paper (no, not his ds106 grade)

Andrew again mixes sounds richly, so we have a loud fan and a soft lullaby

Melanie stay with a troll unicorn theme- I guess the trolls are quiet? And the unicorns sound like normal horses!

Great stuff, tomorrow is the LAST day (but no reason to stop creating daily!) STAY FIT, SOLDIERS!

Day 5: Technology You Cannot Live Without

Tuesday, July 17th, 2012

The Daily Create Seven Day Challenge piles up hard this week, with another video one today (I did not even look to see what was lined up when I made the challenge). For today’s we have 18 Challengers still standing, which is respectable. Where’s the others? preparing to have sand kicked into their faces, I bet?

Today was another in a series suggested by @noiseprofessor, a philosophy series, “What technology you cannot live without?”:

What can you expect? Mobile phones? Web sites? Computers? Cars? Check out some favorites below the fold…

Audrey Watters reminds us of the crucialness of vision, get up close to her contacts

This is one I agree with totally, cannot life without the brown magic liquid

A beautiful (and philosophical) response by someone in the southern hemisphere! (is this you Malywn?)

Melanie cannot live without the technology handed to us by Sir Thomas Crapper (makes a decent place to read books too)

I love the live drawing by raefaring on her connective technology (we guess she can pass on the cars and planes)

I knew my gadget freak friend Coop would choose her Android phone!

Andrew Forgrave goes miles beyond the expectations for a TDC (this ought to be an example for an assignment) of his watery tech

Lisa Lane (great to see her in the mix) has FIVE! Let’s hear it for indoor plumbing, penicillin, pencils, lined paper, refrigeration

These are just the samples, see the rest at http://tdc.ds106.us/tdc189/

Mashup or Remix?

Tuesday, July 17th, 2012

In preparation for this week’s topic for ds106 I opted to put out a question via twitter to get input on how you explain the differences between mashups and remixes (I get sloppy and move somewhere in the vague area between).

Probably the best outcome was getting clued into Star Wars Call Me Maybe. Shannon Wiebe gets my vote for the fruitiest metaphor

Mainly I got that Remix is a retelling, recasting of a single piece of media, say The Shining, in a new way (think the recut movie trailers, which change the meaning of the content by simple re-ordering and adding of music) — e.g. 2.6 million views cant be wrong

While a mashup mixes together media fro different sources, say a version of the Shining with an alternate media, say Jerry McHGuire

Are the differences really significant?

I have not played with storify in a while so wrapped in the tweets with some other links:

What’s the diff?

Now It’s the Seven Day Daily Create Challenge Mashup

Monday, July 16th, 2012


cc licensed ( BY NC ) flickr photo shared by Darwin Bell

Things are really going super duper with responses to the Seven Day Daily Create Challenge, where last Wednesday I dared y’all (that means you, all 4 billion people in the internet) to do a ds106 Daily Create seven days in row.

People are stepping up, some of whom have not done TDCs before, and at least 2 UMW students are in the action. I’ve been doing daily summaries, found at my blog tag 7daychallengetdc.

Originally I had said at the end, I would challenge you to make up a digital story from your own work. And you can certainly do that… you make up your own rules (which still makes me wonder when people tweet apologies about not getting it done by midnight or the same day, phooey). After all, its not like anyone is getting graded here!

But in conversation with Martha this morning about our week 9 of ds106 summer assignments on Remix/Mashup to change up the final challenge, in fact it is now an Official Assignment– Seven Day Daily Create Challenge (And Mashup Thereof):

In the spirit of pumping up activity for the Daily Create I issued a challenge to see who was strong enough to do one every day for a week. That is the first part of the challenge, and to do this assignment, you should do the same.

Then, and here is where it gets interesting, my friends, is that you are to make a mashup of content that other people created for each fo the seven days, and to make an interesting story out of it. How you do it is up to you, but you should use the media (and link back, give ‘em credit) to 7 different pieces of media submitted for the Daily Create on the days you did yours.

So there it is- now I challenge you to weave together a story from the work other people did the same seven days you did your own TDCs.

Still.

The question remains.

Are you tough enough for this?

Day 4: Annoying Telemarketing Call

Monday, July 16th, 2012

Day 4 of the Seven Day Daily Create Challenge brings you an audio challenge, to record an audio of a really annoying telemarketing call. Obviously many people have gotten these! We have to date 18 of them in the collection.

There was definitely some fun with it as people came up with annoying voices or products. Some of the favorites are just below the blog fold.

Wes Fryer perfects The Voice in his pitch for a home nasal device

Debt collectors figured prominently, such as this gem from UMW student Chanda

Martha reveals the telephone pitch that got her the job at Camp Magic Macguffin

For those difficult situations in offices with a shared fridge, well there’s a product for that

And maybe the most original idea pitched,. Audrey Watters got a call offering the opportunity to pawn for college degree

Again I am tickled to see the creativity roll in, and people are especially paying attention to including graphics in their Soundcloud uploads.

People like Malkwyn are staying tough with the challenges!

And when asked, Michelle gives an impressive answer why she is doing the challenge

Again, the key is going to come when its time to weave your 7 Daily Creates into one story! Don’t give up yet!

Day 3: What’s On Channel 106?

Monday, July 16th, 2012

Day 3 of the Seven Day Daily Create Challenge now raises the ante- after day 1 and day 2 of drawing and photographery (easy peasy), we have a video challenge. Will they hang on?

Apparently so, I count 23 in the hopper for Day 3, which is Show us what is on cable channel ds106 (or make it up).

Now she says it strong, but I agree with Dr Garcia

But hey, anything counts in The Daily Create. The real question will be, at the end of 7 days, what story can you weave from all 7 bits? It shall be interesting. Check ‘em out, some favorites just below el fold…

Dr Garcia shows us how it is done with The Investing Edge (I think you can get this video at Walmart)

Melanie’s station announcement assures use that no public displays of affection wil happen on this channel

Andy Forgrave does a nifty flip between analog and Digital Channels:

I like the any angle goes view here

And how could you not fall in love with an interview with the 11 year old artist of Instant Isaac comic?

Martha goes deep into late night programming with a trippy Camp Magic Macguffin highlight reel (I dig the ominous shadowy leader figure shown in the preview, is that Mr E?)

Look at what the channel’s field reporters from Ghana have brought us? Amazing

With some great opeing ds106 graphics, we get to the bottom of what th eheck the United Kingdom is

And how my friend Dr Coop uses some video effect for home golf (I think I recognize her feet)

These are teh awesome! Only 4 more to go.