Today we were introduced to Ouya, a new(?) kind of video game console powered by Android. The cheaper (99$) and more open console is supposed to encourage developers to make games for larger screens by allowing them to publish games similar to the mobile platforms.
Yves Bahar and The Fuseproject (creators of OLPC and Jambox) are designing the hardware and by the looks there is nothing revolutionary. An interesting idea is that they encourage hackers and tinkerers to modify both hardware, Â software and explore the product without loosing warranty. The hardware specs are released, but suggestions are encouraged.
It did not even take a day to get the project funded and pledges are open for another month. So what happens now?
We are now looking for a senior lecturer on an artistic basis, in Industrial Design, who has solid professional experience and a strong commitment to teaching, who can take responsibility for developing the common core educational areas for all our specialisations. The position is for teaching and supervision at Bachelor’s and Master’s levels, mostly conducted in English. The person we are looking for has worked professionally as an industrial designer for a longer period of time and has a passion for actively influencing and forming the education of future industrial designers.
I watched this documentary last night, and found it quite interesting. Sure it is about indie game development, but there is some IxD in there for sure. I like the way that the game concepts are presented and dissected, where these indie games are reflections of individuals, human beings reacting to society or having strong creative vision outside big blockbuster titles.
Ouff, it looks like a terribly demanding but rewarding experience. Kudos to the filmmakers and the indie game developers featured in there. The film captures truly personal struggles, strong emotions and very rough moments.
The Marmalade, a special effects studio in Germany, has created an incredible high speed robot used to film precise moments during ultra high frame rate takes. The results look so perfect it looks like CGI!
Impressive!!! We need a robot now in the Interaction Workshop, please :-)
We have featured Modkit before on this blog. Now it seems ready for a mainstream release, with both a desktop version and an online version.
Modkit Micro is a graphical programming environment for microcontrollers. Modkit Micro is based on years of research at the MIT Media Lab including the popular Scratch project, so it will look familiar to the over 1 million kids and novice programmers who have already been introduced to Scratch.
Off Book is a web-original series from PBS that explores cutting edge art, the artists that make it and the people that share it online. New episodes every other Wednesday.
More than 40 years ago, Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori wrote an essay on how he envisioned people’s reactions to robots that looked and acted almost human. In particular, he hypothesized that a person’s response to a humanlike robot would abruptly shift from empathy to revulsion as it approached, but failed to attain, a lifelike appearance. This descent into eeriness is known as the uncanny valley. Though copies of Mori’s essay have circulated among researchers, a complete version hasn’t been widely available. This is the first publication of an English translation that has been authorized and reviewed by Mori.
A good read!!! And there is a related interview with Masahiro Mori here.
Super gutted I left my iphone on a plane cause I sure as hell want this gem IxD alum Matt Brown and one of his colleagues Daniel Deruntz crafted. I’m itching to try it. Apparently it’s also free, at least for now. Here’s a little intro taken from the Pollisynth site.
A Pollisynth takes a picture of something, and then translates that picture into a unique soundwave. As stated above, in order to fully understand the colors that surround us we must engage an additional sense. A Pollisynth can be the gateway to your mindbrain, and can give you a good time doing it. Pollisynth was first developed by Thomas Ruby in 1987. After having passed away in 2006, Salisbury’s son, Jamie, continued his father’s work. As a company we stand by the Pollisynth and we stand by the Rubaic principles of Oneness, Honor, and Good Times.
This year’s crop of IxD projects pushes the boundaries of IxD: they approach contemporary societal issues way beyond the meeting point of technology and users. They all focus on people, complex interpersonal situations and sensitive topics, not on trivial interfaces, pixel arrangements or superficial technolust. These designers are very talented and articulate, I’m very confident each of them will have a bright professional future. UID and UmeÃ¥ will miss you. I will miss you.
Congratulations again, and enjoy a well deserved relaxing summer.
Gray Area Foundation for the Arts (@GAFFTA) brings together the best creative coders, data artists, designers, and makers to create experiments that build social consciousness through digital culture.
Win an one day internship at Screen Interaction and a trip to Stockholm to enjoy the tallest building in town: Victoria Tower! Watch the video below for more information about how you can participate in the New Face Challenge!
