Wednesday, March 30, 2011
"Telematic Embrace: A Love Story?": Reading Response
"The Dis-Embodied Re-Embodied Body": Reading Response
"Sousveillance: Inventing and Using Wearable Computing Devices": Reading Response
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
"Computer Vision for Artists and Designers": Reading Response
The four simple detection and tracking methods outlined in the article are:
1. Detecting motion – ‘frame differencing’
2. Detecting presence – ‘background subtraction’
3. Detection through brightness thresholding – controlled illumination (e.g. backlighting) and/or surface treatments (e.g. high-contrast paints)
4. Simple object tracking – tracking the single brightest pixel in every frame of video
One of the major challenges that face programmers when working with computer vision techniques is that computers are not completely accurate when trying to tell if a person is present in video information. Since video is made of pixels, computers have to distinguish between pixels that resemble a person and pixels that make up background objects. This differentiation is often difficult, especially if a person’s clothing is similar to the background in which the video is shot. Different filming techniques are needed for computers to fully tell apart a person from the background. Techniques like using backlit objects and stark contrasts in clothing to background are good ways to ensure that computers can better distinguish objects from one another. Another major challenge that occurs in computer vision techniques is accurately measuring distance in video. Until recently with Microsoft’s Kinect, measuring distance in video feeds has always been a challenge, as many cameras could not accurately measure depth of field. Even with Kinect, the technology is still new, and judging how far an object is from the camera has not been perfected yet. Even though we have come a long way with innovations in technology, the camera lenses being used today are not perfect and can only be improved upon in the future. One more challenge that occurs with computer vision techniques is that it is hard to observe and detect a person if they are stationary and not moving. Some cameras depend on movement to judge if a object is present in the video feed, for example, the Suicide Box that looked for vertical movement by the Golden Gate Bridge. This also ties into camera lenses not being the greatest, as well as higher end lenses have a higher price point and most often, it is cheaper to use low end cameras for manufacturing purposes.
"The History of the Interface in Interactive Art": Reading Response
The 6 artists Söke Dinkla uses to exemplify the 6 categories of interactivity are:
1. Myron Krueger – Glowflow (Power and Play)
2. Jeffrey Shaw – Points of View (Participation vs. Interaction)
3. David Rokeby – Very Nervous System (Proximity and Manipulation)
4. Lynn Hershman – Deep Contact (Strategies of Seduction)
5. Grahame Weinbren – The Erlking (Nonlinear Narration)
6. Ken Feingold – The Surprising Spiral (Remembering, Forgetting, and Reconstructing)
Videogames are often given the short end of the stick, often categorized with film and books, rather than being seen as an independent art form. In my opinion, videogames need to be looked at and seen as a legitimate art form and be autonomous from films and books. In one of my classes this year, this idea was, for the most part, agreed upon as many videogame aspects just simply cannot be looked at in terms of literary and film theory. Videogames require their own theory to be fairly judged in an artistic form, which in itself is not an easy task. Since videogames are still a relatively new art form (in comparison to film and literature), not enough work has been done to establish a videogame theory. As well, the videogame industry is moving incredibly fast, making what people have written about videogame theory obsolete within a year. In one of my classes this year, our textbook contained articles written about videogames, comparing them with literature and films, and often using games from years past to make their argument. Most of the arguments made in that textbook do not seem valid anymore, as the videogame industry has evolved so much that new technology and ideas for reinventing and revolutionizing the industry take precedence. Being one of the fastest growing industries in history, it is hard to tie gaming to one specific theory on its own, in my opinion. Videogames seem to be more of a blending of different techniques used in film and in literature to create an interactive form of art. Even though it borrows techniques from these other industries, the product stands by itself independently, and it should be judged that way.
"What Gaming Can Learn From Installation Art": Reading Response
Early experiments in participatory performance by Allan Kaprow failed to make the audience “co-creators of the work” because the public was not interested in participating in and making the art “come alive”. Many art installations had the viewer become a participant, ultimately turning the viewer into a “material” to be a part of the installation. Most art installations also had specific instructions for the viewer/participant, and the public did not like being told what to do. As well, not all Happenings and installations were as open or inviting as the artists claimed.